Manchester NH -— With the future of his campaign in question, Herman Cain did not rule out leaving the race, saying once again he will “reassess and reevaluate” the impact of recent events on his family, his campaign strategy and fundraising for “another few days.” Cain indicated he will make his final decision on the campaign when he sees his wife face-to-face this Friday.

“There’s some people who thought that I was finished but I’m going to leave it with Yogi Berra’s comment, ‘It ain’t over ‘til it’s over!’ And it ain’t over yet,” Cain bellowed to volunteers into his tightly-packed New Hampshire headquarters on Wednesday evening.

Yet just minutes later at a press conference, Cain did not explicitly rule out dropping out of the race for the GOP nomination, calling the accusations against him “character assassinations.” Cain has been accused by four women of inappropriate sexual misconduct. Ginger White is the fifth to come forward.

“We are going to reevaluate,” Cain said, after a one-day bus tour in Ohio today. “We had a strategy up until last weekend, we might reprioritize.”

Cain admitted he has not yet spoken to his wife Gloria face-to-face about the most recent allegations of a 13-year extramarital affair by Georgia-based Ginger White. Cain said he has spoken to his wife by phone.

“I have discussed this with my wife many times since Monday,” he told reporters. “She’s doing great.”

Cain also plans to discuss the future of the campaign with her when he returns home to Atlanta on Friday. As of now, the Georgia businessman plans to unveil the third pillar of his major policies, his energy plan, but did say much depended on his conversation with his wife this weekend.

In the aftermath of the allegation by White, Cain also conceded that cash flow to the campaign has slowed down significantly.

“A few of our warm weather supporters have gotten off the Cain train,” he told voters, before quickly adding that fundraising in the last few days is “picking up.”

The former pizza magnate also emphasized that this reassessment was “not a knee-jerk” reaction to the recent sexual allegations against him. However, he declined to comment on how this recent spate of news has caused his campaign to publicly reevaluate his position in the GOP race for the first time since entering.

Cain continues his New Hampshire visit tomorrow afternoon with a meeting with the Union Leader newspaper editorial team, despite the fact they endorsed Newt Gingrich on Sunday. It will be broadcast C-SPAN.

Charles Dharapak / AP

The White House Christmas Tree is seen during a press preview, Wednesday Nov. 30, 2011, in the Blue Room of the White House in Washington.

Charles Dharapak / AP

First lady Michelle Obama, and White House pastry chef Bill Yosses, left, join children from military families as they decorate cookies at the White House on Wednesday.

Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images

The Gold Star Families Tree stands in the East Landing at the White House. The tree pays tribute to military service men and women who gave their lives to the nation and to their families, who can inscribe a ceramic gold star to decorate the tree.

Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images

A replica of the White House made from 400-pounds of gingerbread, white chocolate and marzipan is on display in the State Dining Room on Wednesday.

AP reports:

Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images

Small reproduction of the first family's dog, Bo, made from buttons stands on a table in The Red Room of the White House.

First lady Michelle Obama welcomed military families to the first viewing of the 2011 decorations on Wednesday. "Shine, Give, Share" is the theme for the Obama family's third Christmas in the mansion. The theme translates throughout the public viewing space from gold foil leaf trimming to shiny quartz ornaments.

Several decorations honor military families including a Gold Star Families Tree with ceramic gold ornaments carrying personalized messages by families. Tour visitors can also create handwritten notes for the troops.

The usual centerpiece of Christmas at the White House is the official tree, an 18½-feet tall balsam fir in the Blue Room. The tree is decorated with holiday cards created by military children, medals, badges and patches from all the military branches.

Full story here.

Previously on PhotoBlog: Obamas give White House Christmas tree the thumbs-up.

Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images

Handcrafted tabletop trees made from recycled aluminum decorate The Green Room of the White House.

Follow @msnbc_pictures

ORLANDO -- Jokingly introduced as the "shy and retiring" Chris Christie by Republican Governor's Association chairman Bob McDonnell, the New Jersey governor and prominent Mitt Romney endorser once again showed he was anything but -- slamming President Obama and defending the man he is supporting for the Republican presidential nomination.

"Every time there was an opportunity to provide real leadership where the things would be difficult to do, where it's not a guaranteed layup or a guaranteed photo op, he walks," Christie said of the president. "Real leadership is not what you see in the White house right now. As I've said before, I think it’s a sad day in our country's history to see a bystander in the Oval Office, and that's what we have."

Christie was among 27 Republican governors to attend the RGA's meeting here this week, but his position as perhaps Mitt Romney's most prominent supporter -- and one of only a handful of governors to endorse any presidential candidate -- made him the center of attention today.

"He's the one guy who has performed consistently," Christie said, when asked about a perceived lack of enthusiasm in the GOP base for his favored candidate. "If you define enthusiasm as being at 30% one day and 8% two weeks later. I call that schizophrenia, not enthusiasm. What Gov. Romney has shown over time is that he has a strong and steady core of supporters. I believe that that type of steadiness and that type of consistency is going to lead to him being our party's nominee."

The New Jersey governor, who briefly considered making his own run for the White House, weighed in on several strategic elements of Romney's campaign, including how the former Massachusetts governor should deal with the surging Newt Gingrich. His advice? Don't engage.

"If Gov. Romney engaged every person who had a temporary rise in the polls, that's all he'd be doing," Christie said. "Gov. Romney's job is to lay out his hopeful, optimistic vision for the future of this country and his critique of the last four years, not to engage every person who has, like I said, a temporary rise in the polls."

The outspoken Christie also took a question from a reporter about Romney's demonstrated preference for not taking questions from reporters.

"Everybody has got their own style, and I certainly am not going to try to make anybody something that they're not. Because if they acted that way, it wouldn't come across legitimate or genuine. I am who I am. People ask me questions and I try to answer then as directly and as quickly as possible, and I just think that's the better way to go when you're in public life," Christie said. "Because if you avoid the questions, they're eventually going to catch up to you anyway, so why not answer them and get them out of the way and move on to what you want to talk about."

Despite the vast majority of Republican governors attending this event remaining unaligned in the presidential race thus far, Christie said he was not actively recruiting new endorsers for the Romney campaign.

"I think my role as an endorser is to help Governor Romney in whatever way he asks me to. I'm not sitting around, you know, as a recruiter. I've got other things to do. I'm the vice chairman of this organization." Christie said. "Everybody knows that I'm with Mitt and if in fact they have some questions they'd like to get clarification on or encouragement, it's not like I'm not visible around here. They can talk to me, but I'm not sitting here with my Mitt button on trying to bring everybody into the fold."

Christie did disclose one of those things Gov. Romney asked him to do -- he'll be campaigning in Iowa on Romney's behalf next week, yet another sign that Romney is playing to win in the Hawkeye State.

So where does Mitt Romney stand on illegal immigration?

While he has positioned himself to the right of his GOP rivals -- in 2008 and now -- an interview he gave to FOX yesterday raised questions about his views, with some even now comparing his words to the language used by supporters of comprehensive immigration reform.

"Truth is, deciphering Romney's statements is a little like reading hieroglyphics," said Frank Sharry, executive director of America's Voice, a pro-immigration reform group. "It may even be sound bites without a policy basis."

Here is what Romney said yesterday:

Romney: “Those people that are here illegally today should have the opportunity to register and to have their status identified. And those individuals should get in line with everyone else that’s in line legally. They should not be placed ahead of the line. They should instead go at the back of the line. And they should not be allowed to stay in this country and be given permanent residency or citizenship merely because they’ve come here illegally.”

Baier: Isn't that what Gingrich is saying?

Romney: “My view’s pretty straightforward: For those people who’ve come here illegally, they should have the opportunity to get in line with everybody else who wants come into this country. But they go to the back of the line. And they should be given no special pathway to citizenship or permanent residency merely because they’ve come here illegally.”

Later, Romney said, “The right course: Secure the border and then we can determine what’s the right way we can deal with the 11 million [illegal immigrants]. And to make it as clear as I possibly can: Let those people apply just like everybody else that wants to come to this country. But they have to apply at the back of the line as opposed to jumping into the front because they’ve come here illegally.”

What's striking to some supporters of comprehensive immigration reform is Romney saying that illegal immigrants must "apply at the back of the line," or that they must "get in line with everyone else that's in line legally." The reason: Advocates of comprehensive immigration reform maintain that illegal immigrants must pay back taxes, learn English, not have a criminal record, and go to the back of the line before obtaining legal status in the United States.

As President Obama said at his town hall at Facebook headquarters back in April, "I think most Americans feel there should be an orderly process to do it. People shouldn't just be coming here and cutting in front of the line essentially and staying without having gone through the proper channels."

So one advocate of comprehensive immigration reform tells First Read that Romney's line -- "For those people who’ve come here illegally, they should have the opportunity to get in line with everybody else who wants come into this country. But they got to the back of the line" -- is consistent with what they're calling for.

"He was for comprehensive immigration reform before he was against it," this advocate says, referring to past statements Romney made in 2006 and 2007 that appeared to endorse this reform. "And now he's trying to get back there."

Eliseo Medina, the SEIU's secretary-treasurer, piles on: "With the Latino vote up for grabs and with pressure from his GOP rival, Romney's wavering position on immigration is being forced out of the shadows sooner than he expected."

But Mark Krikorian, the executive director of the Center for Immigration Studies, which opposes comprehensive immigration reform, believes that Romney's "back of the line" remark means that illegal immigrants must return to their home countries first. That's different, he says, than "the deceptive use of 'back of the line' used by amnesty advocates, where the illegals would get some sort of provisional legal status to stay in the U.S."

Sharry adds that Romney's stance -- according to yesterday FOX interview, as well as other statements -- "seems to be that the 11 million should go home, get in line, apply and be given no special pathway." In other words, it isn't a pro-comprehensive-immigration-reform view. (A Romney aide says to First Read that a "special pathway" refers to any advantage or privilege over those who are waiting in line by virtue of their having come to the United States illegally.)

Indeed, Romney seemed to tell Tim Russert on "Meet the Press" back in late 2007 that illegal immigrants should return to their home countries before obtaining legal status. "Well, whether they go home--they should go home eventually. There's a set per--in my view they should be--they should have a set period during which period they, they sign up for application for permanent residency or, or for citizenship. But there's a set period where upon they should return home. And if they've been approved for citizenship or for a permanent residency, well, they would be a different matter. But for the great majority, they'll be going home."

Romney also said in that "Meet the Press" interview: "My own view is consistent with what you saw in the Lowell Sun, that those people who had come here illegally and are in this country--the 12 million or so that are here illegally--should be able to stay sign up for permanent residency or citizenship, but they should not be given a special pathway, a special guarantee that all of them get to say here for the rest of their lives merely by virtue of having come here illegally."

Is that clear?

This is the latest installment in an occasional First Read series looking at the candidates’ financial disclosures.

For the surging Newt Gingrich, his campaign and business interests are intertwined -- and he keeps it all in the family.

A First Read analysis of his financial disclosure finds Gingrich has made millions from companies that bear his name, which his wife and daughter are integral in running, including one that produces documentaries and books Gingrich promotes on the campaign trail. A second source of income is from a talent agency run by his daughter, who plays a key role in his campaign.

But the way Gingrich lists his income raises questions of transparency. Most of Gingrich’s income -- about $2.5 million -- in the year-and-a-half reporting period is listed as coming from Gingrich Productions, the arm of Newt, Inc., that makes the books and movies and where he was a director until he launched his campaign. His wife Callista is the CEO. (The films are produced in partnership with Citizens United -- the same Citizens United that won the landmark Supreme Court case last year that critics contend has opened the floodgates to unchecked money in politics in the form of Super PACs.)

But Gingrich’s campaign says it’s not accurate to say he got the money from “Gingrich Productions” alone. Before he ran for president, Gingrich spokesman R.C. Hammond said, Gingrich combined “Gingrich Productions” and “Gingrich Communications.” Any speaking fees, Gingrich’s FOX contract, and some advisory boards he served on, for example, were paid to “Gingrich Communications” and not to Gingrich directly, Hammond said.

Gingrich told the AP today that he didn’t need to be a lobbyist, because he made $60,000 a speech. But the speeches, the FOX contract, and the boards are not itemized, so there’s no way to tell from the disclosure how much money he made from each or if he made money from anywhere else.

“Obviously, it’s not transparent,” said Bill Allison, editorial director at the Sunlight Foundation, a transparency watchdog. He added, “It probably doesn’t violate the letter of the law, but it definitely violates the spirit of the law, which is to allow the public to understand who is providing a candidate with income and who he has economic ties to. He should be disclosing what he’s getting from these different companies and these different organizations, and that’s the purpose of this disclosure -- to see if he has a particular conflict of interest.”

Gingrich, who made most of his money after he left Congress, is worth between $7.1 million and $31 million, according to a tally of his assets and liabilities. He made between $2.6 million and $2.8 million in the reporting period (from 2010 through July 2011 when he filed the disclosure).

Gingrich and his wife have held at least nine book signings and screenings this month and at least 19 since July, according to a review of the campaign’s daily schedules. Hammond defended Gingrich’s promotional efforts while he is campaigning.

“What should we do then?” he asked. “Should we remove him from all this stuff? The rules are set up; the rules are being followed. … There are rules on this, it's very clearly outlined, and we follow those rules.”

Hammond also points out, correctly, that rivals Michele Bachmann and Herman Cain also hold book signings on the trail. During Cain’s surge in October, he eschewed the traditional early nominating states and went on a seven-stop book tour that was mixed with campaign events. And since her book was released Nov. 21, Bachmann has held at least a dozen book signings, also mixed in with campaign stops.

“What is the difference then with what Michele Bachmann does and Herman Cain and Hillary Clinton when she was First Lady?” Hammond said. He added that President Obama has made millions in royalties from his memoirs since he became president. And “Newt’s books aren’t all about him,” he said. “They're about the country.”

Obama hasn’t mixed book signings with presidential events, but he, too, mixed politics and book promotion back in 2006, when he was a senator and looked like he might become a presidential candidate. (Examples here and here.)

Obama, however, has also released his tax returns, something Gingrich and the other GOP candidates have, so far, declined to do.

“There’s historically been several candidates who ran more as a matter of self promotion than for a serious candidacy,” said Allison, who is also a former journalist and who helped with a book while at the Center for Public Integrity called, “The Buying of the Congress,” published in 1998 and which included a chapter on Gingrich. “There are people who cash in on the campaigns. The knock on Gingrich was that he would show up in Iowa every four years with a book to promote.”

Allison also notes that Gingrich does something “a little more brazen.” Most candidates say, if you want to know their policy, go to their website. Gingrich, on the other hand, says, “If you want to understand my policy, here’s where you can get it” -- in a book he’s written -- “and you have to pay for it. It’s a very unusual thing for a candidate to do, and there’s a question of some for-profit motive.”

Gingrich’s spokesman, though, says the former House speaker’s run for president isn’t about money.

“Newt is very committed to the race,” Hammond said. “The reason they chose to continue screening documentaries and talking about their books is because they share the values about what Newt and Callista believe. They demonstrate their understanding of our history, of our culture, and our people. This is one way they’re demonstrating to Americans how they understand our world and our country and where we're going in the future.”

Gingrich’s second-largest single listed source of income was about $72,000 -- from The Lubbers Agency. A Lexis-Nexis business records search finds that the CEO of the company is Kathy Lubbers, or Kathy Gingrich Lubbers, Gingrich’s daughter -- who was president of Gingrich Communications and is a senior adviser to his campaign.

Gingrich lists five groups that bear his name on his financial disclosure -- “The Gingrich Group, LLC,” where he was chairman until May; “Gingrich Communications, Inc,” where he was a director until May; “Gingrich Holdings,” where he was a director until May; “Gingrich Productions;” and “The Gingrich Foundation,” a charity foundation, where he is a board member.

He also lists a promissory note from “Gingrich Group, LLC” as being worth between $5 million and $25 million. And his stake in “Gingrich Productions” is listed as being between $500,000 and $1 million.

Most of the rest of Gingrich’s money is tied up in investment funds and bank accounts. But he did make between $5,001 and $15,000 from a rental house in Whitehall, WI; $15,000 from the John Locke Foundation; and $4,000 from the American Family Association; as well as income from dividends and interest.

As far as liabilities go, he lists (of course) that $500,000 to $1 million line of credit at Tiffany (which is marked as closed and paid in full); as well as $50,000 to $100,000 to American Express; and a $15,001 to $50,000 Wells Fargo mortgage for his rental property.

Gingrich lists that he was an advisory board member of Fleishman Hillard, a P.R. firm, for a decade from 2000 to May 2011, but he doesn’t list any salary. His campaign says it was likely included in payments to “Gingrich Communications.” Gingrich also reports no income or salary from -- but lists himself as holding positions with -- Healthtrio Centennial (advisory board, January to present); American Enterprise Institute, the conservative think tank (fellow, 1999 to May 2010); and GE Healthymagination (advisory board, 2009 to May 2011). GE is a minority owner of NBC Universal.

Some other business interests he has some stake in: FLC XXXII 24-Hour Fitness, AT&T, Blackboard, Corning, Discovery Communications, Hewlett-Packard, Quaker Chemical, Raytheon, Walgreen’s, Campbell’s Soup, and Dr. Pepper Snapple Group, among others.

New Hampshire Union Leader publisher Joe McQuaid said Monday on FOX that the paper endorsed Gingrich, in part, because he can appeal to regular voters, more so than Mitt Romney.

“I think it's going to be Obama's 99 percent versus the 1 percent,” McQuaid said, “and Romney sort of represents the 1 percent."

Romney is certainly easy to caricature as the 1 percent -- a scion corporate executive with a net worth estimated to be between $190 million and $250 million. But, according to the IRS, the top 1 percent of income earners in 2010 are those households with an adjusted gross income of $380,354.

By that measure, Gingrich is certainly a member.

GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Newt Gingrich pushed back this morning on recent criticisms of his record from Mitt Romney and Michele Bachmann after finding himself in his opponents' crosshairs as of late.

Gingrich declined to respond to the former Massachusetts governor's criticism of Gingrich as a "life-long politician." The former House Speaker told a group of reporters that he prefers to think of himself as a "lifetime citizen" instead.

Gingrich also said Bachmann was “technically correct” when she told the Greenville News this morning that he was the “grandfather” of the individual health care mandate, which he advocated at the conservative Heritage Foundation think tank, though he said he later came to oppose it.

"I’ve said all along that when we were fighting Hillary Clinton and Hillarycare, the Heritage Foundation and virtually the entire conservative movement thought the mandate was better than Hillarycare," he said at Tommy’s Ham House, where the town hall was held. "Nobody’s disputed that. Nobody has said it wasn’t factually accurate. So I commend her for being actually technically correct."

Gingrich also addressed a key period during his tenure on Capitol Hill: the 1995 budget impasse that led to a government shutdown. 

"We stopped it twice when we were fighting Clinton but we did it very carefully. We paid Social Security, we paid the military, we paid air traffic controllers, we paid the FBI," Gingrich said, answering an attendee’s question about whether he would be able to keep the government going.

He asserted that during the budget negotiations, "Clinton and I understood how to fight in a way that was mature and confused the Washington press corps."

But during the 1995 dispute, Gingrich reportedly said a "snub" aboard Air Force One, during which he sat at the back of the plane during a 25-hour flight to Israel, contributed to the standoff.

According to a CNN report from Nov. 16th, 1995, Gingrich said, "You've been on the plane for 25 hours and nobody has talked to you and they ask you to get off the plane by the back ramp ... You just wonder, where is their sense of manners? Where is their sense of courtesy?"

The report continued: "That 'snub,' the Georgia Republican said, was part of why you ended up with us sending down a tougher continuing resolution -- the stopgap spending bill that Clinton vetoed Monday. That veto led to the partial shutdown of the federal government, now in its third day."

NBC News Chief Foreign Affairs Correspondent  Andrea Mitchell hosts an all political hour from 1 p.m. ET to 2 p.m. ET, Monday — Friday on msnbc. Join us to chat with her live beginning at 2:15 p.m. ET.

Romney hits Gingrich in interview… And he also gets snippy/testy, which could explain why he’s the favorite but still not the front-runner… Bottom line: Romney has a difficult time reconciling his past positions with where the GOP is today… Obama heads to Scranton, PA (Dwight Schrute country) to deliver speech at 2:45 pm ET… Cain’s death spiral… And Newt’s non-lobbying and his past paid speeches.

*** Romney vs. Gingrich: Five weeks out before the Iowa caucuses, Mitt Romney yesterday took a shot at the GOP candidate who has been rising in the polls: Newt Gingrich. It’s the latest sign that the Republican presidential contest might actually be turning into a two-man race (though we also remember what happened back in September when it was a two-person contest between Romney and Rick Perry). “Speaker Gingrich is a good man. He and I have very different backgrounds,” Romney said in an interview with FOX’s Bret Baier yesterday. “He spent his last 30 or 40 years in Washington. I spent mine in the private sector.” Translation: Gingrich is a Washington insider and Romney is not. The former Massachusetts governor also said in the interview that Gingrich’s immigration views -- allowing illegal immigrants who have lived in the United States for 20-plus years to gain permanent residency -- amounted to “amnesty.” This was after Gingrich said that calling his immigration stance “amnesty” is an “Obama-level quality statement.” And Gingrich added that anyone who called his stance amnesty should not be a candidate for president. Folks, this could get testy.

*** Getting snippy with it: Yet perhaps the most revealing part of Romney’s FOX interview was his tone, especially when he was challenged on flip-flopping on key issues or on his Massachusetts health-care law. The New York Times called his responses “snippy,” while the Miami Herald said he was “icily peevish.” When FOX’s Baier noted that Romney had changed his positions on climate change, abortion, immigration, and gay rights, the GOP candidate responded, “Your list is just not accurate. One, we’re going to have to be better informed about my views on issues.” And when Baier asked him about Massachusetts’ health-care mandate, Romney replied, “Bret, I don't know many hundred times I've said this, too. This is an unusual interview. All right, let's do it again,” he said sarcastically before adding: “Absolutely what we did for Massachusetts was right for Massachusetts.”

*** Explaining why Romney is the favorite but still not the front-runner: If you want to understand why Mitt Romney is the favorite to win the GOP presidential race but is not the front-runner, just watch the interview. That’s why he hasn’t put this contest away, at least not yet. He is having a very difficult time dealing with how some of his previous positions -- like on health care -- that are inconsistent with where the Republican Party is today. Also, we now know why he has been avoiding these kind of one-on-one interviews. And given how yesterday went, we’re guessing securing one-on-one interviews with Romney on Sunday shows or with national reporters is going to get harder before it gets easier?

*** Disciplined vs. over-disciplined: Here’s one more point about the FOX interview: Mitt Romney's biggest improvement from his presidential bid four years ago has been his discipline -- he's going to talk about the economy and President Obama, and stick to those topics. In fact, his discipline is what has separated him from Herman Cain, Newt Gingrich, and Rick Perry. But is there a point when a candidate becomes over-disciplined? Indeed, nearly every time Romney has been challenged on a topic other than the economy and President Obama (like his own record or debate protocol), it appears to get under his skin. But if there’s anything we’ve learned about the U.S. presidency over the past 10 years, it’s that a president often doesn’t get to focus on the issues he wants to. Just when you’re planning to push for immigration reform, an event like 9/11 happens. Or when you want to talk about the economy, there’s a major oil spill in the Gulf Coast.

*** Getting snippy with it, Part 2: But Romney’s FOX interview wasn’t his only testy moment of the day. After reporters following him in Florida tried to ask him several questions, Romney responded: "Guys we have press avails and press conferences almost every day, and that's when I answer the questions. When I'm meeting people it’s not a good time to answer questions that are important. They're important and they require good attention and a thorough answer." But as NBC’s Garrett Haake points out, Romney doesn’t hold press avails and press conferences “almost every day.” In fact, he has held just six avails in the past two months (Oct. 11 in Lebanon, NH; Oct. 22 in Manchester, NH; Oct. 26 in Fairfax, VA; Nov. 11 in Mauldin, SC; Nov. 19 in Nashua, NH; and Nov. 23 in Des Moines, IA).

Here's an earlier look at Romney's temperment through this campaign:

*** Obama visits Dwight Schrute country: At 2:45 pm ET, President Obama delivers remarks from Scranton, PA, where he will push Congress to extend the federal payroll-tax cut. Interestingly, Obama’s push on the payroll-tax cut comes as Republicans have indicated en masse yesterday that they’re in favor of extending the tax break. The big question, of course, is how to pay for it. Tied to Obama’s trip to Scranton, the Republican National Committee is up with a web ad that hits the president by using his own words from a 2008 trip to the Pennsylvania city. And a Romney spokesman has fired off this statement: “President Obama told Pennsylvanians they would be better off under his leadership, and they will hold him accountable for his failed economic record.”  As for the GOP idea to “pay for,” the Wall Street Journal is reporting today that a few ideas being talked about include raising some airport fees or selling more spectrum.

*** Cain’s death spiral: By now, you know that Herman Cain’s presidential campaign is in a death spiral, especially after Cain admitted to his senior aides that he is “reassessing” the state of the campaign. But here’s a question we have: What does Cain have to gain by getting out of the GOP presidential race? A future political career? A vice-presidential nomination? You could make the case that by staying in the race – and having some positive debate performances down the stretch – Cain could return to the candidate he was back in August (that is, someone who’s on the stage, who can deliver some memorable lines and is likeable, but who isn’t a threat to win in Iowa or anywhere else).

*** Newt’s non-lobbying and his paid speeches: The New York Times is up with a front-page story that only buttresses Romney’s contention that Newt Gingrich is a Washington insider. “Newt Gingrich is adamant that he is not a lobbyist, but rather a visionary who traffics in ideas, not influence. But in the eight years since he started his health care consultancy, he has made millions of dollars while helping companies promote their services and gain access to state and federal officials. In a variety of instances, documents and interviews show, Mr. Gingrich arranged meetings between executives and officials, and salted his presentations to lawmakers with pitches for his clients, who pay as much as $200,000 a year to belong to his Center for Health Transformation.” And don’t miss Newt’s explanation why he wasn’t a registered lobbyist – because he made so money already giving paid speeches. “I did no lobbying of any kind — period,’’ Gingrich said yesterday, per the AP. “I’m going to be really direct, OK? I was charging $60,000 a speech. And the number of speeches was going up, not down. Normally, celebrities leave and they gradually sell fewer speeches every year. We were selling more.’’ Wow. Gingrich referred to himself as a celebrity? What would the McCain ad team had done with that line in 2008?

*** On the 2012 trail: Perry and Huntsman are in New Hampshire… Newt Gingrich remains in South Carolina… Bachmann campaigns in Iowa… And Herman Cain holds rallies in Ohio.

*** Wednesday’s “Daily Rundown” line-up: Gov. Haley Barbour (R-MS) from the RGA meeting in Orlando… White House Press Secretary Jay Carney on the payroll tax cut fight… The latest on the British embassy being stormed in Tehran with NBC’s Ali Arouzi and Secretary Clinton’s trip to Myanmar with NBC’s Kristen Welker… More on GOP 2012 with the New York Times’ Helene Cooper, National Journal’s Reid Wilson, and former Obama White House Deputy Communications Director Jen Psaki.

*** Wednesday’s “Jansing & Co.” line-up: MSNBC’s Chris Jansing interviews Politico’s Ben White, New York Times’ Charles Blow, Steve Forbes, and Dem Rep. Loretta Sanchez.

*** Wednesday’s “MSNBC Live with Thomas Roberts” line-up: MSNBC’S Thomas Roberts interviews Politico’s Jim Vandehei on Herman Cain’s Campaign, as well as former RNC Chair Michael Steele and  former  Gov. Ed Rendell.

*** Wednesday’s “NOW with Alex Wagner” line-up: Alex Wagner’s guests include The Nation’s Ari Melber, Politico’s Ben Smith, Comcast DC Bureau Chief Robert Traynham, and The Grio’s Joy-Ann Reid.

*** Wednesday’s “Andrea Mitchell Reports” line-up: NBC’s Andrea Mitchell interviews Reps. Chris Van Hollen (D) and Paul Ryan (R), the Washington Post’s Chris Cillizza, Family Research Council President Tony Perkins, Politico’s Mike Allen, and NBC’s Stephanie Gosk.

*** Wednesday’s “News Nation with Tamron Hall”: MSNBC’s Tamron Hall interviews Phil Musser, Peter Mirijanian, and Michael Smerconish, as well as the Wall Street Journal’s Brody Mullins.

Countdown to Iowa caucuses: 34 days
Countdown to New Hampshire primary: 41 days
Countdown to South Carolina primary: 52 days
Countdown to Florida primary: 62 days
Countdown to Nevada caucuses: 66 days
Countdown to Super Tuesday: 97 days
Countdown to Election Day: 344 days

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Last updated at 4:33 p.m.

SCRANTON, Pa. -- On the attack, President Barack Obama warned Wednesday of a "massive blow to the economy" if Republicans oppose him over extending a payroll tax cut, as he campaigned for more money in the pockets of U.S. workers — and in his campaign treasury.

Obama pressed his case at a campaign-style rally in working-class Scranton, Pa., where he said Republicans had to choose between lower taxes for the wealthy, or a payroll tax cut that would help working Americans.

"Are you going to cut taxes for the middle class and those who are trying to get into the middle class or are you going to protect massive tax breaks for millionaires and billionaires?" he said. "Are you going to ask a few hundred thousand people who have done very, very well to do their fair share, or are you going to raise taxes for hundreds of millions of people across the country?"

"We need to get wealthy Americans to pay their fair share," the president said.

Obama was traveling later Wednesday to donor-rich New York City to raise money for his already flush re-election bid, in a day illustrating the dual policy and political demands on the president as the 2012 campaign season nears.

Recommended: Gingrich previews his general election fight against Obama 

Meanwhile on Capitol Hill, Republicans indicated they were prepared to extend the temporary payroll tax cut, but said any extension must be paid for with savings from elsewhere in the budget, even as they opposed Democrats' plan to pay for it by taxing incomes over $1 million. That set up a showdown over how to find mutually acceptable savings before any extension could become law.

The full payroll tax of 6.2 percent would be restored if Congress does not act by year's end, increasing taxes on 160 million Americans.

"If Congress doesn't act to extend this tax cut then most of you, the typical middle-class family, is going to see your taxes go up by $1,000 at the worst possible time," Obama said.

Obama was welcomed warmly by a crowd of nearly 2,000 in the Scranton High School gym. At one point the president said that Republicans have sworn an oath not to raise taxes, prompting one man in the crowd to yell loudly: "Give us some names!"

In making a case for the consequences of letting the tax cut lapse, Obama offered a bleak assessment, telling his audience: "It would be tough for you. It would also be a massive blow for the economy because we're not fully out of the recession yet."

Technically, though, the recession ended in June 2009, according to the National Bureau of Economic Research, the nonprofit group that determines the beginning and end of recessions. The downturn began in December 2007 and was the longest and deepest since World War II, costing the country about 7.5 million jobs.

The recovery has been unusually weak, but the economy is growing again. It expanded 2 percent in the July-September quarter.

In selecting Scranton to make his appeal, Obama ventured to the birthplace of Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Bob Casey, the Pennsylvania Democrat who is the author of the payroll tax cut plan expected to come up for a vote in the Senate later this week.

Before making remarks, Obama sought to put a face on the beneficiaries of the payroll tax cut by stopping at the home of third-grade teacher Patrick Festa and his wife Donna, a graphic designer, in working-class South Scranton. The three chatted in the family's Christmas-decorated dining room, Obama inquiring about their work and their two high school-aged children.

Obama won Pennsylvania with 54 percent of the vote in 2008, but the fragile economy could put the state in play in 2012. Its proximity to Washington and its political importance have made it a favorite stopping place for Obama and Biden. The trip comes as Obama steps up his re-election campaign, rolling out two ads that call on supporters to begin to mobilize.

White House press secretary Jay Carney, while conceding that the re-election effort is under way, played down politics as a factor in Obama's Scranton visit.

"It's part of his responsibility, serving the American people, to get out and be among them and to speak with them about his agenda or her agenda," he said.

In New York, Obama was to attend three fundraisers: one at the home of businessman Jack Rosen, chairman of the American Jewish Congress, where tickets begin at $10,000; one at the Greenwich Village restaurant Gotham Bar and Grill at $35,800 per ticket; and a reception at the Sheraton Hotel, where tickets begin at $1,000. The money will be split between the Democratic National Committee and the Obama re-election campaign.

Obama also was scheduled to attend a reception celebrating progress on gay rights and the six-month anniversary of New York's approval of gay marriage. Obama has been supportive of gay and lesbian causes but has stopped short of declaring support for gay marriage.

NEWBERRY, S.C. – Newt Gingrich made President Obama his only target in a town hall here tonight, describing what he believes would be a brutal general election fight against the president.  

“In January 2012, Gingrich-Obama campaign will come down to two questions: Can you endure the pain of four more years of radical incompetence, which would be my argument, and, can I survive the weight of negativity, smears, assaults and lies that they’re going to throw?” Gingrich said.

Speaking to a packed Newberry Opera House after a fundraising barbecue for the South Carolina Republican Party, Gingrich added that the Obama campaign is already attacking Republican candidates because the president can’t highlight his first-term record.

“Watch their first ambushes against Romney and ask yourselves this question: Why would a president of the United States run an attack ad in November before there’s even a Republican nominee? It’s because they’ve got nothing positive to say about three and a half years of failure.”

While the Democratic National Committee and pro-Obama Super-PAC Priorities USA (run by former Obama administration officials) have already begun to attack Mitt Romney, the Obama campaign itself has not, releasing its first ad, a direct appeal to voters from the president, today. 

Gingrich dared Obama to run a strictly positive campaign, saying it would greatly reduce his re-election chances, although Gingrich seemed uninterested in doing so himself, referring to the president as a “Saul Alinsky radical” at least three times during the town hall.

The twenty-year congressman and former House speaker’s criticism of Washington was not limited to the president, as he also slammed members of Congress for making insider trades, saying newly-elected members should have to keep their assets in blind trusts.

“It is so clear that they have so much power that there is no way to build trust in an environment where they can make money out of what they’re doing,” Gingrich said.

He also suggested that Congress’ record-low approval ratings are a threat to the country. “You can’t sustain freedom in a country where that level of contempt exists for one of the key institutions of self-government.”

Gingrich also criticized inside-the-Beltway political consultants, suggesting former President George W. Bush’s team could have had a bigger win in the 2004 re-election campaign if they had listened to Gingrich’s advice.

“In the summer of 2004 I wrote a paper for the Bush campaign arguing that [Democratic nominee John] Kerry was vulnerable to a catastrophic defeat,” Gingrich said, noting Kerry’s liberal voting record. “And I couldn’t get the consultants to agree to run a campaign based on ideas,” he added in remarks reminiscent of those he made after former campaign staffers resigned en masse in June.

“My campaign consultants understood 30-second attack ads,” Gingrich said on Fox and Friends on June 15th. “They didn’t understand you could actually write a book with big ideas and actually campaign talking about big ideas.”

Absent from his remarks tonight was any real criticism of Mitt Romney, although Gingrich generated attention for saying he is “a lot more conservative than Mitt Romney” during a radio interview with a Charleston station on Monday morning.

HILLSDALE, Mich. -- Those looking for Herman Cain to display a specific and thorough understanding of foreign policy were likely disappointed by tonight's address at Hillsdale College.

Also disappointed - those looking for insights into the future of a campaign that today Cain said was going through a "reassessment."

The former Georgia businessman largely reiterated the same foreign policy message he has harped upon out on the campaign trail.   He told the crowd of nearly 400 gathered at Hillsdale College that it is imperative America clearly define its friends and enemies while demonstrating military and economic might.  It is what he on the campaign trail calls an extension of the Reagan philosophy, "peace through strength and clarity."

But Cain remained vague about the parameters with which he would define America's relationship with other countries, and mentioned few specific examples.

"We cannot make any nation our friend, but we can make them respect us," said Cain.  "And when we are strong militarily and strong economically and demonstrate that we stick to our moral fiber, nations will respect us rather than look down on us."

Tonight's speech comes after Cain has experienced weeks of criticism for botching foreign policy questions, most notably during a meeting with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel where paused and then proceeded with a rambling answer about whether he agrees with how President Obama has handled Libya.

The largest cloud hanging over the Cain campaign during tonight's speech though, was the news his campaign may be undergoing a "reassessment."  The comments came during a conference call with senior staffers this morning in the wake of yesterday's news of a Georgia woman claiming to have had a 13-year affair with the candidate.

Senior campaign staff spent the day downplaying the comments and saying it was simply a reference to reassessing campaign strategy.

As his speech began tonight, Cain tweeted, "Team HC: The definition of reassess is: To consider again, esp. while paying attention to new factors. Doesn't sound like dropping out."

As he ducked into a car that would take him to the event, Cain told NBC News, "9-9-9. 9-9-9. We're doing fine" in response to a question about the future of his candidacy.

Asked about reports late Tuesday that campaign manager Rob Johnson and senior adviser Dave Carney had been demoted, GOP candidate Rick Perry said the rumors were "just scuttlebutt."

"News to me, I've talked to both of them within as a matter of fact the last 24 hours. So if they have, news to me."

"So I would suggest to you that's just scuttlebutt, highly technical Aggie term for 'not correct,'" he said.

Perry said that Joe Allbaugh, who joined the campaign last month, is "the make the trains run on time guy and does a fabulous job."

Asked if Allbaugh has taken on duties that were previously conducted by Carney or Johnson, Perry responded: "That's not in my purview. So I try to get out and be the best candidate I can be every day. And the best I can tell everybody's working hard and getting the work done."

"I'm a happy camper and that's a good thing," he said.

Jonathan Ernst / REUTERS file

Harry Reid, center, hasn't ruled out other ways of offsetting the revenue loss caused by the payroll tax cut, if Republicans succeed in blocking the surtax.

Over the next few weeks, Congress faces a sprawling mess of tax and spending decisions, with the likely outcome being an overstuffed pre-Christmas package held together with the legislative equivalent of wrapping tape.

Complain if you will about congressional gridlock, but right before the holidays is often when the gridlock eases because everyone is focused on getting out of town and back to their families.

This week is merely the opening round of the bargaining. The decisive question: What tradeoffs will members of Congress be willing to make as the clock ticks down to the middle of the December?

This week’s action focuses on Senate votes to extend the Social Security payroll tax cut which Congress passed almost exactly one year ago in a similar end-of-year bargaining bazaar. Without the extension, a worker who earns $40,000 would see his or her payroll tax go up by $800 in 2012.

“Republicans know that raising taxes on the middle class is the wrong thing to do,” said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid Tuesday after the weekly strategy luncheon with his Democratic colleagues.

Democratic leaders propose to pay for an expansion of the payroll tax cut with a surtax on incomes over $1 million, an idea Republicans oppose.

On Tuesday, Reid didn’t rule out other ways of offsetting the revenue loss caused by the payroll tax cut, if Republicans succeed in blocking the surtax. “We are going to continue working until we get the payroll tax (cut) extended,” Reid said.

Reid also didn’t rule out simply passing the tax cut without any offsetting revenue raiser. “Let’s see what happens on this (surtax vote),” he said.

Senate Republican Whip Jon Kyl said Sunday that the payroll tax cut “has not stimulated job creation.” But on Tuesday two other Republicans from opposite ends of their party’s ideological spectrum indicated they weren’t opposed to the payroll tax cut.

“I don't like toying with taxes the way we are doing,” said Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C. But he added, “I just don't think it's a good time to increase any taxes, so we're looking for a way to pay for it.”

And Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, voiced support for extending the tax cut, but wasn’t too enthusiastic about it. “What I've heard from employers is that a one-year policy isn’t going to be sufficient” to create sustainable employment, she told reporters. The payroll tax cut is “a short-term measure that’s not going to achieve the long term results … We should be doing more long-term policy of fundamental structural (tax) reforms … .” But despite talk of the long term, Congress now seems able only to legislate for a year at a time.

Senate staffers on both sides of the aisle indicated that the payroll tax cut extension will probably pass, after some theatrics, assuming some revenue offset is found.

The other must-pass contents of the end-of-year package that Reid mentioned Tuesday included:

1. An extension of emergency unemployment insurance benefits which currently provide up to 53 weeks of additional money after the regular 26 weeks of state payments have been exhausted. Of the dozen policy options, including the payroll tax cut, which Congressional Budget Office director Douglas Elmendorf examined in his Nov. 15 testimony to the Senate Budget Committee, extending unemployment benefits was the most cost-effective way of creating additional employment. That might sound paradoxical, but he said, “Households receiving unemployment benefits tend to spend the additional benefits quickly, making this option both timely and cost-effective in spurring demand for goods and services, and thereby economic activity and employment.”

2. The postponement of the scheduled 29 percent cut in payments to doctors serving Medicare patients. The cut in payments to doctors is a result of the 1997 budget law, which attempted to restrain Medicare spending.  But each year since 2003, Congress has overridden the reduction in payments and allowed the postponed reductions to accumulate. So if Congress fails to act, doctors next year will see a sharp cut in what they get paid for treating Medicare patients

3. The extension of at least some of the 53 tax credits and preferences which Congress created or preserved last December. The platter of tax breaks includes something for almost all tastes: the deduction of state and local sales taxes, which is worth about $2.8 billion to taxpayers who itemize, the economic development credit for American Samoa, worth about $15 million, a tax break for mine safety equipment, worth about $20 million, and many others.

Almost certain to be in the final package is a “patch,” or one-year adjustment, of the Alternative Minimum Tax, which will otherwise hit upper-middle class people who have lots of deductions. The current AMT “patch” is providing about $136 billion of tax relief, according to the Joint Congressional Committee on Taxation.

The vehicle for all this is likely to be a bill providing funding for the agencies and departments for which Congress hasn't yet passed annual appropriations bills. The current funding runs out on Dec. 16 but Congress could pass a stopgap extension and then a longer-term one before it adjourns for the year.

If the package does pass, the budget deficit in the current fiscal year may not be any smaller – and depending on economic growth, may be bigger than the Fiscal Year 2011 deficit of 8.7 percent of Gross Domestic Product . Despite the attempt to “pay for” the payroll tax cut with some offsetting revenue, the other elements in the package are all revenue losers

MANCHESTER, NH -- Rick Perry wants your vote, just as long as you're legally able to drink, too.

The Texas governor, speaking to students at St. Anselm College on Tuesday in Manchester, NH, asked for the young folks' vote, but seemed to forget that the national voting is 18 -- the age at which it's stood since 1971.

"Those of you that will be 21 by November the 12th, I ask for your support and your vote. Those of you who won't be, just work hard," Perry said.

The age flub wasn't the only one in Perry's pitch to the students; the general election is on Nov. 6, 2012, not Nov. 12.

Ironically, in 1971, the year the U.S. adopted the 26th amendment, establishing the voting age at 18-years-old, Rick Perry turned 21.

Michael O'Brien contributed.

Herman Cain told senior campaign staff members Tuesday that he's "reassessing" his campaign in the wake of a fresh allegation that he engaged in a 13-year-long extramarital affair.

Steve Grubbs, the candidate's Iowa campaign chairman, confirms to NBC News that Cain said he's taking a step back, much as he did after his finish in the Ames Straw Poll in August, to evaluate the direction of his campaign. The call included Cain's 50 state directors, and the reassessment will occur over the next two days.

This reassessment coincides with a new allegation from Ginger White, an Atlanta woman who says that she and Cain engaged in an affair for well over a decade, one that ended only recently. Cain has denied the affair.

Cain reiterated his claim, made yesterday in reaction to the new allegation, that White was simply a friend who he had sought to help financially, and that nothing inappropriate had happened between the two of them.

The former Godfather's Pizza CEO, who has faced a string of different allegations of sexual harassment, also said that he had no immediate plans to cancel his campaign events; he still intends to deliver a major foreign policy speech tonight in Michigan.

But Cain acknowledged the emotional toll that the claims against him had taken on his family. He said yesterday on CNN that he would stay in the campaign as long as his wife continued to believe he should stay in the race.

In the same interview, though, Cain opened the door to a possible exit from the race.

"It's just the way it is, but I'm not going to allow this sort of thing to cause me to drop out simply because it's tough on me. I don't want it to be tough on my family. And there comes a point that if it's tough on my family, I have to consider that at that particular point in time," he said.

Asked whether he would drop out if the race became too tough, Cain said: "I'll make that decision depending upon the circumstances and how it is impacting my wife and my family. That's my number one concern by all of these accusations."

SLIDESHOW: Herman Cain

***UPDATE*** Cain spokesman J.D. Gordon tells NBC News: "It's a reassessment of where we stand and the road ahead, similar to other times in the campaign's history. We're looking forward to getting back on message tonight with the Foreign Policy and National Security speech at Hillsdale College in Michigan."

AMHERST, NH -- There's a new sheriff in town. Well, in the greater Manchester area, anyway.

Continuing an aggressive push to soothe conservatives' fears on his immigration record, Texas Gov. Rick Perry on Tuesday touted the support of Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, and called for the deportation of all detained illegal immigrants.

"Amnesty is not on the table, period," Perry declared at a diner in Amherst, NH, this morning, the first stop where the tough-talking Arizona sheriff joined him on the campaign trail. "There will be no amnesty in the United States. We're a country of laws."

Arpaio, who is known for his vehement support for Arizona's tough immigration laws, said it was "a pleasure and honor" to back the Texas governor, whom he called "an honorable and ethical person with a great family."

"He doesn't just talk about it," Arpaio said of Perry's work on border security. "He does something about it."

Perry used tough language to describe the White House's immigration laws; he promised to detain and deport non-violent as well as violent illegal immigrants who are apprehended by law enforcers.

"The Obama administration has a catch-and-release policy where nonviolent illegal aliens are released into the general public," said Perry. "My policy will be to detain and to deport every illegal alien that we apprehend. That is how you stop this. And we'll do it with expedited hearings so that millions of illegal immigrants are not released into the general population until a hearing date's set several weeks or months later as we have now."

Perry had found his position on immigration assailed by presidential primary opponents after he stuck by a policy he had implemented as governor, which granted in-state college tuition to the children of illegal immigrants. Perry said during a debate that opponents of that policy were heartless, but he had since backtracked on those comments.

The Arpaio endorsement allows Perry a degree of pushback on those concerns, especially as conservatives now turn their attention to the resurgent former House Speaker, Newt Gingrich, who has stood by his policy of a limited path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants who have laid down roots in the U.S.

"Several of my friends have said I'm for amnesty. That's not true. At least one of them has run around saying I want to have amnesty for 11 million people.  That's just totally false.  That's in fact an Obama level quality statement," Gingrich said yesterday in South Carolina.

Perry acknowledged that he didn't have "all the answers" on how to deal with those illegal immigrants who have been in the country for many years and called for "an appropriate discussion" on Capitol Hill.

"We have to identify everybody that's here. And there's going to be an appropriate discussion with Congress on how to deal with an individual who has been here maybe for some long period of time."

Asked by a voter about Texas's granting of in-state tuition for the children of some illegal immigrants - an issue since Perry's comment that those who disagree with the educational benefits "don't have a heart" - Perry said (as he has before in radio interviews) that his remark was "inappropriate."

Speaking to reporters after the event at Joey's diner, Arpaio would not respond to questions about whether or not he agrees with the governor's tuition policy.

Arpaio, who supported Mitt Romney last cycle, said that while Romney's position on immigration has improved, he's backing Perry this time because of the governor's Texas experience.

Perry has three more events in New Hampshire Tuesday and two on Wednesday.

CHARLESTON, S.C. – While he doubled down on his belief that some illegal immigrants should be allowed to stay in the U.S., Newt Gingrich sounded an otherwise hard tone on the issue at a town hall here.

Seeking to capitalize on his campaign’s newfound momentum, Gingrich told a packed house at the College of Charleston’s Sottile Theater that he stands by his view that some illegal immigrants should be allowed to stay in the country, a position for which he’s taken conservative heat since mentioning it at CNN’s foreign policy debate last week.

“Take someone who’s been here for 25 years. They’ve been obeying the law for 25 years, they’ve been paying taxes for 25 years, they’re married, they have 3 kids, 2 grandkids and belong to a church. Do you really think the American people are going to send a policeman to take that person away from their family? I don’t,” Gingrich said.

But he clarified that he thinks the number of immigrants that provision would affect is “relatively small.”

He also pushed back on claims from his opponents, most notably Michele Bachmann, that he supports amnesty for illegal immigrants (Bachmann said earlier this week that Gingrich has “a long history of supporting amnesty”).

“Several of my friends have said I'm for amnesty.  That's not true.  At least one of them has run around saying I want to have amnesty for 11 million people.  That's just totally false.  That's in fact an Obama level quality statement,” Gingrich said.

Gingrich took a hard line when outlining his overall immigration policy, saying he would cut off federal funds to any city that declares itself a “sanctuary city,” and that he would make deportation of illegal immigrants easier, especially if they have a history of criminal behavior.

When making that last point, Gingrich singled out one group, Mara Salvatrucha, better known as MS-13, a gang of mostly Salvadoran but also other Central and South American immigrants.

“If you are a member of MS-13, which is a very dangerous gang in over 190 cities, membership of that gang should be automatic evidence you should be deported,” Gingrich said.

Gingrich’s comments came just hours after his campaign released a statement from the candidate condemning the Department of Justice’s lawsuit against South Carolina’s newly passed immigration law. The department is blocking some provisions of the law that it says usurps federal authority.

He reiterated that statement during opening remarks at tonight’s town hall here, which was hosted by South Carolina Rep. Tim Scott.

“Instead of coming down here hat in hand to apologize for the absolute failure of the federal government, the Obama administration filed a lawsuit against the state of South Carolina,” Gingrich said.

By NBC's Jo Ling Kent

Merrimack NH--On Monday evening, a visibly energized Jon Huntsman zeroed in on New Hampshire front-runner Mitt Romney and attacked him sharply, in a state where the former Utah governor has staked his entire presidential campaign.

With just 43 days left until the New Hampshire first-in-the-nation primary, Huntsman questioned Romney's ability to shake up Washington and Wall Street as president.

"Anyone who is in the hip pocket of Wall Street because of all the donations they are picking up, like Mr. Romney, is in these days is not going to be the change agent who is going to fix the too big to fail banking system," Huntsman told about 80 voters at a town hall-style meeting. This was his 110th public campaign stop in New Hampshire.

Huntsman also attempted to downplay the recent string of New Hampshire congressional endorsements Romney has received. Last week, the former Massachusetts governor won the support of Senator Kelly Ayotte and Rep. Charlie Bass, two of the three Republicans in the Granite State congressional delegation.

"You should be wary of any candidate who carries the endorsements of every member of Congress, because it means they're going to be a status quo president," Huntsman said.

At the same time, Huntsman said over the weekend that he is courting newspaper editorial board endorsements across the state, north to south. Yesterday Newt Gingrich received the influential support of the New Hampshire Union Leader, an endorsement that was not expected to go to Huntsman.

The former ambassador to China, who is currently polling at 8 percent in New Hampshire, also presented his own plan to shake up Washington: impose a lifetime ban on lobbying for members of Congress, tie salaries to performance, and impose term limits.

Huntsman vowed to cut the salaries of members of Congress "until they balance the damn budget."

In the final stretch to the January 10 primary, Huntsman says he is "jubilant" about where he stands among the candidates despite his single digit support.

"I want a sustained rise that is not fickle," Huntsman said, accompanied by his wife Mary Kaye. "You have to lay a substantive ground work here in NH...I don't want 15 minutes of fame."

Huntsman wraps up this campaign swing Thursday and will travel to South Carolina on Friday for more town hall meetings this weekend.

Massachusetts Rep. Barney Frank announced Monday that he would retire at the end of his term in early 2013, citing his redrawn district boundaries and his desire to write as reasons.

A longtime liberal stalwart on Capitol Hill, Frank said that he would leave the House after 16 terms primarily due to the way his 4th congressional district had been remapped as a result of Census-based reapportionment.

"I was planning to run again, and then the congressional redistricting came," he said at a press conference in Massachusetts.

Frank said that he wasn't particularly interested in the rigors of waging a full-fledged campaign -- particularly fundraising -- in a district that was mostly half new to him.

As chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, Frank coauthored of 2010's financial regulatory reform law; he serves now as the committee's ranking Democratic member. Frank said he had been flirting with retirement for some time now, but was motivated to return to Congress for another term to help defend the law from Republicans who have pledged to repeal the law.

Frank also denied that Democrats' chances of winning back the House next fall played a major role in his decision to decline re-election.

Frank has long been a lightning rod for critics, in no small part because of his blunt comments to the press, and sometimes cantankerous engagements with Republicans. But for conservatives hoping that Frank fades into a quiet retirement, the outgoing congressman promised anything but that.

"I'm not retiring from advocacy of public policy," he said. Frank said his preference would be to write -- perhaps on an unfinished Ph.D. dissertation -- and speak freely on issues. He said he didn't anticipate practicing law, though he suggested he "might show up pro bono someday for a gay rights case." (Frank is one of only three openly gay members of Congress.)

Frank also swore off becoming a lobbyist (He would be in a prime position to cash in because of his committee position.), while taking a shot at former House Speaker Newt Gingrich at that.

"I will neither be a lobbyist nor a historian," he said, referencing Gingrich's explanation at a recent debate of his work for troubled mortgage giant Freddie Mac as being in his capacity as a historian. "One of the advantages to me of not running for office is I don't even have to try to pretend to be nice to people I don't like ... and the notion of being a lobbyist, and having to go and try to be nice to people I don't like -- it would be ridiculous."

Gingrich and Frank have sparred publicly over the course of their respective careers, most recently when Gingrich suggested that Frank should be jailed for the policies the Massachusetts Democrat had supported, which Gingrich said had effectively triggered the housing crisis.

"I did not think I've lived a good enough life to be rewarded by Newt Gingrich being the Republican nominee. It still is unlikely, but I have hopes. I think he is," he said, calling the former Speaker's boomlet a repudiation of former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney.

J. Scott Applewhite / AP

The 2011 Capitol Christmas Tree arrives in Washington, on Monday, Nov. 28.

After a 20-day, cross-country tour, a 65-foot white fir arrived at the US Capitol from the Stanislaus National Forest in northern California.

A ceremony to light the tree is scheduled for Tuesday, Dec. 6.

J. Scott Applewhite / AP

The 2011 Capitol Christmas Tree arrives in Washington on Monday.

In other Washington tree news, over Thanksgiving weekend the Obama family welcomed a 19-foot balsam fir, now installed in the Blue Room.

Senate Democrats are pressing ahead on President Barack Obama's plan to cut in half every worker's payroll taxes next year — paid for by a 3.25 percent tax surcharge on the very wealthy.

The $248 billion plan would trim Social Security payroll taxes from 6.2 percent to 3.1 percent in hopes of propping up the still-weak economy. It also would cut in half the 6.2 percent tax paid by employers on the first $5 million of their payroll.

A spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., says Democrats will hold a test vote on the plan later this week.

A 2 percent payroll tax holiday enacted a year ago expires on Dec. 31 and it tops the agenda in the waning days of this congressional term.

Republicans are likely to oppose the plan because it would post a permanent surcharge on income exceeding $1 million.

Reid's move is the latest political salvo by Democrats as the two parties spar over the best way to create more jobs. Monday's move appears aimed at drawing a distinction between Democrats and Republicans on taxes, with Reid seeking to maneuver Republicans into opposing the payroll tax cut.

Indeed, the payroll tax cut is unpopular with many Republicans who say the existing 2 percent cut hasn't done much to create jobs.

"The payroll tax holiday has not stimulated job creation. We don't think that is a good way to do it," said Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., in a Sunday television interview.

But many economists say that allowing the tax cut to expire is likely to do at least some damage to the economy.

"I can't believe that at a time when working families in this country are struggling paycheck to paycheck, when we need them to have the resources to buy things in our economy, to create wealth and profitability and more jobs, that the Republican position is, they'll raise the payroll tax on working families?" said Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill. "I think that just defies logic."

Republican leaders have signaled a willingness to work with Democrats on both the payroll tax cut and a further extension of jobless benefits for people who have been unemployed for six months or more. But the proposals are so expensive that it's unlikely that lawmakers will find a way to fully pay for them.

Instead, after spending most of the fall waiting for the deficit "supercommittee" to devise a plan to cut the deficit by $1.2 trillion or more, it seems that lawmakers are actually on track to increase the deficit as the congressional session comes to a close.

Kyl and Durbin spoke on "Fox News Sunday."

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.