Detecting language using up to the first 30 seconds. Use `--language` to specify the language Detected language: English [00:00.000 --> 00:02.560] anywhere and any way you want. [00:02.560 --> 00:05.040] Learn more at Xfinity.com. [00:05.040 --> 00:23.560] Another poll in Iowa shows Mitt Romney and Ron Paul leading the Republican field. [00:23.560 --> 00:24.560] Good evening. [00:24.560 --> 00:29.400] I'm Jim Lera and I'm Jeffrey Brown on the news hour tonight from Des Moines. [00:29.400 --> 00:33.280] Judy Woodruff has the latest on the GOP race. [00:33.280 --> 00:39.160] Just three days left until the presidential caucuses, more than a third of Iowa Republicans [00:39.160 --> 00:42.040] say they still don't know whom they'll vote for. [00:42.040 --> 00:47.840] So candidates and their organizations are working overtime to get their supporters out. [00:47.840 --> 00:53.360] Judy talked with five of those undecided islands about what will determine their choices [00:53.360 --> 00:54.960] on Tuesday night. [00:54.960 --> 00:59.960] Plus Mark Shields here and David Brooks in Iowa analyzed the week's news. [00:59.960 --> 01:07.360] In Elizabeth Brackett of WTTW Chicago reports on the surprising rise of poverty in the suburban [01:07.360 --> 01:11.360] neighborhoods of one of the nation's wealthiest counties. [01:11.360 --> 01:12.680] It's exploded. [01:12.680 --> 01:18.760] It has gone from something that was rarely encountered in this community to an issue [01:18.760 --> 01:20.920] that we encounter every day. [01:20.920 --> 01:26.080] And race wise looks at marriage trends in America as fewer couples tie the knot and those [01:26.080 --> 01:29.000] who do are older than ever. [01:29.000 --> 01:32.680] It's all ahead on tonight's news hour. [01:32.680 --> 01:39.240] Major funding for the PBS News Hour has been provided by intelligent computing technology [01:39.240 --> 01:44.120] is making its way into everything for cars, to retail signs, to hospitals, creating new [01:44.120 --> 01:46.240] and rich experiences. [01:46.240 --> 01:49.360] Through Intel's philosophy of investing for the future, we're helping to bring these [01:49.360 --> 01:53.920] new capabilities to market, we're investing billions of dollars in R&D around the globe [01:53.920 --> 01:58.600] to help create the technologies that we hope will be the heart of tomorrow's innovations. [01:58.600 --> 02:02.880] I believe that by investing today in technological advances here at Intel, we can help make [02:02.880 --> 02:08.280] a better tomorrow. [02:08.280 --> 02:15.040] And by BNSF Railway, the William and Flora Hula Foundation, working to solve social and [02:15.040 --> 02:20.360] environmental problems at home and around the world. [02:20.360 --> 02:27.600] And with the ongoing support of these institutions and foundations. [02:27.600 --> 02:35.200] This program was made possible by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and by contributions [02:35.200 --> 02:39.680] to your PBS station from viewers like you. [02:39.680 --> 02:44.000] Thank you. [02:44.000 --> 02:48.720] Republican presidential candidate spent another long day hunting for votes in Iowa. [02:48.720 --> 02:52.840] They were heading into the final weekend before the presidential election season officially [02:52.840 --> 02:57.240] opens with Tuesday night's caucuses. [02:57.240 --> 03:02.200] The weather turned colder and windy, but Mitt Romney warmed to his audience as another [03:02.200 --> 03:07.800] new poll this one from NBC Marist showed him pacing the field. [03:07.800 --> 03:12.520] If you can get out here in this cold and this win and a little bit of rain coming down, [03:12.520 --> 03:16.360] then you can surge it out at Tuesday night and you can surf find a few people to bring [03:16.360 --> 03:17.360] with you. [03:17.360 --> 03:22.240] One key supporter showed up today, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, campaigning with [03:22.240 --> 03:23.840] Romney in West to Moin. [03:23.840 --> 03:31.240] Texas Congressman Ron Paul was either tied for first or a close second. [03:31.240 --> 03:37.960] But 41% in the NBC poll said his libertarian leanings make him unacceptable. [03:37.960 --> 03:43.360] Newt Gingrich had been the Iowa frontrunner just a few weeks back, but has fallen far behind. [03:43.360 --> 03:48.360] In Des Moines today, remembering his late mother's mental health problems, he grew emotional. [03:48.360 --> 04:00.760] In my whole emphasis on brain science comes in directly from dealing with the real problems [04:00.760 --> 04:03.400] of real people in my family. [04:03.400 --> 04:06.960] And so it's not a theory, it's in fact, you know, my mother. [04:06.960 --> 04:12.280] This is very personal for me, it's not just political, it's not just public. [04:12.280 --> 04:17.840] The moment recalled Hillary Clinton's emotional moment, just before the 2008 Democratic [04:17.840 --> 04:21.600] primary in New Hampshire, she went on to win there. [04:21.600 --> 04:26.960] Back in Iowa, former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum continued pressing to add to [04:26.960 --> 04:27.960] his late surge. [04:27.960 --> 04:29.960] He's now running third. [04:29.960 --> 04:35.920] Another former frontrunner, Texas Governor Rick Perry, was running fourth or fifth, [04:35.920 --> 04:36.920] depending on the poll. [04:36.920 --> 04:39.640] And in the day, the president of Romney came into office. [04:39.640 --> 04:44.960] And Minnesota Congresswoman Michelle Bachman, lost two top staffers this week, was trailing [04:44.960 --> 04:46.400] the field. [04:46.400 --> 04:51.640] She discounted the low turnout at a meet and greet event in early Iowa this afternoon. [04:51.640 --> 04:54.160] Our effort wasn't to bring crowds out. [04:54.160 --> 04:55.520] We were just dropping in. [04:55.520 --> 04:59.320] As the week and arrived, the race in Iowa remained fluid. [04:59.320 --> 05:04.320] Many likely caucus goers said they were still deciding on which candidate to support come [05:04.320 --> 05:05.320] Tuesday. [05:05.320 --> 05:10.000] Judy Woodruff is in Iowa reporting for us through the voting next Tuesday night. [05:10.000 --> 05:13.520] I spoke with her a short time ago in Des Moines. [05:13.520 --> 05:17.880] So Judy, for a long time, it seemed Mitt Romney wasn't going to fight that hard in Iowa, [05:17.880 --> 05:19.640] but no more, right? [05:19.640 --> 05:21.640] Well, that's right, Jeff. [05:21.640 --> 05:22.640] It looks that way. [05:22.640 --> 05:26.760] The first thing we need to say is what a large number of undecided voters, they're still [05:26.760 --> 05:27.760] are in Iowa. [05:27.760 --> 05:30.080] You'll hear a little bit more about that in a minute when you see the interview I did with [05:30.080 --> 05:31.880] some voters last night. [05:31.880 --> 05:33.680] But having said that, you are right. [05:33.680 --> 05:39.640] Mitt Romney on top in two of the most recent polls, right at around 25 percent. [05:39.640 --> 05:42.360] That seems to be so far a ceiling for him. [05:42.360 --> 05:47.360] That's the same percentage of the vote Mitt Romney had four years ago when he lost, [05:47.360 --> 05:52.520] because at that point the conservative vote in Iowa was coalescing around one candidate [05:52.520 --> 05:53.800] Mike Huckabee. [05:53.800 --> 05:59.440] This time the conservative vote is looking around a spread among four or five different [05:59.440 --> 06:00.440] candidates. [06:00.440 --> 06:02.840] That's working to Mitt Romney's advantage. [06:02.840 --> 06:07.880] And Jeff, I should say, right hot on his heels or Ron Paul, the libertarian attracting [06:07.880 --> 06:13.120] a lot of younger voters, and as you also mentioned, Rick Santorum, stressing his Christian [06:13.120 --> 06:18.280] conservative views, and maybe all that work that Rick Santorum has put into Iowa may [06:18.280 --> 06:19.280] be paying off. [06:19.280 --> 06:23.560] Well, tell me about Ron, Paul, speaking of Ron Paul, you were at an event of his last [06:23.560 --> 06:24.560] night. [06:24.560 --> 06:25.560] Now, what did you see? [06:25.560 --> 06:28.640] Where is the support coming from? [06:28.640 --> 06:35.120] It is coming from, it's traditional that a chunk of Iowa, the Iowa Republican vote, tends [06:35.120 --> 06:36.120] to be libertarian. [06:36.120 --> 06:42.800] And of course, that is Ron Paul's philosophy, so that it's a lot of it is young people, [06:42.800 --> 06:46.680] college students, you go to a college campus, you talk to many of them. [06:46.680 --> 06:48.960] They're very excited about Ron Paul. [06:48.960 --> 06:53.960] His vote is very enthusiastic, it's loyal, they are going to turn out. [06:53.960 --> 06:55.840] The question is how large are they? [06:55.840 --> 07:01.200] Because there's a sizable percentage of Iowa Republicans who say they could never vote [07:01.200 --> 07:04.240] for Ron Paul, because they don't like his foreign policy. [07:04.240 --> 07:08.000] But he is going to get a significant turnout, he's got students in the state who've [07:08.000 --> 07:12.840] come in from other parts of the country who are working for him, even though I should [07:12.840 --> 07:17.720] say Jeff, Ron Paul himself is going home to Texas for the weekend to celebrate New [07:17.720 --> 07:19.360] Year's Eve with his family. [07:19.360 --> 07:25.200] Now, beyond it getting cold, what about atmospheric, if I can use that word? [07:25.200 --> 07:31.360] What's your sense there of how worked up people are, what are the campaigns going through [07:31.360 --> 07:34.920] as they go into the real crunch time? [07:34.920 --> 07:37.200] Well, they're all gearing up. [07:37.200 --> 07:42.360] We ran in this morning at a hotel, we ran into a name that's, I think, familiar to many [07:42.360 --> 07:47.920] of our viewers, Joe Alba, who was President George W. Bush's head of theme of the Federal [07:47.920 --> 07:49.760] Emergency Management Administration. [07:49.760 --> 07:55.680] He's working for Rick Perry, organizing the state, and the way he put it today, he said, [07:55.680 --> 07:59.920] he said, at this stage of the game, you've identified your supporters, it's all mechanics. [07:59.920 --> 08:01.840] It's getting those people out. [08:01.840 --> 08:06.240] The people who liked you from the beginning, the people who were still undecided. [08:06.240 --> 08:11.200] The Romney campaign, working the state very hard, they say they've got, they said, you've [08:11.200 --> 08:15.640] only seen about 10% of what we're doing, 90% of it's been underground. [08:15.640 --> 08:17.040] We're getting people out. [08:17.040 --> 08:21.520] You ask about enthusiasm, everywhere you go, even Democrats will tell you they're excited [08:21.520 --> 08:25.520] to see Iowa getting attention, they're excited to see the press here, even if they don't [08:25.520 --> 08:30.240] like any of these candidates, and they don't plan to vote for them in November, these [08:30.240 --> 08:35.320] caucuses are still a big deal, so we expect a lot of attention on Tuesday night. [08:35.320 --> 08:39.480] All right, Judy Woodruff is in Des Moines, and we'll be there through Tuesday night. [08:39.480 --> 08:41.480] Thanks a lot, Judy. [08:41.480 --> 08:42.480] Thank you. [08:42.480 --> 08:47.360] Still to come on the news hour tonight, Iowa voters still making up their minds, [08:47.360 --> 08:55.000] shields and Brooks, poverty in the suburbs, and the decline in Americans marrying. [08:55.000 --> 08:59.000] At first, the other news of this day, here's Harry Train of Austin. [08:59.000 --> 09:03.520] An outpouring of anti-government protesters filled cities across Syria today, it marked a [09:03.520 --> 09:06.200] new challenge to President Bashar al-Assad. [09:06.200 --> 09:11.960] The opposition reported as many as 250,000 people turned out in both Idlib and Hama, [09:11.960 --> 09:16.000] and there were many thousands more in homes, Duma, and Darah. [09:16.000 --> 09:20.400] Protesters said troops gunned down, at least 22 people, we have a report narrated by Andy [09:20.400 --> 09:23.240] Davies of independent television news. [09:23.240 --> 09:29.160] Homes in the north-west of Syria this morning, some are now calling this the Marta [09:29.160 --> 09:33.760] city, given the numbers killed here in recent months, and front of the camera reads the [09:33.760 --> 09:39.800] message, this is the Friday for marching towards the squares of freedom, and so they did [09:39.800 --> 09:44.840] gathering in their thousands in the city's main square, significantly, for the first [09:44.840 --> 09:53.520] time in months. [09:53.520 --> 09:57.680] In towns across Syria, the opposition movement rallied its support-based following Friday [09:57.680 --> 10:03.800] prayers, hundreds of thousands reportedly took to the streets, emboldened perhaps by the [10:03.800 --> 10:08.680] recent arrival of yellow-vested Arab league monitors in the country. [10:08.680 --> 10:14.080] This intended as a statement to those observers, regime violence will not quail this [10:14.080 --> 10:26.240] uprising. [10:26.240 --> 10:31.000] This footage was apparently recorded today in Duma, it's just six miles from the center [10:31.000 --> 10:33.280] of the capital Damascus. [10:33.280 --> 10:37.680] It's not clear what caused this particular explosion, but opposition activists alleged [10:37.680 --> 10:45.360] Syrian security forces had thrown nail bombs into the crowd. [10:45.360 --> 10:48.560] There was violence documented also in the city of Hama. [10:48.560 --> 10:54.080] Five was shot dead here today, alleged one activist. [10:54.080 --> 10:58.520] A fortnight ago, the United Nations estimated that more than 5,000 have been killed by [10:58.520 --> 11:02.400] Syrian security forces since the uprising began. [11:02.400 --> 11:05.880] One influential campaign group says it's now more than 6,000. [11:05.880 --> 11:12.600] It's a figure disputed by the government, and again today, by its media, this reporter [11:12.600 --> 11:18.280] claims he's tracked down a number of people who were supposedly killed by security forces. [11:18.280 --> 11:23.640] State Run TV was broadcasting today live from the center of Damascus and other cities. [11:23.640 --> 11:27.800] They were showing rallies in support of Al-Assad's regime. [11:27.800 --> 11:31.520] In Pakistan today, at least nine people were killed on a car bomb exploded in the city [11:31.520 --> 11:36.560] of Kuwaita outside the home of a local politician, Pakistani television showed video victims [11:36.560 --> 11:41.080] being rushed to a nearby hospital, or then 20 people were wounded there. [11:41.080 --> 11:45.440] Spain has imposed new austerity measures, including a temporary tax hike to raise almost [11:45.440 --> 11:46.440] $8 billion. [11:46.440 --> 11:51.160] The two-year increase would affect the wealthy, then newly elected center-right government [11:51.160 --> 11:55.440] also announced more than $11 billion in spending cuts today. [11:55.440 --> 11:59.280] These are all part of efforts to reign in the country's growing debt. [11:59.280 --> 12:03.040] Wall Street stumbled on the last trading day of the year, with nothing to give the market [12:03.040 --> 12:04.040] much of a boost. [12:04.040 --> 12:09.600] The Dow Jones industrial average lost 69 points to close at 12,217, the Nasdaq fell [12:09.600 --> 12:15.880] 8 points to close at 2605, for the year, the Dow gained 5 percent, 5.5 percent, and [12:15.880 --> 12:18.160] the Nasdaq fell nearly 2 percent. [12:18.160 --> 12:22.800] The Standard and Poor's 500 finished the year down less than a tenth of a point. [12:22.800 --> 12:26.760] Two NASA satellites are set to start orbiting the moon over a new year's weekend. [12:26.760 --> 12:31.320] The probes were launched in September as part of the Grail Mission for Gravity, Recovery, [12:31.320 --> 12:33.160] and Interior Laboratory. [12:33.160 --> 12:35.600] Each satellite is about the size of a washing machine. [12:35.600 --> 12:39.400] They're to fly in tandem to map the moon's gravitational field. [12:39.400 --> 12:43.560] That data could reveal the moon's interior and how it formed. [12:43.560 --> 12:44.960] Those are some of the day's major stories. [12:44.960 --> 12:46.680] Now back to Jim. [12:46.680 --> 12:48.920] And we returned to Iowa. [12:48.920 --> 12:56.000] Last evening, Judy Woodrow spoke with five still undecided voters, all registered Republicans. [12:56.000 --> 13:01.880] They were selected with the help of civic and educational organizations in Iowa. [13:01.880 --> 13:05.840] Thank you all for joining us, and to Jim Carly for hosting us in your home. [13:05.840 --> 13:06.840] You're welcome. [13:06.840 --> 13:10.080] As you look at the country, how do you think things are going overall? [13:10.080 --> 13:13.440] I think we're going in the wrong direction. [13:13.440 --> 13:20.600] I think that there needs to be a 360 turnaround until where we're going now with the economy. [13:20.600 --> 13:24.280] And I think also our world's standing has declined. [13:24.280 --> 13:28.280] We read that the Iowa economy is doing pretty well, Jim. [13:28.280 --> 13:32.720] Your unemployment rate overall is pretty good. [13:32.720 --> 13:36.000] But you still have a pretty negative view about the economy. [13:36.000 --> 13:37.000] Is that right? [13:37.000 --> 13:39.280] My wife and I were both retired. [13:39.280 --> 13:43.400] We have our pensions, but we also have investments which took a pretty big hit. [13:43.400 --> 13:45.920] And this is the uncertainty of what's going to happen. [13:45.920 --> 13:51.640] We're doing fine now, but when it's not doing anything to get better and Congress can't [13:51.640 --> 13:54.240] agree on what day of the week it is. [13:54.240 --> 13:56.480] How are we ever going to get anything solved? [13:56.480 --> 13:59.720] So we are quite concerned about the future and what's going to happen there. [13:59.720 --> 14:00.720] BJ, what about for you? [14:00.720 --> 14:06.000] I mean, personally, how do you think things are going for you for your family? [14:06.000 --> 14:10.400] Right now, things are a little bit better, but we've had some tough times. [14:10.400 --> 14:13.200] When I say that, I've never clipped a coup on in my life. [14:13.200 --> 14:17.400] And now I take the Sunday paper not to read the news, but to go through the coupons and [14:17.400 --> 14:18.400] see what's in there. [14:18.400 --> 14:22.560] And I may only say $5, but I'm so excited about that $5. [14:22.560 --> 14:23.800] One day, what about you? [14:23.800 --> 14:28.920] Why personally being self-employed, being in the car business, I've been pretty affected [14:28.920 --> 14:29.920] by it. [14:29.920 --> 14:31.720] I think a lot of the small dealers have been hurt. [14:31.720 --> 14:36.840] The impending crisis with the no-lending and people are unsure of how to spend their [14:36.840 --> 14:40.160] money or when to spend their money or if they should spend their money. [14:40.160 --> 14:42.880] I think that's put a hurt on everybody. [14:42.880 --> 14:46.320] People just don't have the money to spend it right now. [14:46.320 --> 14:50.560] And if we can get the economy going, it'll heal all the social problems, the social [14:50.560 --> 14:52.440] problems will all be by themselves. [14:52.440 --> 14:54.440] We just need to get the economy going right now. [14:54.440 --> 15:00.280] Sam, how do you see the importance of this election and how close have you been following [15:00.280 --> 15:01.280] it? [15:01.280 --> 15:02.840] I've been following it very closely. [15:02.840 --> 15:06.640] I've been lucky enough to shake the end of every presidential candidate and look [15:06.640 --> 15:10.920] them in the eye, which I think says a lot about being an eye when you can also learn [15:10.920 --> 15:14.080] a lot from that exchange. [15:14.080 --> 15:19.240] I think this election is really going to be a referendum on some really important issues [15:19.240 --> 15:20.240] to this country. [15:20.240 --> 15:26.120] I think spending how to balance the budget, the national debt, all those issues are really [15:26.120 --> 15:28.480] going to be decided by this election. [15:28.480 --> 15:32.680] And the American people are going to have to decide what solutions we want to go about [15:32.680 --> 15:34.560] to solve those problems. [15:34.560 --> 15:36.400] BJ, what do you think right now? [15:36.400 --> 15:37.840] I mean, where are you leaning? [15:37.840 --> 15:40.840] The caucuses are just a few days away. [15:40.840 --> 15:44.400] I'm leaning toward new gain-grudge. [15:44.400 --> 15:49.840] I've been leaning that way for a while because I think he's authentic. [15:49.840 --> 16:00.400] He has success working with the opposite party and he seems to have a vision for the future. [16:00.400 --> 16:05.160] Is there anybody else you're thinking about other than gain-grudge at this point? [16:05.160 --> 16:11.720] I really like Michelle Bachman because if you want to know the truth, I'd like to see [16:11.720 --> 16:14.600] any man, and I suppose this is a feminist perspective. [16:14.600 --> 16:21.800] I'd like to see any man start a business, go to school, raise five children, and have 23 [16:21.800 --> 16:23.600] foster children. [16:23.600 --> 16:25.640] I don't think a man could do that. [16:25.640 --> 16:30.440] So I think she runs circles around them, and I like what she stands for. [16:30.440 --> 16:32.480] So she's a good multitasker. [16:32.480 --> 16:33.880] Sam, what about you? [16:33.880 --> 16:38.080] Yeah, it seems to me, with a lot of these candidates, I'm leaning away, and so I think [16:38.080 --> 16:43.160] two candidates that I'm leaning towards would be Mitt Romney and Ron Paul. [16:43.160 --> 16:49.440] I think looking at the records, Mitt Romney's been a turnaround artist, his entire career, [16:49.440 --> 16:53.160] and I think that he could do a really great job turning around the economy, and then [16:53.160 --> 16:55.840] Ron Paul really speaks to me as a young person. [16:55.840 --> 17:01.560] He's got a great youth following, and I really like a lot of his libertarian stances. [17:01.560 --> 17:02.560] What about you, Jim? [17:02.560 --> 17:04.960] Where are you, where are you leaning right now? [17:04.960 --> 17:09.680] Well, if I vote principals, which I'm really leaning at, just recently here, I've [17:09.680 --> 17:14.480] things have happened, and I'm standing for that would put me in the Rickson Torms camp. [17:14.480 --> 17:17.400] I like the principals that he has. [17:17.400 --> 17:20.040] I think that's where a lot of our problem is. [17:20.040 --> 17:22.720] We don't have virtuous and moral leaders. [17:22.720 --> 17:23.720] Victoria, what about you? [17:23.720 --> 17:27.680] Where is your head, right now, or heart, or both? [17:27.680 --> 17:30.400] It really is a struggle, you know, I'm just being honest. [17:30.400 --> 17:31.400] I don't know. [17:31.400 --> 17:36.160] I don't have that, it was so funny, because for Huckabee, Huckabee, I was like, yes, this [17:36.160 --> 17:37.160] is my guy. [17:37.160 --> 17:38.160] I want him. [17:38.160 --> 17:39.160] I'm going to go out. [17:39.160 --> 17:40.160] It was freezing. [17:40.160 --> 17:44.120] It was snow and ice, horrible last, you know, little last time. [17:44.120 --> 17:47.880] I don't feel that for any candidate right now, and that scares me. [17:47.880 --> 17:52.320] So that's why, you know, I just not loyal to anyone person at this point. [17:52.320 --> 17:53.680] Dave, what about you? [17:53.680 --> 17:56.640] How are you leaning right now? [17:56.640 --> 18:00.360] We have a couple candidates, so I think, should have came to Iowa, should have campaigned here. [18:00.360 --> 18:02.960] I think Mr. Huntsman is one of them. [18:02.960 --> 18:04.920] He should have thrown his hat in the ring. [18:04.920 --> 18:10.560] He says a lot of good things, but whichever candidate is selected, we need to get behind [18:10.560 --> 18:14.680] the candidate and beat Obama in 2012. [18:14.680 --> 18:15.680] So, Jim, what about that? [18:15.680 --> 18:18.840] Because it sounds like you're saying something a little bit different from what Dave is saying. [18:18.840 --> 18:24.320] I don't think we need to go into the polls with the only thing on our mind is who can [18:24.320 --> 18:25.320] beat him. [18:25.320 --> 18:29.320] There are still 10 months to go before the election. [18:29.320 --> 18:33.800] Again, one of those down the bottom may be the rising star in actuality. [18:33.800 --> 18:36.320] Once they get out into the rest of the nation. [18:36.320 --> 18:40.240] And so I think we need to pick good candidate, I favor one that has good principles [18:40.240 --> 18:41.240] that I can trust. [18:41.240 --> 18:42.240] Santorum. [18:42.240 --> 18:43.880] Santorum, right? [18:43.880 --> 18:47.920] But I think part of the problem that we have in this, I've never seen this many people. [18:47.920 --> 18:52.440] So undecided, this late in the game, and I think a lot of that has to do with the massive [18:52.440 --> 18:56.960] number of debates that we've had, and the form that the debates have had to where people [18:56.960 --> 18:57.960] are attacking each other. [18:57.960 --> 18:59.760] Yeah, I mean, we're attacking our own. [18:59.760 --> 19:03.840] Anybody else on why it's so hard to make a decision this time? [19:03.840 --> 19:09.720] I mean, you've touched on the fact that it is hard, but any thoughts about why, BJ. [19:09.720 --> 19:14.560] Mitt Romney cannot get past a certain level. [19:14.560 --> 19:18.760] And he couldn't go up against Huckabee last time, although he spent gobs and gobs [19:18.760 --> 19:19.760] of money. [19:19.760 --> 19:24.320] And to me, Mitt Romney is the status quo in the Republican Party. [19:24.320 --> 19:27.920] And I think a lot of us, I don't know how many of us are tea partyers or libertarian [19:27.920 --> 19:31.120] fans, were dissatisfied with the status quo of the Republican Party. [19:31.120 --> 19:33.960] And that's what Mitt Romney represents. [19:33.960 --> 19:39.160] So I think that's why there's the fight, not the infighted but the turmoil in our party. [19:39.160 --> 19:40.680] Sam, what do you say to that? [19:40.680 --> 19:44.480] Because you said Romney was somebody you could support. [19:44.480 --> 19:46.440] In fact, you mentioned him first. [19:46.440 --> 19:51.240] Yeah, I think that Mitt Romney really brings lots of the table. [19:51.240 --> 19:54.680] And if you look at him against New Gingrich, I mean, I don't mean to get candidate [19:54.680 --> 19:59.520] versus candidate here, but New Gingrich has really been the textbook, Washington Insiders, [19:59.520 --> 20:02.800] since, you know, for the last 40 years. [20:02.800 --> 20:07.520] And so I don't know if I'm comfortable having that background in the White House. [20:07.520 --> 20:09.880] Mitt Romney is not a true conservative. [20:09.880 --> 20:14.680] And we talk about being enthusiastic, conservatives cannot get enthusiastic about him. [20:14.680 --> 20:18.680] And that's why I think that there's that vacuum. [20:18.680 --> 20:19.680] What about that Jim? [20:19.680 --> 20:22.240] Because I think you're the one who said a few minutes ago, we need somebody who's going [20:22.240 --> 20:24.760] to stick with their principles. [20:24.760 --> 20:25.760] That's right. [20:25.760 --> 20:32.560] And my fear with Romney and why I don't like him is I believe government should be small. [20:32.560 --> 20:37.680] Smaller government, less cost, people are responsible and they take care of themselves. [20:37.680 --> 20:40.840] My feeling is anybody that wants the Institute to health care, and I know they have [20:40.840 --> 20:45.360] a state constitution that says they can, but that's somebody that wants big government. [20:45.360 --> 20:50.480] Romney, I mean, he's a nice guy, he's polished, he's back for a second time around, you [20:50.480 --> 20:56.880] know, but he's just not, he's just not the person who I will get up at his no storm to vote [20:56.880 --> 20:57.880] for. [20:57.880 --> 21:02.680] Some of you have mentioned San Toro, why, and let me ask you, Sam, why didn't you bring [21:02.680 --> 21:04.080] up Rick San Toro? [21:04.080 --> 21:08.640] I think my problem with Rick San Toro, as well as some of the other maybe more socially [21:08.640 --> 21:12.720] conservative candidates, is I think they dwell too much on social issues. [21:12.720 --> 21:17.920] And while they might pass a credential check as far as their economic policies go, I just [21:17.920 --> 21:18.920] don't think they're people. [21:18.920 --> 21:24.680] I think they alienate moderate voters and independence, and while they might excite [21:24.680 --> 21:28.760] the base, I just don't see them doing well at all in general election. [21:28.760 --> 21:30.760] When do you think you're going to make up your mind? [21:30.760 --> 21:31.760] Probably Tuesday. [21:31.760 --> 21:37.040] I'll have her done by Sunday, and then I'll think about it. [21:37.040 --> 21:42.920] When we appreciate all of you talking with us about these caucuses, thank you very much. [21:42.920 --> 21:43.920] Thank you. [21:43.920 --> 21:44.920] You're very welcome. [21:44.920 --> 21:45.920] Thanks for having us. [21:45.920 --> 21:53.040] For the record, Texas Governor Rick Perry's name did not come up in Judy's discussion. [21:53.040 --> 21:57.600] As we heard in Judy's conversation four years ago, it was Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee [21:57.600 --> 22:02.360] who beat Mitt Romney and all others to win the Iowa Republican caucus. [22:02.360 --> 22:07.040] His success came with the strong support of conservative evangelical Christians. [22:07.040 --> 22:11.840] Tonight's edition of Need to Know explores the power of the religious right in Iowa. [22:11.840 --> 22:15.040] This excerpt looks at the influence of one man in particular. [22:15.040 --> 22:18.360] Correspondent is Rick Carr. [22:18.360 --> 22:22.680] Bob Vanderplots was chairman of Mike Huckabee's Iowa campaign in 08. [22:22.680 --> 22:27.240] Then he led a campaign against three state Supreme Court justices who ruled in favor [22:27.240 --> 22:31.440] of gay marriage and ended up driving them out of office. [22:31.440 --> 22:36.480] Now he runs an advocacy group for social conservatives called the family leader and Fox [22:36.480 --> 22:39.480] News calls him a kingmaker in Iowa. [22:39.480 --> 22:44.320] The Los Angeles Times wrote that meeting with you is a prerequisite for any candidate who wants [22:44.320 --> 22:45.320] to compete in Iowa. [22:45.320 --> 22:46.320] Is that true? [22:46.320 --> 22:52.120] I don't know if it's a prerequisite to meet with me, but I believe it's the issues that [22:52.120 --> 23:01.960] our organization represents and our supporters are very, very sincere about these issues. [23:01.960 --> 23:07.000] They're very interested in who's going to champion these issues. [23:07.000 --> 23:09.360] Our supporters are going to show up on caucus night. [23:09.360 --> 23:13.680] In November, the family leader hosted a forum for GOP hopes. [23:13.680 --> 23:19.040] We don't need you to be a Republican Democrat, but we need you to be Biblical. [23:19.040 --> 23:24.480] And the candidates lined up to tout their field to socially conservative positions. [23:24.480 --> 23:31.920] The left is prepared to impose intolerance and to drive out of existence traditional religion. [23:31.920 --> 23:33.720] They slammed abortion rights. [23:33.720 --> 23:37.560] I have supported the amendment that defines life at conception. [23:37.560 --> 23:43.640] As long as abortion is legal, at least according to Supreme Court legal in this country. [23:43.640 --> 23:45.640] We will never have rest. [23:45.640 --> 23:46.640] Gay marriage. [23:46.640 --> 23:53.480] The family is defined as one man, one woman, no other definition will do. [23:53.480 --> 23:55.480] And what they call Obamacare. [23:55.480 --> 24:00.720] Obamacare has to go because it's good trying to tell us how to deliver health care in our [24:00.720 --> 24:01.720] states. [24:01.720 --> 24:06.760] The candidates came because conservative evangelical voters are organized and motivated. [24:06.760 --> 24:09.120] They turn up on caucus night. [24:09.120 --> 24:13.720] And endorsements from socially conservative groups like the family leader could turn one of them [24:13.720 --> 24:16.760] into the Mike Huckabee of the current campaign. [24:16.760 --> 24:22.640] But Vanderplot says none of them ended up stealing the hearts of Iowa's conservative evangelicals. [24:22.640 --> 24:25.520] We had six candidates that are Thanksgiving family for me. [24:25.520 --> 24:29.880] And I think it was my wife afterwards who said, you know Bob, if we could take those six [24:29.880 --> 24:33.920] and put them in a blender and just have the strength come out and have one candidate [24:33.920 --> 24:36.440] and as a daughter you're getting off like close to cloning. [24:36.440 --> 24:40.680] But you would have a perfect candidate. [24:40.680 --> 24:45.040] And I think what we're realizing today there is no perfect candidate. [24:45.040 --> 24:49.360] Post-gript Bob Vanderplots ended up endorsing Rick Santorum. [24:49.360 --> 24:53.120] They were published reports last week that Vanderplots sought up to a million dollars for [24:53.120 --> 24:57.160] his endorsement allegations he vigorously denied. [24:57.160 --> 25:08.040] Need to know heirs on most PBS stations tonight. [25:08.040 --> 25:13.720] And to the analysis of shields and Brooks, syndicated columnist Mark Shields, New York Times [25:13.720 --> 25:20.280] columnist David Brooks, David from Iowa, do you have a big picture portrait of the setting [25:20.280 --> 25:23.520] the scene there tonight? [25:23.520 --> 25:27.200] Although there are some human interest stories I got to see Newt Gingrich cry today, something [25:27.200 --> 25:28.200] I had never seen before. [25:28.200 --> 25:32.160] He was asked a very personal question about his life and he talked about how he's sad or [25:32.160 --> 25:34.160] and slower than he used to be. [25:34.160 --> 25:38.480] And then he was asked about his mom and his face just dissolved in tears and you know [25:38.480 --> 25:42.440] the candidates are very tired, Gingrich's numbers are falling, they're under a lot of pressure [25:42.440 --> 25:44.600] and so you got to see that human element. [25:44.600 --> 25:48.640] The big thing that comes from all the different campaigns is a sense of looking backward. [25:48.640 --> 25:52.800] There's a theme and almost every single race which is America has lost something that [25:52.800 --> 25:57.760] it once had and so we have to look backward, it's about restoration, restoring old values [25:57.760 --> 26:02.560] we've strayed and this is a theme which is sort of a negative and pessimistic theme, [26:02.560 --> 26:07.440] and almost an apocalyptic theme that one finds in Mitt Romney, one finds in in Gingrich, [26:07.440 --> 26:12.880] Rick Santorum, Ron Paul, it's all about we have this magic and we've lost it. [26:12.880 --> 26:15.360] How do you see the big picture, Mark? [26:15.360 --> 26:20.720] I think the point David made is one worth repeating that is American campaigns are about [26:20.720 --> 26:26.960] the future and this campaign has really been an awful lot about the past and it's kind of [26:26.960 --> 26:32.240] fascinating to see it felt like Rick Santorum really evolved from nowhere after campaigning [26:32.240 --> 26:38.320] 99 counties do in the classic meeting voters and so forth but absent from his message that [26:38.320 --> 26:45.520] I get is any upbeat, I mean this sort of a gloom and doom to it but I think Jim this has been [26:45.520 --> 26:51.840] a remarkable race at separate times during this year, six different candidates have led in the [26:51.840 --> 27:00.080] polls in Iowa so it's up for grabs and it's very much Tuesday will determine who goes forward [27:00.080 --> 27:07.120] I mean some candidates he will end just outside of the Des Moines airport on Wednesday morning [27:07.120 --> 27:10.240] All right let's talk about Romney from I'm getting with you David how do you read the [27:10.240 --> 27:15.200] situation on Romney right now where he stands and and what his prospects are in Iowa? [27:16.880 --> 27:21.120] Yeah he's exuding confidence I think as people are exuding confidence I went to a rally this [27:21.120 --> 27:26.800] morning in the rain and he was he was with Governor Chris Christie in New Jersey and it was just a [27:26.800 --> 27:33.280] smooth effective not too long but sort of a corporate race it was like George Bush in year 2000 [27:33.280 --> 27:38.080] and what's interesting is the tactic it's taking it's very short on policy it's very long on [27:38.080 --> 27:43.440] patriotism he talks about driving across the country looking at the national parks he talks [27:43.440 --> 27:48.160] that he sings or at least recite some verses from the star-spangled banner it's as if he's running [27:48.160 --> 27:53.760] to be Tom Sawyer and I think it's at a way to establish a connection with voters even [27:53.760 --> 27:57.920] despite questions they may have about Mormonism or anything else I think it's a way to distinguish [27:57.920 --> 28:03.440] in his eyes between him and Barack Obama he's more mainstream and then again this theme of [28:03.440 --> 28:10.240] returning this as posing as Tom Sawyer he's returning to some earlier values and you know that [28:10.240 --> 28:14.560] may play this year mark is absolutely right the Rick Santorum and a lot of the candidates are [28:14.560 --> 28:19.600] very negative the guy who wanted four years ago my cuckoo be very positive but the mood here [28:19.600 --> 28:25.120] has darkened appreciably and maybe they're in tune with what the voters are hearing right now [28:25.120 --> 28:30.080] but Mark you heard what Judy said that their her feeling was that the polls show that there's a [28:30.080 --> 28:35.920] cap that cap is still there for Romney it's working to his advantage because you know I [28:35.920 --> 28:40.720] will because the everybody else has so split up right that's right you know nobody has been able [28:40.720 --> 28:47.680] to consolidate for example the the religious conservative vote although it seems that Rick Santorum [28:47.680 --> 28:53.840] is made great inroads there but no it seems to be a ceiling on on Mitt Romney it was kind of [28:53.840 --> 28:59.520] fascinating at the beginning of the month of December in the Gallup poll he trailed Newt [28:59.520 --> 29:09.040] Gingrich at 37 to 23 you know 14 point evidence he now leads Newt Gingrich 27 to 22 all right [29:09.040 --> 29:13.680] now it means Gingrich is plummeted in all of us who Romney is just moved up the home he's just [29:13.680 --> 29:20.240] broke the 25 point barrier I think what Romney's campaign has been about is not so great expectations [29:20.240 --> 29:26.160] I mean they've lowered the tried to lower the expectations in Iowa all year but David's right [29:26.160 --> 29:32.080] I think there's a sense now that they could win in Iowa and or even if Ron Paul wins that's not [29:32.080 --> 29:36.320] the worst thing in the world to them they feel in the long run but if they think with the [29:36.320 --> 29:43.280] knocking the knockout punch in both Iowa and New Hampshire would do for him the Romney people feel [29:43.280 --> 29:48.400] what it did for George W. Bush in 2000 when he's sold up the Republican nomination essentially [29:48.400 --> 29:57.840] and in 2000 is a great in it's it's I'm sorry in 2004 when John Kerry won both Iowa [29:57.840 --> 30:03.520] New Hampshire John of course in 2000 he lost to John McCain in New Hampshire but but that one [30:03.520 --> 30:10.160] two punch is really formidable all right now about Ron Paul David as Mark just said Ron Paul's [30:10.160 --> 30:15.440] up there and what what what what is it going to mean you may if you don't say he wins that's one [30:15.440 --> 30:19.760] thing but even if he comes in a close second what's it going to mean for the race [30:19.760 --> 30:25.520] general rate for Ron Paul to do that well in Iowa? Well the thing the Romney people like is [30:25.520 --> 30:29.360] their two main rivals right now are Ron Paul and Rick Santorum people think [30:29.360 --> 30:33.600] gingrich's campaign might have legs or Rick Perry campaign might have legs but I don't think [30:33.600 --> 30:38.240] they're too worried about Santorum and Paul having legs so the having rivals like that [30:38.240 --> 30:44.800] is good for the Romney camp the Paul people are young they're organized they're very [30:44.800 --> 30:50.400] diverse there's some the veterans and older people a lot of students a lot of gold bugs some [30:50.400 --> 30:54.400] people who want drug legalization it's about as diverse a group of people as you can possibly [30:54.400 --> 31:00.080] imagine and there's a supposition that Paul like Santorum probably is under polling that [31:00.080 --> 31:04.240] there are more people and they're more mobilized either both in the libertarian camp and the social [31:04.240 --> 31:08.560] conservative camp and so historically people in those camps have done a little better than the [31:08.560 --> 31:14.880] final polls so there's there's upside for him and he it's funny the way he can't paint [31:14.880 --> 31:19.120] he can't paint select the audiences in there he he gives his talks whether they're [31:19.120 --> 31:23.840] applauding not listening not he's going to tell you what he thinks so it's there's no real [31:25.360 --> 31:30.720] superstar there's no stump superstar who really can galvanize a crowd among this group the way [31:30.720 --> 31:35.120] how could we did the way john Edwards did the way Barack Obama did as a as a series of [31:35.120 --> 31:39.760] stump performers I would say it's it's a below average year and Paul doing very well [31:39.760 --> 31:45.520] it's certainly not raising that average how do you how do you account for a Santorum surge [31:46.080 --> 31:51.120] it's just a quick thing on the wall okay the word in 2008 maybe authenticity yeah [31:51.120 --> 31:56.720] run Paul exudes authenticity he says the same thing where we go others trim they pander [31:56.720 --> 32:02.240] they play to the crowd you know what what do you want to hear they you know the run [32:02.240 --> 32:07.360] Paul is just the opposite and he has and he has unlike Santorum and even [32:07.360 --> 32:11.680] Gingrich at this point he has money and the ability to raise money in small contributions [32:11.680 --> 32:16.720] from a lot of different people the same thing too Santorum Santorum has been Santorum [32:16.720 --> 32:22.400] and he's own Wyoming that's right he has sounded the themes that have been the the cradle of modern [32:22.400 --> 32:29.040] conservatism strong muscular foreign policy to even social social religious conservatives [32:29.040 --> 32:36.720] and economic fiscal conservatism and I think you know I think that is the sense in Iowa [32:36.720 --> 32:43.120] that he's worked for it he's visited the 99 counties he's done it the the retail way he's [32:43.120 --> 32:49.840] he's listened to the hairdressers in the in the in the auto mechanics and and I think that [32:49.840 --> 32:54.560] that there is a connection point and especially now with the religious and social conservatives [32:54.560 --> 32:59.360] I think he's he's caught on that the others have fallen on the other side so hey here [32:59.360 --> 33:02.960] Santorum well he never had the moment in the sun I mean the others were were all [33:02.960 --> 33:08.720] I mean they got close to the sun and then boom boom boom how do you read Santorum David [33:10.000 --> 33:14.080] yeah to me this is less about the candidates and their personalities and more about just [33:14.080 --> 33:19.440] role demographics and philosophy year after year there are a lot of social conservatives [33:19.440 --> 33:23.920] in this state and this goes back to the time many elections ago in Paris Robertson did well [33:23.920 --> 33:27.760] here let alone my cuckabee and those social conservatives have always been here and they're [33:27.760 --> 33:31.760] going to vote for a social conservative candidate and and Santorum's you know homeschooler [33:31.760 --> 33:37.280] he homeschools his kids he's genuinely of the community even though he is Catholic and so [33:37.280 --> 33:42.240] they're going to go for that guy they're genuinely a lot of libertarians among the voters here [33:42.240 --> 33:45.840] and they're going to go for Ron Paul and whether they perform well or not it's almost [33:45.840 --> 33:48.960] beside the point at this point those people are going to express their point of view [33:49.680 --> 33:51.920] and so they're just a lot of those voters in this state [33:51.920 --> 33:56.720] I'll just go back to Congress from moment David you said you saw him cry today he [33:57.760 --> 34:04.800] his poll show that he has really dropped and why and does he have a chance of coming out of [34:04.800 --> 34:09.600] Iowa in any way that could give him leg you said there's a possibility of legs for [34:09.600 --> 34:17.840] Gengrich why actually three he's just a candidate well he's a candidate who has a long [34:17.840 --> 34:21.040] reputation and he's pretty good you know I saw him today on the stump and he [34:21.040 --> 34:26.080] gives good answers that get applause going he's just a polished political performer [34:26.080 --> 34:31.520] the reason he's falling primarily is that there's a lot of ads on TV these days in Iowa [34:31.520 --> 34:35.280] and forty seven percent of them are being run against Newt Gengrich there's just a ton [34:35.280 --> 34:40.080] and negative ads and he's got a lot that he's freely admits he's he's vulnerable for [34:40.080 --> 34:43.520] and so people are learning about the divorces they're learning about the Freddie Mac [34:44.240 --> 34:48.720] lobbying and they're just not happy it's funny to watch him happen to run into him [34:48.720 --> 34:53.440] in a hotel lobby last night and he was evident in very self-aware very different sort of [34:53.440 --> 34:57.600] Newt Gengrich's little warmer true than I'd seen him very aware of his problems and his [34:57.600 --> 35:04.480] possibilities and then today the emotional moment I wouldn't bet on him rebounding but he is [35:04.480 --> 35:09.280] someone who still can debate extremely well in that argument that he uses time and time again [35:09.280 --> 35:13.600] who do you want to see debating Barack Obama that is one that resonates so I wouldn't totally [35:13.600 --> 35:19.520] count him out but I certainly wouldn't bet money on you and me I think I'm probably less [35:19.520 --> 35:26.080] bullish on Newt Gengrich's ability to bounce back than than David in 1996 after he lost Bob [35:26.080 --> 35:32.560] Dahl said he said I was told that people did not like negative ads I didn't run any I lost [35:33.440 --> 35:38.480] and I think we're seeing that with Newt Gengrich I mean David mentioned that 45 at 45 [35:38.480 --> 35:46.800] 47 percent of all the ads bought in Iowa in 2011 have been against Newt Gengrich I mean that [35:46.800 --> 35:52.880] that's at least 55 percent for anybody else a positive perhaps the most effective was [35:52.880 --> 35:59.520] non-Paul's which was the serial hypocrisy ad so I think it's tough there's an awful lot [36:00.240 --> 36:06.560] that has got back to him I think probably the Freddie Mac is is really hurt him with conservatives in [36:06.560 --> 36:12.400] general and in the story and explanation secondly was really his appearing with Nancy Pelosi in [36:12.400 --> 36:19.040] that public service announcement on every climate change he really he really hasn't on Iowa [36:19.040 --> 36:25.280] generally we have both of you beginning with you David does should Iowa matter as much as it [36:25.280 --> 36:29.440] appears to at this point I mean as we're getting we're talking about the whole world is talking [36:29.440 --> 36:35.920] about it right now should they be is this is this the way to choose candidates for President [36:35.920 --> 36:41.760] of the United States by going starting with Iowa yeah I still think so I still this is still [36:41.760 --> 36:46.160] my favorite place to cover a political race it's not the way it used to be it's not just [36:46.160 --> 36:51.520] George H. W. Bush driving around in a in a station wagon with one eight and maybe a press person [36:51.520 --> 36:56.960] now there's clumps of people there's big buses but it's still it's more retail the people are [36:56.960 --> 37:03.040] really run through their paces Rick Perry tried couldn't make it here Michelle Bachman we saw [37:03.040 --> 37:07.760] what happened to her among voters here it is it I think it's still a good testing ground is it the [37:07.760 --> 37:12.880] most representative state in the country maybe not but I still think it's a practiced knowledgeable [37:12.880 --> 37:17.600] electorate who are very good at putting candidates through the ordeal of running and I do think [37:17.600 --> 37:22.240] it's a legitimate way to screen out candidates and give a couple a chance to move on you're [37:22.240 --> 37:28.400] great with that don't you mind I do Jim I mean Iowa is unrepresented it has the fourth highest literacy [37:28.400 --> 37:33.920] rate of the 50 states it has the third lowest divorce rate it has the sixth highest high school [37:33.920 --> 37:40.800] graduation rate higher than the coastal smug states of Connecticut New Jersey Virginia Maryland [37:40.800 --> 37:48.240] Massachusetts Oregon Washington you know and the people take it quite seriously and I always feel [37:48.240 --> 37:54.080] better after I've been in Iowa and I will feel better after Tuesday night again okay Mark David thank you both [37:54.080 --> 38:08.240] very much now two stories about the changing portrait of America first a different kind of life [38:08.240 --> 38:14.160] in the suburbs between 2000 and 2010 the number of people living below the poverty line in [38:14.160 --> 38:20.640] US suburbs increased by more than 50% a trend that accelerated during the recession it's it's [38:20.640 --> 38:25.440] happening in places that have long been middle class as well as in richer neighborhoods [38:25.440 --> 38:34.400] Elizabeth Brackett of WTTW Chicago has our story do page County Illinois is one of the wealthiest [38:34.400 --> 38:41.600] counties in the country comfortable homes that on treeline streets in the suburb of Weaton eight miles west of [38:41.600 --> 38:49.440] Chicago upscale restaurants and shops line the historic downtown but there is another side to do page [38:49.440 --> 38:57.280] County one that would have been unthinkable a few years ago it includes packed food pantries [38:57.280 --> 39:03.440] and crowds at the county welfare office Candice King coordinates human services into page [39:03.440 --> 39:11.440] county and she has watched poverty grow it's exploded in the 16 years that I've been in my [39:11.440 --> 39:19.440] job it has gone from something that was rarely encountered in this community and certainly no one thought [39:19.440 --> 39:26.080] it was here to an issue that we encounter every day over the last 20 years poverty into page [39:26.080 --> 39:35.360] county has grown by 185% nearly 60,000 people here live in poverty defined by the federal government [39:35.360 --> 39:44.240] as earning $22,350 a year for a family of four and now a Brookings Institute analysis of census data [39:44.240 --> 39:50.480] finds that for the first time in the Chicago area there are more people in poverty in the suburbs [39:50.480 --> 39:58.080] than in the city in this Wheaton housing complex 11 of the town homes are in foreclosure [39:58.080 --> 40:05.760] here after almost two years of trying 43 year old Katherine ouravosis was finally able to renegotiate [40:05.760 --> 40:12.640] her mortgage and save her home but she and her two children live far below the poverty line. [40:13.280 --> 40:20.000] Ouravosis had a middle class upbringing her father was a college professor and in 2008 she got [40:20.000 --> 40:26.880] her second master's degree this one in elementary education but because of cuts in state [40:26.880 --> 40:35.120] education funding she hasn't been able to find a full-time teaching job last year she made $11,000 [40:35.120 --> 40:40.400] as a substitute teacher far less than what she needs to support her two children. [40:41.040 --> 40:49.280] It has been hard for me because I want to provide for them in a way my parents provided for me. [40:49.280 --> 41:02.000] I never knew what my parents made. I never had to worry about a thing. We just lived a really stable, [41:03.200 --> 41:10.160] typical middle class existence and for my children they don't have that sense of security [41:10.160 --> 41:14.400] that I had. They know when I'm stressed and that hurts. [41:14.400 --> 41:23.120] Areavosis is part of the newly poured demographic that account for much of the rise in poverty [41:23.120 --> 41:30.160] in the suburbs. 10 years ago she and her husband and architect were earning a six-figure income [41:30.160 --> 41:37.680] and living in a five-bedroom home in Wheaton. They divorced in 2004. Her former husband's architectural [41:37.680 --> 41:44.480] commissions dried up in 2008 and he has had trouble making child support payments. Areavosis [41:44.480 --> 41:49.360] tried to get Medicaid for her children but the state threatened to take her former husband's [41:49.360 --> 41:56.160] architect license because of lack of child support and she backed off. It's those days when you get [41:56.160 --> 42:03.600] up and you really don't know what you're going to give your kids for dinner and it can be a full-time [42:03.600 --> 42:10.560] job finding out how am I going to get glasses for prescription as a year old and where am I going [42:10.560 --> 42:16.080] to you know how do I go and get her the shot she needs. She's going to sixth grade not having [42:16.080 --> 42:23.360] the health insurance not having the basic things that people take for granted being able to get [42:23.360 --> 42:30.320] their kit to the doctor. You know when they come home and say we need $5 for school there's always [42:30.320 --> 42:38.160] something and sometimes you have to say I don't have it. I just don't have it I'm sorry. [42:38.960 --> 42:45.360] Today dinner comes from the local food pantry. She cooks in her crock pot or microwave [42:45.360 --> 42:51.040] since she can't afford to repair her book and stove. Like many of the suburban poor, [42:51.040 --> 42:58.240] areavosis never thought she would need help buying food. I didn't expect to be using the food [42:58.240 --> 43:06.720] pantry especially not on a regular basis but you know I'm working and I'm not making enough money [43:06.720 --> 43:12.800] to make ends meet so it's very humbling but I swallowed my pride and I went to the people's [43:12.800 --> 43:17.520] resource center and I asked for help. Okay I have to have pumpkin right? [43:17.520 --> 43:22.320] Aravosis can fill up a shopping cart once a week at the People's Resource Center. [43:22.320 --> 43:29.520] The number of people using this food pantry in Wheaton has gone up by 200 percent in the last five [43:29.520 --> 43:35.520] years. There was a 30 percent jump in 2008 alone. Make sure all the cart handles are clean. [43:36.080 --> 43:43.120] The Resource Center's Program Director Melissa Travis says many of their clients are new to poverty. [43:43.120 --> 43:47.360] Oftentimes the first time they come they break into tears because they can't imagine that they [43:47.360 --> 43:51.600] would ever need help in the way like this. They've been people that have paid taxes. [43:51.600 --> 43:55.920] There are people that have volunteered and helped in places like this in the past and now suddenly [43:55.920 --> 44:00.400] they have to go and seek out that assistance so we give a lot of hugs. [44:01.200 --> 44:06.880] Mary Kay Hoppe could have used a hug the day she came to the food pantry. A registered nurse [44:06.880 --> 44:13.040] Hoppe has been out of work for several years. She grew up at Wheaton and enjoyed a far different [44:13.040 --> 44:19.600] lifestyle. My dad had a good job. We had the big house and the cars and all those other things [44:19.600 --> 44:25.200] you know, new wardrobe first school when that time of the year came around. I think that I'm one of [44:25.200 --> 44:33.520] the people who didn't have to go without much and yeah it's a whole flip side of that. [44:33.520 --> 44:40.000] Three months of unemployment brought Mariano Menendez and his family to the food pantry for the first time. [44:40.560 --> 44:44.800] Did you think you'd ever wind up coming to a food pantry? No, no of course not. Never. [44:44.800 --> 44:52.560] Never. I've had good jobs. I've made good income. I've never in my wildest dreams. [44:52.560 --> 44:58.960] So yeah, I'm definitely very grateful for this. It's an amazing, amazing service that [44:58.960 --> 45:04.640] they offer here. There are dramatic increase in poverty in suburban DuPage County. [45:04.640 --> 45:07.920] Mirrors the increase in poverty in suburban areas across the country. [45:08.640 --> 45:13.600] That leaves human services struggling to meet the needs in their communities. [45:13.600 --> 45:20.320] Yet federal, state and local funding still goes disproportionately to urban areas. [45:20.880 --> 45:24.800] That lack of federal and state resources to fight suburban poverty [45:24.800 --> 45:31.760] leaves existing agencies overwhelmed. All of the growth in poverty in the state of Illinois [45:31.760 --> 45:38.800] has been in the suburban area. My organization did an analysis of federal funding [45:38.800 --> 45:46.240] and some state funding and private philanthropic funding and found that the city of Chicago [45:46.240 --> 45:52.080] is getting up to four and five times more per person than DuPage County is. [45:52.640 --> 45:56.720] That is not news to Melissa Travis at the People's Resource Center. [45:56.720 --> 46:01.920] We are stretched about six weeks ago. The food pantry was as empty as I've ever seen it in six [46:01.920 --> 46:07.600] and a half years. We were trying to get through to our next delivery and just hoping that we had [46:07.600 --> 46:12.800] enough food to give everybody what they needed. It's been a devastating year in that regard. [46:12.800 --> 46:18.080] Unlike many of the newly poor who have a hard time finding the resources that are available, [46:18.080 --> 46:22.800] Katherine Herobosis has taken advantage of all the programs that the People's Resource Center. [46:23.520 --> 46:27.920] She has gotten close for herself and her kids and used the job counselors in a [46:27.920 --> 46:34.640] effort to find a full-time teaching job. But having to accept help has changed the way she thinks of [46:34.640 --> 46:39.920] herself. I always thought of myself as middle class. I had a middle class upbringing. I had middle [46:39.920 --> 46:47.920] class expectations. But the reality is that I'm not living in middle class lifestyle anymore. [46:49.520 --> 46:53.840] So no, I don't think so. I think I've fallen out as a middle class. [46:55.680 --> 46:59.600] Like many in her situation, she doesn't see much hope of things improving. [46:59.600 --> 47:07.760] And while she wants to stay in Wheaton, life in suburbia is far different than she ever imagined it would be. [47:16.160 --> 47:22.080] And finally tonight, our second story on the shifting trends in American life. This [47:22.080 --> 47:29.440] one's about the changing demographics of marriage. Ray Suarez has our conversation. For decades, [47:29.440 --> 47:35.200] the fact that a sizable majority of Americans were married shaped our politics, where we lived, [47:35.200 --> 47:40.480] where we worked, and what we thought when we heard the word family. Recently, the Pew Research [47:40.480 --> 47:47.760] Center took a look at all of us over 18 and found just 51% are married down from more than 70% [47:47.760 --> 47:53.360] in 1960. Stephanie Coants has been chronicling the changes in American marriage for a long time. [47:53.360 --> 47:57.600] She teaches history and family studies at Evergreen State College in Washington, [47:57.600 --> 48:01.520] and is director of research at the Council on Contemporary Families. [48:01.520 --> 48:07.360] Professor Coants, welcome. We moved in 50 years from almost three quarters of married adults [48:07.360 --> 48:10.960] to barely half. What happened? What's pushing those numbers? [48:12.160 --> 48:16.880] Well, one of the things that you have to bear in mind is that 1960 was probably the most [48:16.880 --> 48:23.440] eight typical year in 150 years. The age of marriage was at an all-time low, half of all women were [48:23.440 --> 48:28.720] married before they got out of their teens, and the rate of marriage was at an all-time high. [48:28.720 --> 48:33.520] So what's happened since then? Primarily what's driving this is the rise in the age of marriage. [48:33.520 --> 48:41.120] It's now up to 26 for women and 28 for men. And that's actually a good thing, because the longer [48:41.120 --> 48:46.400] a woman delays marriage, right up into early 30s, below her chances of divorce. [48:46.400 --> 48:52.080] But it does totally change the social weight of married households in our economy, our society, [48:52.080 --> 48:56.640] our politics. But not only has the age at first marriage [48:56.640 --> 49:01.280] risen, which of course, that's just math. It makes a smaller number of adults married, [49:01.280 --> 49:05.200] but the number of people who have ever been married has also declined. [49:05.200 --> 49:09.600] Has marriage moved from being sort of culturally mandatory to more optional? [49:11.200 --> 49:16.160] Well, it's definitely moved to being more optional. That does not mean though that it's not [49:16.160 --> 49:20.640] just as valued. In fact, even more valued than it used to be. And it doesn't mean that the [49:20.640 --> 49:26.880] majority of Americans will not marry. I think that probably we're going into situation where [49:26.880 --> 49:32.800] a slightly nup large number of people will never marry then in the past, maybe 15 percent [49:32.800 --> 49:39.040] as opposed to 10 percent norm and 5 percent in the eight typical 1950s. And of course, we also have [49:39.040 --> 49:44.960] some people who will live alone after divorcing. But on the other hand, people are marrying for the [49:44.960 --> 49:51.200] first time in their 40s, 50s and 60s at younger and older ages than ever before. So for me, [49:51.200 --> 49:56.320] the main thing that I think we're facing here is that you can no longer assume that married [49:56.320 --> 50:02.160] couple households are going to be the main places where people make the major life decisions, [50:02.160 --> 50:09.680] whether that's entering and becoming sexually active, buying house, entering long-term obligations, [50:09.680 --> 50:14.160] living with somebody that is a romantic partner, even having a child out of marriage. So we can no [50:14.160 --> 50:19.600] longer assume that married couple households are the only place where people incur obligations, [50:19.600 --> 50:24.720] make commitments and need help in meeting their obligations. Well, you've talked about these big [50:24.720 --> 50:30.160] life moments, but have they responded to the fact that marriage has changed in this way over the [50:30.160 --> 50:36.560] last 50 years? Our tax laws, the way we build houses, the way we award property and courts, [50:36.560 --> 50:42.720] all kinds of things are still built around marriage. Absolutely. Absolutely. Just look at work [50:42.720 --> 50:46.960] family policies that just assume that it's only married couples who are going to have children [50:47.680 --> 50:54.000] or the just ignore the fact that singles also have responsibility for aging parents. There are [50:54.000 --> 51:00.880] so many ways in which we are still acting as though American families were like 1950s sitcoms [51:01.440 --> 51:07.040] instead of the tremendous diversity. Most people will marry in America, but most people will [51:07.040 --> 51:12.480] spend substantial portions of their adult life outside marriage. It's a more fluid situation than [51:12.480 --> 51:17.040] it used to be. They'll move through. They may cohab it for a while. They may get married. They may [51:17.040 --> 51:22.320] get divorced. So these are the sorts of things that are social policy and even our emotional [51:22.320 --> 51:28.080] expectations of family life have to catch up with these changing realities. Along with the long-term [51:28.080 --> 51:34.080] trends, there are some short-term ones too. The number of newlyweds is way down. Is that going to [51:34.080 --> 51:40.560] push that 50% threshold down so that married people are a minority of American adults? [51:40.560 --> 51:46.960] It may, it may, it depends how long this recession on the aftermath of the recession last. [51:46.960 --> 51:52.800] This is a long-term trend that decline in the proportion of married couples in the population, [51:52.800 --> 51:57.520] but it's been definitely, I think, exacerbated by the recession. But on the other hand, we may [51:57.520 --> 52:02.160] see some bounce back after that as we have in previous recessions and depressions when the marriage [52:02.160 --> 52:10.160] rate fell. How is who gets married shaped by income, education, factors like that? [52:11.760 --> 52:18.320] Well, one of the things we're seeing is a tremendous class divide in the access to stable [52:18.320 --> 52:25.200] satisfying relationships, whether married or cohabiting. And the marriages of college-educated [52:25.200 --> 52:29.920] couples have been getting more and more stable. The divorce rates have been falling. But that's [52:29.920 --> 52:36.320] not so for high school dropouts and even increasingly for high school educated couples. [52:36.320 --> 52:42.320] It seems that one of the issues going on here is that we expect more of marriage than ever before, [52:42.320 --> 52:49.760] both as an economic partnership and as an emotional partnership. And as it becomes possible [52:49.760 --> 52:56.960] or less possible to count on a man having a steady job, the real wages of high school graduates [52:56.960 --> 53:02.480] today are four dollars an hour lower in constant dollars than they were back in 1970. [53:02.480 --> 53:07.200] And much more likely to experience job insecurity, much less likely to have pensions. [53:07.200 --> 53:12.800] So a woman, a low income woman making a decision about marrying such a man has to figure out, [53:12.800 --> 53:17.440] well, what are the benefits of this as compared to the possibility that we might divorce in the [53:17.440 --> 53:23.360] future or as compared to what would happen if I invested in my own education and earnings power? [53:23.360 --> 53:27.760] And so I do think we're seeing a class divide that's quite troublesome. I think that it [53:27.760 --> 53:33.200] partly reflects growing economic inequality in our society, but of course it exacerbates it as well. [53:33.840 --> 53:38.240] Stephanie Cunes, thanks for joining us. My pleasure, Ray. Thank you. [53:45.760 --> 53:50.080] And again, the major developments of the day Republican presidential candidate spent another [53:50.080 --> 53:54.800] long day hunting for votes going into the final weekend before the Iowa caucuses. [53:54.800 --> 54:00.320] Another poll showed Mitt Romney and Ron Paul atop the field. And an outpouring of protesters [54:00.320 --> 54:05.680] filled cities across Syria and government troops opened fire again. The opposition said at [54:05.680 --> 54:11.200] least 22 people were killed. And to Harry Srinivasan for what's on the news hour online, [54:11.200 --> 54:15.440] Harry? There's much more on the coming Iowa caucuses, including Gwen Eiffel's take on [54:15.440 --> 54:19.760] why the early contest matter and what some Republican voters want from the candidates. [54:19.760 --> 54:25.200] And patchwork nations look at some GOP hopefuls betting big on sparsely populated counties in [54:25.200 --> 54:29.680] Iowa, plus on the rundown view a slide show of some of the biggest news stories of 2011 in the [54:29.680 --> 54:34.560] U.S. and around the world. All that more is on our website news hour dot PBS.org Jeff. [54:35.200 --> 54:39.680] And that's the news hour for tonight. On Monday, we'll look at the fallout in Egypt after the [54:39.680 --> 54:45.840] military rated U.S. back organizations. I'm Jeffrey Brown. And I'm Jim Laira, Washington [54:45.840 --> 54:51.600] we can be seen later this evening on most PBS stations. We'll see you online and again here [54:51.600 --> 55:16.960] Monday evening have a nice new year's holiday weekend. Thank you and goodnight. [55:21.760 --> 55:33.840] Moving our economy for 160 years, BNSF, the engine net connects us. [55:35.680 --> 55:38.480] Intel, sponsors of tomorrow. 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