i'll give michele bachman credit. she actually made a non-fox appearance unlike other none-romney republican options. speaking of whom, why was palin in iowa. >> sarah palin is in iowa tonight to attend a movie premiere. but it's not just any movie. the film is called "the undefeated" and offers a positive portrait of her life and career. >> jon: another two things. first, the documentary about the losing vice presidential candidate in the 2008 election is called "the undefeated." ( laughter ) second, you're clearly running for president. >> what we say on the fishing boat stays on the fishing boat. you don't need to be announcing anything. >> jon: yes, why announce. it would ruin this sliious will she or won't she tension. and we all know that's what killed "moonlighting." governor palin, i certainly hope you're running for president, because if you're not, if you're just riding around in a giant bus with your name on it to catch caucus state premieres of a documentary about yourself? that's freaky. ( laughter ) does

they said the center is using controversy to convert gays. >> in her campaign for president, michelle bachmannd as a small business owner. >> as a mom, a taxpayer and now a small business owner -- >> that business is bachman and associates, a clinic run by her husband marcus. they are both pictured on the clinic's web site. they he been courage gay and lesbian patients to change their sexual orientation, a practice that is frowned upon by mental health experts. andrew turned to them to talk about his own homosexuality. he was immediately skeptical of what one of the therapists told them. >> it would help me to turn from homosexual to straight. >> he basically said if you did this, you wouldn't be gay anymore. >> if i did this and worked their therapy program, that could perform a miracle and i would no longer be gay. >> he was told to pray and read bible pass ages. he would also be counseled. and if that didn't work, what? >> he said not to act out on my impulses and have a life of celibacy. >> after that, he told his mother he wanted to stop. >> i could hear his voice quiver, and i just said

[inaudible] >> you mean it is unfair to throw michele bachman in the same boat with sarah palin? think she emerged from that comparison monday night. i think michele bachman is magnificent and i also think you can't win the presidency from the house of representatives. if any of you are from minnesota you better go back and do some organizing so she can run for governor or at least senate. you see they take my orders. >> thank you very much. >> thank you. [applause] >> please form an orderly line. ann coulter will be signing books. [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] >> nice to see you again. you are such a great man. i keep seeing you at these things and don't get to talk to you. >> you have a lot of fans here but i want to say hello. nice to see you. >> broke spier's. nice to meet you. for judy -- [inaudible conversations] >> very nice young man. >> that one is for steven and judy. >> for stephen and who? [inaudible conversations] >> the third one is actually 9. supposed to be to marry kate and diane. >> you are not mary kate. >> last t

should ba michelle bachman help?ly declared famine and a difficult decision for saving lives versus working with terrorists. you are in "the situation room" >> jack cafferty is here with the cafferty file. >> michelle bachman is on a roll. the "wall street journal" poll found the minnesota congresswoman in second place. among candidates for president among mitt romney. the second poll that got her in second place. she came out on top in three of the four most recent polls with likely voters in the iowa caucuses they reported yesterday bachman suffers from debail tating migraine headaches they are bad enough she has to be taken to the hospital to be treated. three aides to bachman who spoke recalled incidents where she couldn't work and missed house boats because of the migraines. another staffer told politico it's common to retreat to the private office and close the door and shut off the lights, sometimes for hours while wait figurar i headache to pass. on the campaign trail, bachman admitted she suffers from migrai

i think michelle bachman has handled this very well. she came out, this is true, i take drugs to manage it. >> along with 30 other million americans. >> reporter: i can function and what i do now as a member of congress and what i am currently doing running a presidential campaign i can absolutely handle this job. martha: it's fascinating on many ways and levels, and surging in the polls. >> reporter: that's yeah they have these kind of questions because she is number two behind mitt romney. martha: thank you. we have brand-new housing numbers. they show this year could be the worst since the housing bust. what this means for you, our family and what is the biggest investment in most of our lives. a nasty war of words is raging between two house members. have you heard about this? tea party-backed congressman alan west calling dnc chair debbie wasserman schultz vial and despicable. did he cross the line or did she in what prompted this from eupl. and also major nidal malik hasan accused of killing 13 people and wounding 30 others. now t

he has been insulting michelle bachman since michelle bachman showed up on this scene.and it, because she is just fodder for him. but that's the kind of low brow msnbc kind of coverage you get now, it's just not worth our time. >> brent, thank you for joining us, weighing in on michelle bachman. i'm sure we'll be talking to you lot throughout these elections. >> thank you. >> all right. remember the release of the gas pump. why the white house planned to open our reserves has not exactly worked. then don't count him out. newt gingrich here live to fire back at his critics who claim he has already lost the race for the white house, coming up. i have fallen in love with makg bird houses. caw caw! [ director ] what is that? that's a horrible crow. here are some things that i'll make as little portals. honestly, i'd love to do this for the rest of my life so i've got to take care of my heart. for me, cheerios is a good place to start. [ male announcer ] got something you'll love to keep doing? take care of your heart. you can start with cheerios. the natural whole grain oat

michele bachman from minnesota shows current and met romney in a dead heat >> gop candidate michele bachman chat with people as she took her bus tour through wear a state >> it is so wonderful the way back, an iowa >> the minnesota of congress one eye we wanna do very well here with the election coming up in august we're looking forward to >> this is less than a week when she an officially announced her candidacy. >> i was first in the nation eye accounts it is important that we come pierre >> not all candidates are participating in that poll. >> still to come on kron 4 news sports and highlights and the giants to one not a big. another look outside it golden gate bridge and look at that no fog and hardly any traffic that is even better will be back in just a minute it is either alabama's out there the giants beat the tigers 15-3 the giants have won the last nine of their games. meanwhile the diamondbacks defeated the a's. the diamondbacks want a four-two and in she won the first title she is only 21 years old it was big of set. this is the biggest title of her career and she is a left- han

air traffic controller allegedly drunk on the job we are getting new details and michelle bachman isaid to suffer from repeated debilitating migraines. could that interfere with her ability to be president of the united states? when the phones started flying, rupert murdoch's wife came to his rescue the really close shave. breathes easily. it flows with clean water. it makes its skyline greener and its population healthier. all to become the kind of city people want to live and work in. somewhere in america, we've already answered some of the nation's toughest questions. and the over sixty thousand people of siemens are ready to do it again. siemens. answers. t the motorola expert from sprint. its powerful tools help you work faster and smarter so you can get back to playing "angry birds." it lets you access business forms on the go, fire off e-mails with the qwerty keypad, and work securely around the world so you can get back to playing "angry birds." it's the android-powered phone that mixes business with pleasure. so let's get our work done, america, so we can all get back to pla

>> michelle bachman clearly ahead in the polls right now. at in ames about a month from now. that will be a great measuring point and way that they line up after michele bachmann if she is the winner there will be interesting. where do we see pawlenty and romney and perry. >> greta: and as luck could have it fox news channel has the debate right before the straw poll. we got the good positioning on that one. >> book your rooms in ames. >> greta: we'll have that. if she wins tonight in a caucus tonight in iowa and goes on to new hampshire tomorrow, romney is back where he has a summer home, is that when takes over? >> i think romney presumes to be the frontrunner in new hampshire. i don't think anybody is locked up, though. we are six months out. when you get into the heat of the battle odd things happen. having rick perry is an unknown dynamic. he looks good from the outside. once he gets in and gets roughed up a little bit, how does he weather it. >> greta: senator rick santorum, i keep getting e-mails of people he locked up as endorsements.

constitutional scholar michelle bachman doesn't understand the 14th amendment. >> he would be making spending decisions and tax decisions. clearly that's unconstitutional. >> we'll review the document for her. and while republicans hold the economy hostage, nobody's thinking about putting americans back to work. tonight, my commentary on how washington and big business need to start hiring. good to have you with us tonight, folks. it's an unbelievable day of news coming out of washington, d.c. house speaker john boehner, i guess you could say is finding out the hard way that a stiff drink and round of golf just isn't going to solve this problem. the speaker is politically hog-tied in his own caucus. he doesn't have the votes. the american people are now witnessing the hourglass being turned on the american economy. going to be a lot of losers if they don't get it together. disaster looms and the tea partiers just don't seem to give a damn. a vote on boehner's bill was scheduled for 6:15 tonight. it never happened. boehner is still trying to strong arm the tea party membership of his

one of those blog is is dedicated to criticizing michelle bachman. behind the scenes with an interview on the people who run that blog. carl cameron live from washington. >> reporter: the political blogs have been around for a longtime. back in the clinton administration they became potent as a way for critics and opponents of political candidates to get their research out to the public and it's really exploded this year. they are out there for most of the republican candidates. there is one for michelle bachman that has caused a stir and seeped into the mainstream media. it's called dump bachman.org. it's a collection of video and audio on michelle bachman since her days as a state legislature. she is leading in polls and making a heck of a lot of noise and some of the information from the dump bachman web page, the blog has actually ended up in mainstream press, like the l.a. times and rolling stone, magazine, there you see it the dump bachman blog has got even a lot of attention. we talked to the organizers, and they say they are only trying to se

this is what he said last night of michele bachman. it's mostly a side show. nearly in the day he said candidate have to be able to demonstrate they can do all of the job all of the time. looks like maybe he was walking back the comments a little bit. he said about the earlier comments i was talking about all of the candidates, not just michele bachman. i guess stay tuned on that story. >> i feel like i was watching an "snl" skit. take a look. >> chronic pain. my family struggling to make end's meet, food and gas prices going up. even keeping my job was iffy. then i learned about a new miracle drug made in washington, d.c. spenditol. >> paul, what is the deal? >> reporter: this is from a group called concern women for american. saying they are spending $1.5 million on this spoof. it looks like a pharmaceutical ad. they are conservative group and in favor of cut, cap and balance and putting this out on national cable and in crucial states. an interesting way to get your message out in this political battle over the debt ceiling and those kind of matters. >> pau

operator like bill clinton it is a little hard for me to imagine that he really thinks that michelle bachman is a truly impressive person. in many ways she truly is an impressive person. i suls spect what thinks and that a lot of democrats think in the end she would prove much as sarah palin did in the end toxic to independents who would think she was too much. >> bill: too far right. >> and too prone to saying peculiar things that are off base and so on that she would be a much easier target for attack ads and the kind of ridicule that sarah palin got. >> bill: you think in the world of presidential politicians that bill clinton put this out there because the democrats want michele bachmann to be the nominee because she is easier to beat than, say, a romney would be? >> i think that is a more likely -- to the extent that he was being political about it at all, i think that is a more plausible explanation than dick morris offered where -- dick is always interesting but i think he is not always right because i think he thinks michele bachmann is dazzling and so he thinks that bill clinton thi

we will be back with more with congresswoman michelle bachman when we return. >>> congresswoman, i want to ask about what happens if in fact the united states does not get some type of deal done on the debt ceiling? interest rates could go up, probably will you. what will congress do to counteract that they haven't already done? >> well, again we need to pay off the interest on the debt. i don't believe the president and the congress are going to allow us to go into default. this has never happened before. it should not happen now. we have to deal with this interest on the debt. the problem is the president is insisting on increasing taxes and continuing the same run away spending. we just can't do that. he also has to get to reality. ivan invited them to come with me and travel with me and talk to the people i am talking to. that is not a gimmick. this is really honestly a blessing. >> you be sure and let me know if he takes you up on traveling to iowa and south carolina. >> i will invite you to go with us. >> i might be willing, but i don't think president obama will go with you to io

. >> reporter: only michelle bachman and jon huntsman have not signed the pledge. bachman says she's mulling it over. huntsman says he prefers the balanced budget amendment as a stand alone issue. what are the chances of its passage? the house, very good. not so good in the senate where democrats hold a majority. some supporters are very optimistic. >> it's going to pass both houses and i will certainly not vote to raise the debt ceiling until we structural lee change the way this down does business. the only way we can do that is to force politicians to act. if it goes to the states it's not going to take four or five years. the states will move quickly to jump on something like this. i think we'll have it within a year or so. we've got to pass it out of both houses. >> reporter: the balanced budget amendment component of this would require the ratification of two-thirds of the states, that is not an unrealistic goal. the biggest hurdle is getting it through the democrat if i can dy controlled senate. >> reporter: my year is on molly henneberg. every day of the ye

we joined republican presidential hopeful michelle bachman on her campaign to. we need a group of kids that will spend their first fourth of july as citizens. the check out a new camera technology that has been called game changing. ♪ [ woman ] sam begged and pleaded... so i sent him to camp. we'd earned lots of points with our new citi thankyou card... and i put them to good use. he told me about his bunkmates, and how he signs up for every activity. ♪ he even hangs out with the camp director. just like that. [ male announcer ] the new citi thankyou premier card gives you more ways to earn points. what's your story? citi can help you write it. stan has details on the bus tour through the hawkeye state. >> the gop presidential candidate michelle bauman chatted with locals and i was city diner this morning as she kicked off a bus tour through her home state. >> it is so wonderful to be back in iowa i was born and raised here. >> she stressed how vital beach state is to work and pain. >> i think i it is very important to do well here we will be working toward a ca

gop presidential hopeful michelle bachman was in iowa this weekend as she kicked off her campaign for 2012 presidential election. details on balk men's bus tour through the stage. >> she chatted with locals and she kicked off a bus tour through her home state. >> it is so wonderful to be back and iowa, i was born and raised in louis water peter falls. i think i was very important so we want to do very well here and we're going to be working in august and on jan. february and beyond. >> balk men's tour of the state comes one week after she officially declared her candidacy. >> i was the first in the nation, it is very important to be here because of the values and opinions that people have here in iowa, and is important that we come here this is the breadbasket of the world. not all presidential candidates are participating in the stronghold former massachusetts gov. mitt romney and jon huntsman are sitting it out. >> president barack obama declared it is time for america to live within its means in his weekly address he said one thing democrats and republicans can agree on is the need

it's been great having you, congresswoman michelle bachman.ou'll be busy. >> i will. we'll see you soon, bye. >> steve: all right. >> molly: other headlines. a man goes on a killing spree before finally turning the gun on himself, the story developing overnight in grand rapids, michigan. 34-year-old man killed seven people, including his own daughter. he then led police on a high-speed chase across town where he took three strangers hostage inside their home. the ordeal ended when he shot himself. the hostages escaped unharmed. no word on what caused him to snap. >>> president obama tried to spare his life, but a mexican national was put to death by lethal injection in texas last night. his last words, an apology and then, viva mexico. leal raped and murdered a 16-year-old girl in 1994. president obama and the state department asked for a last minute reprieve because he had been convicted without getting legal advice from the mexican council late, which violates the vienna convention. but texas governor rick perry denied those appeals. >>> fro

and senator santorum's aide has also responded. >> michele bachman also involved in a war of words with tim pawlenty, right? south florida all about iowa. crucial state. first caucus state. very important for bachman to do well in, and pawlenty. he's known as mr. nice guy. the last couple of days, he has had tough words against bachman saying her record is nonexistence. she said we're only a month away from a crucial straw poll in iowa. i think you'll hear more of this battle between republican candidates. >> thank you so much. you can get the latest political news on cnnpolitics.com. >>> nasa is tracking space debris that may threaten the international space station. right now, they don't know that it will put the crew in any jeopardy. they do know it will come close to the iss tomorrow, the same time that the u.s. astronauts plan a spacewalk. >>> it was a busy weekend, ranging from polo matches to making clay figures with kids on skid row. we'll get all the details on will and kate's trip to l.a. >>> to celebrate a job well done, why not just blow up the boss' car? we believe doing th

jon: when you put michelle bachman in there she got 39% of the votes.he slight difference here is that president obama's number went up slightly to 46% versus 44% for perry. but she has the same number he has. >> again, she is considered one of the leading candidates. you'd have to say that mitt romney, perry and bachman are the top three right now. the odds are better than 50-50 that one of them will be the republican nominee. there are interesting differences in the dynamics, michelle bachman does much better among men, and rick perry a again women. jon: generally, i mean the more interesting race, i suppose, for media watchers is the race for second-place. when you put mitt romney up there against president obama he actually wins 43-42%, that's got to be inside the marriag marginf error, though. >> i would consider that a toss up. the last time we had an incumbent president in the race, howard dean was a frontrunner e polled best against george w. bush. as soon as john kerry became the frontrunner he polled the best. if anybody bests mitt romney i wo

. >>> republican presidential candidate michelle bachman says she will only submit balanced budgets but stopped short of promising she will veto bills against a budget deficit. she focused on how they she plans to, quote, get our fiscal house in order. >> well, last night i was in washington d.c., and i was leading on the issue of the debt ceiling. i voted no on increasing the debt by 2-1/2 trillion dollars. >> bachman signed the so-called cut, cap and balance pledge on monday. as for the headaches? bachman release adler today from the attending physician of the u.s. congress, it says bachman's headaches are infrequent. >>> according to the rasmussen poll, 43% of likely voters would support mitt romney compared to 42% who would support the president. the president led the gop front runner by five points just this last april. >>> we have some sad news tonight, former all pro san francisco 49ers center, forest blue has died at the age of 65. he was a four-time pro bowl center and helped the 49ers win three straight division titles back in the early '70s. now he will help scientists study

no, all they are saying is i hate michelle bachman, i hate sarah palin. and then conservative blogs say, oh, they use the f-word, and then they get eight billion times more viewers. why aren't we talking about your show that will lead into this show? it is five a five for the two-hour feature film, greg gutfeld on fox. >> have i to say the show i was on did a wonderful job. maar is a comedian. are we overreacting here? is he an angry guy? >> first of all we are 30 seconds into the show. >> i was gloating. >> and it is a joke. secondly, it is not sexist. it just happens to be about a woman. i think he is a funny guy, but he is the angriest person anybody knows. we are acquaintances on the comedy scene. he is an angry person. he orders pizza angrily. when he says that he would [bleep] her angrily, that's how heshas sex with people. it is always angrily. i just want to point out, no more f-words today. we already had four. >> fortuitous? which are we talking about? >> i will say that when he uses the word angrily "f" he is afraid of using the word rape. he u

so among the lawmakers affected, two prominent republicans john boehner and michele bachman. two parties seem as bitterly divided as ever. >> the american people may have voted for a divided government but they didn't vote for a dysfunctional golf. >> the sad truth the president wanted a blank check six months ago and he wants a blank check today. this is just not going to happen. >> the plans of course, have huge differences but some similarities that inspire a bit of optimism. christine romans breaks it down. >> reporter: let's begin with senator reid's blueprint. it cuts 2.7 trillion over the next decade. a big piece of that is what senator reid calls the winding down of the wars in iraq and afghanistan. that will save a trillion dollars. now republicans have called that a gimmick, a savings from wars that are winding down, even though, by the way, the same savings were counted in some republican budgets. reid's plan would not reform or cut medicare, medicaid, social security. also no changes to taxes. it would raise the debt ceiling by 2.4 trillion dollars. that would be

michelle bachman has taken much of yours: you are back at one percent .hy can someone pick you over bachman. what is the choice? >> the choice is simple. my entire career has been problem solving, not politics. that poll may not refrect - reflect it. the numbers reflect a different story. if you look at the latest gall up poll and in terms of positive intensity. i lead all candidates in terms of positive intensity. my name id went from 21% to 48 percent. >> are you different on the issues? >> we are close on the issues. if we are different on the fact that i have more direct hands on problem solving experience. that's where we differ. i said that before. my entire career as a problem solver and business executive . the problem solving approach is where i have stronger credentials than literally many of the other candidates. >> we get to the bottom line and in your experience, sam brownback finished third in the straw poll and felt after all of the campaigning, he had to drop out. don't you have to finish that well in iowa. >> i believe we will finish in t

newly declared candidate michelle bachman visiting a cedar rapids farmers market where she spoke and shook hands. this is the first trip the minnesota congresswoman has made to that state, which kicks off the presidential campaign season. bachman will take her bus tour to several other cities over the next few days. >>> well, we've got a spare-the-air day today because it's really going to be hot. >> yeah. we will see numbers over 100 degrees around concord and livermore and antioch and brentwood. emeryville looking nice. bagged in sunshine. many areas already in the mid-and upper 60s. 49 half moon bay. i will tell you where you can escape the heat and a looka head to the first week of july coming up. >> and big changes coming to the oakland zoo to make it more of a wild animal park. i'm a dancer. and until now, my feet showed it. [ female announcer ] gold bond ultimate healing foot cream. 7 penetrating moisturizers and vitami, 'cause foot skin's 20 times thicker. this stuff really works. >> carolyn: welcome back. 6:16 on this sunday morning, july 3rd. this is a live look from our ro

. >> coming up the higher she climbs in the polls the more the mainstream media attacks michelle bachman as he is for ss forced to defends her husband headache she has foul shots fair game that's coming up next. we used to bet who could get closest to the edge. took some crazy risks as a kid. but i was still over the edge with my cholesterol. anyone with high cholesterol may be at increased risk of heart attack. diet and exercise weren't enough for me. i stopped kidding myself. i've been eating healthier, exercising more, and now i'm also taking lipitor. if you've been kidding yourself about high cholesterol...stop. 80% of people who have had heart attacks have high cholesterol. lipitor is a cholesterol lowering medication, fda approved to reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke in patients who have heart disease or risk factors for heart disease. [ female announcer ] lipitor is not for everyone, including people with liver problems and women who are nursing, pregnant or may become pregnant. you need simple blood tests to check for liver problems. tell your doctor if you are taking ot

michelle bachman visited a cedar rapids farmer's market where she shook hands.his is the first trip she made to the state, which kicks off the presidential campaign season. bachman will take her bus tour to several other cities over the next few days. >>> lisa is here now with a look what we can expect in the spare the air alert for today. >> that's right, poor air quality, and santa clara, in the eastern part of the bay area where temperatures could hit over 100 degrees today. as much as five to seven degrees warmer today than yesterday, even at the coast. prepare for that. the holiday, well, we have the forecast for that and a little fog to talk about. >> also coming up, big changes are coming to the oakland zoo to make it more of a wild animal park. ú$ú$ú$ú$ú$pxpxpxpxpñ >> carolyn: welcome back. ." it's 5:16. welcome to your holiday weekend and thank you for joining us. this is a live picture from our roof cam showing you the bay bridge there. lovely weather on tap for this weekend. enjoy it. lisa will be along shortly with the full accuweather forecast. the

he said political celebrities, sarah palin and michelle bachman. they have a climate in which purity is prized over practicality. finally the permanent campaigners. according to brooks, for many the purpose of being in congress is not to pass laws, but to get clear contrasts. it's not to take responsibility for the state of the country and make it better. it's to pass responsibility on to the other party and force them to take as many difficult votes as possible. joining me now is bruce bartlet, a senior policy analyst in the reagan white house and a columnist now for the fiscal times. thanks for joining me, bruce >> happy to be here. >> it is a difficult time to be a thoughtful republican. you and i chatted about this a bit. david brooks is not alone in his feelings about this, is he? >> he's not. the number of people who are willing to speak out publicly as david and i and david and a few others have, it's painfully small i'm afraid. >> we can report that the cut cap and balance bill has passed the republican-controlled house now. 234-190 against

among the candidates, he is ahead, with michelle bachman second, and sarah palin is third, followed by former new york mayor, rudy giuliani. and a look at president obama's look at global trade. but instead it involves an ohio machine manufacturer. >> we have what the obama administration is not helping to expand, they are not creating the atmosphere to allow us to create new jobs. >> the ad claims president obama went back on a promise to help. one spokesperson said the president needs to fight certain steps by china and promote u.s. business. and mitt romney made a campaign appearance at the ohio plant today, promising he would help to fight free trade for american businesses. he received a key endorsement from the former ohio governor. >>> and sarah palin may not have declared being a candidate, but she reportedly is heading for iowa, the site of the first presidential caucus. real clear politics say she will appear in des moines in september. she made headlines with her campaign style bus tour. she says she will decide to run for president early next month or in september. >>> and

. >>> tim polanti took a shot at michelle bachman this morning.r record of accomplishments nonexist entity during her three terms in congress. he then talked about his record as governor of minnesota minute. >> the president and heards cut their weekend short to try to work on ways to reduce the nation's deficit. they are still unwilling to compromise on some key issues and were just weeks from reaching the debt ceiling. barbara hall. >> reporter: the clock is ticking on capitol hill as political leaders posture over how to reduce the defend civil this is the issue that could hurt their ability to raise the debt ceiling before the august 2nd deadline for avoiding default. >> if we had a leader who was out telling the american public the truth as to what the nature of the problem is we could get democrats to go along with bigger spending cuts. >> i want to have clarity about where house democrats stand. we do not support cuts in benefits. >> reporter: they are resisting proposals to eliminate tax breaks for corporations or tax cuts for the wealthy

are you surprised how well michelle bachman is doing, the latest poll in iowa? >> she is head. >> where she is born, where there's a natural constituency for her? >> in some senses yes, in some instances no. what i have been surprised at, and i have now interviewed her several times, is how skilled she is at maneuvering through tough questions and you talk about communicating a clear message about who she is and what she believes in almost every -- >> but did there seem to be a turn during the debate where she had better o good advice, it was less. it was more skillful use of phra and less of the kind of red meat that she has -- >> well, there was a lot of red meat in there but it was very well deliver. you talk about the deabt. she can so many things right. number one in th first answ she made it official that she was coming. you're guarantied right out of the headlines right there. and then on top of that, in every -- just about every answer, she reminded everybody who she was. >> it's establishing your narrative. >> exactly. >> you know, when she talks about

michele bachman, the real thing. between that guy and that woman offering very different deals. one circumstances i got the mon money, the other, i agree with you. i'm not a fraud. >>> you're watching "hardball" only on msnbc. >> ( rooster crows ) >> by 2020, 50 billion network devices will roam the earth. that's seven devices per person. this will change how we work in ways we've never before imagined. what do you need to secure your people, their devices, and your business? a network that can evolve and grow to protect your human network. >>> president obama and mitt romney both in pennsylvania campaigning. romney hopes it's a preview of the general election. the president's fund-raising in philadelphia in allentown attacking the president's economic policies. he spoke to reporters outside the now shut shuttered allentown company. the president pushing the stimulus. >>> we'll be right back. >>> welcome back to "hardball." the top two contenders for the republican nomination seem to be mitt romney and our own, i say that because she started here, michele bachmann. even bill cli

you may recall that tim pawlenty said that quote, michelle bachman had done nothing in congress, andring back saying that mr. pawlenty is much closer to president obama on everything from climate change to health care. fighting words indeed. for the latest bout of this political fisticuffs, we are joined by michelle who writes for the daily beast. >> hello, martin. >> pawlenty and bachmann are similar in that they are both from minnesota and both ev evangelical christians and steeped in family values, so why are they spending so much time throwing barbs and attacking each other? >> well, pawlenty sees himself as not the establishment, but the moderate centrist in this field as opposed to michele bachmann who has always kind of been on the tea party fringe on this. in the latest round, i think that he came off pretty well, because if i were her, i would have fired back at the insults with a tim who? because at this point, he has no traction, and he needs to be throwing these punchps just to get a little bit of attention. >> because is this pawlenty realizing that he doesn't do po som

talking tough this week to fellow gop lawmakers, including the congresswoman from minnesota, michelle bachman, who is running for president. taking her to task for opposing a debt ceiling hike, but comparing her to then senator barak obama who did the same exact thing back in 2006. in an interview on-line, senator mccain warning his party, the president obama could get leeway from what mccain calls a cheering media to paint the gop as responsible for any economic trouble caused by a default. joining us now for a fair and balanced debate, former communications director for house speaker dennis hastert and kristy, former spokeswoman for vermont governor howard dean, and the president of new heights communications. it's nice to see you both. thank you for being here. rob, let me start with you. is senator mccain right? >> i think senator mccain has a great point in that we want to get to some type of deal that does a massive amount of spending cuts, but doesn't do tax increases. i think to oppose a deal is extremely dangerous if we actually default, but right now i think every leader, the presid

let's start with you, michael, michelle bachman -- bachman is now a candidate. >> i think she has benefitted immensely from not being sarah palin. she has much of the appeal but is a better candidate in a lot of different ways. i wouldn't underestimate her strength in iowa. >> lehrer: born there. >> tea party appeal, strong evangelical appeal, that is a strong combination. and i think that her rise is very bad for tim paw lenty who she has taken a lot of the attention and a lot of the oxygen right now in a period when pawlenty needs to raise his profile and raise some money, it's become harder. >> lehrer: both from the same state. how do you see michele bachmann shns she is he had had a great introduction. i think she's a natural candidate. i think she is a good performer. she has got a natural identification with much of the iowa republican party which is culturally and religiously conservative party. a party thathere mike huckabee did very well in 2008, won the caucus over mitt romney. and i think -- i think right now she's a natural fit. contrast her introduction and first ten days with t

i tried to ask michelle bachman on this on wednesday and there was no response. >> congresswoman bachmannding high in the polls especially in iowa where christian conservatives frequently dominate republican caucuses. i talked about the impact the story may have or probably won't have there nation-wide with democratic strategist paul begala and ari fleischer. we spoke earlier. >> paul, let me start with you. do you believe the bachmann -- mr. bachmann's explanation that this isn't the focus of his clinic though he doesn't deny that he and his counselors would try reparative therapy and have tried it? do you buy that -- his explanation? because in the investigation that was done by that group with the hidden camera, i mean, in his lobby they are selling a book by somebody who claims to be ex-gay talking about getting out of being gay. >> well, his position seems to be, i will practice a crack pot theory if people ask me to practice a crack pot theory. what if somebody comes in and says, will you try santeria or voodoo or astrology or any other number of crack put theories? would he adopt t