about making first impressions. >> one aspect of social media is social networking and social networking is about -- i call it building social capital with other people. showing other people that you are somebody who cares and somebody who is smart in your area of expertise. >> larry makes a living by consulting businesses on how to use social networking channels. >> it was just two years ago i was just transitioning from my other job and i started just exploring different avenues of self-employment. and my friends actually started asking me about facebook, using facebook and linked-in and twitter and making connections with people you never thought you would. >> sarto got a job in opinion lick relations and social media has melted geographic boarders. >> there is no language. there is no culture. you can translate what people say in other languages when you're on the internet and you can communicate with people you never thought because of a language barrier, you would never thought you could talk to them and now you can talk to them because all you do is translate everything that this

talking about tonight's social security. do you trust the republicans with your social security? text "a" for yes, text "b" for no to 622639. always go to our blog at ed.msnbc.com and make a comment. we'll bring you the results later on in the show. >>> let's turn now to jim moore, "huffington post" contributor and author of the book "why rick perry will make americans miss george w. bush." and dave weigel with us tonight. and democratic strategist. gentlemen, glad to have us tonight. mr. cook, did rick perry do anything to hurt himself tonight in defending his position on where he stands on social security? >> no, i don't think he did. i actually think he helped himself tonight. i did think, though, that last week during the msnbc debate he got off his own narrative by talking so ardently about social security and that's what gave the other candidates the idea that they had an opening to chip on perry's lead. the other candidates were wrong, but here's why i think it was a mistake for perry because perry's jobs narrative is what got him where he is now. now, there's a lot of hol

security supports private social security. accounts grassley told reporters he would push for the private accounts even if a majority of the public does not appear on the idea and to quote george w. bush who was present at the time support of grassroots efforts and later complained the failure of privatizing social security was one of the biggest regrets of his office. and six years later chuck grassley doesn't want to fess up to it but they did. but you know his constituents know that he was hustling the plan to sell off social security to wall street but you know you say oh there's one in oh no grassley isn't the only one as a think progress report on covered one hundred eighteen other republican members of congress like grassley gone on the record with their support for privatizing social security either through votes they've taken or statements they've made so when grassley said he knows of only one member who wants to privatizing social security he was either line forgetful or simply off by one hundred seventeen people bu

i do not know what we would do without social security. i want to read to " it's -- two quotes, the first from governor romney. the american people have been defrauded out of their social security. it is in his book "no apology." gov. harry road, by any measure, so security is a failure. a failure? i would say to the two of those gentlemen, why don't you interview and listen to the 55 million people who can do depend on getting a social security pavement every single month? this program, the defined benefit program of social security, has been paying benefits on time since january 1940. there has never been in default. that is why this program is so successful. actually, it is successful because the american people have demanded it and congress has responded. now we hear, oh, it is bankrupt. it is not bankrupt. you know that. and now like to comment on the business -- their motivation is to privatize social security. the private markets are fine for private money. the free enterprise system has served us well. it has paid benefits on times

social security.d-up, by any measure, social security is a failure, you can't say that to tens of millions who live on social security and have lived on it. states ought to be able to opt out of social security. our nominee has to be someone who isn't committed to abolishing social security but is committed to saving social security. we have always had, at the heart of our party, a recognition that we want to care for those in need, and our seniors have the need of social security. i will make sure we keep the program and we make it financially secure. we save social security and under no circumstances would i say by any measure it is a failure. it is working for millions of americans and i'll keep it working for millions of americans, and we have to do it as a party. >> some democratic observers of the debate were wondering if perry knows something about republican voters that romney doesn't. what they didn't notice is that was romney who just got the applause on social security from a republican aud

social security.pear who strengthens social security. they provide insurance, old age pensions. it's valuable and it's worth saving. what we shouldn't do is attack its very formation or suggest that the federal government shouldn't be in the business of providing pensions and raise the possibility of giving it over to the state. what state would want to take over the unfunded obligations of the social security program? we ought to fix it and fix it at the federal level. >> [inaudible] >> i'm erick, a senior adviser to the romney cam pin. >> thank you very much. >> you're welcome. >> largely invented is boeing, do you think there's a conflict of interest with power given what was spoken about south carolina? >> well, mitt romney hasn't been there since 1999 and his personal investments are in a trust. those are investment decisions made by a trustee, not by mitt romney, but i will say -- what i will say about boeing and the rolling of the nrib with respect to the south carolina plant, this is another e

social security. >> in the book fed-up, by any measure, social security is a failure, you can't say that to tens of millions who live on social security and have lived on it. states ought to be able to opt out of social security. our nominee has to be someone who isn't committed to abolishing social security but is committed to saving social security. we have always had, at the heart of our party, a recognition that we want to care for those in need, and our seniors have the need of social security. i will make sure we keep the program and we make it financially secure. we save social security and under no circumstances would i say by any measure it is a failure. it is working for millions of americans and i'll keep it working for millions of americans, and we have to do it as a party. >> some democratic observers of the debate were wondering if perry knows something about republican voters that romney doesn't. what they didn't notice is that was romney who just got the applause on social security fro

perry believers that social security is a ponzi scheme because the social security trust fund will be empty, gone, nada, by 2036, 25 years from now. so says the obama administration, in fact. in the report supplied to upon request from the white house by the social security administration. perry added if elected president, he won't abolish social security. he will transform it, and that transformation will be gradual. it will not come immediately. >> people on social security today, men and women who are receiving those benefits today or individuals my age on -- in line quick to get them, they don't need to worry about anything. >> perry elaborated in his book titled "fed up." question, is it in the nature of a pay as you go social security system that it does resemble a ponzi scheme? mort? >> yes, you know, there was a cartoon in the new yorker p sob was asking bernie madoff what was your inspiration? he said social security. okay? that's true! i'm not making that up. okay. so that's in fact, what you have in social security as we all know, millions of people who will be beneficiarie

s plan to privatizing social security and ideally take i'll tell you about the drastic measures republicans are resorting to in order to keep their and could stitch us in the dark about their radical agenda. in the best the rest of the news so much free t. and cs plans to buy a wireless competitor to mobile it just as filed suit yesterday against the proposed merger arguing that at the nation's second biggest wireless telecommunications providers the merger of the nation's fourth largest provider the mobile. and consumers would end up getting screwed as they were by the deputy attorney general the united states james cole read a combination of a t. and t. and t. mobile would result in tens of millions of consumers all across the united states facing higher prices fewer choices and lower quality products for mobile wireless services this lawsuit seeks to ensure that everyone can continue to receive the benefits of that competition. he was willing to drop thirty nine billion into the buyout and not too pleased with the job department justices decision to file suit against it releasing a state

we live in a social world. isn't it time we had a social currency to match?rds points from american express. use them to get the things you love from amazon.com, ticketmaster.com, and more unexpected places. they're a social currency with endless possibilities. >>> welcome back to a special edition of "american morning." we're live in tampa, ahead of tonight's cnn tea party debate. the new guy in the race, the new leader in the polls, rick perry. the old front-runner mitt romney could be on a collision course tonight. joining me now is cnn deputy political director paul steinhauser. my good friend, paul. brand new polls that just aim o came out in the last hour. all i can tell you, mitt romney comes out in the top of all of them. start with the big one where these candidates stand in the public opinion. >> you got it. take a look. did this poll over the weekend. this poll was done after, after the president's debate last wednesday, rick perry's first debate. look who's on top of the poll. once again, rick perry. 30% of republicans independents saying they wan

in the nation's biggest protests demanding the authorities turn their attention from security to social justice. in the russian capital you're watching r t i'm marina joshua welcome to the program and even rebels are closing in on one of colonel gadhafi is few remaining strongholds warning his loyalists to surrender time is running out for gadhafi is troops to lay down arms in his home city of sirte where the rebels said deadline and the next weekend could our fee whose whereabouts is still unknown has released a number of audio messages promising a long guerrilla war this week western powers agreed to and freeze his financial assets at a meeting discussing devious future in paris while new rebel leaders are seeking to restore order in the capital tripoli many people there say the. still don't feel safe because it has seen thousands of looted and seize guns wired to the country and park into untrained hands as art is wary of an option in our reports. is a libyan rebel he got a bullet in his ankle fighting against gadhafi soldiers in tripoli but with a shot coming from his own side. of t

to move out of your social class whatever the economic class social mobility very low in countries where income inequality is very high in the usa. the most rigid in other words in norway if you're born poor you can you can. live out of that in the u.s. if you're born poor you're going to die for or what is going up and we have to change this we have to change this for tax policies our government says. crazy alert don't forget the sauce a mississippi man was enraged when he got home this weekend and opened up his taco bell bag only to discover there was no hot sauce included with his burrito so naturally jeremy calls did what any of us do who are disappointed when take order takeout orders don't work right he drove back to the taco bell and pulled out a shotgun on the drive thru window employee demanding the missing sauce which by the way is free columns was promptly arrested and is awaiting a hearing this week rumor has a taco bell is now pulling its new t.v. ads off the year but we were able to get a copy before they were all pulled take a look. at the difficult. to try. coming up as t

for more on the implications of the social unrest we can now talk to who is an analyst of the israel palestine conflict. that are asking thank you very much for being with us in the program now first off are the ongoing protests in israel a sign the arab spring has now reached the tourist state. well i think we are living in the region in the middle east what's going on in the region has had its impact here but we must recognize that the demonstrations on the social oppressed people in israel is very different from what's going on in the neighboring arab countries israel is a democracy and regimes are changed here through the ballot box and not on the streets but the protests here are about social and economic policies a sense that israel is heading in the wrong direction that the gaps between rich and poor are growing that it's harder to make ends meet and it's really an uprising of the is really middle class air south taking part in the protests what actually the protesters are demanding how valid are the social concerns of the demonstrators . the social concerns are extremely vali

most ambiguous or stay or so the social the. social rush of the. way the situation you probably about but if there exists a far more similar stand on for doing other things which are easier to talk about because given what they saw exactly those right with groceries swish can be used to judge real policy when his. vision. so you know girls which should be set for the future yes i don't because it sets you up if you don't i would want to make it a point clear the problem is situations and even tragedies with wish russia's confronted me in the rules as they develop and that's that will never make us give up our rupture at this when we want you to and we just we have wanted to and we want to leave in a democratic state which is used to be called as their society of free people see in the world the. violence and poverty of the of them and we have to preserve the integrity of our country and most of us because we still we will. have no country told by they will help us against theirs it has it is all at the russia it's only sixteen years despite the var

social security trust fund.position where we thought there for a while, we had parties, republican leadership, who were prepared to deal with us in fixing social security and actually making some significant positive changes in the second and third decade out there on other entitlements as well as rationalizing the tax code. but it didn't turn out that way. but i'm hoping now after going through the brinksmanship, which caused us to be downgraded and started a new little spiral that our republican leadership will be more inclined to come up with -- >> you mean as part of these negotiations with the super committee and the deficit reduction debate that will continue in that committee and then perhaps longer than that an model for that has been, it seems, the vice president, the guy with 36 years experience on capitol hill negotiating. you were here today with speaker boehner, someone you get along with. at the president's speech, you were joking with senator boehner. in the lame-duck session, you were key to the

social mass social protest i think you you really want to be careful to distinguish between the two and in the u.s. in recent you know in the past century riots have always really been about race and you know you look at the race riots in tulsa oklahoma in the rodney king riots and or about sports frankly and what's going on now doesn't feel like it's about race it's about capitalism and about political dysfunction in in europe in the united states the u.s. in the u.s. there it's about capitalism now you're one of the people you interviewed in your article suggested. the the u.s. just doesn't do that you know that we don't have the riots about economics and another suggested but we may well be on the verge of it we we were sort of there with the bonus army you pointed out to we certainly were there in the late and the end of the gilded age and after the crash of eighty three and some would argue that we were there that's what the civil war was all about after the great depression of the eighteenth forty's. what's your sense of these cycles and where we're headed well i think that what y

our nominee has to be committed to abolishing social security as committed to saving social security. >> romny core points there, dan. >> he did score the same point that barack obama will score against rick perry. >> he will have to run that in the nomination. >> that's the point. after this debate rick perry will have to come up with his answer to that issue. how governor perry are you going to fix social security. he said to the seniors, your social security payments are not going to be affected by this . that's true. all reforms grandfathered older payments to older people. that never sinks n you have to deal with that and come up with the worry of how to fix social security. >> romny unlike perry seems mindful of the fact that a republican is unlikely to win the presidency without florida . that exchange is an example of perry only bolstering rom no's claim that he is most lectable. >> you are saying perry cannot win the presidency and may win the nomination but not with the current views on social security. >> he will have to dial back the rhetoric. >> you can't call the ponzi s

when social security payments started, the average life expectancy was 64 years old.rust fund itself would be exhausted in 25 years, and taxable income would pay for 77% of scheduled benefits in 2036. in a book published last year, texas governor rick perry outlined his idea to shift the program to the states. he was criticized for that in the most recent republican debate. >> we never said that we were going to move this back to the states. what we said was we ought to have as one of the options, the state employees and the state retirees, they being able to go off of the current system onto one that the states would operate themselves. >> there's a rick perry out there that's saying that it... almost to quote, it says that... that the federal government shouldn't be in the pension business, that it's unconstitutional-- unconstitutional, and it should be returned to the states. so you'd better find that rick perry and get him to stop saying that. >> suarez: for his part, former massachusetts governor mitt romney advocates raising the retirement age, and slowing the g

nobody gets rich on social security.hat. >> you're selling people dreams and it is not there -- you're not holding and banking their money. so come on, you can't -- >> so it's an aesthetic difference? >> tell me how you reform a monstrous lie. >> there are lots of examples of reforms. i'm going to appeal to your experience as -- >> how do you reform a monstrous lie? that's what rick perry called it. how do you reform a monstrous lie? if it's a monstrous lie, it's a monstrous lie. >> as structured, yes, it is. the campaign can speak for itself. but i think in this particular case, you can restructure things so that they are more solvent and more able to carry it on into the future. >> the reason you're bringing these quotes up is because if you look at the actual quote, the venom in the quote, monstrous quote, ponzi scheme, these people are not talking about reform. they want to eradicate and they are trying to do the moonwalk and say, we'll be reformers but they really were saying this must be destroyed. >> name me one p

that's where rick perry is trying to make social security a broader issue than just social security,se republicans are also asking themselves, if i vote for you, which one of you can i trust to really go to washington and make the biggest most fundamental conservative change in economics. perry's gamble is that the american people want to push for greater change in entitlement programs, that they're ready for something fundamental. mitt romney's gamble is that they don't want to do anything bigger fundamental, theyen watt an expert to go in and change things around the edges and make some smart reforms. this is the big test, and this is when john's point was very valid. will it be the tea party movement to change washington or the more conventional traditional republican. keep what's there, make it a little better, a little more cost-efficient. this is the dynamic in play right now. >> is that what you see as the dynamic as well? >> i do. god help me for agreeing with fleischer, i must be wrong, because i agree with him. i looked up some poll numbers in the commercial break. the repu

increase for social security. but they did not pass, and yet the democrats were in the vast majority in both houses at that time. that is why i don't understand why that did not pass. >> the reality is, in the senate, my colleague from oregon is the prime sponsor a that a legislation and i know he introduced it sometime in the last congress initially. while we have had a solid majority in the last congress and the house, effectively we did not have a worki majority in the senate because of the way they required 60 votes for anything to pass. we did not have the 60 vote majority in the senate, and as a result, every single thing gets filibustered. the house bill move the little bit, but then it did not go anywhere, and subsequently, there was republican opposition in this congressnd we still have the same problem in the united states senate. >> my biggest concern is outsourcing. the economy is bad. there are no jobs here, but we continue to have companies outsourcing. and our utilities -- utility companies are doin

the gauntlets were thrown down on social security. just last year when he didn't plan to run for president, governor perry wrote his book, "fed up" that is filled on almost every page with the kind of thing that a cautious , calculating, playit safe would never say, and above all, on social security. gwen: he said he would never run for president. >> that's a credible thing. now he is running for president, the question is, how does he make an asset of this and else on stage, the other seven, in particular, governor mitt romney, how do they make that book a liability. the most interesting exchange was over social security. governor perry did not back away from his rhetorrical statement that social security is a ponzi scheme. in a way, that's flamboyant say something that a lot of republicans agree with, that social security is financially unsustainable. more interesting and more radical is what perry argued in that book, which is that social security was a bad idea in the first place, that it violated constitutional principles. that i

that's on medicare and social security. in terms of her fining a job, the most important thing we can do right now is to pass the american jobs act, get people back to work. if she has been in the food service industry, that industry is dependent on people spending money on food. whether at a restaurant or cafeteria or buying more groceries. if a construction worker and a teacher or veteran have a job because of the programs that we proposed, they are going to be spending more money in food services and that means that those businesses are going to have have to hire more and your mom will be more likely to be hired. >> we are listening to president obama take questions at this town hall in california. he's in the west coast fund-raising. a very busy schedule for the president. we will bring in california congresswoman maxine waters, a member and a former chair of the congressional black caucus. thank you so much for joining us. let me get your reaction to the president having this interesting town hall with linkedin. a soci

than four hours have not been offered the choice of social security or another savings plan. we fear this is going to expose the district to liability, so we hope we can work that out. we will now look forward to working with our professionals so they can look forward to retirement with dignity. the professionals who will possibly not have time left in their careers, a group who are 55 years or older, will have the choice of social security or establishing an account in arizona and name. -- in their own name. district staff have been spectacular in helping this group make their choice. i wanted you to know that. if we urge the commissioners to vote in favor of this resolution. >> any comments from school board members? roll call for the approval of the termination of the target benefit plans, the first one. [calling votes] >> for the second one, approval of the termination of the alternative retirement system. comments? >> i just have a comment. after this step, what are the next steps we would be engaging in waste our potential retirees -- engaging in with the potential reti

tt >> romney, a champion of social security. social security is not a ponzi scheme. [alae] cial security has worked for 75ea pttda wl. >> rick prya amonf the christian values. >> it is thosehrti lu that this country was based upon. >> jkikeedinerwn words. captioned by the national captning instite --www.ncicap.org-- you remember anthony weiner, a democrat from new york? he resigned his seat after he had been tweeting pictureof s crotch, conduct is seen as unbecoming for aemr t house of representatives. the district had been a democrat since the 1920's. not this time to the new congressmans -yr-old former cable-tv executive, bob turner, creator of "the jerry springer show. >> we have had it with an irresponsible fiscal policy that endangers everyone of our social safetyetrk we have had it with your treatment of israel. [applause] >> congressman steve israel of new york, who is trying to get democrats elected, is trying to play this one down. >> it is not pretty good about what is going to happen -- not predictive of what is going to happen. >> that is what democrats s

the most important issue is anyone -- who is on social security is approaching social security age, made plans for the retirement with that social security in mind it will be there for them. for anyone to say that it is different than that, that's the old tactic that the democrats used back through the years to try to scare the senior citizens that's irresponsible. if anyone on that stage that's a republican and wants to be a republican nominee, is trying to scare our seniors with this issue that somehow or another, i'm going to do away with social security, that's not appropriate. it is irresponsible. here's what we know. that the program as it is set-up today is not going be viable in the future for our young people. those kids know what a ponzi scheme is. you are paying into something and it is going to be the ones that pay in first, there's not a pay-out for them when their time comes. kids know that. 25 to 36-year-olds know that program is not going to be in place. so let's have a grown-up conversation. republicans have identified that social security is wrong. a lot of republi

and leave social security alone, he said he wanted to leave social security alone.said all lot of things that i cannot put my finger on. but i have been listening to him this morning and i appreciate what he has been saying. also, why isn't there another candidate running for president for the democrats? i cannot understand why not. i think he should run. his name is nick something or other. host: nick rahall. caller: he should run for president. guest: i appreciate the collar's comments. thank you for calling. host: one viewer writes that air travel hat -- air travel had become more trouble than it is were -- worth. guest: that would be a question for john mica. that vsa works under tremendous burdens and difficulties and i happen to believe they do good job -- the tsa works under tremendous burdens and difficulties and i happen to believe they do a good job. people are testing the system, but i believe that our airline'' flight systems today are safer than they were before 9/11. we're not 100% there nor will we ever be, but people are much more secure than they we

he's made it abundantly clear anyone receiving social security and anyone who will be receiving socialurity in the years to come will be guaranteed to receive that. but if we are going to protect this important system for our children and grandchildren and future generations, we need to find way to improve it. barack obama in his speech next week is not going to announce a new plan to address social security. he and the democrats are ignoring this vitallyy important issue. rick perry will not run from the important issues and he will fix social security so that all seniors who currently receive it will continue to. and future generation will be benefiting from a system that will allow them to retire with dignity. >> he said one of his first order of business is to repeal obama care. how is that feasible at this point and do you think it will happen? >> first he agrees with us in the lawsuit challenging obama care and he knows that the court system is not the best. as president with a stroke of a pen he can work on repealing obama care and get this albratross off of our backs and second

social security's badly broken.am will continue to pay 100% of benefits promised until about 2016 -- there are only 1.75 full time private sector workers last year for each person getting social security benefits. governor perry sukts one way to fix the program is to raise retirement age. introduce means testing, which would limit payments to the rich and in the past, he has advocated for the privatization of social security. meanwhile, the other republican candidates, especially mitt romney pounced on it when perry comes talking about social security. romney referred to it as being over the top. a new cnn poll shows only 27% think social security is a lie and a failure. it's more than the fourth of the population though and overwhelming majority think changes are needed. is rick perry right to refer to social security as a ponzi scheme? go to cnn.com/caffertyfile and post a comment on my blog or post on our facebook page. wolf? >> people do that every day, jack. thank you. >>> let's move on to another important sto

to pay the people that have social security.d to fix that problem with we left some people opt-out because that is part of the stream of pay? >> let me take for example, we haven't done all the scoring on this yet. if you are 45 or younger, you would then be allowed to the option to half your fica tax and put it in a personal retirement account, the other half you help pay for the existing system. people over 45 they would have the same option. the way they did it in chile, after three years, 90% of the people opted to go into the new system because they were still going to end up with more money in a shorter period of time. the people don't totally not pay into fica. you are only able to use half. if you choose to do the personal retirement account with half of the fica today and invest it for 20 years you are still going to have more money than if you were to put it all into social security. >> greta: big problem in the mideast, israel -- [ unintelligible ] if you were president today, what kind of conversations would you be h

>> we were talking about social security. but if you want to talk about health care, i'm happy to do that. i actually wrote in my book. in my book i said no such thing. when i put my health care plan together, and i met with the person from the "washington post." if this is a plan if you were a president, would you put on the nation. have the whole nation adopt it. i said absolutely not. this is a state plan for a state, it is not a national plan. it is fine for you to retreat from your own words in your own book but please don't try to make me retreat from the words i wrote in my book. i stand by what i wrote. i believe in what i did i believe that the peel in this country can read my book and see exactly what it is. >> when asked about illegal immigration, several republicans took the opportunity to attack rick perry for signing the texas dream act which allows the children of illegal immigrants who have lived in texas for three years, to have the ged or diploma from a state accredited high school to pay the instate tuition

this is romney on social security.comparing those managing social security to criminals. who is he to drit size rick perry. >> i think the public is getting misdirected using ponzi scheme other pass yaj you just said. governor romney believes social security should be saved and fixed and reformed and maintained in contrast to what governor perry has said calling eight failure -- calling its unconstitutional and saying things along those lines. there is some difference. i wouldn't get hung on the labels. i would get hung up on what is the substantive approach of these candidates. in governor romney's case he wants to save and fix social security. megyn: governor perry did not say he does not wants to fix social securities. at the last debate he said we have to be focused on how we are going to change this program. he says people on social security don't need to worry about anything. he says folks for the status quo of social securities, that's a man truss lie. he says the first step in fixing a problem is to admit there

jobs, social security, healthcare. some surprising moments as well and pointed an contentious moments. we have an analysis of the key moments of the debate in case you missed it. we'll take a look at the facts thrown out in the heat of the debate. see if there was truth to them. see if -- we're keeping them honest. a look at memorable moments from tonight's debate. take a look. >> it's been called a ponzi scheme by many people long before me. no one has had the courage to stand up and say here is how we're going to reform it. >> the term ponzi scheme i think is over the top and unnecessary and frightful to many people. >> the question is, do you still believe that social security should be ended as a federal program as you did six months ago when your book came out and return to the states or do you want to retreat from that? >> i think we ought to have a conversation. >> we're having that right now, governor. we're running for president. you said if people did it in the prief sector, it would be called criminal. that'

given these numbers of how the public feels about social security, 57% when asked, should social security- 57% of republicans said no. how do you overcome that, wayne? >> the only way is to attach to this attack on social security the proviso that says, i want to save it, i don't want to blow it up. bob is exactly right. i'm looking for rick perry tonight to continue to attack. there's a saying here in texas, and it's that you don't have to worry about burning bridges behind you if you never retreat. rick perry is not going to retreat. he's trying to nuance the social security position. he's trying to explain, and as karl rove used to say, if you're explaining, you're losing. look for him to attack tonight. reverend sharpton, you basically have been a friend of rush limbaugh tonight. also rick perry. look for perry to say exactly what you want tonight. that was you, mitt romney, haven't you questioned social security as fraudulent? and michele bachmann, haven't you done the same thing? >> i agree with rush. she can't have it both ways. we may agree for different reasons. >>> straight ahea

it is a kanzi scheme to tell monstrous lie ponzi scheme broke the social security administration has two point six trillion dollars in its trust fund it will pay every benefit one hundred percent of every benefit for the next twenty seven years maybe twenty five if you want to use really like you know this recession is going to last for a long time members and then it will pay eighty percent for ever if we do what these three senators and one member of congress proposed today which was simply say anybody with an income over two hundred fifty thousand dollars has to pay the same social security tax if their janitors and secretaries pay i mean literally they're janitors and secretaries that you know god forbid jamie dimon of j.p. morgan is going to start paying the same security tax that is janitor does it will be solvent forever i mean i know i'm astounded by this and i'm particularly is touted by herman cain pulling out the chilean mud doug elmendorf both the head of the c b o he mentioned during the hearing that we referenced earlier that these programs social security and medicare

do on social security or even the economy.ed was, when he got off the script last night, he kind of me an dered and didn't have a lot of strong points to make on it. the other thing that emerges is the electability argument. can we prosecute the case against barack obama on social security and the general election when you have just that indictment and no plan going forward from rick perry. >> kevin, before i go to karen, can you point to me the republican primary where the electability argument persuaded republican primary voters? >> is that for me or karen? >> it is for you, kevin. you made the argument. >> i'm sorry. >> definitely not dodging that. i thought that was for karen. ultimately, what people -- what many of these primary voters are looking for right now is someone who is going to beat barack obama. right now, i think many of them -- everybody agrees that barack obama is bad on the economy, they believe he's bad on jobs. what happens is when we get into -- when you get into the real core question you ask people in

we're talking about social security.ersial remarks by the republican front runner. the texas governor, rick perry. cnn's jim acosta is watching all this unfold. social security. it will be a key issue tonight. it is a key issue in florida specifically. >> that's right. the social security administration says, wolf, that the program is solvent for 25 years. this issue more than any other will have the republicans wrestling each other tonight. >> reporter: if rick perry have their way in the tea party debarkt he will be saddled with the issue that was once call the third rail in politics. social security. >> a ponzi scheme to tell our kids that are 25 or 30 years old today, you pay into a program that will be there. >> the governor says, look, states ought to be able to opt out of social security. our nominee has to be someone who isn't committed to abolishing social security. >> reporter: romney was referring to perry's book in which he argue, social security should have been set up to allow worker to make their choice ab

saving social security. we have always had a recognition to care for those in need. our seniors have the need. >> you cannot keep it in place and call it anything other than a ponzi scheme. that is what it is. americans know that. regardless of what anyone says, no it's not, maybe it's time to have provocative language in this country. >> well then. good morning, everyone. >> okay. go ahead. >> provoke, provoke. good morning, everyone, it is thursday, september 8th. welcome to "morning joe." we have mike barnicle. we have msnbc political analyst and visiting professor at nyu, harold ford, jr. in los angeles, senior political analyst mark halperin. >> this is what i love about america so much. >> tell me. >> you know, in times of trouble -- >> yes, yes. >> feeling loved. >> yes. >> in times of trouble, it's when americans reach out. i had so many people come up and ask, joe, are we going to be okay. i say yeah. you know why i know we're going to be okay? you cannot measure what america has, my friends. you ca

and i earned my social security.g waste and loopholes, washington wants to cut our benefits. that wasn't the agreement. join the members of aarp and tell washington to stop cuts to our medicare and social security benefits. >>> troy davis, accused of killing an off-duty policeman, is scheduled to die. it's the fourth time having been granted a stay each time. once only 90 minutes before he was to receive a lethal injection. now, time and options are indeed running out again. nbc has more from jackson, georgia. is there any possible of a legal step at this time, tom? >> reporter: at this point, the defense team for troy davis has filed for several last-minute motions trying to have this execution halted. short of a legal miracle, there's a consensus, a feeling at this point that this execution is going to be moving forward as scheduled for 7:00 tonight. this case has caused an international uproar from the pope to former president jimmy carter saying there's too much doubt to move ahead with the execution. they point