morning of "sister wives" star janelle. going to hear from that family. that big, crazy chaotic family later on this hour. >> barry white. hello. >> no, i get it. thank you, roland martin. roland is back on our panel. i can see how this morning is going to go. thank you for pointing out the obvious. also with us, good morning, will. >> good morning. >> margaret hooper is with us, as well, a former campaign staffer for president bush and former new york city mayor rudy giuliani. and she is the great granddaughter of president herbert hoover. >> how about that? >> i'm the great granddaughter of -- let's get to our starting point this morning. senator 36 years ousted by a tea party candidate who says we need less cooperation in congress and more confrontation. richard lugar lost to richard mourdock. nice to see you as always. there are many, many iterations, james. tea party, he was out of touch. he was a victim of his own sort of failures to navigate his own campaign. there's an anti-incumbent vibe. is the big moral in this particular story, moderates have no place in congress right now? >> first of all, he didn't lose. he got smoked. he -- >> oh, sorry, let me change that. smoked. >> that was -- so let's start with that. what it means is this. it's pretty clear now if you're a republican senator and you're voting, you better fall in line because if you don't, people gonna get in line to run against you. that's very clear this happened to senator lugar. and there for the grace of god, i'm lining up -- >> which means what for congress now? >> between what the right wing pollution industry, the anti-science people, the everything else want you better get in line because if you don't, they're going to run somebody against you. >> but james, blanche lincoln, arkansas, exact same thing, conceived as a liberal democrat -- >> she got beat in the general. >> right. >> can't beat in the general. this is an entirely different thing. entirely different thing. she won the primary. this is what happens. so when you fear becomes that you're going to be defeated in a primary, that is an entirely different kind of behavior as the fear you're going to get beat in the general. that's an entirely different thing. >> extrapolate that for me for what congress is going to look like. does it mean if everybody -- >> hasn't won the general yet. >> so -- >> this may not -- >> polls are showing he might -- >> let's be clear. this election may actually not change the balance of power in the senate anyway. in fact, indiana was trending red anyway. republicans likely wouldn't have lost the seat. so hitting their 50 mark and taking back the senate, this has brought the context of the senate -- >> mourdock? >> can we draw a chart? >> that's going to change something to begin with. and it's not a given that the republicans are going to win the state now. he's got a good shot. >> okay. but indiana is still trending red. president obama's approval ratings are down in indiana. >> trending rate doesn't mean hard red. >> and he barely won indiana. you never have to ask me to -- >> go ahead. >> it's always been red. it's not trending red. >> i've been trying to win this guy over for a year and a half through the camera. i'm going to try in person. i think we are going to draw huge lessons out of indiana. if you're an incumbent, you've got trouble. 17 governments in europe, 12 of them overturned from sarkozy to greece to merkel. you've got lugar in trouble on the right. bottom line, we're coming off a debt high and everybody's in trouble. >> don't equate with lugar. he's the longest-serving republican in the united states senate. secondly, if this hasn't happened before, if it didn't happen in utah before. okay, if they wouldn't have scared the you know what out of john mccain. i think this is actually one of the instances where it is valid to draw some very big conclusions. what you say is exactly right. one point you make is exactly right. >> which is what? >> that republicans disputed the left, republican moderates are really at risk when they get primaries. incumbents are not doing well in the world. >> that's my point. >> i would buy that point. >> to your point, that is the issue. and that is when you have fewer moderate republicans, when you have folks -- when you have freedom works saying do not work with the other side. all you're simply asking for is more contention, more drama in the senate and what you actually need is you need people who do know how to reach across the aisle. to his point about senator john mccain. he was perceived as the guy who can reach across -- who's left? lindsey graham? >> look at olympia snowe. and you would have thought maine would have been much easier place. but the point i wrote a piece. the obama people are very smug. what incumbent would be very smug right now? nobody. >> the title of your piece is "wake up, democrats, you could lose." you think that democrats around the country are going to win as i hear time and time again from the people on the street. democratic fundraisers, activists, and supporters alike collectively lapsed into the sentiment that the president is going to be reelected and we have a good shot to take back the house and hold the senate. i ask, what are you smoking, drinking, snorting, or just what the are you thinking? look around the world. do you see any governments or incumbents winning elections out there? so you agree with the incumbent issue, clearly. >> of course i do. but in the united states the incumbents got wiped out in '08, got wiped out in 2010, get wiped out here. you go to europe, you go anywhere. why would a political party that is in power that's tight in the polls that does not raise as much as any other party, democrats tell me all the time, it'll be all right, aren't we? >> don't you think that comment was that -- what was that? >> i'm the captain going -- >> go ahead. >> and the question is, was the source of that sound that you just made and that overconfidence potentially that the fact that during the primary season, which frankly even republicans admit became a bit of a circus, ended up hurting the brand of the republican party. 20 plus debates. for the democrats paying attention, it was easy to become -- >> it was delightful. >> but the reality is, the majority of americans weren't watching during the presidential primary because they tune in august and september when there are nominees of both parties and that's when most of them pay attention. >> one of the reasons, because mitt romney is not just a bad presidential candidate. he might be the worst i've ever seen. just look at yesterday when he said they ought to give him credit for the auto bailout. he actually said that. i mean, i've never seen -- he gets the charge is that his foreign policy has a mentality, so they call a press conference and put the experts on the phone and talk about czech slo vak ya and the union. >> versus smugness, sometimes smugness will lose that fight. >> and look, soledad, to james' point from the democrats getting comfortable, when you look at the numbers in terms of the critical states. ohio, pennsylvania, north carolina, those states. the president has a huge lead, in many ways they are tied. you look at voter suppression efforts, voter i.d.s. he's not going to win by 10 million votes. okay? it's going to be a lot tighter. if you're a democrat, the smart thing to say is you're treated like an underdog and work from behind to work your butt off. you get comfortable, you're going to lose come november. >> let me talk to you about joe biden for a minute. a couple things that had everybody jumping. all right. let's play them, shall we? this is joe biden on iran first. >> when we took office, let me remind you, there was no international pressure on iran. we were the problem. we were diplomatically isolated in the world in the region. by going the extra diplomatic mile, presenting iran with a clear choice, we demonstrated to the region end of the world that iran is the problem, not the united states. >> that's the vice president saying america was the problem then. earlier in the week talked about gay marriage. i want to play that clip. >> i am absolutely comfortable with the fact that men marrying men and women marrying women and heterosexual men and women are entitled to the same rights, all the civil rights, all the civil liberties. and i don't see much of a distinction beyond that. >> is there a strategy in this? is this one of those -- >> i don't know. and i ask that every time we -- from the gails of laughter, i'm going to say no. >> more politics. it's happens the way it happens. it's less strategic than people think. >> that's always believable when you said the vice president said something. maybe there's a strategy there. he just said something, un, it might have been what he thought at the time. yeah. honestly, i don't know, but it could have been that he just said it. >> you're at a loss for words. >> i'm willing to concede in his instance, there was not a strategy involved. >> james, honestly, if you were part of this obama reelection campaign, what would you say to biden? >> i would say he's done pretty good. a lot better over the last few times than i had any right to expect. people like biden in washington. everybody knows him, likes him. i think he's done the president a good job. and he's not joe biden if he doesn't -- >> people have to understand when you look at the critical negotiation that are taking place between this administration and congress, joe biden has been the one sitting at the table. >> and suddenly all these issues brought up that maybe they don't want to be discussing at this moment. >> not voting for him, though. not voting for vice president barack obama. >> maybe everyone if they'd gotten ready ahead of time -- >> when james said he enjoyed how much democrats are viewing the process. we love it when joe biden talks. i think joe biden -- sometimes it's good, he supports gay marriage, sometimes it's too good. foreign policy and economics, keep talking, joe. >> he's done a good job and he hasn't said as many things that have gotten him in trouble. >> as many bad things as we thought he might be saying at this time. >> joe's a great guy. >> let biden be biden. >> will the president switch him out? >> no, that would be -- when people say that -- he'd look weak. >> he couldn't say anything about the campaign. plus, biden is an asset. people like joe biden. >> our view would be why give a guy who is doing a good job, why give him the rub? >> he says crazy stuff that we get to parse on morning tv. >> there's democrats saying -- we don't think it's crazy, we think it's -- >> no, there's implications of that that everybody's dealing with at the white house. that's the problem. i appreciate you joining us this morning. >> thank you. >> we've got to get to a look at the headlines. christine romans has those as we parse through the noises here. the fbi investigating two different air scares this morning to find out if they're linked. both were southwest airline flights from john wayne airport in california, the sky harbor in phoenix. one flight was searched by a bomb squad and dogs before takeoff. air traffic control being very careful as they guided the plane to an isolated area. >> on to the runway and just taxi southbound and i will advise. just take your time, go down to the end of the runway and turn left. and while you're in the iso area, at least remain this frequency in case i have some problems with you. >> the other southwest flight was searched after it landed in phoenix. both planes were given the all clear. the would be bomber in a thwarted plot to blow up a u.s. airliner was an undercover agent working with saudi arabia to infiltrate al qaeda. the device they were going to use was similar to this one used by the so-called underwear bomber back in 2009. but much more sophisticated. over the weekend, a u.s. drone strike in yemen took out a key al qaeda leader believed to be involved in planning this attack. but the expert bomb maker is still out there. peter king, chairman of the house homeland security committee told anderson cooper that all these leaks could jeopardize the search for al-quso. >> as far as i know, this has not been declassified by the cia or by the administration and it's really to me unfortunate that this has gotten out because this could really interfere with operations overseas. >> that new al qaeda bomb is now at the fbi lab for analysis. he's considered armed and dangerous. fbi and police are combing two states to find the kidnapping suspect adam mayes and save two young girls. surveillance video shows mayes in a mississippi convenience store just days after the alleged abduction of joanne bane and her four daughters from their home in tennessee. the mother and oldest daughter were found dead in the backyard of mayes' home in mississippi. now mayes' mother and ex-wife are in custody accused of helping in the aggravated kidnapping. the fbi is offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to mayes and the two girls. minding your business this morning. the 99% planning to occupy charlotte, north carolina, this morning. the corporate home of bank of america where its annual shareholder meeting happens today. protesters are unhappy with the bank's foreclosure practices and investments in coal mining. also worth noting. if you are a bank of america mortgage loan customer, watch your mailbox this week. you could get a notice related to that big mortgage settlement announced earlier. the bank is sending out letters to people eligible for principal reduction on their mortgage loans. it could mean up to -- well, could mean some significant savings for some customers. a check on the markets now. u.s. stocks open lower. dow futures down 90 points. markets down yesterday too because of concerns about a slowdown in worldwide economies especially in europe. oil prices down too. oil is down 9% over the past five days. that means you can expect lower gas prices still over the next few weeks, as a result. soledad? >> like to hear that. still ahead this morning on "starting point," the shocking sight. a terrible sound. take a look at this dash cam video, a school bus running over a child. we'll talk about what happened here. horrible. also we're going to speak with richard mourdock, going to join us live up next. and from his play list u2 "beautiful day." er is different but centurylink is committed to being a different kind of communications company by continuing to help you do more and focus on the things that matter to you. 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[ all ] ♪ hey, hey, hey ♪ good-bye welcome back, everybody. we were talking a few minutes ago about richard mourdock's win over lugar. some success linking senator lugar to president obama. >> i've worked with republican senator dick lugar to pass a law. >> what i did was reach out to senator dick lugar. >> i'm interested in figuring out my foreign policy, i associate myself with joe biden or with dick lugar the republican ranking member. >> richard mourdock is a republican nominee from indiana. congratulations, sir, nice to have you with us. i appreciate your time. give me a sense of why you think you won. i mentioned a couple of reasons people have been talking about. but why do you think you won? >> well, all politics are local, soledad, as you know. and the fact is mr. lugar had long distanced himself to indiana republicans, moved out of the state in 1977 and frankly hadn't been back very often, especially in the last ten years. and people in indiana want to know who is representing them, want to be able to talk to them. and i think that was the biggest liability that mr. lugar carried into this race. >> he sent out a message to his supporters and others, i guess, as well, and he said it was about an anti-incumbent head winds. he also said linking him to senator obama at the time would be used against him and that he was also a target of clubs for growth and freedom works. and clubs for growth sent out an e-mail saying total independent expenditures by club for growth entities combined amounted to 40% of all independent expenditures in indiana's senate race in the last 30 days before election day. do you think he has a point? which is funding from major sources somewhere between $2 million from them, $4 million total was really what helped push you over? >> well, there's no question with the independent expenditure campaigns that were coming in on both sides. got to be a very expensive race for both of us. and for those independent expenditure packs. but those packs coming in on our behalf represent a special interest group. they're called conservatives. people from all over the united states who want to see the united states senate controlled by not just republicans but by conservatives who are willing to get in this race. they want to be heard. and it's a legitimate part of the process. >> mr. mourdock, this is will cane. let's talk about what it is you would represent to conservatives. if you had to pick one senator holding office, who would you model yourself after? who would you say you want to be like? >> well, i would give you a couple. certainly jim demint is one, mike lee from utah is another. i am a conservative. i believe that what we have to have for economic recovery is more rolled back government, scaled back. we need to get the economy going. this campaign is -- as much as the negative ads were beating up on things of the past, we were talking about the future in front of audiences. we've got to get our economy growing and we've got to scale back government, lowering taxes and giving stability in the capital market. >> mr. mourdock, a follow-up question. many people have likened jim demint and the tea party to not compromising in the senate. and what would you say? i want to give you an opportunity to respond. what would you say when people criticize you as saying you don't understand the nature of the institution you're running to represent the senate which is really premised on the notion of compromising with your colleagues. >> well, i'm a huge student of american history and i recognize this is one of those times where there's great polarization between the two parties. and frankly the ideas for which the parties are working are really at opposite ends of the spectrum. i don't think there's going to be a lot of successful compromise. hence you have the deadlock we have today. what i've said about compromise, i hope to build a conservative majority so bipartisanship becomes democrats joining republicans to roll back the size of government, reduce the bureaucracy, and get america moving again. the stimulus plan hasn't worked. >> what i hear you say is you're not going to compromise, in fact the only compromise you'll do is really getting other people on the other side of the aisle to come to your side of the aisle, which is the definition against compromise. you said this in the "new york times" -- >> well, it is the definition of political effectiveness. >> so political effectiveness you are saying is not possible with compromise. some people would say political effectiveness in the senate would require compromise. there are many issues that cannot be done if you do not get bipartisan support. you're not going to work toward bipartisan support? >> well, the fact is, you never compromise o