ron paul. the one we've been looking for. >> what do you like about him? >> about ron paul? >> yeah. >> what is there not to like about him? military, i came from indiana. i was raised on principles and morals. and go back 5, 10, 20, 30 years, ron paul has had the same, consistent message, something none of the other candidates can fake. message on principles, morals, our personal rights, our personal liberties, restricted government that keeps out of our pockets, out of our lives. something the government was never meant to do. our founding fathers were very specific about that. >> how old are you? >> 23. >> what do your friends say? >> most of them, i don't have friends many my age because most of them i'm kind of distant because i'm in politics, i'm a little above the age level. most the kids my age are worried about college, worried about what club to go to tomorrow night, not about their future. >> ron paul speaks to you. >> yes. >> you got up and said he's the only one. >> yes, sir, absolutely. >> what's the attraction? >> because he follows the constitution. that, for

and the conservatives are moving over to ron paul. >> where was paul policed in the iowa straw poll [everyone talking at once] >> about 150 votes behind -- michele bachmann. >> she is number one. >> it shows ron paul has an outstanding organization, energy, youth, lot of people. 4500 votes in iowa straw poll is extraordinary. >> to say -- >> who plays second in the straw poll? >> and second, mitt romney plays second in 2008 because -- >> i thought -- >> how could they play second? >> he was number one. >> the thing is -- in the straw poll. >> oh, in the straw poll! romney won the straw poll. >> romney won. caucus in iowa. what. >> it's essentially a three-way tie. i would not scout michele bachmann and she has an organization, she's on a bus tour visiting all 99 counties. she another place you can go if you don't want romney and you're wary or think -- about newt gingrich, so he -- really interesting campaign about a lot of ideas like increasing the health budgets so we can solve alzheimer's. and something so bizarr the box. and romney is a total -- come on! >> for romney the idea is

i'm the letter si coach at paul revere. i'm here to show support for paul revere staff and our principal. i'm also here to express my concern over the way that our principal and school has been portrayed by some people in recent times. i'm very concerned because we need at paul revere consistent leadership. that is leadership that sheila provides us. losing our principal in the middle of a three-year reform means starting all over again from scratch and potentially losing two years' worth of hard work, effort, and progress on the parts of our parents, teachers, staff members and students. i refuse to dignify the outlandish claims that have been made by the few parents that spoke at this meeting a while ago because they're simply not true and without merit. i have listened to the minority speaker and they want to replace her. but i don't believe they're in an opposition to sheila. i believe this comes from misinformation to the changes that have taken place since she has become principal. these changes were needed and reform

-- reason -- ron paul campaign and he was thinking about going with the reason paul -- ron paul campaign. and i said it would be political suicide. >>eric: so now we have him leaving to go to ron paul and michele bachmann claims that ron paul offered him a substantial sum of money and ken comes on fox news saying michele bachmann is lying, and megyn wisely asks what about you who claims you said the same, and he calls you a liar. listen to this entrepreneur. >> i didn't have that conversation with her. it is unfortunate that we is come to this, in this particular race, we have come to this and i did not accept any money from the reason -- ron paul campaign. >>eric: do you have anything to gain by saying that he told you he was offered money by ron paul campaign? >>guest: no, and when i work with candidates they understand i am working with them because of their integrity, because of the changes they want to make and he clearly lacks integrity and i am sorry for the people who followed him for the constituents. i have been on the phone since 10:00 last night with call after call and e-mai

paul with 17%. if it's one of this year's huckabees who wins, a ron paul, a rickç perry, a michele bachmann, a rick santorum. if one of this year's huckabees wins iowa and mitt romney wins new hampshire, everything will have gone according to plan. we'll be no closer to knowing who the republican nominee for president will be. the first race will be an open question politically, will be on the saturday january 21st contest in south carolina. >> you have to win south carolina. everyone who's won south carolina has been the nominee. every single one. >> iowa and new hampshire are fascinating to watch, but south carolina might really be the race to watch in terms of how things are going to go in this nominating process. mr. gingrich there describing south carolina as a must win. he's previously described it as his firewall. south carolina is the kind of place where mitt romney is not expected to be able to win. just as he's not necessarily expected to be able to win in iowa. it should be noted mitt r

ron paul. the one we've been looking for. >> what do you like about him? >> about ron paul? >> yeah. >> what is there not to like about him? military, i came from indiana. i was raised on principles and morals. and go back 5, 10, 20, 30 years, ron paul has had the same, consistent message, something none of the other candidates can fake.ç message on principles, morals, our personal rights, our personal liberties, restricted government that keeps out of our pockets, out of our lives. something the government was never meant to do. our founding fathers were very specific about that. >> how old are you? >> 23. >> what do your friends say? >> most of them, i don't have friends many my age because most of them i'm kind of distant because i'm in politics, i'm a little above the age level. most the kids my age are worried about college, worried about what club to go to tomorrow night, not about their future. >> ron paul speaks to you. >> yes. >> you got up and said he's the only one. >> yes, sir, absolutely. >> what's the attraction? >> because he follows the constitution. that,

they said about ron paul. ron paul is a dangerous man. while his domestic libertarian views are quite attractive to some voters fed up with politics as usual, it's paul's position on issues of national security that are truly dangerous. it's about time new hampshire voters showed him the door. it seems to me that the new hampshire ron paul supporter may be at the fringe. appealable to some other camps. but who is the most likely beneficiary of defections from ronç paul's camp? i think you have to say huntsman or really anybody. let's not forget the new hampshire model is live free or die. liz libertarian stance has an appeal in that way there. but han has proven itself to be famously impervious to whatever happens in iowa. so i think it will be interesting to watch. and christina's point is well taken that new hampshire is really his only hope at this point. of all the candidates remaining in the field he must be wondering why he hasn't been able to get more traction avenue all the on paper qualifications. it hasn't worked for him. >> t

paul with 17%. if it's one of this year's ç huckabees who wins, a ron paul, a rick perry, a michele bachmann, a rick santorum. if one of this year's huckabees wins iowa and mitt romney wins new hampshire, everything will have gone according to plan. we'll be no closer to knowing who the republican nominee for president will be. the first race will be an open question politically, will be on the saturday january 21st contest in south carolina. >> you have to win south carolina. everyone who's won south carolina has been the nominee. every single one. >> iowa and new hampshire are fascinating to watch, but south carolina might really be the race to watch in terms of how things are going to go in this nominating process. mr. gingrich there describing south carolina as a must win. he's previously described it as his firewall. south carolina is the kind of place where mitt romney is not expected to be able to win. just as he's not necessarily expected to be able to win in iowa. it should be noted mitt

paul's friend michael told the police the same thing when he learned of paul's death. he even thought he might try to nail him next. >> we all walked around wondering if we were next on the hit list. >> you thought there was an enemies list of friends of paul? >> yes, exactly. >> homicide detectives always pose the question, who benefitted from the murder. and here the victim's brother and best friend are telling the police that stacey unquestionably stood to gain from her ex-'s death. she would be free to move to florida with her children and raise them with money from the million-dollar trust fund paul had set up for them. and who was the shooter in this theory? her father. giving his daughter a monstrous and bloody gift of liberation from a man they both loathed. so detectives tried to call ed ates at his home in florida. they say his wife dottie said he was away and she had no idea how to reach him. >> the detective out of bergen county, new jersey. >> he is essentially out of touch for 24 hours from the time of the murder, and he's the person that we're looking to

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 crisis issues. they come over to his side the way they could have easily been convinced. you're at that age where you're receptive to ideas like that. he's added those people to the party. i think also because the economy collapsed in 2008, because he'd been predicting it for so long, doesn't really matter if he was wrong in previous instances, you know. the preachers who predict the rapture are ever right, are we going to forget he got it wrong 20 times? that happened to him. people in the republican party disagree with him on a lot of issues became more sympathetic to him. the coalition in iowa is partly the new voters and partly oldline conservatives who would have listened to him before

paul. one of them is labeled a paul win hurts the iowa caucuses. i've heard similar worries from gop leaders in iowa, who fear paul's crazy train will haul the caucuses out of the political fringes and derail forever, stranding iowa's coveted stat tus. why are they so worried about you? >> it's sort of entertaining. so much for democracy. as long as democracy goes they're way, it's okay. few if you get enough support from the people, you win election, it doesn't mean anything, so i think they see me as a challenge for the status quo, you know. there's a lot of people i challenge, everybody from the military industrial complex to the banking system to the bailouts, to our foreign policy. it's a big deal because i want changes. but that's what the american people want. the american people are with me and that's why i believe i'm going up in the polls. >> we've had this conversation a few times during the campaign, and it is fair to say you are less out there if you will, this campaign than yo

they said about ron paul. ron paul is a dangerous man. while his domestic libertarian views are quite attractive to some voters fed up with politicç as usual, it's paul's position on issues of national security that are truly dangerous. it's about time new hampshire voters showed him the door. it seems to me that the new hampshire ron paul supporter may be at the fringe. appealable to some other camps. but who is the most likely beneficiary of defections from ron paul's camp? i think you have to say huntsman or really anybody. let's not forget the new hampshire model is live free or die. libertarian stance has an appeal in that way there. but han has proven itself to be famously impervious to whatever happens in iowa. so i think it will be interesting to watch. and christina's point is well taken that new hampshire is really his only hope at this point. of all the candidates remaining in the field he must be wondering why he hasn't been able to get more traction avenue all the on paper qualifications. it hasn't worked for him. >> thank y

paul said." he also said "the comment about black men in the nation's capital was made while writing about a 1992 study produced by the national center on incarceration and alternatives, a criminal justice think tank based in virginia." "these aren't my figures, dr. paul said tuesday. that is the assumption you can gather from the report." when the "houston chronicle" started asking about those comments also in 1996 dr. paul's campaign spokesman defended the remarks about the criminality of black men thusly. he said that the reverend jesse jackson had also talked about urban crime, so essentially that made it okay. so that's how ron paul and his political campaign responded to criticism about nakedly racist passages in his newsletters when he was asked about them during his congressional campaign in the mid '90s. he responded essentially by defending those nakedly racist passages. and that was not enough to kill ron paul's political career. quite to the contrary. he won the election that year in

help ron paul. it probably helps santorum because it makes bachmann look weak. but there aren't a lot of bachmann poom who are necessarily going to go to ron paul. so on so many levels i think santorum's doing well. >> well, john, also the polls make it look like romney will finish at least in the top two. is this big trouble if he doesn't meet expectations here? >> it's absolutely -- it is high-stakes stuff. i heard all through the day today that romney's people were going back and forth on whether they should position him in iowa on tuesday night or have him be in new hampshire. struggling with the question of whether he should be here to claim a big victory or get out fast to avoid any embarrassment. that's how high stakes this is. and remember, the dynamic of the caucuses are such that if you see the gingrich support and the santorum support come together and then throw in some bachmann and perry numbers there, santorum could well finish very high up in that number. >> and rick green, i've got t

well the attacks against presidential candidate ron paul just keep on coming since ron paul's surge in the polls and i was seems the mainstream media has been focusing on kicking him down his stereo over newsletters his staff wrote decades ago but what about everything else the candidate stands for like his foreign policy which clearly separates him from the others and is clearly resonating with more and more americans today stopping the wars abroad shrinking government spending advocating civil liberties where's the discussion on all of this and the mainstream media well to discuss this i spoke to journalist michael tracey here's what he had to say. well the mainstream media frankly has never felt it necessary to afford ron paul substantive coverage it was only in the last two weeks when he ticked up so dramatically in the polls in iowa that they felt it necessary to visit him as they would any other candidate. ron paul actually has been leading the polls has been in the top tier of the of national polling for a good portion of two thousand and eleven and until now when it's actually

i'm paul gigot. they squared off in a debate. and showing newt gingrich, mitt romney and ron paul, and the others tried to make a final impression on iowa voters. >> i kind of like these debates, and i hope obama and i debate a lot and i'll get there early and we'll get it on and talk about our differences which are great. i tell you, i hope i am the tim tebow of the iowa caucuses. >> i think that people, neil, are coming around to finding that i mean the consistent conservative in in race. >> they're coming around to find that i'm not going to pander. i'm not going to contort myself into a pretzel to please any audience i'm in front of and i'm not going to sign those silly pledges and now what else i'm not going to show up at a donald trump doe bait. >> paul: so did they succeed? joining the panel, wall street journal columnest dan hittinger-- did it change the contours of the race? >> i don't think so paul, i mean, i believe that the race is now between newt gingrich and mitt romney with ron paul probably playing the role of a

ron paul, 22. up until today, ron paul was leading. does that surprise you? >> you know, everything is so in flux right now. about half of iowans are completely undecided. that's why we decided to embark on our 99 county tour all across iowa. i'm in winterset, iowa right now, we're deep in the heart of madison county. this is our 94th county. what we've seen is something really remarkable. it's almost like an electric light switch was flipped and we're seeing people making their decision right now in these last few days. we've been overwhelmed with the support that we've seen across the state. i think what people are looking for is who is the genuine conservative? who has the core conviction? most importantly, who can take on barak obama and win? i think when people saw the last sioux city debate, they saw how i took on ron paul over the issue of a nuclear iran, and how i took on some of the other candidates on crony capitalism, they saw that that's exactly what i will do if barak obama in the debates, i'll defeat him and win in 2012 and get the country back

ron paul in the future. they believe this uneligibility argument about ron paul, they believe that's nonsense. look at recent polls that show head to head matchups with barack obama and ron paul. ron paul is consistentingly polling neck and neck with the president. so they don't think that the eligibility argument -- they don't believe that argument. they think their candidate can go on. >> he's facing heat from fellow candidates on foreign policy. some people even call him dangerous. what are they saying about that? >> right. ron paul has this golden rule foreign policy. he's telling his audience what will we think if a powerful nation did that to us? they think this is a strong message. it's getting huge krounds. last night over 700 people came out. every time ron paul talked about an anti-war message, they got a standing ovation. so he believes that message will carry him further. >> thank you for joining us this morning. good luck to you today. >> the new nbc poll shows texas republican rick perry fourth

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 crisis issues. they come over to his side the way they could have easily been convinced. you're at that age where you're receptive to ideas like that. he's added those people to the party. i think also because the economy collapsed in 2008, because he'd been predicting it for so long, doesn't really matter if he was wrong in previous instances, you know. the preachers who predict the rapture are ever right, are we going to forget they got it wrong 20 times? that happened to him. people in the republican party disagree with him on a lot of issues became more sympathetic to him. the coalition in iowa is partly the new voters and partly old-line conservatives who would have listened to him bef

i'm at paul revere. as leaders and representatives of this district, you all are deeply committed to social justice, equity, and to shattering the bribblings of power demographics. we do not want to be able to predict a student's opportunities in life based on the color of their skin or their income level. speaking to the commitment of those values at paul revere for the first time in over seven years and at least seven years, we met our a.y.p. goals in bong language arts and in math. we note that doesn't matter if students don't feel safe and aren't happy. but it also speaks to the fact that they are safe and happy because students cannot learn, you know, when they aren't safe and happy. we have made a lot of improvements to our school, but parents want more in our school. anyone who cares and they all do. i am so appreciative to all of the input that so many parents have given over the past years, over the past few months and most recently in a survey we sent home in both spanish and english and so far

ron paul story. she was talking about foreign policy. >> foreign policy. >> he wants to abolish the fed, abolish income taxes, cut $1 trillion from spending, wants to abolish half the government departments. >> when you start talking domestic, i'm all about ron paul. >> you are not all about ron paul. you put up a great fight, but you are not. >> it goes on with a testy exchange on the air that shows that maybe he is beginning to feel the heat we speak of. >> and also, people wanted ron paul to be examined in the media. >> and they're looking. >> they are looking. there were some comments made, racist comments in news letters which he profited from. >> well. >> and that were written in his voice and that he previously claimed authorship of some, although we don't know which. so there's a little ambiguity, he's denying he had anything to do with the ones that said that gays were trying to poison the blood supply with aids. he's saying he didn't write that, we don't know, because a few years ago he was

could ron paul play spoiler? the paul campaign is up with a new ad taking shots at his rivals. >> serial hypocrites and flip-floppers can't clean up the mess. one man stands alone. >> this hour, the ron paul factor. >>> plus, desperate measures? rick perry sues to get on the virginia primary ballot. >>> and death of a dictator. an elaborate farewell to north korea's kim jong-il. >>> i'm chris sill lis cillizza andrea mitchell today. with six days left to go mitt romney is rising while newt gingrich may be running out of steam. all those negative ads seem to have having an effect on gingrich's poll numbers and his effort to stay above the fray. >> if you want to attack people, at least be man enough to own it. you look at ron paul's total record of systemic avoidance of reality and you look at his newsletters and then you look at his ads, his ads areç about as accurate as his newsletters. >> jonathan capehart is an editorial writer for "the washington post" and an msnbc contributor and my friend and the best dre

paul. he is unwilling to stand up for the united states when it comes to dealing with a nuclear iran. >> you guys were arguing over questions of fact, whether or not there was -- >> there was an iaea report issued in november that said iran was perilously close to having the technology for a nuclear weapon. i sit on the intelligence committee, we deal with the nation's classified secrets. i cannot talk about a lot of that. >> we have ways to make you talk. >> no, you don't. there is a clear report that iran is perilously close to having a nuclear weapon. ron paul was essentially denying that the report exists. then he said the report was not worth anything later. the whole point is, ron paul would be a dangerous precedent for the united states. he has frightening views on foreign policy. after that debate, it was like an electric lights which went on across iowa. we began our tour in that area. the next day, that was all people wanted to talk about. we had more people come out to our meetin

that's how ron paul rolls. want to drain the swamp, ron paul, do it. >> i'm ron paul. i approve this message. >> that was republican presidential candidate ron paul's latest tv ad in the early voting states of iowa and new hampshire. ron paul is one of the few republican candidates who has not had his turn as front-runner, but he's now polling in second in iowa and third in new hampshire. ron paul, the only anti-war and anti-torture republican candidate, is now the most eloquent anti-trump candidate. he issued this statement in response to the announcement that donald trump would moderate a republican presidential candidates' debate. "the selection of a reality television personality to host a presidential debate that voters nationwide will be watching is beneath the office of the presidency and flies in the face of that office's history and dignity. to be sure, mr. trump's participation will contribute to an unwanted circus-like atmosphere." yesterday congressman paul added this observation about the constant stream of desperate republican candidates going to new york

ron ron paul is not going to the nomination not to win the nomination and is not the president ron paul is going to go the way of many other primary candidates which is he looks good from a far but when you take a look at him up close here and so attractive anymore. so as you can see it appears the mainstream media is no fan of paul but as he's surges in the polls could he be the change many americans long for and if so why is our campaign to silence him well to help me answer just that i spoke to director of grassroots political consulting. and as a ron paul continues to resonate with voters across the country i asked daniel why the mainstream media is choosing to focus on old letters rather than his message here says take. well i think there's a lot of it that is being fed to them by other campaigns and other candidates and so and it's sensational to discuss that point and try to bring another scandal to bear burden on another conservative in this race and it's being fed to them i mean as the media shouldn't they be able to determine what is important what is relevant what they should

. >> this libertarian primary which paul is going to win. >> ron paul may win this whole thing. >> if the weather is bad and it's real tough to get out, ron paul will win. >> and moderate primary, gingrich and romney are scrumming for. >> newt's new tact,'s attacking mitt romney as a massachusetts moderate. >> he's trying to come down and pretend to be a conservative. >> i believe abortion should be safe and legal in this country. >> speaker gingrich is a desperate candidate. >> he has more baggage than the airlines. >> newt gingrich did not make the ballot in virginia. >> three folks who are running as strong conservatives. >> gun todting is santorum. >> shotguns for christmas. >> we need a solution. >> that's the reason i call for a part-time congress. >> no republican has won the hearts and minds of the republican base. >> where is tim pawlenty right now? because he would be the guy you turn to. >>> today was a good day for the obama re-election campaign. but it was a tough day for the democratic party. the good news for the obama campaign is that the republicans running for presid

>>> i'm paul gigot. with five weeks to go for iowa caucuses, newt gingrich pulls ahead by a wide margin in a new national poll that has the former house speaker with 38% support of likely voters and he is leading is iowa, south carolina and florida. he has been capitalizing on the momentum pitching himself as the conservative alternative to mitt romney. >> i'm clearly the more conservative candidate. i helped ronald reagan and jack kemp develop the supply side of economics. i helped defeat communism. i helped balance the federal budget for four straight years. reform entitlement and take conservatism is, there is places where i have done that stuff. >> joining the panel, mary oh grady and dan henninger and jane freeman. dan, what is behind the gingrich surge? >> one of the things that is behind it, paul, there was always structural weaknesses in the come any campaign. he was running a campaign that was going to put one foot in the center. he needed to win independent voters. part of his appeal has been f

, paul for the presidency. is that your position as well? could you back paul for president if it came down to that? >> well, i intend to be the nominee of the republican party. >> if you were the nominee, where would you be? ominee. >> welcome back to "hardball." that's myself trying to get some information from congresswoman bachmann. i was asking her about whether if ron paul were the nominee, could she back him in theç general election, and she gave me an answer, which is she's going to be the nominee, which is a good answer. we're at java joe's. the story out of iowa could be the strong showing of ron paul. his supporters are passionate and well organized, a winning combination on caucus night. but with us -- but with his front-runner status has come new scrutiny of his background. he's been criticized for newsletters he published under his name in the late '80s and early '90s. paul said he didn't write them, but they were published under the name of ron paul and he did make some money from them. another

help ron paul. it probably helps santorum because it makes bachmann look weak. but there aren't a lot of bachmann poom who are necessarily going to go to ron paul. so on so many levels i think santorum's doing well. >> well, john, also the polls make it look like romney will finish at least in the top two. is this big trouble if he doesn't meet expectations here? >> it's absolutely -- it is high-stakes stuff. i heard all through the day today that romney's people were going back and forth on whether they should position him in iowa on tuesday night or have him be in new hampshire. struggling with the question of whether he should be here to claim a big victory or get out fast to avoid any embarrassment. that's how high stakes this is. and remember, the dynamic of the caucuses are such that if you see the gingrich supportç and e santorum support come together and then throw in some bachmann and perry numbers there, santorum could well finish very high up in that number. >> and rick green, i've got

could win and i would because of his organization there so does a ron paul win in iowa then leave the door open for romney to win new hampshire and make this and easy run through the primaries by contrast mitt romney has a massive and sprawling organization and then there's ron paul who is right there in the top tier in many polls that are statistically tied for a three way conversation with randy and gingrich. all right so that's right ron paul is now in the number one spot on i with twenty three percent of likely republican caucus voters behind him in the latest poll i know that we talk about this all the time how the media barely gives this man any coverage but here it just becomes so much more blatantly obvious he's number one in the poll and they either really just quickly kind of glaze over that and then move on to the other candidates and what this means for their campaigns or they just don't even mention paul and instead only talk about newt gingrich and mitt romney i mean it's just absurd especially if you think about the way the mainstream media had a collective heart attack

ron paul freedom report and the ron paul investment letter. and contain lines like this one referring to the 19992 riots in los angeles. "order was only restored in l.a. when it came time for the blacks to pick up their welfare checks." though paul has touted his newsletters in the past. >> i also put out a political type of business investment newsletter. >> he since denied writing and in some cases even reading some of the newsletters that bore his name. after being pressed repeatedly about it this week, he had enough. >> i didn't rewrite them. i didn't read them at the time. i disavow them. >> these things are pretty incendiary. >> to people like you. >> now ron paul wants to us believe he didn't know anything about the newsletters though he was profiting from them. >> then there is this. paul talking about the man he terms the whistle blower behind wikileaks. >> should he be locked up and imprisoned? or should we, you know, see him as a political hero? maybe he is a true patriot that reveals that what is going on. >> this kind of thing sai

peter, any kind of reaction to this from ron paul? >> reporter: yeah, the paul campaign, up like controversial newsletters that surfaced in both of his presidential campaigns, he kind of dismissed those and said, a ghost writer did those, i wasn't aware because his name wasn't on it. his name is on this book and the paul campaign told me he wrote it he's been an unapologetic defend or of personal liberties but this presents a two-fold problem for ron paul. he can't say someone else wrote these things. they are not perhaps inflammatory as what was in the newspaper -- newsletters, rather, they're certainly controversial. and ron paul's competing aggressively for independent voters here in iowa. also in new hampshire and south carolina where independents can vote in the republican primary. you know as much as ron paul's tried to say his views on debt and spending are in the republican mainstream, this is another reminder his libertarian views might be too far out there for many republican voters and not palatable for most. 6% of republic

then you have ron paul, get out of my life. it was a little bit unpredictable and maybe we shouldn't take is as seriously as we are. >> john, you're over there, whags what is the mood like at ron paul headquarters versus mitt romney headquarters? >> i think both campaigns are on high. there's no question as you pointed out that the romney decision to stay here is do the morning interviews after the caucuses reflects a very high degree of confidence. not just on the basis of the public polling we saw yesterday, the times cnn poll that put him ahead. i think they believe they have a good chance of winning caucuses. it is a very risky thing to do to stay here. if somehow he comes in second, it wouldn't be quite so bad to ron paul. if he somehow slipped to third it would be quite embarrassing to have him here then off in new hampshire where he must win but reflects a high degree of confidence. the paul people believe that they are a campaign of destiny. and i was in a ron paul -- >> a campaign of destiny should be the new slogan. s

is ron paul. michele bachmann commented on that. and joanne, i want to play this for you and get your response. >> he'd have a lot of difficulty voting for him, ron paul won't be the nominee, i will be the nominee of our party. he won't win the nomination, i will. >> she's not the only one to say that they would not vote for ron paul if he were the nom flee. >> ron paul has always had a problem within the republican ç establishment. michele bachmann is part of the establishment. ron paul's foreign policy is very much against what the republican party has stood for, he's considered looney to them. if he wins, let's say the iowa caucuses and michelle doesn't get completely pushed out, you have so many people in it can only help romney. >> we're starting to see this get ugly, though, certainly. newt going negative, more words of zany, crazy, circus. will this hurt the gop as we see all this infight something. >> i think it depends on how long it gets stretched out. if it's wrapped up in january, th

was introduced to the ron paul supporting crowd. up until tonight mr. sorensen had been serving as an iowa state co-chair for the michele bachmann campaign. the reason he was being introduced at a ron paul roll was to announce he's switching sides. >> tonight's been tough for me. i've been serving as michele bachmann's state chair over the lastç year. and while michele has fought tremendously for my conservative values, i believe we're at a turning point in this campaign. i believe we have an opportunity

i'm paul gigot. they squared off in a debate. and showing newt gingrich, mitt romney and ron paul, and the others tried to make a final impression on iowa voters. >> i kind of like these debates, and i hope obama and i debate a lot and i'll get there early and we'll get it on and talk about our differences which are great. i tell you, i hope i am the tim tebow of the iowa caucuses. >> i think that people, neil, are coming around to finding that i mean the consistent conservative in in race. >> they're coming around to find that i'm not going to pander. i'm not going to contort myself into a pretzel to please any audience i'm in front of and i'm not going to sign those silly pledges and now what else i'm not going to show up at a donald trump doe bait. >> paul: so did they succeed? joining the panel, wall street journal columnest dan hittinger-- did it change the contours of the race? >> i don't think so paul, i mean, i believe that the race is now between newt gingrich and mitt romney with ron paul probably playing the role of a

adding "i love ron paul." clarkson some backlash among fans who were enraged because of the recent controversy over ron paul's racist and homophobic newsletters. clarkson later tweeted an apology of sorts saying she does not support racism or homophobia but she is sticking by her support for ron paul. meanwhile, rick santorum spent his day on the xhan trail in iowa amid lots of chatter about whether his recently improved polling numbers in the state actually mean anything significant. for reasons that have everything to do with google i hesitate to use the word "surge." a concern this headline writer for the "philadelphia daily news" did not share. his headline prompted the absolutely best twitter exchange of the day, if not ever. dan u-a tweeting rick santorum to say "great to see this headline on philly.com. santorum surges from behind in iowa. can i get a retweet?" and rick santorum did it. he retweeted. but he is still not going to win in iowa or anywhere else for that matter. not so for mr. willard mitt r

adding "i love ron paul." that won clarkson some backlash among fans who were enraged because of the recent controversy over ron paul's racist and homophobic newsletters. clarkson later tweeted an apology of sorts saying she does not support racism or homophobia but she is sticking by her support for ron paul. meanwhile, rick santorum spent his day on the xhan trail in iowa amid lots of chatter about whether his recently improved polling numbers in the state actually mean anything significant. for reasons that have everything to do with google i hesitate to use the word "surge." a concern this headline writer for the "philadelphia daily news" did not share. his headline prompted the absolutely best twitter exchange of the day, if not ever. dan u-a tweeting rick santorum to say "great to see this headline on philly.com. santorum surges from behind in iowa. can i get a retweet?" and rick santorum did it. he retweeted. but he is still not going to win in iowa or anywhere else for that matter. not so for mr. willa