but they rub the whole box including warren buffett's secretary. that's the only thing anyone is talking about. >> greg: i got a preview of the talking points. i'm on the mailing list. i get things before everybody else does. i would share them with you but then i'd have the edge. the message is under the title america built to last. that is a scary notion from commander and chief that lasting is your goal. generally, that is the minimum for your country, to be around for ten or 15 years. looking at us like a dodge ram. built ram tough. you want to achieve and excel and improve. those are castic of america we remember. that's what we forgotten. >> eric: mind if i do a quite white board? someby promises and they don't happen to just never made -- >> greg: i like the four different colors of ink. >> eric: this took a long time. not so much, they lost jobs under obama but he'll take credit for something. oh called the debt unpate -- remember he called the debt unpatriotic and it's up under obama. food stamps, we know food stamps proliferated. this one

we heard from warren buffett's secretary there. we heard from the president last night, using the word fairness. why is his re-election team convinced this will resonate with the voters? >> reporter: put yourself in the obama campaign shoes. the president has a 57% disapproval rating when it comes to his handling of the economy. but these two items about taxation, increasing taxes on wealthier americans, the so-called buffett rule, and also changing the tax code to encourage, manufacturing here in the u.s., what the president is talking about right now. these are popular. the problem with the obama campaign, the conundrum, is his signature achievements, whatever their merits, health care reform, financial reform, they're not popular. he cannot campaign in front of a mass audience. so, he's trying to talk about these stark defenses he has with the republican nominee, whoever he may end up being. david? >> all right. jake tapper on the challenge ahead for the president. thank you. >>> and diane sawyer will be sitting down with the pr

controversy surrounding warren buffett's secretary is heating up. you may remember debbie was a guest of the first lady at the "state of the union." and the president used her as a champion for secretaries across the country. well, he is and her boss warren buffett sat down with abc news to talk about her new role. >> you said that you felt as if you are representing secretaries across the country yesterday. >> right. i just feel like an average citizen, so maybe i should say i was representing just the average citizen who, you know, needs a voice. and wants to be treated fairly in the area of taxation. >> that is typical. he is is right in the middle. >> eric: is he is a real representation of secretaries across america? according to "forbes" buffett's secretary could make between $200,000 and $500,000 a year. comparison, the average secretary makes $43,500 a year. that's according to the bureau of labor statistics. greg, typical? >> greg: $200,000 is $10,000 per cat picture on her desk. by the way, he is is not a secretary. she's what you call a p

you know that sitting next to michelle obama will be warren buffett. you know the widow of steve jobs, the apple founder will also be sitting next to michelle obama. it is interesting tono

you know that sitting next to michelle obama will be warren buffett. you know the widow of steve jobs, the apple founder will also be sitting next to michelle obama. it is interesting to know the various leaders and who sits next to them. nancy pelosi indicated among her guests will be richard trunka, the president of the afl-cio sitting next to nancy pelosi. again, the

warren buffett is helping to design it himself. he is able to buy these shares for pennies on the dollar and once the bailout becomes clear, the shares surged and he ends up doing very well. you have a circumstance where warren buffett may or may not depend on your view have helped design an effective bailout but it cannot be avoided. the fact that while he is doing so he was actively and aggressively buying millions of shares of stock in the companies that would bail from the bailout he was designing. that is an example of chronic capitalism. doesn't matter if you are an investor or how good your analysts are or how good your number crunchers are. if you don't know how bailout will be structured you won't be a beneficiary. let me now talk briefly about the third part of this crony capitalist system and that is what are called the green energy economy that barack obama has created. this is another example of crony capitalism. people here are familiar with the term solyndra which received the $535 million guaranteed government loan.

what warren buffett said months ago. that his secretary pays a lower rate than a billionaire does on his tax ooes -- >> that warren buffett pays a higher rate than his own secretary. and there's no better illustration of that than mitt romney's tax returns which he made public. it's unbelievable that somebody who is making so much money, over $20 million, is paying so little in taxes. it's because the system is broken. i think the fact that the president has decided to take this on, the fundamental question of fairness in our society and make the fight on behalf of the middle class is very, very powerful. it's going to resonate with people. and i think the reason he's going to win this election. >> now the thing that bothers me is that when you raise this, their response is you are just envious. you are just jealous. i mean, it is bad enough you have this lopsided arrangement, but on top of that is to say, well, this is lopsided. this is not fair. oh, you're just jealous. >> well, you know, they are going to do everythin

warren >> buffett's secretary -- >> warren buffett's secretary pays higher tax rates than her boss. how is that going to play in peoria colby? >> not well for romn. he is going to be d dogged by this through the campaign. he is a poster boy ifor what people say is wrong with the system income inenequality, structure is not as progressive as it shouldld b burie. republicans will come up with a nominee that they will have a lot ofd work to do -- >> everybody aspires to be where mitt romneyy is. >> yes and i in other cycles this may not be as much of the liability, if it becomes one. i think in this environment, where you have in public opion polls a sense from the public that they don't think their kids are going to make it, that's no a a good place. the other thing is that it is everything around the numbe that these guys play by totally different roles from the rest of us. >> populists are right about the game irigged in congress. pay on capital gains and not in, is outrageous, it needs to be changed. protecting it tax x breaks f for billionaires -- that part isot wrwrong. >> which

i blame congress. >> warren buffett's secretary pays taxes at a higher rate than her boss. mitt romney pace 13.9%. how will that play in peoria? >> not well for mitt romney. he will be docked by this through the campaign -- dogged by this through the campaign. he is a poster boy it's what people say is wrong with the system, the income inequality. he is going to be -- republicans are going to come up with a nominee that they will have a lot of hard work to do to keep -- >> everybody aspires to be where mitt romney is. >> yes, and at other cycles, this may not be as much of and liability if it becomes one. in this environment, when you have in public opinion polls a sense from the public that they don't think their kids are going to make it, that is not a good place. the other thing is that a is not the number that is the problem, but these guys play by totally different rules than the rest of us. >> one thing populists are right about, the game is big in congress in favor of rich people. carried interest, which allows big money guys to pay capital gains instead of income, i

warren buffett himself said. he is a billionaire and he has done very well and benefited greatly from all this country has to offer and he doesn't believe he should pay less in taxes, lower tax rate than his secretary. president agrees with that. >> you heard speaker boehner in the piece saying it was negotiating with somebody who never negotiated anything before. if you speaker boehner came back with the same deal they were negotiating during the time of the debt ceiling back and forth with the president, would the president agree to that deal? >> clever question, bret. the answer is yes, the deal the president and speaker was working on is a balanced deal to include cut discretionary spending which has already exceeded $2 trillion in an agreement with the congress. reduction in defense spending and reform in entitlement and revenue. you heard throughout the process that revenue was off the table. the fact of the matter is the speaker of the house, president of the united states were discussing a grand bargain t

if warren buffett's secretary pays 30%, warren buffett should. and mitt's biggest problem and i told you, i think he was a good governor. but his biggest problem is he's got a tin ear fop say i made $378,000 in speeches but that's just pocket change. pocket change in this economy to the average working american? >> and you said he was a good governor. whether i agree with that or not, he's not running as governor. he's running as a businessman. >> he's running away from what he did as governor. >> exactly. >> you had john mccain out stumping for him today trying to use the bain experience in a positive light. watch this and tell me whether or not you think this is wise. >> i think rather than be embarrassed in any way about the record of bain capital, we should be glad that there are people and companies and groups that will go out and buy companies that are ailing and fix them up and make them job creators again. >> michael, they've also bought companies and fired or laid off a lot of the workers. >> yeah, but, reverend, i mean, that's part of t

. >>> and now, first it was warren buffett and now it is reality tv star kim kardashian. what could they have in common? both center stage on the question of fairness in the way the country taxes the rich versus the middle class. some big unions in california have created an ad saying people like kim kardashian are the reason the tax code has to change. we asked abc anchor bianna golodryga to dig in. >> reporter: she's made a fortune by talking about, well, nothing. and now she's got a lot of important people talking about her. a lib y'all california advocacy group says kim kardashian, who made $12 million in 2010 alone, should pay more in state income taxes. they say she pays just 1% more than folks who make a middle class wage. >> the time has come for people that make the kind of money that kim kardashian makes to pay a little bit more because they benefit the most from society. >> reporter: it's an argument similar larm to the one made by billionaire investor warren buffett, who last year got the world's attention by making the case that the nation's top earners shoul

who knows more about the american economy, grover norquist or warren buffett? >> who knows more about tax policy? the right course for america is not raise taxes on americans. i understand that president obama and people of his political persuasion will like to take more money from the american people, and they want to do that to continue to grow government. and the answer for america is cannot grow government, it is to shrink government. we have been going over the last 40 years, government grows faster than the economy relative to inflation. that is why i have a plan that reduces government spending. i cut programs, all series of programs, and the number one cut is obamacare, that size is $95 billion a year. return the state's whole series of programs, and said how much goes to them, and with regard to entitlement, i do not want to change medicare and social security for current retirees. but for younger people coming up, they have to recognize that in the future, higher-income people will receive less people. >> you seem to be uncomfortable with the moment f

. >>> gas prices rice and warren buffett's exchange. your early morning business headlines are straight ahead. >>> plus the underdog film steals the thunder from the top dog at the box office. >>> the patriots survive, the giants need overtime, and remembering the life and times of football legend joe paterno. you're watching earth. >>> good morning and welcome back to "early today." i'm lynn berry and here are some of your top headlines this morning. >>> at least 178 people were killed in attacks by islamics insurgents in nigeria. they were targeting police stations. >> after 33 years in power in yemen, departing president ali abdullah salei has left the country and is headed to the u.s. for medical treatment. he was badly burned during a rocket attack on his compound last summer at the height of the protest calling for him to resign. >>> they propose that power is handed over to a new government. they had asked the u.n. security government to endorse the plan but syria immediately rejected it. >>> a 13th victim has been recovered from

martha: what do you think of warren buffett's proposal? >> i can only speak for myself, i like millions of other small to millions biz people report income through personal income tax and pay personal knack tax rates, when you add state and local government is 50%. when bush tax cuts expire, if we allow them to expire, with obamacare that marginal tax rate will be pushed up above 50%. people working hard to build a good life for their families, small to medium-sized business people, don't have luxury of people like warren buffett sitting back blaming capital against. i don't know how long it is been whether warren buffett whether he operated machinery, plant, take out garbage. i've done those types of things. millions of business people do the type of thing. we don't want to crush their incentive to build good businesses and good lives for themselves and people that work with them. martha: understand. if he wants to, sounds like many way flatten out the tax rate because he pays as you point out, capital gains 15% rate on investments which

i wrote about warren buffett's taxes. you know when he said, jenna he pay as lower tax rate than his secretary or that, and his plumber, that simply isn't true because warren buffett is like mitt romney. he owns companies. companies pays taxes. jenna, why don't we get rid of corporate income tax together, pass taxes on individual, have them pay a rate of 20%? what i believe is most economically efficient and that is, fairest for everybody is to have a flat rate tax with no deductions, no carveouts for rich people. 15 to 20%. that way everybody pays the same rate. jenna if you're 10 times richer than i am, you pay 10 times more tax. that is something the american people would find simple, very fair and very pro-growth. jenna: some suggested that is where the conversation needs to go to tax reform. obviously a big conversation, hopefully i earn 10 times than what you earn, steve. >> i'm so upset the idea that the rich are the problem in this country. everybody, we are an aspirational society, jenna. american people don't ha

debbie bosanek the secretary of warren buffett, and mark kelly husband of gabrielle giffords. dickensian tire address as well as the republican response at 9:00. then we will have reaction from local members of congress on abc7 news at 11. >> mitt romney has just released his tax returns indicating he paid taxes at a rate of about 14%. he earned $42.50 million and paid $6 in taxes over the last few years. -- $6 million in taxes. nearly all of his income came from investments, taxed at a lower rate. the above continue their heated words as they prepare for the florida primary. gingrich made a couple of stops across the sunshine state today saying romney is "outrageously this honest." and romney is accusing gingrich of lobbying for freddie mac. >> new developments in the occupied d.c. movement. there is word crack down on the mcpherson square campsite may be on the way. this follows the congressional hearing about the law's being enforced. the park service's say the ban on camping will soon be enforced. sam ford is live with today's testimony. >> the national park service admitt

like warren buffett. warren buffett, i think is on everybody's last nerve, at least mine because of the hypocrisy, saying that people in his income bracket should be paying more. nothing is stopping him from taking out his checkbook and writing a check for $10 million to the treasury. >> to use her as a prop last night, she is no more a secretary getting coffee and taking dictation than jacob lou will be the chief of staff. no more i. he might be. >> it's more sneaky, deceitful hipock rate. the -- hypocrisy. it's about job creation. it's about growth. it is about them portraying the conservatives as being unfair and favoring the rich. it is just, it's deceitful and dishonest. >> this is what he has done throughout his administration, pit groups against each other and do wealth redistribution through socialized medicine or through the tax code. we have a woman in forbes, estimating that she is -- nobody begrudges cirimele heredia salary, making between $200- and $500,000 a year. >> i love the way they pain

tonight warren buffett's secretary will be one of the guests in the first lady's box this evening. that should be interesting. tomorrow president obama hits the road. he's going to travel to five key battleground states to highlight the themes that he lays out in his state of the union address. this is a president who has a 57% -- 57% of americans disapprove of his handling of the economy. so, thomas, the economy will be central tonight in the state of the union address. it will be a central theme when he hits the road this week and in the coming weeks and months. >> nbc's kristin welker at the white house for us this morning. >> just a programming note, you can get full coverage of tonight's state of the union right here on msnbc. special prime time coverage starts at 8:00 eastern with the president speaking to the nation at 9:00. >>> it appear that is mama grizzly is out protecting one of her cubs. take a listen to what sarah palin said about new jersey governor chris christie after he called gingrich an embarrassment to the republican party. >> sometimes if your candidate losing

you have to have somebody with a bold tax reform plan who says the reason why warren buffett pays less than his secretary is because we have a condition -- contorted tax code. if you don't have lens making that argument they're sunk. democrats are looking at mitt romney and thinking he won't do that. >> sorry, but mitch daniels isn't in the race. >> you know who is, rick santorum. and he said last night he and obama are competing for the same lower, middle class blue collar voters. i would like to see him elaborate on that. >> when we come back, the immigration debate heating up ahead of florida's primary about two of the state's most prominent republicans are telling the candidates to dial it down. should they? [ male announcer ] we asked real people if they'd help us with an experiment for febreze fabric refresher. they agreed. [ experimenter 1 ] relax, take some nice deep breaths. [ experimenter 2 ] what do you smell? lilac. clean. there's something that's really fresh. a little bit beach-y. like children's blankets. smells like home. [ experimenter 1 ] okay. take your blindfolds of

you have to have somebody with a bold tax reform plan who says the reason why warren buffett pays less than his secretary is because we have a condition -- contorted tax code. if you don't have lens making that argument they're sunk. democrats are looking at mitt romney and thinking he won't do that. >> sorry, but mitch daniels isn't in the race. >> you know who is, rick santorum. and he said last night he and obama are competing for the same lower, middle class blue collar voters. i would like to see him elaborate on that. >> when we come back, the immigration debate heating up ahead of florida's primary about two of the state's most prominent republicans are telling the candidates to dial it down. should they? ys]♪ ♪[music plays] ♪[music plays] purina one beyond. food for your cat orog. mr. speaker i'm not anti-immigrant. my father was born in mexico. my wife's father was born in wales. the idea i'm anti-immigrant is repulsive. >> i'll give you an opportunity to self describe. you tell me what language you would use to describe somebody to thinks deporting a grandmother or gran

this is not a warren buffett issue. it is an american tax code issue. it's the code that's flawed. these guys are not doing anything illegal. they're following the letter of the law. it's the law that needs some work here. >> and gingrich will spin it too. he says the goal is not to get everybody taxed at 30% but to bring it down to that 15% rate. >> and obama said during his speech look, don't call this class warfare, i call it common sense, if you make that kind of money you should give a little bit back and be taxed at a fair rate. >> so rob, come on, we're going to have to tax you at a fair rate. >> yeah, i'm sure the government would love that extra quarter a year. >>> in other news this morning newt gingrich has some pretty ambitious plans when it comes to interplanetary travel. the republican hopeful told an audience on florida's space coast that if he is elected space stations will operate more like airports. he promises an american base on mars and on the moon by the end of his second term. that plan drew some appreciative applause from the crowd there in the sunshine stat

rich people like mitt romney and warren buffett is twice as high as the tax rate paid on the middle class. >> so, 15%. >> that's right, that's a big differential. so it's a myth that somehow, warren buffett and mitt romney are paying less than a plumber or a secretary and of course, as we all know, barack obama is going to make that class warfare issue the center piece of his reelection campaign and he also has to do a better job, in my opinion. he said he wasn't going to apologize for being successful and then he apologizes for being successful. i think that's his problem. he's on the defensive too much. >> paul: why won't he-- we met with mitt romney, mary, he came in and we had a very good session, almost 90 minutes. why won't he come out for a tax reform that says i pay this because of the reason that steve made that point. now what, i'd like that for everybody. >> you know, i think his big problem is he wants to run as a moderate, the more center guy who can, you know, both votes from the right, but also those independents and i think he's afraid that, you know, if he calls for tax c

. >> a starring role for warren buffett's secretary. >> she pays twice the rate i paid. i think that is outrageous. captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org-- >> florida republican voters go to the polls next tuesday to decide whether they want mitt romney or newt gingrich in the november election. rick santorum and ron paul are also on the ballot, but the polls indicate they don't have much juice in this one. at the thursday debate, romney and gingrich were at each other's throats. >> maybe romney should tell us how much money he has made after how many households that been foreclosed by his investments. >> have you checked your own investments? you also invested in mutual funds that invested in fannie mae and freddie mac. >> romney makes it a point to remind us that he has never lived in washington, d.c. still, if he wants to move here pretty badly. gingrich says that by the end of his second term as president we will have a permanent base thon the moon. jeanne? >> we saw something in the final days of the week wore momentum was moving. romney wa

as the caller mentioned, warren buffett has said this is not fair. he said his overall tax rate is 17% and he said that is lower than his secretaries tax rate and he has called for that to be changed. you have one of the wealthiest, most respected people in the country saying this. he says it is a different type of in, and it is complicated because part of mitt romney's carried interest is involved. he benefited in many ways. those in the industry would argue that there are all sorts of reasons why that should be kept garden i have written stories about it over the years. there are proposals in congress to change that system so it is more equitable and the eyes of those who think there should not be that lower rates. some people believe you have a low rate for capital gains, it helps job creation. it will be a major issue in the campaign regardless of whether mitt romney is the nominee. host: i want to thank mike kranish for taking your calls. >> would like to hear from you. tweet ester feedback at twitter.columns ashbrock tv. >> what claiming that c