numbers. he signed as a candidate for new york s 20th congressional district and said moving forward he doesn t plan to re-sign it for the 19th congressional district for which he now represents. okay. the opening bell just rang. let s get right to the market rundown. cnbc s becky quick is here. good morning, becky. reporter: good morning, chris. great to see you. we are looking now at the markets just opening and they re opening relatively flat. modest declines for the s&p and nasdaq. modest gains for the dow. that s a surprise today because when you came in this morning you might have expected to see a lot of red arrows. we have been trading almost in lock step with the headlines that have been coming out of washington around the fiscal cliff. when it looks like there is some movement made, when it looks like there s a deal that could be reached, you see the markets go up. when things look bleaker, the markets are going down. that s not the case today and has people wondering, okay
summer early was probably the biggest drawback. once people got to know him after that first debate, it s amazing how quickly they transformed things. i think they did real and lasting damage. i give the obama campaign credit. they picked exactly the right moment when they had a financial advantage between june and august, before general election. they defined him and did a good job. people in the romney campaign don t have anything to be ashamed of. they ran a tough race. tom cole, member of congress, thank you. forget the powerball. wall street is feeling optimistic that lawmakers will hit the fiscal cliff jackpot. i don t know what they ve heard. the market rundown is next. are we there yet? the votes are still being counted. the list of uncalled races is about to finally hit empty. our latest tally is coming up and why that 47% number is still haunting romney. if jeb bush were nominated
that will carry us into the 21st century and for the next generation. but partisan gridlock is not helping. we need to set that behind us. let s look for good ideas that are not partisan ideas for the good of america and our country. thank you. you both sound like you come from swing districts and you do, from my understandings of the map. congressman duffy, congresswoman elect kirkpatrick, thank you for coming on together. thanks, chuck. well, was it something he said? senator harry reid speaks and stocks drop. really? the market rundown is next. boy, that stock market will listen to anybody these days. remember a man who changed professional sports without ever putting on a uniform. entertainment more than any other person in american history. how many presidents lost a general election before going on to win the white house? tweet me the answer. the first correct answer gets a follow wednesday from us.
after four years under the chairmanship of mary shapiro, the securities and exchange commission will get new leadership. shapiro became the first woman to lead the s.e.c. announced she will leave her post. by the way she is getting rave reviews from the wall street journal, t the washington post you name it for revitalizing the s.e.c. as a regulatory agency with potential death. the white house has named current s.e.c. commissioner elisse walter to chair the agency going forward. walter can serve through december 2013 but then the president must name a permanent successor who must be approved by the senate. the commission will have a party split so there may be pressure for the president to appoint somebody more permanent more immediately. a long, drawnout fiscal cliff negotiations aren t to go the market any favors. becky quick is here with the market rundown. becky, i m just thinking, how is the market going to handle what i m sorry to say is going to be
question. are you supporting bill bawling? i told him i would support him. you re sticking with it? he s a good men. he has helped us create jobs. are you worried about a divisive primary? look, primaries and conventions are about choices. once we finish those, we get back and try to win. all right, governor bob mcdonnell. thanks. you ve got it. good news from greece, will it offset worries about what s going on here in washington and the fiscal cliff? the market rundown is next. a member of obama s financial team is out. and a big name governor says he s in. clashes in cairo as egypt s president continues to push the limits of his power. but first today s trivia question. who holds the record as both the youngest and the oldest governor ever in his state s history? wanna see me get some great deals?