the tea party a very conservative. one of our interviewees told me that he considers himself just a little bit to the right of attila the hun. just because they are conservative doesn't mean they are always happy with the republican party. they can always vote for a democrat, certainly. that doesn't mean they don't want to push the republican party rightward. that's what we've seen. >> it's easier to push the republican party rightward if they think your vote is at steak, though. you found there's really no circumstances under which tea partyers would support a third party movement or god forbid a democrat. is that right? >> almost none. we found people were very pragmatic about what it takes to beat democrats or to get rid of barack obama, which is the number one goal. and i think mitt romney has been banking on that. he's been assuming that if he can just ride through this turbulent period in the republican primaries, where tea party identified people are the most active and attentive of the republican base, that he'

with the tea party supreme had a chance to see what the tea party looks like, what a tea party legislator is going to do once he or she gets to congress. what kind of policies they're going to propose, what what it would mean for voters back home. that's what they're reacting to. >> woodruff: i want to ask both of you what you think this could mean for the elections of next year, president, and congressional? andy, what do you see? >> well, if the republican party continues to have a less favorable image, it's seen as a party associated with extreme positions and off very conservative candidate it might hurt the very conservative candidate. the other thing it could conceivably do if there's a republican victor and the republican party and tea party don't recover, down the ticket republicans might do less well with regard to congress than they might have if the republican party and the tea party had stronger images. there's one thing i'd like that add... well, go ahead. >> woodruff: i wanted kate's input on that question if we could. kate, looking at next year, what do you think this could

with the tea party supreme had a chance to see what the tea party looks like, what a tea party legislator is going to do once he or she gets to coress. what kind of policies they're going to propose, what what it would mean for voters back home. that's what they're reacting to. >> woodruff: i want to ask both of you what you think this could mean for the elections of next year, president, and congressional? andy, what do you see? >> well, if the republican party continues to have a less favorable image, it's seen as a party associated with extreme positions and off very conservative candidate it might hurt the very conservative candidate. the other thing it could conceivably do if there's a republican victor and the republican party and tea party don't recover, down the ticket republicans might do less well with regard to congress than they might have if the republican party and the tea party had stronger images. there's one thing i'd like that add... well, go ahead. >> woodruff: i wanted kate's input on that question if we could. kate, looking at next year, what do you think this could p

and tea parties. i'll have more awkward conversations than i'm equipped for because i'm raising two girls on my own. i'll worry about the economy more than a few times before they're grown. but it's for them, so i've found a way. who matters most to you says the most about you. massmutual is owned by our policyholders so they matter most to us. massmutual. we'll help you get there. okay... uhh. the bad news, it's probably totaled. the good news is, you don't have to pay your deductible. with vanishing deductible from nationwide insurance, you got $100 off for every year of safe driving, so now your deductible is zero. the other good news ? i held on to your coffee. wow. ♪ nationwide is on your side ( laughing ) it's actually a pretty good day when you consider. that's great. >>> we start the second half of our show with stories we care about. we do the reporting, focus on the work and find the "outfront" five. >>> first, top secret american technology in the hands of iran tonight. they have the cia'

the tea party. the east india company was trying to corner the tea market after all it was the drink of choice of the colonists and there's pretty much a tea shop on every corner in america we imported millions of pounds of tea every year and most of it was brought in by small american entrepreneurs what the british called smuggler's and the east india company wanted to put those smugglers out of business and their strategy undercut their prices they wanted to pull a wal-mart but the colonists were having none of it as hughes wrote trying to get around the east india company quote render the smuggling of tea an object that was frequently practiced and the resolutions against using it the colonists resolutions against using the tea had greatly diminished the importation into the colonies of this commodity in other words the colonists boycott was hurting the east india company. meanwhile hughes noted an immense quality and an immense quantity of it accumulated in the warehouses of the east india compa

diego tea party or the arizona tea party or the iowa tea party. is that part of the issue here in the sense that it's loosely fit, you can be a protest movement and have a big impact on an election but when you're part of a governing coalition, it's not really an organization, per se? >> right. there's a little more to it than that as well. what was the defining issue of the tea party movement? it was the president's health care plan. and after the president's health care plan, it was spending. now the tea party movement is broken off. they have different opinions on how to handle unemployment benefits, different opinions on how to handle the payroll tax and different opinions on the candidate who's best to pit against barack obama. the tea party movement really is a very divided movement right now and doesn't have one central issue rallying everything around it. >> i want to show a new survey out today. some of the polls are public like this poll. there's some conflict in them. this is a reputable polling group. ron paul, 21%. mitt romney, 20%. g

team who studied the tea party movement found active participants in the broader circles of tea party supporters come from similar social backgrounds. although not every active tea partyer is a senior citizen, most are middle-aged and beyond. a key social characteristic. older, middle class white people, tea partyers are better cushioned against economic upheaval than younger americans, especially minorities. lots of older middle class people in the tea party. another key conclusion of the new book studying the tea party is the tea partyers for the most part know what medicare and social security are. they're not dumb. they get those are government programs. if you've seen the guy holding the sign that says keep the government hands off your health care, it's probably photo shopped. most tea partyers understand what's going on with federal benef benefits. they're very comfortable with social security and medicare for the most part. they're very comfortable with those things they are getting, as older middle class americans. they're comfortable with anything they are getting. again, th

most people agree with the tea party. if you ask people do you think that government should spend less money than what it takes in, most people agree with that. do you think that the government should follow the constitution. most people agree. those are the three core principles of the tea party movement. so people agree with the essence of the tea party. that's why i believe fundamentally they have the strength. the strength is not with occupy wall street. if you go to the essence of what occupy wall street stands for? it's having other people pay for their stuff. that's not where the american people are at. that's why i think you're going to see a very strong, bold turnout in the elections. because people are turning against barack obama in his failed policies. >> let me ask you about those tax cuts. because you are opposed to extending the tax cuts now in place whereby people are not paying as much in payroll taxes as they had been last year. so that's a tax cut that will go away in january unless congress does someth

tea party railed against earmarks. waste of money. there's a lot of older members who have been here for a while of who say earmarks is a way to prove to my constituents that i'm doing something in washington, i built that road, i built that hospital, i built that park. you see the divide there. what is very fascinating though on the hill, alex, is that of the new gop freshman class, about 63, i believe the number's around 39 or 40 of those members had never held elected office before. as we see the divide, folks who have never had elected office in my capacity that have come from all different walks of life, i mean, in the freshman gop class, you have a guy who is an auctioneer, a guy who owned a pizza parlor. >> pizza magnet, don't count them out. nothing bad about pizza. >> not at all. but you have these folks who come from very different backgrounds that are not usually political ones and they're sort of input on how things get done here is very different than what you would expect from a politician. and you can kind of see the di

and, you know, as far as the tea party is concerned, although i'm not a member of the tea party, i support their ideals of getting our debt under control and the size of the government under control. it is completely out of whack. washington's upside down, people voted for me because they want me to try to change things. i just tried to change things with this vote saying that one year was better policy and look what happened. politics prevailed. all the rhetoric in the world -- >> i'm with you. i'm against rhetoric. let me ask you this. >> it's your business. >> well, no, you can say that. you can always make fun of somebody. here's the question, it looks to me the only way you cut a deal in congress and get it signed by the president is a democrat who disagrees with you is to reach a compromise. why don't you go with a big compromise? a big set of spending cuts if you can get them with some kind of revenue increase for the better off people rather than this road block where nothing gets agreed upon? >> well, that's why i'm part of something called the "go big" caucus. there's 145 of us,

party or tea partiers with the republicans? we're foung to talk about tea partiers about the christmas gift. you eyre watching "hardball" on msnbc. [ female announcer ] the healing power of touch can be even more powerful, with precise pain relieving heat patch. it blocks pain signals for deep relief precisely where you need it most. precise. only from the makers of tylenol. >>> sometimes it's hard to do the right thing. and sometimes it's politically difficult to do the right thing. but you know, when everybody called for a one-year extension of the payroll tax deduction, when everybody wanted a full year of extended unemployment benefits, we were here fighting for the right things. may not have been politically the smartest thing in the world, but i'm going to tell you what, i think our members waged a good fight. >> what a normal seeming person that guy is in the end. welcome back to "hardball." that was john boehner yesterday trying his best to explain the payroll tax deal. when he was asked by a reporter whether or not he

and, you know, as far as the tea party is concerned, although i'm not a member of the tea party, i support their ideals of getting our debt under control and the size of the government under control. it is completely out of whack. washington's upside down, people voted for me because they want me to try to change things. i just tried to change things with this vote saying that one year was better policy and look what happened. politics prevailed. all the rhetoric in the world -- >> i'm with you. i'm against rhetoric. >> it's your business. >> well, no, you can say that. you can always make fun of somebody. here's the question, it looks to me the only way you cut a deal in congress and get it signed by the president is a democrat who disagrees with you is to reach a compromise. why don't you go with a big compromise? a big set of spending cuts if you can get them with some kind of revenue increase for the better off people rather than this road block where nothing gets agreed upon? >> well, that's why i'm part of something called the "go big" caucus. sitting down, three, four times a week t

but here's what the tea party is going to do. they're going to get a heck of a lot more belligerent. they're going to get more determined and focus big time on spending. they don't care what they cut. they want obama out and they do not want to raise taxes. and the president has as much said there won't be a revenue component. let's see where it all breaks down. but right now, to focus even though it's the holiday season on this mutiny that's taking place within the republican party, i find very interesting. will they go more radical? or will they being more reasoned? get your cell phone os out. will the payroll tax fight cost the gop the house and senate in 2012? put on your prognostication hat and give us an answer tonight. our blog is there for you. we'll bring you the results later on in the show. now communication is going to be a big thing for the republicans. so let's turn to karen finney tonight. and former dnc communications director. karen, it would seem to me that republicans got to get behind closed doors here and fig

and tea parties. i'll have more awkward conversations than i'm equipped for because i'm raising two girls on my own. i'll worry about the economy more than a few times before they're grown. but it's for them, so i've found a way. who matters most to you says the most about you. massmutual is owned by our policyholders so they matter most to us. massmutual. we'll help you get there. ♪ imagine me and you, i do ♪ i think about you day and night ♪ ♪ it's only right ♪ to think about the girl you love ♪ ♪ and hold her tight ♪ so happy together [ male announcer ] when life changes, so can your insurances needs. use travelers free guide to better coverage to stay prepared. is your auto and home insurance keeping up with you? contact your local travelers agent, or call 800-my-coverage. >>> we want to give credit for this segment to a 19th century british prime minister, benjamin disraeli. he once said there are three kinds of lies -- lies, damn lies, and statistics. this segment is about the un

those aren't tea party values. the three core values of fiscal responsibility, that's jeffersonian, and he'sen a jeffersonian. >> it would be interesting just to consider what might have happened if we didn't have that t.a.r.p. bailout. since we did make some money on it, but that's a totally separate issue and you have a view about government support. i understand that. is there -- are you going to go for mitt romney then? i know you don't really like his policies either, michael. >> no. i mean, if he were to grade mitt and newt, they'd both get cs or ds. barack obama gets an f, so let's be clear. the tea party movement in my opinion will support whoever the republican nominee is, because we do not want an f student in the white house. but if you look at the tea party core values, probably michele bachmann gets the best grade. >> michele bachmann, which you gave her an a minus, but she's not going to -- it's safe to say at this point, it would require a miracle for her to get the nomination. mark, let me ask you,

don't the tea party members know that boehner is gutless? and they can just move them any way they want to move him? what do you think of that? >> boehner is being moved like a chess piece by the tea partyers. this is going to continue until moderate realistic republicans stand up. now, where is mitt romney on this, okay? mitt romney said that the $1,000 tax cut that the president was proposing here was a quote/unquote band-aid. maybe it's a band-aid to mitt romney, but it's a big deal to the american people. why doesn't he at this critical point show leadership and stand up? if he's not going to do it now, how in the world can he do it in the white house? >> to seems to me a friction starting now between the republicans in the senate and the house. republican scott brown, senator of massachusetts blasted house republicans today. he said "the house republicans plan to scuttle the deal to help middle class families is irresponsible and wrong." why do you think house republicans are sabotaging the economy? what do they have to gain at this poi

i'm joined now by tea party nation founder and ceo judson phillips. sir, let's start with this, we've seen five national front runners so far. who do you think? who's the best candidate for the tea party in your view? >> heyish richard, good morning. well, i've got to say on the front end, i'm a little biased. i came out in september and i endorsed gingrich. the tea party vote is split among a number of candidates because there's a number of good candidates. there's gingrich, there's michele bachmann, there's rick perry. there's rick santorum. so, the tea party vote is split a lot. >> did you change your endorsement. was it always newt for you, or did you have thoughts of other candidates, too? >> i took a serious look at the other candidates, including michele bachmann. at tend of the day, i ended up announcing i was going to support newt for a variety of reasons. not the least of which, in 1994 he led a pretty good conservative revolution in washington. and that's what i'm looking for in 2012. i don't want to just put some guy in there. i want to ch

those aren't tea party values. the three core values of fiscal responsibility, that's jeffersonian, and he'sen a jeffersonian. >> it would be interesting just to consider what might have happened if we didn't have that t.a.r.p. bailout. since we did make some money on it, but that's a totally separate issue and you have a view about government support. i understand that. is there -- are you going to go for mitt romney then? i know you don't really like his policies either, michael. >> no. i mean, if he were to grade mitt and newt, they'd both get cs or ds. barack obama gets an f, so let's be clear. the tea party movement in my opinion will support whoever the republican nominee is, because we do not want an f student in the white house. but if you look at the tea party core values, probably michele bachmann gets the best grade. >> michele bachmann, which you gave her an a minus, but she's not going to -- it's safe to say at this point it would require a miracle for her to get the nomination. do you share the same s

tea party patriots, the dallas tea party and the tea party coalition and none are ready to make a formal endorsement yet. one thing that stood out to me is you have tea party registered voters who are going to vote republican primaries who identify themselves as quote unquote tea partiers. they overwhelmingly are supporting newt gingrich. take florida. 62% of supporters take gingrich. in iowa, 42% of them. you see that there but not with the overall groups. michael leahy has gone so far as to grade've of the candidates on how they fair for his metrics for being a tea party loyalist, most of these are on if fiscal side, not the socialist side. he's got newt gingrich at a c minus. >> who are they in love with? anybody? >> what's amazing on this, it's going to say michele bachmann, a minus, rick santorum, b minus and these are the people now that obviously the rank and file voters are not leaning towards, so we're going to see tonight if we can get any of these folks to say what's it going to take for you to make a commitment and are we going to get any of these main big tea party leaders t

don't the tea party members know that boehner is gutless? and they can just move them any way they want to move him? what do you think of that? >> boehner is being moved like a chess piece by the tea partiers. this is going to continue until moderate realistic republicans stand up. now, where is mitt romney on this, okay? mitt romney said that the $1,000 tax cut that the president was proposing here was a, quote, unquote, band-aid. maybe it's a band-aid to mitt romney, but it's a big deal to the american people. why doesn't he at this critical point show leadership and stand up? if he's not going to do it now, how in the world can he do it in the white house? could we have really -- >> it seems to me a friction starting now between the republicans in the senate and the house. republican scott brown, senator of massachusetts, blasted house republicans today. he said, "the house republicans' plan to scuttle the deal to help middle class families is irresponsible and wrong." why do you think house republicans are sabotaging the economy? what do

that alienates independents. >> ron paul has categorized himself as the tea party before tea party was cool or before it existed. he's running a new ad in iowa which seems to be aimed at pitching himself as a tea party candidate. let's run just a little bit of that ad. >> consistent, incorruptible, guided by faith and principle. ron paul, the one we've been looking for. >> the one we've been looking for. is ron paul the one tea party supporters have been looking for, matt? >> well, i think if you look at the crowded field in iowa, i don't think tea partiers have settled on a candidate. in a sense, all of these candidates, and ron paul has a legitimate claim to have been there early on these issues, but a lot of the candidates evare talking the talk and we're looking for someone who is authentic and can win because we do have to beat president obama. i think tea partiers are pragmatic enough to combine those issues. we're not just looking for purity and purity that's going to lose in november. >> thank you. >> thank you. >>> could mitt romney be headed to a first place finish in iowa? a

i have visited with many tea party groups. they've not pledged support, but they understand my position, and some even are going to be voting for me. the point i'm trying to make is that i think it is useful to understand a republican majority in the senate is very important. and republicans who are running for re-election ought to be supported by people who want to see that majority. and so i think the majority of tea party people understand that, too. >> just so i know what you mean, is you think that you have the best chance of keeping this seat republican and that's what you're -- >> yes, no doubt from all of our polling and understanding that that is the case, and that as a matter of fact, if i was not the nominee, it might be lost. that i think is important, whether it is tea party or anybody else to understand, because republicans lost the seat before in nevada and new jersey, for example, and colorado. there were people who claim that they wanted somebody who was more of their tea party aspect, but in doing so they kil

these are pich ple who donated o tea party patriots, found us on our wll the tea party movement. >> gpwota: thaork you. iicp sure yoy whwill be watching the caucus as we will be too. >>> straight ahead, is it comfortpjle, sarah palin putting her hat in the ring, could she planning a run for the presidency. hear from her nmapan you kash nmb breaks out in the middle of the store this wasn't any flash mn ab. n thopu on the football field. electric cart takes a life of its own and you can see it for youictelf. that is all next. >> greta: here is the best of the rest. former alaskan governor, in a stunner, she says it's not too late. she said she would not seek the gop nomination but tonight on fox network she was asked if she might change her mind. >> it's not too late for folks to jump in. who knows what will happen in the future. >> greta: governor palin told fox she felt no enthusiasm for anyone in the current field. >> this the scene you don't see very often. a senior citizen flash mob. it broke out at target store. they started singing and dancing to "last christmas." one gentleman also w

the tea party. the east india company was trying to corner the tea market after all it was the drink of choice of the colonists and there's pretty much a tea shop on every corner in america we imported millions of pounds of tea every year and most of it was brought in by small american entrepreneurs what the british called smuggler's and the east india company wanted to put those smugglers out of business and their strategy undercut their prices they wanted to pull a wal-mart but the colonists were having none of it as hughes wrote. trying to get around the east india company quote render the smuggling of tea an object that was frequently practiced and the resolutions against using it the colonists resolutions against using the tea had greatly diminished the importation into the colonies of this commodity in other words the colonists boycott was hurting the east india company. meanwhile hughes noted an immense quality of an immense quantity of it accumulated in the warehouses of the east india compa

they've lost control of the tea party. they used it to generate excitement about the republican brand but now the tea party may put newt ging flich rich in as nominee which is why "the wall street journal," the national review, george will, bill bennett, rudy giuliani, all recently have been attacking gingrich. they are trying to get control of the party. >> and suggestions, too, if gingrich is the candidate that california, so many congressional districts could flip democratic. that the house could go democratic. >> belva: to the big number. the occupy people use it more than others. and that's jobs. wanting jobs for -- the kind of jobs they say are middle class jobs. talk about the employment picture. how important and what impact. >> quick numbers. in the usa, exactly 12 months ago it was 9.4% unemployment. today it is 8.6%. in california it was 12.4%. today it is 11.3%. in housing, housing prices, median bay area housing prices went up from $480,000 to today's $550,000. plus 14%. but sales are down 19% because while th

multiple tea parties, not one cohesive unit. gwen: she said she started the tea party caucus in congress and one time ran on that. >> but she hasn't been able to benefit from ads or spending or active grass roots campaigning. they first seemed like they would maybe like gingrich for a little while. ron paul calls himself the original tea partier. so you have not seen any cohesion and there have not been any tea party rallies in almost a year. gwen: give us a sense of what you are watching for as far as toss-ups in some of these races. i think about scott brown in massachusetts, who seems to be tacking a little to the left to hold his own against elizabeth warren. anything else you're watch something >> i have to say the senate obviously is up for grabs. just by the math. democrats control the senate with 53 seats, 47 republican seats. the most important number is nine, that's the number of seats that are considered competitive. seven of which are held by democrats, just two by republicans. just by the math democrats face an uphi

is the republican party and the tea party on the wrong side of this issue? >> well, i would have to admit, we would probably lose the public relations battle but it depends how you ask the question. pat toomey created a budget we supported as republicans that balanced the budge net ten years without cutting social security or medicare and without raising taxes. all we have to do is keep spending at today's level, we don't have to raise taxes on those creating jobs and that's what the president is talking about. business people know that he's all politics and no real policy right now. and this is a debate we're going to have to figure out how to win with the american people because promising more money is something that most people want. it's a battle that we have to take to the american people and hope we can win. >> a battle that begins four weeks from tonight in iowa, 45 days from the primary in your state. listen, senator, to a conversation we had the morning after the election back in 2010. you're a tea party favorite, conservatives follow your lead. bac

the tea party is now running to them. why? because now he needs a new nbc poll shows 70% of republicans consider themselves conservatives. 57% see newt as conservative. but only 29% see willard as conservative. but the big question is, can romney get conservative to believe he's one of them. joining me now is judson phillips, founder of the tea party nation. thanks for being here tonight. >> hey, al, thanks for inviting me. >> willard romney, tea party, do you buy it? >> that's the laugh of the day. you know, in the conservative movement, a lot of times we refer to mitt romney as mit for brains. but, no, he's not a part of the tea party. he has turned up his nose at us on more times than i can count and now the only time he shows any interest in the tea party movement is when we need the votes. we were born in the dark, but it wasn't last night. >> well, he's come out for the paul ryan budget plan, he's come out and demonized poor children, he's come out and said a lot of things that you guys agree with. is it too little,

in this race who is the embodiment of the tea party, michele bachmann who invented the tea party caucus, ain't doing so hot right now. >> and that, again, goes -- i don't mean to keep par paron parparrotting, you go too far and it ends up being so many are disenchanted. does that mean that the republicans are overreaching and they're disempowered or are the tea party more powerful? they're the ones that pulled john boehner this week. >> i think this is the existential crisis they face, they begin their second year trying to unseat the president. whether they can find a fom me to that can -- nominee who can unite the two wings, the tug of war has been going on all year. i think it's possible it may not be timed well enough to pull them back together. >> does that explain this interesting and weird precampaign year we've seen so far where every week on this program there's been a different front-runner and they've been up and they've been down and the up usually corresponds with their outsiderness and the down, they take themselves down or someone else decides they're not the solution. wh

that the tea party moment is over. that whatever rift there was between the tea party and the republican establishment has apparently been healed. how else do you explain the fact that mitt romney is now on top in iowa, a place where only a tiny number of the most ideologically zealous members of the base even participate? a place that is not traditionally friendly to perceived non-zealots. a place that has a history of bucking the establishment pick, of elevating guys like pat buchanan and pat robertson and mike huckabee. in this era of the anti-establishment, in this era of the tea party, here's mr. establishment now poised to possibly win iowa. those of us who thought republican politics in 2012 were going to mirror republican politics of 2010 now look i think about as prescient as those who were saying hillary clinton had it all locked up four years ago today. joining us now from java joe's in des moines, iowa, a coffee ç shop you may be familiar with from such guests as our priest defense, is karen tumulty, nati