on the boulevard, mika.g off into the shoulder. >> he's got a really good point. >> no. he doesn't. >> all i'm saying. you're veering off. >> really. are we talking about the payroll tax cut debate? what are we talking about specifically, chris christie? >> do i have an hour today? >> i want to talk to you about mitt romney and we're going to get there because i've got some good questions for you. >> i'm ready. >> go ahead. what is your criticism exactly? >> first of all, you watch every day, right? >> i do. >> so you -- it seems to me -- have a legitimate beef against mika. >> i wouldn't say beef. >> this is an intervention. come on. let it out. >> it's objective. >> across the river. >> objective. halperin is on his game this morning. i'm just looking to give you, from a friend. >> yeah. >> an objective perspective. so here's one criticism. >> hum. >> you know, your definition recently of compromise is, everybody agrees with what the president wants so we can compromise. that's not what compromise is. what

this bill did not create jobs last year, mika.. >> it's stunning. >> why do i raise taxes in a time of unemployment if that's what you want to do in a time of economic decline. why do i raise taxes to pass a bill that might create jobs? now two drags on the economy. >> how do you want to pay for it? >> well, you can pay for it by a series of things. we can talk about that, we can compromise. i wouldn't vote for the bill unless we had something in there that would put people back to work. and this would put people back to work. >> up next, moderator of "meet the press." >> you don't like the idea because there are certain constituencies that are loyal to democrats -- >> no. >> -- that don't like this plan. >> i can't believe they can't agree on this one thing, one thing, both sides. >> it's a bad idea. >> really. a payroll tax cut extension for the middle class is a terrible idea. >> it's a bad idea because people are in debt right now and it doesn't create new jobs. give me tax cuts that create new jobs. >> mark, it's paid for, ri

mika, get back here. what did you write on that banana. >> you're doing in the corner. >> boy, i wish we could do -- >> alan, what does it say? >> how about the red sox. i was going to ask about the fenway book, but we'll do that later. yesterday, we had mitt romney here. >> good. >> and mitt. >> big day yesterday. >> big day, night of a thousand stars. >> mitt said he had no control over the super packs. newt gingrich held a press conference at 2:00 yesterday. >> that was interesting. >> said he's watching "morning joe," saw this, and this is absolutely ridiculous. >> well, there are two things to be said about that. one is that, mitt romney's absolutely correct that if he were to engage in any kind of coordination with one of his super packs that would be a problem legally. as far as i know, there's nothing in campaign finance law that has repealed the first amendment and mitt romney could stand up any time he wants and criticize his super pack, denounce his super pack, distance himself, he could do any

>> you know, mika, this is really a bright spot for us.gether to support american manufacturing. making things in america which starts with automobiles. it is turning around. the efforts on advanced batteries is helping to create the next generation of vehicles. our companies are the ones winning the quality awards and we look forward to the north american auto show which is coming up in detroit in a few weeks in january. but we are really at the front end of new technology, quality, and i think they are going to continue to keep moving very, you know, very, very well. i wish it was quicker in the sense of jobs. i mean, we still have too many people without jobs. >> yeah. >> but i feel confident that we're going to a new place on advanced manufacturing and, frankly, michigan is going to lead the way in that. >> let's hope. senator debby stabenow, thank you very much. good to have you. >> thank you, senator. >> thanks. good to be with you. >> still ahead carole king will join us on the set to talk about her new christmas album. next, a dile

joe and mika, if you were watching at 5:30 a.m., joe and mika in their pajamas with those adorable slippersblankies and a fire in the hearth guest hosting and showing the ultimate respect for my program on "way too early." >> you know what. >> what. >> just do the news. we will cover for willie again. he's going to come in smelling of eggnog. he is a disgrace. he a disgrace. >> it's christmas. >> you know what, you just wait. you cover for willie again, i don't care. go ahead. >> joe, it is way too early for this. >> thanks for filling in. question mark? thanks, guys. still ahead on "way too early." while you were awake your bloated tweets, texts and e-m l e-mails is next. [ male announcer ] in blind taste tests, even ragu users chose prego. prego?! but i've been buying ragu for years. [ thinking ] i wonder what other questionable choices i've made? [ '80s dance music plays ] [ sighs ] [ male announcer ] choose taste. choose prego. fmf]n] >>> top stories on msnbc.com. i don't know how you choose these. two, hefner and e. harris in dog fight over puppy. and we'll leave it there. i have no id

hasn't happened to us, mika, though we've tried.as he taken credit for these writings in the past? >> well, he previously said that -- this was a newsletter written under his name, and the first person voice, as if he were speaking. previously he has said that he wrote some of them. not all of them, but some of them. he had taken response iblts for some. i'm not sure which. it was some time ago. >> back in the '90s. >> mid '96. there's some ambiguity who wrote these things. you know, joe, for politicians you were people wrote in your voice if you're a professional politician. some people, including on the right are pointing out if you're going to criticize barack obama for his association with reverend wright, which people did, you should be able to criticize ron paul for whoever was writing his newsletter that will he was profiting from. >> they're in his name. >> yes, in his name and in his voice. >> it's actually a tighter fit with ron paul because they were in his name, he was selling them, he was making money off of them. >> we

>> it is, mika.over, whether it's frank wolf or laterrette publicly and saying, listen, gym memberships expire, milk goes roa rotten. we see this on the payroll tax extension -- >> wait, wait, wait. >> yeah. >> grover is not their boss. the voters of their district is their boss. >> oh, that's right. but joe, you know that a lot of these freshmen are coming up for primaries. if you break the pledge, you're susceptible to a primary challenge because you can say you broke the pledge. >> all right. russell berman, give us a sense then of how many republicans we're talking about who might feel a little bit uncomfortable with the pledge they made. >> well, we talked to half a dozen, either the members themselves or their spokesmen in the house who say they no longer feel bound by the pledge. there's a couple prominent members of the senate, tom coburn of oklahoma being the most notable. who have said they don't feel bound by it. and part of the problem here is not so much the pledge, but it's how you defi

that said, mika, he has been to the top.e was governor. i just think that -- >> there is nothing like being on a national stage and being beaten up every day politically like newt gingrich has. he hasn't learned his lessons. we'll see if he has a second time. but i want to go back to the point of fox news. he's been on fox news as mark said for such a long time, and fox news drives primary voters. republican primary voters because they all, you know, they all watch it. >> you can shape a message and get right to your base on fox news. and that has been brilliant on his part. and back to all of his train wrecks, whatever you want to call it, he has weathered them. that's going to be attractive to people right now who are trying to figure out why they can't get their arms around mitt romney. >> you know, i think it was the "new york times" had a piece a couple days ago, i think maybe friday or so, saying there aren't as many town hall meetings in iowa and new hampshire now because republicans know if they can get on fox news t

>> well, i think he can, mika. that framed the debates we've been having and the debates we will likely have next year that go right to some of the policies the president is pushing congress to act on right now, including the extension and expansion of a payroll tax cut for middle class americans. but what the president's point was was that we are at a make or break moment for the middle class, that the path we are on where the middle class is being squeezed and squeezed and squeeze squeezed. the path for three decades is unsustainable and not really american. the great explosion of the middle class is what made america great, what made it powerful, what made it the source of hope and inspiration around the world, and as we've seen from all this independent data and analyses, the middle class has been under pressure now for three decades. and its share of the national wealth has been pinched while the concentration of that wealth in the hands of pockets of just, you know, the tiniest fraction of the wealthiest amer

>> mika, you made the point. the correct point that the attack ads have already hurt both of these candidates. i'm looking at my calendar and it's december and there's the attack ads have taken a toll on both candidates. not even the democratic nominee yet, this far out, it's going to be blood over the entire state of massachusetts will be drenched in blood. >> the primary's in september. >> it's crazy. to your point, joe, i was on yesterday with susan, and she said what would you do if you were running for congress and newt gingrich was the head of the ticket -- she said it'd be death for me, a moderate female republican trying to win in a non-deep red district, you'd be doomed. he's going to be -- he'd be a ten-point anvil around your neck. >> easily in the northeast and the midwest -- >> yeah. >> in the pacific west, newt easily cost 10 percentage to 15 percentage points. how do i know this? because i campaigned in '98 for a lot of republicans. there are a group of republicans largent, lindsey graham, back whe

we've got to talk about something bigger, mika. the fact that washington, d.c.d if you want to ask sam this or if you p want to take a cheap shot at republicans, you can do that too. what do we want to do? what leader is going to step forward that will bring democrats and republicans together? >> well, it would be a great start to maybe make that happen on the payroll tax cut extension. sam? >> by doing just what barack obama wants? is that the world we live in now? i don't agree on that. and conservatives don't agree on that. we talked about this yesterday. >> we did. >> why is it i have to agree with barack obama 100% or i hate america? >> that's not what i said. >> that is what you're saying. >> it's not what i said. >> yes, it's what you're saying. >> this is becoming a very awkward thanksgiving -- >> is there a turkey i could throw -- >> uncle herb is getting angry. >> you should let sam speak now. >> i'm not going to say another word. i'm going to eat my turkey here and not eat a word. >> i want to say i hate it when mom and dad fight and it's really awkwa

it's a disgusting analogy, mika. a disgusting analogy, and lindsey and newt and everybody else that runs around comparing people -- and democrats did t s this -- they've done it all the time, comparing republicans to nazis. they need to stop it. >> and get out of the way of some of these nominations. >> that's a different fight. that's a different battle. >> here's another battle. i talked about this last week. robert menendez writing in the "miami herald," politics shouldn't deny a qualified latino. the ambassador to el salvador who has done a great job and served a year. there's no question about the ambassador's qualifications or performance on the job, this is another case of republican foot-dragging in order to undermine the president's policy objectives. i am especially concerned by the actions of my senate colleagues who are willing to see this remarkable, hispanic woman sacrificed to inside the beltway politics with political points gained from bringing down a nominee supersedes promoting american interests.

. >> and, mika, he -- even the freddie mac people are saying his job was to influence republicans on the hill. >> we all -- >> because there was a concern at this time that republicans were going to shut down freddie and fannie. it had been a scandal ridden agency. they looked at great suspicion at people like barack obama and chris dodd who got paid a lot of money by -- who got -- had a lot of money contributed to them. they just had no idea that newt was actually pocketing his money. >> well, and the answer is always incredibly if i may arrogant and tone deaf. i mean his answer last night was that he was a national figure. and, you know, he was receiving payment for -- >> what does that -- >> that just underlines the point that he is the greatest example of the revolving door politics in washington, d.c. where somebody works for the government and then they make money off of the government. >> so here we are again -- >> peddling influence. >> almost an entire, you know, chunk of a debate talking about something that newt did in the past that is questionable potentially hypocritical

are you coming, mika? >> yes, of course.to be based in the beatable town. >> i want to go. >> france and england in the same group. >> we will beat them, again. >> roger bennett, thank you. >>> coming up, the life and legacy of iconic sports broadcaster howard coset. [ male announcer ] imagine facing the day with less chronic low back pain. imagine living your life with less chronic osteoarthritis pain. imagine you, with less pain. cymbalta can help. cymbalta is a non-narcotic treatment that's fda-approved to manage chronic musculoskeletal pain. one pill a day, every day, can help reduce this pain. tell your doctor right away if your mood worsens, you have unusual changes in mood or behavior or thoughts of suicide. antidepressants can increase these in children, teens, and young adults. cymbalta is not approved for children under 18. people taking maois or thioridazine or with uncontrolled glaucoma should not take cymbalta. taking it with nsaid pain relievers, aspirin, or blood thinners may increase bleeding risk. severe liv

thanks again, joe, mika, for filling in. "morning joe" starts right now. >>> i'm going to do something to government. i'm going to make it simpler and smaller and smarter. getting rid of programs, turning programs back to states and, finally, making government itself more efficient. i'm going to get rid of obama care. it is a moral imperative for america to stop spending more money than we take in. it's killing jobs and it's keeping our kids from having the bright prospects they deserve. the experience of balancing budgets is desperately needed in washington and i will take it there. >> i'm mitt romney and i approve this message. >> mitt romney ad now up in iowa. good morning. it is tuesday, december 27th. welcome to "morning joe." joining us onset, the former governor of pennsylvania, msnbc political analyst ed rendell. host of politics nation, reverend al sharpton. the senior policy advisorior, jimmy williams and in washington columnist for "the washington post" and msnbc contributor ezra klein. wait. there's more. senior

. >> mika, after the ups and downs of this campaign, all the people going into first place, just a week ago was newt gingrich's time. no doubt, going into the christmas vacation, in iowa, this is ron paul's time. >> it is. >> the timing is perfect. it looks like a big ron paul win on january 3rd if he can get all those people showing up to go out and caucus. right now, who would have believed this a year ago? ron paul is the only republican candidate that has a base out in iowa. people coming to the event. twice as many as the other campaigns. >> can you believe we are going to be in iowa in ten days? >> java joes. >> let's turn to pakistan. the u.s. military admits it is responsible for a nato air strike that killed 24 pakistani soldiers. the pentagon puts blame on the officials siting a lack of trust. jim reports. >> reporter: the u.s. combat forces were on a night mission in a mountainous region on the pakistani border when they came under fierce attack. they came under heavy machine gunfire from a ridge line inside pakistan. u.s. warplanes fired off flares making it clear those were

mika and joe have the day off today. mika was kind enough to send in her must read.>> you're sitting in joe's chair. mika sent in her must read op-eds. >> in kansas, obama lamented that millions are now forced to take their children to food banks. you have to admire the audacity. that's the kind of damning observation the opposition brings up when you've been in office three years. yet obama summoned it to make the case for his re-election. why? because, you see, he bears no responsibility for the current economic distress. obama can't run on stewardship. he can't run on policy. his signature initiatives, the stimulus, obamacare and the failed cap and trade will go unmentioned in his campaign ads. indeed they will be the stuff of republican ads. what's left? class resentment. got a better idea? >> what do you think of the strain of the president that it invokes or adds to class war? >> i think it's bull. what the president is talking about now is a lot of what the kids talked about when they occupied the different cities. basic fairness. if there's been class warfare

the main event this was one event logistics team which took the checkered flag from being champions mika from a show racing team the two thousand and seven f one was champion say is the bane go with the event just to have fun. i mean is it time for me here this is a bit of fun but it. is very. funny this moment. are all sort of small but. the weather is coming up next and the reno be here with all the headlines. well the future funny it's technology innovation all the news developments from around russia we've got the future covered. the grass nutritious and delicious products on the price of healthy eating. we need to test these three times the city allergenicity immune response lower nutrition and for environmental contamination don't you feel like a law brought some consider the experiment is human treatment ready idli significantly different it sees it to be the g.m. fact that they both at the g.m. tried that but they weren't treated so well themselves one question means one career you ask one question you could be uncertain and you might or might not be able to publish it but that's

what did you learn, mika? >> i think i should -- i can't leave you guys alone.she is. willie, what did you learn? >> reasonable people can disagree about how to butter a piece of toast. in a conventional toaster where you push the button down you don't put the butter on first. plain and simple. man has a toaster from the

what did you learn, mika? >> i think i should -- i can't leave you guys alone.she is. willie, what did you learn? >> reasonable people can disagree about how to butter

. >> he was a colorful character, he was very close with madeline albright, and of course, mika, you know from your father the role he played in eastern europe was extraordinary. that velvet revolution, what happened in the czech republic. there were some extraordinary moments. he -- i'm remembering bill clinton's trip when bill clinton went to what was then the newly formed czech republic. and the connections that they had. but he was the poet, the prisoner, and the great democrat. >> actually, mika, your mother -- >> my parents knew him and liked him very much. >> he was a quirky artist. >> also, people shopt forget is how extraordinary the events were in eastern and central europe. the idea that the soviet empire unravelled how it did, peacefully and you had essentially democracies emerge and remarkable speed is a stunning, stunning accomplishment, and people deserve major credit. there was nothing about this that was inevitable, pre-orda pre-ordained. it's a perfect example that extraordinary people make a difference in history. >> and you know, he was active in 1968 prague sprin

. >>> we are kicking off the holiday weekend with joe and mika in their pajamas.n to the wire in 20. >>> two days before christmas, newt gingrich trying to stay on the nice list, refusing to go negative, even thoughesque cut by attack ads. karen hunter, msnbc contributor, two friends of the program, good to see you. >> good morning. >> give us your crystal ball predictions. newt wants to stay nice. will he do that in 2012. >> probably not. but i don't think the rest of the field is going to be nice to him as well. he will have to mount some defense against the attacks coming against him. i think he is going to be a little scroogy. >> a little naughty as well. robert, your prediction? >> i agree with karen, i don't know if scroogy is a word. but i agree. all americans hate negative politics. when you go negative, it works. newt gingrich will have to contradict his pledge about not going negative and go negative. >> robert, stay with you, romney has been taking the brunt of this anti-romney sentiment. will he get the nomination in 2012? >> that's my prediction. i be

. >> mika? >> thank you to the greenwich library. >> they were great. >> audience loved joe. it was fun. >> they were very nice. we love them. good people of again witgreenwi. it's time for chuck todd. we owe you. >> we like you more than donald does. >> thank you guys. changing roosevelt. president obama invoked franklin early in his term. now he's pointing to teddy to spark his re-election campaign. can populism keep him in the white house. >>> the donald gets ducked. mitt romney says no thanks to trump's presidential debate. is romney rebooting just in time for the calendar turning to 2012. >>> we got two former republican governors, they've been campaigning for president. they can't seem to find any love in their own party. will one or both of them end up running as an independent or in a third party? good morning, it's wednesday, december 7th, 2011, pearl harbor day. let's get to my first reads of the morning. i'm looking forward to the conversation with the two governors. let's start with the presidential race. mitt romney, the chaser in the republican race. appears to

the reviews of this portrays mika brzezinski racing to the show in a skimpy running outfit while joellie geist and the boys stagger in after a night of drinking, smoking, and partying. ♪ dance to the music >> my professional reaction? seriously? it's a parody. they make fun of themselves. they all played along. some of these critics are in dire need of a humor transplant. >>> this wasn't funny. a routine christmas segment on santas on the mall, but robin robertson chose to play the grinch. here's what she said. >> stop trying to convince your kids that santa is santa. febt about it. that's why they have high expectations. they know you can't afford it. ask some man in a red suit? >> no santa? says who? the next night she had to admit that kids might have been watching. >> it was careless and callous to say what i said in what could have been mixed company. i would never spoil it intentionally so, i sincerely apologize. >> don

monday of course our friends in the morning, joe and mika, are showing up. that'll be fun. headlines this morning, president obama took time out of his vacation in hawaii to lay a wreath at the pearl harbor memorial in honolulu. after a moment of silence the president and first lady scattered flower petals in the water to honor more than 2,000 americans who died in the attack and anybody who is not i encourage you to go to that memorial. it is unbelievable. you still see the floating oil and gas from the sunken carrier. just four days away now before iowa lives up to its first in the nation status. how does this caucus process work? our political reporter put a primer together and he is live at we're calling it the willie cam. all right, buddy. the state's caucuses are the first time gop voters officially weigh in on who they want to be president. at 7:00 local time, 100,000 or so republicans will gather in more than 1700 schools, libraries, churches, and even some private homes. run by the party, not the state, there are no voting booths or levers to pull. in most precinct

this morning with joe and mika.e know he is not running, but there is a chance that he would be on the ballot, because the group americans elect is on a mission to get a third candidate on the ballot in all 50 states. a candidate chosen by people, online, not by establishes parties. joining us now is the coo of americans elect elliott ackerman. good to see you. that guy we saw there, chris christie, he could theoretically end up on a ballot, right? >> yes, he absolutely could, and i think what we're doing in america is opening up political process but i get on the ballot in all 50 states and i'm talking to you from california we are with are certified and over 1.6 million people in the state of california have signed petitions to get a third choice on the ballot in november 2012. >> you mentioned california and that was a big one, and you also got on the ballot in rhode island, i believe, today. so how many states are you in? >> that is right. >> and do you think it is reasonable that you would be in the ballot in a

this morning with joe and mika.e know he is not running, but there is a chance that he would be on the ballot, because the group americans elect is on a mission to get a third candidate on the ballot in all 50 states. a candidate chosen by people, online, not by establishes parties. joining us now is the coo of americans elect elliott ackerman. good to see you. that guy we saw there, chris christie, he could theoretically end up on a ballot, right? >> yes, he absolutely could, and i think what we're doing in america is opening up political process but i get on the ballot in all 50 states and i'm talking to you from california we are with are certified and over 1.6 million people in the state of california have signed petitions to get a third choice on the ballot in november 2012. >> you mentioned california and that was a big one, and you also got on the ballot in rhode island, i believe, today. so how many states are you in? >> that is right. >> and do you think it is reasonable that you would be in the ballot in a