michele bauchmann at 1.5%. that really effectively -- >> nail in the coffin. >> nail in the coffin.er candidacy is over. but if you look at rick santorum, i think you're seeing a guy who has had more of a presence in debates of late. and i suspect you're seeing a guy that is creeping into the top tier of iowa. >> yeah. >> i expect rick -- he won the pennsylvania -- i think he won the pennsylvania straw poll. >> a candidate with a slow build will be more of a problem for mitt romney than any of these flashes in the pan, which is what perry is turning out to be. just on his humiliating defeat in florida, the perry campaign is holding strong. one representative saying that the second place finish in florida and any connection it may have to the texas governor's debate performances are -- it comes down to this. we're not electing a debater in chief, we're electing a commander in chief. >> i mean if -- >> they become commander in chief. you can't throw up all over yourself and become president. >> if you want to do that and become a morning talk show host, be my guest. i'm living proof.

once people like michele bauchmann and mitt romney go after him.rry handles that. >> you are there in california where the debate will be happening later this evening. jim acosta, my thanks to you and more on rick perry. how will he do tonight in a glare of the spotlight. here he is debating last year during his reelection bid in texas. >> it really wears me out we've got two people on the stage here that want to tear texas down when the fact is everybody understands this is a state you want to live in. we want to come here. this state is growing by 1,000 people a day and it's not because we're overtaxing them, regulating, or litigating them. this is the place to be, the land of opportunity. >> okay. and we're going to talk to someone who has been covering governor perry for years and years. we'll see how he thinks he'll do tonight. >>> but still ahead, his daughter is convicted of murder, serving time inside an italian prison, but amanda knox's father hoping she will soon go free as the court looks at some of that evidence. i'll speak with him liv

the playbook of michele bauchmann and rick santorum. she has kind of denied that iowa is a must-win. in fact, on a radio interview on monday, the internal strategy presentation, they're very much recognizing it is a must-win state. if she wins iowa, they're going to kind of skip new hampshire, go to south carolina. obviously interested in iowa, rick santorum. he's saying his campaign is very much courting a lot of her iowa activists. and he's saying a lot of the iowa activists are interested in him. i don't think rick santorum is a major player in this field. i think he hopes if he can do well there, he can hopefully be taken more seriously by the ultimate winner and be thrown some bones here and there, or at least have his supporters courted and raise his profile in the campaign. >> despite what the bauchman campaign says, her drop has been remarkable after she won the iowa straw poll in mid-august, she's polling down in single digits. not much of a player anymore. what happened? >> well, i think what happened is she sort of focused al

the third thing i'd mention is michele bauchmann was last in the straw poll, and she was, remember, first in the iowa straw poll, and that was something that a lot of people thought would really propel her candidacy, but now you have to start wondering whether she's actually a viable candidate in this race. >> mitchell: there are some names out there that a lot of folks thought were going to get in the race, giuliani, palin, governor chris christie in new jersey. what do you think? with this upset today, will that inspire one or more of those folks to jump in? >> i think you have to say it's more likely. chris christie said time and again he's not going to get into the race but i spoke to someone today who is leading an effort to draft him to get in the race. he sound encouraged as if christie might decided to get in after all. and palin is another one, we're all waiting for her decision, and i have to say she would probably smell blood in the water after today and after perry's debate performance last week. >> mitchell: scott conroy in washington as always. thank you. two american hikers

michele bauchmann suggested that perry was doing that as a favor to a drug company. jan crawford has been looking into that claim. jan. >> reporter: well, scott, perry's executive order requiring those vaccinations back in 2007 created a real firestorm in texas. the state legislature immediately stepped in-- it repealed it. it was never implemented, but now that he's a front-runner for the republican nomination, he's being hit with new questions about why he issued that order and questions about his ties to the big drug company that make makes that vaccine. >> the drug company gave thousands of dollars in political donations to the governor, and this is just flat out wrong. the question is was it about life or was it about millions of dollars, and potentially billions for a drug company. >> you have to respond to that. >> yes, sir. the company was merck. and it was a $5,000 contribution that i had received from them. i raised about $30 million, and if you're saying they can be bought for $5,000, i'm offended. >> reporter: but it was more than $5,000. cbs news has lea

have you ever seen a candidate other than michele bauchmann drop precipitously as perry? >> it's remarkable. and we tend to sort of -- i don't know, the debate performance, it's tough to gauge what sort of effect that has. but it was clearly a terrible debate performance for him. this gets more to the fluidity of the field. people aren't comfortable or happy -- especially with mitt romney. his numbers are staying pretty steady around lower 20s. i think that's sort of the baked in number for him until we actually get to voting. theoretically, i don't think it's going to happen. but theoretically, if sarah palin or chris christie could be looking at this and say, oh, i can jump in, get an unbelievable amount of media coverage, build up an incredible amount of support over a short period of time and sustain it for a little bit. it's a real invitation. >> there's the trick. all i have to do is sustain it. sarah palin would get into the race, pat buchanan and she would be savaged. chris christie would get in the race and he would find it's much more exciting on this side of th

mitt romney was third and michelle bauchmann was 4th. >> all of the 16 candidates running for mayier volunteered on a school fund-raiser. he rolled up his sleeves for a car wash. joanna joined in today. the fund-raiser was also the kick off for yes on proposition a. a measure to repair the schools. >> we're looking to modernize our facilities and this is the last phase of our bond program. >> if proposition a is approved, home owners would pay an additional $21 per $100,000 of their homes values on your property taxes. >> nancy is pushing for more recovery money to help states hit by irene. she toured the damage along the beach of new haven, connecticut. it was submerged when irene hit in late august. the senate approved almost $7 billion in aid for storm victims but the measure is unlikely to pass the republican lead house which wants to see cuts in another part of the budge first. >> halloween may not see many jack o lanterns this year. entire crops were washed away. it was already a difficult year because they had to plant late and risk missing out on the season. after october 31s

>> who knew that michele bauchmann could get to the more libertarian right of ron paul. she didn't realize. no government, nothing, let's just shut the whole thing down. i don't know what she wants to be president of. >> we had this fox debate last night. and i've got to say, mitt romney's looking pretty darn good. >> yeah. >> he is looking pretty darn good. i never thought i'd say that. >> he is looking very good. and on the other side, you've got governor rick "stop me before i debate again" perry. the contrast is startling. for mitt romney, it was a huge night. each debate is a bigger and bigger night for romney, i think. >> t.j., i want you to get a shot of barnicle and myself. willie and i when mika's in the south of france for the first hour, we're together. i said it's too much meat, we're going to have barnicle sitting next to me. but this is a good opportunity, mike to show -- you talk to me like -- you're mitt romney, you keep looking at me. and did you notice this? because i had so many e-mails, one from my brother. so mitt's looking at him the whole night. an

. >> david, when we talk about michele bauchmann, how long can her campaign continue to run on the steam that it got out of iowa? >> it's very striking because she really evaporated from the debate last night. you know, she had great performances in earlier debates. a month ago she came out with the win in the ames, iowa, straw poll. but since then, she has failed to capitalize on that momentum and it really goes back to what rick perry has been able to do, suck a lot of that tea party, hard right support away from her. she really needs a moment in order to pick up traction. she's falling in the polls even behind ron paul in some of these national polling. >> david, thanks so much. nice to see you this morning. >> thank you. >>> i want to take you back to that breaking news we brought you at the top of this hour. flash flooding a cross the northeast caused by lingering rain from tropical storm lee is flooding roads. these pictures showing submerged cars in a parking lot in connecticut. and there are forced evacuations in parts of pennsylvania today where three people have been killed by

tied for third at 7%. >> michele bauchmann now down below newt gingrich edging into third place therearned 5%. when the same voters asked if they were satisfied with the current field, 33% said yesterday while 50% said they want more choices. and disappointing news for president obam president obama whose disapproval level at 43%. discussing a primary challenge from secretary of state hillary clinton. her husband, former president bill clinton is dismissing the talk. >> i'm always gratified whenever anyone says anything nice about her and i very much agree she's done a good job. but i also have a high regard for vice president cheney's political skills. and i think one of those great skills is sewing discord among the opposition. she is a member of this administration and committed to doing it, and i think he by saying something nice about her in the way he did it knew that it might cause a little trouble. i don't want to help him succeed in his political strategy, but i admire the fact he's still out there hitting the ball. >> yeah. exactly what he's doing. >> he is doing that. >> i

and with a match-up with michele bauchmann, obama leads 54% to her 36%. >> you know, mike, it's justst like yesterday's election was just a snapshot or tuesday's election. but i will say it again, as i've been saying, we've been critical of this president on jobs from day one. and yet, we've also said from day one, he has a resilience politically. i sense middle america given the opportunity would like to vote for him again because -- his approval numbers stay up there. these numbers look good. but there seems to be a disconnect between these numbers and some of the state numbers. what's going on here? >> i think if you walk around and if you listen to people when you're putting gas in your car or you're coming through the checkout line of the grocery store, you find the president's strongest asset is that people think he is a reasonable man in unreasonable times confronted by a totally out of control congress. >> yeah. >> and they've given him the benefit of the doubt. at least he's trying, they'll tell you. >> jim cramer? >> yeah, i think that's right. you still hear, incredibly th

with the presidential campaign of michele bauchmann.und. she succeeded this morning in getting the attention of the nation by strolling through a refrigerator full of animal carcasses in iowa. >> it happened. >> here she is slicing up prime rib, touring a meat packing company in des moines, iowa yesterday. she put on the gloves. those were rib eyes she was getting into. even more strange here, she walks around and kind of gropes the meat there. >> she's touching -- >> she's sizing it up a little bit. >> you don't touch the meat. >> here's where it gets really interesting, in that setting right there with the hanging meat in the backdrop, she went off mahmoud ahmadinejad. >> really? >> i call upon president obama to stop ahmadinejad from coming to the united nations. this administration tried and failed to do outreach to iran reminding us once again that appeasement of deadly dictators is never wise and never an effective strategy. the president must not continue to lead from behind on key issues of national and international security. >

wolf, is somebody we're not spending a whole lot of time talking hababout these days and that michele bauchmann. and all of a sudden she has found the bulk of her tea party support race over to rick perry. so really this is going to be all about rick perry tonight. but at the same time it is a question as to whether or not those candidates will have the opportunity to do so. keep in mind, they're going to be almost ten candidates on this stage right now. they're all going to be given pretty much equal treatment. it's going to be difficult for them to focus all of their attacks on rick perry because there's going to be a lot of fur flying in every direction, wolf. >> i assume they'll be attacking mitt romney, as well. we'll watch it together with you, jim acosta on the scene for us in california. and this important note, we'll be watching for any missteps tonight. we'll be listening closely. they'll have another chance monday night. i'll be the moderator at that time. cnn will host the republican presidential debate along with a tea party express, several tea party groups will be in tampa, flori

this is michele bauchmann's big chance to come back. with rick perry still a front runner in the recent polls, the seven other candidates are expected to continue attacking the texas governor for calling social security a ponzi scheme. but perry is not backing down from his comments. we're going to talk about this later. in a "usa today" op-ed, the governor says he'll be honest with the american people about challenges facing social security. he writes in part, "we must have the guts to talk about its financial condition if we are to fix social security --" >> stop right there. if we are to fix social security, that's the first time governor perry's gone there. because he knows that he screwed up. but how do you want to fix something that you say does violence to basic american values? how do you want to fix something that you have previously declared unconstitutional? i thought he was a constitutional candidate. are we now to think, willie geist, this man from texas, this straight-shooting guy is going to work hard to undermine the ver

. >> rick perry on jobs and social security while michele bauchmann hit the front-runner on crony capitalism> if you're saying i can be bought for 5,000, i'm offended. >> i'm offended for all the little girls and parents that didn't have a choice. >> she told me her little daughter took that vaccine, that injection and she suffered from mental retardation thereafter. >> reporter: later in the week, though, perry got the only support that really matters at the end of the day, scoring a dinner date in new york with king maker and lover of all things gold-plated, donald j. trump. >> you're fired, you're fired. you're fired! you're fired. you're fired. >> back in the debate hall, the crowd cheered oddly for letting the uninsured die. >> congressman, are you saying that society should just let him die? >> no -- >> and did not cheer even a little bit for jon huntsman 18-year-old nirvana reference. >> one topic shamefully absent, what to do about the breaches in our nation's defense against mile-high club membership. >> reporter: there was some kind of sexual activity going on. >> um, yeah. >> yep.

michele bauchmann says she's going to disclose her money at the last possible day they can wait untilctober 15th. she says she's going to. it might be a hint of how much money she has. and money will be a big factor for chris christie. we're told that chris christie needs to decide within the week whether he's going to go. and his backers, these people you've been talking about. hedge funders and others, they've promised him that they will form a super pack for him. an outside organization that can take unlimited funds to give him a big head start as he tries to catch up in this race. >> michael steele, you've already said you don't think he's going to run. despite that, does that change anything for you? >> i think a lot of the clambering from christie is coming from the moneyed interest in the party. not something from the grass roots, movement among activists and conservatives among the country who are looking to him to step in. so, you know, you've got, again, a bifurcated party. all of this against a backdrop in which barack obama has close to 600,000 donors. not dollars, donors.