the gospel of mark halperin is it's still mitt's to lose. ospel of mark mckinnon is, this is the coming argument, not quite there yet, the mark mckinnon argument is that newt is inevitably moving up and he can't be stopped. he's the s.o.b. they've been looking for under their christmas tree. coming up -- that's my words. >>> anyway, coming up, mitt romney says his business background means he's the best republican to beat obama. still, but what happens kfx"áju is an if, the economy really starts to perk up, as it's begun to do the last few days. is mitt still the one to tinker in your hood if the car's running? you're watching "hardball," only on msnbc. >>> listen to what president obama told supporters at a fund-raiser last night in new york city. according to the "new york daily news," the president said, "it's time for us to refocus and make sure we understand that change we can believe in was never ç going to be change overnight. rather, it's going to be a slow, steady progression during which this aircraft carrier that we call the unite

and "time" magazine's mark halperin. from nbc news in washington, "meet the press," with david gregory. >> good morning. what a week in politics from herman cain's exit, the republican field down to seven. here's how things in iowa and new hampshire look now. exclusive results from our nbc poll in new hampshire has mitt romneyn top over newt gingrich by 16 points. ron paul in third place with 16%. and in iowa, newt gingrich, ahead of mitt romney by 8 points and ron paul in third with 17%. herman cain at 9%. a little later on we'll show you how it looks when his support is taken out and redistributed to other candidates. also we have the des moines register poll, they released it last night. newt gingrich on top in iowa, butagain, underlining ron paul in second place sghtly ahead of mitt romney. a lot to get to. we go inside the polls and look at the key moments from the week later in our political round table. for a preview of the battle ahead this fall when the president faces the republican nomie we have the senior adv

katty kay, mark halperin, joe mcquaid and harold ford jr.xt after this brief commercial break. hi, i'm cashing in my points... peggy? no more points - coupons now. coupons? coupons. coupons? next, you convert coupons to tokens. tokens? then you trade tokens for credits. and then i get the cash? then you call back. bye bye. peggy? hello? what just happened? want rewards that make sense? switch to discover. america's #1 cash rewards program. it pays to discover. two of the most important are energy security and economic growth. north america actually has one of the largest oil reserves in the world. a large part of that is oil sands. this resource has the ability to create hundreds of thousands of jobs. at our kearl project in canada, we'll be able to produce these oil sands with the same emissions as many other oils and that's a huge breakthrough. that's good for our country's energy security and our economy. congratulations. congratulations. today, the city of charlotte can use verizon technology to inspire businesses to conserve energy and

>> it's halperin. hey, mark, have you seen willie? oh my god. >> still ahead on "way too early," colts fans hope they can land the number one draft pick. the players aren't helping the cause. they are starting to win games. >>> alec baldwin weighs in on whether politics are in his future. the mayor's mention in new york city. that story and a check on weather when "way too early" comes back. maybe willie will be here. >>> a nationwide alert is out tonight for lynnette. she tried to assassinate president gerald ford. she broke out of a federal prison in west virginia. ♪ >> he'll be here soon, i know it. oh, see, i told you. >> okay. come in. >> i told you, i told you. >> ho, ho, ho. >> geez. >> it's just bill. have you seen willie? >> i haven't seen willie. i invited him to the pajama party, but -- >> that e's good. >> i always pictured the three of us hanging out in our p.j.s. >> you have different mental visions than i do. >> he's going to be fine. >> i don't know where he is. he went to an eggnog party. do we have snow? >> there's s

mark halperin? >> if i could real quickly, and i think this one you have to.sident did what he need to do, got the job done, and republicans can't take that away from him. >> thank you, sir, thank you, as always, michael steele, thank you, mark halperin. have a nice weekend. >>> up next, when president obama responded to phoney charges of appeasement by saying, ask osama bin laden about that, he destroyed his critics and reminded the rest of us not to underestimate him personally. why haven't we seen that side of this president more often? this is "hardball," only on msnbc. you ready for your present? yeah. all right, i'll be right back. okay. ♪ [ male announcer ] sometimes the giving can be just as amazing as the gift. what do you think? [ laughs ] ♪ [ male announcer ] the lexus december to remember sales event is here, but only for a limited time. see your lexus dealer for exclusive lease offers on the 2012 ct 200h and, as a gift from lexus, we'll make your first month's payment. and, as a gift from lexus, this was the gulf's best tourism season in years. al

mark halperin, it's 4:39 in the morning. you're a great man, a good america. s for doing it. >> willie geist, two words -- bring bagels. >> we'll be there shortly with relief. mark, thanks. just a note, "way too early" will be live from java joe's in des moines, iowa, beginning on monday. that begins our complete coverage of the iowa caucus. of course, "way too early" and "morning joe" will be there monday through wednesday. >>> on to some other news. an arab league delegation expected to visit three more cities in syria today, although activists say the observers' presence in the country has not stopped the violent crackdown by government forces there. opposition leaders criticizing the arab league mission after its leader, a former sudanese intelligence officer, said he witnessed "nothing frightening on the ground." the united nations says 5,000 people have been killed in syria since march. >>> the united states navy is pushing back against threats made by iran to close a critical waterway in the persian gulf that carries 15 million barrels of oil every day.

mark halperin? >> if i could real quickly, and i think this one you have to.eed to do, got the job done, and republicans can't take that away from him. >> thank you, sir, thank you, as always, michael steele, thank you, mark halperin. have a nice weekend. >>> up next, when president obama responded to phoney charges of appeasement by saying, ask osama bin laden about that, he destroyed his critics and reminded the rest of us not to underestimate him personally. why haven't we seen that side of this president more often? this is "hardball," only on msnbc. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 let's talk about fees. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 there are atm fees. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 account service fees. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 and the most dreaded fees of all, hidden fees. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 at charles schwab, you won't pay fees on top of fees. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 no monthly account service fees. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 no hidden fees. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 and we rebate every atm fee. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 so talk to chuck tdd# 1-800-345-2550 because when it comes to talking, there is no fee. >>>

mark halperin of "time" magazine's editor at large and msnbc's senior political analyst and john heilemann is national affairs editor of "new york" magazine and political analyst hat msnbc. let me ask you both. one of the three of us, is safe to say that's an evangelical. let's make that straight. we're looking inside the fishbowl y.can't they find one guy or person they like the most, you first, mark? >> four years ago mitt romney had to run against three establishment candidates, fred thompson, rudy giuliani and john mccain. >> and huckabee. >> huckabee was the evangelical to consolidate, a mirror image. they can't consolidate because all of them have had moments and all have sacrificed for months to run for president, rick per' little bit less than the others. don't want to give up and don't particularly like each other and they all think that they can be the one to emerge from kind of a romney dilemma, a prisoner's dilemma. got together they can do what they want individually but fighting each oh, romney now, mirror image, only establishment candidate against not the three you named, b

mark halperin, thank you. jonathan martin, thank you.p, why are republicans having such a hard time settling on a candidate? we're hearing they may have already done that. there's a new front-runner so far this year every week. that's because the perfect candidate who checks all the perfect boxes on the wish list may not exist. that's ahead. you're watching "hardball," only on msnbc. >>> "hardball" is going to iowa. starting tomorrow we'll be at java joe's to find out what it smells like on the ground out there in the hawkeye state. i'll be there on caucus number and next week in wednesday it's on to new hampshire. this is fun. we're following the parade. in fact, we're part of it. we'll be right back. ♪ sen♪ co-signed her credit card - "buy books, not beer!" ♪ ♪ut the second at she shut the door ♪ ♪ girl started blowing up their credit score ♪ ♪ she bought a pizza party for the whole dorm floor ♪ ♪ hundred pounds of makeup at the makeup store ♪ ♪ and a ticket down to spring break in mexico ♪ ♪ but her folks didn't know 'cause her folks

mark halperin, thank you. jonathan martin, thank you.p, why are republicans having such a hard time settling on a candidate we're hearing they may have already done that. the perfect candidate who checks all the perfect boxes on the wish list may not exist. you're watching "hardball," only on msnbc. what if they were stolen from you? by alzheimer's. this cruel disease costs americans more than $180 billion a year, and could cripple medicare in the near future. the alzheimer's association is taking action, and has been a part of every major advancement. but we won't rest until we have a cure. you have plans... help the alzheimer's association protect them. act now, go to alz.org. great fall. ugh, it's my sinus congestion, and it's all your fault. naturally blame the mucus. he's funny. instead of blaming me, try this, advil congestion relief. often the real problem is swelling, not mucus. advil congestion relief reduces swelling due to nasal inflammation. so i can breathe. happily ever after. another story? from him! [ mucus ] advil conges

mark halperin, thank you. jonathan martin, thank you.up, why are republicans having such a hard time settling on a candidate? we're hearing they may have already done that. there's a new front-runner so far this year every week. that's because the perfect candidate who checks all the perfect boxes on the wish list may not exist. that's ahead. you're watching "hardball," only on msnbc. what's going on? we ordered a gift online and we really need to do something with it... i'm just not sure what... what is it? oh just return it. returning gifts is easier than ever with priority mail flat rate boxes from the postal service. if it fits, it ships anywhere in the country for a low flat rate. plus i can pick it up for free. perfect because we have to get that outta this house. c'mon, it's not that... gahh, oh yeah that's gotta go... priority mail flat rate shipping starts at just $4.95. only from the postal service. a simpler way to ship and return. ♪ ooh baby, (what) can i do for you today? ♪ [ female announcer ] need help keeping your digesti

mark halperin takes a look at the big three questions for 2012. and you have a question for me to answer. join me for a live web chat from iowa between 2:15 and 2:45 eastern online at andrea.msnbc.com. you're watching "andrea mitchell reports" live from des moines only on msnbc. nature fusion cold & flu syrup. flavored with real honey. powerful cold medicine that leaves out artificial flavors and dyes and instead uses something more natural, honey. new vicks nature fusion cold & flu. ♪ yeah, our low prices are even lower. we need to teach her how to walk. she is taking up valuable cart space. aren't you, honey? [ male announcer ] it's our biggest clearance event of the year where our prices are even lower. save money. live better. walmart. and more. if you replace 3 tablespoons of sugar a day with splenda®, you'll save 100 calories a day. that could help you lose up to 10 pounds in a year. and now get even more with splenda® essentials, the only line of sweeteners with a small boost of fiber, or antioxidants, or b vitamins in every packet. just an

. >> this hour we'll talk to mark halperin, fresh off his interview with mitt romney. >>> plus, ron paul on the rise. he's now leading the pack in iowa. what does that say about the republican race? >>> plus, could twin suicide bombings in syria be the work of al qaeda? and happy holidays on wall street. holiday shoppers give the struggling economy a boost. >>> good day, i'm luke russert live in washington. the dramatic standoff over the payroll tax cut ended with the we werer shortly after 10:00 this morning when given the chance to object to the senate bill freshman house republicans kept quiet and let it pass. earlier today senate majority leader harry reid couldn't help taking a jab at the conservatives who had led the fight. >> i hope this congress has had a very good learning experience, especially those who are newer to this body. everything we do around here does not have to wind up in a fight. >> nbc's mike joins us from the white house and mike is nbc's political director. mike, give me the state of play. a little bit less to this press, is he going to take a little victory lap

mark halperin and john heilemann is national affairs editor of "new york" magazine and msnbc politicaly it. new york! let me ask you both -- one of the three us, i believe, isn't an evangelical. let's get that straight. we are looking inside the fish bowl. why can't they find one guy or person they like the most? you first, mark. >> four years ago mitt romney had to run against four other establishment candidates. and huckabee was able to be the evangelical to consolidate. it's a mirror image this time. they can't consolidate because all of them have had moments, all of them have sacrificed for months to run for president. rick perry, a little bit less than the others. they don't want to give up. they don't particularly like each other. and they all think that they can be the one to emerge from here as the romney alternative. it's kind of a prisoner's dilemma. if they got together, they could do what they all want to do individually, but fighting each other, romney now, mirror image. the only establishment candidate against not just the three you named, but gingrich, and to some extent

heilemann, this is one of those cases, i think your partner in crime tweeted this last night, mark halperin, maybe it was you that tweeted it, you guys have become one entity, like newt romney, right? but the way rick perry gets under mitt romney's skin, where he almost gets rattled with anger when he gets attacked, we're sensing that a little bit between bachmann and gingrich, no? >> yeah, i think so. i think the point you made about him being an equal opportunity offenders when it comes to arrogance and condescension is a fair one. but she does seem to have his number a little bit. and they are aware of that in the bachmann campaign, and they are going to try to exploit it. i think that all three of the second tier candidates last night had reasonably decent nights. i mean, i think bachmann had the best night at the debate. perry had not as good a night, but still a decent night for him. and rick santorum did okay. and as susan was saying, it's the case for all three of those candidates, if they start to inch up in the polls, that's all good news for mitt romney, because every vote they t

mark halperin?you heard from your fellow republican governors and other leading republicans about what would happen if newt gingrich were at the top of the ticket for either party? >> i think the problem for us, if speaker beginning dwrich wgi top is the election would be about speaker gingrich and not the president. as republicans i think this election has to be about the president. the speaker just can't help himself but to make himself the center of attention all the time for the comments he makes. as a result even though some of his ideas i think are fine, i think some aren't, in the end he's going to carry so much of that into an election that, you know, the election is going to be about newt gingrich. i don't think that is a good thing for our party. >> would he be a strong candidate in new jersey in the general election? >> no. >> why not? >> new jersey is going to be a tough state for any republican so start with that as a granted. i think new jerseyans have a long memory about his time as s

if it's way too early, mark halperin, what time is it? >> it is "morning joe." a summer stay ♪ ♪ never seems so clear ♪ ♪ holiday so far away ♪ ♪ on the beach i can't forget just how bad it gets ♪ ♪ if i wait for a holiday ♪ ♪ would it stop my fears ♪ ♪ to go away on a summer's day ♪ ♪ never seems so clear ♪ ♪ ♪ i got a healthy sense of worse

heilemann, this is one of those cases, i think your partner in crime tweeted this last night, mark halperin, maybe it was you that tweeted it, you guys have become one entity, like newt romney, right? but the way rick perry gets under mitt romney's skin, where he almost gets rattled with anger when he gets attacked, we're sensing that a little bit between bachmann and beginning ric gingrich, no? >> i think the point you made about him being an equal with opportunity offender when it comes to arrogance and condescension is a fair one. but she does seem to have his number a little bit. and they are aware of that in the bachmann campaign, and they are going to try to exploit it. i think that all three of the second tier candidates last night had reasonably decent nights. i mean, i think bachmann had the best night at the debate. perry had not as good a night, but still a decent night for him. and rick santorum did okay. and as susan was saying, it's the case for all three of those candidates, if they start to inch up in the polls, that's all good news for mitt romney, because every vote they t