this pros he united in our belief the nation's fiscal crisis must be addressed and that we cannot leave it for the next generation to solve. that statement, issued in congress. the super committee must not end. the president said if congress tries to get around the automatic cuts, called for in the law that created the super committee, he will veto it. >> my message to them is simple. no. i will veto any effort to get rid of those automatic spending cuts to domestic and defense spending. there will be no easy off ramps on this one. we need to keep the pressure up to compromise. not turn off the pressure. >> the super committee's failure has important consequences. stocks fell sharply as investors added washington's gridlock over america's debt to an already long list of worries about economic growth at home and europe's financial crisis. plus, there are worries of a possible additional downgrade for the u.s. and the legislation that created that super committee calls for across the board spending cuts in the event of failure including deep pentagon saving that's military commanders say would dangerously undermine national security. one thing washington excels at is partisan finger pointing and sniping and there is a surplus of that. democrat blame republicans accusing they will of sabotaging the process by refusing to keep an open mind about new tax revenues. republicans say democrats are too timid about cutting spending. especially medicare and social security. >> the republicans have been insisting that we make permanent and extend the tax cut to the wealthiest americans. >> if you look at the democrats' position, it was we have to raise taxes. we have to pass this jobs bill which is another almost half a trillion dollars. and we're not excited about entitlement reform. >> so how did this happen in how did the committee established with such great urgency in the end produce nothing? in a word. politics. get this. the president had a big event at the white house earlier today hours before the committee deadline. a great chance for one last nudge except he said nothing. not a word about the super committee despite his can-do push back when the committee was given its mission in august. >> voters may have chosen divided government but they sure didn't vote for dysfunctional government. they want us to solve problems. >> now republicans control the house and so they too have an obligation to help govern. yet their speaker today like the president, silent all guy no last-minute nudge from him though he did issue a paper statement expressing disappointment. to be fair to speaker boehner, he was skeptical of the super committee from the outset but not too long ago was emfat bigg the need to confront the problem. >> it is time for america to deal with its spending problem. and deal with the fact we made promises to the american people that our kids and grand kids just can't afford. >> now though with no prayer, no sign of compromise in sight, it is clear both the president and the speaker prefer to fight this one out in the 2012 campaign. our chief white house correspondent is with us. we just heard from the president. he said we need to get this done. eptd for the first time he would veto any effort to get an end around the automatic cuts unless they column with a big dee deficit plan. he has to know one of the criticisms that he has been largely silent. >> reporter: he lay the blame at the republicans' feet. as you point out, the president himself was not working the phones during this process. his most senior aides were talking to democrats. there is a question, how effective could he have been working the phones with republicans after the debacle of the debt talks earlier this summer. but there are down sides, political downsides to getting involved with this one. this deal did not look like it was necessarily going to succeed. lots of us in washington expected a failure or thought a failure was leakly so getting the president involved wasn't necessarily politically wise. and the more distance the president gets from congress, john, the higher his poll numbers go. so keeping him at a din from congress is not a bad thing for the political minds on his team as 2012 approaches. >> and does that mean no specific proposal from the president now? no bold move to say you have failed. here's my plan. or does he fight it out in. >> his argument is that they've given him one. he put a proposal and they could continue to push that. so i think you'll hear them push that. but mostly continue on the jobs they'll and pushing his american jobs action which you heard hill do today just now. and again, tomorrow when he goes to new hampshire to push the american jobs act. maybe not a coincidence that it's an early voting state. >> it could be a swing state come next november. our chief white house correspondent for us. let's head to capitol hill. kate, if you read all the statements from the democrats and all the statements from republicans, they agree we have to get something done. the failure of this committee, congress has single digit approval ratings. they have topping they might go into the negative. >> reporter: that's a good point. that's one of the first questions as senators and members of this committee after issuing their paper statements came out. one of the first questions they're being presented with. is this another example of how dysfunctional government is? specifically congress is. i believe we have a sound bite from senator that ay murray, a democratic co-chair of the committee where she is addressing this very question. >> we have two tasks. we have to find $1.2 trillion in deficit reduction. but we also have to show the country that we can work. we didn't reach the first goal and that's disappointing. i am concerned about the second one. but i know in my heart having done this that i respect people from both sides. >> reporter: john, it's very interesting. there is kind of an acknowledge many that this has completely broken down and was absolutely a failure on the part of the committee. both sides continue to say that they want to find bigger deficit reduction measures. they want to push for a bigger deal. the question is how will that be at all possible? when this committee was set up to if any committee, if any group would be able to pull this off. it was supposed to be this super committee. they were given an amazing amount of power to bypass all the procedural hurdles that slow down legislation up here on capitol hill all the time. no filibusters, no amendments and even this committee could not pull it off. i begs the question, will they be able to pull it off at all. >> a stacked deck, as kate notes. they could not pull it off on capitol hill. if this failure maximum you mad, don't just blame washington. the divide in this town reflects the divide in the country. on the tax question, two-thirds of americans do support raising taxes on the wealthy as part of a deficit deal. but look more closely. 88% of democrats are for that and floorly 70% of independents but only 4 in 10 that you wills back higher taxes. and with washington so dysfunctional, what now? my colleague erin burnett is here. she knows the risks of doing nothing. as does a man who once kruged the country's number. the markets were down today on the expectations this would fate. if you're a ceo looking for some certainty from washington before you started hiring people or built a new factory or expanded a fact rirk you got nothing today. >> you said it best at the tot. top of the show. people were hoping something would happen. the market cropped in part because there was hope they would come forth and deliver. we're talking about 2.6% of the anticipated spending. a really, really small amount. the fact that they failed at that really sends a message around the world to the people that set our interest rates and to companies. this will impact hiring now. >> and joining the conversation, erin makes the big point. less than 3 cents on the dollar. if you go back, i cannot imagine one family watching tonight, in 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, has had to sit around the table. whether their home lost all or half of its value. somebody was laid off. the investments tanked, everybody in america has had to deal with more than 3 cents on the dollar and washington can't. why? >> it's politics over progress. the great ideological divide. everybody trying to position themselves for the next election. frankly, this committee was a total failure of and it shows what a huge leadership deficit we have. the co-chairs failed. the leaders of congress who appointed the peel to this committee failed. and frankly, the president failed. that's the biggest deficit we have. it is time for ross perot type, he had gaugement effort to tell the truth to the american people. both political parties are to blame. the future of this country is at rick. and the first three words of the constitution have to come alive. we the people. >> we the people. we the people are pretty disgusted and lagging trust in the institution. the government can't do anything. we see people occupying. what now after this? if you cannot do big, can you do small and get to the same goal? or are we going off the to have a presidential election and try again? >> it seem we'll have the unemployment benefits coming up as well as the pay roll tax cuts. both very popular. the pay roll tax cuts, something both big business likes as well as employees. those will have to come back up by the end of the year. that means you'll have to have spending cuts on the other side. i think one of the great travesties is how they have pushed it off when the bush tax cuts are slated to go away. note, there is no automatic cuts before the election. so no one will feel the pain. >> i'm going to ask david walker to stay with us. erin burnett needs to prepare four her show. when we come back, mayor michael bloomberg will join us. he will tell us who he thinks should be blamed for the failure. and the man singularly responsible for the republican refusal to put tax hikes on the table. ok look, when gas prices jump... you still gotta work. so suddenly you're cutting back on everything from family vacations to cell phone minutes. well here's a thought - how bout cuttin' back on gas? here's how: the ford f-150. it gets 23 highway miles per gallon. that's the best. so you can get the job done and get a break at the pump. yeah, can you hear me now? this is the future. this is the ford f-150. breaking news, the collapse of that super committee. design with coming up with reduction plans. the president after it collapsed is prolsing there will be no easy off-ramp when it comes to deficit reduction. moments ago at the white house, he said he would veto any effort to get around the automatic spending cuts. defense or domestic program that are now call for in the wake of the congressional super committee's failure to make a deal. let's consider more on this breaking news with our political analyst david gergen. gloria borger still with us. and david walker, david gergen, as someone who has served four u.s. presidents and watchedle more. when you watch this process set up with such fanfare torborg get the united states debt limit raised over the summer time. the total collapse, the message that sends a washington gridlock and dysfunction, is there anyway out now or do we go through a presidential campaign? >> we're mostly going to go through a presidential campaign. i don't see anyway out in the next 12 months. david walker points out that there is a sequestration trigger that the president says he'll veto any attempt and get around it. i think most people will be so angry about this. it appear that washington has gone nuts. and the country is going to be angry. the markets are going to be volatile. this is going to strike most people as a reckless gamble with our economy. we don't know where the markets are going. especially in the context of europe also having serious political leadership problems. serious failures of leadership. and i don't see a quick way out of this at all. we've been here for months. i thought david walker was right. the blame is evenly divided here between the congress and the white house, between republicans and democrats. >> you know, that's the problem -- >> to the president -- hold on one second, gloria. david walker, to david gergen's point about the president's veto threat. you view that as potentially a good thing. every one expects the congress, even though the law says do your job on this super committee or else cuts kick in. never mine, we won't touch that. you view the veto cut as the one good thing to happen? >> i agree. the president said he will make sure that $1.2 trillion in spending reductions happens. the congress may want to he said up deciding how to allocate that defensely but he is saying there has to be at least $1.2 trillion in spending reductions over ten years. and i think that's a good sign. lots of people want to do things that will increase the deficit. notal people want to do things that will bring it down. >> and yet gloria, when the $1.2, that was the floor. a lot of people wanted a ceiling of $4 trillion over ten years. saying that's the signal the markets wanted. a lot of people will ask, was this a waste of time? should they have let this go through the regular process and be create a super committee? >> right. i think you would have to say it was a waste of time. they did not mac any progress. i think the political problem here baltimore neither side fell it would lose by having a failure. because the republicans are playing to their base and republicans don't want to raise taxes. democrats don't want to cut entitlements. they're playing to their base. the question i have is in our poll today, we talked about independent voters. 6 out of 10 independent voters favored increasing taxes on hire income americans. seven out of ten want to cut spending. how do independent voters react to this when it comes time to a presidential campaign? that's where the blame game starts. people will try to convince indiana voters that the other side is to blame and they're undecided on that right now. >> and david gergen, theett voers have a responsible here, too. in the sense that they have their divided government. when you get divide government. >> is one lesson here that the only way is to do it incrementally one step at a time? the president could not get a big jobs bill through. they wouldn't pass it. is the only way to do anything in washington is take it one bite at a time? >> yes. you can make more progress sometimes incrementbly. what's so starting about we've had contentious politics. we've always had disagreements between factions, between parties. but in the past -- >> thank you very much. >> we've had the capacity. our leaders have had the capacity to see if they cannot forge a compromise and go forward. that's what the founders did repeatedly. this group of people who have thrown out all that wisdom. i'll tell you where i think we are. i don't think this was a waste of time. i think it revealed once and for all how broken the system is. and i do think you'll get a voter response. it is worth remembering in europe, three governments have fallen in recent weeks over this question of deficits. we've had the government fall in greece and italy and spain. and there's going to be a big effort now by a lot of voters to throw bums out. let's get some new peel out there. people who can work together on both sides. >> david gergen, gloria borger, a man who very much agrees with what david gergen just said. if they won't act responsibly, it is time to throw they will all out. mayor bloomberg will join us. all because so many people came to louisiana... they came to see us in florida... make that alabama... make that mississippi. the best part of the gulf is wherever you choose... and now is a great time to discover it. this year millions of people did. we set all kinds of records. next year we're out to do even better. so come on down to louisiana... florida... alabama... mississippi. we can't wait to see you. brought to you by bp and all of us who call the gulf home. where together, we're transforming tomorrow. ♪ here's where we deliver steady income - month after month. what's it going to be this month, mr. z? i'm gonna renovate my son's house. baby room. congratulations! [ male announcer ] no matter what the future holds, we're making tomorrows people can count on. what can we make with you? transamerica. transform tomorrow. ♪ ♪ ♪ when the things that you need ♪ ♪ come at just the right speed, that's logistics. ♪ ♪ medicine that can't wait legal briefs there by eight, ♪ ♪ that's logistics. ♪ ♪ freight for you, box for me box that keeps you healthy, ♪ ♪ that's logistics. ♪ ♪ saving time, cutting stress, when you use ups ♪ ♪ that's logistics. ♪ important news in washington tonight. the collapse of the so-called super committee. the charge, cut $1.2 trillion over ten years. democrats blame republicans for the democrats. the republicans, of course, blame the democrats. new york city mayor michael bloomberg blames them all. let's get some perspective from a former corporate ceo who is now the mayor of the largest city, new york. the super committee has become a super failure. mayors, governors and average americans are asking why. why this collapse? >> i don't know why it collapsed but let me say it is not the instability in europe. it is not the monetary policy of china that is the big problem for america. it is this cowardness and this partisanship in washington that is really hurting our country. if you take a look at whether it was the deficit ceiling fight or this fight, the number of jobs that were destroyed, the wealth that was ruined and taken away. it's just mind-boggling. really, nobody could write a novel where this scenario took place and sell a book. people would say impossible. yet we've just seen it. both sides of the aisle. both ends of pennsylvania avenue. they cannot even come up with something that would not have even solved the problem. you think about it. the $1.2 trillion odd that they were trying to save will only cut about 13% of our deficit. and today, we have the public debt of $10 trillion. in ten years it will be $20 trillion. $20 trillion is something like $70,000 for every man, woman and child in this country. and even then we would be doing what we're doing today. today, the government is borrowing one out of every $3 that it spends. you could not do that personally because nobody would loan you the money. >> let's try to go through the issues. you are an independent. you've been both a democrat and republican. many republicans said they were not even open to tax reform that lowered rates if in the end it brought washington more money. could you solve this problem without raising some taxes? >> you cannot solve the deficit problem without both increasing government revenues and decreasing government expenses. right now, the difference is so large, you couldn't possibly do it with either one. you have to do both. and i don't care what you promise your constituents. i don't care what your constituents want. those are the facts. so every elected official has to make the decision. am i going to do what's right politically or am i going to do what's right for the country? because there's no economists in the whole world that would tell you what i just said isn't true. you have to have revenue and you have to cut expenses. and so when you take one off the table, you just can't have a deal. and now the question is, what do we do next? >> part of the question is what do we do next? what did we do over the next three months? one of the questions is where was the leadership? you stay republicans should have come to the table on revenues. a lot of people in this town are asking where was the president? at the white house they say this was a congressional committee. listen carefully to senator john kerry. he said the republicans were adam tha adamant that the president stay out. >> the president was asked by the republicans not to get engaged in their deliberations because they did not want it to be a political football. this was a congressional idea to have this committee. this was congress's responsibility. >> the president had no responsibility or is that a cop-out? >> i would argue that the president as the chief executive of the country has the responsibility to make things come together. i understand the problem of partisanship. and the jealousies and the pettiness and selfishness that occur at the other end of pennsylvania avenue. but in the end, no ceo would send a proposal and just say, well, let's see what happens. you sent a proposal and then you go fight for it. nor would any ceo let the other side write the proposal. the job of the president is to lead the country and to lead congress. and i think the president should now just stand up and say, we are not going to take it anymore. forget about the politics. this country is crying out for leadership. crying out for courage. and i, president obama, saying this. and i'm going to provide exactly that. and the president can do it. all the president has to do is make one simple declaring statement and all of this will come together. that statement is he should say, i am going to veto any extension of any of the bush era tax cuts. not just those for the wealthy but for everybody. because it is everybody's problem. and most of the money that you need to close the deficit is in the nch amiddle class person. not with the wealthy. the wealthy may pay disproportion at amount of taxes. some people say it should be worse. the total am of taxes the wealthy pay do not go anywhere remotely toward solving the problem. everybody is part of solution. everybody gets benefits from government. and i think everybody should pay. if the president said, i will veto any piece of legislation that extends any of the bush era tax cuts, i think he would have enough support to prevent an override of his veto. it would then say to the republicans, you know, i don't know what you're talking about. we solved the revenue side. there is nothing you can do to stop the revenues. now let's work together on the expense side. and then you don't just sit around in a committee and say i'll cut mine if you cut yours and let's tray this. this guy was a campaign supporter and that guy, i always liked to own stock in his company. you don't do that. you look at this problem, genet intelligently. i think simpson boles is a good place to stafrlt it may not be perk but at least it wasn't done by a partisan swapping of one of mine for one of yours. and they could go and congress would, i think at that point, adopt the cuts together with the end of the bush era. at a cuts. you would generate something like $8 trillion. you would balance the budget, $8 trillion worth in ten years. >> in the meantime, as washington tries to figure out if it can solve its dysfunction. i won't say when but if. what is your sense of the impact of this on the markets and the economy, and b on the average american family. will they pay more on interest because washington can't get its act together? >> i think number one, nobody thinks the sequestered moneys or the cuts will happen. congress in its usual ways . the cuts don't go automatically for a whole other year during which time you can rest assured, congress will in a normal political fashion, save anybody that has political power in washington from losing their benefits or their cuts. so we're right back to having an enormous deficit problem. but no solution. and then investors are just not going to invest. businesses are not going to hire. banks are not going to make loans. individuals are not going to buy a new house or take a vacation or buy a new car. everybody is frozen. they just look and say, this cannot go on. you cannot have a government that doesn't function. and that's exactly what we have now. and incidentally, you can blame the white house. you can blame congress. you can blame republicans. you can blame democrats. you can blame this party and that party and this faction and that faction. the bottom line, this is america. america used to come together and solve the problems. when patriotism required you to put away your partisan petty self-interests, people did. but they're not willing to do it now. and i guess i think that this is the time for the president to stand up and say, i'm not going to take it anymore. i'm going to do what's right. i ran on a campaign of change and that's what i'm going to do. if the voters like it, they'll reelect me. if the voters don't, at least i'll be able to look at myself in a mirror. >> a very sober assessment from the new york city mayor. thank you for your time tonight. >> you're welcome. so how old were you when you got your first job? tonight's null. a novel plan from a presidential candidate who thinks maybe we should lower the starting work age. ♪ [ male announcer ] we're not employers or employees. not white collar or blue collar or no collars. we are business in america. and every day we awake to the same challenges. but at prudential we're helping companies everywhere find new solutions to manage risk, capital and employee benefits, so american business can get on with business. ♪ tonight's number is 9. 9 years old of that's how old american children would have to be to get a job you said a 92 proposal under gipg gingrich. right now the child labor laws say 14 is the minimum age for employment. and even at that there are restrictions on teens doing manufacturing, mining and other hazardous jobs. also, $14 is the average waming of unionized january stores. why would i mention that? you'll understand next when we talk about why newt gingrich wants to lower the working age to 9. ates 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 $13.2 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. on the presidential campaign trail today, several interesting nuggets from the state of new hampshire. romney romney collected another big endorsement. this one from charlie bass. herman cain has rescheduled a meeting he missed with members from the newspaper after failing toing who up last week, they'll sit down next next weekend. he said he'll let the calras in. also in new hampshire, newt gingrich called away for doing away with child labor laws so children can be school janitors. >> they would be tremendously less than janitors and you have to reestablish the dignity of work. >> a lot to talk over with our contributors tonight. david fromme was a speech writer for president bush. speaker gingrich said he is not about. that he skriks it as an anti-poverty program. he said in special places, where you had schools that were run down. you could put kids to work. is it serious? >> i think it is a gambit. a way to change the subject away from freddie mac. everybody is excited about this. it resonates positively with certain elements of the republican base. it excites the media. a big topic and he had a topic over the last couple days, he really didn't want to talk with. with the media you have to give them a bigger prize to get them to change the sub. >> deflection. is that what this is? >> no question this is a distract. newt had an opportunity when he was at a farm in iowa to put aside some of his past controversial statements. continue stead, he once again offered another dul idea. she said have you changed? he said i will say fewer dumb things. we know that one out of five children in this country are living on poverty. the only way to reduce poverty is to provide these kids and their kids with a better education. tools that can help them navigate all of the economic issues they're facing. the most important thing is that they need jobs. they need jobs. their parents need jobs. >> so again, to play devil's advocate in a rundown school district, the kid that otherwise might be drifting on the street. to get them a job helping clean up. teach them the value of hard work and the results of hard work. a cleaner school. bad? >> look, it won't do what newt gingrich wants they will to do. if you want a properly structured program, it will cost more than hiring a janitor. it is very expensive to do these things right. as a way, if your goal is to save money, that's one goal. if your goal is to teach, integrate work and education, that is a different goal, an expensive goal. if newt gingrich had said some two weeks ago, we probably wouldn't have spent a minute on it. here's why. newt gingrich, 24%. romney 20%, cain, 17%. this is the first time new gingrich has been a top national poll of republicans. within the margin of error. so statistically a tie. when you see him at 24%, look at this from a month ago. gingrich at 8%. romney at 26. cain at 25. do n dona, that's a surge. >> he imploded early. if he continues to make remarks like the other day, his 15 minutes of fame will be up again. we'll see him come back in mid december. why? why are republicans going back to the future with newt gingrich? >> as he confrontational candidate and republicans want confrontation. they're beginning to feel very optimistic about this election. maybe unwisely so but they think they can win with anybody so why not win with somebody they like rather than mitt romney. here's where this may change. as the problems in the eu and the currency come to the floor, romney's great strength on international currency matters will really matter. i hope that's a topic tomorrow night. the break-up of the euro. >> it will be a big topic tomorrow night. and david make an important appointment. i want to show you some more polling. al gore was pretty much a shoe-in when he ran for the democratic. you still have a primary challenge. this is about a republican, are they open to their mine. two-thirds of republicans say they're open to changing their minds. so newt gingrich can celebrate. i wouldn't pop the champagne just yet but if you look at how republicans are their decision. most likely to understand complex issues. this is a proof that gingrich has done well. 2-1 advantage. more than 2-1 over governor romney. best qualified to be commander-in-chief. gingrich with an almost 2-1 edge. but best chance at beating obama? romney. a big debate on national security issues. gingrich has taken great advantage of the many debates this season so far. does he become a target now that he is at the top? >> gingrich is a lot of raw mental processing power. it is true. if you got a complicated issue, he will understand it. an important virtue. they are temperament questions that go to the commander in chief. will he be a target? the candidates have been careful about targeting any one of their null. and i think the romney strategy has been just to wait for eex of these souffles to subside. >> romney's problem is he cannot clear the field. newt gingrich has been very good at these debates, especially attacking the media. >> a giant strategic question for the romney campaign is how hard to play in iowa. they did open a campaign office today. an old blockbuster office. will they play hard is the big question. he skipped a forum this weekend. social conservatives, evangelical voters are critically important. i believe they were the majority last time around. and one of his rivals rick santorum suggested, let's listen to his explanation of why governor romney didn't come. >> clearly, this was not a forum that mitt romney was particularly comfortable with. it was one that was longer form, one that was much more personal. much more reflective of where you've been and where you're going as opposed to just talking about the future in sound bites. i think that played to my strength. and i don't think it would play to governor romney's strength of. >> there were some who took that as governor romney is not here with these evangelical christians conservatives because being a mormon might come up. >> i don't think that's where rick santorum is going on this. i think he is a candidate who has deserved more attention than he's gotten. speaking of poverty and upward mobility and he does have some moving stories to tell on these social iruse. i think he is there expressing some frustration. he thinks he has smart things to say. >> rick santorum has talked about the plight of the middle class. the fact that they have been left behind and all of this talk about the resessions. but you know what? i watched the debate. it was a very emotional debate. i'm not a christian conservative. i'm a christian. but i thought some of the answers were very enlightening in terms of their own trials and tribulations. rick santorum talked about his daughter who was born with some kind of genital -- sorry about that. some kind of defect. genetic defect. i've been listening to too many debates. >> a big debate. donna brazile, thank you for being here. tomorrow night, next, one of the candidates who will be here tomorrow. jon huntsman grades. he doesn't get an f. [ male announcer ] what if we told you that cadillac borrowed technology from ferrari to develop its suspension system? or what if we told you that ferrari borrowed technology from cadillac to develop its suspension system? magnetic ride control -- pioneered by cadillac, perfected in the 556-horsepower cts-v. we don't just make luxury cars. we make cadillacs. mary? what are you doing here? it's megan. i'm getting new insurance. marjorie, you've had a policy with us for three years. it's been five years. five years. well, progressive gives megan discounts that you guys didn't. paperless, safe driver, and i get great service. meredith, what's shakin', bacon? they'll figure it out. getting you the discounts you deserve. now, that's progressive. call or click today. [ man #1 ] i was fascinated by balsa wood airplanes since i was a kid. [ man #2 ] i always wondered how did an airplane get in the air. at ge aviation, we build jet engines. we lift people up off the ground to 35 thousand feet. these engines are built by hand with very precise assembly techniques. [ man #3 ] it's gonna fly people around the world. safely and better than it's ever done before. it would be a real treat to hear this monster fire up. [ woman ] i think a lot of people, when they look at a jet engine, they see a big hunk of metal. but when i look at it, i see seth, mark, tom, and people like that who work on engines every day. [ man #4 ] i would love to see this thing fly. it's a dream, honestly. there it is. awesome. that's so cool! yeah, that was awesome! [ cheering ] i wanna see that again. ♪ try smart balance buttery spread. it's heart-healthier than butter. with omega-3s. 64% less saturated fat. and clinically proven to help support healthy cholesterol. ♪ put a little love in your heart ♪ the republican presidential candidates will be right here in this hall tomorrow night to debate national security issues. we know there are big differences. tonight they're unified in saying the president should get most of the blame now that the super committee failed and that deadline will not be met. earlier today, i discussed the deficit challenge with one of the republican candidates, the former utah governor, jon huntsman. >> let's start with today. if president huntsman were in office today and the deadline were a few hours away. >> we don't need to recreate the while, that's kicking the canment we need presidential leadership chlt we need somebody to stand up and say we have ideas on capitol hill. we've done all the thinking. we lack leadership. that's the problem today, john. leadership has been completely missing in action. and so in that void, you have mischief making. you have partisanship, you have the extreme ends of the political spectrum that are going to point fingers of blame and the work the people won't get done. >> grade the president through the several weeks in the super committee. >> d minus. when you're not on deck showing a little bit of leadership when you're not using the bully pulpit which is the most powerful weapon of the presidency, you deserve practically a failing grade. you can't expect congress to get done the work of the people in today's political environment without the president standing up and leading by example. and putting some ideas forward that congress can then work on on behalf the people. >> whats the responsibility of the republicans. they've said absolutely no when it comes to revenues as part of this deal. would a president huntsman told them keep an open mind or can you get this done without any new revenues. >> president huntsman would have said get the work of the people done. >> two thirds say raise taxes on the wealthy as long as you do the cut. >> get the work of the people done. >> you're okay with that? >> when i was voted in as governor, i was elected to do the work of the people of my state. that's my background, that's my orientation. at the end of the day, you have to make the system work. you have to create a pathway for to allow the system to function and allow this country to grow. we're a motorcycle stuck in neutral. we can't get in first gear. we're like a battery that's run out of energy. you have to get the work of the people done of the you have to come together at some point and strike a deal. not everybody will like it, but you have to move forward. >> i want to be specific. would a president huntsman as a candidate huntsman open to a deal that as long as you got entitlement reforms and got what you believed to be real and lasting spending cuts, to a deal that also includes raising tax rates on wealthy americans. >> well, raising tax rates at a time when we're sinking economically is not the right thij to do. instead i would raise revenue in the tax code. no more corporate welfare, no more subsidies. no more loopholes and deductions. sweep it clear. that allows us to -- i did this in my state. i saw what it did in terms of economic uplift. on the corporate side, it says to lobbyists, you're not -- we don't want to give you more to lobby for. no more loopholes or corporate welfare. part of the problem here, john, is we need term limits in congress. part of the problem is we need restricts on members of congress who go into lobbying. we have structural problems that make it difficult to do the work of the people and to have a president willing to use a pulley pulpit and identifying and pointing out the issues would be a good thing in the country. i want you to listen to part of a conversation. you were making the case that it is possible in your view to succeed in a partisan primary environment without being overly partisan. let's listen. >> i believe that we ought to have a civil discourse in this country. you're not going to agree with people 100% of the time. had they succeed and do things that are good, you can compliment them on it. i think we need to come together more on the issues that matter. i believe in complimenting people. >> we don't see any civility in this town at the moment. our new poll out today has huntsman at 3%. is that proof that nice guys finish near last? >> not that i'm a nice guy. i i believe in getting the work of the people done. i believe in putting forward -- i've been outspoken on where i stand on afghanistan, on tax reform on issues near and dear to the republican party, some of which people like, some of which they don't like. that's the way i am. this is a time for leadership. this is a time for the president of the united states to stand up and lead. the people of this country are crying out for it. bid leading, i would argue you can bring people together. this is a time of unpress debited -- people want to be brought together. we want to find common sense solutions to our problems. that's going to take executive leadership which we just don't have today. >> what is it that you think you have to do or that you need the electorate to think about to get your moment. if you look at the bouncing ball of the republican polling, donald trump was up at one point, he didn't lun. michele bachmann had a big rise. then it was herman cain's moment, governor perry had a moment and newt gingrich is in a tie with mitt romney. how does jon huntsman say give me that poll? >> we don't want 15 minutes of fame. we want sustainability. the way you get that is by proving the point in new hampshire. that's the early primary states and we're moving up in the right direction there and i believe the weeks ahead will be critically important. we've done 101 events, town hall meetings, we're connecting with folks. when folks coalesce around your message in new hampshire that's a message loud and clear to the rest of the country that this guy should be taken skeer seriously, that he has something worth listening to. it's all about a market moving event and for me the market moving event will be new hampshire. >> humor and patience are two things you need in politics. you mentioned that you bring it up quite a bit. it is your focus now and it was your focus when you went on saturday night live. take a peek at governor jon huntsman joining weekend update. >> can't help but notice and keep mentioning places in new hampshire. >> it's not on purpose, seth. i would never tie myself to one state. i like to spread my wings and fly like the purple finch. >> which is, of course the state bird of new hampshire. >> you know a lot about new hampshire, seth. >> i'm from new hampshire. >> that makes sense. because you're kind and good looking. [ laughter ] >> governor huntsman -- i can't tell you that we dot no fall for easy compliments. >> that's because you're wise like a dartmouth professor. >> well, thank you so much for coming. >> are your parents registered voters? >> my mom is a dralt and my father is an independent. say hi to your dad for me. independents can vote in the republican primary up there. a funny moment there. but it is a serious challenge. what is the paragraph for governor huntsman in new hampshire in do you have to win