joining us now, dave weigel, political reporter for slate.com and an msnbc contributor. dave, thanks for being here. nice to have you here. >> thanks. good to see you. >> you have followed ron paul and his relationship with the republican party for a long time before these primaries. >> since the beginning of 2007, really. >> yeah. some of your -- part of the reason i started paying a lot of attention to you as a reporter because i thought you were trenchant and insight sightful and not dismissive of ron paul in a way that really resonated with me. is he more acceptable to the republican establishment than he used to be? or in the same relationship with them that he's always been in? >> he talked in 2007 about building up the republican party, adding more people to it. i think he actually succeeded in part bringing people who might have been up for grabs. i talked to ron paul voters in 2007 who liked barack obama and liked ron paul. i was one of those voters. once they were disappointed by what barack obama did in office, they've remained in his camp. if you talk to youn

let's turn to dave weigel, msnbc contributor and political reporter for "slate" magazine. dave, great to have you on. has the news letter controversy hurt ron paul? he still has a slight advantage. what is all this controversy doing to his campaign right now? >> things like this take awhile to percolate and show up. i think it was helpful to paul that this story was resurrected right in the christmas period when people were writing about politics but people weren't paying as much attention about it. that's not to say paul handled it particularly well. i mean, i think there is an expectation that ron paul could give what newt gingrich was referring to. there's an explanation he could give which is probably like the one in the '90s. instead of that he's hoping we stop asking questions. i think that's harmful to people who like ron paul. he has independent support. a lot of caucus support. one of the reasons i like him is they don't think he's a politician who slips and slides and makes things up. >> what about the undecided number of people? that's in double digits as well.

sam youngman of reuters and dave weigel join me with the latest of what to expect in the home stretch. the mitt romney campaign disinformation continues. this time it's on jobs. we'll fact check the governor with ezra klein. >>> simply put, it's time to move on. >> conservative democratic ben nelson of nebraska is stepping down. i'll tell you why this could be a win for the middle class. >>> i can't go back in time. now all i can do is move forward. >> were you on track, governor? >> yes and no. >> the effort to recall scott walker is going strong. but the governor is worried that mickey mouse is signing the recall petitions. wisconsin state senator is here to tell us why walker is in fantasyland. >>> good to have you with us tonight, folks. let's start with iowa where all the political action is taking place. and basically iowa is up in the air. the first caucus in the 2012 presidential race happen one week from tonight. and the republican party still has no clear direction. the latest average of multiple polls in iowa show ron paul with a lead. the real story is mitt romney mounting

and it's taking a while, but israel i think is the way they're getting into it. >> dave weigel, political writer for slate.com and msnbc contributor. thanks so much for joining us tonight. enjoy your stay in beautiful iowa. >> thank you, chris. >>> things are looking darker and darker for whichever candidate is the not mitt romney option of the month. the candidate presumed to have all that critical tea party support. maybe that's because 2012 really isn't about the tea party. wither the tea party, i will make my case coming up next. >>> newt gingrich is no longer way up on top of the presidential polls, but he is still totally brazen and outrageous. the latest sample will be a first ballot inductee into the as you asty hall of fame. that's coming up. >>> "the american prospect" ran tais on their cover. "has hillary locked it up?" there was democratic senator hullry clinton grinning from ear to ear as her democratic presidential rivals barack obama and john edwards were left looking sort of dumfounded standing in the wings. in december 2007 before any of the voting even took place "the am

joining us now, dave weigel, slate.com and msnbc contributor. >> thanks. great to see you. >> you have followed ron paul and his relationship with the republican party for a long time before these primaries. >> since the beginning of 2007, really. >> yeah. some of your -- part of the reason i started paying a lot of attention to you as a reporter because i thought you were trenchant and talked about ron wall in a way that resonated with me. is he more acceptable to the republican establishment than he used to be? >> he talked in 2007 about building up the republican party, adding more people to it. i think he actually succeeded in part bringing people who might have been up for grabs. i talked to ron paul voters in 2007 who liked barack obama and liked ron paul. i was one of those voters. once they were disappointed by what barack obama did in office, they've remained in his camp. if you talk to young people at rallies, you'll hear a lot -- the first things they'll list off, the reasons they go for him, are the social issues. then they'll list the economic

and it's taking a while, but israel i think is the way they're getting into it. >> dave weigel, political writer for slate.com and msnbc contributor. thanks so much for joining us tonight. enjoy your stay in beautiful iowa. >> thank you, chris. >>> things are looking darker and darker for whichever candidate is the not mitt romney option of the month. the candidate presumed to have all that critical tea party support./iñr maybe that's because 2012 really isn't about the tea party. wither the tea party, i will make my case coming up next. [ male announcer ] cranberry juice? wake up! ♪ that's good morning, veggie style. hmmm [ male announcer ] for half the calories -- plus veggie nutrition. could've had a v8. which shirt feels more expensive? that one's softer. [ female announcer ] actually, it's the same t-shirt. really... [ female announcer ] but this one was washed in downy. why spend a lot of money when you can just use downy? [ female announcer ] ultra downy with silktouch, it's an upgrade in a bottle. [ female announcer ] ultra downy with silktouch, what is it about taking a first

and it's taking a while, but israel i think is the way they're getting into it. >> dave weigel, political writer for slate.com and msnbc contributor. thanks so much for joining us tonight. enjoy your stay in beautiful iowa. >> thank you, chris. >>> things are looking darker and darker for whichever candidate is the not mitt romney option of the month. the candidate presumed to have all that critical tea party support. maybe that's because 2012 really isn't about the tea party. wither the tea party, i will make my case coming up next. dice that leaves out artificial flavors and dyes and instead uses something more natural, honey. new vicks nature fusion cold & flu. ♪ metamucil uses super hard working psyllium fiber, which gels to remove unsexy waste and reduce cholesterol. taking psyllium fiber won't make you a model but you should feel a little more super. metamucil. down with cholesterol. you tell us what you want to pay, and we give you a range of coverages to choose from. who is she? that's flobot. she's this new robot we're trying out, mostly for, like, small stuff. wow! look at her

and it's taking a while, but israel i think is the way they're getting into it. >> dave weigel, political writer for slate.com and msnbc contributor. thanks so much for joining us tonight. enjoy your stay in beautiful iowa. >> thank you, chris. >>> things are looking darker and darker for whichever candidate is the not mitt romney option of the month. the candidate presumed to have all that critical tea party support. maybe that's because 2012 really isn't about the tea party. wither the tea party, i will make my case coming up next. dice that leaves out artificial flavors and dyes and instead uses something more natural, honey. new vicks nature fusion cold & flu. ♪ metamucil uses super hard working psyllium fiber, which gels to remove unsexy waste and reduce cholesterol. taking psyllium fiber won't make you a model but you should feel a little more super. metamucil. down with cholesterol. >>> newt gingrich is no longer way up on top of the presidential polls, but he is still totally brazen and outrageous. the latest sample will be a first ballot inductee into the as you asty hall of fa

joining us now, dave weigel, slate.com and msnbc contributor. >> thanks. great to see you. >> you have followed ron paul and his relationship with the republican party for a long time before these primaries. >> since the beginning of 2007, really. >> yeah. some of your -- part of the reason i started paying a lot of attention to you as a reporter because i thought you were trenchant and talked about ron wall in a way that resonated with me. is he more acceptable to the republican establishment than he used to be? >> he talked in 2007 about building up the republican party, adding more people to it. i think he twhactually succeeden part bringing people who might have been up for grabs. i talked to ron paul voters in 2007 who liked barack obama and liked ron paul. i was one of those voters. once they were disappointed by what barack obama did in office, they've remained in his camp. if you talk to young people at rallies, you'll hear a lot -- the first things they'll list off, the reasons they go for him, are the social issues. then they'll list the economic

"slate's" dave weigel is here with the latest. >>> the occupy movement has moved out of the tents and into foreclosed homes. this marine from minneapolis is taking his house back. and we'll be there live. >>> great to have you with us tonight, folks. thanks for watching. president obama, if you missed it earlier today, he cleared the beach. he really went after it. you missed a dandy. his speech in kansas was a wholesale rejection, and i mean a wholesale rejection of failed gop policies leading to the great recession and creating the greatest income inequality america has seen in decades. president obama drew a straight line between republican policy and the inequality fueling the 99% movement in this country. you know, i sometimes like to talk about a defining moment, some have made fun of that. bottom line here is the president was onboard. today, the president did it himself. >> this is the defining issue of our time. this is a make or break moment for the middle class and for all those who are fighting to get into the middle class. because what's at stake is whether this will be a

the phone pole first reported by dave weigel thursday at slate.com asks about obama versus mitt romney, obama versus newt gingrich and obama versus jeb bush. who appears not to be running for anything anywhere. the deadline for getting on the ballot for the new hampshire republican primary was back in october. jeb bush could not get on the ballot now no matter what dynasty he's from, no matter how unhappy republicans are with their current choices. no matter what. so who is polling about jeb bush in new hampshire? karl rove said that he asked jeb bush and mr. bush, himself, said no. i guess that would rule out both karl rove and jeb bush being behind this. last night i floated the crazy, crazy idea that a new group called americans elect might be doing it, americans elect is on the ballot in 12 states already and in all likelihood will be on the ballot in every state on november. if jeb bush wanted to be a choice for new hampshire voters this fall, he could make a bid for the americans elect nomination and get on the ballot that way. but americans elect told us, no, they are not the on

dave weigel at slate.com reports that paul ryan is lobbying right now, in this video right here, lobbying that anybody saying his plan kills medicare should be accused of telling the lie of the year in politics. the thing is the paul ryan budget does kill medicare. instead of medicare old people will have a system where they have to buy private insurance on the private market, and paul ryan will give them coupons to get discounts. so if you want to call a system like that medicare, telling granny to go buy private insurance on the open market but with a coupon, then sure, call it medicare. call it macaroni. i don't care. but what everybody understands medicare to be, guaranteed government health insurance for old people, for what medicare actually is, the paul ryan plan kills medicare. almost every republican in the house and the senate voted to kill medicare, when they voted for the paul ryan plan, this there was much rejoigs on the democratic side, and that's because democrats knew they could stop this thing from actually becoming law. president obama would never sign anything like that

but how else do you explain this going on in new hampshire right now in dave weigel at slate.com reporting today that new hampshire residents are starting to receive phone calls asking them the following questions. do you have a favorable or unfavorable view of mitt romney? do you have a favorable or unfavorable view of newt gingrich? do you have a favorable or unfavorable view of jeb bush? jeb bush? somebody is paying for those calls to go out right now in new hampshire. what's that all about? finally, there is one other option, which is that maybe the newt gingrich bubble just won't go away. it does seem to be ending. it does seem to be getting to the end of its natural life span. time for the fox to be born. but what if the newt gingrich bubble were artificially resuscitated? what if it were rebuilt with a lot of money? politico.com reporting today that one donor, one person, a man by the name of sheldon adelson may be about to give gingrich a lump sum payment of $20 million. not directly to newt gingrich but to a pac supporting newt gingrich, which is essentially the same as giving it

dave weigel from slate.com posted these photos on twitter tonight. the d.c. protesters say they wanted to send a message that their frustration with the political process is a bipartisan frustration. in arizona this week occupy phoenix protesters have been occupying a conference of alec, the american legislative exchange council. it's a conservative corporate political organization that doesn't immediately try to shape the leng slaigs written at the state and local level by conservative politicians. alec often just writes the bills outright. the cops used pepper spray on the occupy alec protesters. the occupiers say they were demonstrating peacefully when it happens. the police contend they were provoked. >>> and in new york city tonight thousands of protesters, many of them union members, marched on union square. the central labor council organizing a march for jobs and economic fairness today in conjunction with occupy wall street, saying it was for everyone who is frustrated and worried about the growing economic disparity in this country. this movement ha

dave weigel from slate.com posted these photos on twitter tonight. the d.c. protesters say they wanted to send a message that their frustration with the political process is a bipartisan frustration. in arizona this week occupy phoenix protesters have been occupying a conference of alec,ç the american legislative exchange council. it's a conservative corporate political organization that doesn't immediately try to shape the legislation written at the state and local level by conservative politicians. alec often just writes the bills outright. the cops used pepper spray on the occupy alec protesters. the occupiers say they were demonstrating peacefully when it happens. the police contend they were provoked. >>> and in new york city tonight thousands of protesters, many of them union members, marched on union square. the central labor council organizing a march for jobs and economic fairness today in conjunction with occupy wall street, saying it was for everyone who is frustrated and worried about the growing economic disparity in this country. this movement

but how else do you explain this going on in new hampshire right now in dave weigel at slate.com reporting today that new hampshire residents are starting to receive phone calls asking them the following questions. do you have a favorable or unfavorable view of mitt romney? do you have a favorable or unfavorable view of newt gingrich? do you have a favorable or unfavorable view of jeb bush? jeb bush? somebody is paying for those calls to go out right now in new hampshire. what's that all about? finally, there is one other option, which is that maybe the newt gingrich bubble just won't go away. it does seem to be ending. it does seem to be getting to t the end of its natural life span. time for the fox to be born. but what if the newt gingrich bubble were artificially resuscitated? what if it were rebuilt with a lot of money? politico.com reporting today that one donor, one person, a man by the name of sheldon ad adelson may be about to give gingrich a lump sum payment of $20 million. not directly to newt gingrich but to a pac supporting newt gingrich, which is essentially the same as givin

dave weigel at slate.com reports that paul ryan is lobbying right now, in this video right here, lobbying that anybody saying his plan kills medicare should be accused of telling the lie of the year in politics. the thing is the paul ryan budget does kill medicare. instead of medicare old people will have a system where they have to buy private insurance on the private market, and paul ryan will give them coupons to get discounts. so if you want to call a system like that medicare, telling granny to go buy private insurance on the open market but with a coupon, then sure, call it medicare. call it macaroni. i don't care. but what everybody understands medicare to be, guaranteed government health insurance for old people, for what medicare actually is, the paul ryan plan kills medicare. almost every republican in the house and the senate voted to kill medicare, when they voted for the paul ryan plan, this there was much rejoicing on the democratic side, and that's because democrats knew they could stop this thing from actually becoming law. president obama would never sign anything like th

weigel live from iowa to preview the iowa caucuses. you can get information at up.msnbc.com. my heartfelt thanks to all the people here behind the scenes to who made it possible for us to get "up." [ female announcer ] we were flattered when regenerist beat a $100 cream. flabbergasted when we creamed a $500 cream. for about $30 regenerist micro-sculpting cream hydrates better than over 20 of america's most expensive luxury creams. fantastic. phenomenal. regenerist. everyone believes in keeping their promises once a year. but we believe in helping people take steps to keep them every single day. that's why every day we help people across the country get into their first homes. prepare for a comfortable retirement and protect the people and things that matter most. at genworth we believe every day is the right day to take a step toward tomorrow. easy. name some things that aren't on your list. jumper cables, camo anything, a power drill -- ooh! [ male announcer ] the only place to go for every guy on your christmas list with great deals