senator jim demint, nbc's kelly o'donnell is live in colombia for us this morning. jim demint played debate moderator yesterday of sorts. >> this is a different kind of forum. here in south carolina, the people who attended said they liked it that way. that means there weren't journalists asking questions. it wasn't about bringing up a candidate's past and picking apart trying to bring in new information. it was talking about issues that mattered to conservatives, the meaning of the constitution, talking about social issues like abortion, gay marriage a little bit, also the health care law and what should be done with some of the things that are happening in the economy. it was not as much about the president as it was about the conservative values and issues that matter to these candidates. it had a really different feel. for mitt romney who is considered a bit of a longer shot in a state like south carolina, because he doesn't have a natural constituency here that perhaps rick perry would have because of his southern

on monday, senator jim demint, a tea party favorite, held a forum to test the top candidates on everything from jobs to abortion. minnesota congresswoman michele bachmann. >> i would put forward a human life amendment and at the same time i would do everything within my power to restrict the number of abortions that occurs in the united states. >> reporter: with the state's unemployment rate at 10.9%-- nearly two points higher than the national average-- the candidates-- including former

want to ask you about something jim demint said yesterday.e told candy crowley, talking about how he wants a president to put something down on paper, he doesn't want to just hear the president in a pretty speech -- he said he could barely listen to the president in another speech. so, what is it -- i've heard this before. the rnc told me a couple times, you know, there's not one word that's been put on paper. what do they -- do they want the president to write legislation for congress? what is it that they want? >> yeah. republicans have been arguing this for a while and not just on the jobs plan but health care and other issues that white house, the administration doesn't actually put anything on paper. and that gives them more leverage because they can tell congress to do something and put the onus on them. it is an argument we've heard from the republicans for a while. they want an actual plan from the president to be presented to congress. christine. >> let me ask you about sarah palin. sarah palin, a lot of people are still wondering, i

joining me, senator jim demint. senator, good to have you here with me.ant to get right into a question. a lot of people thought you might run for president this year. you have become known as a leader within the tea party movement. why did you ke decide not to? >> mike, i might be the only senator who looks in the mirror and still doesn't see a president. i was hoping you would run. and i kept thinking i would see someone come forward who could do a better job. i have a unique role right now, in the senate and if we can get five or ten more solid conservatives in the senate i think we can give the next president a congress that they can work with. >> mike: who do you think that next president ought to be? have you made a determination, any one you endorsed that the point or do you anticipate it? >> i learned last time if you get in too early you might miss the best candidate, which i did. i think in your case, mike. so i'm going wait this time and i want to see how these candidates respond to the issues that are in washington now, that we are having to d

you can watch five republicans take questions from jim demint and steve king.ick perry is pulling out of the event to deal with fires in his home state. maria, smart choice? >> i think it's a smart choice, alaina. he continues to be the governor of texas first and foremost. as he continues to talk about his record in texas, his record will catch up with him, especially on job creation and the environment. job creation, when he came in, unemployment was 4.2%. it is now 8.2%. a lot of jobs created in texas. government jobs, same government that he despises, and it's also the number one state that allows chemicals, toxic chemicals that spew into the air and water. e.t.a. and business first, that's actually true. >> do we want to move on to the next question, rebecca? let's move to will first. what do you think about this? >> i think perry pulling out of the event this afternoon is a nonevent. the nation does need to get to know rick perry, need to see him in a one-on-one interview, see him in a debate. and i want to say, i wrote a column once where i said i'm no r

we begin with jim demint and jim hoffa. and as we near the anniversary of 9/11, mike rogers and senate homeland security chairman joe lieberman and all things political with peter baker of the "new york times" and mike duffy of "time" magazine. i'm candy crawley, and this is "state of the union." first, president obama is going to unveil his new jobs plan on thursday, and it's a critical speech with the disappointing jobs numbers we saw come out a few days ago, and we see who could benefit right away. he is not always a republican establishment favorite but holds sway in the tea party and the tea party may hold sway in the primaries. his event will be well attend and closely watched. he is joining me from clemson, south carolina. thank you so much for taking time out. i want to start off talking about jobs. and what is in the jobs plan and what cannot be in it? >> i spent the month of august visiting businesses, manufacturing plants. i have been on shop floors. i have talked to a lot of the companies that create jobs in sou

republican senator jim demint told cnn's candy crowley he's tired of talk.nts something in writing. >> we need a plan in writing. he needs to send it to us and tell us what it's going to cost so not only congress but the american people can read it, businesses can read it, but without sending something in writing, the president makes all of these grand gestures and then it doesn't appear in any legislation. he'll blame congress for not passing something he never sends over. so it's pretty clear what we need to do to improve our economy. we need to lower the risk of being in business. we need to make sure there's ample reward for creating those risks. the president has it backwards. >> the shortage of jobs prompted teamsters president jim hoffa to call for something bold from the president. >> so far what we've done hasn't worked. we're still at 9%. it's not working. we need a bold plan. we have to look at what happened with irene. we have to rebuild our roads. basically our dams, our highways, everything has to be redone. our schools. we have to start that.

it depends on, you know, if we have a congress full of allen west and jim demint's, i can enjoy civilian life, and that sounds very appealing. but again, i wrote the book because we need more allen west, we need more jim demint, we need more michele bachmann and sarah palin. and maybe some of you right here in this room. but as an outsider looking onto my race, when people watch what happened realize that things that you said 25 years ago are going to be dug up and taken out of context, you go why the heck would ever do that? why would i put my family through that? why would i embarrass myself our risk my reputation like that? and if we allow them to do that we are allowing them to win all over again. because we need more troublemakers to challenge the status quo, to hold this administration accountable to put their name on the line. and again, we might not win the first time around, but we are making a difference. and we are paving the way and moving the standard further along for future candidates, especially, especially for women. so i really tip my hat to what your organization is do

. >>> and that's it, the south carolina republican forum hosted by senator jim demint. we want to welcome our viewers. i wolf blitzer in "the situation room." donna brazill is with us. let's get immediate reaction to what we heard from the five republican candidates over the past two hours. donna, let me start with you. you're a good democrat. you heard from the five republicans. they're pretty much on most of the issues on the same page. a page being very different than the page that the president of the united states is on. >> south carolina will hold the first primary in the deep south next february. it's a very important state for the republicans. what you saw today is michelle bachmann, mitt romney, newt gingrich, ron paul, of course, and her main cain present the ideas to jim demint. he's a heavyweight, he's a tea party favorite, and what they were running today for was not president of theite, but president of the tea party. >> all right, let's get a different analysis, i assume from will cane. what did you see and what did you like and didn't like? >> i thought

we begin with tea party patron, jim demint, and then mr. hoffa. and we have homeland security chairman, joe lieberman. and all things political with peter baker of the new york times and mike duffy with "time" magazine. i am candy crowley, and this is "state of the union." >>> the nation's capital and campaign trail will be a wash in jobs plans and presidential politics this year. the president's big unveil is on thursday, and republicans that want his job have ample opportunity to vie for it. dau mint holds twa in the tea party, and the tea party may hold considerable sway in the republican party. >>> senator, thank you so much for taking time. i wanted to start off talking about jobs. what you think has to be in a presidential jobs plan that you will hear about on thursday night and what cannot be in it. >> well, candy, i have spent the month of august visiting a lot of businesses, and manufacturing plants. i have been on shop floors. i have talked to a lot of the companies that create jobs in south carolina and across the country. what they wan

who does senator jim demint think is the best candidate for the white house? and solyndra didn't have had a solid business plan, but pushed for a half billion dollar anyway and now the company has gone bust and gerri willis and sandra smith with their grades on the scandal. plus, is this the end of days? >> i believe we're living in the last generation. >> billy graham's daughter live tonight. tonight, ladies and gentlemen, governor mike huckabee. >> mike: thank you. thank you very much. very enthusiastic audience with us tonight. welcome to new york city. this week the palestinian authority is coming to the u.n. and demand that think be declared a state in total defiance of all the agreements of the peace process and they're going to force the hand of the u.s. to veto any favorable vote. it's an unnecessary and unproductive move on the part of palestinians that reveal their disregard to consummate a peace deal with the israelis and further example of the blatant contempt that foreign leaders actually have for the current administration and president obama. wh

martha: senator jim demint is coming up on that as well. those are a few of the stories we're covering. got a lot more, though. how about this, you've seen the videos that are so outrageous of kids getting patted down in our airports, so the tsa is talking about big changes in all of this. that could be bring news. we'll bring you that in a little while. bill: new details on a scandal involving the white house and a solar power company, why the white house allegedly pushed through loans for that company, even though it was in serious financial trouble. we're digging a bit deeper on that today. martha: plus, a mom, making some unwanted headlines today for encouraging a school yard brawl. we're going to show you this video and tell you what she's saying and what others are saying about this crazy, crazy behavior. that's coming up. >> she was cheering the fight on, egging her daughter on. >> she had her on the ground, they were pulling hair and she was punching her in the face. martha: firefighters in texas are already pushed to the brink. but

the man behind the event is often labeled senator tea party, the conservative jim demint who is with us tonight from the convention center where that event took place. senator, let me just start with the this the question. you have yet to pick a candidate this campaign. did any of the five today convince you that's the guy or the woman in case of bachmann i want up against president obama a year from now? >> well, first, john i want to thank you and cnn for carrying this to the nation. we've gotten a lot of response that people really enjoyed getting a little deeper with the candidates. i did learn a lot about some of the candidates i thought i knew well. but the whole point of this is to show that the principles that unite the republican party are very different than the democrats. and the more we give these candidates a chance to talk about those principles, the better i think we have a chance to convince americans that it's time for a change. >> well, let's talk about one of them. let's have a contrast between the candidates. all of the candidates are critical of the obama health

that apparently now includes tea party favorite senator jim demint. >> are you going to go to the speech? >> i doubt it. >> really? >> if he sent a written proposal over first, i would hear him explain it, but frankly right now, i'm so frustrated, i don't think i'm going to go. >> let's hope they do listen to the american people. 62% support the job training. they also back an extension of unemployment benefits and the payroll tax cuts. the american people have rejected the tea party republican agenda. which is why we heard some feisty words this weekend from james hoffa. if we keep the eye on the prize, let's take these son of bitches out. >> joining me is richard trumka. we want him to be the leader we know we can be, we want hem to be bold and be aggressive. he that is to give the worker hope that he's going to fight for them, make them believe he's going to fight for those jobs, no matter what the republicans do. let's just review something for just 30 seconds when you have george bush came out of office through fewer jobs than when he went in. mitt romney, boehner and all of them wa

it will be his waterloo, it will break him. >> break him is an old racist term in the south and jim demint knows it. for the past three years, demint's tea party has carried signs all over the country. the most powerful republican in american spews this garbage every day. >> we have to bend over and grab the ankles, bend over forward, backward, whatever, because his father was black, because this is the first black question. how do you get promoted in a barack obama administration? byite hating white people. in obama's america, the white kids now get beat up with black kids chaering, eering, yeah, right on. it's a triple-double oreo. barack, the magic negro. how many votes did obama get because he was black? shocking number, folks. if obama weren't black, he'd be a tour guide in honolulu. >> herman cain has turned a blind eye to the ugly racism coming out of his own party. when it comes to the issues african-americans care about, cain's belief system falls right in line with demint and limbaugh limbaugh. where is cain on minimum wage? he was against it. he's against universal health care,

if it depends if we have a congress-full of alan wests and jim demints, i can enjoy civilian life. and that sounds very appealing. but i wrote the book because we need more alan wests, jim demints, michele bachmanns and sarah palins and many some of you here looking into this room. when people watched what happened and realized things that you said 25 years ago are going to be dug out and taken out of context, you go why the heck would i ever do that? why would i put my family through that, why would i embarrass myself or risk my reputation like that if we allow them, we're allowing them to begin all over again. because we need two challenges to hold this administration accountable, to put their name on the line. and, again, we might not win the first time around, i be -- but we're making a difference and paving the way and moving the standard further along for future candidates, especially, especially for i women. so i really tip my hat to what your organization is doing here in such a difficult district. [applause] >> thank you. >> i wondered if you would be willing to talk a lit

the next day jim demint's forum in south carolina. the fifth, mitt romney unveils his jobs plan. the 6th. and by the 7th, nbc politico debate. the 8th president obama's jobs bill. that's an incredibly busy five days. what does it tell us? >> a busy five days in one week. chris, even after that we end up having the tenth anniversary of 9/11. >> didn't even mention that. huge moment. >> john boehner will give his own speech. it is going to be a crazy and busy, significant september for all of us. the big thing for political reporters like us, people heading out to the nbc politico debate, we better get our sleep now, this weekend, catch up, baultz what is going to happen in the next 30 days is going to be incredibly significant. going back to the jobs numbers, it's a way where the story does move on. you have to be able to survive when you get bad news. >> the other thing, the politico-nbc debate kicks off five debates next week. three debates in 17 days. we talked about rick perry, real proving ground here. let's talk about a candidate who has not, parenthesis, yet in the race, sa

>> reporter: there are a few members that plan to boycott it for number of reasons, jim demint says hegoing to sit this one out. another republican david vitter is staying home to host a football party. they are taking on the green bay packers in the n.f.l. opener. >> a reminder for the president's prime time speech. we'll carry it live at 4:00 p.m.. >>> amazon and california legislative leaders are expected to announce a deal in the sales tax. they are expecting it to collect sales taxes. they collected signatures for a referendum challenging the measure. that ballot measure is now on hold. the agreement will avoid a referendum battle. >>> all right. 4:50 let's check in with mike about the quality of our heat today as opposed to yesterday. >> maybe you won't need the air conditioner as much today and turn it off for a little bit longer. with the winds of change blowing in we do not have spare-the-air day. good morning to you. thanks for tuning in on this thursday morning. you can see from the roof cam, back towards the port of oakland. we do have low cloud filtering in the bay area. k

. >>> senator jim demint on the state of the union this morning makes his feelings known about president's upcoming jobs speech to congress. take a listen. >> i just don't think those things are going to create jobs, candy. what the president appears to be doing, and frankly, i'm so tired of his speeches, it's going to be hard for me to watch. >> that was senator demint. not a fan obviously of the president's presidential policies, not expecting a lot from his prime time speech to congress this thursday night. let's talk about the speech with two of our regulars. will cane joins us from new york, and ld grander son, also a cnn contributor from chicago. great to see you both. will, i want to start with you. president obama is set to unveil his latest plan to get the economy moving. do you see any chance for common ground with the republicans? i can kind of feel the eyes rolling out there when i ask that. what do you think? >> i see very little chance. i think the way to think about this is let's assume president obama had all the power in congress, in washington, both houses of congress.

today it's about questions from jim demint and a conservative panel.nator demint is a big voice here in south carolina. and this will really influence this early part of the race because these candidates will be pinned down on some issues that may not be playing as big in other parts of the country. namely social issues. but the economy will also factor in in a big way with so much criticism toward how the president has handled the economy and jobs. this is a chance for christian conservatives to have a voice in this early debate and part of what's happening is south carolina is the first fry mare in the south. so even at this early stage it is an important chance for these candidates to be able to talk to voters and be on the record for some key issues. labor weekend in total is always a big political time. so you also have sarah palin who still isn't in the race, but is certainly getting attention. she's speaking in new hampshire today. and she's always an influence in this race even though she's not in it. >> unofficially speaking to people. thank y

. >> senator jim demint went on to say with all respect, mr. president, we're tired of your speeches and maureen dowd a. humorous columnist of the new york post put it this way and i'll quote her, p*pl is still suffering from the speech illusion, the idea that he can come down from the mountain, read from the telecaster, scurry down from the mountain rand do what we proclaimed, in a way, does she have a point. >> it's tough times from barack obama when maureen turns against you, a a devout liberal. he's getting hit from both sides, no question about what. -- about it. you heard from jim demint says, there's not a lot new here, what the president is proposing is basically the old gifts in new wrapping paper. what you just expressed is that liberals are very frustrated with the president and he's being pulled in two directions. the liberals want him to go big, they want him to go radical with another half trillion dollars of spending, republicans said wait a minute, that didn't work the first time. >> i want to take a look at a fox news poll, we'

candidates take center stage at the south carolina forum, hosted by the state's powerful senator, jim demint. former massachusetts governor, mitt romney, was planning to skip the event. but he changed his mind when rick perry surged ahead in the polls. senator demint, of course, is a major force behind the tea party movement. his endorsement is one of the most prized of 2012. and he joins us from south carolina. senator, thank you for being with us. >> christiane, it's great to be with you. we're really looking forward to this forum because it's set up in a very different style. instead of the typical debate with lots of candidates on stage, each candidate gets to spend 21 minutes on the stage by themselves, to define themselves in their own terms. so, i think folks all over the country will find it very interesting. >> well, let me ask you, then, for your view on the latest entrant into the race. that is texas governor rick perry. earlier this summer, you said you didn't know enough about him. now, can you tell me your views since he's been in the race and there's been a lot said by him ove

scheduled this jim demint event in south carolina today. there was a protest in new hampshire yesterday. some tea party groups pulled out of the event once mitt romney would agree to speak because they don't think he really represents their values. this will be mitt romney's key challenge. how does he woo enough of those tea party republicans in because they are critical. look at the prominence they had on a day like today. >> woodruff: quickly, david, we said th is the kick-off. and every day this week there's something happening. we have a calendar we're going to show our viewers. tell us what we're looking at here. >> tomorrow mitt romney is going to be out in nevada. in the las vegas area to deliver his big jobs speech. he wants that to be a contrast to president obama's speech later in the week. he really wants to show what the alternative is and then on wednesday, the republicans are going to be at the reagan library in simi valley california for another debate. it will be their sort of i think it's their fourth debate of the cycle so

i want to start with something jim demint said yesterday.lled the president's jobs bill a political trap. he said if we support it, we're in bed with him on this economy and we own it with him. we oppose it, we give him something to run against. two cynical of a way to look at it? >> chuck, i think all of us want to see the economy get back on track. and i think that republicans are willing to work with the president on policies that would accomplish that. but in order to get good permanent, good paying jobs out there you have to have permanent or at least predictable good policy. most of us have real questions about -- obviously, we have great questions about everything the president has done to date. this new proposal, we think, too, could be just more of the same and not lead to greater job creation and economic growth. so there's going to be -- it's received a cool response here on capitol hill, not only from republicans but from a lot of democrats as well. >> you've said something that some people could have read into it as you could be

it's hosted by south carolina senator jim demint. demint blasted president obama over jobs. >> tax creditses, hiring people. >> are you opposed to extending unemployment benefits? are you opposed to extending the payroll tax cut? are you opposed to those two things? >> i just don't think those things will create jobs, candy. the president appears to be doing and frankly, i'm so tired of his speeches, it's going to be hard for me to watch. frormer vice presidential candidate sarah palin is also in the spotlight today, she's going to be at the tea party rally in new hampshire, going to take you there live in the next hour. palin hasn't said whether or not she's going to run for president. >>> and president obama gives his labor day speech in michigan today. he's appearing at an event hosted by the metro detroit central labor council. detroit hit hard by the labor crisis. and the president's remarks come three days before he outlines his plan for turning this jobs market around. >>> fighting, you see there, breaks out between egyptian p

two republican senators won't be here, jim demint and david vitter. three house republicans are skipping including joe walsh who says he does not want to be a, quote, prop for the president. the two presidential candidates who are in congress, ron paul, he says he's not coming, but michele bachmann will be here and she plans to hold a news conference later. there will not be an official gop response. boehner says many people would rather watch football than hear from another politician. brian. >> that's one way of putting it. kelly o'donnell who we swear is inside the house chamber tonight. >>> david gregory, moderator of "meet the press" and andrea mitchell. of course the economy is broken, but adding to that, our politics are broken right now, to it's against that backdrop that the president walks in the chamber. >> at some point, i spoke to money managers this week who are dealing with americans who are watching their savings and wondering about what's happening with the economy let alone jobs, and said this is a fund -- with regard to what's plagu

like jim demint, who sponsored the -- in >> remember, maybe you do, remembers when the democrats had their new left, the new democratic coalition. that is the tea party book ending the era. november does not count -- as long as we can win primaries, beat the establishment, that is the tea party attitude. that it was their attitude in 2010 in delaware and colorado, alaska, nevada, then gave up the chance of republicans actually winning the majority of the senate and the riots that attitude in 2012. >> he is so old he actually knew harry truman. >> the republican debate. >> it is a ponzi scheme to tell our kids that are 25 or 30 years old today, you are paying into a program that will be there. >> use a by any measure social security is a failure. you can say that to tens of millions of americans who live on social security. >> rick perry and mitt romney at the debate at the reagan library in california. rick perry was holding his own for a while but i am wondering if he shot himself and, what -- cowboy boots talking about social security? >> that clip captured what will be the essence

why isn't south carolina -- why doesn't senator jim demint want to listen to the plan. bill: look at this. a brave fisherman who helped two people escape is telling quite a story. >> the owner of the boat was, you know, really devastated. his companions seemed in shock, from the experience, where the owner was in shock from the loss, more, i think. hi. you know, i can save you 15% today if you open up a charge card account with us. [ male announcer ] identity thieves never stop coming up with ways to steal from you. they can open up an account in your nam and go on a serious spending spree. do you have cufflinks? mm-hmm. gold ones? [ male announcer ] not on our watch. we're lifelock. go to lifelock.com and learn how our patented billion point database can help protecyou. call 1-800-lifelock today. lifelock. relentlessly protecting your identity. martha: back to school today for a lot of kids and back to school for congress as well, you could say, back from their summer recess and they've got a lot of things on the agenda when they get back, they've got the jobs crisis,

now senator jim demint is tea party favorite and south carolina's most powerful republican will be hosting a gop forum today. he is not making an endorsement just yet but reminded the candidates they will have to appeal to the tea party movement. terrell busy day on the campaign trail. >> absolutely, tara mergener in washington for us this morning, have a great labor day, talk to you soon, tara, thank you. >>> overseas in libya, rebel forces are on the verge of the launch of the final assault. the attack is on one of the last remaining towns still loyal to moammar gadhafi. many of gadhafi senior officials and group of heavily armed loyalists are believed to be held up in bani walid. negotiations for the town's surrender collapsed yesterday. gadhafi remains on the run. >>> in iran the first nuclear power plant has been connected to the power grant. iranian officials say it's a test run. the plant began to generate0 60 megawatts of electricity last night. iran built the plant with russian help and says it will be used for peaceful purposes only. >>> take a quick break. coming up on "the morn

the labor day event was hosted by senator jim demint. candidates were questioned separately about their views on lowering taxes and less government spending. sarah palin did not participate in the south carolina event. she was in new hampshire at a tea party rally. she left open the possibility of a presidential bid. palin urged the crowd to unite against president obama. >>> the senate returns to work today, the house tomorrow. president obama wants lawmakers to get to work creating jobs. tara mergener is in washington with more on that. tara, good morning to you. >> good morning to you, terrell. well, both parties agree on one thing, job creation is top priority. but can they come together on a plan? >> private companies -- >> reporter: president obama is calling on republicans to put aside party politics, and get on board with his jobs plan. >> prove you'll fight just as hard for tax cuts for middle class families as you do for oil companies and the most affluent americans. show us what you got. >> reporter: in detroit monday, he offe

today's forum, sponsored by conservative kingmaker senator jim demint, went on without perry, giving romney a chance to appeal to tea party activists. >> we didn't raise tax, mr. president. we didn't cut medicare. one president in modern history cut medicare, this president. >> reporter: tea party support has helped fueled perry's rise but he is a former democrat who has a record that includes votes to raise taxes, opposition to building a wall on the mexican border and a stint as the co-chairman of al gore's 1988 presidential campaign. not all conservatives are sold on him yet. how strong a candidate is rick perry? >> i don't know yet. i've never met rick. we've talked on the phone several times, and i know he's the new one in the race so he's attracted some attention, but it's a long run between now and the final nomination. >> reporter: well, those who have decided to run for president appeared here in south carolina. the still undecided sarah palwr iowa andp ew hampshire. still no word on her plans yet, jake, but she did send a message out to supporters saying she'll be back soon

on monday, senator jim demint, a tea party favorite, held a forum to test the top candidates on everything from jobs to abortion. minnesota congresswoman michele bachmann. >> i would put forward a human life amendment and at the same time i would do everything within my power to restrict the number of abortions that occurs in the united states. >> reporter: with the state's unemployment rate at 10.9%-- nearly two points higher than the national average-- the candidates-- including former massachusetts governor mitt romney-- talked about jobs. >> the reason i see us struggling economicly is because washington has become too assertive, too big, dedemanding on the livess of the american people. we simply have to rein back government. >> reporter: demint's forum lost some of its luster when texas governor rick perry backed out because of the wildfires in his state but perry talked to voters before getting home and managed to get a shot in at romney. >> there's one in particular that's created jobs all over the world. but while they was governor of massachusetts, he didn't create very many jobs

it's remarkable that jim demint pulled this off and be the questioner at a forum. it's a debate in which all the candidates will try to appeal to the tea party. it's powerful in that movement. it's the kind of debate that can pull the candidates to the right in a way that can help define them for the general. it's not only important to sorting yourself out here in the primaries. but it can help to define you in the general election. south carolina has a tendency to do that for republicans. >> and eric, to that point, you're a friend of senator demint. he's quite influential in the 2010 midterm elections, raising millions through his conservative pack to support tea party candidates around the country. sometimes to the consternation of the republican establishment and important event for him. does he look to be a king maker in republican presidential politics here? >> i think he could be. but i'm told they really, his staff is encouraging him not to pick someone but hold them accountable as best he can. if he can do that, that increases his influence more. in 2008 h

they report theatd republican -- that the republican senator jim demint, pick another night. i am planning to watch the primary debate and the president should watch it too. >> is that like a threat to him like the president better watch it. >> the president should watch the debate too. >> he has a plan to put it out. if he has a jobs proposal give it a writing and i want to read the bill. >> did you see that, greg? >> he says he will deject to the session if the date isn't moved. and why are thees holding -- and why are they holding them hostage? >> that was an excellent point andy levy? >> they are just like terrorists. >> and racists. >> the president is black, you know. >> really? >> it came from a lack of sexual experience and being adopted. >> really? >> i didn't know you were uh doptded. -- i didn't know you were adopted. >> when would it ever come up in conversation? >> do you want to have a beer? sure i'm adopted. >> we have a strict no adoption clause here. >> egyptian and adopted. >> with that being the answer to my question. >> you believed them? >> the parents sa

the questions did not come from journalists but from tea party favorite south carolina senator jim demint, iowa congressman steve king and princeton law professor robert george. to create jobs congresswoman michele bachmann says lower the corporate tax rate. >> i'm an unashamed apologist for the free mas-market system. >> reporter: social issues remain important to south carolina conservatives. >> i would put forward a human life amendment. >> mitt romney wants provide -- pro-choice on abortion rights as the massachusetts governor says roe v. wade should be overturned. >> i would like to see that supreme court return to the states the responsibility for determining laws relating to abortion. >> reporter: nult gingrich, -- newt gingrich, herman cain and ron paul field ed questions here. much of the tea party attention was back in new hampshire where crowds cheered sarah palin. she remained coy on candidacy but today urged tea party supporters to remain united. >> the tea party movement is bigger than any one person, and it's not about any one candidate. >> reporter: and here in south carol

a note about some republicans who decided to opt out of the speech tonight, including senator jim demint of south carolina. also senator david victor. he said he is hosting a party for the new orleans saints. and freshman senator joe walsh who said he would not be a prop at the speech. this is the fifth time the president has delivered a speech at a joint session of congress. betty is joining us from kentucky. what do you think about what you heard tonight? >> i think that congress should quit playing games. they're getting bigger wages, and they'd get all these tax breaks and all the rich people of the world. i am just a middle-class social security part-time worker, trying to make a living. i think the president is on the right trail. if they start worrying about the rest of us and stop -- >> yes, i am calling in response to the overall speech this evening. i want to make a couple of comments. i felt overall that when i hear already on your news, talking about republicans were not responding in certain ways, i heard something about snickering -- i listened to the whole thing, and i did

jim demint wants to sit this one and david vitter of louisiana says he is staying home to host a footballing on the packers to kick off the n.f.l. season. >>> thank you so much. a reminder to our viewers, stay with abc7 for the prime time speech before a joint session of congress. we'll carry it live at 4:00 p.m. >> investigators are trying to figure out what caused an engine on a virgin america flight that zpartd from san francisco to blow and force the plane to make an emergency landing. the plane was an a-bus and landed grand junction. a passenger on board said he saw flames from the rear of the jet coming out of one of engines. there were 111 people on board. no injuries, passengers were taken to a hotel as an alternate flight arrangements are being made to get them to their original destination. >> we're work to get more information and bring you more later in the news captain. right now, if you are wondering is it going cool down, especially inland. yesterday was really hot. >> it will be hot in some areas but quite as hot. after that, it will be gone for an extended period of time.