between $700 and $2,300 next year unless, oh, the big unless an all new congressional committee and it is an all new committee comes to the agreement by the year's end. president obama's approval ratings are up as congress falls on this, and he seized the moment today. >> but now, even though republicans and democrats in the senate were willing to compromise for the good of the country, a faction of republicans in the house are refusing to even vote on the senate bill. a bill that cuts taxes for 160 million americans. and because of their refusal to cooperate, all of those americans could face a tax hike in just 11 days. and millions of americans who are out there looking for work could find their unemployment insurance expired. >> and just for good measure the white house website prominently tonight displaying a countdown clock to place the blame squarely on congress, and if congress does not act, quote, it says that middle-class taxes increase. the president is pointing the finger at people including republican from texas michael burgess and a member of the tea party caucus who voted today proudly and openly so to reject the senate's two-month payroll extension. i asked him just a little bit ago whether his vote was all about politics. >> i was satisfied that we got the message across that what the senate did was not satisfactory. people do need more than two months of stability. >> look, everyone agrees that a two-month extension is not acceptable and it spoke to a lot of the problems in washington, but this is a big but, representative boehner had come to a deal with the senate republicans and said he could get it through the house, the to-month extension, so they passed it and went home and who raises their hand and said yes? >> well, you have to ask the speaker and he is perfectly capable of speaking for himself on this, and you have, erin, identified the problem, that it is difficult the get a resolution on these things. answer me this, is it any easier in 60 days' time? >> why couldn't congress have this conversation earlier? i mean, did you, for example, know when the senate passed this that you would vote, i mean, that the two month that you would have voted no, no matter what? >> well, if they had asked me, i sure would. >> nobody asked you? >> harry reid said, look, this is the best we can do two months i would have said no sale, get back to work, because that is the correct answer. i cannot believe that a majority leader reid thought this was an acceptable solution to a problem. they were playing a game of beat the clock and playing a game of run out the clock this unacceptable. so here we are, and saying it is the week before christmas and we are willing to work. american people are working christmas week, and we should be working. >> you are a member of the tea part caucus. scott brown, republican of massachusetts said, quote, it angers me that house republicans would rather continue playing politics than finding solutions and their actions are going to hurt the american families and the fragile economy, and the americans are first and now is not the time to draw the line in the sand. >> with all due respect to a number member of the greatest deliberative body in the world, in two months' time, erin we will be having the argument again. the big obstacles are the pay-fors, i get that, but surely these are things that can be overcome. >> let's jump in on that. you say they can be overcome and the reason that there is a two-month extension which stinks is because the democrats and the republicans wanted to get one year on it and there are ways to pay for it the people agreed on it, and the reason that we are only getting two months is because you could not agree how the pay for it. >> well, the way to pay for it in the senate currently is a new tax on mortgages and refinances and the problem here is that you get two months of relief and the tax goes on for ten years. we could find the correct cuts somewhere to offset the expenditures in this bill, and that is what should have happened. any time you enact a new tax, we all know this, you get the short period of benefits, but the tax never goes away. >> the tax cut is very hard to take away, whether it is a mortgage deduction or a charitable deduction or anything else, and in particular, we are talking about a payroll tax and that is what funds the social security and people are getting used to it. now they're saying taking away that is a tax increase. so do you believe we are in a position to have that tax so that we will never have a payroll tax again? >> it's beginning to look that way. i voted against it because of the reasons you just stated. once you provide relief on the payroll tax, you have reset the baseline and people's expectation has been reset. >> well, thank you very much, representative burgess, for taking the time. >> thank you, erin. the bottom line wherever you stand politically one thing is true, congress is kicking the can down the road again by a two-month extension. we reached out to the the strike team, 24 ceos and entrepreneurs and investors. coming out is the ceo of john mitchell systems, member of the strike team. good to see you again. >> my pleasure. thanks for having me on. >> this is -- this is embarrassing, isn't it? >> well, it is extremely embarrassing to the the nation. give the people a one-year cut, and no big deal, but what is holding it up? it is called lobbyists. our last party got us into this mess, the party running the nation now with the democrats and republicans, are continuing this mess we are in. when the president ran he said, i will knock out the lobbyists and it never happened. three years ago he said we will stop the lobbying and why is this hold up happening? it is the lobbyists. they are saying we want other bills passed, hold off on this thing so we get other bills passed, let's embarrass the president. it is not good for america. politicians take care of we the people. i think they should continue this thing for at least one year and decide the other things later on. we have politics going on and one group saying that they should not listen to the environmentalists in san francisco and only to please a few people and bring the pipeline in. listen to the people, and maybe it will affect your grandchildren and one doesn't know, but there is a solution to this. get the lobbyists out of there. pass it for one year, and all of the other things that you have, settle it in the next few months, but don't hurt middle america. don't hurt them at all, been hurt enough. >> and let me ask you, john paul, because the issue of paying for it and what frustrated me is that this is what they all liked the democrats and the republicans and everybody liked it and everybody wanted it and no fight. >> made sense. >> and made sense and then there was a pipeline issue and could not agree to pay for it and burgess was saying, okay, well, now you will start to see the people paying more on the mortgages and we would pay it by increasing mortgage fees and we can't do that. it seems when you talk about paying for it, it is a third rail. >> what happens, erin, they missed the clock. when you had the super committee who knew nothing about business and some of them about taking care of lobbyists and not one of them ran a business. how do you get $1.2 trillion and they should have been going after $5 trillion, get business people in there, get cameras, and at the same time ask others to say, hey, how about you throwing in $1 trillion for the next ten years and it will further reduce the budget? and here, let's get a balanced budget and get rid of the deficit and we need business people in politics and not people who don't know anything about businesses. america is one of the biggest businesses in the world, and the people who run it can't balance their budget. we need business people in there and lobbyists out of there. mr. president, you made that promise and you did not keep it. mr. president, and the administration before, no pork barm spending. what are you adding on to this bill to help the middle class right now? and more things to either pass this or we won't do it. it is not right for america, guys. america works and come together for a little bit, throw politics out and do the right thing. no one is going to hold it against you if you do the right thing right now, and do it even if it at the last minute. america needs you. >> and to make the final point here as a businessperson, do you think that the people who have had numbers of the payroll tax and if we don't extend it, it will hit growth and not enough to throw us back into recession, is it necessary? what is your take on it? is this tax one that is crucial? >> no, it is not crucial. but that extra $85 a month for people that are kind of struggling right now, it is a big difference and it won't hurt one bit to last one year. we are enough in debt now, and this should force them to say, wow, we went further in debt now, and robbing a little bit more from social security as all administrations have done for years now, and what can we do to run this like a business and balance it? we, the people, we will help you out and do it for free. if you have to pay us, give us a dollar, hey, we are here. >> all right. said from a man who went from living in his car to the very top. he will do it for a dollar. john paul, good to see you. a member of the strike team and you can go to the website to find out more about john paul dejoria and the other strike team members. barack obama surge and chris christie's way into the election. and he has one to slide into be the crack. and the highest ranking officer of the u.s. military says that iran's latest actions could draw america into war. and the dhs and we go out front with an exclusive tour with secretary janet napolitano, syou earn 50% more cash. according to research, everybody likes more cash. well, almost everybody... ♪ would you like 50% more cash? 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free dry-cle cleaninging like "seinfeld" anyone watch that the other night, 25% discount? well, i had a exclusive look of the google offices in new york city and they were cool, too, but no free dry cleaning and makes us think that there is ones upmanship behind all of this. which brings us tonight's number, 150, the number of acres that apple has set aside in cupertino, california. cafeterias seat 3,000 and auditorium, fitness center and they have a space for and increase apple's current campus from 2.6 to 3.1 million square feet. the new apple looks more like a spaceship than a building that is set to launch in 2015, but is there free dry cleaning? two weeks exactly until the iowa caucuses. still not thrilled with the candidates, how about this guy? >> barack obama who is probably the weakest president i have seen in my lifetime has no idea how to use the executive power and to stand up to utter his name in the same breath as teddy roosevelt, are you kidding? >> that is chris christie and the new jersey governor says what he thinks. this morning with joe and mika. we know he is not running, but there is a chance that he would be on the ballot, because the group americans elect is on a mission to get a third candidate on the ballot in all 50 states. a candidate chosen by people, online, not by establishes parties. joining us now is the coo of americans elect elliott ackerman. good to see you. that guy we saw there, chris christie, he could theoretically end up on a ballot, right? >> yes, he absolutely could, and i think what we're doing in america is opening up political process but i get on the ballot in all 50 states and i'm talking to you from california we are with are certified and over 1.6 million people in the state of california have signed petitions to get a third choice on the ballot in november 2012. >> you mentioned california and that was a big one, and you also got on the ballot in rhode island, i believe, today. so how many states are you in? >> that is right. >> and do you think it is reasonable that you would be in the ballot in all 50? >> we are going to be on the ballot in all 50, and we have been at this for over a year now, and by new year's, we will have 2.5 million of the 2.9 million signatures that we need to get on the ballot in all 50 states so we are removing that barrier to entry and now the question becomes who are the american people going to choose? who are we going to see as an alternative to what the republican and democratic parties are putting up this election cycle and the continued and predictable failure of our governor erns out of washington, d.c., to do anything. >> and chris christie is a guy that a lot of people are in love with and a lot of people say that his hand was forced too early and he could be drafted, he told joe and mica that he does not regret getting out of the race. but theoretically, he could be on the ballot, but what happens in that case if he's on it but done want to run? >> what we're doing in america's elect is an innovation, he can be drafted through america's elect, and this is an opportunity for everyday americans like chris christie or another candidate the speak out saying they are not satisfied with the choices that they're seeing and they can participate in drafting for the candidates and show the individuals they have real support out there, and that is going to be starting here in january, candidates will be able to announce, as well as draft movements and play out into june of 2012 where every registered voter can sign up at americanselect.org and participate in a nonpartisan nominating convention to put a third choice on the ballot in 2012. >> and if chris christie does not want to get in, he can put a person in his stead, but the person can't be a republican, something like that? >> right. what this is about is putting a nonpartisan unity ticket on the ballot in all 50 states. listening to the guest before, we are seeing the hyperpartisan paralyzing the country. and we need one who does not owe their line to the parties. what we've got right now is the situation where the party bases have become the party bosses and all of us, the independents, 44% of the electorate, are left out in the cold and politically homeless and none of us have a home. >> i like that politically homeless. thank you very much. a good an al. for those who like that idea or well, not completely fed up with politics as usual and you have hope, this is something that got our attention today. >> campaign finance law has made a mockery of our political campaign season. we really have to let the campaigns raise the money they need and just get rid of the super pacs. >> all right. that really upset john avalon who is sitting over there and you should have seen him in the meeting today. and also with us is democratic strategies and national editor of govote.com, and the coauthor grand new party, how conservatives can win the working class and save the american dream. john avlon, take it away. >> this is hypocrisy watch 101. mitt romney, he's on the charm offensive. he is on letterman and everywhere and we can all agree that politics ain't beanbag, but for a guy to talk about how distasteful super pacs are, they are dropping millions of dollars in negative ads against his primary rival in iowa, come on. this is what drives people crazy about politics. >> this ad. >> yes. and newt gingrich is unilaterally disarmed here. the idea that the candidates are powerless over the pac, and yes, there is to be no contact with the pac, and they set the tone, for this guy to be above the fray but while they are dropping millions of dollars a day to drop bombs on newt gingrich, come on. >> the whole idea, on both sides of the isle, it works leak this, that the president didn't have authority over and spent years working for the president and now they run it is what frustrates people about politics in general, this rhetorical separation. >> it is frustrating, but you know what else? mitt romney, not only does he have this pac working for him, but in july and august, he was doing events with the super pac, because there is a loophole to go to the event as long as he did not ask for money, and they were able to have him at an event. so, you know, all of the candidates are in it. everybody's hands have a little bit of dirt on them, and the problem is that the supreme court passed the rule a while ago and we are all stuck in the mess. we are basically back to where we were before watergate and in fact, may be even less regulated, because it is not in the campaign or the democratic or the republican parties and in the third party groups don't have to report, it's a mess. >> ryan? >> i have to say that i completely disagree with john and jamal. the problem is that we tried to regulate the system post watergate and every time we try to regulate the system, the money is moving in a different system. what mitt romney said in my view, is very sound. when the money is raised by the campaign, then the candidate has to take responsibility for it and you cannot dodge it. you have a ton of super pacs backed by labor, backed by folks in hollywood like jeff cattensburg who dough naturdona. and that is free game, because it is free speech, but if the candidates were raising that money, another great thing happens, the democrats and the republican party can easily raise that money from the interested folks and channel the money to candidates who are not self-funders who are not rich, who are military veterans or veteran bureaucrat whose cannot raise tons of money from wealthy friends but have the support from their party and that is what romney backed and that is what i was impressed by. >> this is the debate in the meeting with john avalon and i were talking and i hear the frustration, but mitt romney hate the super pac, but he can't say that he can't play with them, and barack obama hate the super pac, has one, too. and you may hate them, but you have to play. >> yes, it is part of the "godfather ii," and don't hate the gamer, but the game. nug made a decision in part because he didn't have the cash to unilaterally disarm. that deserves, that attempt at running a clean, honest campaign deserves people's support and you to call it out when they denounce it on the one hand but are benefiting on one hand and >> america's elect was talking about a candidate coming on that was neither elected by either party so could be a d or r or i or anybody. do you think there's a real chance, you've been following this closely, john? >> yes, this is going to happen and a major player in the 2012 election. you will have a centrist, bipartisan t