it's good to see whether somebody's a whacko or not a whacko. >> no shortage is there. >> if you weren't talk today because you're extra jittery. it is friday the 13th. this year, you may want to get used to that. mo rocca has a look at why some people hate this day so much while others love it. >> reporter: for most of us, friday the 13th is just another day. for others, it's a day to dread. it's the fear of friday the 13th. frig was the goddess for whom friday is named. triskaidekaphobia is the fear of the number 13. in 2012, we'll see three friday the 13th. the most possible in a single calendar year. >> the superstition about friday, friday being an unlucky day, is quite old. >> reporter: this psychology professor has studied the origins of superstitions. >> 13 got associated with friday, and you got a double whammy of bad luck. >> reporter: 13 first got its bad wrap around 1500 b.c. according to mythology, 12 gods gathered for a dinner. when the god of mischief crashed the party, making himself the 13th guest, all hell broke loose. one god ended up dead. and does this look famili

people think he's going to be a whacko or do anything strange. >> mark, what confuses me and i'm probablyst republican politics, but you were involved with mccain. wasn't santorum and a lot of the conservatives at that time supporting willard because they said he was the conservative against mccain? now they are saying he's not conservative. i mean, or has the party moved so far to the extreme that yesterday's conservative is today's moderate because santorum supported willard in the 2008 primaries against mccain saying that willard was the real conservative. >> yeah, it has shifted, reverend. and that's part of the reason why it's getting lonelier alonelyier for progressive republicans. >> progressive republicans? that's almost a an oxymoron. >> we'll take you and the republican any time you want to come over. >> yes, you asked about santorum and that's a reflection of how the party has shifted. i wouldn't be surprised to see santorum finish first in the caucus. it's really about passion and who is moving at the last minute. he can pull a real surprise, i think, given what we're seeing.

reporter: are you an environmental whacko? >> not the last time i checked. so.eporter: that's arnold braun who objected when pep toe tried to take down this tree -- pepco tried to take down this tree in front of his house without any warning. >> i think they decided they'd rather take heat for doing too much rather than doing too little. >> hopefully he'll lose power and we won't and he'll see what it's like. >> it's a really fine line. reporter: there are lots of points of view. >> i'd rather go without power myself for a couple hours rather than have a whole tree that's been growing for 100 years lobbed down. >> i've been waiting for them to cut it down for years. it's dangerous of. reporter: for now there will be no more work. the pepco crew moved to the next neighborhood until a review by the county sometime next week. so for pepco it's damned if they do, damned if they don't. trimming operations are suspended in this neighborhood while it all gets worked out and meanwhile you've got to wonder how much more this conflict would get ramped up between neighbors

it's good to see whether somebody is a whacko or not. >> no shortage there. >> in fairnd', we were downrway, but speaking of that oops, he did it again. it will be a long time before any of us forget this tragic moment for rick perry. >> the third agency of government i would do away with education, commerce, and let's see. i can't. the third one i can't.ç sorry. oops. >> and as we all know now, the missing link was the department of energy. during a radio appearance in south carolina today, early today, perry took another shot at it and missed. let's listen. >> commerce, interior and energy are three you think of right off the bat. >> interior, that's the first time interior made the kill list. what happened to education? that's what makes me think he's not even giving this thing much thought at all. up next steven colbert says he may run for president. jon stewart is running his super pac. but he has a serious point to make. that's ahead. you're watching "hardball" on msnbc. male announcer ] this is not a prescription. this is mary... who has a million things to pick up each month on

i am concerned about the environmental whackos. if you become president, how are you going to stop these people from turning the united states in one gigantic part. keep up the good work. i love the way you told the media off. guest: that speech at the world science fiction convention led to my publishing opportunity in 1984. i will be in florida giving a visionary speech about the united states going back into space in the john f. kennedy tradition. you brought back some on the memories from that trip. we have a proposal at newt.org to replace the epa. the environmental protection agency is filled with people are of -- who are against american jobs. they believe in a radical vision of the world. last year was the most expensive gasoline in american history because of president obama's policies, which are anti- american energy. the environmental protection agency has a proposal that would raise the cost 25 cents a gallon more. you would have to be totally out of touch with the american people to come up with these kinds of radical