so far. the statements that really tell us more about the candidates that even they ever intended to tell us. finally, let me finish with the role of politics and human tears. we start with mitt romney going for the kill. howard fineman s an msnbc political analyst and the huffington post media group editorial director. and susan page is the washington bureau chief for usa today. well, here we are at java joe s, ground central, on a quiet little street in des moines, that just happens to come alive like brigadoon every four years, and we re all here. i think we re part of the brigadoon characters. this town is always here. we just show up. we re the characters out of that play. that s right. let s take a look at the latest nbc news/marist poll. mitt romney leads the pack, but still at that ceiling of 23. that weird number keeps popping up like on a roulette wheel, like in casablanca, it keeps coming up at 23. four points up from earlier this month.
political clout. we ll be back from java joe s in des moines. first, i caught up with some voters at that romney rally today, let s watch. tell me about your vote and how you see your vote next day in the caucuses. i feel like i don t need my president to be my moral compass or my religious compass, i need him to take care of my paycheck and that s why i m out here supporting romney. what is it about taking a first step that we find so compelling? is it because taking a step represents hope? or triumph? at genworth, we believe in taking small steps every day to keep your promises, protect what matters, and prepare for a secure financial future.
in new hampshire about president obama. during a campaign event for his father friday, matt romney was asked about whether mitt romney would release his tax returns. here was his answer. he s certainly not afraid of anything. he s not hiding anything. but, you know, i heard someone suggest the other day that as soon as president obama releases his grades and birth certificate and sort of a long list of things, then maybe he d do it. he later apologized on twitter saying, quote, i repeated a bad joke. my bad. a new article in usa today rounds out closing arguments for gop candidates in iowa. joining me from des moines, susan page. nice to have you here. veronica, great to be with you. before i get to this latest article and the polls, got to ask you, you re also there in java joe s. what has the mood been like in iowa? any clear momentum right now? i think there is.
the stop was an unplanned meet and greet. and this was something that was spontaneous where we dropped in. these weren t planned events the way it was for the 99 economy tour. this was very different. i m joined by erin mcpike who is at java joe s in des moines. good morning. what is the mood like there in iowa? are the iowans excited? you know, they aren t as excited as they were three years ago. it s not the same excitement that there was in 2008. do you get a sense of who is confident and not so confident? i think most of the major michele bachmann is fading at this point. her staff isn t as confident. rick perry is tentative as is his staff. but really mitt romney, ron
still vote for gingrich on january 3rd. thank you for taking time to talk with us this morning. thanks. rick santorum is hitting a stride in iowa. today s new poll shows him surging with only four days to go. santorum had three events planned for later today. ames, marshalltown, and johnston. very popular place is java joe s. thank you for joining us here this morning. over the last 24 hours, the santorum camp has been battling against rick perry s ad campaign labeling santorum a prolific earmarker during his time as senator in pennsylvania. how is rick santorum responding to that? well, that s right. that s one of the narratives we ll be watching as we wind down closer to the caucuses. perry fired the first shots yesterday. going after santorum s record on earmarks last night after an event in davenport. santorum said if that s the best