but only 29% see willard as conservative.ig question is, can romney get conservative to believe he's one of them. joining me now is judson phillips, founder of the tea party nation. thanks for being here tonight. >> hey, al, thanks for inviting me. >> willard romney, tea party, do you buy it? >> that's the laugh of the day. you know, in the conservative movement, a lot of times we refer to mitt romney as mit for brains. but, no, he's not a part of the tea party. he has turned up his nose at us on more times than i can count and now the only time he shows any interest in the tea party movement is when we need the votes. we were born in the dark, but it wasn't last night. >> well, he's come out for the paul ryan budget plan, he's come out and demonized poor children, he's come out and said a lot of things that you guys agree with. is it too little, too late, is it that you believe he's disingenuous? what do you say? >> nobody believes a woshd that mitt romney says. he has taken at least two positions on everything that he's eve

. >>> want to bet that willard isn't in big trouble? romney is trying to spin his $10,000 mistake while newt's laughing all the way to tiffany's. >>> and live from new york, "politics nation" goes live on saturday night and we're still laughing about it. >> play catch the nazi in the back yard. we put a blueberry pie in a box and the nazi would come around and try to get it. suspect that like what the republicans are trying to do? steal our pie? >> welcome to "politics nation." i'm al sharpton. tonight's lead, the fight for fairness. it's a conversation we've been needing to have for a long time in our country. and it's a conversation that president obama intends to make the centerpiece of his reelection. >> the problem is that our politics has gotten to the point where we can't have an honest conversation about the greatest income inequality since the 1920s and we can't have an honest conversation about the irresponsibility that resulted in the worst financial crisis since the great depression without somebody saying that somehow we're

is it a willard/ron paul race? does that kill the rest of the conservative options?'s a south carolina option where ron paul, mitt romney, not very popular in south carolina. you could have a gingrich or maybe -- there's not any debates right now, so perry is doing really well right now. he could sneak up as well. but i think ron paul wins iowa. mitt romney wins the nomination and that's pretty much it. >> if you were advising newt or ron paul, bob, what would you tell them to do now in the last couple of weeks they have left? >> it's a really improbable thought that i would ever be doing that, reverend. but on the other hand, he's been attacked for the fact that he spent some time with you and it appears to be hurting him. it's one more good thing he did for the country. i think that newt gingrich in some ways doesn't understand how he got where he got, doesn't understand how to stay there. he's not in iowa. he should be in iowa every day campaigning very, very hard. i'm not sure that would make a difference. i'm not sure he can overcome what's already happened to h

take a look back when willard was working on the 2002 olympics. [ speaking foreign language ] >> willard, marie antw -- antoinette is not barack obama. that was my new year -- happy new year. thank you for working with us year. >> enjoyed it. >>> well, willard, with four days to go until iowa, romney's leading the polls. can someone else finish up on top? >>> and it's cold in iowa, but i don't think that's what caused rick perry's latest brain freeze. >>> plus, will the tea party end up losing big in 2012? and will candidates like elizabeth warren bring home major victories? or 2012 predictions are coming up you're watching "politics nation" live on msnbc. [ male announcer ] a raw nose can feel really sore. achoo! [ male announcer ] and common tissue can make it burn even more. puffs plus lotion is more soothing than common tissue, and it delivers our most soothing lotion for every nose issue. cuban ca jun raw seafood pizza parlor french fondue tex-mex fro-yo tapas puck chinese takeout taco truck free range chicken pancake stack baked alaska 5% cash back. right now, get 5% cash back at r

a day after he attacks willard.ds over? and the scott walker recall fight turns ugly. intimidation and harassment caught on tape. >> you're mooching off the system. yeah, yeah. >> well, we're not scared. that's next. how can you get back pain relief that lasts up to 16 hours? with thermacare heatwraps. thermacare works differently. it's the only wrap with patented heat cells that penetrate deep to relax, soothe, and unlock tight muscles. for up to 16 hours of relief, try thermacare. to relax, soothe, and unlock tight muscles. a vacation on a budget with expedia. make it work. booking a flight by itself is an uh-oh. see if we can "stitch" together a better deal. that's a hint, antoine. ooh! see what anandra did? booking your flight and hotel at the same time gets you prices hotels and airlines won't let expedia show separately. book it. major wow factor! where you book matters. expedia. spark card from capital one. spark cash gives me the most rewards of any small business credit card. it's hard for my crew to keep u

tonight's lead, where there's a willard, there's a way. >>> a brand-new poll out of iowa has willardmitt romney back at the top of the pack. and he's kicking newton leroy gingrich to the curb. look who is number three? santorum. it's a complete reversal of fortune. willard has risen five percentage points since early december, while knute plummeted 19 points in less than four weeks, and rick santorum is soaring up 11 points. >> whether they got down to the time to seriously look at the candidates, they saw we had the right message, the bold plans, the consistent track record. >> rick santorum, direct message, rick santorum who worried president obama might go to indonesia and bow to muslims, who called elder education programs a government plot to indoctrinate your children, this is the new gop flavor of the month. the republicans have gone extreme and they're not turning back. >>> joining me now, anybody elsç news political analyst ed rendell, former dnc chairman and pennsylvania governor, and live from des moines, iowa, where she's cover the race, erin mcpike from real clear pot ti

is tonight's willard's last chance to take newt down? >> he has been unreliable and under the support of the most conservative principles. >> the first reaction is to hit back. well, my campaign is entirely based on the idea that i'm not going to hit back. >> welcome to "politics nation." i'm al sharpton. tonight's lead, the shocking numbers that show just how much this country is hurting. look at these numbers. nearly one in two americans are living in poverty or just getting by. one out of every two. that's about 146 million americans. how staggering is that? the number of people struggling in this country is greater than the population's of france, the united kingdom, greece, switzerland combined. look at that. the combination -- the combined populations of these countries equal and children are bearing the brunt of this. >> we lost everything. it affected my attitude because i lost all my friends over and over again. i would love some place to live, a healthy place to eat, school, and live my life. >> i have seen my dad cry the last

willard romney was the front-runner. five polls although gingrich ahead of romney and gingrich is getting cocky. >> i'm going to be the nominee. that's very hard to not look at the recent polls and think that the odds are very high that i'm going to be the nominee. >> romney is feeling the heat. today he went on the attack. >> to win the election, you've got to earn it. you've got to get out and win it. newt has had a very extensive long record of working in washington with various governmental and nongovernmental agencies. and i just don't think that's the background that is ideally one to lead the country. >> willard can lash out all he wants but more bad news is heading his way. herman cain says he will make a major announcement about the future of his campaign tomorrow. >> i am reassessing because of all of the media firestorm stuff. why? because my wife and family comes first. >> if cain drops out, it could be real bad for willard. cain is still pushing at 8 or 9%. now those voters might have to go somewhere else. j

gingrich is surging but team willard is going nasty. hit iowa. >> newt has a ton of baggage, like the fact that gingrich was fined $300,000 for ethics violations or that he took at least $1.6 million from freddie mac before it caused the economic meltdown. then there's the $37 million from health care and industry groups. and on the issues, newt's been on all sides msnbc contributor maria, the executive director of latino. >> hi, al. >> thank you both for being here. >> peter, can newt handle the heat? >> i think you remember it, it wasn't a game of t-ball. he's used to the run and tumble. probably could punch harder than romney. he's not doing any of these attacks himself. he's got his surrogates out there. you could even say no in person to donald trump. he had to say it was a scheduling problem. so until romney defines himself and does the dirty work for himself, people are going to question whether he has the spine to go up against the president. >> now, maria, newt reiterated in an interview today he's still going to have his campa

come on, willard. wow.me. >> really poor children in really poor neighborhoods have no habits of working. >> no habits of working? get real, newt. sometimes i wonder what these republicans are talking about. i mean, sometimes i wish i could just talk some sense into these people. ♪ we wish you a merry christmas ♪ ♪ we wish you a right wing christmas ♪ ♪ our good friend al. >> it's the right-wing christmas carolers. what do you got for me? ♪ i'm dreaming of an american-born president ♪ ♪ just like the ones we used to have ♪ >> what? just like the ones we yield to have? what are you talking about? that doesn't even make sense. you've got anything better than that? ♪ oh obama ♪ just go back to your country ♪ and bring us back a real proof of your birth ♪ >> proof of birth? you've got to be kidding me. don't you songbirds remember this press conference? >> we do not have time for this kind of sillyness. we've got better stuff to do. i've got better stuff to do. we've got big problems to solve, and i'm confident

romney willard.n you compare him to pee-wee herman, but he is a little awkward. there are some things that does caught people to kind of look. and politico has dug up footage for him campaigning for senate in 1994. he was just as awkward 17 years ago. look at this. how are you, ma'am? >> i don't vote. >> tell me, why don't you vote? >> i've never voted. >> never voted? >> no, because if you want to know why, i don't believe anybody that's a politician. >> well, you should know one thing. i have never run for office before. that's why i finally decided to do it. good to see you. >> yeah. >> don't run away. i know, you haven't got your makeup on right? good to see you. >> just a worker. how's business? >> struggling. >> i'm mitt romney. good to meet you. >> you notice how even 17 years ago he doesn't seem to connect. he kind of like walks up to people that walk the otherç wa. there never seems to be a connection with him and people. that is the same awkwardness that people are kind of sensing today, a

panda bears, willard tries to brew tea, as the others try to run from their past, but we won't let them run far. >>> can he take a punch? the newt front-runner now taking punches from all sides. >> speaker gingrich took $1.6 million -- >> speaker had a conservative revolution against him. >>> welcome to "politics nation. i'm al sharpton. tonight's lead at a time when this country is struggling more than ever, republicans are turning a deaf ear to people like this. >> the summer before my junior year i received a phone call just before work from my sister, stating that the sheriff was there to put our things on the street. my mother was nowhere to be found. i went to work with tears in my eyes, not knowing where i was going to go for the night. the tears wouldn't stop, so my manager offered me to go home. my tears came stronger than possible, because i had no home to go to. >> i had no home to go to. that was testimony from a 25-year-old who grew up many times not knowing where he would sleep that very night. folks, this is not rare. 9 that's nearly 1 in 62 americans are poor. we talked

this is getting down to the wire, very serious for willard. big gangup on gingrich, not only with these ads, but in that debate, and in the coming weeks. w50e8 find out whether he's made of teflon. i think he speaks to the heart of republicans, their emotions and romney had no choice to attack him, because he's built up -- the difficulty, i think is that romney doesn't have a case to make to himself. the case he's making is he's the one who's electable. so i think he's got a realty mountain to climb here. >> jonathan, when you look at this, when newt gingrich was on "meet the press" this is what he said about the ryan plan. >> do you think that republicans ought to buck the public opposition and really moved forward to completely change medicare? >> i don't think right-wing social engineering is any more desirable han left-wing social engineering. >> now, the romney camp sent out this press release attacking newt for his comment. the release clear slid so are we going to see, now, jonathan, romney trying to make himself the authentic conservat

a brand new national poll has newt commanding 15-point lead over willard romney.total we've seen in this race. take a look at this. you can see newt's yellow line surge from october and romney, the red line, is stuck in the same place, and in key states it's the same story. newt is beating willard in iowa, and he's crushing him in south carolina by 16 points, but the most striking number is this one. 82%, 82% of tea party supporters say newt's an acceptable pick. folks, this is starting to feel like something powerful. we've seen them rise. we've seen them fall, but this one feels different. joining me now msnbc contributor maria theresa kumar, executive director of vote total latino and bob slump, msnbc analyst and a professor. bob, is newt for real? >> he sure is and for several reasons. first of all, the longer romney campaigns, he's stuck in the same place in terms of the number that's voting for him, his likability and favorables and unfavorables go down. in iowa in one of the polls, he's basically got a one for one favorable, unfavorable. newt has a 3 for 1.

a new nbc poll has newt leading willard, romney, in iowa by eight points.ther has newt trouncing willard in iowa by nine points. newt is the frontrunner. and like all the frontrunners before him, he paid a visit to the king-maker today. right here in new york city, today, the latest candidate to praise the birther king, donald trump, as a true american icon. >> this is a country which elected a peanut faermer to the presidency, an actor who made two movies with a chimpanzee to the presidency. donald trump is a great showman and also a great businessman. >> trump is back in the spotlight moderating a gop debate this morning. but has created a serious family feud within the party. >> what the heck are the republican candidates doing showing up at a debate with a guy who says, i may run for president next year as an din. the chairman ought to say, we strongly discourage any candidate to be involved in a debate like that. >> karl rove gave us george bush and george bush crashed and burned. the republicans, they have to get rid of the karl roves and they need fr

willard and iowa voters have been avoiding each other for years. how did this happen?y has -- enthusiasm is the wrong work. he's not winning because people are enthusiastic. he's gaining ground because he's run a cold, efficient mechanistic campaign that i think will get a nomination without inspiration. the real problem is republicans have is who else do they got? gingrich has serious flaws, and rom any, or willard as you like to call him may be the luckiest paul in the world. he could leave with ron paul and/or rick santorum as serious rivals. paul is ahn unthinkable nominees that would shatter the money and i don't think santorum has the money or the organization to keep this going. at best he'll be a mi mini-huckabee. >> jonathan, when you hear bob shrum say that mr. paul is an unthinkable candidate, then why are all the gop rivals to romney piling on paul? andç could it be that paul, having a good organization on the ground, having some true believers, and the fact that even independents can walk up to a caucus and register republican right that night and go in a

. >>> plus willard rips newt, saying he can't take the heat? then get out of kitchen. wait until you see how newt responded. it's getting ugly. >>> and why governor snyder in michigan is threatening our democracy and attacking civil rights for african-americans? you're watching "politics nation" on msnbc. [ female announcer ] that's the all-natural sugar she puts on her grapefruit. but is she eating sugar this week? maybe she wants the all natural, zero calorie stuff. but if you're wrong, you're insinuating she's fat. save yourself. it's only natural.

in iowa, newt has a 13-point lead over willard.ened up a massive 23-point lead. in florida, check this out. he's oblight rating romney, 48-25. this is no flavor of the month, this is no trend. this is real deal. now the obama team is on alert. politico reports that the white house is taking newt's rise in the polls seriously. quote -- president obama's advisers are frantically rewriting a playbook that's been three years in the making. gingrich may be catching a wave that's both powerful and unpredictable. >>> meanwhile it's do or die time for romney, and he's gearing up. joining mess is ed rendell, and dana milbank, political columnist for "the washington post." thanks to both of you for being here tonight. governor, let me start with you. the rash of polls with gingrich on top is extraordinary s is there any way to stop newt, in your opinion? >> sure. -- i know you have, al, in the iowa poll, the poll that was just released, 55% of the respondents say they're not certain, they haven't made up their minds towelly about who they're

willard, i think you left your sense of irony back in one of those many mansions you own. and newt breaks down on the campaign trail. will it change how voters view him just four days before the iowa caucus? plus our special predictions for 2012. the winners, the losers, and all of the big surprises. buckle your seat belt. it's going to be a wild year. >> i can't give up that possibility of running. i just feel i owe it to myself. >> this president is going to be a one-term president. >> who would offer the best answer? and i think we have the best answer, and i think the american people will choose that. >> the american people will have a good choice and a good debate. >> with just four days to go before iowa caucus, mitt romney is trying to win republican votes by launching a whole new attack on president obama. and this attack takes the cake.

i'd watch my back if i were you, willard. going to extremes. iowa front-runner ron paul has disowned the views of far right extremists, but he doesn't seem to mind their support at the polls. and this picture had a lot of people smiling over the weekend, but here's something the president can smile about. new polls show his message is working. >> this country succeeds when everyone gets a fair shot, when everyone does their fair share. >> welcome to "politics nation." i'm al sharpton. tonight's lead. newt gingrich promised to honor the gop's 11th commandment not to attack other republicans. but tonight he's going back on that promise and going after mitt romney. >> to have somebody who is a massachusetts moderate, who said he did not want to go back to the reagan/bush years, who voted as a democrat for paul tsongas in '92, who campaigned to the left of teddy kennedy, who has recently running for governor said i'm really sort of a moderate pragmatic guy, to have him run a commercial that questions my conservatism? >> with just one week to iowa c

. >>> plus willard rips newt, saying he can't take the heat? then get out of kitchen. wait until you see how newt responded. it's getting ugly. >>> and why governor snyder in michigan is threatening our democracy and attacking civil rights for african-americans? you're watching "politics nation" on msnbc. [ female announcer ] that's the all-natural sugar she puts on her grapefruit. but is she eating sugar this week? maybe she wants the all natural, zero calorie stuff. but if you're wrong, you're insinuating she's fat. save yourself. it's only natural. >>> the payroll tax cut fight could send shockwaves through the republican party and mean big wins for president obama and the democrats. don't take it from me. conservatiare >>> we've been talking aboutth fight, but the effects will send shockwaving across the country. the "wall street journal" says it could help him win. remember, that's coming from rupert murdoch's "wall street journal." usually i don't agree with those guys. plus a new poll shows president obama's approval rating is up five points this month. 49% appr

police say the transgender woman was sitting in her car on savannah street when willard shot her. he was initially charged with assault with intent to kill. he later accepted a plea deal that included the lesser charge of assault and a five to ten-year prison sentence. >>> just days after more than 30 occupy d.c. protesters were arrested, the group is planning to erect a tent city in mcpherson square. 31 protesters were arrested sunday for refusing to leave this plywood structure, which was deemed unsafe. the "washington examiner" reports organizers plan to put up three 32-foot long army tents complete with wooden floors and heat. they will serve as a warm space to host group meetings in the winter months. organizers say they are negotiating a permit with the national park service and plan to have the tents up next week. >> it's time to take back the people's house for the people. >>> d.c. delegate eleanor holmes norton rallied another group of protesters on the national mall as they plan to visit congress today. they call themselves the people's camp, and they're organizing a wee

right, willard? going to get president obama out of the white house, because it's hard to replace an incumbent, is if we have someone run against him who is different than a lifelong politician. i don't think someone who has spent their life in washington is going to be able to be sufficiently distinctive for president obama to actually beat him. >> first of all, as newt said, the only reason you're not a lifelong politician is because you lost, and what about those four years as massachusetts governor? did you erase those with the e-mails you obliterated? then there's rick perry. >> i'm unique in this republican field. i've never been an establishment figure. i've never been a part of an administration. i've never been a paid lobbyist. my career has been that of a washington outsider. >> really, rick? you've been in texas politics since the early '90s, and i guess that doesn't count and then we have michele bachmann, she's been in congress for four years and minnesota politics for six years but she

willard was scoreless until about seven minutes in. the floater off the window but just 4 of 17 shooting. cal just too big and too strong. the nice feed using the glass in mid-air. cal, a winner, 77-57. the warriors open a preseason tonight at home against sacramento. new head coach mark jackson said the starting lineup will be the same as last year. that means a backboard of monta ellis and curry, wright and lee in front. and andre biedrins back at center. also the trio of captains, ellis, curry and lee. and a week into practice they seem ready for game action. tonight's contest will mark the first of six this season against the kings. two in preseason in four in regular season. >> you can get weary of battling each other at practice. understanding the calls and the sets we are running. it's about time for us to get tested with some real competition. so it's going to be very interesting to see how far we've come and watching it in live competition. >>> now the game with the kings signifies the return of former warriors coach keith sma

balls that belong to one willard mitt romney, who is facing a bit of an uphill battle in his race to be the republican nominee. by "uphill battle" i mean nobody seems the want to vote for him, so he's decided on a ballsy new tact. >> he's going after gingrich, questioning his conservative yes den,s. >> jon: romney is questioning gingrich's conservative credentials. barbara? >> what? >> jon: this is what romney, the former not-pro-life, pro-gay governor of massachusetts says about newt gingrich's consistency of thought. >> the number of times he has moved from one spot to another has been remarkable. i think he has shown a level of unreliability as a conservative leader today. >> jon: you're talking about you. that's the kind of sack that santa would look at and go, we're going to need a bigger sled. by the way, romney wasn't just saying gingrich was inconsistent, he was specifically saying gingrich wasn't conservative enough. romney, how would you describe a not idealogically pure enough conservative, and can you frame it as a positive in 2002? >> i think people recognize that i'm no

willard scott. hey, willard. >> what a great time of the year, the holiday spirit is mighty near.forget their new jams out now, too. orchard's finest. unbelievable. ed ingenthron from overland park, kansas, 100 years old today. poker player. i used to play poker. loves to travel around the world. played poker and drank. that's what he did. my father. and we have marjorie beardslee from grand rapids, michigan. loves to paint and also write in her book. she has a little journal, she keeps everything in it. believes in the good lord. and here is anna. anna orr anna or what? from eagle grove, iowa. 104 years old today, lives independently and walks two miles every day. how about that? i can barely get out of a chair. earl williams, handsome devil, la canada-flintridge, california. hundred years old and loves to play golf, and he's great on politics. i mean, he keeps up. we ought to keep an eye on him. also, the stock market. how about that? remember the stock market? it will be back. we have mildred collins, spelled like the singer. and she is from brownsburg, indiana, 101 years old t