MASSACHUSETTS: “Scores of activists converged on the office of Senator Scott Brown today to protest his inability, they said, to deliver jobs to Massachusetts as promised,” the Boston Globe reports. “The demonstrators crammed into Brown’s office in the late morning, some plunking themselves into chairs and couches, to ask for a meeting with the Republican Senator. The Bay State group of about 250 people, many of them unemployed, arrived in Washington Monday night aboard five buses, according to Jason Stephany, the spokesman for MassUniting, which bills itself as ‘a coalition of neighbors, community groups, faith organizations and labor united in the fight for good jobs, corporate accountability, and stronger communities.’ … His office said that although Brown was in town, he was fulfilling his National Guard duties.”

SOUTH CAROLINA: Columbia Fox affiliate WACH reports that Charleston native and Comedy Central host Stephen Colbert wants to help the South Carolina Democratic Party put non-binding ballot referenda back on the primary ballot. Of particular interest to Colbert is Question 4, which asks voters to chose between two options: “Corporations are people” and “Only people are people.”

The New York Times on Obama’s speech in Kansas yesterday: “Laying out a populist argument for his re-election next year, President Obama ventured into the conservative heartland on Tuesday to deliver his most pointed appeal yet for a strong governmental role through tax and regulation to level the economic playing field.” More: “The new tack reflected a decision by the White House and the president’s campaign aides that — with the economic recovery still lagging and Republicans in Congress continuing to oppose the president’s jobs proposals — the best course for Mr. Obama is to try to present himself as the defender of working-class Americans and Republicans as defenders of a small elite.”

Whatever happened to that “Gang of 14” agreement on judicial nominations? “Senate Republicans on Tuesday blocked confirmation of Caitlin J. Halligan, a prominent New York lawyer, to be a federal appeals court judge, raising the question of whether a political deal to prevent the filibuster of most judicial nominations has broken down,” the New York Times says.

“Democrats argued Tuesday that Ms. Halligan should not be seen as meeting a standard of “extraordinary circumstances” that would justify a filibuster. Mr. Schumer said that her defeat ‘could throw into chaos nominations at the Circuit Court for a long time.’ Of the seven Republican senators who were part of the Gang of 14, four — John McCain of Arizona, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, and Olympia J. Snowe and Susan Collins of Maine — are still serving. All voted against allowing a vote on Ms. Halligan. Mr. Obama, who was a senator from 2005 through 2008, was not one of the Democrats in the Gang of 14; he voted to filibuster several of Mr. Bush’s nominees.”

The Justice Department has sent a letter to dozens of local law enforcement agencies in Alabama that receive federal money, warning them that they risk losing that funding if they're not careful in how they enforce Alabama's tough new immigration law.

The Obama administration has already sued the state, claiming the law is unconstitutional. Now it's keeping the pressure on by addressing how the law is carried out.

In an unusual letter, the assistant attorney general for civil rights writes to 156 Alabama sheriff's offices and police departments, telling them that the federal government is monitoring how they enforce the part of the law that requires checking the immigration status of people who are stopped for questioning.

It is critical, says Thomas Perez, that local law agencies "ensure that your enforcement of this law does not result in unlawful stopping, questioning, searching, detaining, or arresting" in violation of the Constitution "or targeting of racial and ethnic minorities."

Other states have passed similar laws, but they've been blocked by federal courts. The part of Alabama's law that requires checking immigration status, however, was allowed to go into effect by a federal judge.

PARADISE VALLEY, AZ -- Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney said Tuesday that he's turning to the "closing arguments of his campaign," and that the time for collecting checks and campaigning selectively was nearly over.

Romney signaled that his campaign was moving into a new phase to win over skeptical GOP primary voters with just less than a month to go until the first votes are cast.

"We’re just starting. We’re just getting up with ads. We’re making our closing argument," Romney said at a campaign stop here in the Phoenix suburbs. "You’ll see me campaigning aggressively. I’ve still got I think about seven more days of fundraising and then we get to spend almost all of our time in New Hampshire, Iowa, South Carolina, Florida -- a couple of other states."

Romney, who has run a campaign largely sheltered from the media glare also said Americans would be seeing a lot more of him on their televisions.

"I’ll be on the air a good deal more than in the past, doing our very best to communicate to the American people why I’m running for president and hopefully getting their support," Romney said. Earlier today, Fox News announced Romney would be a guest on Fox News Sunday, his first appearance on a Sunday show this year.

Romney's remarks came on a day in which two new polls showed him trailing former House Speaker Newt Gingrich by double digits in Iowa, whose first-in-the-nation caucuses loom four weeks away. Romney predicted that the nomination battle, which is now seen by many political analysts as a two-man contest between Gingrich and himself. would be a long one.

"I know the beginning will be what, January 3rd, but this will probably take longer than a week or two to sort out," Romney said. "My expectation is this campaign that’s going to go on for a while and I expect to win it. I need to get something over 1,000 delegates and we're just getting started. I'm pleased with where we are right now, and anticipate getting the nomination if I do my job right."

Doing that job right will involve not just raising money, which Romney has done better than any candidate in the race -- including at a lunch fundraiser here an attendee described as filled to capacity -- but also creating contrasts with Gingrich, something Romney told FOX in an interview at the event site he would be willing to do.

"We're going to make sure that the differences in our experience and perspective are well-aired. You can be sure I will not be quiet, I am going to make sure my message is heard loud and clear," Romney told FOX. "Gingrich is a friend, I respect him, but we have very different life experiences. If Americans want someone whose been in Washington the last 40 years, then that's him but if they want someone whose outside of Washington and a freedom-based society...that kind of experience is I think what it takes. America needs a leader, not so much an insider, but a leader to get America going again."

Former Vice President Dan Quayle, who appeared at Romney's side today to offer his endorsement, sounded a similar note, describing Romney as an outsider, conservatives "best hope for the future," and someone uniquely suited to take on the challenges of Washington.

Yesterday in New York, Gingrich looked to derail Romney's outsider narrative by highlighting, as Democrats have done for months, Romney's two unsuccessful past runs for office, saying "I don't know if that makes [Romney] a career politician. I'll let you decide."

Today, Romney fired back at Gingrich.

"I ran for office but I didn't win. That doesn't mean I spent my time in Washington, because I didn't win. Had I won, why we wouldn't be having this argument, I would be president of the United States," Romney said. "Instead, when I lost elections I got to go back and be a businessman again and allowed me to be involved in the economy and to understand that the grass roots level what American people are suffering and what I can do to get jobs again."

Senate Democrats sought today to highlight divisions in the Republican party over extending the payroll tax cut holiday. Republicans, in turn, acknowledged there are differences of opinion among them.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid reminded the press this Tuesday afternoon that Minority Leader Mitch McConnell managed only 20 of 47 GOP votes on a Republican proposal to extend the payroll tax holiday.

"We saw what happened on the Senate floor last week. The proposal that they made didn't even get a majority of the Republicans," Reid said, "Unless something changes quickly, it doesn't seem the Republicans are going to follow their own leadership."

He added, "Leader McConnell, Speaker Boehner -- both said they support extending the payroll tax cut, I repeat, funny way of showing it they way they've been legislating or non-legislating."

Reid accused House Republicans of throwing in the towel this week because they have delayed unveiling their bill that would extend the payroll tax cut.

"They have been totally silent, as you learned probably earlier today. The House isn't even going to try to do anything this week. They've given up. That's not a good sign," he said.

But, House GOP aides dispute that, saying House leadership will unveil their version of the payroll tax cut extenstion combined with other measures like extension of unemployment benefits by the end of the week.

In a sign that Republicans were not eager to talk payroll tax cuts today after their weekly lunch, they trained their their fire on the White House for pushing the nomination of Richard Cordray to lead the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

McConnell was asked by a reporter whether he supported a proposal by one of his Republican colleagues, Sen. Susan Collins, who, along with Sen. Claire McCaskill, has proposed extending and expanding the payroll tax cut and paying for it with a surtax on millionaires that would carve out an exception for small business owners.

McConnell acknowledged the divide in his party and said he would not support a plan that taxed millionaires, even with the small business exception.

"Let me just speak for myself," he said chuckling, "because as you know from last week there are differences of opinion in my conference about this so I'll speak for myself. I am not in favor of raising taxes on working people. I do favor extending the payroll tax holiday for another year in conjunction with job creating proposals"

He added, "I think most Americans, most Republicans are very reluctant to raise taxes on anyone during this economic crisis that we find ourselves in but there may be others who have a different point of view."

You couldn’t help but notice two new signs today that, no matter its long-term effects, the “Occupy” movement –- in both its rhetoric and its message –- may be making its mark.

The New York Times recently chronicled the many ways that the movement’s slogan -- contrasting the “99%” of Americans with the wealthiest "1%” -- have seeped into the lexicon. And today, in his speech in Kansas, President Obama invoked the slogan as well:

I believe that this country succeeds when everyone gets a fair shot, when everyone does their fair share, and when everyone plays by the same rules. 

Those aren't Democratic or Republican values; 1% values or 99% values.  They're American values, and we have to reclaim them. 

Also today, in New York state, Gov. Andrew Cuomo and legislative leaders said they had agreed on a tax deal that will, among other things, raise taxes on the state’s wealthiest residents and cut taxes for the middle class. What’s striking is that this deal is a marked reversal for Cuomo, a Democrat who campaigned just last year on a platform against tax increases.

So what changed? Could it have been all the recent attention to income inequality highlighted by the mother of all “Occupy” protests, Occupy Wall Street, which just so happens to be taking place in the Governor’s very own state?

Just asking, but you could place the odds at, oh, about 99 to one.

Republican presidential candidate Jon Huntsman appeared to take a notably more skeptical view towards current climate change science Tuesday, saying that the "scientific community owes us more" on the issue and that not enough solid research exists to "formulate policies" based on global warming.

"I'm not a scientist, I'm not a physicist, but I would defer to science in that discussion, and I would say that the scientific community owes us more in terms of a better description or explanation about what might lie beneath all of this," Huntsman told an audience of bloggers at the conservative Heritage Foundation in Washington.

"But there's not enough information right now to be able to formulate policies in terms of addressing it overall, primarily because it's a global issue," he went on. "We can enact policies here. But I wouldn't want to unilaterally disarm as a country, I wouldn't want to hinder job creators during a time when our economy is flat."

Huntsman made waves earlier this summer when he took aim at his GOP rivals for expressing skepticism about evolution and climate change science, sending out a much-retweeted message in August that read, "To be clear, I believe in evolution and trust scientists on global warming. Call me crazy.”

Asked by a reporter Tuesday whether he has reversed that position, Huntsman said that he still "defers" to scientists who study the issue but said that there remain conflicts among the research community.

"Because ... there are questions about the validity of the science, evidence by one university over in Scotland recently, I think the onus is on the scientific community to provide more in the way of information, to help clarify the situation, that's all."

Huntsman also compared the issue of climate change to cancer research.

"If there's some interruption or disconnect in terms of what other scientists have to say, then let the debate play out within the scientific community," he said. "I think that's where we are. There's probably more debate yet to play out."

Huntsman also took questions from attendees about trade policy, education, and the United Nations. He echoed criticisms of one federal agency often derided by his fellow Republicans, telling the audience "I'm still trying to find the value added of the Department of Education."

Spokesman Tim Miller described the former Utah governor's position as consistent, saying that Huntsman has consistently said that if 90 percent of climate scientists agree on the effects of man-made warming, "he trusts their position."

"That was his position then and it's his position now," Miller said, adding that Huntsman's statement today related more specifically to the global nature of the problem -- that United States policy should not be shaped around the threat of global warming until the science is indisputably settled and "until the Chinese are on board."

President Barack Obama outlined the underpinnings of his case for re-election on Tuesday, suggesting the upcoming election is a "make-or-break moment for the middle class."

Obama, speaking in the town where Theodore Roosevelt delivered his "New Nationalism" speech, delivered a rousing defense of his administration's efforts to help the middle class. It was a glimpse of what could easily become a 2012 stump speech, keying in heavily on a sense of rising inequality, and accusing Republicans of supporting policies that would only make things worse for that demographic.

"We simply cannot return to this brand of you're-on-your-own economics if we’re serious about rebuilding the middle class in this country," the president said.

The speech offered the most complete case yet by Obama against Republicans ahead of 2012's bruising election. That contest is expected to hinge primarily on the economy, and Obama will be forced to overcome the poor economic climate that has dogged the U.S. since the 2008 financial crisis.

"Ever since, there has been a raging debate over the best way to restore growth and prosperity; to restore balance, to restore fairness. Throughout the country, it has sparked protests and political movements -- from the Tea Party to the people who have been occupying the streets of New York and other cities. It’s left Washington in a near-constant state of gridlock. And it’s been the topic of heated and sometimes colorful discussion among the men and women who are running for president," he said, directly acknowledging the looming election.

Democrats are betting on inequality as a winning message for them in 2012. New York Sen. Charles Schumer, Democrats' messaging chief in the Senate, told The Washington Post recently that it's key to his party's success in next fall's elections.

The Kansas speech assailed Republicans for supporting policies that, Obama said, would only contribute to growing inequality.

"That theory fits well on a bumper sticker," he said. "But here’s the problem: It doesn’t work. It has never worked. It didn’t work when it was tried in the decade before the Great Depression. It’s not what led to the incredible post-war booms of the 50s and 60s. And it didn’t work when we tried it during the last decade."

Obama drew parallels between himself and Roosevelt in the speech to lay down a marker of sorts before the political high season. Roosevelt had left the Republican Party to run for president as a third party candidate during his "New Nationalism" speech in Osawatomie in 1910. The address, delivered by Roosevelt after he had left the presidency but was seeking to reclaim it, outlined a vision for a proactive federal government that looked out for its citizens' needs; it's a precursor to modern progressivism.

"I stand for the square deal. But when I say that I am for the square deal, I mean not merely that I stand for fair play under the present rules of the game, but that I stand for having those rules changed so as to work for a more substantial equality of opportunity and of reward for equally good service," Roosevelt said in the speech. (Click here to read read Roosevelt's full speech.)

Obama asserted that Roosevelt faced challenges from free-market absolutists at the turn of the 20th century that mirror today's debates in Washington. Obama hailed Roosevelt's speech for encouraging a government that worked to make the economy fairer for Americans, and cast himself as governing in that mold. The crowd in Osawatomie chuckled when Obama noted that Roosevelt was called a socialist for his efforts -- a charge often leveled by Republicans against Obama.

The speech was a kind of summation of Obama's work to stump for his jobs bill throughout the fall. Obama had traveled to promote different parts of his American Jobs Act, delivering speeches that served both legislative and political purposes, and setting up a campaign by Obama against "do-nothing" Republicans in Congress.

The GOP, in turn, has accused the White House of being focused intently on electoral politics instead of the business of governing. They have accused the president of class warfare for calling for higher taxes on the wealthy in order to finance his recent jobs proposals. ("This isn’t about class warfare. This is about the nation’s welfare," Obama said Tuesday in what seemed like a pre-emptive response to Republicans.)

The speech contained a litany of the administration's initiatives that Obama is sure to reference next year on the campaign trail, too. He promoted his financial regulatory reform bill as an effort to rein in the excesses on Wall Street, and scolded Republicans for blocking his nominee to head a new consumer protection bureau created by that law. Obama defended greater spending on education and regulatory reforms, and promoted his decision early in 2009 to assist General Motors and Chrysler.

But the overarching point of the speech seemed directed at crafting Obama's narrative for 2012. He nodded toward Occupy Wall Street and the Tea Party -- movements on the left and right, respectively, to have grown out of economic frustration over the past few years. Obama blamed Republicans for the policies to have led to such a dire situation, and positioned himself as their opposite.

"Now, in the midst of this debate, there are some who seem to be suffering from a kind of collective amnesia ... In fact, they want to go back to the same policies that have stacked the deck against middle-class Americans for way too many years," the president said. "I’m here to say they are wrong.  I’m here to reaffirm my deep conviction that we are greater together than we are on our own. I believe that this country succeeds when everyone gets a fair shot, when everyone does their fair share, and when everyone plays by the same rules. Those aren’t Democratic or Republican values; 1 percent values or 99 percent values. They’re American values, and we have to reclaim them."

The White House announced further efforts Tuesday to consider the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in its foreign policy decision-making.

In a memo released today, President Obama directed all "agencies engaged abroad to ensure that U.S. diplomacy and foreign assistance promote and protect the human rights of LGBT persons." In short, it means the U.S. will now evaluate how countries treat its LGBT citizens in its foreign policy.

In the memo, the president refers to his speech at the United Nations earlier this year where he said, "No country should deny people their rights because of who they love, which is why we must stand up for the rights of gays and lesbians everywhere."

And in an effort to highlight this move, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton gave a human rights policy speech in Geneva, Switzerland in honor of Human Rights Day. "Gay rights are human rights and human rights are gay rights," said the secretary. 

The White House outlines several steps agencies will take in protecting LGBT rights abroad:

• Combat the criminalization of LGBT status or conduct abroad. 
• Protect vulnerable LGBT refugees and asylum seekers. 
• Leverage foreign assistance to protect human rights and advance nondiscrimination. 
• Ensure swift and meaningful U.S. responses to human rights abuses of LGBT persons abroad. 
• Engage International Organizations in the fight against LGBT discrimination.
• Report on progress. 

Newt Gingrich’s surge in the first two primary states continues in South Carolina, according to a new poll released Tuesday by Winthrop University. 

Thirty-eight percent of likely Republican primary voters said they would vote for Gingrich, leading Mitt Romney, who received 22 percent. Rick Perry came in third at nine percent. Herman Cain, who had not announced his campaign’s suspension when polling began, had seven percent; Michele Bachmann took five percent. Ron Paul, Rick Santorum and Jon Huntsman all scored below five percent.
 
The results represent a marked shift in South Carolina since September, when the last Winthrop poll had Perry and Romney in a virtual tie (30 percent to 27 percent) and Gingrich at just five percent.

Winthrop political science professor Scott Huffmon, who directed the poll, noted that while Gingrich has experienced a quick rise like previous temporary frontrunners, Romney has remained relatively stable in this poll and others.

“The real question is, is Newt Gingrich the not-Mitt Romney candidate or is this support really for Gingrich? And Gingrich needs to pin that down,” Huffmon said.

The former House speaker recently bolstered his presence here, adding seven new staffers in early November for a total of nine (the most of any campaign here) and opening five campaign offices.

Gingrich also completed a three-day trip here at the end of November where he was met with huge crowds and throngs of media, just as the Winthrop poll was being conducted (Nov. 27-Dec. 4).

Huffmon said Gingrich benefits from surging now, as opposed to earlier in the year, because more voters are paying attention to the primary field.

“He’s got a wider audience to try to and loop in more solid supporters than some of the previous not-Mitt-Romney candidates,” Huffmon said.

The Winthrop poll also suggested that in South Carolina, the concept of “membership” in the Tea Party has diminished since September. While 28 percent of Republican voters said they considered themselves members of the Tea Party then, that number was cut in half to 15 percent in this poll.

The poll, conducted Nov. 27 - Dec. 4, has a 5.45 percent margin of error for the Republican primary voter sample.

Obama to invoke Teddy Roosevelt at 1:55 pm ET speech in Osawatomie, KS… The president will focus on income inequality… The RNC and Romney campaign are already bracketing Obama’s speech… A new poll has Gingrich with a large lead in South Carolina… Is Romney World getting nervous?... Romney and the benefit of the doubt… And Romney to get Dan Quayle’s endorsement in AZ.

*** Invoking Teddy Roosevelt: Barack Obama loves to invoke famous past Republican presidents. He paid tribute to Abraham Lincoln when he officially launched his presidential bid in Springfield, IL. During his primary battle, he said he admired how Ronald Reagan was able to change the trajectory of American politics. And today, he heads to Osawatomie, KS, where Teddy Roosevelt delivered his “New Nationalism” speech more than 100 years ago on Aug. 31, 1910. In this speech -- which the 26^th president gave after leaving office and which marked his more progressive turn -- Roosevelt called for a “square deal” for all Americans, he advocated for stronger government regulations, and he said that the “right to regulate the use of wealth in the public interest is universally admitted.” When President Obama delivers his major economic speech from Osawatomie, he’ll refer to Roosevelt’s 1910 address. 

*** Focusing on income inequality: According to senior administration officials, NBC’s Kristen Welker reports, there is a tremendous amount of parallel between 1910 and now. One of Roosevelt’s critiques in his speech is that there are things out balance -- like income inequality -- that are affecting the nation. And Welker adds that income inequality will be a major focus of the speech. The president, these senior administration officials say, will hail the free market but make the point that a free market doesn’t mean you have a free license. The Washington Post notes that the speech also this objective: to demonstrate how much the Republican Party has changed. Senior administration officials “cited still other Republican presidents who took actions that current Republicans might balk at — Richard Nixon starting the Environmental Protection Agency, Dwight Eisenhower expanding the federal highway system — to highlight the stakes facing the country. Roosevelt ‘was criticized by members of his party,’ said one administration official… ‘That’s why he ultimately left his party and gave the speech… We’re at a crossroads here.’” Is this the re-election message? The Obama campaign does still seem to searching for one, or at least struggling to refine it.

*** Bracketing Obama’s speech: Meanwhile, Republicans are bracketing Obama’s speech. “Maybe instead of trying to be like other presidents, Obama should try being president,” RNC spokeswoman Kristen Kukowski says in a statement. “The fact remains the president is desperately trying new slogans and messages to see what sticks because he can't figure out how to sell his last three years of high unemployment and more debt. The fact is he's failed to lead or live up to the promises he's made.” And the Romney campaign is holding a conference call at 10:00 am ET with former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty to pre-but Obama’s speech. And the campaign has released this statement from TPaw: [T]here's a big difference between the ‘Square Deal’ Teddy Roosevelt spoke of and the ‘Raw Deal’ that President Obama has given us.”

*** Gingrich up big in Iowa and South Carolina: Yet another poll -- Washington Post/ABC -- has Newt Gingrich in the lead in Iowa, with Newt at 33% among likely caucus-goers and Romney and Ron Paul tied at 18%. And now a new Winthrop poll out in South Carolina has Gingrich with nearly a 2-to-1 lead over Romney in South Carolina. Per NBC’s Ali Weinberg, Gingrich is at 38%, Romney’s at 22%, and Perry’s at 9%. (That Winthrop poll was conducted from Nov. 27 to Dec. 4, so mostly before Cain announced the suspension of his campaign, and it has Cain at 7%.) Remember, every winner of the South Carolina Republican primary since 1980 has gone on to win the nomination. The same CANNOT be said of Iowa and New Hampshire winners.

*** Romney World getting nervous? The traditional campaign strategy for dealing with a surging candidate with little or no money just four weeks out from the voting (see: Gingrich, Newt) is to pummel him/her with attack ads. And now Politico has this piece: “Nervous Mitt Romney supporters: Hit Newt Gingrich harder.” From the story: “Romney’s backers aren’t panicking — yet. But to many, especially among the GOP donor elite, Gingrich looks like Romney’s most formidable opponent to date... With precious little time left before voting starts — and a big cache of votes now up for grabs thanks to Cain’s withdrawal — Romney supporters say the pressure is building on their candidate to step up and seize the Republican nomination that has drifted just out of his reach all year.” Then again, you could make the argument that this is not a traditional campaign. There is a boomerang fear among some establishment Republicans who saw what happened in 2010.

*** Romney and the benefit of the doubt: Yesterday, Democrats and the Obama campaign jumped all over Romney’s support for extending the payroll tax cut. "I would like to see the payroll tax cut extended because I know that working families are really feeling the pinch right now -- middle-class Americans are having a hard time," Romney said yesterday on conservative talker Michael Medved's radio show. Why they jumped on Romney: During the Oct. 11 Bloomberg/Washington Post debate, Romney didn’t sound as enthusiastic about the payroll-tax cut. When asked if he would be OK with the payroll tax cuts, he said: “Look, I don't like temporary little Band-Aids, I want to fundamentally restructure America's foundation economically.” Now, that’s more a change in tone for Romney than an actual flip-flop, because he never said in that Oct. 11 debate that he was opposed to the payroll-tax cut. But here’s the potential general-election problem for Romney, if he becomes the nominee: All winning presidential candidates tend to get the benefit of the doubt but losing ones don’t. And you could argue that getting the benefit of the doubt will be difficult for Romney with a political press corps and Democratic Party ready to jump on any perceived change in position, no matter how small/nuanced it is.

*** On the 2012 trail: Romney raises money in California and then heads to Arizona, where he’ll receive Dan Quayle’s endorsement… Rick Perry fundraises in Texas with Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal (R)… Santorum stumps in Iowa… Jon Huntsman gives a speech in DC… And Ann Romney campaigns for her husband in New Hampshire.

*** Tuesday’s “Daily Rundown” line-up: DNC Chair and Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) on the economy and 2012… CNBC’s Ron Insana on what the latest economic moves in Europe mean for the U.S… Freshman Reps. Jim Renacci (R-OH) and John Carney (D-DE) on how they’re trying to break the gridlock on the Hill with fellow freshmen… One of us (!!!) on how Gingrich profited from Newt, Inc…. And more 2012 news with USA Today’s Susan Page, former Bush 43 White House Political Director Sara Taylor Fagen, and former Rep. Artur Davis (D-AL).

*** Tuesday’s “Jansing & Co. line-up: MSNBC’s Chris Jansing interviews Robert Gibbs (on Obama’s speech), Dem Rep. Chris Van Hollen, and the Washington Post’s EJ Dionne.

*** Tuesday's “MSNBC Live With Thomas Roberts” line-up: MSNBC's Thomas Roberts talks with Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA) on the payroll tax cut fight and Jared Bernstein on Obama channeling Teddy Roosevelt.

*** Tuesday’s “NOW with Alex Wagner” line-up: Alex Wagner’s guests include former GOP Rep. Susan Molinari, the Washington Post’s Jonathan Capehart, Politico’s Ben White, and the Washington Post’s Melinda Hennenberger.

*** Tuesday’s “Andrea Mitchell Reports” line-up: It’s a big day for MSNBC and NBC’s Andrea Mitchell, as MSNBC launches on HOT TV in Israel. Mitchell will interview Israeli opposition leader Tzipi Livni, former Israeli Intelligence Director Efraim Halevy, author Ronen Bergman, Shibley Telhami, NBC’s Martin Fletcher and John Ray, plus Vin Weber with the Romney campaign.

*** Tuesday’s “News Nation with Tamron Hall”: MSNBC’s Tamron Hall interviews the Washington Post’s Anne Kornblut and Michael Smerconish (on the president’s speech), Salon’s Justin Elliot, and author Peter Schweizer.

Countdown to Iowa caucuses: 28 days
Countdown to New Hampshire primary: 35 days
Countdown to South Carolina primary: 46 days
Countdown to Florida primary: 56 days
Countdown to Nevada caucuses: 60 days
Countdown to Super Tuesday: 91 days
Countdown to Election Day: 338 days

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“Two new political ads released [yesterday] couldn’t be any more different from one another than the Republican presidential candidates they represent,” the Boston Globe writes. “The bold and brash ad from Texas Representative Ron Paul features a barking Rottweiler, while former House Speaker Newt Gingrich sticks with the tried and true patriotism of American flags and the Statue of Liberty. The ads presage what is likely to be a massive increase in television advertising in the final month before the early states start voting, with Iowa’s caucus on Jan. 3 followed by New Hampshire’s Jan. 10 primary.”

Conservative Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, who is likely running for governor in 2013, asked questions of Gingrich and Romney at Mike Huckabee’s forum Saturday, and he was not impressed with their answers.

BACHMANN: “Rep. Michele Bachmann said Tuesday she still thinks she has a good chance of winning the Iowa Republican caucuses, saying presidential campaign rivals Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney ‘have significant flaws,’” AP writes.

Per NBC’s Jamie Novogrod, Bachmann is citing concerns about Donald Trump's "objectivity" as moderator of the Dec. 27 Newsmax debate. On CBS this morning, Bachmann said her team has not yet accepted the invitation, saying: "We're still in the process of looking at it." Pressed to elaborate, she added: "One concern was he said he'd already - he's already leaning toward a candidate, and so, you know, there's questions about objectivity. But I have great respect for him."

GINGRICH: Newt Gingrich leads a new poll of South Carolina voters from Winthrop University, taking 38% to Romney’s 22% of likely primary voters, NBC’s Ali Weinberg reports. No other candidates came in double digits. Rick Perry was third with 9%. Polling, which was conducted from Nov. 27th to Dec. 4th, began before Herman Cain announced his suspension of his campaign. Cain received 7%.

Gingrich also leads in a new Iowa Washington Post-ABC poll of likely caucus-goers with 33%. Romney is tied for second with Ron Paul at 18%. Rick Perry gets 11%, followed by Bachmann 8% and Santorum 7%.

“Republican front-runner Newt Gingrich called Donald Trump ‘a great showman’ Monday as he became the latest Republican presidential candidate to kiss The Donald’s ring,” The New York Daily News writes. Gingrich further ingratiated himself with Trump by defending the brash developer against criticism from rival GOP candidates like Ron Paul who say having Trump moderate a presidential debate would create a ‘circus’ atmosphere.”

A new Web ad posted by and paid for by an anonymous group called Iowans for Christian Leaders in Government hits Gingrich and is called, “Newt Gingrich. Judas,” NBC’s Alex Moe reports. It also criticizes him for cutting an ad with Speaker Nancy Pelosi and for his comments on global warming. Another ad posted by the same group last week, Dec. 1, also hit Gingrich and is called "Newt Gingrich: Serial Adultery.” This one focuses on his three marriages and extramarital affair. The Iowans for Christian Leaders in Government website describes the group this way: “Christian Values are important to all of us – shouldn’t it be for our candidates too?” it does not list who is part of the group and an Internet domain database search revealed the site was registered through GoDaddy.com via DomainsByProxy, a group that markets itself as a way to create a website and not have an identity revealed.

The New York Post with this headline: “Out to Newter him.” “The Democratic Party yesterday fired its first shot at surging GOP presidential candidate Newt Gingrich — reviving ethics violations leveled against him when he was House speaker in the 1990s — a sign they now seriously consider him a potential challenger to President Obama.”

Gingrich’s campaign acknowledged that it used the theme music from the movie “Rudy” for its new TV ad. But it said it will likely be swapped out. “The music from the movie Rudy, a classic underdog story, was used as a place holder during production of the campaign's first ad - the same ad with a different music track is being distributed to Iowa television stations,” Gingrich spokesman R.C. Hammond told NBC’s Moe. “Was the music chosen intentionally?  I can share with you the following.  For future place holder music  the campaign is auditioning soundtracks from the movies Rocky, Miracle (The story of the '80 U.S. Olympic Hockey team) and Hoosiers.  Not to be left out we are also considering scores from the movies Braveheart and Seabiscuit.”

HUNTSMAN: He said of Donald Trump and why he turned down his invitation to his debate: “I’m not going to kiss his ring and I’m not going to kiss any other part of his anatomy. This is exactly what is wrong with politics. It’s show business over substance.”

PAUL: The Republican Jewish Coalition didn’t invite Ron Paul to speak at its GOP forum this week. He’s the only major candidate left out.

PERRY: “It could prove an awkward encounter for Gov. Rick Perry as he heads to Washington on Wednesday to appear at a presidential candidate forum and meet with lawmakers on Capitol Hill — lawmakers whose work hours and salaries he has proposed slashing,” the Texas Tribune reports. “Perry's campaign will hit the city he vows to shake up this week, and it remains unclear just how warm the reception will be from the lawmakers who have borne the brunt of his campaign rhetoric.”

ROMNEY: Dan Quayle is set to endorse Romney today. Romney will be in Arizona to get it.

SANTORUM: “Republican presidential hopeful Rick Santorum told Radio Iowa on Monday that his GOP rival Newt Gingrich is taking too much credit for Republican accomplishments during the former House Speaker’s tenure,” The Hill writes. Santorum said, “Newt Gingrich takes a lot of credit for the ‘Contract with America’ and winning the House in 1994. But if you go back in 1994, the real issue was corruption in Washington and the real reason for that was because Rick Santorum and [former Iowa Rep.] Jim Nussle and several others stood up and exposed the rampant corruption going on in Congress.”

The Washington Post on Obama’s speech today in Kansas: “Obama will speak in Osawatomie, Kan., the same Midwestern town where, 101 years ago, Theodore Roosevelt gave a famous address trumpeting a new progressive agenda. By arguing that every American deserves ‘a fair shot and a fair shake,’ White House aides said, Obama will echo Roosevelt’s speech laying out his New Nationalism philosophy. Roosevelt was calling for a government that ensures that the welfare of ordinary residents trumps that of businesses and special interests. ]\It’s an argument that builds on Obama’s jobs tour, in which he has attempted to cast himself as a champion of the middle class and accused Republicans of working only to protect the interests of the wealthy.”

“President Barack Obama and his Republican opponents are clashing over U.S. policy toward Israel as each side jockeys for support from Jewish voters, who could be critical in the 2012 election,” the AP writes. “Aiming to cast Obama as unfairly harsh toward Israel and soft on the Palestinians, Republican presidential hopefuls Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich have called on the president to fire his ambassador to Belgium.”

More: “The fiery debate will probably continue Wednesday when the GOP presidential candidates attend a Washington forum hosted by the Republican Jewish Coalition. Obama campaign officials say they will be ready to respond. And the next day, Jewish leaders will be at the White House for briefings on Israel and a Hanukkah party, followed by an Obama speech next week to an expected audience of nearly 6,000 at a conference of the Union for Reform Judaism.”

“Even as Jon Corzine’s MF Global was collapsing, a firm that includes former President Bill Clinton in a senior post was raking in huge fees for public-relations and financial advice from the ill-fated brokerage, The [New York] Post has learned. Clinton’s office insists the former president did not profit from the relationship between MF Global and Teneo Holdings, where he is chairman of the advisory board. But Teneo, on whose advisory board former British Prime Minister Tony Blair also sits, was paid $125,000 a month for at least five months in one of MF’s biggest consulting arrangements, according to sources at the brokerage house.”

“Richard Cordray’s nomination to lead the the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is expected to be taken up Thursday by the Senate, but it is expected to fail because of Republican opposition,” the Boston Globe reports. “President Obama nevertheless launched a campaign this week to lobby for Cordray’s nomination and portray the GOP’s reluctance as evidence of a party beholden to Wall Street.”

EXETER, N.H. -- Former Louisiana Gov. Buddy Roemer was the only presidential candidate in New Hampshire on Monday and he took the opportunity to aggressively slam the other GOP hopeful who has centered his entire campaign around the first-in-the-nation primary: Jon Huntsman. Pacing the room in a fight-ready position, Roemer questioned Huntsman's billionaire father and his reported funding of Our Destiny PAC, a pro-Huntsman organization that has aired ads on behalf of the former Utah governor. Roemer implied the relationship is inherently corrupt. 

"The law is that the super PAC must be independent of the candidate. It says it clearly in the Supreme Court ruling, called Citizens United. Is that independent? I mean I have a big imagination but I just can't imagine that father and son don't talk," Roemer told more than 50 students at Phillips Exeter Academy.

 Super PACs can raise and spend unlimited cash but cannot legally coordinate their activities with candidates. 

It has been reported that Jon Huntsman Sr. has poured millions of his personal wealth into Our Destiny PAC. He has not commented on the matter. 

Several weeks ago, Huntsman told NBC News that while he is "mighty thankful" for "air cover" from the PAC, he does not discuss Our Destiny or campaign strategy with his father, a businessman in Utah. The Huntsman campaign has repeatedly stated it has no affiliation or contact with the PAC. 

Sources close to the Huntsman campaign say it has no plans to go on the air in the near future. As of Monday evening, Our Destiny PAC had made two major ad buys in New Hampshire, the last of which finished airing Nov. 27. 

Jokingly, Roemer continued to jab the Huntsman campaign on finances, saying his relatively smaller buy would soon be on the air while the former ambassador to China has yet to hit the airwaves on his own. 

"They spent four million from the super PAC. Jon Huntsman's campaign is broke. I have more money than he does in my campaign. But they're getting all their money from the super PACs buying television ads in New Hampshire. Wow! That's the kind of world we live in now," added Roemer. 

Roemer's campaign is indeed in the process of buying air time on New Hampshire's biggest news station, WMUR, NBC news confirmed on Monday. However the exact amount is unknown.

Speaking at high volume, Roemer didn't reserve his criticism for only Huntsman. 

"They do it undercover and not just Jon. He is the worst case of the super PACs. Mitt Romney's independent super PACs are run by his business partner, his campaign finance guy from his previous campaign, and his former chief of staff," Roemer said. "It's not independent, it's a joke." 

Roemer -- who no longer shows up in national polls and has yet to be invited to any televised debates -- added he would love to participate in the Trump debate. 

"Hell, if Donald calls me, I'll be in his debate. I would love to debate Donald Trump. That'd be fun. It'd be entertaining. You'd watch!" he told students, mostly under the legal voting age. 

In perhaps his most reflective moment of the evening, Roemer lamented the drop in retail campaigning and increasing frequency of debates he cannot join. 

"New Hampshire is in trouble, let me say it, guys," Roemer told the students, who appeared largely captivated. "Retail politics is almost non-existent. I came to New Hampshire to kiss babies and shake hands. 

"This election is a month away. Where are they? They're out having fundraisers, getting the goods. They're trying to get on television. It has nothing to do with retail politics. It's greatly exaggerated in the 21st century," Roemer said. "We're a slave to television now."

NEW YORK -- Newt Gingrich shot back at House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi today, after Pelosi threatened to reveal details of the ethics investigation into the former House Speaker almost 13 years ago.

“I want to thank Speaker Pelosi for what I regard as an early Christmas gift,” Gingrich said during a press conference at Manhattan’s Union League Club Monday afternoon.

“If she’s saying that she’s going to use material that she developed while she was on the ethics committee,” Gingrich added, “that is a fundamental violation of the rules of the House, and I would hope that members would immediately file charges against her the second she does it.”

The remark brought a quick response over Twitter from Nancy Pelosi’s staff.

“[Pelosi] was clearly referring to the extensive amount of information that is in the public record,” wrote her spokesman, Drew Hammill. 

The back-and-forth began earlier today when the left-leaning website Talking Points Memo published an interview with Pelosi, in which she said, “One of these days we’ll have a conversation about Newt Gingrich.”
 
The blog post was headlined, “Democrats Gleeful At Prospect of Running Against Gingrich.”

“I know a lot about him,” Pelosi told TPM.  “I served on the investigative committee that investigated him, four of us locked in a room in an undisclosed location for a year. A thousand pages of his stuff.”

The ethics investigation resulted in sanctions against Gingrich, and a fine.

Gingrich resigned as Speaker of the House in 1999. Pelosi later served as House Speaker, from 2007 until January, 2011.

The two appeared in a 2008 video encouraging action on global warming –- a move that has invited attacks from Gingrich’s opponents in the GOP field.

“We don’t always see eye-to-eye, do we Newt?” Pelosi said in the video.

“No,” Gingrich replied.

Mitt Romney specifically endorsed extending a payroll tax cut for another year on Monday, the same day President Obama assailed Republicans in Congress for opposing such a measure.

The former Massachusetts governor endorsed extending the 2011 yearlong tax holiday, using rhetoric similar to Obama's to justify keeping it in place through 2012.

"I would like to see the payroll tax cut extended because I know that working families are really feeling the pinch right now -- middle-class Americans are having a hard time," he said on conservative talker Michael Medved's radio show.

It's the most concrete statement by Romney to date on the expiring tax cut, which is set to lapse at the end of the year barring action by Congress.

Romney said at an Oct. 11 Bloomberg/Washington Post debate that while he does not favor tax increases, the payroll tax cut extension was a "temporary little band-aid" compared to the overarching economic reforms he would prefer.

(This prompted Obama to take a veiled swipe at Romney during a stop last week in Scranton, Pa. to promote the tax cut. "You know, $1,500 -- that’s not a Band-Aid for middle-class families, that’s a big deal," the president said.)

He was evasive at a Nov. 9 debate on CNBC, explaining that he does not want to raise taxes in the midst of a recession, while observing: "We can't continue to pass on massive debts to the next generation. We can't continue to put at risk the greatest nation in the history of the Earth because of the profligate spending that's going on in Washington, D.C."

The issue of how extending this tax cut might impact the nation's finances is a key question beguiling lawmakers and holding up a deal on the payroll tax on Capitol Hill.

Obama's original proposal (and versions of it since then floated by Senate Democrats) calls for a surtax on millionaires to finance the tax cut. The payroll tax helps pay for Social Security's costs. Democrats also favor expanding the tax cut in 2012 and extending it to employers as well, making its price tag even heftier.

But Republicans have rejected that pay-for measure as a tax hike on small businesses, and have instead demanded a series of wage freezes and layoffs for federal workers, along with means-testing certain benefits, to offset the price of the extension. But there's not unanimity among Republicans over whether they should even extend the tax cut; they worry about its effect on Social Security's bottom line.

Romney didn't address whether he thought the cost of extending the tax cut should be offset, or whether the tax cut should be paid for at all. He did take aim, however, at the president, accusing him of being derelict when it came to entitlement programs' finances.

"I would like to have this as an opportunity to put pressure on the president to finally acknowledge that our entitlement programs -- in the future, not for current retirees -- but for the future of our retirees, it's going to have to be adjusted to make sure it's sustainable," he said. "And I'd like the president to finally, after three years in office, come to grips with the fact that Medicare, in the future, version 2.0, is going to need to be updated. And that higher income people probably shouldn't get the same benefits."

Former Vice President Dan Quayle will endorse Mitt Romney for president tomorrow at a campaign event in Arizona.

The endorsement will take place in Paradise Valley, Arizona, which is located within the congressional district of Ben Quayle, the former Vice President's son, who was elected to the House in 2010 and has yet to make an endorsement in the presidential race.

Quayle, who was vice president under President George H. W. Bush, represented Indiana in the House of Representatives for two terms, and also served in the senate. He has reportedly remained active in Republican fundraising circles, particularly in Arizona, where he has a home.

Romney met with former President Bush at the latter's Houston home last week. The meeting was described by aides to Romney as a chat between friends; Bush did not offer his endorsement.

DES MOINES, IA -- Mitt Romney is attacking President Obama again in a new mailer Iowans received in their mailboxes today.
 
“What is he worried about?” the two-sided piece of literature asks about the president as he is shown with his head in his hands. “Securing our borders? Building the fence? Protecting Iowa jobs?”
 
“No. The Obama attack machine is obsessed with ... Mitt Romney,” it says with the “O” of obsessed filled in with the easily recognizable Obama symbol. It also quotes the New York Times and ABC News.
 
“Illegal immigration is a serious problem,” the backside of the ad reads in bold red letters. ”But Barack Obama has failed to secure our borders.”

Obtained by NBC News

 
This particular hit on President Obama has been a recurring theme for the Romney campaign -- an attempt to woo GOP voters by emphasizing that Team Obama and the Democratic Party are "worried" about Romney.

The campaign mailer, which has no picture of Romney himself, goes on to list the former Massachusetts governor's plan to end illegal immigration: secure the border, turn off the magnets, and ensure employers can confirm legal status of employees.
 
“On Jan. 3, caucus for the candidate with a plan to end illegal immigration,” this new mailer reads.
 
The Romney campaign sent out its first wave of campaign literature the weekend of Thanksgiving. One piece also focused on illegal immigration and listed the three points Romney was “the strongest Republican to beat Barack Obama and end illegal immigration.” Those points were similar to the ones seen on this ad, however, his stance on the border from the November piece just states he “supports building a border fence” but in this ad, he “supports a high-tech border fence.”

On a conference call this morning with more than 100 staffers and supporters, Herman Cain said that he will not endorse another Republican presidential candidate today, and that he has no plans to back anyone anytime soon.

"I am not endorsing anybody today or in the very immediate future," he said. "I can't say I won't endorse, but not in the immediate timeframe."

But Cain added that he would eventually endorse. "It's gonna happen, it's gonna happen. I have a process in mind that I'm going to go through in order to determine who I could possibly endorsement... It won't happen today. Most likely, it won't happen this week. They can calm down about that expectation."

Today's conference call -- to which NBC News listened after being tipped off by a source close to the campaign -- was the first time Cain addressed his full campaign team since the announcement on Saturday that he would suspend his campaign. The ex-Godfather's Pizza CEO was energetic and nostalgic throughout the call, and he remained defiant that the allegations against him (extramarital affair, sexual harassment) were all false. He described the "unrelenting" personal pain that the campaign had had on him and his family.

Cain also went into more detail about his much-anticipated talk with his wife on Friday evening, telling supporters that they arrived at the decision to leave the race together.

"The pain endured by my wife and my family was unrelenting," Cain said of the past few months on the campaign trail.

"My wife and I talked on Friday at home. It was honest and open; it was a great conversation. What went on in the conversation, that's between my wife and me. I was at peace with her and she was at peace with me. The sooner the media stopped spinning this crap ... the better."

But the candidate who has been criticized for running to sell books -- not win the presidency -- is not looking to shy from the spotlight.

"You will be hearing about my next plans," he said chuckling. "I am probably going to do another book. So what! I don't know what my plans are relatively to radio and TV, but remember I did radio and TV before running for office," he said.

Cain's plans for the next chapter of his career were quickly followed by an attempt to directly address accusations that he sought to promote his recently-published book while campaigning, or perhaps host a cable news television show in the future.

"That is not my motivation," he said. "I did not choose to run for the president of the United States to advance my own self.

Cain also used the call to ease his staffer's minds in the wake of them finding out just days ago that they had lost their jobs. Financially, he said his campaign aims to pay his staff through the end of December, "so you can at least have a Merry Christmas and not worry about whether not you're going to have a paycheck," he said. "I didn't want you to worry about what you were going to do over the holidays."

As Cain concluded his thoughts, he left his staff with a few reflections rife with nostalgia and self-congratulation.

"We went from 21% name ID to 99.9% name I.D., if you catch my drift" he said.

Cain relished the frequency of GOP debates, and credited them as the reason for his one-time surge in the polls. "I believe the debates propelled my candidacy and gave me a chance and people to get to know Herman Cain," he said. "That is historic for a non-politician. On the other hand, what it says is, 'How long is it going to be before the next non-politcian to do what I did, what happened to me?' This is just an open question. I think America is going to decide and make a choice at some point."

But, above all, Cain wanted his supporters to know that he did not run for president to advance his personal brand.

"If you look at the whole situation going back to where I started, I did not want to be president just for sake of being president. I wanted to be president so we can change from the inside," he said.

President Barack Obama suggested Monday that congressional Republicans were acting hypocritically by opposing an extension and expansion of a payroll tax cut set to expire at the end of this year.

The president assailed the GOP in a statement at the White House, accusing them of reneging on a pledge to not raise taxes by voting against a Democratic proposal that would cut extend the tax cut in 2012, and pay for it by a surtax on the wealthy.

"Now, some Republicans who have pushed back against the idea of extending this payroll tax cut have said you’ve got to pay for this tax cut.  I'd just like to point out they haven't always felt that way," Obama said.

"Over the last decade, they didn't feel the need to pay for massive tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans ... Indeed, when the Republicans took over the House at the beginning of this year, they explicitly changed the rules to say that tax cuts don't have to be paid for. So forgive me a little bit of confusion when I hear folks insisting on tax cuts being paid for."

Democrats and Republicans on Capitol Hill are feuding over whether to extend and expand the one-year payroll tax cut authorized last year by Congress as part of a year-end package to extend the expiring Bush tax cuts, as well.

Obama called for cutting the payroll tax even deeper in 2012 as part of his American Jobs Act, and extending it to employers as well. The Senate voted on a version of that proposal last week, but fell short of the 60 votes needed to proceed when a handful of Democrats joined Republicans in opposition to the plan.

But there isn't even Republican unanimity on extending the tax cut. A GOP proposal to extend the tax cut -- financed by cuts to the federal workforce, a freeze in pay, and means-testing certain benefits -- failed 20 to 78 when a number of Republicans joined Democrats in opposition to the plan. Some Republicans worry that continuing the payroll tax cut, which funds Social Security, would worsen the entitlement program's already troubled finances.

The fight now revolves around how to finance the extended tax cut in a way that can win support in both parties. Obama said he's willing to work with Republicans to extend the tax cut in a "responsible" way.

"What I'm not willing to do is pay for the extension in a way that actually hurts the economy," he said.

Senate Democrats unveiled a new proposal Monday that scales back the scope of the tax cut extension, but still largely relies on a surtax on high earners to pay for the cuts. Republicans reject this surtax as a "poison pill," though it may indicate that both sides of the aisle are moving toward a compromise, especially as they work to finish up legislative business for the year.

"If the president wants to make progress, he should insist that Senate Democrats remove the job-killing small business tax hike from their partisan proposal," snapped Michael Steele, spokesman for Republican House Speaker John Boehner in a statement following the president's address.

Electoral politics compose part of the backdrop for the fight, too. The White House has pummeled Republicans throughout the fall for opposing different elements of the president's jobs plan, from infrastructure investments to the tax fight currently before lawmakers. Each vote on these components, Democrats are betting, puts Republicans in a tough spot heading into an election year that's focused squarely on economic issues.

"I know many Republicans have sworn an oath to never raise taxes as long as they live," Obama said Monday. "How could it be that the only time there's a catch is when it comes to raising taxes on middle class families? How can you fight tooth and nail to protect high-end tax breaks for the wealthiest Americans and yet barely lift a finger to prevent taxes going up for 160 million Americans who really need the help?"

The president also urged lawmakers to extend expired unemployment benefits. Failing to do that "would to extraordinary harm to the economy," Obama warned.

This item was last updated at 2:38 p.m.

The U.S. Navy today announced the largest government purchase of "drop-in" biofuel, a green energy replacement for diesel fuel in ships and jets that will be used during a major naval exercise next summer in the Pacific.

Navy Secretary Ray Maybus says the $12 million purchase of 450,000 gallons of biofuel will power aircraft and ships deployed for the Rim of the Pacific exercise (RIMPAC), the world's largest maritime exercise held every two years.

It's all part of a "Green Fleet" demonstration, he says, to prove the viability of a 50-50 blend of biofuels and diesel as "a very viable concept."

Maybus says the Navy's goal is to use a similar biofuel blend to deploy and power a carrier strike group on a multi-month deployment by 2016. 

Maybus made today's announcement on a conference call with Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack as part of the administration's push to greater utilize biofuel technology in military and commercial transportation.

This biofuel purchase by the Defense Logistics Agency, however, is only a drop in the bucket for the U.S. Navy, which uses more than 1.26 billion gallons of fuel each year.

But both Maybus and Vilsack argue it's an important step in making the nation more energy independent.

"The use of fossil fuels is a real threat to national security, and the Navy's ability to protect the nation," Maybus said.

Maybus and Vilsack also touted the jobs created in the farming and biofuel industry as the U.S. government increases its reliance on green fuel technology.

According to Maybus, the department did not have to ask for additional money for the project, since the funds came from the normal course of business of Navy research and development.