Page 23 - Mark Haleprin News Today

Theres growing momentum for this effort. here in new hampshire and across the country. and i had the chance to chat with the president this afternoon and wish him a merry christmas, he did the same to me, i thanked him for his support, his leadership, his heroic life, and his friendship mean a great deal to me. i must admit, this is much more important to me personally than even politically. hes a real hero to me. and my family and i appreciate his support. >> so yesterday in new hampshire, mark...

On the campaign trail, people cared. i was able -- this was my big issue. people seemed to care. but let me ask you guys. mark, ill start with you. does anybody out there care in iowa and new hampshire? $65 trillion debt, 10,000 baby boomers per day. the numbers not adding up. medicare and medicaid alone over the next generation consumes every cent of taxes coming to the federal government? anybody focusing on this in a real and meaningful way? >> the poll shows voters care about it. the problem...

Joe," mark haleprin, sam stein, still with us, and joining us from washington, associate editor of the "washington post" eugene robinson. >> lets keep the music up for one second. >> so nice. >> i played this specifically for you, eugene, and democrats who have suffered through the year, its i think some tactical mistakes by the white house. but now, just sing along to andy williams. this is a wonderful time for democrats in the white house, isnt it? >> well, you know, its a whole lot better tha...

Socialist and hes whatever. its got to be substantive. and they havent done that. >> i think also if you look at some of the polls for the president, people are beginning to be sympathetic whether you agree with it or not with the presidents predicament with the republicans because of all of the stops along the way. it also was a predicament for the republican candidates. could in be an opening for newt? in some way, shape, or form? >> i dont think theres any doubt about it. the republicans got ...

Hes old news. and theres a lot of -- as a friend of mine said, his baggage has baggage. thats -- thats -- >> thats one way -- >> theyre going to open it. so -- >> yeah. hasnt it been opened? >> i think a lot of it has been opened. but i believe theres more to be opened. >> so what is -- im curious, mark. any thoughts about whats causing this decline? is it all the attack ads? is it specifically freddie mac? what is it? >> its the attack ads that have been very good. and -- >> its not really the ...

Big news out of iowa, new polls coming out. flattening a chaos scenario that i was just talking about with john heilemann and mark haleprin. but lets start first with the breaking news. >> yep, the death of kim jong-il. the north korean dictator. now its a huge test for the reclusive nation where the countrys few resources are diverted from a starving population and toward a nuclear wes program. the security concerns are enormous. president obama already reaching out to our ally in the region so...

Until the iowa caucuses, it appears newt gingrichs campaign is on the decline. >> its a little early to say that. its a little early to say that. >> no. >> i just said it appears. >> theres a leveling out. >> and i didnt smile. >> theres a leveling out. up, down. theres some strange things going on out there. >> the latest public policy polling shows the former speaker slipping into third place in the republican presidential field. thats an 8-point drop in just one week. ron paul now leads the p...

Of government is also risky. americans believe in that. >> different time, though, different place. i think americans are so angry, richard, at every institution, look at the polling. i think that this is a more desperate -- perhaps not more desperate economic time, but boy, the public anchor and all institutions and, especially, the conservative base, anger at the judiciary is pretty strong. >> and i think it could help -- i think, mark haleprin, it could help him with the conservative -- a por...

Saturday doing this bus tour. she had 16 events on saturday. 16 events on saturday. she was working it from 7:00 in the morning until 10:00 at night. and her retail skills, i thought, were very strong. she was working the coffee shops and doing a nice job. >> thats the parallel. >> very accessible, talking to everybody, and not an ounce of diva about her on saturday afternoon. >> mark, weve been thinking theres going to be a sort of second charge by michele bachmann in iowa. do you see that happ...

>> well, thats the image this morning on north korean state television. a weeping anchor announcing the death of north korean dictator kim jong-il who passed away on saturday. with us onset, we have msnbc senior political analyst mark haleprin. we have the national affairs editor for new york magazine and msnbc political analyst john heilemann. we also have the president of the council on foreign relations richard haass, and in washington, nbc chief foreign affairs correspondent and host of andr...