michele bachmann is going to be the next to speak. tim pawlenty had a settle dig at bachmann talking about his experience and how it is important. the stakes are very high for tim pawlenty as he and michele bachmann are battling for the ames straw poll. ron paul is in the mix. electricity is starting to pick up. bachmann's speech is coming momentarily. that will be very interesting. >> give us a sense of what it has been like there today. you know, we were talking a little bit earlier to some of the other reporters who were there for -- real clear politics and so on. and, you know, they were talking about different levels of enthusiasm. in the crowd and checking out the lines. what have you seen so far in the last couple of hours? >> chris, if you love politics, this is just great. it's reminded me -- >> i'm so jealous. have you no idea. >> just going from ten to tent, everybody is having a great time. this is essentially political football where people are serving food and they are serving beer and they are -- having rides for kids an

when michele bachmann does it, we assume she has a right to do it. when we disallowed michelle obama from making that same critique, we were saying you are not really on the team, you are not allowed to talk about my momma. yes, mrs. obama, you're allowed to celebrate being an american, you're allowed to say you're grateful for the opportunities america has afforded you, but you are not allowed to criticize america. i submit this, we will know that we have arrived in a fully equal america when we can all celebrate and criticize our government together. '. yeahhhhhhh. gellin' is like having a teeny tiny foot masseuse in your shoe. you like ? nice ! dr. scholl's massaging gel insoles. outrageous comfort, all-day long. those are your lips with covergirl lip perfection. get beautiful color now... let the silk moisturizing complex give you more beautiful lips in 7 days. [ male announcer ] lip perfection. from easy, breezy, beautiful... covergirl. on our car insurance. great! at progressive, you can compare rates side by side, so you get the same coverage,

michele bachmann has an opportunity now. she came first. s straw poll. what does she do with that in. >> she has to decide if this is the beginning of her campaign or the end. if she is now the leader of the small conservative core or if she is a general election candidate who can go to new hampshire tomorrow, say here's what i'm going to do about the economy and compete with mitt romney. >> small conservative core is the end of her campaign. >> i think so. she has to demonstrate she can win in the general. republicans won't nominate anyone who can't beat barack obama. you have to demonstrate you can be a good general election candidate. she can do that. we saw it in that hall. the michele bachmann on that stage, very polarizing. the michele bachmann in that video, warm and engaging. if she moves to a more optimistic message, she could score but she has about a week to do it. >> donna brazile, when you look at michele bachmann as a general election candidate, let's say that she does somehow go on and become the nominee. how does, i think we

what michele bachmann -- not michele bachmann. but what tea partiers said in 2010 is identical to what was said in 1994. everybody talks about how much the republican party has changed and gotten more radical and right wing. what i hear them saying on the trail is the same thing we were saying which is less government, less taxes. >> i'm not saying that. i'm not saying the republican party is more radical and right wing. >> you said i couldn't win back in my district. they're saying the same thing today i've been saying for 16 years. >> you have to understand the ronald reagan we knew on the day he left his office, would have a hard time in this republican primary in 2011-2012. >> is disagree. >> i'm telling you philosophically, this party is sorting out a lot of the transition from reagan to right now. michele bachmann resonates -- >> you have to see where we are right now. we're in august. >> it resonates. >> we're in august of 2011 which was identical -- >> it resonates because it's a represe representation of big government. i

let everyone have their day and this was michelle bachmann's day .er to have her day and come and tryy to take the shine is too cute by half. governor perry, the game changes tomorrow and preseason was over. michelle bachmann got the win and it starts tomorrow and we reset the board and governor persewell in the game. >> mike: last time barack obama carried the state of iowa. what is your prediction, will he win regardless who the republican is. has he got a shot at winning? this is a president who hasn't had a great record in iowa. >> he started his movement in iowa and some take that as a responsibility to end his move iowa . given the economy and where it is going and where things are going in national defense, you are seeing a reflection of iowa being the balance of the rest of the country. he has a shot. we worked hard for george bush to win here in his reelecthaving a great candidate in the top of the ticket, this will make a difference. we can win this in iowa and i understand the destiny of the country is at stake. if we are going to balance

that's the reason michele bachmann asked for it. it's true in every other community around the country that has benefitted from the line item for hiring cops. reinstate that across the country. do not tell me republicans would object to that, republicans have asked for it, even if they did only ask for themselves. they say politics is the art of the possible, beltway has been saying for more than a year that any political action to save the economy is impossible because republicans will just not allow it, but we as a country have been through four huge shocks that should have changed everybody's perception about what is possible right now. we learned the recession we are trying to crawl out of now was even worse than we originally thought it was. we came within a whisker of defaulting on our debt because of the flirtation with default, krit rating was downgraded and now the market looks like this every other day or so. we've absorbed these dramatic shocks in just the last two weeks. anybody who tells you about what's possible and im

michele bachmann first, ron paul, a very close second. s than 200 votes behind bachmann in somewhat of a distant third coming in, rick pawlenty. i'm joined by andrea mitchell and former republican national committee chairman michael steele. just to update you, we calculated the write-ins. our friends haven't yet, but we know the total number of write-in votes, 836. it is likely a good chunk of those are going to be for rick perry. if it is that case, i would put him above rid romney. does that matter to you? >> not really. for a number of reasons. i think that perry and romney not being in this thing, you know, it doesn't really matter where they come in because they seriously didn't look at this as the fight for them. so it is just a matter of numbers. it is showing some level of support certainly among iowans for rick. the numbers will be 700 or so for him out of the 800. but for romney, the point was made earlier by andrea, he has game on for him now. he has to step up and focus on february when iowa comes back into focus. between now a

nonexistent. >> former minnesota governor tim pawlenty repeatedly hammered fellow minnesotaen, michele bachmannr lackluster congressional record, but bachmann fired back with this. >> i have a very consistent record of fighting very hard against barack obama and his unconstitutional measures in congress. i'm very proud of that record. that is what qualifies me as a fighter and representative of the people to go to washington, d.c. and to the white house. people are looking for a champion. they want someone who's been fighting. when it came to health care, i brought tens of thousands of americans to washington to fight the unconstitutional individual mandate, i didn't praise it. when it came to cap and trade, i fought it with everything in me, including i introduced the light bulb freedom of choice act so people could purchase the light bulb of their choice. >> you'll notice the only piece of actual legislation bachmann cited was the light bulb freedom of choice act, a bill she introduced but did not get past. like many viewers, the particular dog whistle, it turns out the fate of the household

when michele bachmann does it, we assume she has a right to do it. disallowed michelle obama from making that same critique, we were saying you are not really on the team, you are not allowed to talk about my momma. yes, mrs. obama, you're allowed to celebrate being an american, you're allowed to say you're grateful for the opportunities america has afforded you, but you are not allowed to criticize america. i submit this, we will know that we have arrived in a fully equal america when we can all celebrate and criticize our government together. ♪ [ male announcer ] you never know when a moment might turn into something more. and when it does men with erectile dysfunction can be more confident in their ability to be ready with cialis for daily use. cialis for daily use is a clinically proven low-dose tablet you take every day, so you can be ready anytime the moment's right. ♪ [ man ] tell your doctor about all your medical conditions and medications and ask if your heart is healthy enough for sexual activity. don't take cialis if you take nitrates for

you've got michele bachmann. >> right. congresswoman bachmann.art of our "meet the candidate" series. it's our opportunity to ask about her record and thing she said in the past. and what she'd do about this economy. >> thank you very much. we'll be watching. as we await the straw poll results, let's go to michael steele, bringing in nbc analyst and former republican chairman michael steele. michael, what is the value of the straw poll? >> the value is to make money. let's break it right down. the state parties love this because this is a chance where you're going to galvanize the political world's attention on a state, in this case, iowa. and you're going to raise a lot of money from it which is great because you put dollars to use for organizing and getting your grassroots together and active and out there. come next year's election. i think beyond that not much in my view. you know, you see straw polls where, you know, the person with the least chance of even coming close to winning the top prize wins that straw poll. and the realty then shift

but michele bachmann gave us another guest. here excuse was priceless. >> rick perry had some real low lights this week. but the other guy from texas, will be tough to catch. it's the only complete multivitamin with ginkgo to support memory and concentration. plus vitamin d to help maintain healthy blood pressure. [ bat cracks ] that's a hit. one a day men's. [ dr. ling ] i need to get the results from the m.r.i. see if the blood work is ready. review ms. cooper's history. and i want to see katie before she goes home. [ male announcer ] with integrated healthcare solutions from dell, every patient file is where dr. ling needs it. now she can spend more time with patients and less time on paperwork. ♪ dell. the power to do more. excuse me? my grandfather was born in this village. [ automated voice speaks foreign language ] [ male announcer ] in here, everyone speaks the same language. ♪ in here, forklifts drive themselves. no, he doesn't have it. yeah, we'll look on that. [ male announcer ] in here, friends leave you messages wr

they are michele bachmann goes out of her way to point out she was born in iowa specifically waterloo. last night's event took place in the electric park lounge the very same place where michelle balkman announced her candidacy about five weeks ago. they had rick santorum and rick perry speak. they got there early and worked the crowds aggressively. ms. bachmann stayed away. she had a family reunion yesterday that and you some amount of her time. before her remarks she parked her bus down the road and waited and waited and waited. when she arrived, as always, she blasted the music and went in and made her speech, her speech was fairly typical for her and well-received. afterwards, unlike rick perry, she didn't take questions from the crowd. she did sign some autographs and shake some hands but then rather than interacting with iowa caucus goers and the republicans insistent on attention from the candidates she left the building and came out and held a press conference with the national media in front of her bus. afterwards there was a lot of con expressed by the organize organizers to

thank you for your expertise from texas. >>> up next, it's clear michele bachmann is looking over her shoulder now at governor perry. who wouldn't? she's tweaked her campaign message over it's weekend and now is a job creator. she's trying to be him now. always a mistake. bachmann in her own words coming up in the "sideshow." you're watching "hardball," only on msnbc. [ male announcer ] for sore muscles use new bengay cold therapy. it's pro-cool technology releases armies of snowmen masseuse, who cuddle up with your soreness and give out polar bear hugs. technology. [ male announcer ] new bengay cold therapy. the same technology used by physical therapists. go to bengay.com for a 5-dollar coupon. what if we designed an electric motorcycle? what if we turned trash into surfboards? whatever your what if is, the new sprint biz 360 has custom solutions to make it happen, including mobile payment processing, instant hot spots, and 4g devices like the motorola photon. so let's all keep asking the big what ifs. sprint business specialists can help you find the answers. sprint. america's favo

search, i do not do google on the internet, about michele bachmann. e reuters a story, pretty much international, bachmann and perry had a 2012 rivalry. they have a poll on there, and they are doing the same thing as the guests of doing. they are totally ignoring ron paul. ron paul gets elected and manages to do away with the fed, there is that fact out that will be eaten forever. an interesting thing is that on this reuters poll, there were a few thousands in iowa. on this poll here, ron paul wins it by 30% with almost 19,000 votes and michele bachmann comes in a slow third at 18% with 11,000 votes. the big story today for the news is, who is ignoring ron paul and why are they ignoring ron paul? with all of that coming you continue to do good work. i enjoy you. host: jim duncan also had this point of view. [laughter] he also talked about representative michele bachmann. when you have a newsweek cover like this before the straw poll, did this help or hurt? guest: it is a double-edged sword. it is a recognition of the support that she has and how that s

they don't want michele bachmann. they really worry about michele bachmann and her able so all of a sudden perry is left, the field is left for perry to sort of surface in. so this guy like ronald reagan is very lucky and like ronald reagan has an unbelievable tefn coating so far as mark said. but we'll see what that spotlight does over the course othe next four weeks. >> rose: to romney, mark i have in front of me your grading of the debate last night. a minus for mitt romney. b plus for michele bachmann, pawlenty b. huntsman c plus, gingrich c plus, sanatorium you gave a c. ron paul you gave a c minus, cain you gave a c minus. romney, give us a sense of this campaign which is almost a stealth campaign with much focus on organization and money. >> romney has purposefully laid low. he's done very few events this year. extraordinarily few number of events. and he's purposefully focused on being in the conversation when it suits his purposes but not bein dragged into every little debate or even every big debate. the deb

>> congresswoman michele bachmann wins big in iowa. rick perry officially announces that he wants to be your president. >> i declare to you today as a candidate for president of the united states. [cheers] >> who has the advantage and what does this mean for the other candidates? we will hear from one of them. >> there is nothing wrong with america that can't be fixed. >> president obama begins his midwest bus tour talking to the folks about the economy. but, with his poll numbers hitting a new low, is it too late for the commander in chief? mary katharine ham and leslie marshall will analyze. >> we have it better than we have ever had it. >> warren buffet continues his campaign to get the rich to pay more. actor and economist ben stein has a few thoughts of his own. >> caution, you are about to enter the no spin zone, the factor begins right now. captions by closed captioning services >> laura: hi, everybody, i'm laura ingraham in tonight for bill o'reilly. thanks for watching us. let's get right to our top story. it was a busy weeken

actually starting look i know there are hundreds of better photos of michele bachmann out there and they went out of their way to find an unflattering sexism i don't know if it's sexism noticed or true. but it definitely was a bad choice now let's move on to some michele bachmann obviously is running for president michael moore has his own idea of someone you think should run for president take a look. michael have you actually had conversations with matt damon about. you know what i think. he's been. courageous and caring about him coming out and saying things that need to be said the republicans are certainly shown the way that when you run someone who is popular. you win. so basically he thinks that matt damon should be president instead. i don't agree with that you know i've heard some people thought i grew up maybe george clooney would make a good politician and he's just so much more of a likable character that day when i was just going to say there's no way i can spark matt damon other than the fact that i disagree with his stances but i'm george clooney all the way and for g

that's a (bleep)y picture of michele bachmann. not an accidentally bleepy picture of michele bachmann. because you can say a lot of things about michele bachmann-- a lot of things-- (laughter) but here's what you can't say about michele bachmann: that she is not photogenic. i mean, look at her. here she is inside. here she is outside. jesus, that could be a shampoo ad! (laughter) here she is screaming into a bullhorn and making it look attractive. (laughter) my point is you've got to go pretty far out of your way to find a crappy photo of michele bachmann. and you did. (laughter) why? >> in a statement, "newsweek" editor tina brown said michele bachmann's intensity is galvanizing voters in iowa right now. and "newsweek's" cover captures that. (laughter). >> jon: no, no. no it doesn't. that's not a "i'm galvanizing the voters in iowa" picture. i look at that picture and think "isn't that a little soon to be doing a female remake of the 40-year-old virgin"? (cheers and applause) that's not a nice picture. i mean, i get it, "newsweek

thank you for your expertise from texas. >>> up next, it's clear michele bachmann is looking over her shoulder now at governor perry. who wouldn't? she's tweaked her campaign message over it's weekend and now is a job creator. she's trying to be him now. always a mistake. bachmann in her own words coming up in the "sideshow." you're watching "hardball," only on msnbc. ♪ [ male announcer ] an everyday moment can turn romantic anytime. ♪ and when it does, men with erectile dysfunction can be more confident in their ability to be ready with cialis for daily use. cialis for daily use is a clinically proven low-dose tablet you take every day, so you can be ready anytime the moment's right. [ man ] tell your doctor about all your medical conditions and medications and ask if your heart is healthy enough for sexual activity. don't take cialis if you take nitrates for chest pain, as this may cause an unsafe drop in blood pressure. [ man ] do not drink alcohol in excess with cialis. side effects may include headache, upset stomach, delayed back ache or muscle ache. to avoid long-term injury, s

and if michele bachmann tops the straul, this is going to be serious, folks, and ms. nows it. that is why she is poised and ready to highlight her accomplishments at the debate last night for republicans. >> i introduced the lightbulb freedom of choice act so that people could purchase the lightbulb of their choice. >> see what i mean? and she sparred with fellow tennesseean tim pawlenty, leaving others with smiles and even when tim pawlenty offered to mow mitt romney's lawn. >> i will come to your house and mow the lawn, and in case mitt wins, i'm limited to one acre. one acre. >> that is is just fine. >> as for governor romney, he enjoyed the place of privilege staying above the fray, and taking his verbal jabs to president obama. >> look, i'm not going to eat barack obama's dog food, and what he served up is not what i would have done if i were president of the united states. >> president obama's dog food -- really? we can see the governor at the country club now. >> tell the cook this is low-grade dog food, and here, take this for yourself, okay. >> and of course,

thank you for your expertise from texas. >>> up next, it's clear michele bachmann is looking over her shoulder now at governor perry. who wouldn't? she's tweaked her campaign message over it's weekend and now is a job creator. she's trying to be him now. always a mistake. bachmann in her own words coming up in the "sideshow." you're watching "hardball," only on msnbc. at is that? oh, we call it the bundler. let's say you need home and auto insurance. you give us your information once, online... [ whirring and beeping ] [ ding! ] and we give you a discount on both. great! did i mention no hands in the bundler? bundling and saving made easy. now, that's progressive. call or click today. >>> back to "hardball" now. the "sideshow." first up, this one's a real whopper. a new voter i.d. bill set to take affect in texas, specific identification to cast their ballot on election day next november. on the list for appropriate forms of i.d., of course, driver's licenses, passports, citizenship papers and, yes, concealed handgun licenses. well, how about veterans affairs i.d. cards? here's what t

i did time for tonight's truth i'm awarding tonight because to michele bachmann now we bash the right wing can go congresswoman and presidential candidate several times on this show but tonight she's just given us more firepower michelle has come out of a different view of most of the world than most people through her stance on slavery issues well it's troubling to say the least you know believe me let me present some facts here or when michelle made a few crazy comments of the founding fathers here in the us or its tirelessly to enslave slavery. we know there was slavery that was still tolerated when the nation began we know that was an evil and it was a school and a block and a stain upon our history but we also know that the very founders that wrote those documents and worked tirelessly until slavery was no more in the united states and yet it's not really the truth the founding fathers george washington and thomas jefferson owned slaves and when the constitution was ratified in seven hundred eighty eight it stated that the slaves were three fifths of a person and the slavery issu

i have some respect for the guy when he admitted michele bachmann is a wing nut, but now he's provingright-wingers. for huntsman to say that he would absolutely be michelle bachman's second in command after admitting he doesn't think her ideas are grounded in reality, my friends, is desperate "psycho talk." >>> hurricane katrina was a man made disaster. the fallout continues to this day. how can you help? coming up. stog stog stog stog every time a local business opens its doors or creates another laptop bag or hires another employee, it's not just good for business -- it's good for the entire community. at bank of america, we know the impact that local businesses have on communities, so we're helping them with advice from local business experts and extending $18 billion in credit last year. that's how we're helping set opportunity in motion. ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] unlike some car companies, nissan is running at 100% which means the most innovative cars, are also the most available cars. nissan, innovation for today. innovation for all. chanted recall walker, taking aim at the governo

it is all out here in the hawk eye state. >> what does this benefit of the boost means for michelle bachmannraising and is this new life and means that ron paul is a contender for a caucus win. >> for congresswoman bachmann it is a sign of enthusiasm and she is building an organization that caught up with that. everyone knows the iowa calkuss press desk requires motivated volunteers across the precinct and this is a great head start. >> rick san toriumm came in fourth and struggling in the polls, talk about how if a candidate exceeds expectations and has been well back in the polls can get a boost. can he expect that? >> it will be interesting to see. senator sanatorium has been in many communities and has been connecting with the voters in those community it is a strong showing when people had initially wrote him off. there is a strong support in the pro-life community especially the high catholic population to go for sanatorium. >> for 16,000 plus, that is a big win. >> we would be hoping over 10,000 and have a turn out that blew the doors off what we did in 2007 . had eight candidates . i

tim pawlenty is hitting michele bachmann as somebody who is not able to deliver. michele bachmann turned to ideology saying someone like tim pawlenty hasn't been a reliable conservative always. she has. that's where we see between those two candidates. ron paul is a libertarian. he doesn't believe the federal government should have any type of role, other than what's laid out in the constitution. he has his group of supporters. we saw the republicans go after hip on foreign policy at the debate on thursday. that seems to be where the clashes are happening now. >> and texas governor rick perry, the factor today, in his announcing his candidacy if the presidency does that keep any people from going out to vote? >> well, it's a savvy move by the texas governor. it allows him to have a little bit of a headline on a day that was being dominated in ames. it's almost now a split screen day where you see some republicans here in ames for the ames straw poll. but then texas governor rick perry will be in south carolina an new hampshire. we are seeing a couple different thi

michele bachmann, as far as i can tell, like allen keys, michele bachmann is making sense.se, there's a reason why more than a god fly, less than a contender candidacies are an important part why republicans run for president. one of the outcomes was him getting a tv show on the cables, which not only paid him, but helped him maintain his influence. he ran for president again in 2008 and runs for senate every time you turn around. he even moved to illinois to run against barack obama. running for office is a career strategy for allen keys. pat robertson ran for candidate in 1998. he came in second at the iowa caucuses, got lots of attention before parlaying all of that into all sorts of ways to make money and make his influence, his television empire grew. since then he has published about a dozen books, plus the thing about the diamond mine he owned with the dictator in liberia, plus his age-defying shake recipe that allows him to leg press 180 pounds whenever he wants. like allen keys, a very good thing for paul robertson's career, also good for mike huckabee, mike huckab

michele bachmann, you know, has had a meteoric rise.ther she's able to translate that support i think is an open question. but we're focused on our campaign, not on hers. as it relates to this straw poll, you know, we've got ron paul who as far as we can assess has got a professional army of people aimed at winning straw polls working on his behalf and michele bachmann has seen a surge of support. we are focused on meeting people and as people meet tim pawlenty and hear about his record, they like him. we're excited about where we sit. >> where do you have to place? do you have to place third or fourth in order to stay in the race and not risk all your money drying up? >> look, this is an important moment for us, obviously we need to show progress and i think there are a lot of different scenarios that can unfold. i'm not going to engage in kind of prehandicapping the result before the votes are being cast and counted. frankly, there are a lot of people who are still engaging, being talked to as we speak here now, who are thinking about

but we have rick perry as well and now michele bachmann. let's not count out john huntsman though. >> jon: what? john huntsman? huntsman got 69 votes. if all of john huntsmans sporters met at the same ames iowa restaurant the fire marshal would say, that's fine. no problem. there's still some tables open in the back. huntsman was the only mormon running in the straw poll, and he came in second amongst mormons. and by the way this pretending ron paul doesn't exist for some reason has been going on for weeks. >> a new gallup survey showing rick perry running second to mitt romney knocking down iowa favorite michele bachmann to fourth. >> jon: behind who? fourth behind who? how did libertarian ron paul become the 13th floor in a hoe hotel? why... what's wrong with... he is tea party patient zero. all that small government grass roots businesses he planted that grass. these other folks are just moral majorities in a try cornered hat. ron paul is the real deal. fox news should love this guy. watch the disconnect between the debate moderators at

but it's why these sorts of things favor a ron paul, or a michelle bachmann. the people that ignite sort of fierce loyalty and real passion. >> can't go anywhere without seeing a ron paul sticker. i saw a guy with a tattoo on his forehead. this is big breaking political news here today on cnn. iowa straw poll is supposed to be the main event for republicans. some might say the real action happened today in south carolina where texas governor rick perry announced he is joining the race. so we go now to jim acosta standing live in charleston. what was the reaction in the room? >> reporter: don, it was a strong reaction. we talked to several republicans after this speech who said this is the speech that conservatives have been waiting for and, you know, rick perry i think took a look what was happening in ames and said i'll see your fried butter on the stick and raise you shrimp and grits. south carolina is just as important, as an early voting state as iowa and new hampshire. so he made a big impression on voters here kicking off his campaign, announcing he's ru