tv   FOX News Sunday With Chris Wallace  FOX News  November 13, 2011 6:00pm-7:00pm PST

>> going to get fired up. >> the candidates survive area, they can go anywhere. >> you don't like mines, you vote for someone else. >> inside the iowa caucus. always quirky. >> i heard ya'll have pork chops on a stick. >> rare, predictable. >> get out before you make a bigger fool of yourself. >> retail politics. >> talk to people face to face. >> who is delivering the votes. >> romney is not coming. >> does that make you mad? >> why does it matter? >> what happens if you don't win iowa? >> we will talk then.

>> bring it on, bring it on. >> fox news reporting the fight for iowa. from aims, iowa, here is bret baier. >> the iowa farm as a field of dreams was writing about baseball. but he could have been talking about presidential politics. where the dreams are even bigger. you have heard it before. the first in the nation iowa caucuses always first in the nation. well some people worry that iowa mostly world state with a relatively small population plays two big a role in the electoral process. the counter argument goes like this. in iowa individual people still matter. citizens hash things out in school gyms and community centers. candidates can't make big tv byes they get their votes handshake by handshake. it's in iowa a politician can

learn he doesn't have what it takes and a small campaign can catch a second win. the democrat's choice should be a formality president obama. but it's a different story for republicans who have been crisscrossing this state for a year. august 2010, des moines, iowa, 17 months until the 2012 caucuses. it is 100 degrees at the state fair. former minnesota governor tim pawlenty is feeling the heat. >> fast forward with me. what are you going to do? >> it's his 4th trip to iowa in nine months. >> hired a staff in iowa. are you running for president? >> i haven't decided that yet. >> he's a huge fan. >> newt gingrich is here as well. >> i shouldn't do it but i am going to just for you. >> officially he's just testing the waters, too. >> several analysts say newt is

a brilliant thinker but every once in a while he's a grenade thrower. he goes too far. i think if you are going to be somebody who is trying to develop ideas develop conversation, lead people who new ways of thinking, there are occasionally be things you don't like. >> former alaska governor sarah palin hits iowa. >> i am going to ask you iowa, do you love your freedom? are you proud to be an american? >> where are you on the 2012 run? >> there's nobody else that i think wants to do the job and is willing to make the tough decisions then i would be willing to run for office. >> if you didn't see people who could do as good a job as you you would get in? >> that's what it comes down to, yes. >> welcome the next president of the united states michelle bachmann. >> to understand politics you have to understand the iowa caucuses. >> what a great day.

>> where by accident or design grass-roots organizing meets the modern equivalent of a smoke filled room. to understand how that works you have to take the polls of iowan voters. not just over the days and weeks before the voting begins. >> great grandmother joanie scotter has been involved in iowa politics since 1992. >> i say prayers for them because they nail them to the tree. >> i went to des moines and got that signed. >> no mere activist. >> that was a letter that president bush wrote to me. >> she is known as a super volunteer. >> i love to take it with me in the grave. >> for her ability to pull a crowd. and every candidate knows it. as you will see this hour the candidates are only half of the

story of the iowa caucuses. >> from is discussion, there's debate. there's neighbor with neighbor, family with family. >> robin a correctional educational supporter in mount pleasant iowa gets one-on-one treatment with the candidates. >> i know there has been talk that iowa does not choose the top candidates, the top candidates in the top 3. we separate the chaff from the wheat. >> in 2010, 15 men and women who were thinking about running for president made an appearance in the state. including a candidate who made a big bet in iowa in 2008 and came up short. this time he's trying something different. but can it work? coming up next presidential hopefuls ignore this state as their peril. daddy, come in the water!

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>> iowa picks corn, new hampshire picks presidents. that's what they say out east to disparage the importance of iowa caucuses. american political history tells a different story. >> going back to 1846, iowans had chosen dell kratz to the national conventions in the springtime through a quick succession of local county, district and straight caucuses in which party leaders were mostly in charge. but that changed after 1968. the most tumultuous year in modern american politics. democratic president lyndon johnson decided not to run. robert kennedy was assassinated after the california primary. vice president hubert humphrey didn't even compete in the primary but he got the nomination during a chicago convention scared by violent protests. that spurred democrats to make new rules to give the party's rank and file more power.

>> the caucus process came out of democratic party reforms in light of the 1968 convention. the idea was we don't want to see any more smoke filled rooms. >> iowa kcaucus historian said that led to big changes for his state. >> in 1972 they decided to elongate the process, start picking delegates at the precinct level, then the county then the state and finally to the national convention so there was citizen input from the start. >> that new elongated process required iowa democrats to hold their first round of caucuses in 2000 or so precincts much earlier than before. they scheduled them first in the country eeb before new hampshire's primary. there was little push back. few realized this would be a change in how presidents are chosen>> nobody knew what they were doing with the caucus system, nobody was contesting it

really very much. in 1972 pat cadel worked as a pollster for george mcgovern aers campaign. he was polling at 5 percent nationally just months before the iowa caucuses. >> the game in iowa was exceed what people expect it will do gives you credibility money and more. >> he came in second behind the frontrunner. went on to win the nomination and lost to richard nixon by a land slide. gerald ford replaced nixon after watergate and in 1976 iowa republicans moved their caucus to the same day as democrats to share the media tanks. that year reconfirmed the importance of iowa. >> more than a dozen democrats were running against the inl come bent. one was jimmy carter who

announced and was at 1 percent in the polls in october 1975. >> dallas sloughed him off in the last poll forgot him. >> pat caddell an advisor in 76 says his candidate had a plan. >> iowa was a lunching pad. it would put him on the map. >> the peanut farmer and born again christian worked iowa hard. >> he would go to people's homes make his bed in the morning. he was a farmer that was a big deal. he understood rural america. >> carter finished ahead of all other candidates and the rest is history. >> are you prepared to take the constitutional oath? >> i am. >> what impact the jimmy carter at the caucus? >> that became the blue print for other people to follow. lots of folks since then have said if i could own iowa i could leverage that into being a major player. >> which is why frontrunners ignore the caucuses at their peril. ronald reagan discovered that in

1980. >> the campaign staff con fined him he didn't have to spend as much time in iowa as maybe he should. >> reagan's son michael campaigned for him. >> i went to iowa and i called my father i told him george bush is going to beat you. >> george h. w. bush did win with 32 percent of the vote. he beat reagan by 2 percentage points. >> reagan took iowa for granted in 1980. he simply assumed his reputation alone would secure the nomination. if anything iowa voters don't like to feel slighted. >> reagan eventually managed to turn things around and take the nomination. he picked bush as his vice president. >> if reagan had won iowa you don't think there was a reason bush would have emerged. it is responsible for bush being vice president and later being president. >> had he not been bush 41 would we see george w. bush as bush 43

today? >> iowa republican steve king. >> could be the iowa caucus and the effort of bush 41 there in 1980 turned the course of history in two or three of those presidential races. >> after the land slide defeat to reagan the democratic establishment tried to camp down iowa influence. >> they want to know more mcgoverns. they wanted to knockout the time necessary for an unknown to emerge in iowa and become well enough known to win others. >> whatever the reason the democrats shortened the time between iowa to new hampshire from one month to one week. >> they left a hole in the system allowing to have a momentum campaign. >> cadell employ withed gary hart who ran against walter mondale in 1984. >> it was very simple. i wrote the strategy. second to mondale in iowa, beat

him in new hampshire where he was weak and ride the moem member in tun for tw-- momentum for two weeks. he came within a hair of doing that. his unexpectedly strong challenge vindicated cadell's strategy which others would try again and again. in 1988 vice president george h. w. bush was the next frontrunner to get blind sided by a new force in iowa. >> one nation under god. >> the religious right. >> up until that time the evangelical christians had not gotten into politics. if they are earring niezed candidates can win. i set to organize people. >> the people i had not seen in if the caucus before good e gel cal people were sitting with a slip of parp in their hand i am standing there i am a little resentful.

they elected their delegates to the county convention and i became an alternate not a delegate. these johnny come lately came in here and organized and taken over our process. >> those johnny come lightlies propelled pat robertson into second place behind bob dole but ahead of the stunned vice president. bush did end up winning the nomination and the white house, but the party was changed for good. >> not only did they lay down the parameters especially of social conservatism in that year but they started to build the bonds for constitutional conservatism social and fiscal issues tied together. >> in 2004 iowa showed it could not only turn an unknown into a contender it could destroy a frontrunner. former vermont governor howard dean with his strong opposition to the iraq war and pioneering use of the internet looked like he might run away with the democratic nomination. >> he worked the state. he worked it hard.

a lot of people got to know him. the more they got to know him the less confidence they had in him. >> joe tripy was howard dean's campaign manager. >> we knew days in advance we were going to lose iowa. we had been losing, hemorrhaging support for a while. >> john kerr reese floundering campaign had bet everything on iowa. he won. john edward came in second. dean slipped to third. then he delivered his disastrous i have a scream speech. >> we are going to south dakota and other gone and washington and michigan and then we are going to washington, d.c. to take back the white house. yeah! >> iowa is full of stories like that. every cycle i have been in something unexpected happens. >> kerry cruised to the nomination picked edwards as his running mate and lost. but if any year confirmed the impact iowa has on the

presidential nomination process it was 2008 on the democratic side john edward campaigned almost exclusively in iowa hoping a win would propel him past the hillary clinton newingjulier naught. enter -- juggernaut. entered barack obama a community organizer with a great ground game and growing celebrity support. >> obama won the caucuses with almost 38 percent of the vote while clinton finished third. edged out by edwards. suddenly the entire race was changed. >> is it too much to say that's what vaulted him into the office? >> senlly the iowa caucus is what really gave him the momentum. >> iowa was pivotal in the 2008 republican race as well. as a spoiler the favorite to win the state was former massachusetts governor mitt romney who bet pbig on the caucuses. he about the organization in

iowa had everybody on payroll and worked it hard. i saw him a lot of places. >> he ran nonstop tv ads. won the aims straw poll and seemed to be doing everything right. >> he had advanced teams and cleanup teams media team and it was a sophisticated well organized he have fort. >> in contrast former new york mayor rudy giuliani a national hero in 9-11 but a social liberal all but skipped iowa hoping it didn't matter. >> it will go down in history as being one of the classical bad strategies. >> evangelical christians 60 percent of the caucus goers that year voted in droves former ark kau governor and baptist minister mike huckabee. >> the structure that still exists today was certainly something that supported mike huckabee in a big way.

>> tonight i love iowa a whole lot. >> huckabee's win shook up the ranks. romney was staggered. >> you win the silver in one event doesn't mean you are not going to come back with the gold and win the final event. >> giuliani never recovered and mccain who had been left for ped politically filled the void. he finished 4th in iowa. it was the only time in 72 someone who did not finish in the top 3 candidates in iowa won his party's nomination which brings us to 2012. this time mitt romney is the closest thing to a consistent gop frontrunner. but according to the polls only about a quarter of republicans support him. and so he faces the same challenge as giuliani in 2008. he could more or less bypass the state lowering expectations to avoid another embarrassing loss. but that would give the rest of the field the chance to use an

iowa win to sling shot past him nationally. >> for a candidate like mitt romney to skip iowa what's the danger for him? >> someone else wins iowa and becomes the national darling and can pull a surprise in new hampshire. >> this is not a game of calculation. it is big strokes, bold strokes trying to fine fotune it maybe will work. >> in iowa the unexpected often happens. >> coming up in the freezing iowa winter some candidates try to find their political footing. orthopedic doctors recommend most for arthritis pain, think again. and take aleve. it's the one doctors recommend most for arthritis pain... two pills can last all day. ♪

>>

>> as iowans dealt with the bleak month of winter 20011 the candidates pondered their strategy. big names stayed on the side lines. others hoping to get a jump on the competition joined the field. >> oo if you are thinking about hitting the road in iowa stay home today. >> many of the long shots for 2012 are not staying home. >> oo we have been here several times already. >> how nanny of ya'll are happy with the direction. >> remember man cane isn't registering on national polls. but the few iowans attending this event quickly warm up to him. >> minl minunesota congresswoma michael bachmann is a political star but this is her first trip as a possible presidential

candidate. >> in reality in some suspects it's very grim. >> it is 30 below it's slow and you are talking to folks in a diner. >> i have a distinctive advantage. i grew up there. it feels like home. >> i would rather from the next building in due moin than due by. >> newt gingrich hopes an early start with launch him into the top. >> there will be no bailouts for states. >> tim law lpaw lenlentpawlenty. >> it was his 8th visit to iowa in the past 15 months. >> must be influenced grave courageous people who understand and see the challenge. >> all of the time and money pawlenty spent earned him little support among iowa republicans. >> i have been out of work for 6 months. >> folks are anxious about the

economy. one potential candidate many would like to point out is donald trump who's plane arrives but he is not on board. an aid carries his message. >> we are very anxious to learn about iowa and be able to report back to mr. trump. >> most people outside iowa might find such traffic a year before voting a little ridiculous. iowans wonder what is taking them so long. >> there are a few people scratching around town here but i don't see any real activity yet. >> march 7th, 2011. >> this is the start of 2012 presidential caucus process. >> the iowa faith in freedom coalition in the city of wake a quaint suburb of des moines. 400 people expected, 2,000 show

up. >> we need leaders who cannot just talk the talk but walk the walk. >> i am glad to have gingrich and others here today. >> having a right to get a job so you can have a sense of dig kn -- dig tee is pofrnlt>> weeks later. >> we want the government to get out of the way so he can educate ourselves and our children. >> on the capitol steps. >> we need to get rid of the department of education. >> a rally for home schoolers. >> the family has a level of authority the government may not trample upon. >> by late spring the candidates were official pawlenty, cain santorum and newt gingrich who offended people by criticizing ryan's economic medicare plan.

>> eye juans let him have it. >> you are an embarrassment to our party. >> why don't you get out before you make a bigger fool of yourself. >> gop acted vis says it's part of the process. >> it is an amazing thing. if a candidate can survive iowa they can go anywhere. >> still to come a state fair, a straw poll and a lot of fireworks. fox news reporting returns after the break. america is facing some tough challenges right now. two of the most important are energy security and economic growth. north america actually has one of the largest oil reserves in the world. a large part of that is oil sands. this resource has the ability to create hundreds of thousands ojobs. at our kearl project in canada, we'll be able to produce these oil sands with the same emissions as many other oils

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try smart balance fat free milk. it's what you'd expect from the folks at smart balance. >> i am harris falkner. a new allegation in the sex abuse scandal. the district judge in the case was a volunteer for the charity founded by the man who was accused as a child molester jerry sandusky. that judge giving him a chance to go free on 100,000 dollars unsecured bail. prosecutors ordered requested half million dollars. we are waiting for a news conference with the president. mr. obama is in hawaii for an economic summit involving world leaders. they will not be able to put it back here the reason asia pacific are successful.

canada and mexico are being called a partnership. we will bring you the news conference in a few minutes. >> it is easy to fall into the pattern of the presidential race we from the perspective of the candidat candidates. the attack ads and political calculations. what is missing the respect of regular americans as they make the choice of which candidates will be best in the country. fox news decided to look at the other end of the politics so to speak. we followed iowa republicans close-up as they went about the business of choosing the candidates. >> i have made them for all of the old old campaigns from way back when. >> memorial weekend joanie scotter is baking cookies for one candidates in particular. >> we can only cook one in the

oven at once. >> her favorite. >> good to see you. >> former governor of massachusetts mitt romney. >> she is rounded up 200 of her fellow republicans to fill this barn for him. romney hasn't campaigned in iowa in 7 months but scotter's number one objective is beating president obama. >> he has failed when it comes to creating jobs for the american people. >> she believes romney is the most electable in the gop field. >> had quite a turnout. >> romney who in the past supported abortion rights, gun control and government run healthcare stumbled in iowa in 2008. >> welcome back to iowa. >> good to be back. >> romney is hedging his bets this time. >> this time i decided let's have a lean campaign let's not go in every single state that starts off early. >> romney's lean campaign even

announced it wouldn't enter the aims straw poll in august a key test of strength ahead of the iowa caucuses. >> i thought it was a bunch of poppycock. gop chairman jim kilpatrick. >> he's not running a campaign he's got an award chest. he could spend as much time in iowa as he wants to. >> skipping the straw poll is a big risk says a gop activist who doesn't let know who she will support. >> there will be some who are offended who won't give him the time of day there are others that will vote for him. >> like joanie scotter. >> you know, i want everyone of those candidates to come and romney isn't coming. >> does that make you mad? >> not even a teeny weeny. >> a major shake-up in the 2012 republican candidates. >> newt gingrich's entire campaign staff quit today.

gingrich decided to take a cruise in the caribbean and that is in part the reason that many of these staffers have abandoned the candidates. >> when that happens it reinforced gingrich is not a viable candidate. >> old friends go i would like to right you a check but since you are dead. >> at the same time michelle bachmann is emerging as a formidable challenger to romney. >> everything i need to know i learned in iowa. >> she follows that with an embarrassing gap that suggests she hadn't learned her iowa history quite well enough. >> that's the kind of spirit i had, too. >> she mixes up iowa legend john wayne and serial killer john wayne gacy. >> john wayne is from iowa. john wayne gacy used to live in

water lou, mass murderer. if you are truly from water lou you would know the difference between the duke and a felon. >> that is part of the deal. >> is it a challenge? >> it is a challenge. the president of the united states has to stand up in the nation. it is learning how to do this job. >> also on june 27th another republican jumps in. >> i never thought i would be speaking in the tum roy. >> that is 8 year house member in michigan. >> you never thought you would hear a speech from a dude named fa dishg an. >> he asked the undecided activist robin out for coffee. the washington big shot quoting the iowa activist. >> you will be at the straw polls. >> for now maum burg is only willing to give him friendly

iowa advice. >> you have to get your statements down so you can talk to people face to face. >> july turns to august and the straw poll fast approaches. >> when you are looking at the results it's the best candidate race. >> what are you going to do? >> the iowa state fair. >> you get a question i get to get my answer. >> romney is back. >> if you don't like my answer you can vote for somebody else. >> two-days before the straw poll. >> i am not going to raise taxes. that's mines. >> just hours before a fox news debate. >> iowans are looking for a candidate that can win. >> good to see yeah. >> joanie has scored a prime seat in the auditorium. >> welcome to aims iowa and the

republican presidential debate. >> he is holding steady around 20 percent of the polls. >> that's the kind of leadership finally need to have in the white house. >> nobody lays a glove on him. >> it is stripping away pro-life protection. >> governor pawlenty cut a deal with the special interest groups. >> chris i wish you put aside the gotch yah question. >> joanie loves it. >> who better nan to mail wallace and he did. he really did. >> did anybody catch the speech last night? >> the next day. with your help tomorrow at iowa we are going to meet barack obama a one-perm -- one term president. >> last minute politics. >> i heard you have something called a pork chop on a stick. i just sent my staff out to get

me one. >> the solution will not be to take your dreams and put them in a highly centralized bureaucratic washington. >> we are teetering on the edge of disaster. we have to shrink the size of our president. >> another conservative statement makes a surprise appearance on the fair grounds. sarah palin isn't on the race or on the ballot for the following day's vote. >> i came back december 3rdrd. straw polls in the past somebody in the top three has gone on to win a nomination. >> maumberg is volunteering for the first time at the straw poll. >> after today we may see them drop out because they don't have the means to make it into the national scene. >> the candidates all buy tickets to their supporters who show up in the straw poll. it shows the strength of your support supposedly. you were able to marshall the

troops to get them to show up. >> they pitch their tent where they provide food and entertainment for iowans who they hope will be supporters. ron paul bid. >> he is willing to pay the most money in order to secure a win. the candidates with the most money to spend isn't competing. >> i wish he had come. he spent a lot of money here four years ago. it isn't get him anywhere. >> they didn't contest on the straw poll. >> we are here to support pawlenty and take in the circuit. >> 16,000 turnout, 2,000 more than 2008. >> i am a supporter of michelle bachmann right now. i am keeping an open mind. >> it was bachmann who got the

most votes vitally more than ron paul. >> spent a lot of money there. >> a lot less than other candidates. other candidates had been there for years. >> like her fellow minnesotian tim law len tee who dropped out the next day to the chagrin of reporte -- supporters. >> he would take a day or two to digest things. >> none of the candidates seemed closer to closing the deal with undecided republicans. we are looking for somebody else to join in. maybe we are not quite satisfied with what everybody else is telling us at this point. >> indeed even as iowans were counting the ballots a new candidate far from the hawkeye state announced he was entering the race. >> i declare to you today as

president of the y-- candidate president of the united states. >> what would they think of the tex texas governor when they got a closer look? >> coming up what exactly happened inside a caucus. it is one reason there are so many iowa surprises. nna tell th♪ [ male announcer ] the most headroom per dollar of any car in america. from $10,990. the all-new nissan versa sedan. innovation upsized. innovation for all. ♪ ♪ small talk, big thoughts, gonna tell them all ♪ [ male announcer ] the most legroom per dollar of any car in america. from $10,990. the all-new nissan versa sedan. innovation upsized. innovation fo all. ♪

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us in here right n >> unlike primaries where you come in, vote and leave, iowa caucuses are face to face a chance to debate the issues. sometimes sway others to your way of thinking. they are also less about winning dell cats than small groups around the state. >> two each going. >> there are 99 counties in iowa. what does that mean for the caucus? >> there are 2100 precincts within the 99 counties. >> iowa caucus historian jeff stun. >> neighborhood level where someone else may go to the neighbor nude caucus. it is politics at a retail level. >> think about a cold january light 15 below people driving in from 7, 8, 10 miles away to come to say my construction office or we will gather 15-20 people

there. >> steve king hosted many caucuses through the years. >> people come in we check them to be registered republicans. if they are not we will register them on the spot or invite them to go back into the cold. it is not impersonal. you are debating and talking. >> we start with electing a chair. there is an agenda we go through one of them is to establish a plank in our platform. >> we believe social security should be protected. >> we are electing dell datz to the county convention. >> at the county conventions those delegates will elect another slate of delegates to district conventions who in turn will pick delegates to the state convention who finally choose iowa's 28 delegates to the republican national convention in tampa. but that all happens months

later. so the results on caucus night will not be the actual number of delegate each candidate was won. it's a little more complicated than that. the first thing to understand is during the candidate picking part of the evening republicans and democrats do things differently. dem gratz declare their support by standing in sections of the room for each candidate. republicans vote by secret ballot but they discuss the pros and cons of the candidates first. >> there will be advocates for the presidential candidate. they will give a speech for the candidate and they conclusion of the speeches for the candidate we pass out slips of paper and each write our candidate down on that fold the paper over put them in a hat and appoint a couple of them by the people to

vote. >> the votes are not binding to those sent to the national delegation. it's that quirky system that has allowed candidates to become frontrunners even presidents. it can happen again. >> iowa can make or break you. that's the state. organization and a good message can get you in there. a lot of it is luck. >> undecided iowa republicans like robin maumberg guard their state's first in the nation prerogative. she says they need to allow any candidates with good ideas to break through. >> they are asking the fotough questions and getting who they are. we are very well educated we keep up with what is going on.

we are just as good as anybody else to be first. >> up next, the home stretch. oo

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it won't be long before republicans start choosing their 2012 presidential candidate. and the del kit count starts here. the frontrunners want no surprises, just their ticket punch for new hampshire. the rest of the field aims for the shock headline, reporting their surprisingly strong finish, welcoming them to the top tier. iowans have a history of making those headlines, with voters still looking, anybody can happen. >> the joke is always, what did iowado before? >> eye juans will usually say something like i don't know i only met him five times now.

>> mid august iowa voters get their first close look at texas governor rick perry who sows to the top of the national polls. >> ir will try to make washington, d.c. as inconsequential at this time. >> his presidential run now depends on a strong showing in iowa. gop chairman jim pill patrick a pawlenty man now backing perry. >> mid september he is leading perry. >> when new jersey governor crist tee says he won't run. the 2012 field is set. october 19th council bluffs iowa.

>> it's only his 5th trip to the state. the big question is whether he is changing course and trying to win the caucus. that may end the race almost before it starts. >> like to win every state. >> i would like to win every state but i am smart enough to realize i won't win them all. >> he is keeping expectations low. three-days later des moines. >> i have heard there could be close to a thousand people here tonight. i am not too surprised that romney did not show up. >> bamaumburg is off to the freedom coalition. after months she is undecided. she is going to back -- >> personally i am going to go out and say it i really like newt. i like his intelligence. i like what he has to say. >> 2012 is the most important election in in country since

1860. >> he had no political polls months ago. now he's pulling in double digits. >> tonight's big star was herman cain. he had been seefeven in iowa. his staff has been invisible, too. that will change. >> they were hiring people so fast, i lost count. i met some of my people tonight that i hadn't even met. >> michelle bachmann hardly left iowa since her straw poll victory but is now seen as second tier. >> what happens if you don't win iowa? >> we will talk then. >> mr. cane i want to congratulate you in winning the des moines iowa register poll. >> really. >> the gold standard for iowa shows cain leading at 23 percent. >> 23 to 22 against mitt romney.

>> thank you. that is a very nice pleasant surprise. >> that very night cain is hit with a series of sexual harassment allegations. he and romney missed the major gop fundraiser in de point. perry and ghing riingrich at 7 both deliver who hand santorum. bachmann is getting high praise for her unwavering intensity. ron paul who bought up more commercial time. >> romney returns to iowa the following monday signals this is still one big scramble. a disat thats trous perry debate wednesday he is followed on friday by new national polls that under score everything is still up for grabs.

with january 3rd caucuses 7 weeks away the entire country is waiting to see what iowa voters will decide. >> they suggest two things about 2012 iowa caucuses there will be two surprises and the results will have substantial impact on who wins this nomination. americans believer the united states is at a historical turning point. what iowans say here could reverb rate around the world and even across generations. that's our program, i am bret baier. thank you for watching. did you hear sam... ...got promoted to director? so 12 seconds ago. we should get him a present. thanks for the gift basket. you're welcome. you're welcome. did you see hr just sent out new... ...office rules? cause you're currently in violation of 6 of them. oh yeah, baby? ...and 7. did you guys hear that fred is leaving? so 30 seconds ago. [ noisemakers blow ] [ both ] we'll miss you! oh, facecake! there's some leftover cake.

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