now is not my time. >> we saw the governor's sense of humor, the command of the room as he answered questions for a long time. gin acosta was right there. he was heavily urged to run, he was flattered, the pressure came from people of high stature, in the end it wasn't enough, why? >> reporter: well, john, answering that question should take a couple of minutes but chris christie, who never is at a loss for words held court in the news conference room for an hour and listened as every reporter in the room basically poked him with a stick, trying to get at why he was not going to make this decision to run for president. he was asked about whether or not it was that compressed primary calendar that all of the republican conditions are looking at right now. he was asked about his weight, whether or not his health might be an issue. he was asked whether his views as a republican are just too moderate for the party. but in the end chris christie said you could not get around one issue, he's only been in office 20 months, john, and he has things to accomplish here in new jersey. he say his wants to take on things like education reform. so governor christie said, as he said during that press conference earlier today, sorry, new jersey, you're stuck with me. but he did indicate, at least perhaps, what might be another hanging reason out there why he's not running for president. he said that he may, in fact, run for political office in the future after his time is up here as governor of new jersey. perhaps this is more about 2016 and not about 2012. >> jim acosta in new jersey. the governor said he was not interested being the vice presidential candidate. if he was picked, the president might need a food taste. >> amanda knox on her way home to seattle, washington. her plane due to land in two hours. the brother of meredith kirchner, knox's dead roommate, says the familiar accepts the court's decision to overturn that murder conviction of knox and her one-time boyfriend but kircher's sister says the family can't forgive anyone until they know the truth. drew griffin is waiting for knox's plane. there has to be a great sense of anticipation among the community. what's the scene like. >> reporter: the scene's chaotic where the media's been told we'll get to see amanda knox and hear from her parents. you can see the gaggle of press behind me, this is two hours in advance. the idea is two-foal. everybody knows they want to see amanda knox on american soil in seattle. the family's desperately hoping this will pacify just a media that is insatiable at this upon. they're afraid she is going to be literally pestered once she gets here. so they're trying to make an appearance where at least she can spend the next few days settling down, getting back to life, as normal as she can here in seattle, washington. >> reporter: so many questions. will she need counselling? will she need any other help adjusting after being from n. prison going through the ordeal. the family faces court costs and other court, will she try to sell her story? in idea what's next nor amanda knox? >> reporter: this is what we have been told, prior to amanda's release. but they are going to try to go dark as they say, for about six weeks, and try to decide what they're going to do. amanda knox does fancy herself as a writer, and we do know there have been several overt offers for book deals. the family has been mortgaged to the hilt, the grandmother borrowed an incredible amount of money to pay for the defense. they're not a rich family. i would believe they would try to recoup some of their floss some kind of a book or movie deal i'm not sure what. but they're exploring all of those activities. >> drew griffin on the ground for us in seattle. we'll keep our eye on that town as amanda knox makes her way home. detroit, a bizarre first day of jury selection in the trial of the man known as the underwear bomber. he is accused of trying to detonate a bomb aboard an airliner on christmas day in 2009. he's also, what makes the trial bizarre, acting as his own attorney. in court today, he shouted that the terrorists al awlaki is still alive and said islam ma's fighter will, quote, wipe out the cancer, united states. wuone person did, four injud after a private helicopter crashed in the east river. bloomberg briefed reporters moments ago. >> apparently, four out of the five people got out of the helicopter on their own. the fifth was trapped in the helicopter, whether they were conscious at the time or not, we just don't know. >> the government agency in charge of screening air travelers unveiled a new program to shorten time some frequent flyers spend in security lines. for now available to delta passengers in american and detroit. if the program works, the government says it will be expanded. today a somali private sentenced to life in prison for his rule of hijacking of a yacht. the four americans aboard the yacht and held hostage, then shot to death. republicans in the house judiciary committee called for a special counsel investigation of the attorney general, eric holder. documents leaked to cnn and news organizations indicate holder may have known about a botched gun operation earlier than he indicated during testimony before that same committee back in may. a justice department source rejects that characterization. the program, operation fast and furious, was supposed to trace how u.s. guns got into the hands of mexican drug cartels. until some of the guns allowed to go south of the border started turning up at murder scenes in both krun tris? apple executives unveiled an iphone upgrade called the iphone 4s. wall street expecting a more radically designed iphone 5. apple stock closed down. the market closed up but though it was sharply lower nor most of the day. what was the spark for late-day rally? >> it was a stunning reversal in the final 10 to 30 minutes of the day. stocks deep in the red most of date and in the final ten minutes of the day the dow jumped up 150 points. we heard traders cheer when the dow crossed into positive territory and stayed there. what did it? a report came out that european officials are working on a plan to help shore up european banks. you have to understand what's been weighing down the markets, the european debt issues, worries that greece could default, the worries that europe can't get a handle on its debt earns. it's enough to push the s&p 500 to trade in bear market territory. traded 20% off of its highs since april. the one headline sent the dow up 153 points. >> safe to assume a bad headline tomorrow or the next day could send us back close to bear market? >> it could. with this kind of market that you're seeing it really has more sort of downside risks than upside potential at this point because the reality is nothing has changed between when the opening bell rang and when we heard the closing bell. we have anemic growth in the u.s., jobs mark, the housing markets are weak, europe still has to get a handle on its debt problems. nothing has happened in that respect. now wall street is looking for third quarter earning season. already it's not looking good. analysts have downgraded expectations especially with banks. so it looks to be, could be a weak earning season. you know, there could be an upside surprise. but it doesn't look that way. bottom line with the market, europe and greece are driving the bus, and what wall street is looking for is something concrete, some concrete resolution, before we see the market hold on to its gains. john? >> alison kosik, live in new york. in testimony to congress today, ben bernanke predicted the second half of 2011 will see better economic growth than the first half. but -- >> it is clear that overall, the recovery from the crisis has been much less robust than we had hoped. recent revisions of government economic data show that the recession was even deeper and the recovery even weaker than previously estimated. >> the u.s. government will be open for business tomorrow. this afternoon the house passed yet another temporary spending bill. this one funds the government through mid-november. still ahead tonight -- can you make the case for four more years after conceding the first four weren't so great? first, a new cold war with china, the house intelligence committee chairman tells us beijing is stealing american business secrets at an astounding rate and warns american workers, that means you are the real victims. ♪ ♪ ♪ that should do it. enjoy your new shower. [ door opens, closes ] breaking news on capitol hill. after a dire warning about the level of chinese espionage, both corporate and military targeting the united states. listen here to the charm of the house intelligence committee. >> china's economic espionage has reached an intolerable level and i believe the united states and our allies have an obligation to confront beijing and demand they put a stop to this piracy. >> find out what he means moments ago i spoke to the chairman, mike rogers. >> chairman rogers, you say intolerable level the united states and its allies need to do something about it. what specifically what specifically do you think the united states should do to retaliate against china for this? >> first of all we've got get our act together here. we need to give our intelligence community and the private sector the tools that they need and we have policy, you know, the laws have not been updated really to address this onslaught of state-sponsored cyberindustrial espionage. and so we've got to get our policies up to date. that's the first step. then we need to engage our allies, both in europe and asia to come together to start putting pressure on beijing. this is one of those things that nobody's wanted to talk about. we've danced around it for years. it is a real and growing problem and it done mean when they steal it today it's damaged today. it means once they take it, reprogram it, and use it for economic pred tear behavior by putting it and challenging it against us in international market, a few years from now, that means people are going to lose their jobs, and we're going to be less of a powerful economic force in the world, and that's why so it's dangerous and we have to get our act together. >> let's be as specific as you can be. what are they stealing, plans for new products? did is this economic, military as well? >> they have traditional espionage activities and those would be military plans and intentions and technologies and those things. that traditional espionage, yes, they're clearly interested in that. but this is something different and something that nobody in the intelligence community has quite seen before, even at the height of the soviet union and their prowess in the intelligence business. this is purely commercial espionage. they're going into manufacturing plants and businesses of all sorts and oil and gas and you name it. they're getting into those commuter networks and stealing intellectual property, research and development, and there is case after case after case where they have done that. and they're slow and they're methodical about it because they want the secrets that they companies hold so they can take it back to china, re-create it, and then get in the business of whatever that they have just stolen and sell to rest of the world and that's the real trouble and why it's so trouble. i know europe is having this problem. our friends in asia are having this problem. this is very, very serious, and it really does attack us at our economic prowess, and that's what's so concerning to me. >> it's at a breathtaking pace, john. and that's why today i thought it was so important that we finally start addressing it to beijing and start building, i think, an international pressure on beijing to stop industrial espionage at the level they're doing. it's just, as i said, breath taking and it's dangerous. >> and for somebody watching at home, 9% unemployment in the country, can you put a price tag on it, how the value of the information they are stealing, potential number of american jobs that could get lost because of what you see as a brazen crime? >> i will tell you, from just from their lack of protection on intellectual property in the last decade when it comes to automotive part we think it was 750,000 jobs lost just in doing it that way. they've come into a new phase and i think that 750,000 job is going to be a drop in the bucket when this thing is done. one company had over a billion, with a "b" of research and development of a product they were getting ready to take to market. we know that company had that information stolen. think of the job points there think of the lost capital, lost investment that happens when that kind of thing happens and that's just one company. and we know, i think there are two kinds of companies out there, those that know that they have been penetrated and those that don't. and that's how serious it is. and so you can just extrapolate the lost economy, as we move forward, and i think this is part of chinese national structured strategy on how to slow down and bring the united states to our knees in the future and it's something we better get our hands on now. >> they deny doing it, of course. the chinese government said, allegations that the chinese government supports hacking activities are completely unfounded and made with ulterior motives. address that, i think i know part of your answer. does the political leadership here, your speaker just said on a bill that would impose trade restricts, said we don't want to met until that. does the president of the united states have to worry about chinese holding u.s. debt, other earns in the relationship, is it the republican speak or the democratic president, the resolve to take it to the level you think it needs to go? >> again, this is completely different. think of it this way. if i showed up in a factory in des moines, iowa, and stuck a gun in the plant manager's forehead and said give me your blueprints and plans for your production facility and i get them and jump on a plane and go overseas there's a team of fbi agents coming to get you and we're looking for extra decision and all of those things. what's the difference if somebody steals that through a pipe or electronic? it's the same thing. it has the same impact. my argument is, this is thievery, this is different than nation states trying to find out plans and intentions for different nation and what their threat level is. this is wholesale platent thievery of intellectual property and it's happening in thousands and thousands of times all across the country and i think it's going to have a huge economic impact. i think we can come together, i did a -- after the committee, it was very pabipartisan, my ranki member and myself are clearly in line on this particular issue and we've joined voices on this. i think that's important. i think we can make this bipartisan. we should make it bipartisan. and by the way, when they deny it, that means all of the europeans are wrong, other nation states are wrong, united states is wrong, and the only one that's not wrong in this is china. i think this is time for them to shake themselves out and say do you want to be a good world citizen? do you want to play by the rules? do you want to engage in trade that's fair and honest, or do you want to steal your way to a better future for china? if you're going to do that we have to stand up and take a strong against what they are doing. >> fascinating challenge. thanks for your time tonight. >> thanks, john. a defining question of 2012. are you better off than you were four years ago? we'll put it to truth test with some can't miss numbers, next. every time a local business opens its doors or creates another laptop bag or hires another employee, it's not just good for business. it's good for the entire community. at bank of america, we know the impact that local businesses have on communities. that's why we extended $7.8 billion to small businesses across the country so far this year. because the more we help them, the more we help make opportunity possible. and all we need to do is change the way we're thinking about them. a couple decades ago, we didn't even realize just how much natural gas was trapped in rocks thousands of feet below us. technology has made it possible to safely unlock this cleanly burning natural gas. this deposits can provide us with fuel for a hundred years, providing energy security and economic growth all across this country. it just takes somebody having the idea, and that's where the discovery comes from. it is always the defining question when any incumbent president asks for a second term, framed by reagan in 1980. >> are you better off than you were four years ago? >> here's the odd twist in this campaign. the incumbent is answering the question before his challenger can ask it. and that answer is hardly upbeat. >> i don't think they're better off than they were four years ago. they're not better off than they were before lehman's collapsed, before the financial crisis, before the extraordinary recession that we're going through. >> it is a rin risky political strategy to tell voters your first four years hasn't made their lives any easier but the president has to be candid about because numbers don't lie, and he done have enough time to change them. 90% of americans say economic conditions in the country are poor today. that means everybody, democrats, republicans, and independents are in a big funk about the economy. and that's just one leading indicator and answering the are you better off question. take a look at others. one way a lot of you at home might say, am i better off today than four years ago, unemployment. if we go back four years ago to today, that's 2007, 4.5%, you see unemployment right now, 9.1%. higher than when the president took office in january 2009. that is just one indicator. here's another right here. take a look this way. real gdp, growth in the economy. again, four years ago from today, gdp was actually growing, 3%. now it's about 1.3%. on this one, it's better than when the president took office but not better than four years ago. that's another one. another way people ask the am i better off question, consumer sentiment. do you feel good about the strength of the economy? your personal economy? again, four years ago, 59%. today, 83%. the university of michigan survey four years ago, down from four years ago, down also from when the president took office in january 2009. the last one, this hits home for many americans, the value of your home. four years ago numbers were up here, average value, you see that steady decline where we are today, right here. tough sledding for the president. he knows people don't feel better about that. can he win four more years after conceding the first four weren't so great. explore the policy and the political challenges with cnn's from fatt fare fareed zakaria. looking backwards on the data we know, today markets are talking about a bear market, financial markets don't look good, president can't look out at the horizon and see anything to be optimistic about, can he? >> it looks pretty grim. there's a famous model that was designed about a professor of economic at yale, ray fare, which predicts outcome of presidential elections. he's never been wrong in 40 years. basic inputs are economic growth, unemployment, inflation, basic economic data. the theory is that the campaign itself is irrelevant. that you give me the economic data, i will tell you whether the incumbent will get re-elected. well if you use those kinds of models and those numbers, the situation looks very tough for the president. >> and this one earn. the president answers the question, no, they aren't better off than four years ago. he's in absolute agreement with his chief nemesis, house republicans. >> the president said yesterday that people in the country are worse off than they were when he was elected. we feel the same way. the economy continues to sputter. >> is the president's only hope to say it's not all my fault, it's their fault too? >> i don't think that's going to be as convincing. i think his hope is probably the tact he's taking to say, things are very bad, they're bad because of the very brobroad fo beyond our control, collapse of lehman, financial crisis, global financial crisis, europe and the euro zone crisis. the issue, i have a plan. i have a plan to help get us out of this. and that is my jobs plan. and i have a way to pay for it. and the republican party, on the other hand has no plan. he has to draw that distinction and he has to hammer home the idea that he has a set of proposals that are powerful that would take immediate effect that would help americans and the other side doesn't. i don't think spreading the blame around or complicating the earn is going to help as much. elections are referendum. and there has to be a referenda on something. if it's not about the plan, it's going to been him and frankly i think he's better off it being about a comparative analysis of the plans rather than just a referendum on him. >> how complicated is it? how hemmed in is he by the fact the long-term things that need to be done, whether entitlement reform, dealing with debt, structural issues in the u.s. economy might be at odds, long-term challenges might be certainly at odds with his short-term political needs? >> i think the sensible thing to do economically is pretty clear, which is to have a short-term plan that has some stimulus for the economy, and various forms, tax breaks, extensions of unemployment, a very significant infrastructure bill because that is what you get -- what the government can do more than anything else is rebuild america and put people to work and a debt reduction plan. you do it altogether so you reassure markets while spending some money now, you're going get your fiscal balances in order. politically this seems imsbob that is the dilemma that the president is grappling with. he's not able to get any of that stuff done that would have an impact on the economy because you know, there is so much political gridlock and opposition in washington, that he can't manage to make it happen. >> tough truths. tough issues. appreciate your insights. still to come here, chris christie says no to the 2012 republican presidential race. is it a victory for the candidate whose top advisers call him the tortoise? 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[ engine revving ] when you pursue industry-leading safety, you don't just engineer breakthroughs in simulation technology, you engineer amazing. ♪ welcome back. the latest news you need to know. one person is dead, four injured after a helicopter went down in new york city's east riv. >> arizona a huge dust cloud envelop lopds interstate 10, causing a chain reaction that killed one person. washington's national ka they'd dra wi cathedral will reopen november 12th. the bank fees keep on coming. citi will charge customers who hold mid level city bank checking account $20 a month. in they don't keep a combined balance of $15,000 in all other accounts. 90 minutes the plane carrying amanda knox is due to land in seattle, washington. already turning into a mob scene. knox released from an italian prison yesterday after a court overturned her murder conviction in the 2007 killing of her roommate. knox always denied her or her boyfriend are the killers. tonight's number, 336 million, 336 million. what do we mean by that? take a look. it's related to the amanda knox story. 336 million searches for amanda knox on google today. astounding number, right? put it into context for you here. amanda knox searches, 336 million. president obama had 250 million searches results today. governor christie, about 130 million results. 4.4 million for the yankees who of course are involved in the american league playoffs. this is how it played out on google. what about the twitter verse in look at this here. a lot of conversation in the united states especially however in the pacific northwest. that's her home. she's flying that way now. talk here in south america, talk in africa as well, across into asia, southeast asia, a lot of talk across europe. the trial of course in italy, here, the victim, meredith kercher's family from the uk, amazing watching this play out in the social media and internet. erin burnett "out front" the top of the hour. you had an exclusive conversation with the treasury secretary today. what did you learn? >> well, we are going to talk about those bank fees you mentioned ones that citi crossing. they're the latest, as you know, between credit card fees and atm fees and using your debit card. we talk about that. we also talk about the risks of double-dip recession. and whether there could be another wall street bailout on all of that, counting down to the amanda knox, that twitter map that you just had was really neat. counting down to that as well. speaking of course to obama senior campaign strategist, david axelrod will be our guest. we'll see what they think, john, now they don't have to go against chris christie. >> no christie in the race but they'll get someone a tough lime for them. see you in a few minutes. chris christie is out, as we mentioned but who in the republican race would benefit from that? and is it time for consider sarah palin a contender or a pretender? that's next. ♪ [ cellphone rings ] cut! 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[ female announcer ] the travelocity guarantee. if your booking's not right, we'll help make it right, right away. from the price to the room to the trip you'll never roam alone. we were kv confident one week ago within we opened the program by saying this -- he isn't running. while he's listening closely, very closely to friends and fundraises are begging him to reconsider the best bet is that governor christie stays on the sidelines. i guess i need to thank the governor. he proved us right. governor christie saying he would not run for president. he was flattered all of the interest but decided it was time to stay put, finish his first term as new jersey's governor. what impact will that have on the republican race? let's bring in eric erickson, republican strategist kevin madden with us, an adviser to mitt romney last time around, and cornell belcher, democratic poster for the obama campaign. mr. madden, as the romney guy in the room, the zit geist is this helps the other northeast republican, the nor establishment republican, he picked up ken langone a christie guy, fund-raising. is it a turning point? >> anecdotally now, and probably in the next few days empirically we le see a number of fund-raisers move towards governor romney. you're getting word out of that, boston, behind ken langone a couple of others that may help in the money game. but i still think that this was going to be a competitive election, competitive primary contest with governor christie and it's still going to be a competitive primary contest with governor christie, were he to get in. you know, this still is -- it's still october, we still have a number -- the first contest in iowa and new hampshire haven't even taken place yet. >> closer than we thought a few days ago. >> governor romney maintained a got level of support, while everybody else has fluctuated up and down and that's a good sign for his campaign. >> here's the question. i hope we can show a graphic. we have a republican feld. one question mark, is that our field to the left of the screen, should we consider sarah palin, for get about it, or still have to ask the question, will she run? >> i think we still have to ask the question. there is a report out that her lawyers have been making inquiries into early ballot access dates, we don't know if that happened recently or some time ago and dead lines have changed. my gut tell me this is the field but she could surprise us. it's interesting right now any name that's circulating as possibly getting into the race is someone who will hurt herman cain and rick perry. chris christie's the last guy who could have got fln to hurt mitt romney. you you'll see conservatives battling it out trying to be the anti-romney and they only have 80 days to do it. >> let me ask the democrat in the room, i'm not sure this is a fair question, but do you see now, is your question now, will the conservative whose don't like romney say we've got to deal with this and come to him, or will they have a bloody primary? >> that's a question, not as part of a historian of politics, the dynamics of the race, we see national polls that say romney's on top and you know they're worthless until the first couple of contests. the tea partiers still vent spoken and if you look at what they did last election, midterm election they took out sitting incumbent thshgz yey were organ and energized to me whoever gets tea party behind is hard to beat. >> romney seems to view this now as a race between him, romney, and rick perry, the texas governor. anybody disagree that that is the principal dynamic of the race right now? >> no. >> silence. we don't get that very often. so what you have, what you have aamong other things is this, i'm going to hole this up, cleaver and not clever. romney campaign handing this out in new hampshire. this is texas rick perry's plan to get america working again shows the texas governor firing off a handgun on the front of the cover here. i want to show you this, you can't see it, but trust me, paid for romney for president. the perry economic plan, those pages are empty. you know, mr. madden, you were working there full time last time. you would have been creative than this. but this is where we are in the campaign, romney's trying to find a way to push perry out, saying he doesn't have an economic plan, can't win the election. >> that's something that has -- that's a fundamental that's still in the race right now. governor romney has made very clear why he wants to be president. he's laid out a very articulate, detailed vision, 59 points on an economic plan in 169-page booklet. reporter says we don't have details. in this case we have details hoop that's made the case to voters in early primary cases, he's made the case to voters across the country why he wants to be president. the problem here rick perry didn't decide to get into the race until august, and in a way he backed into this race. and i fundamentally believe that you cannot say that you want to be president of the united states by backing into a race. you have to really want it, you have to have a vision, detailed vision, about to take to the american public why you want to be president, and i think that's the fundamental difference here. >> christie decided not do that, in the end. i was talking to somebody very close and involved in the governor's decision, two political points when tim pawlenty, when he dropped out and perry got in, the christie source told me there's a ground swell saying governor we need you in the race, another candidate in the race. they said it went off the charts, eric, ten days ago when rick perry had what everybody would agree was a shaky debate performance. that point people with high stature across the republican spectrum came to christie and said, circumstance you need to reconsider. when you saw him today he was funny. he can be combative, there was a little bit of that. he was in command of the room as he called on reporters. i have to assume we take him at his word, he decided it's not for me. is there anybody like him? is there a hole n. still in the field or are we fine? >> republicans never like their candidates historyingly. last time anybody got energized about a republican candidate in 1980 with reagan. seriously, look in '88 you had a big fight with george h.w. bush where he was just the reagan heir and '92 republicans aren't excited about him. '96, bob dole, whoo hoo. 2,000, everybody presumed bush. he didn't have the excitement at first, he built it. i do have to say about chris christie today he answered more questions in one press conference today than mitt romney, herman cain, rick perry, michele bachmann -- >> that's not true. governor romney's done a lot of interviews. >> he's done a lot of intervi s interviews. >> i was impressed. >> i was, too. i was, too. i will say, you're right about governor perry. he hasn't sat down with editorial boards, he hasn't been -- the only scrutiny he's gotten on the debate stage and on the debate stage >> could governor christie have won the republican nomination? here's a guy who, look, he is very aggressive and he gets a lot of support because he's gung ho on the issue of the day, spending, the economy, taxes, dealing th t union entitlements in his state of new jersey. as a republican, in a primary, as a guy who said six or seven months ago path to citizenship for illegal immigrants, would there be enough forgive and forget for chris christie? >> i was on of the guys in 2008 who said there's no way, mccain, given his historical problem with conservatives and the big issues that we've had could win the nomination and he won the nomination. i would never say never. it would have been a competitive path, though. in the organizational side and the money side it was a challenge getting in this late but if he were to take a look at the race earlier in the cycle, there's no -- there's no saying that he couldn't do it. >> a quick break. hold on. we'll get mr. belcher more involved next time. president obama in governor p r per perry's home state. his sights on one republican back in washington. [ boy ] hey, i thought these were electric? uh, it is, yeah, it a chevy volt. so what are you doing at a gas station? well it still takes gas to go farther. but you're not getting gas. true. not this time. uh, don't have to gas up very often. so you have to go to the bathroom? no. yes you do. thought these were electric? yes, it's a uh, a chevy volt. so what are you doing at a gas station? an accident doesn't have to slow you down. with better car replacement, available only from liberty mutual insurance, if your car's totaled, we give you the money to buy a car that's one model-year newer... with 15,000 fewer miles on it. there's no other auto insurance product like it. better car replacement, available only from liberty mutual. it's a better policy that gets you a better car. call... or visit one of our local offices today, and we'll provide the coverage you need at the right price. liberty mutual auto insurance -- responsibility. what's your policy? with maximum-strength medicine and no embarrassing odor. break the grip of pain with aspercremem it's often said timing is everything in politics. today, the timininas little bit off for the prmessaging. here is the president today saying congress should vote on his jobs plan without delay today. >> if you want to put teachers back in the classroom, pass this bill. if you want construction workers back on the job, pass this bill. if you want tax cuts for the middle class and small business owners, pass this bill. you want to help some veterans, pass this bill. now's the time to act. >> and here's an afternoon e-mail from the obama deputy campaign manager, jim messina. though it's been nearly a month since he laid out his plan, house republicans haven't acted to pass it. that's fair enough. but the senate is controlled by the president's party, the democrats. look what happened there when republicans called for a vote on the obama jobs plan. >> i object. >> the objection is heard. >> yes. the republican move was a political stunt designed to embarrass the democrats but the democratic leader there, harry reid, the majority leader, his objection also proved the president and his party either aren't on the same page or don't have their act together. maybe both. let's pick up there with eric erickson and mr. belcher. how can the president go around the country saying vote on it now, not today, not tomorrow, why didn't you do it yesterday when his own party won't vote on it? >> he is -- he is trying to say vote on it now and try to move the process forward. what the republicans did -- >> his party controls the senate. >> what the republicans were trying to do in the senate. >> of course it's a stunt. >> and leader reid is going to bring it up. these things usually start in the house. cantor and the republicans have been in charge of the house for what, over a year now. how did they burn up one jobs bill? no. they've done nothing but say no, no, stop, stop. the president is out there working the crowd saying we have to rebuild this country and move this country forward. republicans are standing in the way saying no, no, no. he's absolutely right to call out cantor and say, don't block this anymore, pass this bill, take this bill up, let's get moving. >> you say called out cantor. let's listen to the president. it is unusual for the president of the united states who by name is talking about house republican leaders including majority leader, mr. cantor. we don't have that there. the tape froze. he said if mr. cantor came to dallas to explain what's sla a'y in this jobs bill he does not believe it, the president calling him out. does that lose credibility when your own party. maybe harry reid can't get all the democrats to vote for it, some might have re-election question and might be embarrassing. we know he might not get 60 votes because no or very few republicans help out. can't the bring it up and vote no and not point fingers. >> you're acting like the senator reed can't bring it up. not fall to republican stunts. the problem is on the house side where, quite frankly, they will continue to stand in the way of really wealthy people paying their fair share. >> that doesn't make any sense. >> it's washington. it's not supposed to make sense. >> if the president wants real optics, the optics of it, you do what they did on health care, do what they did on budget reform and deficit, you have the senate pass it and go to the house and say the house isn't passing what the senate passed not start in the house. the only reason they're saying start in the house is because they can't get it past the democrats in the senate. the senate democrats killed his budget 98-0. now he can't get a majority in the senate to pass his jobs bill because he's become a paper tiger as a president and blown his political capital. he's saying do it now or yesterday and harry reid is saying, i'll do it some day and just not today. >> eric is exactly right. the problem the president has goes beyond the pageantry and flawed message, it fundamentally underscores just how incompetent he is as an executive. this was a jobs plan that was presented pretty much as a press release attached to a political campaign. there was no plan to work with senate democrats on putting together the structure they were going to need to get 50 votes on this. if this bill was voted on today, it wouldn't have even gotten 50 votes. in many way, harry reid saved him from greater embarrassment. >> no. look, the problem has been the householding this up the whole time. harry reid, senator reed will move forward -- >> the senate is holding it up now. >> the problem is -- >> when he's ready? when he's ready? >> you know this because you've done the polling around the country, the president is also tox toxic. you heavy a folks like a senator in montana saying he's against the president's proposal, senator webb saying this is a terrible approach. this is a big problem. >> no. you're never going to get -- >> you're never going to get support in key states with key senators. >> you will never get all the democrats to rally around one thing, just the way it is. the problem why this bill won't pass on those not moving is not democrats in the senate, republicans in this house. >> one reason senator mccaskill is not with the president tonight. >> have a vote. >> have a vote. what we do in a democracy. >> have a vote, harry reid. that's the republicans' plan, have a vote on that. you've been in charge of that how long and have you brought a jobs plan to the floor? no. 888 days without a budget because of the democrats. >> we're not going to move forward. i want to change the subject as we close. look at the latest polling in the race. governor perry came down and herman cain the businessman came up. romney, 25%, cain at 16%, perry at 16%. when you're doing better in the polls, you try to get even more of a bounce. you do things like go on "the view." >> you're an associate pastor at your church. are you going to separate that from you have to run a country with a lot of people with a lot of different beliefs. >> i will base my decision based on the cushion onstitution of t united states of america. that's what the president has a responsibility to do. >> that's what obama said, too. >> we saw him on "the view," a whole bunch of other interviews. is this lasting or is this just his 15 minutes? >> i'm starting to wonder he's on a book tour not a campaign tour. i love herman and replaced him in the last few weeks and he lost five staff members and right as he's peaking, he's starting to lose staff, not a good sign. >> the big challenge for someone like herman cain you get this momentum is scaleability, do you have structure to raise more money in those key primary states and continue to bring that momentum all the way. we haven't had these first contests. public opinion is a non-event, evolution. >> i can't think of anything sadder than condemn an entire field in the fact herman cain is a rising star in this field, herman cain is moving up in the polls in this field anymore. i can't say anything more damning about that field than the fact that herman cain is a serious candidate. >> more indictment on bob, i would think. >> pretty good indictment on your boy romney and perry. >> romney wants him to stay strong in a place like iowa to split the right, am i right? >> he will stay strong on his message and making the case to the republican voters. >> that's smart. >> the answer is, yes, governor romney wants santorum, bachmann, herman cain taking votes away, that's pretty good math, right? >> what happened to bachmann? >> she's gone down a little bit. all right. we'll continue the conversation. a couple moments of silence