would never be able to take time off what i big project has to get done on deadline. funding the government, that's a big project with a very important deadline. and consider this. according to expedia.com, the average american worker gets 18 vacation days a year. 18. and they only use 14 of them. did i mention that since january congress has only been in session for 125 days? plus they divided 112th congress promises to be the least productive in recent memory. since january only 14 house measures have been signed into law by president obama. and look at this, had when democrats controlled the house last year from january to june, 466 bills and resolutions were passed. by comparison over the same time frame this year only 207 bills or resolutions got approval. they spent more time bickering than getting anything actually done. yet house lawmakers sure do get paid a lot. rank and file representatives earn $174,000 a year. the speaker of the house takes home $223,500. now, compare that to the average american salary of around $43,000, according to the bureau of labor statistics. meanwhile, the more than 1. -- or the more than 14 million unemployed americans, 14 million unemployed right now, would love to have a paycheck, any paycheck. job fairs all across america, we met americans seeking work. people like anna lowrie of atlanta who in august was homeless for four months. she said she was going back and forth, living with her sister or friends. and here's matt blodgett. when we met him in atlanta last month, he said he'd been looking for work since december. he said he'd sit at the computer and apply and apply and you don't get a lot of responses. americans frustrated, looking for work. meanwhile, our high-paying mouse lawmakers are on vacation and we're on the brink of a possible government shutdown. it's not just the house under fire. when i spoke with gop freshman senator rand paul, he admitted he's frustrated by the lack of work getting done. >> we go week after week in the senate and do nothing. i feel like sometimes i should return my check because i go up, they do no votes and no debate. look at this -- >> really in you feel like that? >> we don't debate that either. >> you feel like you're not doing anything? >> yes, i -- absolutely. we go week to week and there's no debate in congress. no debate in the senate. we sit idly by. some weeks we vote on two or three non-controversial judges and we go back home. >> senator rand paul back in may. look at this. from the senate floor time and time again when it's roll call, look, a whole lot of senators are missing, they're not on the job. and the vote, the vote has to be delayed because of that. what is going on? is this what we're going to face until the 2012 election? joining us now tonight is senior political analyst david gering sxwen mark mckinnon, a former adviser to the bush campaign and senator john mccain. he co-founded the non-profit group no labels, dedicated to bipartisan and civil discourse in politics. david gergen, if an executive knew that his company was running out of money and rather than deal with it instead he goes on vacation i think most americans would think that executive should get fired. how can congress get away with stuff like this? >> well, the board of trustees of that company would fire the chief executive. and the board of trustees in this country happens to be voters. and they may well do that very same thing come 2012 election. there's so much anti sentiment building up against this congress. and it's not just the house, anderson. the senate too. a lot of senators had to go home this weekend. they had to go fund raising. they had to build up their coffers. so they'll come back monday, thank you very much. while everybody's waiting to see not only will the government continue to be funded. but very importantly, whether the federal emergency management agency, fema, the one that puts out all the money to disaster relief people, whether that's going to continue. their coffers are almost empty. i think you're right to take the gloves off on this, anderson. it is a repeat -- we thought, i think most of us thought that after the awful spectacle that surrounded the debt ceiling vote, that people in washington would learn, that people would realize the country is disgusted and here we have another round. it's unbelievable. >> mark, is everything now in a political discourse political? is everything in government now just political? >> it is, anderson. that's@no labels group is such a strong constituency and they came together and they see a complete disconnect. they see a time when the dow's falling through the floor, people are out of work. the congress isn't showing up to work and when they do show up to work they can't get anything done. what was happening in the last two days people thought was solved a month ago. so your statistics were great. and we've been compiling similar ones as well that show that in the two months leading up to the debt ceiling debate congress only showed up to work half the time. and between now and the november 23rd deadline for the super committee they're only going to be in session together 17 days. so -- >> i don't think most people realize that. >> rand paul should give the money back or they're coming after him with pitchforks. >> i don't think most people recognize the schedule their representatives are on. i think david, most people -- >> most people do not realize. they often come in two or three days a week. that's partially driven by money. they feel they have to be home to raise the money and keep the fences built. so they're not lollygagging around on the beach. it's actually a much worse life than people imagine, too. to be in congress and shuttling back and forth and going to fund-raisers all the time. >> but 125 days a session is just insane. >> they're not doing the people's work. that's the real point. here we've got 270 days this year and they've been in session 125 days. the people have a right to expect their members to be in washington doing their work. >> i want to play some of what senator mitch mcconnell said back in may. let's watch. >> look, divided government when neither party controls the entire government, is the best time. the best time. and some would argue the only time when you can do really big stuff. >> mark, he has a point. welfare report, the graham-rudman balanced budget act were both passed when our government was divided. so why is it that this divided congress can't seem to get anything done? >> well, not only can this divided government not get anything done, but when the democrats held the house and the senate, they couldn't get anything done, either. it's so hyper partisan and so poisonous, at a time when we have arguably some of our greatest challenges the system is completely paralyzed. and here's how it translates into a problem, anderson. the people responding -- there's a crisis in confidence, not because of the policies that are happening in washington but because of the politics around the policies. it wasn't the outcome of the debt ceiling debate that created the drop in consumer confidence. it was the way the debate was handled. and so we have a consumer confidence index which is now at 55, which is the fourth lowest it's been since 1952. and to give you an idea of context, losing presidents on average lose when the consumer confidence index is at 76. winning presidents win when it's at 95. today it's at 55. >> what is the solution here, david? how do you get through the paralysis in washington? >> well, i do think that mark mckinnon is doing something very important. this no labels group is the makings of a middle third party of people who are disgusted with politics as usual. howard schultz, the ceo of starbucks, has come together with him. mark can talk about this. but schultz had a phone call that asked people to sign up. he had 140,000 people on the phone call. to talk about how to change our politics. there is a disgust in the country. and if it can be channeled not just into the tea party, because that after all is one manifestation of the unhappiness, but a lot of people in the middle who don't have -- they're not so ideologically driven, i think that mark is trying to build something like that and it has really potential. >> mark, is it a third party or -- i mean, that seems like something that's a long way off. what can be done just to change the climate in washington? >> it's not a third party but it's an alternative voice and it's a voice that represents the majority in this country. the problem is that fringe, extreme, and special interest groups have grabbed the microphone and dominated the conversation and they're. punishing our elected officials for good behavior whenever they exhibit bipartisan behavior or cooperate with anybody from the other party they get punished by these interests. so no labels was organized because people are demanding it because they want to have a voice that represents the broad middle of america, that referees these debates and says we're fed up, we want some progress, we don't want just partisanship, we want progress, we want cooperation, we want some concerted effort where people actually come to work, work together, get some problems solved, and work together. so no labels community is 100,000 strong, growing every day. and to provide a voice for the mid -- to give our elected officials a voice and cover for doing the right thing because right now they get punished for doing the right thing. >> that's a sad state of affairs being punished for doing the right thing or for compromising, coming to agreements. got to leave it there. mark mckinnon, david gergen, thank you. >> exactly right. before congress left town members of the subcommittee on oversight investigations held a pretty anticipated hearing. they tried to grill two executives from the bankrupt solar panel maker solyndra about the $535 million loan guarantee they received from the department of energy. now, lawmakers wanted to know why one month before solyndra filed for bankruptcy they told the department of energy the company was doing just fine. one month before. but both men invoked the fifth amendment. congressman fred upton, the democratic chair mon of the committ committee, was not pleased with that response. >> we finally had to resored to a subpoena and now the outright resistance of getting answers that both of you, our two witnesses, assured us only last week you that would provide. let me assure you and the other folks involved in this taxpayer ripoff we're not done. no, we're not. >> solyndra was the first loan guarantee approved by the obama administration, part of a program designed to anticipate jobs. we the taxpayers are now on the hook for that loan. let us know what you think. we're on fbs. follow me on twitter i'm @andersoncooper. up next, gop front-runner rick perry stretching the truth on the war of words over his executive order on the hpv vaccine. what he said on the latest republican debate that now has him on the defensive. also, a bus-size satellite falling to earth within hours. after 26 pieces, some weighing hundreds of pounds, are expected to survive re-entry. we'll try to get a grip of when this may happen and where it may land. i'll have the latest ahead. ♪ ♪ [ dog barks ] [ birds chirping ] ♪ [ mechanical breathing ] [ engine turns over ] ♪ [ male announcer ] the all-new volkswagen passat. a new force in the midsize category. ♪ accept it. you can't change the way banking works. just accept it, man. free ? doesn't close at five ? try nature. you give them all your money, and they put you on hold. just accept it. what are you going to do, bury your money in the backyard ? accept it. just stay with the herd, son. accept it. it's only money. it's a bank. what do you want, a hug ? just accept it, friend. hidden fees, fine print, or they'll stick it to you some other way. smile and accept it. it's been this way since pants. accept it... just accept it. accept it. i'm a doctor. just accept it. accept it... accept it. just accept it ! if we miss this movie, you're dead. if you're stuck accepting banking nonsense, you need an ally. ally bank. no nonsense. just people sense. another keeping them honest report tonight. gop presidential hopeful and texas governor rick perry stretching the truth about what's become one of the hottest and most contentious issues between him and michele balk mann. the two candidates exchanging words yet again last night in the debate over the governor's 2007 executive order mandating the hpv vaccine for texas girls, sixth-graders. and what happened last night and why perry is backtracking from his latest message in a moment. but first, how we got here in the first place. and a note to viewers, now would be the time to crank the handle on the barkolounger and settle in because this thing has traveled a long and winding road. the trop topic first came up during a gop debate on september 12th. that's when bachmann attacked perry claiming donations he got from merck played a role in his executive order. watch. >> governor perry, as you well know, you signed an executive order requiring little girls, 11 and 12-year-old girls, to deal way vaccine to deal with a sexually transmitted disease that could lead to cervical cancer. was that a mistake? >> it was indeed. if i had it to do over again, i would have done it differently. i would have gone to the legislature, worked with them. but what was driving me was obviously making a difference about young people's lives. cervical cancer is a horrible way to die. >> i just wanted to add that we cannot forget that in the midst of this executive order there was a big drug company that made millions of dollars because of this mandate. we can't -- we can't deny that. >> so what are you suggesting? >> what i'm saying is that it's wrong for a drug company because the governor's former chief of staff was the chief lobbyist for this drug company, the drug company gave thousands of dollars in political donations to the governor, and this is just flat out wrong. the question is is it about life or was it about millions of dollars and potentially billions for a drug company? >> all right. i'll let senator santorum hold on for a second. you've got to respond to that. >> yes, sir. the company was merck. and it was a $5,000 contribution that i had received from them. i raise about $30 million. and if you're saying that i can be bought for $5,000, i'm offended. >> perry says he can't be bought for $5,000. it doesn't answer whether he can be influenced by this man, mike toomey. he served as perry's chief of staff from 2002 to 2004. he's now an austin lobbyist who did work for merck for years. the day after the cnn debate michele bachmann made for headlines for this comment she made about the hpv vaccine on the "today" show. >> i had a mother last night come up to me here in tampa, florida after the debate. she told me her little daughter took that vaccine, that injection, and she suffered from mental retardation thereafter. >> bachmann came under fire for that message. scientists and medical professionals have flat out debufrpgd the notion that the hpv vaccine could cause mental retardation, to use her term. the minnesota congresswoman didn't apologize. instead she explained her controversial comment this way. >> i wasn't speaking as a doctor. i wasn't speaking as a scientist. i was merely passing on in an interview after the debate what i had been told. because again, the main point of my remarks was that crony capitalism and also the fact that there was an abuse of executive power. >> she was just passing it on. never mind the fact that it was complete misinformation. sow might think that would be the end of all this. but no, the topic surfaced again last night during the fox gop presidential debate. congressman bachmann reiterated her charge that perry was motivated to sign the executive order because his former chief of staff had worked as a lobbyist for merck. and now governor perry is under fire after he responded with this. >> i got lobbied on this issue. i got lobbied by a 31-year-old young lady who had stage 4 cervical cancer. i spent a lot of time with her. she came by my office. she talked to me about this program. >> a touching story for sure. part of it is true, but only part of it. keeping them honest, governor perry met the person he's referring to, hearth birchum, after he issued the executive order to administer the vaccine. a key point because it still leaves open the question whether perry was improperly influenced by his former chief of staff turned lobbyist, mike toomey. the governor did note miss bertram, who sadly was suffering from cervical cancer, in fact they lobbied the legislature together to uphold the vaccination program after his executive order. they reportedly became close friends and perry sat with her in the hospital during her final days. she died in july of 2007. as for the executive order, texas legislature had blocked it just months earlier, in april. so that gap plus an overall debate performance many conservatives call weak now suddenly has put perry on the ropes. i spoke earlier tonight about it with chief political analyst gloria boringer and contributors erik eriksson, editor in chief of redstate.com and dana loesch, tea party organizer in st. louis. >> how big a deal was rick perry's hpv lie or mistake, whatever it was? >> you know, i don't know that it was a huge deal. i mean, given the rest of his debate performance, you can't help but realize he probably got that wrong, too. i mean, in fact when i e-mailed some of the campaign staff and asked them about it, none of them -- i guess they had tuned out by that point and were like of course he didn't know the lady before he signed the executive order, he didn't say that and then went back to the transcript. so very clearly, i mean, even the perry campaign is willing to admit he had to have screwed up. it wasn't a lie as much as a rick perry did not have a good debate performance last night. >> to say the least. dana, i want to play one moment from last night that a lot of people felt perry fumbled. he was trying to attack mitt romney for being a flip-flopper. let's watch. >> i think americans just don't know sometimes which mitt romney they're dealing with. is it the mitt romney that was on the side of -- against the second amendment before he was for the second amendment? was it -- was it before he was before the social programs from the standpoint of he was for standing up for roe versus wade before he was against verse -- roe versus wade? he was for race to the top. he's for obamacare and now he's against it. we'll wait until tomorrow and see which mitt romney we're really talking to tonight. >> governor romney. >> i'll use the same term again. nice try. >> i saw you tweeted, dana, last night you that think perry has to get better at debating. how long do you think before he's no longer considered the one to beat? or do you think it's not that bad at this point? >> i think it was a pretty bad performance last night. and the weird thing is i've seen perry give speeches before, i've seen him speak from off the cuff, and he does fine. so i don't know if it's just the pressure of the debate format or the intense weight of the national scrutiny that's getting to him. but i mean, it's not just his speech skills. it was his body language as well. he looked very uncomfortable. but i think it's still really early to call anyone out. but if rick perry wants to remain a top-tier contender, he's got to get better at debate. and he's been getting progressively worse with each debate. i've never seen anything like it. and when you can't get up in front of people and adequately convey what your policies are and what your platform is, that's a huge problem. and the perr