Conclusion from focus group of 12 Republicans and GOP-leaning independents: Romney still has some work to do with these folks… The good news for him: It’s not an impossible lift… The fight for the Latino vote continues… The “silly season” continues, too… But we have to ask: Why does Romney continue to hang out with Donald Trump?... Veepstakes watch: Bob McDonnell will begin airing ads to boost his image… And Jesse Kelly wins GOP primary for the Giffords seat.

Jae C. Hong / AP

Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney meets with a group of Pittsburgh area residents in Bethel Park, Pa., Tuesday, April 17, 2012.

TAMPA, FL -- One week after Mitt Romney became the presumptive GOP presidential nominee, have Republicans and conservatives begun to rally around him? A brand-new New York Times/CBS poll says yes. But a focus group of 12 Republicans and GOP-leaning independents that Democratic pollster Peter Hart conducted last night here in the city that will host the Republican convention in August painted a more complex picture. While an overwhelming majority of these participants said they would vote for Romney in November and while they touted his business background, it was clear many of them had reservations about the former Massachusetts governor -- whether it was his past flip-flops, his ability to beat Obama, or their belief they didn’t know more about him.  After the focus group ended, Hart made this observation about Romney to a handful of reporters covering the event: “He has a lot of work to do. But it isn’t an impossible lift.”

*** The 12 participants: First, a little background on the participants of this focus group that was sponsored by the University of Pennsylvania’s Annenberg Public Policy Center: These 12 people -- a mixture of diehard conservatives and at least one moderate who said he no longer felt comfortable in today’s GOP -- all had either voted for McCain in ’08, Marco Rubio in ’10, or Rick Scott in ’10. As it turns out, four said they actually voted for Obama four years ago. Now? Seven said they are “definitely” voting for Romney; two are “probably” voting for Romney; two are voting for Obama; and one said he’s undecided. Interestingly, the group was split (6-6) on who they thought would win in November -- either Romney or Obama. Hart summed up the purpose behind the assembled focus group: “This is the group you have to have if you’re going to win” the White House as a Republican.

*** “Stick to something”: Yet what was striking were the reservations these folks, even the most conservative ones, had about Romney. Their biggest concerns were that he’s changed his positions and that he hasn’t been consistent on the issues. Asked to give advice to Romney, Julie -- a 56-year-old paralegal from Tampa -- responded:  “Make a stand whether people like it or not.” Carin, an unemployed 53-year-old Tampa resident, added: “Not change positions but be consistent.” And Debra, a 55-year-old from Plant City who said she voted for Obama in ’08 (but is no longer really considering that), said: “Stick to something.” But the reservations went beyond issue flip-flops. They also focused on whether Romney was tough enough. Ron, a 66-year-old retiree living in Largo who is undecided, described Romney as the “lesser of two evils.” But he went on to say: “I am not sure Romney has what it takes to win.”

*** “I want to believe he would be good”: Theresa, a 30-year-old tech vendor in St. Petersburg who said she supported Santorum during the primary season, gave this response if Romney would have ordered the strike against bin Laden: “I want to believe he would be good.” Then there was the concern that they don’t know ENOUGH about Romney. Jonathan, a 27-year-old deputy police officer, said this in a discussion about whether Romney is a regular guy: “I only know Mitt Romney as the businessman… George [W.] Bush felt like a regular guy.” He added, “You know Obama likes basketball.” And there was the critique that Romney is too stiff. “I would like for him to loosen up,” said Bruno, a 57-year-old music teacher living in Plant City. Hart concluded that these undeveloped views of Romney aren’t surprising when you consider that he won the GOP primary season by disqualifying Rick Perry, Newt Gingrich, and Rick Santorum and who is trying to win in November by disqualifying the incumbent president. And guess what? Romney at 3:40 pm ET is giving a speech countering Obama in the city hosting the Democratic convention, Charlotte. In fact, the campaign is billing the remarks as a “prebuttal to Barack Obama's DNC speech.”

*** The good news for Romney: So that was the bad news for Romney from this focus group. The good news: These folks WANT to know more about him. Hart asked an interesting question -- if the 12 would rather have a dinner conservation with Romney or his wife Ann. Interestingly, all but one picked the former Massachusetts governor over his wife. Why? To get to know him better. Julie said she wants to see “what his true personality is… I am hoping he is cool.” In other good news for Romney, most of the participants often referred positively to his business experience, even on matters like deficit-reduction negotiations and dealing with China. And almost all of them had no doubts that he would seek to repeal the federal health-care law. Score this for Team Romney -- the businessman and health-care messaging definitely got through to these voters. 

*** The fight for the Latino vote continues: At 10:30 am ET, the Obama campaign is hosting a conference call -- to be joined by Sen. Bob Menendez and San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro -- announcing the launch of “Latinos for Obama.” The Obama campaign also says it will begin airing TV and radio ads in Colorado, Florida, and Nevada featuring Obama organizers who talk about how the president has “empowered” Latino communities. Meanwhile, the AP is reporting that Sen. Marco Rubio is putting together legislation that would be a conservative alternative to the DREAM Act. Unlike that legislation, which was filibustered in 2010, the Rubio legislation would allow young illegal immigrants who are attending college or serving in the military to remain in the U.S. – but it wouldn’t give them a path to citizenship.

*** What also continues? The silly season: Last week, we wrote that this presidential campaign had entered the “silly season,” with all the focus on that Hilary Rosen controversy. Well, the silly season is continuing – this time with Democrats trying to make Romney own what conservative rocker Ted Nugent said about the president. This campaign has taken on the negative stereotype of Twitter -- snarky, obnoxious, and biting. But we do have to ask: What did Romney expect when he courted the incendiary Nugent? And speaking of people who have been in the middle of manufactured controversies… Why is Romney continuing to hang out with Donald Trump? If Trump says something controversial -- and trust us, he will; he can’t help himself -- Romney will deserve more ownership of those comments than Team Obama did for what Hilary Rosen said. By the way, we’re not even going to discuss this dog-meat business. We don’t blame folks if they are wondering if it might be better to go into a political coma for the next 90 days and pick back up when the conventions begin.

*** On the GOP trail, per NBC’s Adam Perez: Romney stumps in North Carolina, attending three events in Charlotte...Gingrich makes two stops in Millersville, PA and later visits Georgetown, DE and Wilmington, DC…Meanwhile; Paul attends an event in Kingstown, RI.

*** Veepstakes watch: How bad does Bob McDonnell want to be Romney’s VP? The Washington Post: “Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell, a Republican who is term-limited but a likely vice presidential contender, plans to air “positive” TV ads in the coming weeks as he looks to bolster his approval ratings and remind viewers of Virginia’s successes following a spate of bad publicity.” Folks, McDonnell can’t run for re-election in Virginia. This seems to be all about rehabilitating his image for veepstakes. McDonnell will be on “The Daily Rundown” this morning to discuss this new push.

*** Kelly wins GOP primary: Finally, in the GOP primary for Gabby Giffords’ vacated congressional seat, Jesse Kelly -- Giffords’ opponent in 2010 -- won last night’s contest, and he’ll face former Giffords aide Ron Barber in June, the Arizona Republic reports.

Countdown to the CT, DE, NY, PA, and RI primaries: 6 days

Countdown to Election Day: 202 days

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Romney’s immigration challenge… What Beth Myers heading up Romney’s VP search means…. Three very different polls in the Obama-Romney race… Romney to Obama: “Start packing”… Buffett Rule, as expected, goes down to defeat… Obama to make statement about market manipulation of oil prices at 11:10 am ET… Lugar mailer hits Mourdock… And GOP primary for Giffords’ seat in AZ takes place today.

Tim Shaffer / Reuters

Republican presidential candidate and former Governor of Massachusetts Mitt Romney speaks during the Independence Hall Tea Party Association's Tax Day Tea Summit at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania April 16, 2012.

*** Romney’s immigration challenge: Lost in the other statements Romney made at that Sunday fundraiser in Florida was his admission that he needs to move to the center to win over Latinos. "We have to get Hispanic voters to vote for our party," Romney said, observing that polls show Latinos breaking in huge percentages for President Obama "spells doom for us." Romney even said the GOP should offer something like a “Republican DREAM Act” to help woo Latinos. But there’s a challenge here for Romney, and it’s the same one Meg Whitman faced in 2010: How do you move back to center on immigration after running so hard to the right during the primary? Indeed, unlike other issues where he simply adopted conservative/Tea Party rhetoric (on health care, taxes, the deficit), Romney often used immigration as a weapon, particularly against Rick Perry. In addition, Romney said he would veto the DREAM Act, called Arizona’s immigration law “a model”, and proudly accepted the endorsement of the man considered the architect of that Arizona law, Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach.

*** Is fixing his female problem easier than his Latino problem? Romney has the potential to fix his problem with female voters; after all, it’s not really his problem but rather the GOP’s. And he does have a story to tell here (wife Ann, the women he appointed in Massachusetts). But when it comes to immigration, this is an issue where he’s been consistent over the past five years as a way to prove his conservative bona fides (first against McCain, then against Perry and Gingrich). These are his words, not just the party's rhetoric being attached to him, and it’s going to be hard to take the back. Again, we’ll remind you that Obama’s Latino path (CO, NM, NV, and VA) is a not-so-hard way for him to get to 270 electoral votes -- without having to win Ohio or Florida (which also has LOTS of Latinos). 

*** What tapping Beth Myers means: That, of course, brings us to veepstakes. Is Romney able to patch up his Latino problem with, say, Marco Rubio as his running mate? Yesterday,  learned that the former Massachusetts governor tapped his longtime aide and ’08 campaign manager, Beth Myers, to lead his VP search. (Interestingly, Myers gave an interview yesterday to conservative blogger Jennifer Rubin. Does this mean Team Romney is going to be more public about this vetting process than past presumptive nominees have been?) Myers means that Romney will probably pick someone he’s VERY comfortable with. Beth Myers isn’t going to get you Sarah Palin; she’s going to get you someone you’ve campaigned with/interacted with quite a bit. And a Beth Myers is a Romney legacy protector -- she's probably not going to get Romney someone who will over-shadow him either (Chris Christie, we mean you). Having Myers lead this search will only reinforce the C.W. that Romney is going to zero in on folks like Portman, Ryan or even a Kelly Ayotte and not be looking for, shall we say, a game-changer.

*** Three very different polls: Boy, the polls were all over the place yesterday in this general election contest that’s barely a week old. First, the Gallup Daily Tracking poll had Romney with a two-point edge over Obama among registered voters, 47%-45%. Then CNN released its own survey showing Obama with a nine-point lead, 52%-43% fueled by his support by female voters. And then Reuters/Ipsos had Obama with a narrow four-point advantage, 47%-43%, after leading him by double digits last month. A little advice when presented with diverging polling data: Shake the Magic 8 ball again. Or better yet, wait for the next reliable national poll. Which brings us to... the latest NBC/WSJ poll will be coming out on Thursday. 

*** Romney to Obama: Start packing: In his interview with ABC yesterday, Mitt Romney was asked what he would say to Obama. Romney’s answer: “Well, start packing. That's what I'd like to-- like to say.” (You think the former one-term governor wishes he worded that a bit differently? seemed to border on OVER-confidence, no?) Also in the interview, Romney side-stepped questions about releasing his tax returns prior to 2010. “The president is going to try and do everything possible to divert from the attention being focused upon his record as president and the failure of his economic policies... We've released all the information required by law and then some.” He also ducked a question about his wealth (the two Cadillacs, the La Jolla house, the car elevator). “I think people want to have a president who knows how to lead, who knows how to create jobs, who can get our economy creating the jobs it should so we can see rising incomes again.” And Ann Romney was asked about Seamus the dog, who she said “loved” traveling on the top of the car. “He would see that crate and, you know, he would, like, go crazy because he was going with us on vacation. It was to me a kinder thing to bring him along than to leave him in the kennel for … two weeks.”

*** Buffett Rule goes down to defeat: Yesterday, as expected, the Buffett Rule was unable to clear the Senate. By a mostly party-line vote, 51 senators (all of them Democrats) voted to invoke cloture and have the measure proceed, while 45 senators (all Republicans and one Democrat, Arkansas’ Mark Pryor) voted against. Four didn’t vote -- Akaka (D-HI), Hatch (R-UT), Kirk (R-IL), and Lieberman (ID-CT). Lieberman released a statement saying he would have voted against had he been present. “I am not opposed to the Buffet Rule because I am opposed to raising income taxes on the wealthiest Americans. I am opposed to the Buffet Rule because it would double to 30 percent the capital gains tax on one group of investors and therefore reduce exactly the kind of capital investments we need to get our economy growing again and create jobs.”

*** Obama to tackle market manipulation of oil prices: The AP: “Under pressure to take action on rising gasoline prices, President Barack Obama wants Congress to strengthen federal supervision of oil markets, increase penalties for market manipulation and empower regulators to increase the amount of money energy traders are required to put behind their transactions.” The president will make a statement about this at 11:10 am ET from the White House.

*** Reminder: Santorum still hasn’t endorsed Romney: Rick Santorum still hasn’t endorsed Romney, the LA Times notes. He “pointedly declined Monday night to endorse presumptive Republican nominee Mitt Romney, instead pointing out that he has not backed a candidate in the race and urging his supporters to vote their conscience. ‘As far as how you vote, that’s up to you,’ Santorum told thousands of supporters during a conference call. ‘I haven’t supported any candidate at this point, so that’s really up to you.’” NBC’s Andrew Rafferty also reported on that conference call, writing that Santorum explained his decision to drop out had less to do with money and more with the inability of 1) Gingrich to exit the race and 2) of Texas to change its rules to be a winner-take-all contest. "I know there's been a lot of articles written that somehow we dropped out because we ran out of money. That just is a little, very, very small piece of the story," Santorum said. "The bottom line is we wanted to take this race as far as we could to the point where we felt that we could be successful."

*** On the GOP trail: Both Romney and Gingrich, in Pennsylvania, speak at a Lancaster County GOP… Gingrich also stumps in Harrisburg…. And Romney tapes an interview with CNBC’s Larry Kudlow.

*** ‘Take a closer look’: Longtime Sen. Richard Lugar, in the fight for his political life, is taking on challenger state Treasurer Richard Mourdock in a new mailer going out today. The mailer, strewn with $100 bills, focuses on the federal budget, goes after President Obama – someone he worked closely with in the Senate – for the federal debt, and urges Indiana Republicans to “take a closer look” at Mourdock’s budget proposal. That phrase -- “take a closer look” -- appears twice, once with a magnifying glass near an ashen-looking Mourdock. The mailer quotes the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, which said, “Mourdock’s budget fails honesty test.” Lugar operative Andy Fisher said, “The mailer contrasts Senator Lugar's thoughtful approach to cutting federal spending - like supporting both the Ryan budget and 'Cut, Cap and Balance' - versus Richard Mourdock's irresponsible plan to cut Social Security benefits for current beneficiaries and put our national security at risk.”

*** GOP primary for Giffords’ seat: Lastly, today is the GOP primary in the contest to fill Gabby Giffords’ seat in Congress. The AP: “Voters in southern Arizona's 8th Congressional District are heading to the polls to choose who will face former Gabrielle Giffords aide Ron Barber in a special election to replace the wounded ex-congresswoman. Four Republican candidates are battling in Tuesday's special primary election called after the Democrat resigned in January to focus on recovering from a gunshot wound. The four include 2010 Giffords opponent Jesse Kelly , a businessman and tea party favorite; state Sen. Frank Antenori ; retired U.S. Air Force pilot and political newcomer Martha McSally ' and businessman and broadcaster Dave Sitton.” The general takes place on June 12. 

Countdown to the CT, DE, NY, PA, and RI primaries: 7 days
Countdown to Election Day: 203 days

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FRANKSVILLE, Wis. -- What started as a good day for Rick Santorum took an abrupt turn on Sunday after the GOP presidential candidate grew frustrated with reporters asking him to clarify his remark that Mitt Romney is the worst Republican in the country to take on President Obama.

During his final campaign stop of the day here, Santorum said of Romney, “Pick any other Republican in the country, he is the worst Republican in the country to put up against Barack Obama." The comments, Santorum would clarify, were in reference to the similarities between Romney's and the president on the issue of health care. It is a common critique he levels against his chief rival, but never has the former Pennsylvania senator called Romney the "worst Republican in the country" to go head-to-head with the president.

When pressed by reporters to clarify his statement, Santorum said, “On the issue of health care. That’s what I was talking about, and I was very clear about talking about that. OK? Come on guys, don’t do this. I mean you guys are incredible. I was talking about Obamacare, and he is the worst because he was the author of Romneycare.”

But the questions struck a chord with Santorum, and when he faced the same question again, he used a profane word and accused the media of "distorting" his speech.

However a press release sent out from the Santorum campaign shortly after the rally here seemed to double down on the candidate's comments. "Rick Santorum spoke plainly and clearly that of all the Republicans in the field, Mitt Romney is the worst possible candidate to take on Barack Obama, because Mitt Romney authored the blueprint for Obamacare and the issue of healthcare would be off the table," the release said.

Santorum has done a lot of clarifying lately, with recent comments suggesting Obama would be a better choice than Romney in a general election and saying the unemployment rate will not affect his campaign. In both cases, he accused the media and his opponents of taking his words out of context. But in both cases, the Romney campaign used his own words against him.

Sunday's remarks were no exception, with Romney spokesperson Ryan Williams telling reporters, “Rick Santorum is becoming more desperate and angry and unhinged every day...He’s panicking in the final stages of his campaign.”

Before his last event, Santorum had been all smiles on the trail the day after receiving nearly double the amount of support Romney did in the Louisiana primary.  Along with two rallies today, the GOP hopeful also fit in brunch at the Machine Shed and, for the second time in as many days, a few frames of bowling. In an earlier rally in Fond du Lac, WI, Santorum drew an overflow crowd.

But by Sunday's end, Romney advisers were using the hash tag "Tantorum" to draw attention to past instances of the former senator losing his cool. The response blasted out by the Santorum campaign no mention of his use of a not so family friendly word.

Santorum heads to Washington, DC where he will spend Monday before returning to the Badger State later in the week.

Video produced and edited by NBC's Natalie Cucchiara.

Another positive jobs report… A Tale of Two Santorums… Did Romney really win the Iowa caucuses? Or did Santorum?... Boston Globe backs Huntsman over Romney… The Tax Policy Center weighs in on Romney’s tax plan: big cuts for the wealthy, small cuts for middle class… Upcoming today and this weekend: new NBC-Marist poll on NH and Gop debate moderated by NBC's David Gregory… And Paul returns to the campaign trail.

Send in your questions for Sunday's NBC News-Facebook debate on Meet the Press

*** Another positive jobs report: When it comes to the 2012 presidential race, there’s a story this morning that’s more important than the latest back-and-forth on the campaign trail, more important than who actually won Iowa (and there’s now some question if Romney really won), and more important than whom the Boston Globe endorsed. That story? The December job figures. And here they are, and they’re good news for President Obama: Employers added 200,000 jobs last month, and the unemployment rate declined once again, this time to 8.5%. The AP: “A burst of hiring in December pushed the unemployment rate to its lowest level in nearly three years, giving the economy a boost at the end of 2011. The Labor Department says employers added a net 200,000 jobs last month and the unemployment rate fell to 8.5 percent, the lowest since February 2009. The rate has dropped for four straight months. The hiring gains cap a six-month stretch in which the economy generated 100,000 jobs or more in each month. That hasn't happened since April 2006.”

*** A Tale of Two Santorums: While he was campaigning yesterday in New Hampshire, we captured a glimpse of both the Santorum who can catch fire and move on in this GOP primary fight, and the Santorum who can get marginalized and thrown off message. The catching fire part: When, earlier in the morning, he talked about his family, faith, and hard work. “The question is how did I get to where I am standing here before you, what  motivates to be here where I am and is there one event or a series of events, I would argue that it was a series of different events,” he said, per NBC’s Matt Loffman. It was very personal, like his speech after the Iowa caucuses were. It was the type of personal narrative that Romney just doesn't have: grandson of immigrants, a coal-miner grandfather, memories of strict Catholic school nuns, etc. The thrown off message part: When, later in the day, he debated college students over gay marriage, comparing it to polygamy. It was Santorum the snark with the college kids; the guy who could easily lose his cool.

*** Did Romney really win the Iowa caucuses? NBC’s Jamie Novogrod and Alex Moe report that the chairman of the Iowa Republican Party, Matt Strawn, issued a statement last night responding to a story from the Des Moines CBS affiliate story noting that there was a 20-vote discrepancy in rural Appanoose county, which is located along the Missouri line. Citing an interview with the vote counter, who asserts that 20 votes were mistakenly recorded for Romney, the story raises the question of whether the results of Tuesday's caucus might have been different -- and whether Santorum should have won. Said Strawn: "Iowa GOP rules provide for a two-week certification process for each of the 1,774 precincts. The Iowa GOP will announce the final, certified results of the 2012 Iowa caucuses following this process… Iowa GOP officials have been in contact with Appanoose County Republican officials tonight and do not have any reason to believe the final, certified results of Appanoose County will change the outcome of Tuesday's vote." But what if Santorum really won?

*** Boston Globe backs Huntsman over Romney: Last night, Jon Huntsman got a boost when he picked up an endorsement from the Boston Globe, which passed over hometown reader Mitt Romney. And the endorsement was as much an indictment of Romney as it was an endorsement of Huntsman. “[W]hile Romney proceeds cautiously, strategically, trying to appease enough constituencies to get himself the nomination, Huntsman has been bold. Rather than merely sketch out policies, he articulates goals and ideals.” It’s worth noting that the Globe endorsed John McCain over Romney in the ’08 race, and that Boston’s other newspaper -- the Herald -- supports Romney in this contest. Yet we do have to ask: How influential is the liberal-leaning Boston Globe editorial page with nearby New Hampshire GOP primary voters?

*** Tax Policy Center on Romney’s plan: Big cuts for the wealthy, small ones for middle class: Romney got some more bad news yesterday when the non-partisan Tax Policy Center weighed in on his economic/tax plan. The verdict, according to the Wall Street Journal: “The analysis … concluded that Mr. Romney’s plan would reduce taxes significantly for high-income earners (by 6.9% or $146,000 for households making more than $1 million), and increase federal deficits by $180 billion in 2015 compared to current tax levels.” More: “The TPC analysis also concluded Mr. Romney’s plan would raise taxes slightly for low-income families, largely because the former Massachusetts governor would allow some Obama-era tax breaks to expire.” The AP puts it this way: “Households making between $50,000 and $75,000 would get small tax cuts, averaging 2.2 percent, or about $250, the study said. People making more than $1 million would get tax cuts averaging 15 percent, or about $146,000.” According to the Tax Policy Center’s table, everyone who makes less than $40,000 a year would see a tax increase. The more you make, the better you do.

*** Paul returns to the campaign trail: By the way, it’s worth noting that Ron Paul – after his absence on Wednesday and Thursday -- returns to the campaign trail today, holding events in Nashua, NH and Durham, NH. Just as we asked when Paul left the Iowa campaign trail last weekend, we wonder: If he doesn’t finish in second place on Tuesday, will his absence be a reason why?

*** Things to watch today and this weekend: Tonight, we will have a new NBC-Marist poll on the state of the New Hampshire race… And this weekend, we’ll see two GOP debates, including one on Sunday moderated by NBC’s David Gregory.

*** On the trail: Elsewhere in New Hampshire today, Santorum stumps in Keene, Jaffrey, Dublin, Manchester, and Nashua… Huntsman hits Concord, Randolph, and Bretton Woods… And Gingrich campaigns in Levanon and Salem… And Romney this morning remains in South Carolina, where he campaigns in Conway with Sen. John McCain and Gov. Nikki Haley, and then he and Haley head to Tilton, NH.

Countdown to New Hampshire primary: 4 days
Countdown to South Carolina primary: 15 days
Countdown to Florida primary: 25 days
Countdown to Nevada caucuses: 29 days
Countdown to Super Tuesday: 60 daysCountdown to Election Day: 305 days

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LITTLETON, N.H.-- New Hampshirites living south of the White Mountains would have been hard pressed not to cross paths with Mitt Romney Wednesday, in some form or fashion.
 
There he was, up bright and early, at the Stage Restaurant in Keene. Romney was already on his second major television interview of the day by 9:00 a.m., while patrons sipped coffee and tried not to spill it and gaggles of press packed the tiny diner.
 
"If we knew at the time of our entry into Iraq that there were no weapons of mass destruction, if somehow we had been given that information, why, obviously we would not have gone in," Romney told NBC's Chuck Todd on MSNBC's "Daily Rundown" this morning, generating just one of many headlines to come.
 
Four interviews and fewer than four hours later it was lunch time, and the former governor and his wife were passing out slices of pizza and cracking jokes in Newport. Romney ordered his pizza Hawaiian style, but with olives, and left a tip at the counter.
 
"Hope we find it," Romney said of his pie, keenly aware of the crush of reporters and patrons who would forever block his path back to the counter.
 
Whether he ever ate the pizza may remain a mystery. Romney next showed up carrying sandwiches - dozens of them - for the press trailing him on this four-day, blitzkrieg tour of the state considered a must-win for his presidential ambitions.
 
Passing out subs with abandon, Romney kidded about the reluctance of some reporters to accept a simple sandwich.
 
"What are guys eating back there? Filet mignon with some brie, is that it back here? What's going on?" The former Massachusetts governor said, before mocking another famously patrician politician from his home state. "This is the John Kerry bus, back there, I'm sorry."
 
From there it was on to cutting steel with lasers like a movie villain in Hanover (complete with stylish eye protection), and serving Spaghetti to dozens of supporters at a VFW in Ashland to round out the day.
 
Get all that?
 
Somehow, between the food, the bus packed with surrogates and friends (New Hampshire's own Sen. Kelly Ayotte, former Gov. John Sununu and Former Sen. Judd Gregg tagged along for much of the day) and yes, the hand-shaking with voters, Romney's campaign remembered: this trip is business. The high-visibility, high-intensity schedule is meant to shore up support for Romney in a state most political observers believe he must hold, particularly if he falters in Iowa, or if his poll numbers in South Carolina and Florida continue to lag far from striking distance of the current front-runner, Newt Gingrich.
 
With a constant crush of cameras and national attention at every stop, Romney kept the news media busy, churning out story after story.
 
The multimillionaire Romney told NBC News he didn't intend to release his tax returns, even if he were to become his party's nominee.
 
"Never say never, but I don't intend to do so." Romney told NBC, bouncing along in his tricked-out bus.
 
Then there was the payroll tax cut fight, which Romney tried to stay largely above, managing to ding the President on an issue that has largely devolved into a battle between house and senate Republicans.
 
"Leaders are involved in the process, as opposed to standing back and just criticizing the people who are in the process. The Democrats have the majority in the Senate. This is not just a Republican matter, this is Republicans and Democrats," Romney said in Keene. "The president should've been working with his leaders in his own party and he should've been reaching across the aisle to find among Republicans those who he thinks could come to common position with the Democrats."
 
Romney also stoked the flames in his burgeoning battle with Newt Gingrich, warning the former speaker that the stinging ads aired in early states by a Super PAC supporting Romney was just the beginning of the negative onslaught to come.
 
"If you can't stand the relatively modest heat right now, wait until Obama's hell's kitchen shows up," Romney said. "Obama is putting together a billion dollars, he's going to be attacking us day and night -- he's already attacking me."
 
That brought a retort from Newt Gingrich, also campaigning in the state, later in the day.
 
"I'll tell you what. If he wants to test the heat, I'll meet him anywhere in Iowa next week, one-on-one, 90 minutes no moderator, just a timekeeper." Gingrich told NBC News. "He wants to try out the kitchen? I'll be happy to debate him anywhere. We'll bring his ads, and he can defend [them]."
 
But Romney was already past the kitchen by then - making his only non food-related stop of the day at Hypertherm, a steel cutting business in Hanover, where he praised the ingenuity and skill of the workers there, and defended his record at Bain Capital, when a voter questioned him about layoffs.
 
"The truth is this, the business I was in, called Bain Capital, we invested in over 100 different businesses. Some of them didn't work. Some failed. Some ultimately laid off individuals and some of them went out of business," Romney said, before spinning the question around into a prelude of a possible future democratic attack against him. "I know the Obama administration will try and put free enterprise on trial. And guess what? That happens."
 
By the time Romney was serving meals a few hours later and fifty miles down the road at a VFW hall, the news had largely been drawn out of the day, like blood being taken. There was nothing left to give in Ashland, except spaghetti, well-wishes for the holidays, and stories from Olympic heroes past meant to warm the heart on a night so icy, some supporters called the campaign just to be sure the event wouldn't be cancelled.
 
If some New Hampshirites failed to see Romney today - either on TV, in person, on traveling the winding back roads of New Hampshire in his enormous blue and white bus, fear not. Tomorrow is another day, with seven more stops in the North Country, and at least one more network television interview.
 
By then, surely, every resident of the Granite State will have had their own run-in with Mitt Romney.
 
If not, he'll be back. Of that you can be certain.

KEENE, N.H. --  On the first stop of his statewide bus tour today, Mitt Romney delivered a blunt message to rival Newt Gingrich when it comes to his Super PAC's attack ads: You think this is bad? You ain't seen nothing yet.

"I know that the speaker would like to say that we shouldn't have any negativity," Romney told NBC's Chuck Todd in an interview on MSNBC's The Daily Rundown. "But, look, if you can't handle the heat in this little kitchen, the heat that's going to come from Obama's Hell's kitchen is going to be a heck of a lot hotter. We have to show that we, as a Republican Party, and as a candidate that we can stand up to the barrage that's going to come from the Obama world."

Restore our Future, a super PAC supporting Romney, has purchased more than $3 million of advertising hitting Gingrich.

“I have a simple challenge for Gov. Romney,” Gingrich said yesterday. “This PAC was created by his former staff and funded by his personal friends. If he wants to stop it, he can say [so] publicly. I am told they are going to spend $1.4 dollars next week. He can demand that every ad be positive. I don't object to being out spent, I object to lies. I object to negative smear campaigns and I object to things the candidate himself refuses to support.”

Romney said he agreed on telling the truth.

"The speaker thinks all negative attacks should end," Romney said, "but this is after all a campaign and campaigns do point out differences between candidates, draw out those distinctions. It's important that they be accurate, tell the truth. But I've been the subject of some pretty tough attacks that have come both from the speaker but also from President Obama's Super PAC."

The warning comes as Romney looks to lock down his support in New Hampshire by engaging in a statewide bus tour, flanked by top surrogates.

This morning, Romney was touted by the entire panel at the Stage Diner here before taking questions. Former Sen. Judd Gregg, Sen. Kelly Ayotte, and Congressman Charlie Bass all praised Romney's experience and electability. New endorsers Jennifer Horn (a conservative activist) and the Keene Mayor-elect also spoke.

Three reasons why the House GOP isn’t going to win the payroll tax-cut fight… Here’s another reason: WSJ editorial page tells House GOP to raise the white flag… What does the White House do next?… New Iowa poll shows Paul in the lead… Gingrich rails against the pro-Romney Super PAC… Team Romney, in NH, trying not to repeat what happened four years ago… Why Gingrich is in Virginia… And Paul responds to those newsletters.

*** Three reasons why the House GOP won’t win this fight: Ten days before the payroll tax-cut is set to expire, Washington is now locked in a political stalemate. House Republicans are demanding that the Senate come back from its holiday break to participate in a conference committee, while Democrats are arguing that the House GOP simply pass the already-approved Senate legislation to extend the tax cut for another two months before hammering out a longer-term agreement. But there are three reasons why the House GOP probably won’t win this fight, PR-wise, especially if the tax cut expires. Reason #1: House Republicans allowed the Senate to break for the Christmas holiday without explicit orders it would need to come back. In fact, Politico notes that the silence from Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is deafening. Reason #2: The Senate passed its legislation by a bipartisan 89-10 vote, raising the question whether a conference committee could produce a deal that could get 60-plus Senate votes. Reason #3: The House GOP didn’t allow an up-or-down vote on the Senate bill, suggesting that it could have passed if they did. Those three reasons will be hard for the House GOP to explain away if the tax cut expires after Dec. 31.

*** WSJ editorial page: Time to raise the white flag: And here’s a fourth reason: The conservative Wall Street Journal editorial page is already asking the House GOP to raise the white flag. “The GOP leaders have somehow managed the remarkable feat of being blamed for opposing a one-year extension of a tax holiday that they are surely going to pass. This is no easy double play. Republicans have also achieved the small miracle of letting Mr. Obama position himself as an election-year tax cutter.” The editorial page goes on to say, “At this stage, Republicans would do best to cut their losses and find a way to extend the payroll holiday quickly. Then go home and return in January with a united House-Senate strategy that forces Democrats to make specific policy choices that highlight the differences between the parties on spending, taxes and regulation.”

*** What does the White House do next? Despite the PR advantages the White House has -- including the Wall Street Journal’s editorial above -- there’s a legitimate question it faces: What does it do next? While it might gain politically if the tax cut expires, the White House DOES WANT it to pass. So does President Obama call for Congress to return after Christmas, say on Dec. 27? And does he continue to postpone his own Christmas vacation? Meanwhile, a White House official tells NBC’s Kristen Welker that the White House yesterday called on Americans to add their voice to the payroll tax-cut debate. The message: “If Congress fails to extend the payroll tax cut, the typical family making $50,000 a year will have about $40 less to spend or save with each paycheck. Over the year, that adds up to about $1,000.”

*** Paul leads per new Iowa poll: Turning to the GOP presidential race, we have the first non-robo poll out of Iowa we’ve seen in a couple weeks. The Iowa State?Gazette/KCRG poll (conducted over telephone from Dec. 8-18) shows Ron Paul in the lead at 28% (up from 20% a month ago, when Herman Cain led in that poll), Newt Gingrich at 25% (up from 5%), Mitt Romney at 18% (up from 16%), Rick Perry at 11% (up from 8%), Michele Bachmann at 7% (down from 8%), and Rick Santorum at 5% (unchanged). But a warning about this poll: Given that it was conducted over 10 days (from Dec. 8-18) that’s a LONG time period that might not reflect the ups and downs that may have occurred in the race over the past week or so, especially with the negative TV ads raining down on Gingrich.

*** Gingrich rails against pro-Romney Super PAC: Speaking of those negative TV ads -- particularly from the pro-Romney Super PAXC -- directed at Gingrich, the former House speaker yesterday railed against the Super PAC ads and against Romney. “I have a simple challenge for Gov. Romney,” Gingrich said. “This PAC was created by his former staff and funded by his personal friends. If he wants to stop it, he can say [so] publicly. I am told they are going to spend $1.4 dollars next week. He can demand that every ad be positive. I don't object to being out spent, I object to lies. I object to negative smear campaigns and I object to things the candidate himself refuses to support.” It was almost as if Gingrich -- while in Iowa -- saw all the TV ads that are blasting him.

*** Ad spending to date: By the way, here’s the latest tally of all the ad spending in Iowa and New Hampshire to date: For Iowa: Perry $4.4 million, Restore Our Future (pro-Romney Super PAC) $2.8 million, Paul $1.75 million, Make Us Great Again (pro-Perry Super PAC) $1.5 million, Romney $1.1 million, Gingrich $475,000, Red White and Blue Fund (pro-Santorum Super PAC) $200,000. For New Hampshire: Our Destiny PAC (pro-Huntsman Super PAC) $1.6 million, Paul $700,000, Romney $650,000, and Perry $234,000.

*** Trying not to repeat what happened four years ago: Romney today kicks off a three-day bus tour through New Hampshire. And yesterday, he delivered a speech that amounted to his closing argument before the Iowa and New Hampshire contests. You get the impression that Team Romney doesn’t want to get caught in New Hampshire the same it did four years ago. The New York Times: “Four years ago, during his first presidential run, Mr. Romney’s lead in New Hampshire fizzled as he seemed to take his eye off the Republican primary here, pouring significant time, money and manpower into the Iowa caucuses. After a second-place finish in both states, his campaign for the White House was all but over. Determined to avoid that outcome in the final phase of a volatile primary campaign -- and uncertain of how he will perform in Iowa -- Mr. Romney is putting an unmistakable emphasis on New Hampshire.”

*** Why Gingrich is in Virginia: The fact that Gingrich, at 7:00 pm ET, is holding a rally in Arlington, VA tells you all you need to know about the state of his organization right now: They’re scrambling to compete for the long haul against Romney. Why is he in Virginia? As NBC’s John Bailey reported yesterday, tomorrow is the deadline for Gingrich to qualify for the March 6 Virginia primary. “Candidates must get 10,000 signatures from qualified voters, including 400 signatures from each of Virginia’s 11 congressional districts. If candidates submit the required signatures to the State Board of Election by 5:00pm on Thursday, those petitions go to the state party for verification.”

*** Paul responds to those newsletters: Yesterday, Ron Paul responded to the incendiary and racially tinged newsletters that were issued decades ago. Paul has since disavowed them and said he didn’t write the un-bylined newsletters. “It's politics,” he said. “Nobody talked about it for 20 years until they found out that the message of liberty was making progress. Everybody knows I didn't write them, and it's not my sentiment, so it's sort of politics as usual.”

*** Huntsman tweaks Romney: NBC’s Jo Ling Kent reports that Jon Huntsman yesterday gave well-received remarks in front of 120-plus voters in New Hampshire, as he slammed Romney from across the state. "Romney is across town giving a speech on a teleprompter," he said to a room of laughter, referring to a speech the front-runner gave in Bedford, NH.

*** On the 2012 trail: Get on the bus: Mitt Romney embarks on his three-day bus tour through New Hampshire… Meanwhile, Michele Bachmann and Rick Perry (along with endorser Bobby Jindal) remain on their bus tours through Iowa… Gingrich, in Des Moines, IA, unveils his endorsements of the state House speakers of Iowa and New Hampshire, and Gingrich later attends a rally in Arlington, VA (in his effort to get on the ballot there)… Paul and Santorum campaign in Iowa… And Jon Huntsman tapes an appearance on David Letterman.

Countdown to Iowa caucuses: 13 days
Countdown to New Hampshire primary: 20 days
Countdown to South Carolina primary: 31 days
Countdown to Florida primary: 41 days
Countdown to Nevada caucuses: 45 days
Countdown to Super Tuesday: 76 days
Countdown to Election Day: 323 days

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After House Republicans over the weekend walked away from a tentative agreement to extend the payroll tax cut, Congress found itself locked in on a staring contest on Monday -- to see who would blink first.

The House is expected to vote Monday evening to reject legislation passed last week by the Senate to extend the expiring payroll tax cut for two months. That sets up the risk that, if no deal is reached by Dec. 31, taxes will go up on Jan. 1.

House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH), speaking Monday morning at the Capitol, said that Republicans thought the two-month extension didn't provide enough certainty to the economy. 

"Americans are tired of Washington's short-term fixes and gimmicks, which is creating uncertainty for job creators in a time when millions of Americans are out of work," he said in a brief statement.

The speaker suggested that, instead, Republicans would vote to send their own year-long tax cut extension to conference, the formal process by which the House and Senate are supposed to resolve the differences between their bills. That process has been a relative rarity in this Congress, since most major agreements have been worked out typically through outside, technically informal talks. 

"I expect that the House will disagree with the Senate amendment and instead vote to formally go to conference, the formal process of which the House and Senate can resolve our differences between our two chambers and our two bills," Boehner said.

That move is a bid to shift political blame to the Democrats who control the Senate. The upper chamber adjourned until Jan. 23, reflecting their expectation that passing the two-month extension, which was approved with bipartisan support in the Senate, was all but a mere formality in the House.

Boehner had sought to sell the deal to rank-and-file members during a weekend conference call, according to Republicans familiar with the call, but was met by blowback from some conservative members. Some of those members flatly oppose extending the tax cut, while others are concerned that extending the tax cut for only two months would leave the GOP politically vulnerable, especially to criticism by President Obama during next month's State of the Union Address.

"I think it's time for Senate Democrat leaders to follow the president's example, put their vacations on hold, and work in a bipartisan manner to finish the nation's business," Boehner said.

If the House approves the conference report, it would mean that Democrats would be left with a choice between coming back to Washington, or standing by their existing deal, essentially telling the House GOP to take it or leave it.

"Speaker Boehner has two choices and only two. The first is to pass the bill, the bipartisan bill that the Senate passed 89 to 10," Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY), the Senate Democratic messaging chief, said Monday on MSNBC's Morning Joe. "The second is the middle class tax cut will lapse, and he will be responsible."

There are legislative pressure relief valves still available to Congress. One would involve leaders reaching an agreement on an item to pass the House, which would then be approved by unanimous consent -- a procedural move to pass a law without a formal vote, so long as no member objects.

For Congress, the year-end gridlock is a familiar theme. Lawmakers struggled to reach a deal to extend the expiring Bush tax cuts last December. (The deal they reached included the one year payroll tax cut -- the break that now Obama and Democrats have pushed to extend.) The year before, the Senate voted Christmas Eve to approve the president's health reform law.

But the stalling this week is also familiar because of its internal discord in the House. Boehner seemed to have balked because of the fractious House GOP majority, which is divided to an extent between an old guard with experience on Capitol Hill and the more tenacious, Tea Party-tinged freshman class elected just last fall.

Democrats have taken note of those divisions, and how it's affected their ability to negotiate with Boehner.

"Trying to negotiate with Speaker Boehner is like trying to nail Jell-O to the wall," Schumer said this morning.

Despite Texas Gov. Rick Perry’s slide in the 2012 Republican presidential polls, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, one of Perry’s most high-profile supporters, has confidence in his pick.

“Bottom line is, I think Rick has got a great record to run on, a great story to tell,” Jindal said Thursday on MSNBC’s “The Daily Rundown with Chuck Todd.”

In the wake of some verbal gaffes this week by Perry in New Hampshire, in which he said the voting age is 21 instead of 18 and the presidential election will be on Nov. 12^th instead of Nob. 6^th, Jindal stressed Perry’s “executive experience” and “track record.”

“We’re not going to have the best debater, the most-polished speaker," Jindal said. "President Obama is probably one of the best speakers I’ve seen in a generation in politics, but I think the American people are tired of the speeches."

Jindal also said he would be comfortable with a choice between former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich if Perry’s campaign ends in failure.

“Absolutely," he said, "I’m going to support whoever our nominee is."

NBC News’ Carrie Dann reports Jindal will join Perry for fundraisers in Texas on Dec. 6th and campaign with him in Iowa later this month.