donald trump is a guy who attracts a big audience. and what ron paul needs going to the caucuses is a big audience. he needs to have a lot of people interested in him and interested in his candidacy. and i think that donald trump brings in a lot of interest from people looking for something completely different in politics. >> but do iowans give -- will they give ron paul credit for standing up to this new yorker who doesn't know anything about iowa and just saying, no, i'm not going to do what everybody else is doing and kowtow to you? i'm my own man. does he get any of those kinds of points with iowa caucusgoers? >> i think so. ron paul has been very consistent over the years. he has not hurried favor. he gets credit from people for actually really standing up to his views. even when he is really the only person who votes the way he does. a lot of times. and so, yeah, i don't think it necessarily hurts him for not wanting to be in donald trump's debate. but i still think it's a missed opportunity for him to be seen by a lot of peopl

we all know what this is going to turn into, a vehicle for donald trump to talk about donald trump and what donald trump wants to talk about. so it seems to me that this is a no-brainer if you're mitt romney not to do -- i mean i think if he had done it, there would no doubt be tut-tutting among the party establishment but i think they just looked at it and said this makes no sense to do, it's two days after christmas, it's running on a network lots of people don't get. why would we raise the possibility that we're going to put our fate in the hands of donald trump six days before the iowa caucuses. >> you were right, chris, whoever said there's only two entrants right now officially and that's newt gingrich and rick santorum. bachmann in her words, her people's words are looking at it. go ahead, maggie. >> no, sorry. i was just going to say i do think there was some downside in the mind of the romney advisers, which was that donald trump, and you put it this way in terms of sort of the approach that gets taken on conservative radio, et cetera, donald trump also follows that. he goes o

to show up with donald trump? and i think it strikes me as kind of a very weak position. i don't know why people would do that. >> yeah, gingrich has a reason to believe the trump debate will do him no warm. today's gallup poll gives gingrich a lead of 13 points over mitt romney. it's news that caps a very bad day for the former massachusetts governor. while romney spoke at the republican jewish coalition today, american bridge, released a web ad highlighting romney's flip-flops on the health care mandate including romney's own words from the last time he spoke to the republican jewish coalition. >> at times you thought it would be the model for the nation. >> you're wrong, bret. >> is that a good model for the nation in. >> i think so. that's how we're going to be successful nationwide. it's the best path. we'll end up with a nation that takes a mandate approach. my plan allows every citizen in america to get health insurance. >> you know, romney ain't doing himself any favors. he continues to get flummoxed by in

the a donald trump moderated debate. i want you to listen to what donald trump had to say about you. let's listen. >> managed john mccain's campaign four years ago. he says this about you. he says "for 3 1/2 years a lot of people who should have known better have been complicit in kowtowing to a republican whack pack in which trump is a leading member. the result is a diminished republican brand that appears unhealthy to millions of americans who are looking for an alternative to the status quo." >> i can only say this, look. steve schmidt is a lightweight. he is a guy who did a horrible job running john mccain's campaign. you just said john mccain's. john mccain lost. he did a horrible job running. i watch him on your show, and i don't even know how he gets on your show. i'm sure the ratings are very bad as he speaks. >> he's an msnbc contributor now. he's been on my show in the past. not now. >> he's a lightweight. total lightweight. >> he's a smart guy, steve schmidt. >> i don't know if he's a smart guy. >> i'm tellin

thin skinned donald trump, what did he do? he decided to blast them both. >> ron paul as an example says, you know, iran should have nuclear weapons or can have nuclear weapons and doesn't even think in terms of israel. so i think that they are joke candidates. i think they're doing very poorly. certainly mr. huntsman is doing extremely poorly in the polls at 1% and frankly gives more airtime to people that have a chance of getting elected. >> just a real inclusive guy, isn't he? the republican party is getting distracted by a television host who is attacking the character of presidential candidates because they don't want to go on his debate? huntsman went on fox news today and was not going to change his position. >> i'm not going to kiss his ring and not going to kiss any other part of his anatomy. this is exactly what is wrong with politics. it's show business over substance. if he had courage at all, he'd be running for president of the united states of america as opposed to manipulating the process from the outside. >> w

but in fact, donald trump is a spokesman. because what he does is when he opens his mouth and the excrementitious matter flows, he casts aspersions on the president's birth. he derides and slurs the president's academic achievements. and all the time he says what these candidates can't say but do believe. and so what you have is a man vicariously polluting the trough on their behalf every single time. he's not a showman. he's their spokesman. and that's why he's of value to them. >> mike papantonio, does this -- is this the end of the road for donald trump in this election cycle? does he have to run now to be even somewhat relevant? >> well, he'll always make himself relevant, even whether he's not. look, this is -- he is a showman. and what's happened here, the republicans are always looking for a leader, ed. that's one of their flaws. they're always trying to find a leader. and they're always willing to follow a leader. so he has a television show. he looks like a leader. and all of a sudden you have these republicans that

the point is, forget donald trump. he is history rolled in forget him, smothered in a yesterday sauce. that is why as of this moment, i am officially announcing my own republican debate, stephen colbert's south carolina serious, classy republican debate. i am doing this. the other office devices? they don't get me. they're all like, "hey, brother, doesn't it bother you that no one notices you?" and i'm like, "doesn't it bother you you're not reliable?" and they say, "shut up!" and i'm like, "you shut up." in business, it's all about reliability. 'cause these guys aren't just hitting "print." they're hitting "dream." so that's what i do. i print dreams, baby. [whispering] big dreams. >>> in tonights arewriter, we have a guest lecturer, william m. maroney, on the subject he knows better than anyone, political flip-flopping, he opened up about it in a very confessional lay bill that 2004 at a little-noticed breakfast at the iowa delegation at the republican national convention. he was there to cheer on president george w.

newt gingrich is meeting with donald trump and donald trump has met with almost all the republican presidential candidates, including mitt romney, rick perry, michele bachmann. the list goes on. donald trump, since he first started flirting with the presidential bid in the spring of 2011, has almost represented the very personal in your face style type of politics we've seen in the republican party. very anti-obama. it does seem that donald trump giving a candidate blessing is almost an i am pra mature on that type of politics. >> most importantly, newt gingrich was one of the first people to sign on to the debate also rick santorum. ron paul and jon huntsman are not on board i understand. how important is that? does that play into this meeting? newt is on board. for that debate. excuse me. >> there are a couple of ways to look at it. one, newt gingrich, saying he's going to participate in the debate is trying to solidify all the tea party support around him. that donald trump, even if he gets herman cain's support of the tea party, has chosen newt gingrich. orthopedic, we've seen donald trump

mitt romney stood up to donald trump today and refused to participate in trump's ridiculous debate. can you believe that? mitt romney? nah, just kidding. it's romney we're talking about here. romney totally went out of debate. >> i spoke with donald trump earlier today. i indicated we just can't make this debate. >> you're fired. >> i'm coming. if other people are going to go, particular people ahead of me in the polls, which is most of them. >> why wouldn't you want to come and hang out. >> trump towers is next door. >> it is seriously next door to tiffany's. of course he loves that. >> is newt dead on when he calls himself the republican nominee? >> gingrich surging, iowa, 33%. just 28 days. >> he has benefitted from the weakness in the field. >> we cannot tell anything with this republican electorate. >> he is a mess and we take him? that's why people who don't know newt, conservatives who don't know newt, like newt. >> those of us are terrified he would become the republican nominee. >> newt's problem he is will go along in a straight line, then veer off into space. >> republica

donald trump. meanwhile, tough new questions facing the republican presidential candidate, mitt romney. they center on allegations he spend thousands of taxpayer dollars to hide electronic records from his term as the governor of massachusetts. brian todd has been looking into the story. what are you finding out? >> we have the records on the money that romney's team spent to replace computers at the end of his term as governor. but romney's team is adamant, this is what other governors have done before him and it's legal. it's still throwing him added scrutiny at the crucial time aside from newt gingrich, new hurdles for romney to clear in the republican race. questions about records from his term as massachusetts governor that disappeared and questioned whether he would be transparent as president. democratic massachusetts governor patrick's office said they found no e-mails from 2002 to 2006 in our possession which covers romney's term as governor. patrick's office says the kpiters used were rep

donald j. trump." let's tick through the candidates who have already visited donald trump to get a blessing on their campaigns. first was rick perry, who met with trump on september 14. next was herman cain on october 3rd. michele bachmann visited october 13rd. mitt romney snuck in and out of without being on any cameras. on monday, newt gingrich will meet with donald trump. richard wolffe is an msnbc contributor. i get the feeling that trump decided to send this out, notify the media and then see what happens. >> i guess news max couldn't find ryan seacrest's schedule. the idea that the word "moderator" be in the same sentence as "donald trump" is ridiculous. if they want to project any serious presidential ambition, they'd say no. but they've already made their pilgrimage, kissed the ring of the birther in chief. if they want to project any serious presidential ambition, they'd say no. but they've already made their pilgrimage, kissed the ring of the birther in chief. >> next time i ask you a questio

even donald trump's attempts to be serious is about donald trump. i don't think he's quite yet earned a stature of hosting a republican debate. >> all right. brad todd, thank you very much for joining us from our nation's capital. keep in mind, however, newt gingrich who is the frontrunner is going to donald trump's debate. thank you, sir. >> ok. 18 minutes after the hour. breaking news coming in from the middle east. what's about to happen to usama bin laden's widow and children inside that compound during the raid to kill him? we'll tell you. >> and take a trip back to the days of margaret thatcher. there's a lot of lessons d.c. can learn from the iron lady. details straight ahead. my name is robin. i'm a wife, i'm a mom... and chantix worked for me. it's a medication i could take and still smoke, while it built up in my system. [ male announcer ] along with support, chantiis proven to help people quit smoking. it reduthe urge to smoke. some people had changes in behavior, thinking orood, hostility, agitation, depressed mood and suicidal thoughts

you know, donald trump is not the most popular guy with iowa republicans. he stiffed them on an event he said he was going to do. we have polling data that shows by 2-1 he's a liability to people he endorses. i think if he's trying to help one candidate or another, he has to be careful how he does it. >> i was wondering if saying yes to this debate might, itself, be the mistake for the candidates. so far that's not been the calculation. this is fascinating to watch. david yepsen of the paul simon public policy institute. thanks for joining us tonight. i feel lucky to have you here. >> thank you. >>> the interview tonight, tim pawlenty. finally. i know. that's next. to this. when my asthma symptoms returned, my doctor prescribed dulera to help prevent them. [ male announcer ] dulera is for patients 12 and older whose asthma is not well controlled on a long-term asthma control medicine, like an inhaled corticosteroid. dulera will not replace a rescue inhaler for sudden symptoms. dulera helps significantly improve lung function. this was shown over a 6 month c

now to donald trump. he says he has the answers and that's why he's a magnet for the gop presidential hopefuls. later this month the reality tv star plans to moderate a republican debate. and he wrote a new book spelling out his ideas to make america great. it's called "time to get tough." donald told us all about it. >> donald, nice to see you and congratulations on your book. >> thank you. >> why did you write it. >> i see what's happening to the country, i have ideas i think i believe very strongly in and i put some of those ideas out there. i don't hear people talking about the kind of things we have to do to make this country great again. i just don't see it. >> a lot of your ideas, but i must confess one of my favorites is this one, a little boy picture. >> that's young donald. >> young donald trump. that is a great picture. >> thank you. >> one of the things that i learned reading the book is that ronald reagan is a political hero of yours. if i could point out on the wall a picture of you with ron

the point is, forget donald trump. he is history rolled in forget him, smothered in a yesterday sauce. that is why as of this moment, i am officially announcing my own republican debate, stephen colbert's south carolina serious, classy republican debate. i am doing this. my doctor told me calcium is best absorbed in small continuous amounts. only one calcium supplement does that in one daily dose. citracal slow release... continuously releases calcium plus d for the efficient absorption my body needs. citracal. what is this shorty? uh, tissues sir, i'm sick. you don't cough, you don't show defeat. give me your war face! raaah! [ male announcer ] halls. a pep talk in every drop. >>> in tonights "rewrite," we have a guest lecturer, william m. romney, on the subject he knows better than anyone, political flip-flopping, he opened up about it in a very confessional lay bill that 2004 at a little-noticed breakfast at the iowa delegation at the republican national convention. he was there to cheer on president george w. bush'

you know, donald trump is not the most popular guy with iowa republicans. he stiffed them on an event he said he was going to do. we have polling data that shows by 2-1 he's a liability to people he endorses. i think if he's trying to help one candidate or another, he has to be careful how he does it. >> i was wondering if saying yes to this debate might, itself, be the mistake for the candidates. so far that's not been the calculation. this is fascinating to watch. david yepsen of the paul simon public policy institute. thanks for joining us tonight. i feel lucky to have you here. >> thank you. >>> the interview tonight, tim pawlenty. finally. i know. that's next. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 let's talk about the personal attention tdd# 1-800-345-2550 you and your money deserve. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 at charles schwab, that means taking a close look at you tdd# 1-800-345-2550 as well as your portfolio. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 we ask the right questions, tdd# 1-800-345-2550 then we actually listen to the answers tdd# 1-800-345-2550 before giving you practical ideas you ca

donald trump has attacked this president for being black. it's hard for some people to get their arms around that. this is a guy that said that president obama needs to get off the basketball court and focus on the economy. what? this is a guy more so than anybody else got the hawaii health department to dislodge the long form birth certificate and was never enough. white presidents have never had their birth certificates questioned. what's going on in a primary with niche level issues as opposed to other polls that say six times as many people say they would be turned off by a trump endorsement. this is something we're seeing where people are going towards the birther now and then they're going to -- >> the guy is employed by the network we're on right now. >> what does that have to do --? >> giving haim forum means you endorse his point of view. >> if newt gingrich goes to the debate and endorses donald trump's views, i agree with you. if he challenges him, this is a debate. we welcome opposing viewpoints, i think it's good. >> briefly to