it could help romney, it could help gingrich, you can look at it and say it might help somebody else. if you don't like gingrich or romney you might take a second look at perry or a huntsman or bachmann or santorum, or even a ron paul. >> kimberly: i think it goes to newt, majority of it. some of it may slip certainly, but the majority goes to newt. romney said sustained numbers. we haven't seen him go up or down depending from the fall-out others trying to struggle from the anybody but romney position. this is newt's advantage. if you see the trending in the polls, he is continuing to do well. the numbers in florida are outstanding for newt right now. >> bob: i think you are right about newt having the advantage. let's keep in mind, when these things happen, everybody says they take 100%. say we'll divvy it up. a chunk of the people that won't go. they will stay home. >> eric: a very valid point. >> bob: thank you. >> eric: they like cain so much if he is not in, i'm not going. >> bob: cain supporters are a unique breed of people. in the midst of everything bad for him, they stayed with him. there are certain peo

romney or gingrich, this president is in very good position. 92 world federalist society? >> i think so. >> i think that's -- you know, they claim that there is such a thing ago world federalism. do you think that's ridiculous on its face, that sovereignty can never give way to that kind of federalism? [everyone talking at once] >> great deal of difficulty getting the government in a state of great crisis, giving away any of the sovereignty to increase -- >> we'll be right back with predictions. united states into recession as well in 2012. >> eleanor? >> berko will come through and europe -- and the u.s. economy will get better leading up to the elections in november. >> newt gingrich will maintain his double-digit lead into the iowa caucus? >> romney or gingrich gets the nomination, they will both ask kristi to be picture vice presidential company. >> dominique strauss-kahn was framed to deny him the presidency of france that. will become known and accepted wisdom. bye-bye!

romney or gingrich, this president is in very good position. 92 world federalist society? >> i think so. >> i think that's -- you know, they claim that there is such a thing ago world federalism. do you think that's ridiculous on its face, that sovereignty can never give way to that kind of federalism? [everyone talking at once] >> great deal of difficulty getting the government in a state of great crisis, giving b for ny plan b? >> i had expected it to be a better day for good news for women and access to emergency contraceptions, and different than very disappointing day. >> susan wood is a former official with the food and drug administration. she's talking about the morning after pill, the pill that has been called the plan b pill. plan b is a pill that can be taken within 72 hours after intercourse to prevent a pregnancy from occurring. supporters of plan b call it emergency contraception. opponents call it "the abortion pill." a battle is raging over plan b. and president obama this week stepped into the middle of it. his cabinet office namely health and human servic

the business regard for romney or gingrich for years of government. >> if you are part of washingtonill are, you are part of the problem. >> reporter: he made overt appeal to evangelical christians who have doubts about romney and gingrich. >> if evangelical in iowa is looking for somebody they know every day that the president's faith is going the guide them and the values, i ask people to you know, which one of those ten commandments do you not like? that is how i try to live my life. >> before the republican jewish conference this morning, gingrich met privately at a rosalyn, virginia, hotel with a group of influential old school d.c. conservatives who have been looking for an alternative to romney. insiders say gingrich got grilled about the transgressions involving public policy and personal matters. after all of his answers he got a standing ovation. shannon? >> shannon: all right. carl cameron with the latest. thank you, carl. much debate in washington about a controversial project to move oil to candidate to the gulf shore. he met with the prime minister in the oval office to

ludicrous yes ron paul doesn't echo the typical talking points that we hear from bachmann santorum romney or gingrich or the g.o.p. establishment for that matter he is anti-establishment which is why people are liking him these days representative from texas is outspoken about the war on drugs he condemns the military industrial complex reining in america's foreign policy and surely you remember his disgust at said taras proposal for racial profiling in a previous debate so just to be precise is that the trend sounding religious profiling who would be present while the folks who are most likely to be committing these crimes if you look at i mean obviously it was people obviously muslims would be would be someone you look at absolutely those are the folks who are the radical muslims or the people that are committing these crimes as we've by and large as well as younger males i mean these are things that not exclusively but these are things that you profile to to find your best the most likely candidate. god forbid somebody from the republican side openly opposes the idea of racial profiling all right

by administration or romney administer what do you mean elaborate how are they supposed to why would being rich or romney necessarily listen if you need let's talk about newt gingrich let's talk about mitt romney and who these guys are these are i call them big government conservatives because we have a lot of them in our government that have no problem with tons of government spending if it's for the things that they like including defense including endless wars when it comes to health care but i most guys have a little bit of a. marcie well basically that's all we're in right now right we need newt gingrich is the guy that said that we have to be scared for the rest of our lives at the last g.o.p. debate seems a little and less if you ask me. well i would say that what it means to fight for their policy ideas are to show and make noise on the right in order to make sure that gingrich and romney feel like they have to pay attention to these to this group i mean they have to basically pull the center further to the right or further towards libertarianism then they would if they were simply to bolt and to go for a third party candidacy and the fact is that ron paul

front runners romney and gingrich so if either romney or gingrich get the g.o.p. nomination should it wrong all the third party ticket but if they support recent assented to find out what you have to say. according to the latest a.b.c. news washington post poll as well as posed by n.b.c. c.b.s. and linda morning register ron paul's newest numbers place him in the top three for both iowa and new hampshire caucus while the a.b.c. poll placed him in the top three choices it's still pointed out a big problem only eight percent of the likely caucus goers see fall is the best choice to beat obama in the national election but we all know that polls change quickly and ron paul. consistent polling among the top three is nothing to scoff at eg specially when we have candidates dropping like flies but if the g.o.p. sticks with gingrich or romney as the nominee should paul consider running for a third party ticket for charles said ron paul should still run in a third party take it any attempt at real change is worth a shot jim davis added ron paul should run republican or dem

you choose, it will not get done because the special interest own our capital and need newt gingrich or mitt romneyed the question of where they stand on campaign reform. until they do, they won't be president. >> governor johnson, could you support either newt gingrich or mitt romney for president over president obama? >> you know, i think the majority of americans would define themselves as classical liberals. the notion that less government is the best government, the notion that when it comes to government, the best thing government can do for you and i is to empower you and i to make choices only you and i should make. i don't hear that voice, and that voice, i think is the majority of americans. it's what i firmly believe. let's get out of iraq. let's get out of afghanistan. let's get a fair tax system implemented. let's have equality for gays. let's end the drug war. when it comes to immigration, look, building two fences and putting a moat down the middle and running drones on top is not the solution. i'm looking seriously as running for the libertarian nomination. i'm looking seriously at

question becomes whether or not those independents feel much more comfortable with a mitt romney or newt gingrich or with a president obama from a fiscal economic standpoint. >> i think it's not their background so much that's the issue. if you look at newt gingrich's economic plan, he wants to give the top .1% a $2.3 million tax cut while giving nothing to the lower 20%. those are the sorts of issues that are going to be brought out in a general election. president obama can make a very strong case that this is not a person who's looking out for the interest of the middle class. >> take a look at what romney is trying to say about gingrich. the word he's using now to define him. >> za sni is nny is not what wea president. zany is great in a campaign. it's great on talk radio. it's great in the print. it makes for fun reading. but in terms of a president, we need a leader. >> crystal, we were talking about the debates you're going to be watching tonight. normally you live tweet so it's fun to follow you. do you expect more of these digs to be rising to the surface tonight, especially aimed right

romney or gingrich? >> you don't need a poll to show you that. who does the white house attack? mitt romney 100% of the time. occasionally a gesture toward newt gingrich. it's clear that the white house believes mitt romney is the more formidable general election candidate. by attacking him now they can prevent him from getting the nomination or rough him up for the general election. >> ifill: stewart, i want to ask about something you do every year at this time. you do a final column' the most amazing events or the most significant event, political events of the year. and that column came out today. i just want to ask you about the most noteworthy political development. >> i wrote that a few days ago, gwen. i'm not sure i remember. but i think i said it was the demise of the iowa straw poll. i think we might actually be seeing something bigger in the works here, the demise of iowa. maybe that's an overstatement but if ron paul wins iowa after michele bachmann winning the straw poll, if ron paul wins iowa, and we all say, well, that doesn't really mean anything, what does it say

would he pick newt gingrich or mitt romney as a running mate? i'll ask him. plus, growth on steroids or a budget buster. newt gingrich's tax plan gets put to the test. [ male announcer ] take the fixodent 12 hour hold challenge. apply fixodent once, and it holds all day. ♪ take the fixodent 12 hour hold challenge. guaranteed, or your money back. ♪ >>> the ntsb is calling for a nationwide ban on the use of cell phones and text messaging devices while driving. it includes hands free and hand held devices but systems installed by the manufacturer would be allowed. the recommendation is drawing fire from civil libertarians including the republican presidential candidate congressman ron paul. should the federal government have a role in recommending when you can use your cell phone while driving? >> no. no way. i looked at article one section eight, they don't say anything about telephones there. so, no. they shouldn't be doing that. that is really nitpicking away and if some state decides you shouldn't do it, they certainly have the authority to do that. but what

front runners romney and gingrich so if either romney or gingrich get the g.o.p. nomination do you think ron paul should run on a third party ticket let us know what you think on facebook twitter and you do and who knows your response just might make it on air. well what's there goes another privacy breach turns out that a flaw in facebook's security system allowed users of the site to access the supposedly private pictures of other users and ironically that included the man himself mark zuckerberg earlier today the private photos of mark zuckerberg were available for the entire facebook world to see all eight hundred million of them users photos that is now the budget since been fixed but not before some acquiring users found these pictures posted on a photo sharing website through zuckerberg the profile of the pictures aren't really all that exciting just mark hanging out with his girlfriend hanging out with a chicken and of course hanging out with the president and according to the net the glitch was discovered by a bodybuilding form of all things and so here's

gingrich doesn't win the iowa caucuses and that really has them worried. >> in new hampshire especially, because romney's counting on new hampshire as newt gingrich goes up. jon huntsman, if he can take 10 or 15% of the vote in new hampshire, that's a vote potentially for romney. >> they want cain to stay in. ron paul to stay in. >> and those are votes that could normally go to newt gingrich. so what's the strategy you're hear frg the romney folks in dealing with this crisis? >> and you just heard in joe's piece that mitt romney talked about newt gingrich as a career politician. i'm told they're going to take it a step further. not just that newt gingrich was a career politician, but that he has been for the last 30 years, an inside operator. that he is somebody who has been selling access if you will in the capital here in washington, d.c. they say, okay, pit romney's experience. he was a governor. but he ran, he ran a business, he saved the salt lake city olympics. that's his experience against newt gingrich's experience, which was they believe as a failed politician who -- who was the house speaker, but did resign and then somebody who sold his access. the problem for them is they can't

any of those would balance off a romney or gingrich ticket.eil: when you look back in the history in a lost the debates it is not such the substance that matters who comes off as likable, or someone to have a beer with, how bush would best al gore or john kerry but the polls got him better on the substance but he was more likable, how do republicans get an the issue of gingrich, genius and maybe historian as he reminds us, but this is a big achilles' heel. >>guest: actually, it will be a challenge for both. romney has a great record as governor. and a very strong business career at one of the best we have ever seen in modern politics. yet no one gives him creditor it and they don't give him crit for being stable in his presentations. if gingrich has not won the debate it is romney, if romney does not win it is gingrich, so both of them are effective. one has for wonder why neither have cut through and does it meat in 2012? i don't think it does in this cycle. >>neil: so trump today gingrich, why is that important? >>guest: i don't think he kis

gingrich? that is what a lot of the grassroots republicans have to ask. do you want mitt romney or newt gingrich? >> it seems over the last few months, there has been flirtation with every candidate except mitt romney. we had michele bachman, rick perry, and herman cain. who is next? >> it has to be jon huntsman or rick santorum. that is who we have left. there are folks who are not happy with the republican party. they are not happy with their choices. they tried to get chris christie into the race, the governor of new jersey. they tried to get jeb bush and others. they are not happy. it tells me that we take a look at the front runners. it is still mitt romney to lose. he is not concerned enough for the base. >> i am sure we will talk about this again. in fact, tomorrow we have a report from iowa, their take on the latest in the republican race. you are watching "bbc world news america." still to come, protecting a vital resource in the heart of africa. the race is on to save one of the world's largest rain forests before it is too late. there has been a significant scientific br

the do you worry if romney or gingrich were to get the nomination that they are too incremental, too cautious and bepeople oath of the irs will grow more and more? >> gingrich came up on out with a flat tax. you could take the old or new code and perry does the same thing one. the one i worry about is mitt romney. when i ran on 1996, he took ad at his own expense in boston papers trashing the idea. he's got a 59-point proposal out now. god only has ten. i wonder if he understands the concept. i think the other candidates understand the simplification. another thing perry has going for him is the flat tax is deregulation. he is really understands that. $1.7 trillion monstrosity will weigh on the american people. it takes the spirit out of the american people. one of the things that could get perry back on track again it's not just numbers and economy. he understands what coolidge referred to is intangibles. people have optimism and take risks for the future. >> just to put that in context, taking the equivalent of the g-7 economy and tossing it down the toilet each year just in compli

the do you worry if romney or gingrich were to get the nomination that they are too incremental, too cautious and bepeople oath of the irs will grow more and more? >> gingrich came up on out with a flat tax. you could take the old or new code and perry does the same thing one. the one i worry about is mitt romney. when i ran on 1996, he took ad at his own expense in boston papers trashing the idea. he's got a 59-point proposal out now. god only has ten. i wonder if he understands the concept. i think the other candidates understand the simplification. another thing perry has going for him is the flat tax is deregulation. he is really understands that. $1.7 trillion monstrosity will weigh on the american people. it takes the spirit out of the american people. one of the things that could get perry back on track again it's not just numbers and economy. he understands what coolidge referred to is intangibles. people have optimism and take risks for the future. >> just to put that in context, taking the equivalent of the g-7 economy and tossing it down the toilet each year just in compli

romney is the second choice of the gingrich people. if gingrich were to fade, don't expect it from someone else. it's not going to be going to a perry or bachmann or santorum or paul. if gingrich fades, romney's likely to be the beneficiary unless they keep slugging it out in these debates between the two of them and then there may be a ruffling of the feathers between them and greater animosity among the supporters. romney is the second pick among the gingrich people and you don't want to finish second where he'll come up down the road. >> it is helpful if he does have success at knocking gingrich down a peg or two. his job rating is surprisingly strong in these two states and this is not what the conventional wisdom would have said. >> 44% in a very -- a supposedly red state in south carolina. the president leading both gingrich and romney, both in florida and both in south carolina. i assume you were as surprised by some of these numbers as i was. >> he's getting pretty much what he was getting nationally and that's surprising in terms of the president's support, but when you match him up against the likely rivals, either romney or

it's going to be romney or gingrich.aucuses, it will most likely be portrayed as unimportant by the mainstream media and many republican officials. hopefully, the americans will see through this prop gap da and realize that he is actually ektable. dave in ohio writes republican leaders and analysts will write off iowa. the focus will be on romney or gingrich in second place. let's be perfectly clear here. republican leaders don't want ron paul as their nominee. if he is the nominee, 10% of the gop base won't support the nominee and if he should run, they might lose more than 10%. it's beginning to look like the devid regardless of what the party wants. it will eventually give obama a second term and republicans have nobody to blame but themselves. and dave writes in virginia, it will all go to -- meanwhile at headquarters, valium and maalox m martinis will abound. you want to read more about this, got a lot of e-mail. we always do when we talk about ron paul. go to my blog. >> thank you. >>> and you're situation room. ha

or get your money back. we continue with our great american panel. i think all evidence is you have ron paul with a negative ad against gingrich, romney a negative ad against gingrich, and rick perry. he's obviously taken the frontrunner status. does that negativity work or does it backfire? how would you expect how would you advise newt to handle it? loaded question. >> well, keep in mind these have been like internet stocks, each of these candidates, frontrunners have gone like this. and most of them have self-destructed, rick perry, right, herman cain, and i think with newt gingrich -- >> i'm not convinced herman cain self-destructed. i'm not sure -- >> how did he not self-destruct? >> i'm not sure i believe the allegations. i think he was under fire so long he couldn't continue. >> if he had the affair, show me the hotel receipts, the plane receipts and i will believe it. >> but you didn't have opposing candidates coming out and going after that. >> you don't think that came from another -- it's suspicious? >> absolutely. and i don't think perry is out of this. i think that ad that he put out this week on obama's war on religion, i think that was a hom

to hurt the gop over several months and they seem to be feeling more confident about either romney or gingrich as an opponent. >> i tell mr. axle rod don't wish for something you may get it. i remember in 2008 saying this long drawn out contest between hillary clinton and barack obama is going to lead democrats bled right and hurt them. registration totals went way up in the battle ground states they built large armies of volunteers crystallized the message. people took a look at the candidates and came to the conclusion they were up to the job. >> when senator clinton -- or president clinton says i wasn't opposed to the war in the south or perry thing that i oppose the war that is simply not true. >> i couldn't agree more, but i do think that your record, and what you say does matter. when it comes to a lot of the issues that are important in this race, it is sometimes difficult to understand what senator obama has said because as soon as he is confronted on it he says that's not what he meant. >> let's talk about ronald reagan. when you just repeated is -- >> i did not say anything about ron

they vote for romney or gingrich. i'm talking about the independence, all right? who are in the middle who really are going to swing the election. they are going to swick it, right? >> romney. >> bill: go ahead, janine. >> romney is a little bit more center. obama who as we all know far left during the electric >> bill: factor follow up segment tonight, the city of boston, the latest place to tell the occupy wall street protester who's move on as we have been reporting that group is in decline across the country basically because enough is enough. the occupy boston site is downtown and it is a mess as you can see. but, to their credit, the protesters did not cause any violence, at least not yet. joining us now from our new york studio alexis magill johnson ahead of the american values institute a progressive organization and from boston marianne marsh a democratic strategist who works close to the occupy site. so what is the scene there today, marianne? >> well, there are a lot more tents than there are people, bill. maybe three dozen protesters left. three blocks

. >> greta: who do you think the president campaign fears more tactically to run against, romney or gingrichhose two probably gingrich. >> greta: why? >> because of romneycare. i think -- i am a lone wolf on this, by the way. the republican establishment and the media republican establishment whom i have referenced frequently on your show here... believe that newt -- that obama -- oh, they are -- oh, please give us newt. see, i never think that the democrats are trying to help us. when they tell us what the worst things we can do is, it's the opsilt. why would they tell us that oh, please give us newt? if they eye think romneycare, they think they can destroy romney because that is obamacare and romney's advisers have said so. his people helped him put it together. yeah, it was the model for obamacare. they think it takes cash careawftd table because romney can be targeted or mentioned as having supported it and implemented it in massachusetts, which he won't renounce. >> greta: straight ahead, the man behind the microphone. what is rush limbaugh's greatest passion? he will tell you himself,