he's going to get used to it. >> paul begala? >> remarkable contrast between mitt and rick. mitt was cool, rec was hot. mitt was factual and rick was a little more emotional. it was really an interesting study in contrast. the real question is, which party? not who won, but which party? if this is still the party of investment bankers who carry a putter at the country club, then mitt romney wins. if it's people carrying a pitchfork to a tea party rally, rick perry wins. in the hall it sure sounded from the audience like -- strikingly conservative, almost radically conservative audience which helps rick perry. >> rick perry certainly seemed to have stumbled on the hpv vaccine issue, his stance was not popular at all. >> this is in fact i think long term, strategically, the real achilles heel for governor perry, that is where michele bachmann took it, she took it to crony capitalism, she didn't just say it was about christian conservatives although it is. she suggested, she directly implied -- this was because the governor's chief of staff was the chief lobbyist nor this drug

. >> let's bring in our political panel, john king, aaron burnett, democratic strategist paul begala, gloriaberger, erica ericson, and cornell belcher and david frum, speech writer for george w. bush. i noticed a tweet, eric, instead of yelling you lie at him. i wish they'd loudly laugh at this farce. this speech is a rehash joke. harsh words. >> i heard it in it january of 2011, february of 2009. we wouldn't have had that speech tonight if the last three speeches had done anything, particularly the first two when the democrats controlled congress and the white house. >> cornell, is this a joke? >> no. but that sort of partisan talk is part of the reason why we're in this problem. look, you know, i'll go back with you on this, eric, the action the president took when we were in a nosedive and losing jobs each month pulled us out of a nosedive. clearly now we need something, a little boost here. what he's asking for is, look, most of these plans, a balance approach to this, and most of the stuff quite frank itly should have bipartisan support for because a lot of this stuff republicans

paul begala, ari fleischer, dana, joining us the conversation. dana, as a tea party supporter, who did you think was the standout for you tonight and on jobs, who do you believe more? >> well, i think the overall standout, i have to say that i think romney and perry really went at each other. i think they kind of perhaps shot each other in each other's foot. i think bachmann ultimately, she had some of the solid, more solid answers of the night. i was really hoping she would come out aggressive. she expected to stay in or be in the top tier of candidates in this primary, she needed to be aggressive and have hard hitting answers. she need today go after other candidates. that's what she did. i thought she performed well. overall, i would give it to bachmann. gingrich always does well, but he's been doing this for a long time. in terms of jobs, who i believe the most, i have to say whenever herman cain spoke, he backed it up with a plan that he's already published on his website and sent out to various media and bloggers. so that was really interes

. >>> and now we have paul begala and jim dike, president of jda front line. ul, given what we just heard, how much of a potential problem is this for the obama white house? >> the truth is, it's too soon to tell. we have no idea. this is just now beginning to come to public light. the facts are what they are. i think they'll come to light. congress has legitimate oversight function, whether it's a republican or democrat congress, they need to keep an eye on where the taxpayers money goes. all voters think that's a good thing. the risk for the obama administration is if there's any wrongdoing uncovered, we haven't seen any yet, the risk for the congress, though, is if you look like you're being partisan in an investigation, it can hurt you politically. we saw this when i was in the white house and the white water and the impeachment investigation. but there have been other times, like when john mccain was investigating the scandal, people didn't think he was being political and i think it benefitted him. the less sort of overtly partisan you are probably the be

. >>> and now we have paul begala and jim dike, president of jda frontline, former communications directorhe rnc. paul, given what we just heard, how much of a potential problem is this for the obama white house? >> the truth is, it's too soon to tell. we have no idea. this is just now beginning to come to the public light. there's peril on both sides. the facts are what they are. i think they'll come to light. congress has legitimate oversight function, whether it's a republican or democrat congress, democrat or republican white house, they need to keep an eye on where the taxpayers money goes. all voters think that's a good thing. the risk for the obama administration is if there's any wrongdoing uncovered, we haven't seen any yet, the risk for the congress, though, is if you look like you're being partisan in an investigation, it can hurt you politically. we saw this when i was in the white house and the white water and the impeachment investigations were going on. it hurt the republicans politically. but there have been other times, like when john mccain was investigating the scandal,

. >> we're going to talk to democratic strategist paul begala and kevin madden, republican kevin madden former spokesperson for mitt romney coming up. we want to focus first before we go to them on former massachusetts governor mitt romney who laid out his competing jobs plan late today with a pre-emptive strike on the president. take a look. >> he'll be giving a speech in a couple of days. i know it's coming. i haven't read it but i know it's coming. i've seen version, one, two three, four and five. they're not working. [ cheers and applause ] >> and the reason is, i mentioned a moment ago that we're now using smart phones, not pay phones. president obama's strategy is a pay phone strategy. and we're in a smart phone world. and so we're going to have to change -- what he's doing is taking quarters and stuffing them into the pay phone and thinking -- can't figure out why it's not working. it's not connected anymore, mr. president. your pay phone strategy does not work. and a smart phone world. >> governor romney's plan cutting corporate tax rates, cutting taxes on interest, dividends an

let's go behind the numbers and their meaning with cnn contributor and democratic strategist paul begalacan political consultant jim dike. paul, you were with bill clinton when he ran for re-election and he had a much better story to tell than president obama does now. when you have that many people in the country saying i'm not better off, is that not how they judge an incumbent? >> he needs to have a choice and not a referendum. president clinton run a referendum. senator dole ran a fine campaign and an honorable man but the country wanted to keep their president and that ended the inquiry. it next election has to be a choice and not a referendum. it's to ask a better question, will you be better off with a republican president who wants to end social security entirely because it's unconstitutional -- >> you're saying perry is the nominee, are you ceding that? >> or mitt romney that would end medicare and preserve tax breaks for oil companies or end benefits for teachers, it's not a referendum, it's got to be a choice. >> i see you are loaded to go. but do you get to the choice, i unde

paul begala as well. we'll have much more coming up on our political panel. >>> later, the michael jackson death trial. dr. conrad murray's actions that fateful day as described by jackson's personal assistant and head of security. what they say they witnessed as michael jackson lay dying or even dead. first let's check in with isha sesay. >> anderson, where is moammar gadhafi? that is the question. tonight we might have the answer. we'll bring you the latest word on his whereabouts and tell you who he's said to be hiding out among. that and much more when "360" continues. car with a manual transmission? because there are those who still believe in the power of a firm handshake. the cadillac cts-v. manual or automatic, that's entirely up to you. we don't just make luxury cars, we make cadillacs. mary? what are you doing here? it's megan. i'm getting new insurance. marjorie, you've had a policy with us for three years. it's been five years. five years. well, progressive gives megan discounts that you guys

paul begala as well. we'll have much more coming up on our political panel. >>> later, the michael jackson death trial. dr. conrad murray's actions that fateful day as described by jackson's personal assistant and head of security. what they say they witnessed as michael jackson lay dying or even dead. first let's check in with isha ses sesay. >> anderson, where is moammar gadhafi? that is the question. tonight we might have the answer. we'll bring you the latest word on his whereabouts and tell you who he's said to be hiding out among. that and much more when "360" continues. the "i'll sleep when it's done" academic. for 80 years, we've been inspired by you. and we've been honored to walk with you to help you get where you want to be. ♪ because your moment is now. let nothing stand in your way. learn more at keller.edu. [ sniffles ] not sure what to take? now click on the robitussin relief finder at robitussin.com. click on your symptoms... ...get the right relief. ♪ makes the cold aisle easy. the robitu

john king, erin burnett, the host of the upcoming "up front" paul begala, gloria borger, eric ericksonnd editor of red state.com and cornell belcher and david frum, speech writer for george w. bush and founder of forumforum.com. eric, i noticed a tweet you posted a few minutes ago. you wrote, quote, instead of yelling, you lied at him, i wish they would laugh at this farce. this speech is a rehash joke. tough words. why do you think it's a joke? >> you know, i heard this speech before. i heard it in january 2011. i heard it in january of 2010 and in february of 2009, and, you know, we wouldn't have had this speech tonight had those last three speeches done anything, particularly those first two when the democrats controlled congress and the white house. >> cornell, is this a joke? >> no, but that -- that sort of partisan talk is part of the reason why we're in this problem. look, i'll go back with you on this, eric, and truth of the matter is what the president -- the president's actions that he took when we were in a complete nosedive and losing jobs, you know, each month pulled us ou

paul begala has said several times that after she lost she called bill clinton and told him it's notwhat he's going to do for the country and they've got to believe him. we're at a tipping point where republicans believe barack obama and what he's going to do. >> that's an interesting point. if you watch whether the president's going, he's got the map in mind just like all of us do. >> we're working on the same map. >> we're all working on the same map. 50 states and they're complicated. >>> we move back an hour to 6:00 p.m. eastern next monday night. we'll be here at 7:00 for the rest of the week. that's all for us. "anderson cooper 360" starts right now.

you know, i've always thought of paul begala as the snooki on the cnn political team.e word skivvies. the night didn't end there. it was only 2:00 a.m. the gerg train had barely left the station. quote eventually we repaired to his kitchen in bathrobes trying to warmup. out came a bottle of limoncello. and i climbed up to bed at 4:30. with a nasty hangover g-diddy headed for the airport. this is a side of david gergen we haven't seen before. it isn't first time he's hinted at other aspects of his gergenality. >> i think that timing is everything in politics as it is in love. >> did you say timing is everything in politics as it is in love. >> i said that. yes, i did, indeed. >> david gergen, this is a whole new side of you. david gergen one part poet, one part philosopher and as it turns out one part bluto from "animal house." didn't know, cyrano degergerac has groupies. example a, kelly ripa. i love david gergen, he fascinates me, he reassures me like no other man can. she's not the only one. a few years ago comedian jesse kline wrote an article for "the daily beast."

paul begala has said several times on here, that after she lost, she called bill clinton and told himry but what he's going to do for the country and they've got to believe him. we're at a tipping point where republicans believe barack obama and what he's going to do. >> that's an interesting point. if you watch whether the president's going, he's got the map in mind just like all of us do. >> we're working on the same map.

you know, i've always thought of paul begala as the snooki on the cnn political team.ht didn't end there. it was only 2:00 a.m. the gerg train had barely left the station. quote eventually we repaired to his kitchen in bathrobes trying to warmup. out came a bottle of limoncello. and i climbed up to bed at 4:30. with a nasty hangover g-diddy headed for the airport. this is a side of david gergen we haven't seen before. it isn't first time he's hinted at other aspects of his gergenality. >> i think that timing is everything in politics as it is in love. >> did you say timing is everything in politics as it is in love. >> i said that. yes, i did, indeed. >> david gergen, this is a whole new side of you. david gergen one part poet, one part philosopher and as it turns out one part bluto from "animal house." didn't know, cyrano degergerac has groupies. example a, kelly ripa. i love david gergen, he fascinates me, he reassures me like no other man can. she's not the only one. a few years ago comedian jesse kline wrote an article for "the daily beast." it was basically a conf

i am joined by paul begala, and cnn contributor erick erickson and editor-in-chief of the red state blog wants infrastructure bank and tax cuts and $300 billion and smaller than what the white house would call the reinvestment act and not what the republicans like to favorably call the stimulus plan. from our reporting and your reporting, how big and bold is the president's plan? >> look, it's big. it is bold? i'm not so sure. think about it. you need at least $100 to $200 billion to offset the baking in the cake already when the current stimulus expires in december, so i assume that some of the $300 billion is continuing the payroll tax cut, and then there is incremental stimulus in the form of more infrastructure spending and cuts. the devil in the details. according to reporting, he will offset with $300 billion in spending cuts. you want the tax cuts now and the spending cuts later. you get the stimulus now when the economy needs it and the fiscal balancings act when the debt is more of a problem. >> so as a democrat, who's looking a, to help the unemployed, and b, to reframe the pol

jessica yellin, paul begala, alex castellanos, thank you. >>> in a preview of piers morgan tonight, rick taking a hit from rick santorum telling piers that governor perry is ducking scrutiny. >> we haven't seen govern area perry in a debate yet or do much in the way of interviews yet. i've done this for 12 years in the united states senate where i was under the scrutiny that a national figure is under. i've done it in a state like pennsylvania where i haven't backed away from any questions or any interviews. i don't hide myself from the public or from the press. >> you can see more on "piers morgan tonight" after "360" at 9 9:00 p.m. >>> moammar gadhafi's sons are speaking out. they're not backing out at least not verbally. the latest from tripoli tonight and new developments in aruba where the search for the missing woman goes on. why the key suspect, this man right here, gary won't be going home any time soon. ♪ [ male announcer ] they'll see you...before you see them. cops are cracking down on drinking and riding. drive sober, or get pulled over. it's a lifetime. gone. we'll make it r

. >> and we will talk to democratic strategist paul begala and kevin madden, republican kevin madden, former spokesperson for mitt romney, but first, before we go to them on former governor of massachusetts mitt romney who laid out his plan for the economy as a preemptive strike. take a look. >> i know the president is going to give a speech in a couple of days, and i know what is coming. i have seen version, one, two, three, four, five. and they are not working. and the reason is -- [ applause ] i mentioned a moment ago that we are now using smartphones, not pay phones. president obama's strategy is a pay phone strategy, and we are in a smartphone world. and so, we are going to have to change -- what he is doing is to take quarters and stuffing them into the pay phone and thinking, can't figure out why it is not working. it is not connected anymore, mr. president. the pay phone strategy does not work in a smartphone world. >> well, governor romney's plan to cut corporate tax rates and cutting taxes on interest and dividends and slashing government regulations and eliminating the affo

jessica yellin, eric erickson and paul begala, thanks to all of you.k to anderson. >>> still ahead on 360, muammar gadhafi's sons are speaking out as a do or die deadline approaches for their father's ancestral city. they're not backing down at least not verbally. the latest from tripoli tonight >>> plus, new developments in aruba, where the search for the missing woman from america goes on. why the key suspect, this man right here, gary giordano, won't be going home to maryland anytime soon. [ male announcer ] they'll see you...before you see them. cops are cracking down on drinking and riding. drive sober, or get pulled over. [ doorbell rings ] hello there. i'm here to pick up helen. ah. mom? he's here. nice wheels. oh, thanks. keeps me young. hello there, handsome. your dinner's in the microwave, dear. ♪ where do you want to go? just drive. [ engine revs, tires screech ] mom? ♪ agents, these crustaceans are like gold to a restaurant owner. so? water damage can spell disaster for a small business. and restaurants have over 4 million slip and falls ev

joining us is cnn political contributor and strategist, paul begala.le wallace. author of the new book, "it's classified." thanks for being here. let's talk primary politics and as you know, it's likely, at least, not certain, but likely that florida is going to move its primary up to january 31st, which means iowa, new hampshire, nevada and south carolina, i think i got them all in, they'll also move up very probably. what does this mean for presidential politics, republican field as it stands now? >> i spoke to two top florida republicans on my way over here and they think this is a very important move for the state. it means that florida will matter. they feel that florida determined the outcome of the republican primary four years ago when romney campaigned hard there. mccain won and they feel that was decisive. they think it's possible that coming out of iowa, you could have someone like perry win iowa, that you could have huntsman or romney win in new hampshire and that florida could be the deciding factor in the primary contest. >> it could be,

joining us, our cnn political contribute, paul begala, priorities usa and priorities usa action, alsotical contribute, former bush secretary, ari flesher, a member of the pr republican jewish coalition. thanks very much. ari, what did you think of the president. handling of this israeli/palestinian issue at general assembly today? >> it might surprise you, i liked it today. the president did something this year he did not do last year and added a robust pro-israel paragraph, talked about the holocaust, 6 million lives lost, how israel's in a hostile neighborhood where rockets are fired at children. he did not say that last year. what he did say last year, which he omitted this year, was a call for israel to end the settlements and extend the settlement moratorium. a clear difference this year from last year. i suspect election politics have to do with it. i like it. welcome to hear. >> we didn't larry today, paul, what the president said back on may 19th, caused a huge uproar, that israel should withdraw to the pre-1967 lines with mutually agreed land swaps. today he spoke in general