i am not sure if he is up with mike huckabee and rick santorum -- mike huckabee.ick santorum is point to be one of those guys who hangs around and looks for his opportunity. when he does, i would not underestimate him. >> it's very early in the republican polls and i know it is early and probably meaningless, but tell us about jeb bush and chris christie? >> you bet. jeb bush has a lot of access obviously. it is his name. governor bush. a lot of people in iowa over their story in politics to a guy with the bush name. but he also has issues. one will be the bush name. is there bush fatigue? two amnesty and common core will plague governor bush for a long time to come. when it comes to -- go ahead. >> i apologize. you were moving on to governor christie. . >> governor christie has been out here a few times with governor branstad. people getting used to the way that governor christie campaigns, will he be a candidate, will he not be a candidate? i have no idea. the most i have seen of him is at dallas cowboys games in jerry jones' suite. >> right now, what two issues

versus bush you go with huckabee?> huckabee, i think it is possible. whereas bush would probably beat most of the people in the antiestablishment lane. huckabee is stronger than people give him credit for. [bell rings] a new lesson for republicans -- do not let your members speak at white supremacist meetings. for democrats -- take note of times when republicans speak at white supremacist meetings. also, mitch mcconnell gives the president a morning and barack obama hits the road for the pre-state of the union address. >> look, i will be contrarian about this. i think the president has the upper hand and the reason is republicans have gotten very used to being in a posture of reflexive opposition. they have gotten good political benefits from that in operas. they have not had to legislate or govern in any meaningful way. the question of whether these guys can get together and move a positive agenda -- there is no evidence. >> and there are tons of things on the calendar that could trip them up. deadlines. the other th

this mike huckabee move.d into 2016s the mike huckabee of 2008 who won iowa who was this beloved figure and evangelical christians in particular do you look at mike huckabee now and say this is a stronger candidate or do you like at mike huckabee and say maybe he's a little bit of old news here and you have more competition this time? >> you know steve, honestly, i don't. in the trips that i've taken to iowa and we were there quite a bit in this cycle in 2014 because of the senate race. he is still a beloved figure there. for someone like mike huckabee, that's the road to a potential nomination. it runs through iowa and it runs through that evangelical conservative base and as the early primary starts to take shape. you are starting to see moves on both sides. jeb bush on the establishment side and now huckabee on the conservative base side and you'll start to see those two groups fight it out behind the scenes. you're already seeing jeb bush get in the way of chris christie in his early plans. you'll see ehu

can a huckabee or santorum make it through to the end. >> if you're a huckabee and now that you've made a lot of money you risk losing part of that money. >> that's the question, how much does he want this, particularly since he has seemed to get pretty comfortable having a life outside politics for the last six years, but look, there's a lot of people in iowa carrying a torch for mike huckabee and reluctantly settle fd for santom last time around and a lot will tell you they wished he'd run. that's why he's considering this. i disagree with nia. i think there's not a lot of competition in the conservative alternative lane. all the competition this time is for that establishment lane. it's jeb, it's chris christie, it's all those governors. it's scott walker, mike pence, john kasich, bobby jindal, even rick perry all gunning to be acceptable to the establishment so there is an opening for someone who could consolidate conservative support and i think that's where huckabee see the the opportunity. >> only jeb is in the water now. he says he's actively exploring. jindal is aggressive trav

we all want a quick reaction about huckabee.c/"washington post" poll has clinton at 56%, huckabee at 39%. sounds like he might need more than money. >> well, think these races for president are like a hockey thing. you have to go through the regular season to win in the playoffs. his goal is not worrying about the general election. it's the primaries. what amazes me about what's developed so far is whether it's huckabee or the others we're going to have -- or the republicans will have four likely candidates who have not served in office for ten years. jeb bush, senator santorum, mike huckabee, and mitt romney. it's an amazing thing they have not served in ten years. >> you have run against women. do you have to do it differently? >> you do have to do it a little bit differently. if you're as aggressive in some cases. and we saw what happened with hillary clinton's senate race, it gets in the personal space. there's a very different reaction to it. huckabee represents a very important part of our party. polls mean nothing. fred t

but huckabee will insist it is carried out.s this right-wing conservative cultural thing of his. >> but here's the question. does winning the evangelical wing of the republican party mean more in 2016 than it meant in 2012 or in 2008? and i don't think it does. >> well, i think iowa matters. you lose iowa to huckabee he's up there, he's going to win in new hampshire of course. >> which is what last time he didn't do. he still ended up with 10, 11% of the republican vote. it wasn't enough. he did okay in south carolina. but this field is going to be tremendous. and we'll have a couple big-money candidates. if jeb bush is in there, rand paul will have a lot of money. >> rand paul has been courting evangelicals in iowa in particular. there have been people on the ground, making in-roads while he's been doing other stuff. >> this sounds like a chaotic party. >> okay, look, half full, half empty. there's a lot of ferment. there's a lot of stuff going on in the republican party. you can look at that both ways, frankly. and i think de

what did mike huckabee reveal overnight? >>> and the homecoming. >> this is mine. >> how cities across the country are giving homeless veterans a new beginning. from abc news, "this week with george stephanopoulos" begins now. >>> good morning. i'm martha raddatz, and we're tracking developing stories on several fronts including former arkansas governor mike huckabee making a big announcement about 2016 overnight, but we start off with new and encouraging developments in the mystery of airasia flight 8501. indonesian investigators say they may have found key pieces of the fuselage where the jet's black boxes are located. we'll talk to the u.s. commander taking part in the search shortly. first the latest from abc's david kerley. >> reporter: bad weather, it's one of the things we know about the crash of airasia 8501. the weather was bad when the airbus went down, and stormy seas have hampered recovery efforts. abc's muhammad lila is in indonesia. >> reporter: it's now been a week since the airasia flight took off from this a

. >> former arkansas governor mike huck huckabee resigned his job. >> i think huckabee is what hillary wants. >> the democrats want to insult the women of america by making them believe that they are helpless without uncle -- >> he's very popular among social conservatives. >> a recent fox news poll showed huckabee ahead of the field. including jeb bush. >> jeb bush meanwhile, quit all his corporate boards. >> if in fact jeb bush is the establishment choice where does that put chris christie? >> it's chris christie's weekend that -- >> he's really a cowboys fan. >> romney's certainly on the sidelines watching all this. >> this weekend, one certain to be candidate for president took a serious step to pursuing that goal. he quit his fox news job. >> tonight, i'm going to do more than just say goodnight. i'm going to say good-bye. this is the last edition of huck huckabee on the fox news channel. god's put me on earth to try to make a good life. >> in 2008 former arkansas governor mike huckabee won the iowa caucus. mike huckabee told his audience that he is considering trying it again. >>

but i'm not sure how he is -- i'm not sure how huckabee -- i just imagine huckabee -- his wife callings ready. he's like oh wait a minute, i'm watching these beyonce videos so i can be on top of telling people what not to do. i don't know why people are always putting her in the forefront when we talk about what's so bad with pop culture? i'm not sure exactly why he's doing that. >> well i'm not too sure kids like being told what to listen to either. >> that's right. >> but jason, i said it last night and i repeat is this all they have left to criticize president obama about? are we down to the kids and listening to beyonce? >> yeah. and it seems silly. barack obama has a lot on his ipod that his kids listen to but it's really hypocritical of mike huckabee. he plays front man for a band called capital offense. they've opened for dionne warwick and he might want to think about who he's performed with on stage and how that's affected his own children. >> shira, tell me how -- what is the measure of this -- of huckabee wanting to take a shot at president obama and mrs. obama? >> look i th

will huckabee's moralizing connect or kill him?>> finally, let me finish with my thoughts on this odd attack by huckle chuckle. i'm sorry. huckabee. this is "hardball," a place for politics. start the interview with a firm handshake. firm, but not too firm. make eye contact...smile. ay,no! don't do that! try new head & shoulders instant relief. it has tea tree and peppermint that cools on contact. and also keeps you 100% flake free. i use it for cooling scalp relief in a snap. mi bebé ha crecido tanto. try new head & shoulders instant relief. for cooling relief in a snap. >>> federal authorities have filed charges against the ohio man they say wanted to attack the u.s. capitol. authorities say 20-year-old christopher cornell wanted to use pipe bombs to attack the capitol and then shoot people as they fled but he was never in the position to carry out the plot. he was under investigation the whole time and was dealing actually with an undercover agent because of his postings on social media. we'll be back after this. she inspires yo

our exclusive with mike huckabee in a moment., how the former arkansas governor could shake up the race. here's chief white house correspondent jonathan karl. >> i love iowa. >> reporter: it was seven years ago this month that mike huckabee had his big breakthrough. a decisive victory in the iowa caucuses. he would win seven more states. conservative stardom and a fox news show. but not the white house. now the bass-playing, former baptist preacher is thinking about trying again. first step, he's giving up his tv show. >> as much as i have loved doing the show i cannot bring myself to rule out another presidential run. >> reporter: huckabee has strengths. his easygoing, down-home style. his ability to appeal to social conservatives. he's come under fire for his record as arkansas governor. raising spending. and taxes. in his new book, "god, guns, grits, and gravy," huckabee hits the social conservative themes that made him a gop star. ♪ i'm rubbing on it ♪ >> reporter: huckabee takes on beyonce, calling her lyrics obnoxious and t

huckabee talked about speculation and chatter of him running. fox executives questioned him a couple months ago because he was hiring operative and looking for space. did things reach the point where huckabee was so openly exploring he had to leave? >> i don't know. i am glad i don't but i will say this you could not persist in the direction he was holding. there was in way and he was straightforward, it was untenable. kudos to him for making the jump. >> we have talked, going back 2011 and 12, not a wealthy man he was enjoying making millions so this is not a decision he would reach light lit to depart fox. >> it shows he is serious about exploring another run. it doesn't mean he cannot come back in the future, the revolving door works both ways. there is a rule, you cannot run for president and have a show on a network that is going to be fair and balanced and he had to go. it was cut and dry. >> a lot of potential candidates try to extend the run because they like the exposure. >> on the program on saturday night, he talk about god, he is a f

bill, show me the pathway to the nomination for hike huckabee, as powerful as a nomination for mike huckabee i think has a strong record from arkansas, some tax issues probably that are going to come back to bite him, but that was litigated in 2008. show me the pathway to the nomination, especially when you're up against really successful current governors. people like the new thing, right? they like the new thing. so maybe it's a walker or kasich. >> assume in the early primaries of iowa and a few other places though they're saying they may not have the iowa caucus. >> not even have a primary. >> he'll do okay. but i agree with you that it's going to be hard for him to beat a jeb bush or if mitt romney decides to go or something like that because we are a society that isn't any longer responding to god and country. that seems to have been diminished. >> i think the striking the balance that someone maybe like a christie or a scott walker could do mike pence, john kasich, where they are conservatives. they are to a large degree social conservatives. but the most important thing most people b

now huckabee. that huckabee had to leave that show before he announces whether he's going to run? >> he did. partly because it's a policy of fox news. that makes sense across the board. if you're getting active about a presidential run or any political run, if you form an exploratory committee, you have to leave the network. a couple months ago ben carson severed ties with fox because he's been contemplating a run and now huckabee is doing the same. and there was some pressure on huckabee and fox to bring this to an end. it was still a surprise last night when he decided to announce it at the end of his show. it wasn't really previewed many hours ahead of time. he's not announcing a run today. he's not forming an exploratory committee. he said he's not going to make any decision until the end of the spring but now he can more actively talk to potential supporters, potential donors and that won't be awkward given his day job at fox. >> what do you think needs to happen for him to run? >> you know, h

huckabee's moralizing connect or kill him?>> finally, let me finish with my thoughts on this odd attack by huck kell chuckle. i'm sorry. huckabee. this is "hardball," a place for politics. startup-ny. it's working for new york state. already 55 companies are investing over $98 million dollars and creating over 2100 jobs. from long island to all across upstate new york, more businesses are coming to new york. they are paying no property taxes no corporate taxes no sales taxes. and with over 300 locations, and 3.7 million square feet available, there's a place that's right for your business. see if startup-ny can work for you. go to startup.ny.gov. >>>. >>> officials say 20-year-old christ sister cornell wanted to use pipe bombs to attack the capital and then shoot people as they fled but he was under investigation the whole time and was dealing actually with an undercover agent because of his postings on social media. we'll be back after this. you need to catch the 4:10 huh? the equipment tracking system will get you to the loa

here's huckabee. he called michael brown a thug.a tragedy that the young man got shot but this is a young man who had just roughed up a store owner, just robbed a store and now he's going after a cop's gun, and it's a horrible thing that he was killed but he could have avoided that if he'd have behaved like something other than a thug. >> how does that play in a national campaign? that's who he is. >> well the camera never blinks as mitt romney found out with the 47% thing. and don't think that team romney isn't having meetings right now because of this. and i think the reason this is happening now is because jeb bush has moved the timeline. governor bush is to the republicans what hillary clinton is to the democrats. in casino parlance here in las vegas, they call him the cooler because they freeze the dough. all the big money, which is the mother's milk of presidential politics, is on hold right now, waiting for these two folks to announce. so if you're mike huckabee you got to get out there now. and i bet they're having a meeting

why elt would huckabee giving up a lucrative tv career? and how much has the fox gig boosted his chances? >>> a media come back from president obama. getting positive press from the left on cuba, for an improving economy that is called the obama boom. >>> there has been so much effort put forward by the republicans to obstruct everything president obama dreamed of doing with this economy. we are living in the obama economy. >> probably because it's growing fast. >> does the president deserve that credit? and are the mainstream media trying to give him a boot? >> one of the fox's most outspoken commentators on how he makes up his mind. his relentless criticism of the president. >> on a column, you can correct yourself. when you are on live television, you're a wolenda on the high wire. >> a conversation with charles crowdhammer. >>> good morning america is the number one morning show and it's packed with stories like these. >> the shocking videotapes one mall did not want you to see. we begin with the colorado man charged with killing his w

and could mike huckabee fill that role? >> first question i think anything can happen this election. election is a lot more unpredictable than we would like to admit, especially at a time when the country is changing dramatically and the voting pop you populous is so upset with both establishments. i look at the dark horse and give them more consideration. like a rick snyder in pennsylvania or mike pence in indiana. i think swrekd a big surprise this election. mike huck abeeshgs i covered him in arkansas along with bill clinton. interesting guy, a lot of attributes but he also has a lot of baggage from arkansas, like the clintons did. his decision to release wayne dumont, who went on to kill after that. and a wedding registry, which was a very unethical thing to do although the clintons did it later in 2000. it's interesting. i wouldn't rule anybody out right now. >> laura, big picture, how do you handicap the race? how strong is jeb bush? who do you see as the republican's potential candidate out there, most likely to knoc

mike huckabee is not even close to being a contender. that's everything.can go out and say that and he is just trying to get headlines. >> i believe he's trying to actually bring down the fact that hillary clinton will be the democratic candidate and sort of like saying women shouldn't curse. it is a very subtle way of saying a woman shouldn't be president. >> yeah. >> yeah. appreciate your time tonight. thanks for the discussion. >>> still to come senate republicans continue to push for keystone but nebraska landowners aren't backing down. they have the law on their side. we're going back to ground zero on the keystone fight. uh, and i know my iq. okay. uh, and i know-uh-i know what blood type i have. oh, wow! uh huh, yeah. i don't know my credit score. you don't know your credit score? --i don't know my credit score. that's really important. i mean -- i don't know my credit score. don't you want to buy a house...like, ever? you should probably check out credit karma, it's free. credit? karma? free?...so, that's... how much? that's how much it's free. cre

while huckabee may do better in places like iowa, jeb bush is suited for a better election.ch as we love him here, i don't think he's going to be the nominee. >> yeah. we'll see. >> it's going to be interesting to see how this emerges because huckabee, and i'm not disputing what you're saying but huckabee is a man of principle, he's a man of god and he's a man of experience and intellect. you know those are strong ingredients that can be revealed over the course of the campaign. >> amen. >> and i think probably will be rewarded certainly in the primary. >> we've seen the movie before have we not? >> we've seen a lot have movies. i keep going back for more. >> bush movies romney movies. i want to see a new film. no sequel. >> how about a fundraiser where they actually feed people at the fundraiser? >> that would be a great idea. >> i don't know. >> a lot of fantasy going on. great to be a part of it. well, a scathing new report from the department of homeland security issued by republican senator coburn on his final days serving in the u.s. senate. his report faults the agenc

but mike huckabee will allow for no such position. he's threatening to leave the party over the issue. here he is. >> a lot of republicans, particularly in the establishment and those who live on either the left coast or those who live up in the bubbles of new york and washington are convinced that if we don't capitulate on the same-sex marriage issue and if we don't raise the white flag of surrender and just accept the inevitable, that we're going to be losers. i tell you, tim, it's the absolute opposite of that. and if the republicans want to lose guys like me and a whole bunch of still god-fearing people, go ahead and just advocate on this issue and while you're at it, say abortion doesn't matter either because at that point you lose me. i'm gone. >> right. >> i'll become an independent. i'll start finding people that have guts to stand. i'm tired of this. >> well, governor huckabee intends to make it impossible for a republican presidential candidates to make the issue of same-sex marriage under the radar. tim, tell me, what do yo

the on deck speaker is governor mike huckabee. [cheers and applause] he is the governor we are proudest of from hope, arkansas. [laughter] he served there from 1996 until 2007. one of the things he did was in the 2007 straw poll, mike huckabee was the winner because he created the momentum in the straw poll in 2007, and the momentum that carried him through the iowa caucus in 2008 where he posted a victory with 34.4%. i was out on the campaign trail and interacted with governor huckabee a good number of times in that campaign season. i was on the fair tax bus. we went all over and stopped and did fair tax events. if anybody needs to be reminded, that is where we abolish the irs to take all the tax of the productivity earnings, savings and investment, and you get to decide when you want to pay taxes when you are a consumer for personal purchases. mike huckabee and i sat down in a hotel on the other side of town and talk through that one day. i was encouraged that he went all over the state, raise the fair tax up, and that helped hi

i think this helps huckabee.olve all his problems in terms of his record in arkansas and how much money can he raise but it sure doesn't hurt. >> as an objective news channel it's interesting. he said continued chatter put fox news in a position that is not fair to them so it certainly is interesting when you have this type of dynamic and i got to tell you, he's got a book coming out? god, guns, grits and gravy. that's a lot more exciting. >> the continued speculation is that huckabee was hiring operatives and looking for office space so he's been slowly moving in this direction for a while. >> i ain't going to ever run for anything. thanks howie. >> did someone mention grits and gravy? i'm ready for that. >>> the president's affordable care act facing opposition in the new republican congress and also the supreme court. can obamacare make it out of 2015 unscathed and pope francis adding new faces and why they may be the most diverse group yet. . . >>> pope francis naming 15 new cardinals from 14 countries around

i think huckabee will start strong in iowa. i think that what they're all needing to do is to figure out some personnel. watch for that and also what sort of big ideas might they have. i think the polls schobel jeb bush in the front might be a name i.d. issue at this point. i don't think the polls are accurate yet. >> it's interesting, huckabee didn't say he et cetera running. what he basically said he can't be on fox and actively explore, and one of the big issues for him is always money. he as going to spend the nest fuse months to explore whether he has the financial support to actually run. we scud you questions from the panel, and we got this from steve on twitter. who will pick the gop nominee? the media/gop establishment or the base? ron, how do you answer steve? what are the chances for an insurgent, more conservative if candidate knocking off is the if front-runner jeb bush? and could mike huckabee fill that role? >> first question, i think anything can happen. elections are a loot more unpredictable than we like to ad

huckabee, watch his girth. you'll know he's moved from exploring to running when it begins to shrink. then everybody said you were mean. >> well, some people thought i was mean. that's truly a political observation, not a personal one. mike huckabee has had a life-long struggle with weight. he's been quite a campaigner and crusader on the issue. and he's lost a lot of weight at times. he's written books about this subject. but it's something that he's dealt with all his life. and i remember back in 2008 he was running nearly every day, he was way slimmer than he is nowadays, and he was -- it was clear to me that was part of the campaign, for him to be slimmer trimmer, more sort of visually appealing candidate. i remember people asking me in 2012 if huckabee was running and i'd seen him and it looked pretty clear to me from his appearance at the time that he probably wasn't running. >> do you think we wouldn't elect an overweight presidential candidate? >> this is an observation that is about mike huckabee. when

arkansas governor mike huckabee is leaving his fox news show to consider running in 2016.t are his chances of winning the nomination? >> he's one of the far off groolts -- grassroots candidates. he raised $16 million last year which is a good start. he has a considerable following. and who else got to stand on fox news and say i can't rule this out. that's great platform to start building campaign movement. i think we'll see in the coming weeks how he starts to do. i think he has a book coming out. how that plays out. we'll see where he falls. >> he's not the only one with a book coming out. a lot of gop members have them coming out. we'll be talking about that. thank you very much for joining us today. we appreciate it! >> great to be here. >>> just ahead. an epic battle of strength at the happiest place on earth. the special way people are pulling together for a cancer stricken teen. what's in a can of del monte green beans? ( ♪ ) grown in america. picked and packed at the peak of ripeness. with no artificial ingredients. del monte. bursting with life. [coughing] dave, i

so, you know governor huckabee is a viable candidate. he won the iowa caucus in 2008 with 34% of the electorate. after that, he won seven more states. he actually got second place in south carolina. then when he head off to florida and texas, john mccain got very strong at that point. one thing about huckabee, you've spent time with him i've spent time with him, he knows how to connect to the voters. when you look at it from the fact of 2008 at his history and even looking now back in september september 2014, he was leading. he's going out early. you go to putting out his feelers. he needs to raise money and get donors to believe he's the right candidate. and building a national campaign, grassroots organization, which of course takes money and time. neil: you know, you're right on all counts, mercedes. had he had more financial wherewithal in 2008 just as rick santorum had more financial follow through, they could have gone much further. this is where i'll be the first to say money does make a difference. it gives you -- it pays you fo

he tells us what to do in huckabee. go to fox news.comfor your headlines. >> police controversies that led to the death of two black men in ferguson missouri and the subsequent grand jury decisions, have put a spotlight on the police making life-and-death decisions in a blink of an eye. as a governor i have more life-and-death decisions come cross my death in arkansas history. i had weeks and months to carefully review every case of the file before i made the decision to order a life taken. it was the toughest decision to make because it was the only decision that i made that was irrevocable. but cops have to make that irrevocable decision in a split second and if they chose wrong they could end up dead or indicted. what does it look like from a cop's view. they are putting their lives on the line so we don't have to. he was involved in a shooting that killed an armed suspect and joins me now. >> thank you for having me governor. >> this was early in the career in 1975 and you faced an arm the robber with a sawed off sh

if he runs, how serious a contender is mike huckabee? >> we are in "let a through flowers bloom," and as we turn the corner this year we are going from wild speculation to slightly more informed speculation of would might run. huckabee will have a strong stand in a few of states particularly starting strong in iowa which is important. what they are all needing to do is figure out some personnel who is going to join up with these guys and what big ideas could they have? the polling showing jeb bush in the front could just be a name i.d. issue at this point and i don't think the polls are accurate yet. >> it is interesting huckabee did not say he was running but he said he cannot be on fox and actively explore and a big issue is money so he will spend the next few months trying to explore where he has the financial support to run. we asked you for questions for the panel and we got this from steve on twitter "would will pick the g.o.p. nominee, the media/g.o.p. establishment or the base." how do you answer steve? what are the chances for a

first of all how do the , huckabees view alice?we love her, she is absolutely part of the family. you don't get to be part of the team if you are not a part of the family. >> the huckabee's are not a big ambling family. -- gambling family. >> it is not a place that you usually find our crowd. >> if your dad is running, what would you said the chances? >> i would say it is pretty high. >> better than 50/50? >> i don't want to throw numbers out there, we are not gamblers i don't even know the right terminology in gambling terms. >> but pretty high. >> pretty high. >> going to run, not going to run? >> the fact that he stepped down from his television show says a lot. he eliminated that factor from the equation. we will see. if i was a gambling person which i am not, i would say it is high. >> what is one thing that your dad likes to do less than raise money? >> let's see, gamble. >> gamble. [laughter] >> that is high on the list. so we have the prospect of an arkansas versus arkansas general election. arkansas got a lot of attention

mike huckabee's beef with beyonce.irst my letter of the week and it's about the lavatories of the states. ever since darryl's wife started using gain flings, their laundry smells more amazing than ever. (sniff) uh honey isn't that the dog's towel? (dog noise) hey, mi towel, su towel. more gain scent, plus oxi boost and febreze for 3 big things in one gain fling. it's our best gain ever! discover card. how can i help you? oh, you're real? you know i'm real! at discover, we're always here to talk. good, 'cause i don't have time for machines. some companies just don't appreciate the power of conversation! you know, i like you! i like you too! at discover, we treat you like you'd treat you. get the it card and talk to a real person. alright, so this tylenol arthritis lasts 8 hours, but aleve can last 12 hours... and aleve is proven to work better on pain than tylenol arthritis. so why am i still thinking about this? how are you? aleve, proven better on pain. >>> okay nerdland fill in the blank. few issues divide americans

this is about an hour. >> host: governor huckabee i think it's worth pointing out the irony that you are sitting in new york where he is to i am here in washington where maybe you will live in just over a year?

former arkansas governor mike huckabee announced he will leave his show, "huckabee" on the fox news channelers whether or not he will make another run for the white house. >> if i were willing to absolutely rule that out i could keep doing this show but i can't make such a declaration. now i'm not going to make a decision about running until late in the spring of 2015, but the continued chatter has put fox news into a position that just isn't fair to them. nor is it possible for me to openly determine political and financial support to justify a race. martha: there you have it. ed rollins worked as campaign manager for ronald reagan's landslide re-election in 1984. joe trippi worked as howard dean's campaign manager in 2004. both are fox news contributors. before the holidays it felt too early to talk about this but now that it is 2015 on calendar, it feels just about right and people considering running feeling that way as well, ed. >> happy new year. martha: happy new year. >> equally important most of the campaigns have been planning three or four months. governor huckabee obviously beca

i think mike huckabee can do that. i do think rick perry can do it. that does not mean they don't end up being the conservative establishment choice, but in terms of coalescing and getting behind somebody, mike huckabee is the one. >> just on the basis of communication skills and constituency, that might be true. the biggest problem for mike huckabee continues to be whether he can raise enough money. even though it is less important, the money thing, it still matters. especially in a split field. >> if he does what a lot of these republican candidates are doing, embraces the super pac, and finds two or three people to write multi-million dollar checks, that gets him well past where he needs to be the player here. >> how many do you think mike huckabee knows who would do that? not many. president obama signed an order to give federal workers six weeks of paid leave to care for a new child or sick family member. at the same time, he is asking congress and local governments to allow workers to get seven paid sick days year, along with a proposal for stat

>> no. >> my cup to be -- mike huckabee. i was there that day. day when there were 70 reporters. there is a lot going on in this part of town. there was a weird mural on the wall. this building behind me is now a church but in 2008, it was the headquarters of barack obama's presidential campaign when he ran against hillary clinton and john edwards. this is a seafood restaurant in the mowing -- des moines. it is a seafood restaurant. eight here once and i thought about it, des moines, iowa and lobster? we are here by a pork tenderloin place. we are going to order and go big. this is the best tenderloin in the world? >> i would agree. they make it homemade everyday. >> that roger man was roger simon, not just guy i ran into in the lobby. what did you think of that tour? >> i think you make des moines look really cool. it is cool. >> we will be right back with a very exciting promo after this. ♪ >> we are live 24/7 online. tomorrow right here at 9:30 eastern you can join us with the best live streaming coverage available of the iowa freedom summit.

huckabee is tested in a certain -- in a certain sense.e did very well in iowa and in his bid fell apart. he knows that is a huge problem. there is chance he will in fact explore the bid and find there is just not the financial backing to do it. in his case, unlike jeb bush, and i think it is clear he will actually run, i think my huckabee will take a hard look at it and might be back on the air at fox news vine next summer. >> for who else will money be the deciding factor? >> everybody who runs needs to think about being in a big competitive field. it is a long list. there are different views in the part about how much you would need to be competitive. people will get more free media attention and some of get less. a guy like ted cruz and rand paul, those guys, like scott walker and bobby jindal, not really big nationally known commodities, if those guys do not have the money to run, they do not have ran name recognition. they need the money to get any kind of attention through advertising and other avenues. >> whom gets the free media?

♪ ♪ lou: former arkansas governor mike huckabee resigned his position as host of the huckabee show ononsider another presidential run. joining us tonight, fox news political analyst former reagan white house political director rollins. he also was national campaign chairman for mike huckabee's campaign back in 2008. great to see you. >> thank you. my pleasure to be here. lou: those are impressive credentials. i've never said that. [laughter] those are some credentials. >> been around a long time. lou: and done great. it's good to see you, ed. >> thank you. lou: let's start with, if we may, the government coming back republicans in charge. they're making all sorts of nice talk about, you know, governing from the center. mitch mcconnell, the new majority leader in particular. your reaction, is it rhetoric or a sincere effort? >> i think they realize that if they don't govern, meaning that they pass some significant legislation tackling some of the serious problems facing this country, they'll be out in two years, particularly the senate. they have to have a coordinated, cohesive message