and all i tell them is south carolina is blessed. we have a great group of legislators that fight every day, that get what we want, and they fight for it. they don't just go along with the pack, they fight for it. so i am thankful that so many members came here to be supportive of tim, but i also want to make sure that we have our senior senator speak, who i enjoy working with and who has been there every time i've called him, senator lindsay graham. [applause] >> thank you, governor, thank you very much. well, tim, if you add up all the courses that we flunked together, people would begin to understand how the government works. [laughter] here's the good news -- i made 800 on the s.a.t., that's both parts, and i'm one of the smarter ones over there. so don't worry, you're going to do really well. [laughter] as to jim, i think we've been doing this for almost 20 years. if there's ever a contest for marrying over your head, jim might win that for sure. debbie is -- i really enjoy your family. you've got four great kids and grandkids c

ben gilman the biggest men in south carolina politics. he was also in demagogue of the jim crow south. he was the biggest men in south carolina, and thurmond's father was kind of a lieutenant in his operation. his father had been elected kind of a county prosecuting attorney and he was a successful career. he was on the rise when he got into a dispute one afternoon with the men. the men picked a fight with thurmond, saying that he was complaining about a position that his father had not been appointed to. the man was drunk and he was very, he cursed at thurmond and all the kind of separate they got into a road. thurmond walked back to his law office. the men came back around, thurmond ended up shooting the man and he was acquitted for self-defense. at if you're trying to build a political career, the county's biggest law enforcement official, it doesn't help if you've been on trial for murder. that's not good. and, in fact, thurmond would run for the house of representatives a couple years later, and he ended up finishing a distant third.

south carolina's jim demint says he's resigning to run the heritage foundation. will he even have more power among conservatives on the outside? and who is on 0 the short list for nikki haley to fill the seat? and breaking news from the romney campaign. you heard me right. the final fund-raising month was an unusual press release raises a few eyebrows. causes some finger pointing and reminds us of the multibillion-dollar campaign we just went through. good morning from new york city. it's friday, december 7th, 2012. this is "the daily rundown." i'm chuck todd. you should always remember this is a day that lives in infamy and if you don't know why, ask your parents or your grandparents to explain. let's get right to my first reads of the morning. as the republican party picks up the pieces and searches for the next generation of leaders, one of the conservative movements most influential icons of late and inside the senate, south carolina's jim demint, stunned his colleagues by resigning to become a full-time political activist. in effect, the ceo of the conservat

somebody conserve fiv, somebody from south carolina. maybe somebody who had a super pac. wait a second. (cheers and applause) watch where you point that thing, it's powerful. okay. now folks i'm to the going to sit here and say i should be south carolina's next senator. not when so many other people are saying it for me. "u.s.a. today" is stephen colbert running for the u.s. senate. huffington post, stephen colbert for senate. role call, south carolina for stephen colbert. "new york post", are we ready for senator colbert? (cheers and applause) are we ready? well, i get it i get it i know when i look at the u.s. senate. i say to myself, you know what they could use, another white guy. (laughter) so i want you to take to the twitters, okay, take to the twitters. i want you to tweet@nikki-- ask nikki haley why she should appoint me to the u.s. is senate with the hashtag senator colbert. (cheers and applause) s that-- that feels right. now of course we all know jim demint leaves some big shoes to fill. then again-- (cheers and applause) but i'm not surprised that the people

(cheers and applause) >> stephen: yes, i am a rock star in south carolina and not just because i ended my rally there with herman cain by biting the head off a dove. it's a local delicacy. (laughter) >> stephen: lovely with a side of palms. they love me in the palmetto state because i love it. i love the beaches. i love the mountains. i love the beautiful old estates that have no negative historical connotation whatsoever. of course not everybody is happy about my imminent appointment. for instance the atlantic called my vastly overqualified. and nbc.com said senator stephen colbert, perhaps not as crazy as senator jim demint. what? i am at least as crazy as jim demint. he wanted to ban gay teachers from the classroom. i want to ban teachers from the classroom. (laughter) with their knowledge agenda. i say let the free market decide what the atomic weight of carbon is. but mi the clear, mi the clear first choice here, folks. first of all the good people at public policy polling, publicly policy polled south carlinians today and found that of the possible replacements, i top south carol

a lot of people in south carolina at the time blamed the u.s.ccupation there in 2004 on the reason why this missionary was executed. some of the lyrics, randi, are pretty dramatic. they say kill those f'ing yankees torturing iraqi captives and calls for the death of the mothers and doubt errs and the westerners that killed and led to the execution of the south korean missionary. >> he's apologizing. >> trying to do a pr blitz and issued this apology and he said while i'm grateful for the freedom to express one's self i've learned there are limits to what language is appropriate, and i'm deeply sorry for how these lyrics could be interpreted. i will forever be sorry for any pain that i've caused. >> this is a guy who is so popular. i mean, his music, his song, that one song, has everybody getting up and out of their chair. what could this mean for his career? now has the most watched youtube video? >> very popular. when i first popular video on reddit and had 5,000 clicks and now there's 1 billion clicks. falls in line with other artists who said

somebody from south carolina. maybe who had a super pac.rs and applause ] watch where you point that thing. it's powerful. okay. >> listen to this. the pentagon is preparing for massive budget cuts in the event the country does go over the fiscal cliff. you can tell the pentagon is scaling back. today, it became the triangle. [ laughter ] you know, there's a teacher at home going, yes. my math teacher, exactly. he learned something. >> a lot of people said after the election, what will mitt romney do? because he's out of a job, didn't get the job he wanted and, you know, honestly, you can only spend so much time with your money. so, people were saying, what will mitt romney -- he's got a job. he's working at a marriott, ladies and gentlemen. working at a marriott. he's the guy that comes out to the pool and tells the kids to stop splashing. come on, kids. hey, fellas. listen to me. settle down here. >> that could have been funnier. >>> that's what's making news in

>> anybody can lose in south carolina. what people don't realize is there's not a base in south carolina republicans that's big enough to win a general election. it's 11 points ahead of the democrats' base. so it's a voter we've had here for decades and decades in south carolina that names the winners. with that being said, we've obviously been very successful in south carolina attracting that voter in the general election, but that always makes it dicey. i do see nikki having a fairly easy path towards, certainly, the renomination and election, but nothing in politics is ever easy. it's why it's one of the most interesting political states in the country. >> and last but not least, mark sanford, someone who got a ton of media attention, much to your chagrin a few year s back. what are the chances he'd make a bid for congress and run against his wife, what is the sanford political future here? >> mark sanford is not the first politician to start dating in office and be married at the same time and also become politically s

that's why south carolina, the dissenters in south carolina were so upset because south carolina says, no, look at the best interests of the child, look at where she's lived, and they said keep her with the capobiancos. >> really quickly here. last question. let's just say the supreme court is favoring them here and now they have to assess that this little child has had about a year-plus of living with a new father in a more cognizant phase of her life. >> and if the supreme court grants review, maybe they will hear argument in march, maybe there will be a decision by june, so again, that will mean a year -- >> and a half. >> -- plus with brown, even if they win, that will mean taking her back. it's just hard to think of a good resolution to the case like this. >> exactly what i was going to say. no winners, really, in this case. jeff toobin, thank you. >> it's a real sad story. >> more on it of course, we will keep following it. >>> also, a deadly attack on a college campus. a faculty member among those killed. where the murder took place and the weapon believed to be used all coming

will soon be south carolina's newest senator tapped by the governor to replace senator demint in thear. he will be the first african-american senator if the south since, get this, reconstruction. protectly historic, pretty big. but do this "new york times" writer, petty. modern black republicans have been more tokens than sign of progress. could they get more specific? reaction, now, from senator designate tim scott. congressman, i don't know what you scale you? congratulations? >>guest: tim is a good one. thank you very much. >>neil: what did you think of the editorial you are making history and here they are getting all snippy? >>guest: well, i thought it was funny. there is no content or substance if that editorial but what i can say is the governors are giving me an opportunity to represent the good people of south carolina because if you look at an 18 year contract record we created jobs on the local level and got boeing and now we are fighting for spending reform as a member of congress and you look at $16 trillion debt and deficits over $1 trillion we find ourselves in a good

columbia south carolina. adam, thanks so much for being here? >> thanks for having me. >> okay. so what is the word on the ground? will tim scott get it? >> well it appears he is the frontrunner for sure for just many of the reasons you mentioned. you know, he would be the first african-american republican senator since reconstruction. it would be a great pick for the republican side because they keep talking about trying to deversefy their party and that -- -- that certainly will be a great pick for that reason for republicans if they want to do it that way. plus several sources have told us and told other media outlets that senator demint personally told haley to pick tim scott. >> so assuming that it's not tim scott, who else is in the running? who else is being talked about? >> well it depends upon what the governor wants to do. there has been lots of talk about a sort of caretaker person, someone who would just serve for two years and then, you know, not run for re-election. a name that's come up a lot f

you want somebody young, somebody conservative, somebody from south carolina.ody who had a superpac. wait a second. i know when i look at the u.s. senate, i say to myself, you know what they could use? another white guy. >> in the spotlight tonight, how jim demint's departure will hurt the republican party. governor nikki haley writes on her facebook wall that she will not appoint stephen colbert to south carolina's vacant senate seat. stephen, thank you for your interest, but you forget one thing, my friend. you didn't know our state drink. big, big mistake. >> what's the state drink? [ laughter ] >> there is a state drink? >> it's milk. [ laughter ] >> haley also writes on her facebook wall, he will make this decision quickly. number one, he will not take the appointment myself. number two, i will appoint a person who has the same philosophy of government that jim demint and i share. here is what senator demint and the current heritage foundation president told rush limbaugh yesterday. >> well, i can say boehner is not forcing either of you guys out, right? >

. >> it's a huge deal that we have a black senator from south carolina. now, the deep south? who is a man, by the way, that got elected with 70% of the vote and with the high percentage of the vote in a 70% white district to congress. would we be having this conversation if tim scott wasn't a conservative? probably not. still, although less so today, if you have a different view and you happen to be black, if you happen to have a conservative view and be black, some reason you're suspect. and -- i don't think that's true. >> we've praised colin powell. they gave him and lisa rice image awards. you didn't see them vilified. >> i'm suggesting that this will wouldn't be interesting if tim scott was not a conservative. >> let me push back on that a little bit since i'm making the editorial decision to discuss this. >> your license. >> no, no, no. i think that's a totally fair point. and i would say two things. one is, african-americans are a constituency in this country that joets overwhelmingly in one direction. so there's something statistically, you know, s

well, last night, south carolina native stephen colbert said he had an idea who should fill the seat, and it wasn't tim scott. >> who will she pick? let's see, you want somebody young, somebody conservative, somebody from south carolina, maybe somebody who had a super pac. wait a second. [ cheers and applause ] watch where you point that thing, it's powerful! okay. >>> new jersey governor chris christie visited the white house yesterday, making his case to president obama to get more federal aid for victims of hurricane sandy. president obama's expected to ask congress for an additional $50 billion to help states hit by the october storm, but christie says sandy will cost new jersey alone up to $37 billion. new york governor andrew cuomo and new york city mayor michael bloomberg also made similar trips to d.c. recently to push for more federal support. >>> after a delay noted by none other than "the new york times's" maureen dowd, secretary of state hillary clinton is coming to the defense of u.n. ambassador susan rice, calling her a stalwart colleague. rice is seen as a top pick to s

, conservative, from south carolina. maybe who has super pac pointing -- wait a second. ♪ >> thank goodness it's friday and it's a busy one at that. we have breaking news. within the last hour, the supreme court has announced that it will for the first time take up appeals on same-sex marriage. hearing cases on the defense of marriage act and california's proposition 8. much more on that in a moment, and the busy week ends with some good news for america's workers and the president. a little christmas cheer some early. the u.s. economy generating a stronger than expected 146,000 new jobs in november helping trim the jobless rate to 7.7%. a four-year low. happy holidays, right? not if you're john boehner. >> this isn't a progress report because there is no progress to report. the president has adopted a deliberate strategy to slow walk our economy right to the edge of the fiscal cliff. >> yes, indeed, it's like a visit from the ghost of christmas past, casual friday edition. another positive month of jobs numbers, another

now all the people of south carolina, excuse me, of south dakota, are going to pay higher health insurance premiums because their governor refused to accept medicaid. those people are going to get taken care of anyway that don't get the medicaid and now the citizens of south dakota are going to pull out of their pockets extra health insurance premiums to pay for them. how is this serving the people of south dakota? >> it simply is not. there are a lot of governors not paying attention to detail. they're rejecting it for the sense of rejecting it. howard dean, great to have you with us tonight. appreciate your time. >> thanks a lot, ed. >>> coming up, an outspoken republican congressman is fighting hard for a word that helps him do his job. we'll show you who it is, next. stay with us. >>> and we are back. twitter is erupting tonight over >>> and we are back. twitter is erupting tonight over breaking news out of michigan where republicans in the state have passed a right to work law. kevin tweets, "michigan must be crazy. right to work legislation quickly brings lower wages. aren't they suf

somebody from south carolina.w the governor has not indicated whether she favors colbert or anyone else. she may not make her decision for another month or so. but if by some small chance he's not selected norah and charlie he could still run for the seat outright when both of south carolina senate seats are up for grabs in 2014. >> all right, nancy cordes. i won't hold my breath on that one. from stephen colbert to justin bieber. he says winning a grammy award is one of his goals but it won't happen this year. he didn't get a single nomination and he's not happy about it. we'll show you what's next. >> this portion of cbs "this morning" is sponsored by party city. dress up your holiday party. party city nobody has more party for less. ,,,, >>> this is a cbs 5 eyewitness news morning update. >>> good morning everyone. it's 7:56 i'm michelle griego. a man who fell at the oakland coliseum is hospitalized in serious condition this morning. he landed 30 feet below after the fall from the upper deck last night. as fans

it also shows that this man of south carolina. he is very aware that what he does and every vote he makes a backstop carolina and our country. it is with that that i knew he was the right person. they understand that this is the right u.s. center for our state and country. it is very important to me as a minority female that congressman scott earned this seat. he earned this seat before the results he has shown. he earned this seat for what i know he is going to do in making south carolina and our country proud. with that i would like to introduce to you our senate select tim scott. >> thank you very much. this is a great day of celebration. our nation still mourning. of one to take a moment of silence for any town -- newtown. will you join me please? thank you. this is an exciting day for many reasons. i went to state thank you to my lord and savior jesus christ, to be honest with you. when you start out in a single- parent household with a mom who work 16 hours a day and you're looking at a future that is not look bright and you

will be elected from south carolina. that in a formal election they're going to elect a democrat from south carolina to come to washington. hasn't happened in a while. my sense is that republicans will hold that seat eventually and whatever happens with jim demint. i was surprised that he decided to make that decision. we invited him to come on our show today and explain what's going on. i'm sure he's frustrated like a lot of conservatives are that president obama was re-elected for another four years and he worked hard to try to help romney get elected, help republicans and it's a source of frustration. a different challenge for him running a major think tank in washington and let's see how he does. >> for the time being it doesn't change the balance of power as the republicans aren't in control of the senate. >> there's a republican governor in south carolina and so she'll name someone in the short-term. i assume that's how it will work. once there's another election, i assume a republican will fill that seat. >> and i

the gentleman from south carolina. mr. gowdy: in conclusion, i want to take this one final opportunity to thank chairman smith for his leadership not just on this particular bill but his leadership throughout the two-year tenure he was chearm of the judiciary. mr. scott: i ask unanimous consent to reclaim my time. the speaker pro tempore: is there objection? mr. gowdy: no, ma'am. the speaker pro tempore: without objection the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. does the gentleman from south carolina wish to finish speaking? mr. gowdy: i continue to reserve and reserve the right to perhaps finish at the end. mr. scott: thank you, mr. speaker, i apologize. i was not aware i had additional speakers. i yield such time as he may consume to the former chair of the judiciary committee, the ranking member from michigan, mr. conyers. the speaker pro tempore: how much time does the gentleman -- mr. scott: such time as he may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. conyers: thank you, madam speaker.

of south carolina is retiring in january. on monday south carolina governor nikki haley announced she would appoint tim scott, who will be the first african- american republican to serve in the senate since the 19 0's and the first black senator in the south since reconstruction. he was first elected to the u.s. house in 2010. this is about 35 minutes. >> good morning and it is a great day in south carolina. it's a historic day in south carolina, because, you know, first of all, we all were saddened and surprised when senator demint told us that he was not going to continue in the u.s. senate. but i will tell you, as i've told many people, that the heritage foundation is blessed. he will lift them up to an amazing new level. it's a foundation that i have always had great respect for, and they could not have made a more perfect pick. in this decision and process that we went through, there is no replacing jim demint, there is no replacing him. there is no one that can fill his shoes. there is no one that can really carry on th

his colleague and fellow south carolina senator lindsey graham pay him tribute on the senate floor. >> madam president, i met with jim demint this morning. to say i was stunned is an understatement. jim indicated to me that he will be retiring from the senate next year and taking over the presidency of the heritage foundation, one of the great conservative think-tanks here in washington. my reaction for the people of so my reaction for the people of south carolina is -- you have lost a great, strong conservative voice, someone who has championed the conservative cause and represented our state with distinction, sincerity, and a great deal of passion. on a personal level, i've lost my colleague and friend. jim and i've known each other for almost 20 years now and i think we've done a pretty darned good job for south carolina. at times playing the good cop, the bad cop, but always -- always trying to work together. and what differences we've had have been sincere, and that's the word i would use about senator demint. he sincerely believes in his cause. he's a - he sincerely believes in

now all the people of south carolina, excuse me, of south dakota, are going to pay higher health insuranceuse their governor refused to accept medicaid. those people are going to get taken care of anyway that don't get the medicaid and now the citizens of south dakota are going to pull out of their pockets extra health insurance premiums to pay for them. how is this serving the people of south dakota? >> it simply is not. there are a lot of governors not paying attention to detail. they're rejecting it for the sense of rejecting it. howard dean, great to have you with us tonight. appreciate your time. >> thanks a lot, ed. >>> coming up, an outspoken republican congressman is fighting hard for a word that helps him do his job. we'll show you who it is, next. stay with us. [ male announcer ] alka-seltzer plus presents the cold truth. i have a cold, and i took nyquil, but i'm still "stubbed" up. [ male announcer ] truth is, nyquil doesn't unstuff your nose. what? [ male announcer ] it doesn't have a decongestant. no way. [ male announcer ] sorry. alka-seltzer plus fights your worst cold sympt

>> stephen: south carolina. >> figure out who the major influence are in south carolina and roll over them, i would assume. >> stephen: i do have to physically roll over like a dog and show them my belly or can i vote the way they want me to? >> i think the voting is adequate. >> stephen: do you get a uniform? >> no, you don't. >> stephen: can you wear anything on the floor? >> you are supposed to wear a coat and tie. >> stephen: do you have to because i was thinking a unitard or something like that. >> i think you have to change the rules. >> stephen: can i ask you something about john mccain for a second? >> please. >> stephen: he has ever tried to make you shut up? >> i can't remember that, no. >> stephen: he said he would teach me to shut up. >> well, you have that to look forward to, i guess. [ laughter ] >> stephen: why do you want to get rid of filibuster as it stands now and keep in mind that if i do not like yourself i'll filibuster it? >> i think it's appropriate to say if folks want to keep the senate from proceeding to vote on something, they need to continue to talk or ha

. >> schieffer: and we'll be right back with the new senator from south carolina, tim scott. first we're gonna check our bags for free, thanks to our explorer card. then, the united club. my mother was so wrong about you. next, we get priority boarding on our flight i booked with miles. all because of the card. and me. okay, what's the plan? plan? mm-hmm. we're on vacation. there is no plan. really? [ male announcer ] the united mileageplus explorer card. the mileage card with special perks on united. get it and you're in. >> schieffer: he will be just the seventh african american senator ever. the first african american senator from the south since reconstruction. considerations, congressman. >> thank you. >> schieffer: welcome to "face the nation." i take it you are intending to run for this senate seat in 2014. >> 2014 we'll be back on the ballot, yes sir. >> schieffer: how long have you been in the congress gijust got elected to my second term, have been in public office for 18 years serving the good people throughout south carolina. >> schieffer: let me ask you first abo