This Week with Christiane Amanpour - January 1, 2012

Guests:
Jake Tapper - Host
Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX)
Byron York
Neera Tanden
Craig Robinson
Matthew Dowd
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Tapper: OMG Rick Santorum is coming up from
behind to nail Mitt Romney while Michele
Bachmann brings up the rear!

Karl: Newt Gingrich will not vote for Newt Gingrich
which makes him much like the average American

Gingrich: Politics has become a very nasty
business and dammit I deserve more credit

Bachmann: My campaign chair is an idiot

Luntz: Newt will you cry for me

Newt: I can’t believe I’m losing to Rick Perry!
[ sobs ]

[ break ]

Tapper: Ron Paul you are popular but your
critics say you are crazy and unelectable

Paul: my critics are ignorant
whippersnappers dagnabit

Tapper: you are against two of my favorite wars

Paul: I will cut a trillion dollars from the budget

Tapper: criminy

Paul: I have support from Democrats,
independents and assorted weirdoes
who love liberty

Tapper: did you actually write the Ron Paul
Newsletter?

Paul: I wrote all the good stuff but none
of the bad stuff

Tapper: who wrote the racist stuff?

Paul: who can say - probably some racist

Tapper: I see

Paul: Hey I’m against the drug war, death
penalty, useless wars and the court system

Tapper: Do you think the 9/11 attacks were
done by the CIA

Paul: No you blockhead

Tapper: you couldn’t manage a newsletter
with nine people on it?

Paul: Hundreds of people worked on the
Ron Paul newsletter!

Tapper: ah

Paul: the important thing is all the non-racist
things I have often said

Tapper: good luck doc

[ break ]

Tapper: Michele you won the Iowa straw poll and
now no one likes you - what went wrong?

Bachmann: what happened is I have traveled to
all 99 counties in Iowa and met people in person

Tapper: and your poll numbers plummeted

Bachmann: I have literally gone from town to town
looking for supporters

Tapper: have you found any?

Bachmann: no but I will keep looking

Tapper: Rick Santorum is a lot like you but smart

Bachmann: yes but I sit on the House
Intelligence Committee

Tapper: that is amazing

Bachmann: I am the IRS candidate

Tapper: really

Bachmann: I also refused to pay the bills
Republicans ran up when Bush was President

Tapper: that’s hard core

Bachmann: I also hate gay people even more
than Rick Santorum

Tapper: with all due respect I find
that hard to believe

Bachmann: I have 23 foster children

Tapper: will they vote for you?

Bachmann: I’m not looking at my rear view
mirror for Santorum

Tapper: you’re in last place

Bachmann: I am number one in enthusiasm!

Tapper: will your drop out after Iowa?

Bachmann: I am just like Margaret Thatcher

Tapper: how so?

Bachmann: she also was never elected
President of the United States

Tapper: Good luck Michele

[ break ]

Tapper: Romney leads and Ron Paul is right behind

York: Santorum may rise and make a splash

Tanden: Romney does not mind
Santorum coming up behind him

Robinson: Santorum has come up from
the back

Dowd: Santorum will not maintain his stickiness

Tapper: I see

Tanden: Romney will be the least popular
winner ever

York: negative ads work - who knew?

Robinson: Romney is a flip-flopper but
don’t tell anyone

York: the conservatives are all attacking
each other which will end up nominating Mitt

Tanden: Newt Gingrich has picked the wrong
time not to be an asshole

Tapper: he’s going to draw a contrast by
accusing Rick Santorum of murdering
Susan Smith’s children

York: Gingrich pretending to be statesmen
was great until Romney reminded people
what a dick he is

Robinson: well it’s too late now

Tapper: poor Newt
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