behind closed doors. >> i remember well one time when i was very little and i was fighting with my brother every other minute and my mother put us in a back room and said don't come out until you got it figured out, we stares at each other for a while but came out friends. >> thanks, senator, murray for confirming congress is just a bunch of feuding children. to me that's proof they don't get it. tonight's number, it will warm your heart. military widow who lost her navy s.e.a.l. in combat weeks ago lost his treasured keepsake but there's help flooding in from new friends. first, tonight's breaking news and other stories you need to know right now. breaking right now in new york, take a look. huge crowd gathering in new york city protesting against the big banks. washington gridlock and the state of the u.s. economy. these occupy wall street protests started several weeks ago. but as of today they're getting big union support, and going national. looking right now at what could be a decisive tipping point for the protest movement and right in the middle of it, susan candiotti. she's in the crowd in new york. lots of momentum for protesters today. tell us where you are, what you're seeing. >> reporter: well, that's a big question, too, is this a tipping point? will the movement continue to grow from here or might it go on the decline? was this the biggest day? certainly the largest numbers we've seen since the group started gathering in park 19 days ago. they've been marching shoulder to shoulder from the park where they've been situated in wall street to foley's square, near city hall and the courthouses. people packed in, listening to speeches, hearing chants, waiving arms and signs with marching bands and air horns blowing. chanting things like "we've got to unite, we've got to unite" one man saying it's time to shut down the country. do they really mean that? will that happen? we certainly know there's a lot of anger among this group. so far, as far as we know, no arrest, but they did have several hundred of them last week and because of that, there's a huge monumental police presence here standing by with a lot of paddy wagons just in case. >> susan, you hear people say, maybe this is the foundation of a liberal tea party, maybe this will become not a protest movement but a political movement. do the protesters say that's what they want or are they out there some of them venting about very different things? >> reporter: a lot of different reasons that they're out here. and they say they don't want to be affiliated with any particular party. they just want to be heard in washington. fed up for a number of different reasons. environmental issues, health, education. of course, bad economy. they want jobs. and they don't think anyone in washington is listening to them. certainly not listening to them around wall street. and as you can see, they're looking for aas much publicity to fuel their movement. they got help today from unions. >> susan candiotti, live in new york city, as we look at live pictures, look at those aerial views. maybe you support them, maybe you don't. that's an impressive crowd in new york city. we'll keep track of the protests and where this movement heads in the days ahead. senate democrats tonight changing tactics on president obama's jobs bill. harry reid, who blocked the bill, promises to bring it up because his senate democrats he says have figured out a new way to pay for it. inspe instead of spending cuts they want a millionaire's tax. >> we'll propose to pay for the jobs legislation by asking people who make more than $1 million to pay 5% more to fund job creation and ensure the country's economic success. >> a huge political debate. a short time ago i spoke with jim demint, he says even democrats won't vote for this. >> this is all smoke and mirrors. this idea that there's this perm class of rich people in america is just not true and we're not going to help our country by taxing the people who are creating jobs in our country. so it's probably a nonstarter wit a lot of democrats. but i would welcome harry reid if he can bring a bill to the floor, let's vote on it. i think they're bluffing. >> cnn's congressional correspondent kate bolduan working her sources on capitol hill. the democrats on the senate side saying raise taxes. i'm not that great at math but i think i'm good enough to say done this make this much more of a political statement, and the bill less likely to pass? >> reporter: i think you are right there, john about you've been around washington long enough to know that. basically this change, if you will, this millionaire's surtax, is designed to make the bill more palatable to democrats, to win support of more senate democrats around this measure. some senate democrats had been opposed -- taken issue with how the president originally proposed to pay for this broad jobs package. one example, some had taken issue with raising taxes on oil and gas companies, if they're coming from oil and gas, of course, producing states. at the same time while this measure's -- this change is designed to win over more democrats, republicans that, no surprise, this is still a nonstarter with them. republicans remain steadfastly against tax increases and the top republican in the senate, mitch mcconnell made clear this bill, as if they move forward with it, which they likely will, will not overcome a first procedural vote, meaning it's not going to overcome a filibuster. >> politics, urgency of creating jobs. let's get perspective from our white house correspondent, brianna keilar. senator reid says a millionaire tax. the president wants his jobs bill. the house said it won't bring this up. the republican house said they're not going to bring up the president's plan. now the senate democrats are changing it in i away that makes it unpalatable there. what did the president say? >> reporter: i asked him today in the oval office during a meeting with the president of honduras, if he endorses senator reid's so-called millionaire's surtax and in fact, reporters asked him three different times and he didn't take the opportunity to endorse it. we heard today the white house press secretary jay carney making positive sounds about this idea but there's really no endorsement yet. here's why, it's really an issue of timing. one white house official that i spoke with said, when you look at the president's proposal for how to pay for his jobs plan, the tax increases there kick in in 2013. democratic aides on the hill tell cnn that reid's proposal would kick in in 2012. just a few months down the road. so that is a difference that needs to be worked out, as the white house kind of looks into and digests some fine print. at the same time, this whole concept of this millionaire's surt surtax, john, in line with the buffett rule that president obama laid out there, million areas should not pay a lower tax rate than the middle class, and so that tells you that it's likely that the white house is going to come out and support this. certainly as a general concept the president seems to, white house officials say, support this at this time. >> as a general concept, you say. the president's running around the country waving the bill saying vote on this now. he seems to think it's fine as is. when you have the republicans saying no and the democratic leader changes it in a way that complicated the policy, isn't harry reid supposed to be on the president's team? >> reporter: of course. and i think one of the things that you see the white house and congressional democrats trying to do right now is trying to get on the same team. they're trying to certainly minimize any daylight and promote a unified pront. that's why we're hearing positive sounds certainly from the press secretary here. the strategy here is pretty clear that ultimately the white house will likely sign on with senate democrat on this concept and they will paint republicans as trying to protect millionaires. something that they think will resonate with the american people. of coursing you know, john, republicans are going to fire right back. we heard mitch mcconnell said it it's a bad idea to raise taxes during a recession and they're going to accuse -- when the economy's bad -- and they're going to accuse democrats trying to do just that. >> if they don't figure out something to help millions of americans who don't have jobs, they'll all be pretty fed up. thank you very much. supreme court justices tend to be camera shy. too bad. check out what justice scalia said during a rare televised appearance before congress today. >> it doesn't take much to throw a monkey wrench into this -- into this complex system. so americans should -- should appreciate that. and they should learn to love the gridlock. it's there for a reason so that the legislation that gets out will be good legislation. >> a future as a political analyst if he gives up that supreme court thing. the texas governor, rick perry in california, adding to his campaign's already impressive bank account. new numbers out show perry campaign raised $17 million since he jumped into the race back in august. a source tells us mitt romney's campaign will report $11 million and $13 million. ron paul raises $8 million from 100,000 donors, five times as many donors who gave to perry. president obama is getting back on his bus, october 17th through virginia and north carolina. the goal, promote his jobs program. lately the president's been calling himself a warrior for the middle clasp. in florida, romney fired back. >> if he's a warrior for the middle class, boy i hate to see him if hes and a warrior against the middle class. this guy's friendly fire has hurt the american people. >> a prediction today, the u.s. government will deport a record number of people this year. in a speech depending the administration's change of policy to focus on deporting convicted criminals, napolitano insisted the u.s./mexican border is more secure the border security measures we have taken constitute the most innovative and effective approach our country has ever deployed. so using the claim that the border is not secure, as a reason to block immigration reform, is not reasonable. >> here's another reason to be angry with the big banks. a new round of big increases in fees for consumers. cnn's alison kosik has the latest outrage. >> john, these fees have become a way of life these days. city bank is the latest to announce new fees beginning in december, customers with an easy checking account will have to pay $15 a month unless they carry a $6,000 balance in their combined citi bank accounts. if you have a higher level account you to have pay $20 a month unless you carry $15,000 balance. think comes days after customers outraged with monthly fees. customers are talking about switching banks but a bank account without fees is really becoming harder to find. bank rate says only 45% of checking accounts are free down from 76% two years ago. now the tides started turning after the financial crisis when congress passed a financial overhaul bill. the idea was to limit bank fees and it worked. but the banking industry claims those regulations are costing them billions of dollars in lost revenue. but banks, they're getting creative and finding new ways to stick it to us. john? >> now ways, indeed. we often talk about broken government. get this, word the system the government wants to put in place to improve airline safety actually might put your life at risk. the trfk department warned congress $2 billion computer system designed to keep track of planes in the air is bogged down by bad software, cost overruns and delays. >> for sites with complex and congested airspace, such as chicago and los angeles, risks will increase. >> politics is a funny business. today, president obama named the gram grammy winning singer shakira. she's columbia, the white house statement notes she's founded the barefoot foundation which operates schools and educational projects in columbia, south africa, and haiti. finally, a quick pop quiz. guess which of these members of congressing take a look, once played pro football in the nfl. yeah, you figured it out the big guy on the right, john runnion, former offensive lineman for the eagles. getting ready for the congress versus capitol police football game. number nine, it's an old beatles classic. the centerpiece of herman cain's tax reform proposal but does it add up? that's tonight's truth. senator jim demint of south carolina a tea party favorite and conservative power broker. his blunt message to those grumbling about the presidential field. i st signed the whole fami up for unlimited mobile to mobile minutes. you're kidding. no. where's that money coming from, steve? did it even cross your mind to ask your wife before signing us up for something so expensive? my mother was right; i should have married john clarke. they were free. i got them when i signed us up for unlimited messaging. 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[ male announcer ] progresso. you gotta taste this soup. shoo breaking political news. sarah palin issued a statement to the conservative talk show host mark leaven saying she is not running for president in 2012. not running for president in 2012. definitive word from sarah palin, the former alaska governor, again, telling the conservative radio host, mark leaven, she is not running for president. she had been the last big question mark about the republican race, especially since the new jersey governor chris christie's announcement yesterday he would not run. governor palin not running. she's a tea party favorite. she of course the 2008 vice presidential nominee. her decision to stay on the sidelines all but assures us this field is now complete. on capitol hill today, take a look. a delivery of petitions with 1.6 million signatures calling for the repeal of the obama health care law the federal control of health care that has proved all of his promises false. he said it would help our economy and employment. it's hurt our economy and employment. he said it would event toolly l reduce our deficit. statistics show it's increasing our deficit. >> you remember of course repeal obama care was a signature slogan of the tea party. that repeal effort now, though, has zero chance of short-term success democrats control the senate. president obama has at least 15 more months at the white house. was today's event a waste of time and energy? let's ask one of the organizers you just saw him there, senator jim demint, republican of south carolina. senator, on that point you know you have zero chance, i could make the case 1.6 million signatures, wow, that's a big number but i could make the case more than 82 million people voted in the midterm elections, that's not a great number. >> what we're trying to do here is to remind americans, as we try to cut our budget, try to deal with our deficit, that many on the democrat side, including the president and some republicans, have talked about cutting social security and medicare. we can't talk about cutting our promises to seniors at the same time we're spending trillions on this new entitlement program that we call obama care. millions of americans want it repealed. every statistic that's coming out is telling us it's raising the cost of health care. it's hurting job creation in america. and it's going to eventually hurt quality of health care. we cannot let the issue die and it will not die because of the debt we're deal with. we can cut $1.5 trillion immediately by repealing obama care. instead they're looking at cutting benefits on medicare. >> 3 in 10 americans say repeal the law, 17% say repeal part of it. half of the country wants to repeal all or part. don't you have two options, one, maybe the supreme court roo a. degrees with you says inunconstitutional or two, you need to elect a republican president, right? >> you're exactly right. we need to make sure whatever republican is elected is committed to repealing obama care. that's why we've got to keep the issue alive. all of the republicans running for the nomination have said that they will repeal this bill. >> you mentioned the republican presidential field. do you thu think this is it, governor christie saying no. does sarah palin owe her supports are a definitive final in or out? >> she has not said she's going to run. i don't expect her to get in at this point. i think the field is complete but that's just a guess on my part. and i think the field is actually developing. you know the three or four top republicans at this point all would make good presidents, and i'm anxious to see how it continues to go over the next few months. >> if you are looking now at the top tier of the field, and you have governor perry, who is conservative on some issues but doesn't support the border fence, supports in-state tuition breaks of children of illegal immigrants, take that versus governor romney, you have concerns with the massachusetts health care plan, which is the better choice? >> i think they're both good choices. we have several other good choices in the field. i'm not going to lean one way or another. >> herman cain has come from nowhere. he's number two in most republican polls up there with governor romney and governor perry. never held effective office. does that give you pause when considering the next commander in chief? >> not at all. i never held office when elected to congress. is and a better congressman for it. >> president's different, isn't it? >> it is, but i'd rather have a chief executive than someone who had been a politician their whole life. i think we've got a good field, herman cain, it would be a very credible presidential candidate, along with all of the others i think that are in the race right now. so i'm waiting to see how america leans because all of these candidates have a lot of the qualitifications that would appeal to me. we have to make sure the candidate can win the general election. we have to pick the right candidate. >> senator jim demint, thanks for your time tonight. >> that conversation a bit earlier. the woman on the screen, former alaska governor, sarah palin, since i spoke to senator demint, governor palin officially confirmed she will not, not, be a candidate for president, not be a candidate for the republican presidential nomination, in 2012. governor palin doing that in a statement to the conservative talk show host market leaven, that as demint says seals the deal. the field in the race is your republican field for president, governor palin had large tea party support though it is worth noting, as she waited and pondered entering the race back in august, 16% of republicans in our cnn polling said she was their choice to be the republican nominee. in our latest poll, that was down to 7%. some republicans turning to other candidates getting frustrated with the long wait from governor palin. she insists she can still be influential from the sidelines but not a candidate. that makes a big difference in the race. she has a base of support in iowa in south carolina, now the other candidates, particularly conservative candidates who think they can appeal to her tea party, blue collar, rural base, will try to appeal for those voters. again, dramatic, important, decision from the former alaska governor and the 2008 vice presidential kand, sarah palin, will not, not, be a candidate for the republican nomination about. the latest surprise in the republican nomination battle. the number nine plays a huge role in his rise from obscurity. the truth of herman cain's tax plan, next. ♪ [ cellphone rings ] cut! 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[ male announcer ] wanchai ferry. restaurant quality chinese in your grocer's freezer. herman cain tonight the candidate on the move. moving up. the provocative republican presidenti presidential hopeful never held elected office but in the tomorrow tier of polling. mr. cain in second place ahead of rick perry. cain former ceo of godfather pizza, generating attention with his tax reform proposal, 999 plan. >> eliminates all loopholes so you don't get into this debate who's going to pick winners and losers. it replaces the payroll tax which is the biggest tax that a lot of people pay, the capital gains tax, corporate income tax, personal income tax, and the death tax replaces all five taxes by generating the same amount of revenue. >> let's take a closer look. it's the 999 plan. what does he mean? replace the current tax system, throw it out. 9% national sales tax, 9% corporate tax rate and 9% income tax. 999. that is the cain plan. it's a bold idea but in today's economy it would bring in less money to the federal government. forcing even tougher spending choices. and it is politically risky, probably a nonstarter in congress because it would end the guaranteed funding pipelines for medicare and social security. let's take a closer look. break down the plan here, the national sales tax in today's economy, the growth we now have would bring in roughly this, corporate tax would bring in this. income tax rates this. that's a lot of numbers. here's how you want to look at it. cain plan bring in $1.77 trillion. right now in the current economy $2.16. you have an 18% to 20% gap. that means 1 in 5 the federal government has would not have again under current economic conditions with the cain plan. that's a big problem as you look at this going forward. joining us to discuss this, steven moore, senior economy writer for the "wall street journal." things this plan you like but let me start with the politically hard part. if you take away the guaranteed payroll tax deduction for social security, the payroll tax deduction for medicare, that's guaranteed money, goes into the pipe line we can debate entitlement reform but that's guaranteed money that comes in, can you sell that? can you get politicians to vote for that. mr. cain will say there's enough money that comes to washington. can you sell that to seniors? >> it might be a tough call. the number you had on how much that sales tax can raise i question that number. we have $10 trillion of national consumption. if you tax 9%, that's a lot bigger number than some people are estimating, close to $900 billion. the real question is whether people would accept you know going from a payroll tax model as you said which we use now to fund social security and medicare to dedicating the revenues from the new national sales tax which would be, john, like when you go to the cash register and pay your state sales tax it would work very much like that. >> do you worry about behavioral adaptation, once people know the consumption is taxed, a lot of critics say it's not fair to poor people it hurts them, and what happens to charitable contributions, north deductions? >> he gets rid of the deductions and tax code. from an economic standpoint i think it's great. i mean, to have a 9% tax rate would make america competitive in global markets. how will this affect poor people? the payroll tax, they are paying 14%, 15% payroll tax. what herman cain would say have to pay 9 sales tax but not pay the payroll tax anymore. his numbers suggest the poor come out better because they're not paying that 15% tax. i'd like to see -- i think he's going to have to prove that with real analysis. >> you're smart about the economy but you understand politics. when you see him rising in the polls, do you think it's because people see a plan in a tough economy, maybe they don't understand it, maybe they don't agree with it, but see something bold, provocative, even if it's not perfect would rip up the something or is he benefiting because perry's going down? >> both. he's an incredibly good debater. he's touched people in the way he's debated. na story about his cancer overcoming that, that tugged at people's heartstrings. talking about republican primary voters here, they think things are terribly wrong with the economy, they think the wheels have come off and we need super $sized solutions to a supersized problem. he's benefiting, from the all of the republican candidates he has the boldest, radical tax plan out there, getting rates down to 9%. the big question i think, john, about this politically, can you sell the american people on a national sales tax? i don't think in the history of the country we've had one. there may be times at turn of the century we did. whether americans will go for this brand-new task and he's going to say look you'll have 9% sales tack but look how much your income and payroll tax will go down, that's the big issue. >> let me ask you, as you're walking in you hear the news, sarah palin is not running for president, breaking news. someone who looked at the republican field, there's some dissatisfaction, do we need more people in it? does it have an impact, does it plus or minus for the quality of the field or plus or minus for any candidate? >> most conservatives are relieved sarah palin's not running. i don't think she would have added a lot to the race. i was looking at the poll, when the top republican in the field is only 20%, people are completely undecided, they're not completely satisfied with the choices. i'll make a prediction to you. i still don't think it's too late for someone else to get in this race. >> who? >> maybe jim demint. >> he says no. he says people are asking him all the time but says no. >> maybe mitch daniels will reconsider. i don't think it's too late when you have the top candidate at 20% in mitt romney. >> excellent point. ahead, update on tonight's breaking news. former governor sarah palin saying she will not run in 2012. when a military widow lost a prize memory of her fall will hero she asked friends for her. tonight's number, it will warm your heart. we're america's natural gas and here's what we did today: supported nearly 3 million steady jobs across our country... ... scientists, technicians, engineers, machinists... ... adding nearly 400 billion dollars to our economy... we're at work providing power to almost a quarter of our homes and businesses... ... and giving us cleaner rides to work and school... and tomorrow, we could do even more. cleaner, domestic, abundant and creating jobs now. we're america's natural gas. the smarter power, today. learn more at anga.us. 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. will be giving away passafree copies of the alcoholism & addiction cure. to get yours, go to ssagesmalibubook.com. welcome back. the latest news you need to know. breaking news out of wasilla, alaska, sarah palin will not run for president in 2012. she went on the mark leaven radio program. after much pray somewhere serious consideration, i've decide i'd will not be seeking the 2012 gop nomination for president of the united states. as always my family comes first and todd and i put great consideration into family life before making this decision. she also went on to say in that statement in the coming weekize will help coordinate strategies to assist in replacing the president, retaking the senate, and maintaining the house. thank you again for all of your support. let's unite to restore this country. dramatic, breaking news, sarah palin deciding after months of debate and consideration she will not, not, seek the 2012 republican nomination. that leaves the field in place but there could be pressure on other conservatives to jump in. sarah palin, though, telling us tonight, she will not, not, seek the republican presidential nomination in campaign 2012. dramatic shakeup at bureau of alcohol firearms and explosives. todd jones announced 11 high level changes. the bureau needs to rebuild public trust in the operation of fast and furious program which allowed illegal gun sales to mexican drug cartels, some guns ended up as murder weapons both in mexico and the united states. a pew poll has surprising numbers 34% say the wars in iran and afghanistan were worth fighting but 96% of veteran whose served since 9/11 are proud of their service. when asked to describe their experiences in iraq and afghanistan, in a single word, number one answer, look at that, bigger than anybody else, rewarding followed by hot, lousy, interesting, nightmare, eye-opening and educational. that brings us to tonight's number. 4,950. a number that is very special. very special. you see it up here. kimberly vaughn. her husband aaron signed up for duty after 9/11. he would leave his silver wedding band at home with his wife two children in virginia beach. they lost aaron in august when he and 22 other navy s.e.a.l.s were killed in a chinook helicopter crash in afghanistan. kimberly, wearing that ring ever since, lost it on a trip to visit family this weekend. understandably, she was heartbreaken. >> it would be two months tomorrow that a lost aaron and i've been wearing it every since. hopefully somebody out there's generous enough to find it. hoping for a miracle here. >> kimberly desperate for help so she created this facebook page tuesday to help find the ring. show you a picture of the ring here. as of tonight, as we were coming on the air 4,450 people signed on to support to search. as you watch this count is going to keep going up because as we've been on the air and throughout the day and since yesterday the number has been going up. we hope tonight's number is one we hope will grow in the hour ahead. if you want to help join the story, visit johnkin johnkingusa/facebook. erin burnett "out front" coming up at the top of the hour. >> we have the news from sarah palin. we'll be talking about that, too, with the man who wrote the book "sarah from alaska", and we're going to be talking to him. also, john, we talked about those fees that banks are putting on americans yesterday with treasury secretary tim geithner. well today we went and did the math. the biggest banks being honest when they say they need these fees to make up for regulations? we have an answer to that and it's one that you might not like. we've got that coming up. we'll be talking to a banker about it. we have jon huntsman and christy turlington coming up on the show. back to you. >> i'll be watching. >> for christie, i hope you watch. >> and erin. and erin. see you in a few minutes. when we come back, more on breaking news, sarah palin says she's not running. why did she decide to bow out this time, and who in the field might that help? americans are always ready to work hard for a better future. since ameriprise financial was founded back in 1894, they've been committed to putting clients first. helping generations through tough times. good times. never taking a bailout. there when you need them. helping millions of americans over the centuries. the strength of a global financial leader. the heart of a one-to-one relationship. together for your future. ♪ [ woman ] welcome to learning spanish in the car. you've got to be kidding me. yeah, this is good. vamanos. vamanos. vamanos. gracias. gracias. gracias. ♪ trece horas en el carro sin parar y no traes musica. mira entra y comprame unas papitas. [ male announcer ] get up to 795 miles per tank in the all-new volkswagen passat tdi clean diesel. delivering mail, medicine and packages. yet they're closing thousands of offices, slashing service, and want to lay off over 100,000 workers. the postal service is recording financial losses, but not for reasons you might think. the problem ? a burden no other agency or company bears. a 2006 law that drains 5 billion a year from post-office revenue while the postal service is forced to overpay billions more into federal accounts. congress created this problem, and congress can fix it. back to tonight's breaking political news, sarah palin announced she will not run for president in 2012 after putting out a written statement she spent ten minutes talking to mark levin, saying she can been flew en influentials but after prayer and conversations she will not be seeking the nomination. ed rolens, washington director, and our gloria borger. republican strategist not a surprise i don't think. it had to be a tough decision, when you look how vulnerable the president of the united states and how mitt romney, who is your front-runner so far can't get above the mid-20s, had to be a tough one. >> particularly for her. she has her own individual political base, she certainly creates media attention. she can raise money. there's no organization there, though. it's been all volunteer effort thrown together in a very short period of time. there's no doubt in my mind that if she would have started a year and a half ago and tried to be a serious candidate she could have been a serious condition. >> she says, gloria borger in her statement lie continue driving the discussion for freedom and free markets including a race for president. she goes on and on talks about priorities. she was going down in the polls. >> totally. >> among republicans. support for her to be the nom ff nominee, the zdesire that she join the race -- >> she may become more of a power broker. 66% of republicans did not want her to run, but that done mean they don't want to hear her voice. my question is, who will sarah palin endorse eventually because i think that endorsement could be worth something. i think she probably -- >> take that risk? she might. she might. but she probably looked at filing deadlines and saw they were coming up. she wasn't ready, as ed said she didn't have any organization. i think most republicans were already discounting her in an odd way. this is kind of gets her back in the game i think. >> i think she likes palin ink. >> i think so. >> the free market, she so espouses. will the left miss her? >> that's a great question. yeah, i think a little bit. we all saw what happened when she ran last election cycle. and it was -- it made for a lot of good jokes and made for a lot of examples about the kind of leadership we don't want in this country. but there's a lot left in the republican field for progressives to really poke fun of. >> and when you look at the field, sarah palin out, if we were having this conversation three, four months ago i would have said the candidate you were advising back then michele bachmann would be the beneficiary. but michele bachmann has had a rough couple of months. is there one person who benefits or does this leave a slice of the right available for whether it's bachmann, santorum, herron cane? >> those -- i don't think one person benefits. those four candidates right there their path out is through iowa. and if one somehow can catch fire and basically win iowa, they may be back in the game. obviously, perry and romney and paul who is in a different category, and huntsman, who has independent money, they have money they can go all the away huntsman is not becoming a viable candidate yet but two front-runners has money, organization and somebody has to get a spark. iowa can kind of give you a spark in the old playing games. i'm not sure with everything contracted how it does but i'd rather win iowa than not and to a certain extent for romney i think he has a test here. if he wants to go back and try to win iowa if he won iowa shut everybody else down, then went and won new hampshire he'd be tough to stop. >> he would, absolutely. iowa's a tough haul for mitt romney. i don't think they're counting on iowa. it's good for ed's former candidate, michele bachmann. but again, i think most of them have sort of discounted her. they -- but yoshshe did wait un the last minute, by the away chris christie, yesterday, talking, is the field settled? is the field not settled. waited till absolutely the very last month she could. >> she was also asked, heather, by mark levin if she would consider an independent run which i find ludicrous in the sense the polling data, where palin struggles most, independents and democrats. unless you're so unhappy with the republican nominee, when you look at her now, do you view her as someone who will be influential from the sidelines or -- i can't -- you're more influential if you're running and winning than on a conservative network talking, aren't you? >> i don't think there's any chance she was running and winning. we saw her sink the mccain ticket. i have a question whether or not she's going to endorse occupy wall street because i could see that being something, there are a lot of ron paul supporters. >> capitalism she talks about. >> this is not a progress inleft/right thing. she could say, you know what? i'm the populous candidate, i'm standing here with these moms who have lost health insurance and kids drowning in student debt the other 99% of course, that would create a problem for mitt romney who is kind of the other .01%. >> i predict a talk radio show. >> would she pain her face if she endorsed occupy wall street. >> when we come back, heather noted, these occupy wall street froefts, they're not on the ballot but shaping the day's political debate. and the folks at blr, that's short, for bad lip reading, strike again. >> we've been camping for two nights and six morning downing bacardi. who cuddle up with your soreness and give out polar bear hugs. technology. [ male announcer ] new bengay cold therapy. the same technology used by physical therapists. go to bengay.com for a $3 coupon. 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. there's no time like the present to consider all your health insurance options. does medicare alone meet your needs? would additional coverage be better for you? well, now is a good time to take a look at an aarp medicare supplement insurance plan, insured by unitedhealthcare insurance company. get started by calling for your free information kit and guide to medicare. as you probably know, medicare only covers about 80% of your part b medical expenses. the rest is up to you. a medicare supplement insurance plan helps cover some of it. that could save you up to thousands of dollars a year in out-of-pocket costs. and you can visit any doctor who accepts medicare patients. with medicare supplement insurance, you'll find a range of plans to choose from to fit your needs and budget. there are no networks. no referrals to see a specialist. and you could get a pretty good idea what your out-of-pocket costs will be every month. plus, these plans travel with you anywhere in the u.s. don't let this time go by without considering if an aarp medicare supplement insurance plan is right for you. it's as easy as a phone call. rates are competitive. and these are the only medicare supplement insurance plans exclusively endorsed by aarp. remember, medicare doesn't cover everything. medicare supplement insurance plans help pay for some of the rest. you could save up to thousands of dollars a year in out-of-pocket costs. and you can choose any doctor or hospital that accepts medicare patients. an aarp medicare supplement insurance plan could be an option to get the coverage you need at a competitive rate. so don't wait another minute. be sure to call today. call now for your free medicare guide and information kit about aarp medicare supplement insurance plans, insured by unitedhealthcare insurance company. straight back to tonight's breaking political news. sarah palin announcing tonight on a conservative radio show, she will not, not, be a candidate for the republican presidential nomination in 2012. governor palin saying she prayed about this, talked about it with her husband and family, deciding it is best for her, she says, to influence republicans and conservative politics from the sideline, not as a candidate, here's a bit of what she should mark levin moments ago i'm thankful, not being a candidate you're unshackled and allowed to be even more active and i look forward to helping coordinate the strategies that will assist in replacing our president. and retaking the senate, maintaining the house, helping a good constitutional conservative be elected to the governor's seats around this nation. i look forward to using all of the tools at my disposal to get the right people in there who and a servant's heart and understand what it is that our country was built upon, free men, free markets. >> that's from the radio show moments ago. ed and heather are still with us. as a veteran republican strategist, be honest, anybody in the republican politics going to ask sarah palin for strategied arice? >> i don't think strategy advice but she'd be i popular fund-raiser. i'd rather have her come in to raise money or energize the base than just about anybody else in the country. but she's certainly not going to sit around strategy meetings and talk about what people should do in their campaign. >> an important point ed makes. 2008, some people who blame sarah palin for john mccain. if you look at some parts of the country, no question a great asset for the ticket, but if you go to some of the places that in a 50/50 race are critical, philadelphia suburbs, suburban women who can go democrat, republican, they went against her. she's been a polarizing, fascinating figure in our politics since then. does she stay front and center or fade? >> i think it depends on her media contracts, honestly. as long as she's able to say provocative things, as long as she's able to comment on the race she's going to be important and that ever-important fund-raising, that is where unfortunately in this in democracy races are won and lost. she can go and get money from the heartland and bring it back to the republican elite, then she has a purpose. >> and, ed, she has the platform on fox news, not uninfluential. could she be causing candidates fits, sports center on fox news, rating the field and criticizing them. >> no question. she has a great impact among her base. when i startedbachmannman's campaign i had a slight criticism about her and i never had my e-mail lit up like it was. people out there believe in her. i think she did not cost john mccain the campaign. high how to she gave it energy three, four weeks after the convention. i think the economy and mccain himself lost that race. >> you mentions e-mails come in. i'll check my voice mail after the program. 64 e-mails since we started on this topic. her supporters and critics are quite vocal. you'll like to see palin run for the republican nomination? yes, 31, no, 66. two-thirds of republicans did not want her in the race. in our polling she peaked in august 16% of republicans back then said she was their choice to be nominee. heather, it fell to 7%. that is because republicans found somebody else, fell in love with somebody else or they got frustrated waiting so long and said, not waiting for you? >> i think it's very clear from the begin, when sarah palin does something she does it big. if she was really going to run ploefts republic most republicans thought she would have declared now. it's only natural they kind of took her at the signal she was giving. >> and, ed, talking about this, earlier, if you're one of the other candidates for president, does any of them not want her endorsement? let me ask that way. >> absolutely not. i think every one of them would want her endorsement. you may play it differently, you may play at different state but was you want her to be supportive of you. still a big role in the tea party. the tea party's an entity without a de facto lead somewhere she could become the leader of the tea party and be a powerful force in politics in america. >> do you see any any way at all her being i dissentful voice, let's say romney's the nominee, tea party doesn't like it? >> she could do that and if she did she would hurt the ticket. i expect this to be an extremely close election. and anything that basically takes away voters from us would be detrimental and anything that