dorothy, what's behind this gingrich surge? >> it's the perception of a mass of people, what they're looking at. i think it was pretty pat of all of the commentators to say, well, this is the latest flavor of the month. i doubt this is the latest flavor of the month. >> what is his appeal, though, at this moment? >> his appeal is simply -- it's not simple. it's the genuine concentration on issues, his capacity to engage people on issues. by issues we mean foreign as well as check in. the debt of his reportings on the meaning of issue. there's the x factor, the feeling that people have that they're listening to something different and substantial, some kind of very hearty meal as opposed to a kind of mind-numbing repetition of the government is broke, washington is broke. how many times can you hear that? >> so he can think on his feet? >> and extensively. >> steve, in the summer, as you know, the gingrich campaign was given up for dead. his staff had quit. he had all kinds of troubles. couldn't raise any money. still not raisin

gingrich leads the pack ahead of mitt romney. this is the sixth national poll to put gingrich in the lead. but on the issue of having strong moral character, well, newt gingrich only musters 9%, well behind mitt romney. five months ago we were all writing off newt. i mean, he went to greece. his campaign staff was so upset, they went over to some guy in texas named rick perry. but he's back on top. talk about a political reclamation project, there it is. republicans, well, they are starved for someone besides mitt romney. now republicans don't really care about these three marriages, do they? they probably love it when he says he wants to get rid of child labor laws so he can put poor kids to work. well, newt gingrich says the ç 99ers should get a job after they take a bath. this is the strong moral character republicans are looking for. let's bring in radio talkers, bill press and also radio talk show host joe madison. gentlemen, good to have you with me. oh, my goodness, it's like a kid in a candy store. where do we start? bi

conservatives attacking gingrich. that's next in the "rewrite." so i took my heartburn pill and some antacids. we're having mexican tonight, so another pill then? unless we eat later, then pill later? if i get a snack now, pill now? skip the snack, pill later... late dinner, pill now? aghh i've got heartburn in my head. [ male announcer ] stop the madness of treating frequent heartburn. it's simple with prilosec otc. one pill a day. twenty-four hours. zero heartburn. no heartburn in the first place. great. gives you a 50 percent annual bonus. so you earn 50 percent more cash. if you're not satisfied with 50% more cash, send it back! i'll be right here, waiting for it. who wouldn't want more cash? [ insects chirping ] i'll take it. i'll make it rain up in here. [ male announcer ] the new capital one cash rewards card. the card for people who want 50% more cash. what's in your wallet? sorry i'll clean this up. shouldn't have made it rain. congratulations. congratulations. today, the city of charlotte can use verizon technology to inspire businesses

newt gingrich? you don't know. >> other thing that came up at the debate which was interesting and fish you are we see here is aid to pakistan. michele bachmann and governor perry of texas got into it. >> michele bachmann who serves on the intelligence committee showed her credentials mattered when she talked about pakistan in the debate and made the case that pakistan was, quote, too nuclear to fail. that perry made the case that we were giving pakistan a blank check and ought to stop doing that because we weren't getting anything in return. and she turned to perry and said that that was naive. that, in fact, of course you have to deal with pakistan and of course you have to support pakistan to a certain agree, and by the way, you may not know this, governor, we are getting intelligence in return and i would know that because i serve on the intelligence committee and you don't. [laughter] >> it was a telling exchange and speaks to the larger political question about foreign aid, because rick perry

just the talk of gingrich bring his numbers down. if and only if gingrich wins in iowa, i will guarantee you this is a close race in new hampshire. a race that the romney people set up to be not only a must win but we are going to win big. they are not going to win it big. >> kimberly: i agree. look at numbers now. they are consistent for newt and not in the right direction of romney. >> bob: quickly, in south carolina, gingrich is ahead in south carolina. romney's big problem is after you leave new hampshire, you have to go south and spend a lot of time in the south. gingrich will do well there. now i tease. okay. it's responsible -- oh, is it? is it responsible to extend tax cuts without paying for it? of course it is. we'll talk about it. you name it. i've tried it. but nothing's helped me beat my back pain. then i tried this. it's salonpas. this is the relief i've been looking for. salonpas has 2 powerful pain fighting ingredients that work for up to 12 hours. and my pharmacist told me it's the only otc pain patch approved for sa

that is where newt gingrich --? john, does he beat mitt romney? >> no, he is the latest flavor of the month, and i look for ron paul probably afterhiowa to be up there. santorum is probably slapping himself right now wondering when it's his turn. >> we have to run. bill press, joe madison, great to have you

romney or gingrich? well, the latest polling out of new hampshire from the university of new hampshire shows that in a general election matchup, president obama leadses romney. but look at the matchup with gingrich, it's got the president ahead, 52/40. but jennifer, this time you start, it seems to me in terms of just a pleasant outlook for the year, this president, barack obama, would want to prefer, it seems to me, looking forward to series of genteel debates with governor romney, where he's sort of predictable and he'll throw his sunday punch, but you know what it's going to be, whereas newt will have 30 or 40 follow-up punches and they may be thought up on the spot. go ahead, your thoughts. >> i totally agree. i think that newt gingrich turns on a dime. he's a great debater. he's not afraid to really go for the jugular, but he doesn't do it in a very negative way, either. i think he actually could do it and dismantle obama and make it very difficult for obama to be -- defend his record. and i also th

conservatives attacking gingrich. that's next in the "rewrite." [ elevator bell dings ] ♪ [ male announcer ] sometimes, a hint is all the wrapping a gift needs. is that what i think it is? ♪ [ male announcer ] the lexus december to remember sales event is here, but only for a limited time. see your lexus dealer for exclusive lease offers like a complimentary first month's payment on the 2012 is 250. i took some steep risks in my teens. i'd never ride without one now. and since my doctor prescribed lipitor, i won't go without it for my high cholesterol and my risk of heart attack. why kid myself? diet and exercise weren't lowering my cholesterol enough. now i'm eating healthier, exercising more, taking lipitor. numbers don't lie. my cholesterol's stayed down. lipitor is fda approved to reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke in patients who have heart disease or risk factors for heart disease. it's backed by over 19 years of research. [ female announcer ] lipitor is not for everyone, including people with liver

the clear front-runner going into the debate is newt gingrich. we look at what he needs to do to stay ahead and what mitt romney needs to do to finally get ahead. and the bottom line on the super committee. yesterday's failure means big cuts to defense. has a weak committee weakened america? let's go "outfront." >> i'm erin burnett. we're just an hour away. eight republican candidates vying for the party nomination. they are all taking to the stage tonight. the topic, national security. it has been 109 days since america lost its aaa credit rating. that's going to turn the rate on our mortgages and a whole lot more. we're not doing anything about it. we're still mad has hell about the super committee failing yesterday. fitch said the committee's failure would most likely result in negative action. so we're upset about the super committee and they are mad, too. panel member john kerry was watching "outfront" last night. he got mad and he called in. >> i think people are upset. i think nerve the country is upset. they are looking at congress and sa

. >> republican candidate newt gingrich keeps his cool at the presidential debates. is that why he's near the frontrunners? at the top, is he the latest media target? >> okay, libya. >> herman cain gets creamed by the press following his lengthy pause on libya. is the media giving the former pizza purveyor a fair shake? the solyndra scandal heats up as congress searches for someone to blame. >> we've been lazy over the last couple of decades. >> our president thinks we're lazy. >> we're not out there hungry, selling america. >> did the media hear that? our president thinks we're lazy. >> what do you think republicans will be sipping and saying? >> cnn's man at white house appears to have a soft spot for mr. obama. is that why he tosses softball questions to the leader of the free world? and reg says, see you later. >> thanks, everybody. >> on the panel this week, writer and fox news contributor, judy miller. jim pinkerton, contributing divert of american conservative magazine and kirsten powers. i'm john scott. fo"fox news watch" is on right now. >> here's the key th

we start with the apparent gop front-runner right now, newt gingrich. david gregory is the moderator of nbc's "meet the press." and howard fineman is an msnbc political analyst and "the huffington post" media group editorial director. david gregory, great to have you on. we'll talk about "meet the press" coming up this weekend. but let me ask you about this whole thing. don't you think just in a psychological way, what do you think it does to mitt romney, who's been running for president since the last time to realize that newt gingrich is now the preferred candidate of the republican party, with all newt's baggage. i mean, totally, objectively, he's carrying so much baggage, serial marriages, moved out by his own caucus for the speakership. and here he is back as if none of that happened. >> i think it's troubling for romney. at the same time, i think there's a level of resignation in the romney campaign, that their campaign was not predicated on setting the electorate on fire. by being this charming historical figure. this was going to be a different

him candidate. >> gingrich faces scrutiny over what he did as head of the gingrich group to receive $1.5 million in eight years from mortgage giant freddie mac. >> my advice as historian when they walk in and said to me we are now making loans to people with no credit history and no record of paying back anything. that is what the government wants to do. this is a bubble. >> by monday, gingrich confessed to speaking out of turn. >> you gave advice to freddie mac and they did not take it? >> correct. i also want to say there is a confidentiality agree there. i can't go in detail with. >> others took him to task for it. >> does this remind people that your background comes from being a washington insider? >> it reminds me that i know a great deal about washington. if you want to train washington, it didn't work well. having someone that knows washington might be a good thing. >> i am standing up for little guy in the united states. i wasn't shilling for them. i was fighting for them. >> in a statement this afternoon, gingrich started various firms after resigning as house speaker in 1

>> i'm newt gingrich. >> i, newt gingrich. >> do solemnly promise to continue to be a good speaker. i promise that my book will be way less boring than al gore's book. >> for republican committee roast in 1995, newt gingrich is back about me now. you have a sense of humor about yourself. >> you have to or else you'd go crazy. >> you have thick skin as well. you seem like the classic just economy but jobs in particular. how get americans back to work. that will be the battleground. where do you think you have the answers that barack obama doesn't have? and also, where do you think you differ, if you do, from the tea party and their aspirations in that area? >> well, first of all, i think with obama, he's the best, most effective food stamp president in history. more people are on food stamps thanks to his policies than any other time. i'd like to be the best paycheck president. the contrast is dramatic. >> it is harder with an entrenched and republican trying to steal our every move. >> we second. first of all, bill clinton was president. and republican speaker who had to figure out

>> i hope so for newt gingrich. but a lot of things happened back then that maybe they would want him -- >> we also had welfare reform and a balanced budget. >> and he also proved that he understand votes are in the middle. he's to the left. >> and the immigration comment? >> and also healthcare. he's for the individual man date. >> the end of the day i think more conservatives will hold their nose and vote for romney than independents will hold their nose and vote for newt in a general election >> let's go to the ad on former governor palin that came out today. >> we need sudden and row relentless reform and that will return power to we the people. we need people with a proven record of reform. i served in public office in state that had core bankruptcy problem. i fought that. i took on a lot of corrupt and compromised middle class. the challenge is not to replace obama in 20 is it 11, the real challenge is who is what will we replace him with? >> i think she's made her decision. we all know that. will her endorsem

. >> gingrich is soaring trade why? first, rick perry is not a person you would choose to be captain of your debating team. second, herman cain appears to be geographically challenged. third, mitt romney is lukewarm support brought forth, as mark shields predicted would happen months ago, newt gingrich's effective performance in the bidding has been reflected in polls. -- in debating has been reflected in polls. do you want to take it victory that here? >> n -- take a victory lap here? >> no, but i want to point out that this format is made up for newt gingrich. you have a premium on people speaking coherently, cohesively, using facts in the document. he is the best at by far. and there's nothing adversarial, nobody's saying, "did you say something different earlier?" marriott bartiromo -- maria bartiromo of cnbc was the only person who challenged him. in a party dying to beat barack obama, he is the one guy they field and go toe to toe with obama. mitt is not the guy they want to go home with. >> this debate was not as

romney or gingrich? well, the latest polling out of new hampshire from the university of new hampshire shows that in a general election match-up, president obama leads mitt romney but just marginally. but look at the matchup with gingrich, it's got the president ahead, 52/40. but jennifer, this time you start, it seems to me in terms of just a pleasant outlook for the year, this president, barack obama, would want to prefer, it seems to me, looking forward to series of genteel debates with governor romney, where he's sort of predictable and he'll throw his sunday punch, but you know what it's going to be, whereas newt will have 40 or 50 follow-up punches and they may be thought up on the spot. go ahead, your thoughts. >> i totally agree. i think that newt gingrich turns on a dime. he's a great debater. he's not afraid to really go for the jugular, but he doesn't do it in a very negative way, either. i think he actually could do it and dismantle obama and make it very difficult for obama to be -- defend h

. >> we have known gingrich for a long time. he at the head of the class. >> gets a line of credit from none other than bill clinton. >> he is articulate and tries to think of a conservative version of an idea that solves a problem. >> mitt flip flops on to hard times. >> people understand i'm a man of steadiness and constances. >> the sprint for the republican nomination is on. >> we begin with newt gingrich surging to become leader of the pack, grabbing the coveted endorsement of new hampshire's largest newspaper. they boost in the nation's first primary state and make no mistake, the paper's touting of newt's courage and conviction hands a backhanded blow to mitt romney. gingrich is by no means the perfect candidate. we would rather back someone with whom we may sometimes disagree than one who tells us what he thinks we want to hear. ouch. i guess mitt would be getting their vote for homecoming king. despite living in the granite state at his family's lakefront estate, i guess romney has only been courting the paper for sever

>> i'm newt gingrich. >> i, newt gingrich. >> do solemnly promise to continue to be a good speaker. i promise that my book will be way less boring than al gore's book. >> for republican committee roast in 1995, newt gingrich is back about me now. you have a sense of humor about yourself. >> you have to or else you'd go crazy. >> you have thick skin as well. you seem like the classic washington bruiser, able to deal with all the slings and arrows that get chucked at you. >> this is a free society. i'm allowed to have an opinion. other people are allowed to have an opinion. i relax and try to live it up. >> the key thing of the next election is going to almost certainly be not just the economy but jobs in particular. how to get americans back to work. that will be the battleground. where do you think you have the answers that barack obama doesn't have? and also, where do you think you differ, if you do, from the tea party and their aspirations in that area? >> well, first of all, i think with obama, he's the best, most effective food stamp president in history. more people are on food

newt gingrich, 27%. romney, 20%. paul, 16%. on down the line in single digits, cain, bachmann and santorum. moving to new hampshire, romney 33%, gingrich 22%. paul 12%. single digits again, cain, undecided, and huntsman. okay. couple questions. is newt gingrich a serious contender at this point? >> i think the endorsement of "the union leader" makes him a serious threat to mitt romney potentially in new hampshire in ways that he might not have anticipated and we'll see what happens in the polls in the next few weeks. i think in iowa it is easy to say newt's on top but that contest comes first. he has a lot of explaining to do on the immigration question. he has a lot of explaining to do on other issues. support for t.a.r.p. which he then took back. his position on climate change. his position on the ryan medicare plan. a mandate for health care, advanced directives for health care. he has a lot of answering to do in iowa before the counts on the cold january night. iowa could be a muddled picture where there's an anti-mitt romn

that endorsement should help gingrich narrow romney's lead in new hampshire but today gingrich was doing his endorsement victory lap in south carolina where he now has a strong chance of actually beating romney. in an interview with a south carolina radio station, gingrich was asked about the union leader's statement that he is by no means the perfect candidate. >> anybody who is knot honest about it knows that no person except christ has ever been perfect. so i don't claim to be the per effect candidate. i just claim to be a lot more conservative than mitt romney and a lot more electable than anybody else. newt gingrich is now actually being considered for a possible endorsement from the iowa-based conservative group "family leader" a group that ruled out the possibility of endorsing former liberal mitt romney. asked about gingrich's several marriages and the affairs he's conducted during those mam marriages the family leaders director of development said i have heard him speak candid di about those thing and i've been convinced he is remorseful. i'm willing to forgive and move on. this

four months ago, if we were on talking about the renaissance of newt gingrich, newt gingrich as the hot, young thing in the republican presidential race, we would have laughed a lot more than a republican convention. this is an unpredictable electorate in an unpredictable election cycle. i would agree 100% with susan. it's not going to happen because the republican party poobahs won't let it happen. >> this is the scariest vision i've come across since ebenezer scrooge spotted jacob marley on his doorknob. thank you, chris and susan. >>> up next, mitt romney's campaign released an ad last week which clearly took the president's words out of context, in fact, i think totally distorted them. and now susan -- susan? now stephen colbert has taken his revenge. that's coming up in the sideshow. colbert to destroy romney. you're watching "hardball," only on msnbc. @ápápáp:@:02 " introducing the perfect situp. invented by the u.s. navy seal who brought you the perfect pushup, the perfect situp re-invents the situp by combining the upper ab crunch with the lower ab leg lift. then the perfect

now the -- or newt gingrich. now he finds himself at the top of the republican field aim cord to go a cnn poll released today he is he's in a virtual tie with mit romney. his numbers has skyrocketed by 14 points. it can be partially contributed to his outstanding performance in the debates. this weekend he went head-to-head with a cbs news moderator whether or not they should have the authority to take on an american born terrorist. >> if you engage in wore against the runs, you are an enemy combat tent. you have none of the civil liberties in the united states, you cannot go to court. let me be very clear about this. there's a huge gap here that frankly far too many people get confused over. civil defense, criminal defense is a function of being within the american law. waging war on the united states is outside criminal law and is an act of war and should be dealt with as an act of war and the correct thing in an act of war is to kill people who are trying to kill you. [applause] >> that's one person that presi

>> we have known gingrich for a long time. he at the head of the class. >> gets a line of credit from none other than bill clinton. >> he is articulate and tries to think of a conservative version of an idea that solves a problem. >> mitt flip flops on to hard times. >> people understand i'm a man of steadiness and constances. >> the sprint for the republican nomination is on. >> we begin with newt gingrich surging to become leader of the pack, grabbing the coveted endorsement of new hampshire's largest newspaper. they boost in the nation's first primary state and make no mistake, the paper's touting of newt's courage and conviction hands a backhanded blow to mitt romney. gingrich is by no means the perfect candidate. we would rather back someone with whom we may sometimes disagree than one who tells us what he thinks we want to hear. ouch. i guess mitt would be getting their vote for homecoming king. despite living in the granite state at his family's lakefront estate, i guess romney has only been courting the paper for sever

and newt gingrich should have credit for wanting an adult discussion for this and not an applause line. >> and a candidate looking beyond the primaries to a general election where the republicans will need some hispanic support in order to defeat barack obama and if newt gingrich seems to be the only one who realizes, dan. >> and that can be said about the national security issues as well. obama has not been horrible on 0 national security. he had bob gates as defense secretary and leon panetta as ceo and replaced him with david petraeus and continued the drone wars and i think what romney is doing is positioning, as well as gingrich, positioning themselves at this point. first of all, it looks like they're going to be the two candidates and they're beginning to position themselves to run against the president in a general election. if republican primary voters don't recognize that, their candidate is going to be in trouble. >> paul: okay, dan, when he we come back, the world's population hits 7 billion and an old debate gets new life. are all of those babies an asset or a liability? l

, gingrich, and ron paul -- are mitt romney, gingrich and ron paul. host: let's get to the caller's. -- callers. caller: immediate, the print paper has so much-- the media, the print paper has so much perceived power. why is everyone allowing me get to vote for us? -- why is everyone allowing the media to vote for us? i do not have anything against gingrich. i do not understand why all this value is being given to the media and taking the voter away from individuals such as myself i am supposed to believe that the sky, gingrich -- such as myself. i am supposed to believe that this guy, gingrich, is the guy for me. i would rather you for your kids in the air. there would be less connection to whoever you guys that your deals with. host: i think we lost him. but we did get a point. the caller talking about power or perceived power. he could make his own decision but what the make of the general thrust of his comments? guest: first, i did throw the kids up in the air. gingrich came down the winner. i thought i made that clear. we did not have any great p

it has gingrich with 20 points . romney is trailing with len. >>> and joining us to talk about newt gingrich and the budget super committee is michael burgess . he threw his support behind newt gingrich. thank you for being with us. congressman. >> he tops the poll in iowa and new hampshire and nationwide and he is taking heat for recent comments on immigration. here is fellow candidate michele bachmann on fox and friends. >> even barack obama couldn't get amnesty through the congress because the american people opposed. newt gingrich said he was for it. and even as recently as a year ago before the latinos in the united states. he came out with the policy that said he stands for amnesty for illegal aliens. >> bachmann pointed out no mention of the 25 years and law-abiding and the other qualifiers that newt gingrich is putting on it now. what about that? >> first thing, i think you have to acknowledge that speaker newt gingrich is the only presidential candidate in all of the years that i have followed politicings wh

four months ago, if we were on talking about the renaissance of newt gingrich, newt gingrich as the hot, young thing in the republican presidential race, we would have laughed a lot more than a republican convention. this is an unpredictable electorate in an unpredictable election cycle. i would agree 100% with susan. it's not going to happen because the republican party poobahs won't let it happen. >> this is the scariest vision i've come across since ebenezer scrooge spotted jacob marley on his doorknob. thank you, chris and susan. >>> up next, mitt romney's campaign released an ad last week which clearly took the president's words out of context, in fact, i think totally distorted them. and now susan -- susan? now stephen colbert has taken his revenge. that's coming up in the sideshow. colbert to destroy romney. you're watching "hardball," only on msnbc. [ knock on door ] cool. you found it. wow. nice place. yeah. [ chuckles ] the family thinks i'm out shipping these. smooth move. you used priority mail flat rate boxes. if it fits, it ships for a low, flat rate. paid for postage onli

newt gingrich has been taking heat for immigration comments. last night o'reilly asked him about the border. take a listen. >> would you put a border from brownsville to san diego if you were president? >> yes. >> okay. >> absolutely. >> but you support a registration of illegal aliens? >> yes, i would support a universal registration of those who are here illegally. >> sanctuary cities, what do you to them? >> we'll propose a bill to cut off funding to any sanctuary city or sanctuary state. they get no money of any kind from the federal government, period, as of that moment. >> what do you think, greg? >> he's got his opinions. >> i'm for a border fence, but to keep the attractive immigrants in, based on my immigration policy of good-looking people. the thing is the problem with newt he's so full of himself he needs two heads. he carries one around in a duffel bag when this one is full. no matter what he says, people get like more newt. >> he has an answer for everything. the question about the fence is a good one. a lot of these immigrations