poll they're neck in neck. why so tight? >> thomas, this is all about the anti-incumbent mood out there. patty murray has been in the senate since 1992. a low key popular member. the original mom in ten nis shoes as she calls herself. ordinarily would not necessarily be in such a tight race. now face iing a long time. well known republican. she's in the fight for her life. in this election cycle, no incumbent is safe. >> mark, the president will be westing for a while. it's been deemed the western firewall. why is it so critical for democrats to maintain position in the west? >> let's look at the math in the snap. the one chamber the democrats are wanting to hold with the likelihood they will lose the house. of the ten seats they would need to pick up, they would first of all have to win all the seats that they are expected to win. then there are three tossup states. and four states that should go democratic but could go republican in the cycle. of those seven states, four are o out west. nevada, colorado, washington, california. that's why the president is spending the last ten days really focussed in that area. >> i don't want to look too far ahead, but i have to. because you are a political genius. and i have you on the show. so talk about the new washington, what it will look like after the midterms. are there meetings about how to deal with new reality on capitol hill? >> well, the voters have to vote. we can't necessarily prejudge that. but mitch mccome had dialogues with tea party candidates who may be arriving in washington. if the republicans don't control the senate, it's going to be a different landscape for mcconnell in his caucus with the new more radical tea party party candidates arriving. on the house side, john boehner, in line to be speaker of the house if the republicans take back the house, we've been joking as the witness protection plan. we haven't seen him. we know he's made commitments in his pledge to america about what he's going to do. beyond that, we don't know much. >> there are "b" and "c" plans being floated around. >> the one thing we know is that the democrats are not going to have the majorities they've had in the first two years where, although very controversial, they got big things done. health care, stimulus. financial regulation. i think from now on it's going to be the best hope in washington is that it's going to be singles and doubles, small pieces of legislation, the nightmare scenario is total gridlock after the midterms. >> great to have you with us today. appreciate it. >> sure. >> here's the catch word of the week "extreme." that's the line republicans are using. wh it's working is another story. listen to how often it is used. >> this is an extreme idea. what she's talking about is extreme. >> the alternative to harry reid is extreme. it's extreme. >> ken buck. he's too extreme for colorado. >> carly fiorina, just too extreme for california. >> the extreme candidate that is so far out of touch. >> the extreme candidates that are actually taking advantage of the extreme fringe of the tea party. >> richard wolffe is nbc news political analyst. don't you love it when they use the deep voices? so i want to start with you. why is extreme the most popular insult these days? >> because the focus grouped it to death. if they're extreme, i must be normal or the other person must be normal. it's a relative measure at a time when we don't know what the benchmarks are anymore. this is a volatile, political situation where the mainstream is moving. it's shifting. what's normal in this environment when the president is a socialist or a fascist and the other side don't belong to the republican party. the rmts were successful at branding john kerry. it works. >> your poll is showing 15% of democratic voters saying they're voting to ensure rigt wing candidates are not elected to congress. 14% said they vote for a democrat to avoid an extreme right wing candidates. so are the candidates a reflection of the nation's mood? >> our poll shows that argument is not getting traction when you say the candidates are extreme. when you look into their data from the poll, it shows the argument that some of the democrats are making about the fact that many want to abolish the tea party spending and begin a path to privatizing social security. that begins to have some traction with voters. so when you just say there are tea party extremists, that doesn't work so much. when you get into real policy issues and talk about the positions some of them take, then the democrats vn able to move the numbers a bit. >> do you agree? is the extreme title of labeling, the message from the dems that it's a day late and a dollar short to job let voters out there? >> if we're talking policies, yeah. this is about driving people out where they don't normally vote. getting democrats out whether through scare tactics or telling them everything is in jeopardy. it is. if they lose control of the house, the president won't do anything. there's a motivational factor here, whether accurate or not. whether it affects people who are unemployed, that's not the issue. it's getting people to vote. >> has the administration in both your opinions had enough time to turn itself around, or is this born straight out of the recession? >> well, the economy remains very fragile and joblessness is pervasive and stubborn. it doesn't look from what the experts are telling us it's going to improve. so americans are very worried. the administration may have done a better job, and you can see president obama conceding this at explaining why the policies may eventually bring jobs back and stabilize the economy and bring growth in the coming years. in our own polls voter optimism is so far down. it's a troubling sign for president obama and the election of 2012. even though it looks bleak now, there's going to be a corner to turn soon. >> richard, your take? >> what the administration, what the democrats need to have done is say how they spent $800 billion in the recovery act. without being able to tell their own story, the other side did it for them. they said the stimulus failed. it's not been a connection about what they've done. never mind what's around the corner. that's a valid point. but they have to talk about the record. they're really not doing that. >> i want to thank you both for coming on this afternoon. appreciate it. >> so the military will immediately go back to enforcing don't ask, don't tell. the controversy policy that bans gays and lesbians for openly serving their country. the decision comes after the fourth circuit court in california granted an emergency stay on a lower court's order to suspend enforcement of the rule. jim is live at the pentagon and joins us now. is this the kind of confusion the pentagon was hoping to avoid by waiting for their own internal report sf. >> absolutely, thomas. in defense secretary robert gates put together the group and said he want ad complete comprehensive report and input from the individual service members. he was trying to avoid this kind of, what has really been a mess over the past week after that california judge took that ruling that put an end temporarily to the enforcement of don't ask, don't tell. the problem is for gays serving in the military or gay rights advocates, the process is far too slow. secretary gates acknowledge once the report is complete and they figure out how to implement don't ask, don't tell, it could be more than a year before they can adequately integrate openly gays in the military. therein lies the problem. >> other than being embarrassing for the administration. what are pebt gone officials telling you about how this affecting the day-to-day operations? >> well, @ not. i never heard a service member anywhere, here in washington or out there in a war zone talk to me ever about gays openly serving in the military. it duds not seem to been an issue for them. the bigger issue is the political pressure the decision by that judge in california put on president obama. he's in a lose-lose situation right now just before the midterm elections. those opposed to the repeal of don't ask, don't tell take obama at his word that he wants to repeal it. but at the same time, those gay rights advocates who want it repealed don't think -- well, he hasn't lived up to his campaign promise to repeal don't ask, don't tell. >> how does the most recent ruling impact recruiting now today? >> well, it shouldn't. after the ruling last week. the pentagon told gay who is wanted to enlist they could do so now, but gay rights advocates had warned from the very beginning that this is a very volatile and fluid situation. once you declare you're openly gay, as long as don't ask, don't tell is in effect, you're not permitted to serve in the militariment now we'ring that open gays still have the opportunity to at least fill out an application to enlist, but the fact of the matter is if they declare they're openly gay now, they're not going to get in the service under the current situation. >> text messaging, video games. are today's teens becoming disconnected from human kind? 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[ gigi ] ...you look fabulous with tones and highlights. nice 'n easy. your right color. with all of this, you would think that we would be raising a new generation of compassionate people. not so fast, there's a new study out of the university of michigan suggesting that is not the case at all and being connected isn't the same thing as actually caring. so is this a glimpse of the futures? she is an assistant professor at the university of michigan. joining us now to talk about this. the headline is students today while constantly aware of their friends and updates are 40% less em pathetic than 1979. that's the biggest decline we've seen in a decade. explain the rational behind this? >> well, first what we did is tracked student's empathy scores for 1979 until now. after 2,000 there's a really sharp decline. it's also a more cognitive one where you think of what another person is feeling. either way, there's a major decline. the question is why. right now we can't answer that. we have some ideas, but we don't know for sure. >> the real issue, though, is what happens when these kids grow up and get into their true adult lives and in working situations, can you learn to be more em pathetic? or is it something that will be you really work on through your life as you're growing up as a kid. ? >> well, right now empathy is seen as a trait, which means it's stable and not changeable. but parts of it i think are changeable. people can learn to develop empathy if they work at it. it's hard work. but if you take time and you actually try to become more em pathetic and care about it, then you can become more empathetic. >> you link the lack of empathy with the rise of narcissism. how do you connect the two with young people today? >> well, the two are linked. at the same time empathy is declining, we're finding rises in narcissism. usually they are high in empathy. they think about themselves a lot. so they have trouble thinking of what others may be feeling. >> do we know what's shaping the children born in the '80s and '90s that would give rise to this is? is it technology in itself or the fact that we're all kids of divorce and we're not learning how to be em pathetic of each other. >> well, we don't know why, but our best guesses are the changes in technology could be influencing their changes in empathy and narcissism. it also could be that's a coincidence or maybe they're using these types of technology to compensate for the fact that they don't have the same connections they used to have. there have been smaller family sizes. there are lot more only children. you have no choice but to learn to take other people's perspectives. especially if other children are around. that could be something. now i think there are ichb creasing pressures for success and economic concerns. a college degree isn't necessarily going to get students as far as it would have several years ago. >> so but the take away, sarah, i mean we know this is happening. we can't define why. but from your position and for parents out there watching this, what would be your advice to them out of this study? how would you treat your own children out of this study? what would you do differently? >> that's a good question. it's something i think about every day. burr i think parntdscan have some sort of an influence. we can make sure we limit screen time in case it is a cause. also we can show them. we the try our best to set a good example in our life. holiday season is coming up. we can start living that day this year. >> these kids, our kids, our nieces, our nephews will be picking out our nursing homes. i want a nice one. i want them em pathetic to me as i get older. >> exactly. >> thanks for joining us today. >> thanks for inviting me. does a doctor quote you on all the reasons why you should or shouldn't you live your life a certain way? how trust wor hawaii are the studies we'll ♪ every day you check the weather, check the time ♪ ♪ check the news online ♪heck the wife, eck the kids ♪ ♪ check your email messages ♪ check the money in the bank ♪ check the gas in the tank ♪ check the flava from your shirt ♪ ♪ make sure your pits don't stank ♪ ♪ check the new hairdo, check the mic one two ♪ ♪ 'cause i'm about to drop some knowledge right on top of you ♪ ♪ you check a lot of things already why not add one more ♪ ♪ that can help your situation for sure ♪ ♪ check your credit score ♪ free-credit-score-dot-com ♪ free-credit-score ♪ you won't regret it at all! ♪ check the legal y'all. >>offer applies with enrollment in triple advantage.® you know, if we had let fedex office print our presentation, they could have shipped it too. saved ourselves the hassle. i'm not too sure about this. look at this. 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[ man ] if it was simply about money, every bank loan would be a guarantee of success. at ge capital, loaning money is the start of the relationship, not the end. i work with polaris every day. at ge capital, we succeed only when they do. whoo! awesome! yes! we've got to get you out of the office more often. ♪ my turn to drive. ♪ my turn to drive. having the right real estate agent on your side is more important than ever. at remax.com, you can find the experts you need, whether you're trying to sell of hoping to buy. nobody sells more real estate than re/max. visit remax.com today. this is your cnbc market wrap. here's a look at how stocks are doing with a little more than 30 minutes left in the trading day. right now we're looking at the dow, which is up about 34 points. the s&p 500 up a little less than two points and the nasdaq in positive territory up about a point. meanwhile, more than 1.5 lexus and toyota vehicles are being recalled because of brake pump problems. it can result in illumination of the brake warning lamp. owners will be notified on how to get their vehicles fixed. fewer people applied for unemployment benefits last week. while the numbers are high, applications for jobless benefits fell, and 85,000 people have applied to delta airlines. they announced they would hire hub and customer service workers. that's it from cnbc first in business worldwide. thomas, back to you. >> hampton, thank you, sir. so the american dream, news this week of the death of barbara billingsly who played on "leave it to beaver" brought back lots of memories of what some used to consider the american dream. a good job. owning a home in a safe neighborhood. but now only 37% of americans think the american economy will get better next year while 26% think it's going to get worse. and 59% say they are pessimistic. one in four people surveyed think they will get a raise. one in five think the value of their home will go up. is the american dream dead or too far out of reach for too many americans steve joins us now to talk about this. steve, i know we say americans are pessimistic, but did you find any positive signs coming out of this survey? >> please don't laugh when i say this, but it hasn't gotten measurably worse in the year. it kind of fell down to a very low level and sort of stayed there. but these numbers are pretty striking. 92% of the public saying they rate the economy as poor or fair. 8% say good or excellent. >> where are they saying the blame should go? who are they saying, okay, the recession is because of this person or this? >> really good question. we asked that. american are very nuanced about it. for the recession they tend to blame president bush. he gets the most blame. the least blame goes to congressional republicans. you can see that on the recession. as you move to unemployment, more of the blame goes to president obama. when it comes to this the deficit, very close between president bush and president obama. in fact, on that issue of the deficit and unemployment. it's pretty much neck and neck americas book it as pretty even. we have a very divided counted on many of the economic issues. >> isn't it amazing? we had on hampton telling us about delta and the fact that a thousand jobs are available. and 85,000 people are applying it goes to show you the situation so many americans are in without a job and the jobs they're trying to go for when they see an area where it's being developed. where an expansion is happening. >> well, there's a couple interesting issues about that. there's a sense the housing crisis weighing into the jobs crisis. if you know of a job, it's very hard to sell your home or get financing to buy a new home to go get that job. another fascinating thing is the connection between economic attitudes and politics. if you're pessimistic about the future, about wages, about your home prices, you give president obama a low rating. there's a hope factor involved in the low approval ratings. >> but the pessimism is born out of real hardship. >> look. one in ten americans on the unemployment rate is -- does not have a job. if you broaden that figure and look at another piece of data, the number of americans underemployed, they are working part time because they can't find full time work, that's almost one in five americans. so either you have a problem right now with unemployment, or you know somebody who does. so these are not headlines making the issue worse. the issue is bad enough on its own. >> yeah, i feel for all those people. i'm happy to have my gig. >> i'm sorry to bring you this pessimistic data. >> it's good fortous be informed. cnbc's steve liesman, thank you, sir. >> sure. medical science is something we all rely on. how much of what we are told is actually true? according to a new story, a lot is misleading, exaggerated or plain flat out wrong. so are doctors getting bad information and passing it onto us? the patients? do the drug companies skew the research to make their companies look better? is anyone keeping tabs on all of this? david freedman wrote the story for the atlantic. he joins me live from boston to talk about it. it seems we get a new study every week with earth shattering and shaking revelations about cholesterol and diabetes or even cancer. then studies come out reputing the studies. one example is cell phones. some show they're safe. how does the consumer dissect all of this and figure out what's right? >> it's very difficult and very intimidating. sometimes it's really scary. the answer is we really don't have a good way of sorting this stuff out. we sort of depend on medical research to sort it out for us. they're giving us a cloudy picture. when they seem to come to a consensus, that is often overturned anyway. so we're in a tough fix. >> i want to read something from a professor you interviewed for your story. i think everyone will open your eyes to this one. every step in the process there is room to disresults o to select what is going to be concluded. they pressure researchers to find whatever it is most likely to get them funded. if that's true, what can be realistically done. basically it sounds like they're trying to stay on message, spin the story. >> that's essentially right. it's a really big problem. it's not going to be fixed easily. there is one thing we can do. we can all learn to try to stop looking for easy breakthrough exciting answers to solve our problems. except the fact these are complex problems. when we do that and stop looking for easy answers. then scientists will be less rewarded for giving them to us. >> but science by nature means experimentation. is medical science rushing to conclusions for all of us? >> i wouldn't say it's rushing to the conclusions. that's not the problem. some of the studies take place over years. the problem is bias. researchers are essentially rewarded for coming out with exciting findings. that's what gets them published, to find out something works. as long as they have the reward, there are always ways consciously or unconsciously a study result can be distorted so it looks like they're proving this drug or treatment really does work when it can be harmful in many cases. >> so drugs described for ost owe pro sis has been the target of greater regulation by the fda. in some cases the drug can actually make the condition worse. so how does that happen? >> that happens all the time. scientists often don't have a really good idea how a drug works. these are tested on animals. it's random and they see if it works by seeing if the animal seems healthier, then nothing bad seems to happen. they release the drugs and it takes years for the problems to come out. so this is a really hard problem. there's no simple solution. we have to be prepared to not look for quick fixes in drugs. no most cases there will be side effects. >> as medical science, and i should sa, there are no quick fixes. but are they in a hurry to help the patients, or is there just so much money to be made out of this they can't align the goals? >> there is a problem with money. i don't, however, think most doctors are really doing whatever will make them the most money and to hell with the patients. i don't think that's the situation. they don't know how to help patients. but patients want to get some treatment. they want to be told what's wrong with them. they want to be given a drug. they want treatment. in the end, doctors are sort of forced to oblige. and we end up with not very effective treatments. >> it's a great read in the atlantic. thank you for joining us today. we appreciate it. >> thank you. minnesota vikings quarterback brett favre isn't talking about allegations of advances he made towards an former employee of the new york jets when he was with that team. favre would not budge when asked why he hasn't denied sending explicit text messages to jenn sturger two years ago. this morning his wife talked about how she's dealing with the scandal. >> i am a woman of faith, and faith has gotten me through many difficult struggles. it will get me through this one. >> mark bishop joins me now to talk about this. do we have any idea when the nfl may say something about this meeting they have with favre? >> so much is going on now with the nfl, with the hits, et cetera, i think it's been pushed back a little bit. it's had to come to the forefront with all the news coming out. of course, brett making the trip to new york city. priority wise, people want to know in light of the roall thes things. there's something else too to weigh. >> let's talk about the marketability aspect of the brett favre. he's a squeaky clean image guy. a pitch man. is his silence. he hasn't denied sending text messages. is that a smart way to tackle the allegations? >> unless anything you can say can incriminate yourself. if there's nothing there, nothing happened, he would be talking. by his silence you, me, america, the world is saying what the heck is going on here? we all remember jenn sterger saying 15,000 red blooded americans just applied to florida state university. >> is she expected to speak out? jenn sterger? >> the only things i have heard are little comment nous and then from the past saying she rejected advances. the question i would like to ask her, too, and most people don't ask questions like this, why now? why wait so long? did something else happen recent sfli. >> very good question. maybe she's looking. appreciate it. >> thank you for having me. >> so so much talk going on by foreclosure. what do you need to know about how it affects you. we're going to explore it. with all the equipment you use to stay fit, you might want to try lifting one of these. in recent years we've added a unique natural sea salt to over 40 campbell's condensed soups. it helps us reduce sodium, but not flavor. so if you're ready to eat a little better, grab your spoon and do a few lifts. campbell's.® it's amazing what soup can do.™ exchange traded funds. some firms offer them "commission free." problem is they limit the choice of etfs to what makes financial sense to them. td ameritrade doesn't limit you to one brand of etfs... they offer more than 100... each selected by investment experts at morningstar associates. only at the etf market center at td ameritrade. before investing, carefully consider the fund's investment objectives, risks, charges, and expenses. contact td ameritrade for a prospectus containing this and other information. read it carefully before investing. the same old way... consider this: things just got beautifully simple. introducing the duracell mygrid™. simple and smart. it's mygrid™. from duracell. trusted everywhere. think you can only charge one thing at a time...? 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(oof). i had a bum knee that needed surgery. but it got complicated, because i had an old injury. so i wanted a doctor who had done this before. and unitedhealthcare's database helped me find a surgeon. you know you can't have great legs, if you don't have good knees. we're 78,000 people looking out for 70 million americans. that's health in numbers. unitedhealthcare. the banks suspend fore closing on the houses then go back to doing it. the obama administration says it won't get involved, saying this is up to the banks and servicers to fix. left out in the cold are millions of americans teeters on the brink of losing their homes. economic potholes seem to be all over the road to recovery. diana olick is here to try to help us sort this out. how ma how many houses in the country are facing foreclosure? well, it's widespread across the country. you have close to 10% of all homeowners with a mortgage delinquent on the loans. 30 to over 90 days delinquent in not paying. 4.5% of the borrowers are in the foreclosure process. it's somewhere around 14.5% of all homeowners are behind or in foreclosure. anywhere from 5 to 7 million in the shadow inventory of homes in trouble. >> for the other 86%, if your house isn't in foreclosure, why do we care about this issue? >> you should care la lot. when a foreclosure is put up for sale, it's going to be at a significant discount. anywhere from 25% to 35% in price. when you have homes arn you selling for that much less than your home, it brings down the value of your home as well. when you have more and more foreclosures in market, you have more supply of these homes on the market. we have an 11-month supply of homes. it would take almost a year to sell all the homes on the market. now it depends place to place. but anywhere from 25% to 250 -- 25% to 50% of homes are foreclosures. you don't need that supply. it's bringing down the value of your house. >> basically, the saturation issue going to be the next crisis for 2011? >> well, it's also the question of are we going to see so many more lawsuits against the banks? is that going to translate to people staying in their homes? there's so much uncertainty. a significant lack of confidence. there's pent-up demand. people out there should be buying new homes, but they're not. they have no confidence in the market. they don't know what's happening with the foreclosure crisis. how can they get a nor gaj? mortgage credit is hard to come by. >> explain what needs to happen right now to stem the problem. >> well, that depends on who you ask. the administration is saying they are not calling for a nationwide foreclosure moratorium. the hud secretary said that would do more harm than good. he's right in a lot of senses. you don't want to stop the process. you need to clear the foreclosures through whatever the paperwork issues. and i don't mean to diminish those, the bulk of the borrowers aren't paying mortgages. they need to be processed and the houses need to get on the market and sold to folk who is can afford it so the market itself can recover. so the question is, if you're not going to do a national foreclosure moratorium, then what do you do? well, the administration is trying to push more modifications. get the banks to modify the loans so you can keep the people in your homes and you woentd have these foreclosures on the market. modifications have not been successful. we're seeing a 45% success rate on the government's modifications so far. >> explain to people where they can turn for the reliable help they need on the issue. it is daunting to go through this. >> it is absolutely daunting. you don't want to hear an ad on the radio saying they're going to wipe away their credit issues. you want to go to the nonprofits, the consumer credit counseling agency of atlanta. there's a group in boston. the knock on neighborhood assistance coalition. the government has very clear websites. the home affordable modification programs that will direct you to places that will help. and in your community, groups that will help you will. just don't listen to a claim that sounds too good to be true. the odds are, it is too good to be true. >> diana olick, thank you so much. there's more information for everybody out there. they can check out your blog. >> yes. realty check.msnbc.com. >> thanks again. so new jersey's popular republican governor is speaking out and giving his assessment of president obama. nbc nightly news anchor brian williams caught up with chris christie today in a town hall meeting. the governor praised the educational reforms and energy policy, but he did express concerns about the obama administration. take a listen. >> where i've been most disappointed has been i really thought he had the opportunity, even though i didn't vote for him. i thought he had the opportunity to be a transformational figure. because of his charisma. because of the way he presented himself to the public. and the things he said during the campaign he believed in that he could go beyond partisanship. he's been incredibly partisan. republicans have been partisan, too. but when you're president, your obligation is to set the tone and to embarrass the others into changing theirs. and i've been disappointed in the real partisan tone the president has taken. both in terms of his policies and rhetoric. now see seems angry. i don't think president obama does angry well. i don't think it suits him well. i've been disappointed in that regard. when you get to the substance of fiscal policy ls they're opposites in what you would like to see happening. more than anything happening, anything else, my disappointment has been in how partisan he's been. he promises to be post partisan and he hasn't been. he hasn't forced members of his party to be and he hasn't embarrassed republicans who want to be partisan going in another direction and that's been, i think, among a number of thing, that's the one that stands out. >> you can see more of the interview on nbc nightly news. next, while driving on vacation might not be such a good idea. this is msnbc. 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[ printer whirs ] done. ♪ thanks. do you work here? not yet. from tax info to debunking myths, the field guide to evolving your workforce has everything you need. download it now at thinkbeyondthelabel.com. a tale of two cities. paris and london. it was the worst of times and the worst of times and paris riots in the streets over the economy. in london, a stiff upper lip for the worst cutbacks in decades. good afternoon. nice to see you this fine afternoon and that is how it looks across the pond today. so, how will america respond when the financial crisis knocks out the fundamental pillars of our society let alone our energy policies or rig trade with china, all of cha that are sucking money out of this country taken in the near future by retirees, teachers and other ws no special interest representation to protect them. plus, so-called mean girls in the gop. why some are skiddish about strong women in politics. also, fear and loathing in america. how it's politically useful not to mention profitable. whether you're a man or woman, they keep your scared and stupid so they can make a lot of money. show starts right now.