Mark Murray and Domenico Montanaro discuss whether or not there is still time for New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie or Sarah Palin to enter the 2012 presidential race.

Thanks to Feisty Redhead for the question! Keep and eye out for our next post to submit questions for future Boiler Room segments.

Video was shot by NBC's Natalie Cucchiara and Lauren Selsky. Transcribed by NBC's Jordan Frasier.

TRANSCRIPT: 

DOMENICO MONTANARO: I'm Domenico Montanaro here with my colleague Mark Murray once again, here with another edition of Inside the Boiler Room.  Mark, we have a couple more questions from our commenters on the blog, and one comes from Feisty, who always likes to be first and a --that's not why she got picked this time, but her question is, "what's the absolute latest date Christie or Palin can throw their hats into the ring?" 

MARK MURRAY: Well, we actually have some actual dates here.  So the filing deadline for a presidential candidate to be on the ballot in Florida, and of course it looks like Florida's presidential primary is going to be on January 31st. That deadline is going to be October 31. We also know the deadline to be on the ballot in South Carolina, that's November 1, and the deadline to be on the ballot in New Hampshire is going to be about mid-November.  What does this all mean? If Chris Christie or Sarah Palin or anyone else really wants to be competitive and run for president, we have to know before October 31, which is really just less than a month from now.  In fact, an associate very close to Chris Christie ended up telling NBC News that because of these deadlines, and if he's actually going to get in, going to reconsider, that he only has about a few weeks to do so.

DOMENICO MONTANARO: So we've got four weeks - four and a half weeks just about.  You know, aside from that, the structure that you need to run a campaign, to raise money, even though it's probably easier now because of Citizens United where you could have a PAC come in maybe and help you raise some big money and maybe start the ground work, you know, all these other candidates have that too.  It's a little bit off-set, it can become difficult, and if we have a primary in early January, which is where we're starting to look like we're heading toward again, you know you only have about a month and a half to make your sale.

MARK MURRAY: Right, and you know look, anyone can be able to get into these contests before these deadlines.  There's a difference between getting in one of these races and actually winning or being competitive.  And I think every day that goes by and Chris Christie or Sarah Palin doesn't get in, it's less time to raise money, it's less time to build a campaign infrastructure, less time to start building oppo research files, so it's really hard and the people who have been successful presidential candidates in the past, this goes true for Barack Obama, George W. Bush, you look at those people, they've had their eye on the ball for several months if not several years before they declare their presidential campaign.  

DOMENICO MONTANARO: All great points.  I hope that answers it Feisty.

*** UPDATE *** If New Hampshire moves its primary up to January, as expected, then its filing deadline would take place in mid-October, not mid-November.

Speaking to a New Hampshire Town Hall audience of more than 250 yesterday, Mitt Romney addressed perceptions that he is a flip-flopper by quoting from a political leader he often cites on the trail, Winston Churchill.

"In the private sector, if you don't change your view when the facts change, well you'll get fired for being stubborn and stupid." Romney said. "Winston Chuchill said, 'When the facts change, I change too, Madam'"

The problem? That quote was not uttered by Britain's great wartime leader, but instead is credited to John Maynard Keynes, the British economist whose economic studies gave rise to so-called Keynesian economic theory, which calls for government intervention in economies to balance market forces, and who is loathed by many conservatives.

The full quote, "When the facts change, I change my mind. What do you do, sir?" is most often attributed to Keynes offering a defense of why he often changed his positions in the constantly-evolving world of macroeconomics.

And while the quote is regularly attributed to Keynes, there is more than a little reason for confusion. In a February blog post on the Wall Street Journal's website a Keynes' biographer is quoted as saying he believes that quote is in fact "apocryphal", and another said there was "no evidence" in the form of primary sources, that Keynes was the quote's originator.

CONCORD, N.H. – Jon Huntsman hopes to peck away at Donald Trump and Mitt Romney with Tweets.

Last night, a Fox News poll showed Trump's endorsement for the White House would have a more negative impact than positive. And over the past two days, Huntsman's campaign has been mocking rivals Romney and Rick Perry for meeting with Trump in New York.

Today, Trump decided he didn't exactly like all of this. The real estate magnate-turned-reality-show star went straight for Huntsman, Tweeting: "@jonhuntsman has zero chance of getting the nomination. Whoever said I wanted to meet him? Time is money and I don't waste mine."

Huntsman's spokesman Tim Miller, who has been Tweeting about Trump this week already, hit back in a statement to NBC: "Unlike Rick Perry and Mitt Romney Governor Huntsman isn't wasting his time with Presidential Apprentice, his focus is on real solutions to fix our nation's economy." He later Tweeted a similar statement.

When word for surfaced that Romney was meeting with Trump, Miller Tweeted: “Is Orly Taitz next on his list?” Taitz  is a so-called “birther,” an activist who has falsely pushed the notion that President Obama was not born in the United States, a sentiment Trump also attempted to lend credence to.

The ongoing stream of anti-Trump tweets and statements seem to be the Huntsman campaign's latest attempt to use Twitter to poke fun at the rest of the pack. Huntsman also attacked Rick Perry for his global-warming views, daring everyone to call the former Utah governor "crazy.”

"Governor Romney's Trump courtship certainly won’t help him in New Hampshire," Miller said yesterday.

"We're rooting for Gov. Romney and The Donald taking a helicopter to Manchester to announce this key endorsement, the search for the birth certificate, and their conveniently timed flip-flops on abortion," he told NBC News.

ORLANDO, FL and CONCORD, NH -- Just a month ago, Michele Bachmann was riding sky-high in the Republican presidential contest.

She had just won the closely watched Ames Straw Poll. And she seemed to have a monopoly on the outsider/rebel brand in the GOP field.

But since then, her national poll numbers plummeted; she became an afterthought in some recent GOP debates; and she finished dead last in the Florida Presidency 5 straw poll.

While several factors have contributed to Bachmann's reversal of fortune (including Rick Perry's entrance into the race and more gaffes by Bachmann), another reason has received less attention: a lack of outreach.

In interviews with NBC News, GOP officials and Tea Party leaders say that Bachmann has not seized opportunities to engage voters in key states -- including Florida and New Hampshire; in fact, she hasn't visited the Granite State since June 28.

Florida Republicans say Bachmann missed an opportunity last week to revive her campaign. They point to her decision not to invest resources in the straw poll, which meant that -- despite appearing at last week’s FOX-Google debate and other events -- she was not able to address delegates directly.

In a statement, the Bachmann campaign stressed its decision to invest resources in Iowa instead -- a strategy that’s meeting criticism in the Sunshine State.

“With Perry’s poor performance at the debate, this would have been an incredible opportunity for her to come out and really reestablish herself,” Sarasota Republican Party Chair Joe Gruters said of Florida’s straw poll. “Nobody’s talking about Michele Bachmann,” he continued. “It’s almost in stark contrast to having her in Sarasota over a month ago.”

Indeed, Bachmann visited Sarasota in late August, addressing one of her largest crowds to date. Gruters was responsible for arranging the visit. Cobbling together a network of Tea Party groups, he packed more than 1,000 people into a local Shriners temple. 

It was a high-energy speech: When Bachmann paid tribute to the Tea Party, the crowd hollered and clapped. After she finished speaking, she danced swing-style with her husband, Marcus, as Elvis pumped through the speakers.

Gruters was impressed with Bachmann’s ability to connect to voters. “I thought she did a phenomenal job,” he said. “My guess is that she won at least 50% of them over.”

So he considers it odd he didn’t hear from the Bachmann campaign afterward, saying he never received calls about more events –- or even a thank you. “They’re MIA,” Gruters said. “In contrast, I hear from Perry and Romney’s guys almost every couple of days –- if not every day.”

“They have no campaign in Florida, period,” Gruters added about Bachman’s team. “They have a fundraiser on the ground I’ve talked to,” he continued. “But there’s no grassroots operations.” Still, Gruters insists Bachmann remains a draw in Sarasota. “If she came to Sarasota again, I think we’ll give her another thousand people,” he said.

Republican operatives speculate that money may stand in the way.

“Florida is an expensive state to play,” said Jamie Miller, a Republican Strategist and former executive director of the state party, who is close to Ed Rollins, Bachmann’s former campaign manager. Miller, according to the Miami Herald, had been rumored to be on a short list of names Bachmann’s team considered hiring onto a Florida staff.

Although leading GOP candidates Rick Perry and Mitt Romney have yet to run television ads in Florida, Miller says the cost of media can deter second-tier candidates. A week’s worth of network advertising, according to Miller, can run $2 to $3 million. “My guess is Bachmann, Santorum, and Huntsman, to some degree are going to wait to see how well they are going to do in Iowa and New Hampshire.”

But Bachmann has not returned to New Hampshire since June 28. Her absence has been widely noted by loyal volunteers and organizers, many of whom continue to express support for her –- even while they air their frustration.

New Hampshire Republican Liberty Caucus chairman Andrew Hemingway organized Bachmann’s local events last spring and summer. He knows and likes Bachmann, but says he's deeply skeptical of her ability to perform well in the Granite State primary, following what he considers a lengthy absence. "Somebody who ignores New Hampshire to the level as she has is not running for president," Hemingway said.

Bachmann campaign spokeswoman Alice Stewart tells NBC News that the campaign is proud of its support from New Hampshire Tea Party groups. “We communicate with them on a regular basis through calls,” she said.

“They’re an important part of our campaign, and share the same views as Michele does on limited government. They’re strong on immigration, and strong on faith and family.”

Stewart says the campaign is due back in New Hampshire next week. Citing a debate and event schedule that took the campaign from California to Florida twice over during a three-week period, Stewart said of New Hampshire: “It’s not been taken off the table by any means.

“It’s an important part of our campaign," she added.

(However, Bachmann Campaign Manager Keith Nahigian recently posted a power point video on the camapign's path forward, in which he says: “We are going to compete in New Hampshire, but not dominate our effort like we are in Iowa.”)

But in a state where voters expect to meet candidates in person not once or twice -- but five or ten times -- New Hampshire Tea Party leader Jerry DeLemus fears Bachmann’s staunch supporters have realigned with other candidates.

"The Bachmann people won't go to Romney, but they may lose some to Perry,” he said.

It is a pattern that has played out in presidential races in the past, say local Republican operatives. “There are more than a small number of activists who felt hung out to dry by Giuliani and Fred Thompson,” former GOP state party chairman Fergus Cullen said of the race in 2008.

Cullen, who recently wrote an op-ed criticizing Bachmann’s absence from New Hampshire, added this about Bachmann: “There's some hesitancy to make sure that doesn't happen again."

Veteran New Hampshire Republican strategist Mike Dennehy says Bachmann faces an uphill battle in a state where she’s fallen from 11 to 5% in polls.

“It will be very challenging to now develop an organization and establish yourself as a credible candidate in New Hampshire, because she has lost any momentum that she had, which she had in June and early July,” Dennehy told NBC News. “And it's just gone. And that's what happens when you stay away from the state for three or four months.”

But Dennehy, more than many, is inclined to believe anything is possible. He managed John McCain’s primary upset in 2000. Eight years later, as McCain’s national director, he was credited for reviving McCain’s floundering candidacy for a comeback win in New Hampshire.

“It's going to be difficult, but there's no better state to try it than New Hampshire because of the size. It's manageable,” he said.

CONCORD, N.C. -- Michele Bachmann condemned the Arab Spring and blamed President Obama for allowing it to happen by "showing weakness" and by compromising the United States' relationship with Israel.

Why do you think there was an Arab Spring, she asked at a GOP fund-raiser at a local barbecue restaurant here. She went on to tie the uprisings to what she described as signals from the White House that America was abandoning Israel.

And in a new historical analogy, Bachmann drew a comparison between the fall of the Shah of Iran -- who Bachmann says Jimmy Carter "turned his back" on -- and President Obama's present-day relationship with Israel.

Bachmann also linked the rise of "Radical Jihad" to the fall of the Shah and the 1979 Iranian revolution.

COLUMBIA, SC - The South Carolina GOP did not announce its January primary date, as had been expected, at a press conference Thursday morning.

SC GOP Chairman Chad Connelly said he would hold out on making a final announcement about the date of the South Carolina Republican primary until Florida formalizes the date of its own primary. Connelly explained that he'd gotten indications from the Republican National Committee (RNC) that there's still a chance that Florida might change its date back to February, which would keep the existing schedule mostly intact.

Connelly's calculation is that, if he were to have announced a January date for his state's primary today, he would have been complicit in the violation of the rules for primary dates established by the RNC. He wants to hold out on declaring a final, drop-dead date until tomorrow, when Florida will announce the official date of its primary. (Florida's House speaker has indicated that a state legislative panel is likely to move its primary to Jan. 31.)

Connelly said Thursday that his intentions are to force Florida's hand.

"Today, I want to announce that the ball's in Florida's court," Connelly said at a press conference.

Connelly told NBC that RNC Chairman Reince Priebus has been pretty insistent that there's still a chance Florida might change its date. But Connelly also said, though, that Florida's national committeewoman, Sharon Day, was less optimistic than Priebus.

Upon hearing the news of the Georgia primary going March 6, New Hampshire Secretary of State Bill Gardner said, "Well, I guess it's up to Florida." He remains committed to having a one week buffer on each side of the NH primary but realizes this is a challenge if Florida goes Jan 31.

If he had to move the date up, however, Connelly said he'd be inclined to keep it as close to Florida's date as possible so that, if Florida sticks with Tuesday the 31st, SC would be the Saturday before, because SC voters turn out better on Saturdays.

In neighboring Georgia, the AP reported that the state announced that it would hold its primary on March 6, the date on the primary calendar shaping up to be 2012's "Super Tuesday."

When asked whether holding SC primary so close to FL's would diminish SC's influence, Connelly said candidates ignore SC at their own peril.

"My inclination right now is to keep the calendar as intact, and give some pressure relief especially to the really early states and go as late as I can and as close to whoever pushes the calendar up as possible. So there is no magic bullet about the 7-day window. And I'm more inclined to put it right in front of them.

"Our voters turn out better on Saturdays. And if they pick a Tuesday, I imagine I'd go on the Saturday before."

Connelly also said he's been told by the RNC that the carve-out states would not be penalized, for moving up to January (against RNC rules) as much as Florida will be for moving up before March 6th. SC is trying to avoid a scenario in which they would lose half their delegates to the national convention. Connelly warned he would "pitch a hissy-fit" if South Carolina faced sanctions.

Connelly said he's been talking with the Republican Party of Florida (RPOFL) for months about moving in tandem but those talks seem to have disintegrated for two reasons: 1) the passing of the RPOFL chairman, who had to be replaced very quickly 2) as Connelly puts it, he didn't realize that the RPOFL was "basically unable to influence" the decision of the 9-person Florida primary committee.

He said he talked to Gov. Rick Scott who liked the idea of keeping the dates in tandem but Scott said those decisions weren't up to him.

Updated at 11:58 a.m. to include new quotes. NBC's Jo Ling Kent contributed reporting from Concord, N.H.

The frozen campaign and where things currently stand… GOP primary calendar comes into focus… So, too, do the filing deadlines… Why hasn’t Romney caught fire?... Romney addresses the flip-flopper charge… Anita Perry stands by her man… Cain won’t support Perry if he’s the nominee… And final TV ads begin airing in West Virginia’s GOV race.

*** The frozen campaign: With New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie keeping the door open to a possible presidential run -- and having likely two or three weeks to decide if he wants to jump into the race -- the GOP contest is effectively frozen. So here’s where we stand: A new FOX poll has Romney in the lead at 23% among Republican primary voters, followed by Perry at 19%, Cain at 17%, and Gingrich at 11%. But it would be incorrect to call Romney the new front-runner from this survey. (Just combine the Perry and Cain percentages, folks; Romney has the same 20%-25% he’s had for months.) The frozen campaign also gives the candidates a two-week regrouping period. Perry gets to prepare for the Oct. 11 debate, shore up his conservative credentials (see the “heartless” walk back), and possibly undermine Romney’s. And Romney, after running for president for the past five years, gets another two weeks to convince skeptical Republicans that he’s their guy. Assuming Christie doesn’t run, the candidate who uses these two weeks best could very well have a leg up heading into the contests that will take place just three months from now…

AP

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie speaks during the Perspectives on Leadership Forum at the Reagan Library in Simi Valley, Calif., Tuesday, Sept. 27, 2011.

*** Calendar comes into focus: With Florida House Speaker Dean Cannon saying that the Sunshine State will likely hold its presidential primary on Jan. 31, the GOP calendar is finally taking shape -- and so are the filing deadlines for a possible Christie (or Palin candidacy). If Florida goes on the 31^st, the Iowa caucuses could take place in early January (either Thursday the 5^th or Monday the 9^th are good guesses), while the New Hampshire primary would probably occur a week later (so either Tuesday the 10^th or Tuesday the 17^th). Per NBC’s Ali Weinberg, the South Carolina Republican Party will announce its primary date at a news conference today at 11:00 am ET (maybe Saturday the 21^st or Saturday the 28^th?) Nevada would be sometime in between New Hampshire and South Carolina (so Tuesday the 17^th or Tuesday the 24^th) And then you have Florida go on Jan. 31. By the way, how close South Carolina is to Florida is VERY important to Romney. If it’s just a three-day window between the two states, then Romney can effectively skip it. If it’s not, the loss there could be more meaningful and have an impact on momentum going into Florida. Folks, the calendar matters.

*** And so do the filing deadlines: As for the filing deadlines, New Hampshire’s would occur in mid-October; Florida’s is Oct. 31; and South Carolina’s is Nov. 1. What does that mean? If Christie or Palin is going to get in, they have about two or three weeks -- max -- to make up their minds. Frankly, if they are going to run, they actually only have a few days -- they need as much lead time to get on these ballots as they can possibly give themselves.

AP

Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney holds a town meeting in Manchester, N.H., Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2011.

*** Why hasn’t Romney caught fire? Both the New York Times and Washington Post today focus on Romney and why he has been unable to excite Republican primary voters so far, despite his improvements on the stump and on the debate stage. Yet here’s one reason both articles don’t really mention: his past positions on issues. While there’s been so much focus on Rick Perry’s record (his support for in-state tuition for illegal immigrants, the HPV vaccine mandate) just look at Romney’s: Only six years ago, he supported abortion rights; in 1994, he sent a letter saying he’d be a stronger advocate for gay rights than Ted Kennedy; according to a 2006 article, he supported a path to citizenship for law-abiding illegal immigrants; he has said that his Massachusetts health-care law should be a model for other states; and he said back in June that humans have contributed to the world getting warmer -- and that it’s important to reduce emissions to combat that. All of those positions are anathema to conservatives. A question: Does this Republican electorate want to “settle,” gravitate behind the most electable? When they’ve “settled” in the past, many conservative leaders have regretted it (see McCain or Dole or Bush 41).

*** Romney addresses the flip-flopper charge: Speaking of Romney and his position on the issues, he yesterday addressed the perception that he’s a flip-flopper, per NBC’s Jo Ling Kent. "In the private sector, if you don't change your view when the facts change, well you'll get fired for being stubborn and stupid,” he said in a town hall in New Hampshire. “Winston Churchill said, 'When the facts change I change too, Madam.’” Of course, it was just last week when Romney suggested he doesn’t change positions. The American people "can tell when people are being phony and are pandering to an audience," he said, "and you’ll see that in politics. You’re not going to see that in my campaign."

AP

Texas Gov. Rick Perry, right, with his wife, Anita at a news conference in Tulas, Okla., Monday, Aug. 29, 2011.

*** Stand by your man: In the past couple of days, Perry’s wife, Anita, has been defending her husband on the campaign trail. It’s been fascinating stuff. “Some have attacked Rick on this issue of immigration, so I want you to be armed with the facts,” she said on Tuesday night in Iowa, per NBC’s Alex Moe. “No one has done more to secure the border. And as president, he is committed to stopping the tide of illegal immigration.” And she said this about her husband’s debate performances: “Gov. Romney has been running for president for four or five years, and that was my husband’s third debate... I think when you have seven arrows being shot at you -- and you are the one person in the middle -- a 30-second rebuttal doesn’t give you much time.”  And check out this comment out (which strikes us as the family gently starting to question the paid advisers): “So he's going to be better prepared this time… In fact our son's 28. He said, ‘Mom, when they do the debate prep for the next debate, I want to be there.’ He's best when he's down as a fighter and this is his opportunity to show up. I want him to say...Maybe I shouldn't say that. I don't want to give out our strategy.”

*** Cain says he wouldn’t support Perry if he’s the nominee: And don’t miss what Herman Cain said yesterday about Perry: He wouldn’t support him if he becomes the GOP nominee. “Today I could not support Rick Perry as the nominee for a host of reasons” -- naming immigration as one issue. Strikingly, he said he’d support Romney if the former Massachusetts governor is committed to repealing President Obama’s health-care law.

*** On the 2012 trail: Gingrich is in Iowa, where he unveils his “21^st Century Contract for America”… Bachmann’s in North Carolina… Ann Romney stumps for her husband in South Carolina… And Ron Paul and Buddy Roemer are in New Hampshire.

*** West Virginia, Mountain Mama: With five days to go until West Virginia’s competitive gubernatorial contest, the rival sides are up with their closing arguments. Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin (D) has popular Sen. Joe Manchin (the man Tomblin succeeded) appearing in a TV ad. Meanwhile, the Republican Governors Association -- which is supporting challenger Bill Maloney (R) -- is trying to tie President Obama to Manchin in an ad.

*** Thursday’s “Daily Rundown” line-up: Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter on education and the economy… RNC Communications Director Sean Spicer and DNC Communications Director Brad Woodhouse… NBC’s Anthony Terrell on Rep. Ron Paul’s recent remarks on protecting some federal programs… And more 2012 news with former Clinton White House Press Secretary Dee Dee Myers, Comcast’s Robert Traynham and USA Today’s Jackie Kucinich.

*** Thursday’s “Andrea Mitchell Reports” line-up: NBC’s Andrea Mitchell interviews MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell, as well as Republicans Nicolle Wallace and Fred Malek (on the GOP race), Politico’s Maggie Haberman (on 2012), NBC’s Kerry Sanders (on Alabama’s immigration law), and the Washington Post’s Chris Cillizza. 

Countdown to WV GOV contest: 5 days
Countdown to Election Day 2011: 40 days
Countdown to the Iowa caucuses: 130 days
* Note: When the IA caucuses take place depends on whether other states move up, and it’s likely that the contest takes place earlier.

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A new FOX News poll has Mitt Romney back on top, but with just 23% (essentially unchanged from August). Perry is second with 19% (a 10-point drop from the last poll), followed by a rising Herman Cain 17% (up 11 points) and Newt Gingrich 11% (up 8 points). Michele Bachmann has dropped all the way down to just 3% (down 5 points from August and 12 points from July). President Obama beats Romney (45%-42%) and Perry (47%-39%). More Republicans than Democrats (39%-30%) say they are “extremely interested” in the next election with supporters of the Tea Party being the most interested – 53% say they’re extremely interested.

Politico contends: “Rick Perry needs an early knockout win. A long, drawn-out primary slog favors Mitt Romney.” More: “[I]f the nomination fight remains a Romney-Perry two-man race after Super Tuesday, among the likeliest scenarios is a long, expensive spring trek through Romney’s political heartland. Perry has just one clear path: To blow the doors off the race with early momentum, and never let up.”

“Florida officials indicated yesterday the key presidential primary state would push its election up to Jan. 31, a decision that would spark a rapid reshuffling of the GOP calendar, accelerate campaigning, and force candidates to once again spend their Christmas season stumping in Iowa and New Hampshire,” the Boston Globe writes. “Ignoring efforts by the national Republican Party to prevent a repeat of the chaotic and compressed 2008 primaries, states such as Florida are again jockeying to hold an influential early primary. In response, New Hampshire is again defending its tradition of holding the first-in-the-nation primary, vowing to push its contest to the earliest days of January or even December of this year, if that is what it takes to stay first.”

BACHMANN: In a speech yesterday before 12,500 students (by the school’s count) at the Liberty University basketball arena, per NBC’s Jamie Novogrod, Michele Bachmann drew on the phrase that seems to have become her new campaign slogan: “don’t settle.” Bachmann introduced the phrase last week, during events connected to the Florida GOP convention in Orlando.  Then Bachmann brought it to Iowa on Monday, telling roughly 50 supporters in Cedar Rapids: “we don’t have to settle.” But the message seems to have evolved since then, becoming a statement of her political and life philosophy.

During her speech yesterday, Bachmann used the word “settle” -- or some form of the word -- 44 times.  She used the word as a prescription for tough choices, including finding relationship with God, which she described as “the most important decision I made in not settling.” She used the word in terms of finding a spouse, and finding an occupation. She used it in terms of finding a college major, and she used it in terms of finding the will to avoid cutting class. 

Traveling to Greenville, SC after her speech at Liberty University, Bachmann continued to lean heavily on her new phrase, “don’t settle,” NBC's Ali Weinberg reports. After doing a radio interview, Bachmann said that South Carolinians were telling her, “Michele, we don’t want to settle” and she implored voters to “have it all and not settle and choose the most conservative candidate in the race.” Bachmann also responded to a question about her citation of a story, apparently from a single Italian newspaper, that Hezbollah might be parking missiles in Cuba. “We’ve put the sources out for that,” was all she would say when asked whether her criteria for getting information would change if elected president. Bachmann finished the day at a private fundraiser in Moore, South Carolina, and has two more fundraisers in North Carolina today; one to raise money for the state's Republican Party and one at a private home.

Today, she heads to a fundraiser in Concord, N.C., followed by a roundtable event at the Charlotte Chamber of Commerce, and another fundraiser in Pinehurst. Next week, starting Monday, Bachmann returns to Iowa for two days.

CAIN: He says he couldn’t support Rick Perry if he were the nominee. And he says, "African-Americans have been brainwashed into” voting for Democrats. And he claimed: "This whole notion that all African-Americans are not going to vote for Obama is not necessarily true," Cain said, adding, "I believe a third [of African-Americans] would vote for me, based on my own anecdotal feedback.” The latest NBC/WSJ polling shows President Obama with a 92%-5% approval rating among black voters.

CHRISTIE: The CNS News says Tony Perkins is questioning Christie. “Perkins said the New Jersey governor ‘has made questionable appointments’ to state offices and ‘has backing from individuals who are clearly on the other side of social issues,’” GOP12’s Heinze finds irony in that: “Fascinating, because Perkins gives a free pass to Rudy Giuliani, who -- by nearly every count -- is more socially liberal than Christie.”

PERRY: The LA Times: “Rick Perry's campaign is fighting back forcefully to defend his record and reassure supporters concerned about his shaky debate performances, sending the Texas governor's wife on the campaign trail to explain his position on immigration and holding telephone town halls in which the candidate himself engaged voters on those subjects.”

ROMNEY: The Washington Post’s Rucker: “Once again, there was another group of Republicans begging its latest dream date to run for president. And once again, there was Mitt Romney, in his fifth year of running for president, facing questions about why he never seems to be the one Republicans are swooning over.” Romney, it appears, is “sticking to his tortoise-beats-all-the-hares strategy.”

AP notes that Romney selling himself as “an outsider conflicts with the reality of his lengthy political resume: He has run for higher office four separate times, dating back to an unsuccessful Senate run in 1994. Since then he has crafted a political network, raised mountains of campaign cash and largely focused on life in the public sector. He's essentially been pursuing the presidency full time since leaving the governor's office almost five years ago. And, although he emphasizes his business background as just what the economically ailing country needs, Romney has not held a private-sector job with a regular paycheck in more than a decade.”

In his effort to tout his jobs plan and rally his base, President Obama held a roundtable discussion with Hispanic journalists yesterday, NBC’s Kristen Welker reports. Obama found himself playing defense as he fielded a number of questions about why immigration reform has stalled, and why the unemployment rate in the Hispanic community continues to soar.  The participants included journalists from Yahoo, MSN Latino and AOL Latino/Huffington Post Latino Voices who asked questions from readers which were submitted online.  

Welker adds that Obama blamed Republicans in Congress for the failure to move forward on immigration reform and the DREAM Act, which would provide a path to citizenship for students who are studying in this country: "Unfortunately, over the last several years what you’ve seen is the Republican Party move away from support of comprehensive immigration reform."

But one of the questions submitted online shows wasn’t satisfied with that kind of answer: "Mr. President, I am an undocumented law graduate from New York City. I'm just writing to say that your message that you do not have a dance partner is not a message of hope. A real dancer goes out on the dance floor and picks out his or her dance partner." The president, seemingly irritated, responded: "I just have to continue to say this notion that somehow I can just change the laws unilaterally is just not true. We are doing everything we can administratively. But the fact of the matter is there are laws on the books that I have to enforce."

"The Obama administration cut corners before concluding that climate-change pollution can endanger human health, a key finding underpinning costly new regulations, an internal government watchdog said yesterday," AP writes. "Regulators and the White House disagreed with the finding, and the report did not question the science behind the administration’s conclusions. Still, the decision by the Environmental Protection Agency’s inspector general is sure to encourage lawyers, global warming doubters, and Republicans taking aim at the agency for what they view as job-killing environmental regulations."

"If all goes as planned, the House of Representatives should take just a few moments today to formally unravel a stalemate that had stymied Congress," the Washington Post says. "Their action will provide federal funding for four days. On Tuesday, the entire House will return to action and hold a more formal roll-call vote on a spending measure that will last into mid-November, the product of a bipartisan compromise in the Senate approved on Monday."

Roll Call says it’s Tea Party vs. establishment in the race for who will be the next vice chairman of the Senate Republican Conference – Ron Johnson (R-WI) vs. Roy Blunt (R-MO). "I would bring a slightly different perspective," Johnson said.

In the closing days of the West Virginia gubernatorial contest, Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin (D) is playing the Manchin card -- with the Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin appearing in a new Tomblin TV ad.

And now Republicans are playing the Obama card -- trying to tie President Obama to Tomblin in West Virginia, a state where the president's numbers are pretty poor.

Here's the new TV ad from the Republican Governors Association:

MANCHESTER, N.H. -- Mitt Romney welcomed the potential entry of New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie into the GOP race for the White House, saying "it will be fun" if he gets in, and added he'd be on a "long list" for his vice-presidential picks.

"Chris is a great friend," Romney told reporters after a town-hall meeting here at Saint Anselm College today. "Great guy, colorful character. He is a governor I'd love to see in more political settings, and who knows, maybe he'll get in. It will be fun if he got in."

Romney hailed Christie as a "remarkable leader in the Republican Party," but stopped short of inviting him aboard a potential Romney presidential ticket, saying it would be "presumptuous" to discuss vice-presidential prospects. Less than a minute later, Romney acknowledged Christie would make his list of options.

"There's a long list of people who would be considered for such a thing, but anyone would have to look at the governor of New Jersey as being a remarkable leader in the Republican Party," said Romney.

In the town hall of 250 people -- with his oversized debt clock as a backdrop -- Romney addressed perceptions and concerns that he is "a flip flopper."

"In the private sector," he said, "if you don't change your view when the facts change, well you'll get fired for being stubborn and stupid. Winston Churchill said, 'When the facts change I change too, Madam." What do you do?"

That's different from what he said a week ago, when he said he doesn't change positions.

The American people "can tell when people are being phony and are pandering to an audience," he said, "and you’ll see that in politics. You’re not going to see that in my campaign."

Romney did not address exactly which facts have changed, but has given responses on climate change this cycle.

Today he said, "I think the planet's getting warmer. I think we contribute to that -- could be a lot, could be a little."

Earlier this summer, however, he seemed to cast doubt on humans' impact: "Do I think the world's getting hotter? Yeah, I don't know that, but I think that it is. I don't know if it's mostly caused by humans."

Also today, the former Massachusetts governor also seized on David Axelrod's description of a "titanic struggle" ahead for President Obama's reelection campaign in 2012, made in the exact same venue just yesterday.

"A titanic struggle? How appropriate an adjective that is," Romney told voters. "The captain of the ship has been inattentive, otherwise occupied or asleep for most of the voyage. It's going to sink!"

Romney also casually mentioned new policies to alleviate educational costs for graduates who go into public service.

"We ought to help those people particularly, who, after college, decide to become involved in teaching or serving in our military or serving in our communities in important ways," he said. "Perhaps a very different interest rate" for those who go into those fields.

Romney will also be raising money in Boston today.

Further making it likely the U.S. Supreme Court will take up the health-care case this term, the Justice Department says it will urge the court to take an appeal of the challenge brought by Florida and 26 other states.

"The Department has consistently and successfully defended this law in several court of appeals, and only the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled it unconstitutional. We believe the question is appropriate for review by the Supreme Court," the Justice Department says in a statement. 

"Throughout history, there have been similar challenges to other landmark legislation such as the Social Security Act, the Civil Rights Act, and the Voting Rights Act, and all of those challenges failed. We believe the challenges to Affordable Care Act -- like the one in the 11th Circuit -- will also ultimately fail and that the Supreme Court will uphold the law," it says.

White House adviser Stephanie Cutter writes a lengthy blog post on the White House website, defending the decision, entitled, "Obama Administration Asks Supreme Court to Hear Health Care Lawsuit."

"There has been no shortage of lawsuits regarding the Affordable Care Act," Cutter writes. "Of course, whenever our nation is undertaking fundamental reform, legal challenges like this are nothing new. Just as challenges to the Social Security Act, the Civil Rights Act, and the Voting Rights Act all failed, challenges to health reform are failing as well. ... We know the Affordable Care Act is constitutional.  We are confident the Supreme Court will agree."

By msnbc.com's Michael O'Brien

Texas Gov. Rick Perry said Wednesday that he erred in last week's presidential debate, when he said that opponents of in-state college tuition for the children of illegal immigrants were heartless.

Perry said it was "inappropriate" for him to make the comment, on which other Republican presidential candidates -- especially former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney -- have seized.

"I probably chose a poor word to explain that. For people who don't want their state to be giving tuition to illegal aliens, illegal immigrants in this country, that's their call; I respect that," Perry told the conservative magazine Newsmax in an interview posted online Thursday. "I was probably a bit over-passionate by using that word and it was inappropriate."

The interview seeks to temper the fallout from last Thursday's debate in Florida, when he defended in stark terms the legislation he'd approved as governor that granted in-state college tuition to the children of illegal immigrants.

"[I]f you say that we should not educate children who have come into our state for no other reason than they've been brought there by no fault of their own, I don't think you have a heart. We need to be educating these children, because they will become a drag on our society," Perry said.

Romney, the other front-running candidate for the GOP presidential candidate, has used that line as a cudgel against Perry since the debate.

"I fundamentally believe that it doesn’t make a lot of sense for American taxpayers to pay for the college education of illegal aliens particularly at a time when American taxpayers are having a hard time financing education for their own children," Romney said Tuesday on conservative talk radio.

Perry didn't back off his support for the underlying decision to support the in-state tuition for the children of illegal immigrants. Ironically, Perry defended it on the same terms Romney has explained his state's healthcare plan; Perry said it was "a state's sovereign right" to decide how best to deal with issues of benefits for illegal immigrants.

Everyone's got a hobby. NBC's Sarah Blackwill passes this along...

"Well, I don't play golf," Perry says, "So, this is my golf."

Just last year, President Obama accused Republican operatives of trying to "hijack" the elections by setting up shadowy political groups to collect "secret" money from special  interest groups to run attack ads against Democrats. 

But today, campaign watchdog groups accused a new political group -- being run by a pair of former Obama White House aides -- of  doing precisely the same thing. 

In a letter to the IRS, the groups requested a formal investigation of Priorities USA, charging it was "abusing the tax laws" by masquerading as a tax exempt "social welfare" non-profit group , when it is actually a "shadow campaign organization" created to collect undisclosed campaign cash to insure the president's re-election.  

The campaign watchdog groups -- the Campaign Legal Center and Democracy 21 led by veteran reformer Fred Wertheimer -- also filed similar complaints against three other groups, including one Crossroads GPS, that is spearheaded by former Bush White House political guru Karl Rove. But the charges against the White House-allied Priorities USA are likely to get the most attention -- if only because the president and his top aides made the operations of such groups a major issue during last year's congressional elections.

Created by former White House deputy press secretary Bill Burton and Sean Sweeney, a former Obama political aide, the group -- along with a sister "Super PAC" called Priorities USA Action -- has set a goal of raising $100 million to back the president. The letter to the IRS quotes from an internal Priorities USA memo by Burton and Sweeney, saying they formed the group "to level the playing field and not allow right-wing activists to hijack the political system."

The complaint to the IRS today is designed to highlight a campaign finance system that reformers charge is now out of control largely as a result of last year's Citizens United ruling by the Supreme Court allowing unlimited donations by wealthy donors, corporations, and labor unions.

The ruling has led to a proliferation of so-called "Super PACs" created by allies of all the major presidential candidates that are now collecting tens of millions of dollars in contributions -- unrestrained by the legal limits of $2,500 per donor imposed on the candidates own campaign committees.  But reformers believe groups like Priorities USA and the Republican-allied Crossroads GPS are even more insidious because, unlike the Super PACs, the donations to these groups will never be made public.

Priorities USA, Crossroads GPS, and two other groups that are the subjects of today's complaints -- the American Action network -- founded last year by Republican fundraiser Fred Malek and former GOP Sen. Norm Coleman -- and Americans Elect, a third-party group, were all created as non-profit groups under a provision of the tax code -- 501 c (4) -- that does not require them to disclose their donors. 

Today's complaint charges that all of these groups are ineligible for such status because "the overriding purpose of each organization is to influence elections" -- not to engage in "social welfare" activity.

Just hours before last week's Republican presidential debate, Rick Perry's campaign announced that Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback was supporting Perry.

Also last week, Mitt Romney rolled out endorsements of his own -- from California Congressman Darrell Issa and Indiana Congressman Todd Rokita.

When the lights shut off on the debate stages, and all the town hall folding chairs are packed away, there's another campaign that continues, largely hidden from public view, over dinners and long-distance phone calls: the fight for top-tier endorsements.

As they battle to win the support of undecided primary voters, Romney and Perry both have used national networks built over the last decade to build formidable lists of governors, members of Congress, and local lawmakers who have joined their team.

And a recent pattern has emerged, though with some exceptions: Perry's endorsements are coming from some sitting governors who are considered rising stars in the party, while Romney's are coming from sitting members of Congress.

Gov power
Perry, the longest serving governor in Texas history and a two-time chairman of the Republican Governors Association, can boast the support of two other fellow state execs besides Brownback: Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal and Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval, both of whom are minorities and rising stars in the GOP.

It was during his RGA leadership that Perry solidified his reputation as a formidable fundraiser whose cash-courting helped Republicans regain majority control of the nation's statehouses. The RGA raised over $217 million between 2006 (the time Perry took on an active role there) and 2011 (when he left the RGA chairmanship to pursue the presidency).

"The governors who experienced Gov. Perry's tenure at the RGA, the folks that he helped in some cases recruit and in some cases elect, know that he was in it for them and for the party, and not just for self-interest or self-aggrandizement," said Ray Sullivan, Perry's campaign communications director and his former gubernatorial chief of staff.

That's in contrast, he said, to past chairmen including Romney, whose tenure at the helm of the RGA Sullivan described as "insular and self-centered" compared with Perry's.

The former Massachusetts governor's win-loss record at the helm of the RGA also was far less boastworthy than Perry's despite his strength as a fundraiser. That record loomed large the last time Romney ran for president, when only three of the nation's 22 Republican governors backed his primary effort.

Romney's Capitol Hill support
But while Perry bests Romney on his number of high-profile gubernatorial backers, Romney has the lead when it comes to his base of congressional support.

To date, his campaign has announced the endorsements of 15 sitting representatives, three U.S. senators, and two sitting governors -- Idaho Gov. Butch Otter and Nebraska Gov. Dave Heineman. 

(Perry, by comparison, has a total of at least nine backers on Capitol Hill so far.)

That includes several endorsers from Romney's '08 campaign who have returned to the fold, such as California Congressman Buck McKeon and Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch.
 
Romney's national political action committee, Free and Strong America, also gave tens of thousands of dollars to dozens of Republican candidates during the midterm election cycle, and Romney campaigned for them as well. Several of those who received max contributions -- Reps. Joe Heck of Nevada and Jason Chaffetz of Utah, for example -- are backing Romney.

"Gov. Romney was proud to support a number of fiscally conservative candidates in the 2010 election cycle," campaign spokesman Ryan Williams explained. "It's always good to go to the states to meet people and help them get elected and grow those relationships."

But a personal relationship and healthy donation from Free And Strong America does not guarantee an endorsement for Romney. In 2010, the PAC gave a maximum contribution to Texas Congressman Pete Sessions, who is now a strong backer of his home state governor. Michele Bachmann also accepted money from Free And Strong America, as did Perry himself.
 
Political insiders say lawmaker endorsements rarely earn candidates primary votes directly, but do serve as important signals to activists and potential donors.

For Romney, endorsements by conservatives like Arizona Congressman Jeff Flake help shore up the candidate's conservative bonafides, often in question by elements of that movement.

For Perry, endorsements from Republican establishment figures like Sessions (who chairs the National Republican Congressional Committee) and fellow Texan Jeb Hensarling (the fourth-ranking house Republican) prove that Perry's anti-Washington message does not mean he will lack support there.

As for the other GOP presidential candidates, the dearth of such backing can be a red flag. Michele Bachmann racked up local political endorsements in Iowa, but the lack of support from any of her congressional colleagues is seen by some as a sign of her limited national appeal.

Ron Paul, Newt Gingrich, Jon Huntsman, and Rick Santorum have likewise struggled to attract support from more than a handful of other national Republican figures.

While many endorsements at this stage are done by rote -- a press release and a handshake photo-op before everyone returns to their day jobs -- others present the possibility for greater value.

For example, the Romney campaign believes that former presidential candidate (and former Minnesota Gov.) Tim Pawlenty, who endorsed Romney earlier this month and became a national co-chair of his campaign, falls into the latter category. Since joining team Romney, Pawlenty has been assiduously courting his network of supporters to now support Romney as well.

"Pawlenty has done a fantastic job of reaching out to people," said Williams, the Romney spokesman. "He's been fully invested in this campaign since Day One."

Perry's backers have also been major presences -- as both media surrogates and behind-the-scenes advocates. Both Jindal and Brownback took a turn touting their candidate's performance to reporters in the "spin room" after debates in Tampa and Orlando, as did Florida House Speaker Dean Cannon and New Hampshire Deputy House Speaker Pam Tucker.

Jindal also recently penned an email fundraising solicitation for the Texas governor.

And Perry's team notes that after just six weeks in the race, their endorsement list is already competitive with Romney's.

"We're very pleased with where we are from an endorsement standpoint, Sullivan said. "Our endorsers are active, engaged and enthusiastic. And we hope, obviously, to have more coming down the road."

Political world -- get ready to spend New Year's Eve in Des Moines. Again.

Florida House Speaker Dean Cannon confirmed to NBC News that the Sunshine State will likely hold its primary on the last day of January.

"It is more than speculation. It's my expectation that Jan. 31 will be the date," Cannon said.

And if that's Florida date, it will force the early contests of Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada, and South Carolina -- which all had been scheduled to begin in Feb. 2012 -- to move up to January.

If that happens, the Iowa caucuses could take place in early January, while the New Hampshire primary would probably occur a week later. The South Carolina Republican Party will announce its primary date at a news conference tomorrow morning.

In Florida, Cannon helped select the nine-person committee that will vote on the state's primary date at a meeting this Friday. Because it is still up for a vote, it should be noted that Jan. 31 is only the LIKELY date; it is not set in stone. But Cannon said he has spoken to Florida Gov. Rick Scott and Senate President Mike Haridopolos -- both of whom also selected members for the committee -- and everyone is on the same page about the Jan. 31 date. So Cannon expects the vote to be unanimous.

By holding the primary before March 6, Florida will violate rules set by the Republican National Committee and could lose half of its delegates. Cannon said the committee has taken into consideration the possible RNC punishment, but an early position on the primary calendar outweighed the threat of losing delegates. "It's more important that Florida voters voices be heard than to stringently comply with GOP rules," he said.

Cannon said Florida wanted to be fifth in the presidential nominating process, and the Jan. 31 date would still allow Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada, to hold their place as the early primary and caucus states.

Chris Cate, spokesman for Florida's Secretary of State, said there has been no formal communication out of the Secretary of State's office and other early voting states, but both he and Cannon acknowledged the likelihood of informal talks.

Ready for another edition of Inside the Boiler Room?? Please post your questions for Mark and Domenico below.

The 12 members of the deficit supercommittee met again yesterday for more than six hours to discuss a way forward in achieving the $1.5 trillion in cuts required by the Budget Control Act in an effort to raise the nation’s debt ceiling.  The members don't plan another full meeting until early next week.

Aides say that the meeting discussed non-health mandatory proposals, and members were treated to a presentation on Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security.  The prior day’s meeting focused on tax reform, among other things.

And while committee members have met behind closed doors five times (and had three open hearings), not a single committee member has even hinted at what the discussions have produced, only using vague adjectives such as "constructive," "positive," and "productive," while not at all describing what "progress" they are actually making.

"No, I won't [be answering questions], but I thank you for asking," Sen. John Kyl (R-AZ) told reporters after yesterday’s meeting. "Again, I think you all know the rules. If you want to talk to somebody talk to our two co-chairmen, thanks."

But speaking with supercommittee co-chairs Rep. Jeb Hensarling (R-TX) and Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) has brought no substantive details for public consumption.  After a number of the closed-door meetings and open hearings, both Murray and Hensarling have come out with short, on-camera, statements saying the committee is making progress, but taking no questions.

Yesterday, Murray failed again to shed light on what "progress" was achieved during the meeting. "It went very good, very productive day," Murray told reporters, as she scurried away from the meeting. "I am not going to discuss any of the details. We had a really good day, though."

When asked specifically what members mean by the mantra "making progress," committee member Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH) tried to explain without actually explaining.

"Well, there's a lot of complicated issues, so progress is measured in different ways," he said. "But one would be simply getting through the material and, you know, getting the same level of knowledge across all members." 

Asked if he felt the group would make the Nov. 23^rd deadline, Portman contemplated his response and looked to the ground before simply saying, "We're making progress."

Sen. John Kerry (R-MA) took time to tell reporters that the committee is "getting into the real meat of things," but decided not to elaborate, explaining, "I'm not going to discuss the actual negotiations." 

Asked if he thought the committee was living up to the promise of being transparent, Kerry responded, "We're living up to the commitment of getting the job done to the American people."

According the rules agreed upon by the committee last month, the committee shall "provide audio and video coverage of each hearing or meeting for the transaction of business in a manner that allows the public to easily listen to and view the proceedings." 

Aides say that these "meetings" are actually not meetings at all, but "discussions," and don't fall under those rules.

It's understandable that members of the supercommittee are mum on details regarding their negotiations, as debating such contentious issues as entitlement cuts and revenue raises in public would make their job in the meeting room harder. But Congress does not usually lend itself to such a tight-lipped operation.

Often ideas are leaked to members and staffs to gauge interest within Congress, or if one side particularly disagrees with a stance the other side is taking. Both the House and Senate will have to vote on whatever the committee decides to put out, so building a plan that can muster votes on both sides is key. 

What's unclear is whether the supercommittee is anywhere close to the point where they even have a plan to share with their members or if they’re actually making any real “progress.”

DES MOINES, IA - The wife of Texas Governor Rick Perry defended her husband's immigration record during a stop here on Tuesday night meant to boost the presidential hopeful's campaign.

Anita Perry stumped for her husband in several stops yesterday in Iowa, where she characterized her husband as the best-suited candidate to match up against President Obama next fall, and promised improved performances in the next GOP debate.

“Some have attacked Rick on this issue of immigration, so I want you to be armed with the facts,” Mrs. Perry said, speaking to dozens of attendees at a Polk County GOP central committee meeting in Clive.

“No one has done more to secure the border. And as president, he is committed to stopping the tide of illegal immigration,” she continued after noting that husband vetoed a bill to give illegal immigrants driver licenses, fought illegal sanctuaries, and billed the government for incarcerating illegal aliens. Mrs. Perry also said in-state tuition is only offered to residents who have gone to school in Texas for three years and have earned a high-school degree.

The first lady of Texas was asked after the event to clarify her comments on the latest debate saying that her husband is not “polished” like some 2012 candidates.

“Gov. Romney has been running for president for four or five years, and that was my husband’s third debate,” she told reporters. “I think [Perry] would tell you that the other night was not his best performance. But he is only going to get better, and I think part of the attacks had something to do with it. I think when you have seven arrows being shot at you -- and you are the one person in the middle -- a 30-second rebuttal doesn’t give you much time.”

Mrs. Perry also spoke at the opening of the campaign’s Iowa headquarters in West Des Moines earlier in the evening, where she citing her husband’s determination.

“He’s the most determined candidate that I know. And when the chips get down, he’s at his best because he’s a fighter. And that’s why we’re in this race,” she said during a brief speech to a handful of supporters at the opening. "When Rick sees so many people struggling, it breaks his heart -- but steels his resolve.”

Mrs. Perry is confident in the performance Gov. Perry will have in the next debate on Oct. 11. "He's going to be better prepared this time," she assured those in Iowa. "I think he is only one who can go toe to toe with Obama."

This post was updated at 1:08 p.m. to include new quotes.

In First Thoughts this morning, we previewed next week's gubernatorial contest in West Virginia, noting that incumbent Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin (D) is borrowing from Sen. Joe Manchin's successful playbook from last year.

And guess what: Manchin appears in one of Tomblin's final TV ads, praising the man who succeeded him as West Virginia governor. "Earl Ray is the right man to keep West Virgina on the right course for a better future," Manchin says in the advertisement.

Christie keeps the door open to a presidential bid… “I’m listening to every word of it and feeling it, too”… All signs still point to “no” -- but he has a few weeks to change his mind… And that timetable could freeze the current GOP field… While Christie keeps the door open, did Palin appear to close the door?… Bachmann speaks at Liberty University; Romney holds town hall in NH… Obama’s struggles in the Rust Belt continue… And previewing the WV GOV race, which takes place less than a week from today.

*** Christie keeps the door open: If you thought that New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie would use his address at the Reagan Presidential Library to close the door on a possible presidential bid, think again. Last night, he delivered a speech that rebuked Barack Obama’s presidency (just a few weeks after Christie stood by the president to inspect the flooding in New Jersey). “We watch a president who once talked about the courage of his convictions, but still has yet to find the courage to lead,” he said. But he didn’t exactly praise the congressional Republican leadership, either. “We watch a Congress at war with itself because they are unwilling to leave campaign-style politics at the Capitol’s door.” Then, in a Q&A after the speech, the guy who’s earned his reputation as a straight-shooter got cute in answering a question about whether he’s reconsidering a presidential bid. “Everyone go to Politico.com. It’s right on the front page. I’m not gonna bore you with it now. Click on it. Those are the answers.”

*** “I’m listening to every word of it and feeling it, too”: But then came a more passionate question from the audience. “We need you; our country needs you,” a questioner said. And here was Christie’s response: “I hear exactly what you’re saying, and I feel the passion with which you say it, and it touches me.” He went on to say, “[T]hat heartfelt message you gave me is also not a reason for me to do it. That reason has to reside within me, and so that’s what I’ve said all along.” But here was his conclusion: “My answer to you is just this: I thank you for what you’re saying, and I take it in and I’m listening to every word of it and feeling it, too.”

*** All signs still point to “no,” but he has a few weeks to change his mind: A Republican close to Christie told First Read that you could interpret those last words as him reconsidering. Yet time is running short; the folks around Christie are very aware that he only has a few weeks to change his mind and make a White House run -- with filing dates coming next month. Look, all signs still point to a “no” for Christie (successful presidential runs usually take months, if not years, of preparation). But you get the sense that Christie feels it would be insulting to the Republicans asking him to run to not take a little more time to make up his mind. He technically has a few more weeks because he has to either get on the plane or leave it running on the tarmac. But Christie playing Hamlet also cuts against the brand he’s tried to cultivate as governor: If he’s a straight-talking politician, where was the straight talk on a White House bid last night?

*** Freezing the field: The news that Christie is reconsidering and has a few weeks to decide on a White House run couldn’t have come at a worse time for current GOP front-runners Rick Perry and Mitt Romney. It freezes the field, and might make it a little more difficult to raise money in these final days of the 3^rd fundraising quarter. (If you’re a GOP donor who finds Christie appealing, and you think there’s the chance he might get in, you’re not cutting a check to either Perry or Romney.)

*** Palin begins to close the door? If Christie was reconsidering last night, then Sarah Palin was appearing to close the door a bit. Here’s what she said on FOX last night: “Through my process of decision-making with my family and my close friends as to whether I should throw my name in the hat for the GOP nomination for 2012 -- is a title worth it? Does a title shackle a person?” she asked. “Does that prohibit me from being out there and out of a box, not allowing handlers to shape me and to force my message to be what’s going on, or what contributors or political pundits want it to be?” As we’ve said before, if Palin decides not run, she has to find a reason not to. And what she said last night could very well be the reason she goes with: The White House or a campaign would “shackle” her.

*** On the 2012 trail: Bachmann speaks at Liberty University in Lynchburg, VA at 10:00 am ET, and then stumps in South Carolina in the evening… Romney, in New Hampshire, holds a town hall at St. Anselm College at 11:45 am ET.

AP

President Barack Obama talks about passing the American Jobs Act in Denver, CO, Tuesday, Sept. 27, 2011.

*** Obama’s struggles in the Rust Belt continue: A new Quinnipiac poll in Pennsylvania has more rough numbers for President Obama: Just 43% approve of his job, while 51% say he doesn’t deserve a second term – virtually identical to his numbers from last month. However, in head-to-head match-ups, he leads Romney (45%-43%) and Perry (46%-40%). But an incumbent always wants to see his head-to-head numbers in the 50s rather than in the mid-40s. And a new Quinnipiac poll in Ohio finds similar numbers for Obama in the Buckeye State: Just 42% approve of his job, and 51% say he doesn’t deserve re-election. In head-to-heads in Ohio, Obama leads Perry (44%-41%) and Romney (44%-42%).

*** West Virginia, Mountain Mama: Given that the three gubernatorial contests taking place in November (in Kentucky, Louisiana, and Mississippi) are expected to be blowouts, the best GOV race of the cycle is the one in West Virginia, which occurs on Oct. 4 -- less than a week from today. The contest pits incumbent Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin (D), who is filling the final year of Manchin’s term, against businessman Bill Maloney (R). The Cook Political Report’s Jennifer Duffy sums up the emerging CW on the race: Tomblin (following Manchin’s Senate playbook from last year) is the favorite, but an upset wouldn’t be surprising (especially given the anti-incumbent mood in the country). “I’d rather be Tomblin,” Duffy tells First Read. But the race is one to watch.

*** Wednesday’s “Daily Rundown” line-up: Perry Campaign Communications Director Ray Sullivan and Romney Campaign senior adviser Eric Fehrnstrom (together!) on the state of the race and what Gov. Christie is saying (and not saying)… Cook Political Report’s Jennifer Duffy and Rothenberg Political Report’s Nathan Gonzales on what Tuesday’s special election for West Virginia governor tells us about the mood of voters and 2012… And more 2012 news with the Chicago Tribune’s Clarence Page, AP’s Liz Sidoti and National Journal’s Beth Reinhard.

*** Wednesday’s “Andrea Mitchell Reports” line-up: NBC’s Andrea Mitchell interviews Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel as part of the network’s “Education Nation” series. The show also will take President Obama’s “back to school” speech live at 1:30 pm ET. And Mitchell will interview the teacher of the year.

Countdown to WV GOV contest: 6 days
Countdown to Election Day 2011: 41 days
Countdown to the Iowa caucuses: 131 days
* Note: When the IA caucuses take place depends on whether other states move up, and it’s likely that the contest takes place earlier.

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The New York Times on Obama pushing for his jobs bill in Denver, CO yesterday, “Mr. Obama said the $25 billion in the legislation for repairing and renovating schools would allow Abraham Lincoln High School, a well-kept but aging institution, to update science laboratories of a 1960s vintage”

"One of the biggest drags on the economy continues to be public-sector employees who are laid off -- and there are more coming in New York: “Gov. Cuomo began the process to lay off 3,500 workers Tuesday night after the state's second-largest employee union rejected a tentative contract that would have avoided job cuts,” the New York Daily News reports.

Former New York Mayor Ed Koch is now suddenly “on board the Obama bus for reelection,” after hearing his speech at the U.N., calling his support of Israel “superb,” the New York Daily News reports. “I am very appreciative of the President providing Israel with more military intelligence and military technology than was provided by his predecessor, President [George W.] Bush. Whatever difficulties were there before, they may have been a result of a misunderstanding on my part.” OK, then…

“Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) has made it clear that he will not schedule a vote on President Obama’s jobs package until after the upper chamber moves a China currency bill that the administration does not support,” The Hill writes. “Reid is wielding a significant amount of leverage with the White House on the China legislation, which is unlikely to be signed into law in the 112th Congress. Yet passing the bill through the Senate — which is expected to happen next month — would help Democratic incumbents on the campaign trail, where China-bashing usually resonates.”

“A senator who opposes federal regulation on philosophical grounds is single-handedly blocking legislation that would strengthen safety rules for oil and gas pipelines, a bill that even the pipeline industry and companies in his own state support,” AP writes. “Republican Senator Rand Paul’s opposition to the bill has not wavered even after a gas pipeline rupture last week shook people awake in three counties in his home state of Kentucky.”

“GOP control of the House has shown that governing is more difficult than writing a book. And the public’s growing anger at Congress raises questions about what the political effect of the Young Guns will be,” Roll Call writes.

“Reps. Henry Waxman (Calif.), senior Democrat on the Energy and Commerce Committee, and Diana DeGette (D-Colo.), the ranking member of the panel's Oversight subcommittee, claim Republicans have ‘singled out’ the Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) ‘as part of a Republican vendetta against an organization that provides family planning and other medical care to low-income women and men,’” The Hill writes.