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I'm Cally Crossley This is the Cali Crossley Show. Where hitting New Hampshire today taking in the colorful palette of presidential candidates. They're back swarming the state in the run up to tonight's debate. Michele Bachmann gets to test the adage Absence makes the heart grow fonder. It's her first time in the Granite State since June. Meanwhile Jon Huntsman's giving New Hampshire all the love making it home to his campaign headquarters. His new strategy is to win the land of live free or die or die. The Occupy Wall Street occupied have a tentacle in Concord. How will the candidates play this growing social movement. We'll also look at what isn't on the campaign trail. The maverick candidate everyone's been searching for. From there we mark Breast Cancer Awareness Month with Provincetown Players an annual play that staged to raise awareness and funds. Up next it's showtime. From politics to Provincetown. First the news. From NPR News in Washington I'm Nancy Lyons. The National Occupy

Wall Street protest is on the move in New York today. Demonstrators are holding a Manhattan millionaire's march to the homes of some of the city's wealthiest residents. They plan to carry oversized checks signifying how much less the wealthy will pay when New York's 2 percent millionaire's tax expires in December. And Boston early this morning police arrested about 100 Occupy Boston protesters. Bianca Vazquez tonus of member station WABE you are was there. The protesters have been occupying a small park across from Boston's Federal Reserve for more than a week without much trouble. But when they tried to expand on to another piece of public parkland Yesterday the city of Boston told them to get off or get arrested. The protesters joined arms and formed a circle around their tents. They sang in chanted even as riot police tried to pull them apart. Boston Mayor Thomas Menino says he sympathizes with the protesters who complain about social inequality and corporate greed even though they have been allowed to stay

in their original encampment. Menino says that won't last much longer. For NPR News this is Bianca tonus in Boston. President Obama's jobs package is headed for a Senate vote today. White House adviser David Plouffe on CBS's Early Show said the presidential team is pushing hard for success in today's test vote. We're going to put as much pressure as we count on senators in both parties to vote for this. But obviously this is just the first chapter in what's going to be an effort over the next couple of months to get as much done for the economy. Right now the White House is valid to push forward with the package piecemeal if it fails today. Democrats in Wisconsin say they'll begin gathering signatures next month to try to recall Governor Scott Walker from office. Wisconsin Public Radio Shawn Johnson reports it continues what's been a tumultuous year in Wisconsin. Democrats have been talking about recalling Governor Walker ever since he introduced his plan to roll back union bargaining rights for public employees. November is the soonest they can

start once they begin circulating recall petitions they'll have 60 days to get the five hundred forty thousand signatures they need. State Democratic Party Chair Mike Tate told MSNBC s The Ed Show that organizers would hit that goal. Think we can you know we saw people of Ohio get about a million signatures for an initiative there last month. We've done the math we've done the numbers we are very well prepared. If Democrats are successful a special election for governor could be held as early as March. For NPR News I'm Shawn Johnson in Madison. Hundreds of thousands of B.O. be jogging strollers are being recalled due to a choking hazard. The Consumer Product Safety Commission says an embroidered patch on the stroller canopy came loose on Wall Street stocks are mixed. The Dow is down 15. The Nasdaq is up nine. This is NPR. It's another difficult day of outages for BlackBerry users in Europe the Middle East Africa and now Latin America. Just hours after the maker of the devices Research in Motion said it had

fixed problems that plague the network yesterday. Reuters is reporting users are having trouble today with e-mail services. RIM says it's working on the problem but gave no details. In Pakistan the Islamabad high court is agreeing to hear the appeal of the self-confessed killer Qadri who was sentenced to death this month for killing the governor of Punjab earlier this year. From Islamabad NPR's Julie McCarthy reports supporters clamored near the courthouse to defend Qadri and the country's harsh blasphemy laws. Calling for calm breeze freedom demonstrators rally in solidarity for the bodyguard who gunned down the official he was charged with protecting to his supporters Qadri is a hero who silenced one of the most progressive secular minded voices in the country. One job Governor Solomon to see are their stalwart defense of his killer has raised concerns about growing radicalism in Pakistan. Qadri tried to justify the murder by saying that he had killed to see or for his vocal opposition to the country's strict blasphemy laws.

Lawyers volunteered to represent Qadri leading the defense team on appeal is the former chief justice of the law who are high court. The Islam a High Court state execution for the time being. Julie McCarthy NPR News Islamabad. An Italian cargo ship is no longer being held by pirates off Somalia. The Italian foreign ministry says U.S. and British forces raided the ship and took 11 pirates into custody. The crew is reportedly safe. I'm Nancy Lyons NPR News in Washington. Support for NPR comes from the Doris Duke foundation for Islamic art seeking to improve Americans understanding of Muslim arts and culture. Good afternoon I'm Cally Crossley. Well there's no better way to pump up interest in tonight's debate than an attack ad. A new poll and a come from behind candidate catapulted himself to second place behind the

presumed front runner. All that's on our agenda now in today's edition of New Hampshire insiders with an update on how the presidential primary is going down in the Granite State. We're joined by Arnie Arnesen are radio and TV commentator based in Concord and Fergus Cullen a public affairs consultant former chairman of the New Hampshire Republican Party and an editorial page columnist with The New Hampshire Union Leader. Welcome back you two and how are you. Well we got to start off with this great ad that's stirring up all kinds of stuff. It's an ad put out by Rick Perry's campaign. Not yet for broadcast it's on the web but of course all the broadcast people are playing it so you can see it if you hang around or go to the web to see it. And I think what's been noted by some is that this definitely says that there is not going to be kind of that false unity among candidates where nobody really jumps on the other person so that in the general election everybody can rally

around this is a straight up attack ad when you say you too. Yeah absolutely it is that is a web based that I think it actually tries to do too much in 60 seconds but these kinds of things are designed to be watched over and over again you know on YouTube you hit the replay button so you can go back and see all the things you missed. But this is also Rick Perry trying to change the subject. He's had a horrible last month of the campaign. He's seen his support in national polls fall by 50 percent literally cut in half in New Hampshire a poll last week over the last couple days shows him down to just 4 percent of the vote. So he's trying to desperately regain the offensive and and try and write his campaign in part by changing the subject from his own problems by attacking somebody else. Well let's take a listen to it. Arnie before you speak so we can see how much stuff is packed into the ad as Fergus says So here's the here is the new ad the latest ad from the Rick Perry campaign that rolled out really

just yesterday on the conservative business. The White House says. We. Asked for as long as the. Fourth. Bomb like you. Wanted. To make. Is wait and they were only following the path of the purse. He will find us the best. I like men and. Like I said no such thing. I stand by what I wrote noting that the line about doing the same thing for everyone in the country has been deleted. Why if it's good for Massachusetts and it's working Massachusetts would you apply to the rest of the country. Well there you have it Arnie. Romney has flip flopped on some of the issues most of. Them but changed my mind about money for defense and wind up with a nation that's taken a mandate but there are lot of reasons not to like me. He's right. I'm exhausted no no no I mean I mean that but let's also remember that that there's so much right now. Perry played because he is dropping like a stone. I just got off the phone Calli with some folks from Harvard. They just released a poem right yesterday acknowledged they were they were talking to.

Yeah I want to get to that a little bit later I just want you to respond to that ad first if you want to dwell on it. What he doesn't try to change the conversation because obviously Robert Jeffress his Baptist pastor was attacking Mitt Romney and Huntsman because of the fact that they're part of a cult. And so he wants to move beyond the cult language. He still has to figure out how to answer Michele Bachmann about Gardasil. You still have to figure out how to deal with the immigration issues because he's getting you know absolutely no support. What they did with educating undocumented students in the state of Texas. So he is desperate to change the subject. He is desperate to attack Mitt Romney and he frankly he knows that you know when Herman Cain is now a 20 point he's now you know at the bottom in single digits. There is a real problem for him and he has to get it back on his territory. And the only thing he has right now in his territory is to attack Mitt. That is it. Well but let me ask this question though. You know people say they don't like attack ads but they are effective I think Fergus makes a good point that you this is one it's so busy you have to look at it or listen to it over and over again to get some sense of what's going on but the the gist of it is supposed to be comparing

Mitt Romney with Barack Obama. Rick Perry is calling both of them flip floppers. So is it effective in getting that across. The fact of it depends on Bakley where it plays and whether he whether he does well tonight is going to tell you when anyone at the even paid attention to that ad because conniving to make a break for Perry Perry has done you know fairly pathetically interactive debate tonight he has had a real chance to rehabilitate his reputation. The question if he capable of doing it if he is capable the ad is effective if he's not capable of the AG I think. Do you agree Fergus. Well you know this is a Web ad it's not like he's putting paid media behind it on broadcast television. So the only people who see it are activist people like us but if you people listen to your show Cally but you know rank and file voters are far too busy to go and hunt down this kind of thing. So I don't sure how effective it is. But again it really is a pointing to the weakness that the Perry campaign has shown in the last month. And you know Rick

Mitt Romney's pluses and minuses are well-known to voters. They have a balanced impression of them. Those who don't care for Romney care have already factored into their equation. So in that sense I'm not sure this does any more new damage to to Romney. I think it's really telling that Romney's numbers have been holding up despite voters having a lot of good information about him a lot of bad information a very balanced view of the candidate unlike some of these others like Herman Cain who they only think positive things. Because he hasn't been subject to any scrutiny by either the media or his opponents yet. Well one thing I will say though Fergus a lot of broadcast outlets are playing that web ad so you don't really have to go into the web it you just watch some local news and some national news and you'll see it because people keep playing it. So he's getting a double hit there he doesn't really have to pay for it and yet it's everywhere. But part of everything is Cali is that everyone is including the media still looking for an alternative to Mitt Romney. I mean that's part of what this is. They thought that Perry was an alternative to Mitt Romney

as of the most recent poll that looked like maybe Armen Keteyian is the alternative to Mitt Romney. We thought it might have been Chris Christie being the alternative to Mitt Romney. Ever want to keep looking for someone else including the media which is one of the reasons why they would like to really rehabilitate Rick Perry because he has so many super PACs because he's. The governor of Texas because he was made I could be such a credible candidate and for whatever reason hasn't shown his strength when it comes to the debate. And in the end that's hurt. All right well let's talk about this poll. This is a new poll by the Institute of Politics and Harvard University and the New Hampshire Institute of Politics at St. Anselm College which shows that former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney is Romney is still leading the Ghana they feel with 38 percent but right under him. Well far distance I guess below at 13 percent is Herman Cain. But that's still a surprise to a lot of people Fergus. Well it is but let's not confuse a surge of interest with a surge in support and the idea that Herman Cain is a 12 percent or even 20 percent which he was in

one poll in New Hampshire this past week. This is just ludicrous. What we're seeing is you know as Arnie has alluded to the latest chapter of what's become a familiar pattern where a new candidate enters the public's eyes. Maybe it was Michele Bachmann maybe it is Rick Perry. Maybe it was Chris Christie. Voters here a couple of good things about. They project a lot more good things and they have an absolutely unbalanced view of what the candidate is. The poll numbers go up. Then they start to learn more. Suddenly they find out that the candidate isn't everything perfect that they had hoped they are and support collapses in most cases. Now you know Herman Cain has the snappy nine nine nine tax plan it sounds pretty good. Do most voters realize that it's a tax increase for probably 50 percent of Americans. I don't think they do. And when they start to learn these kinds of things I'm very skeptical that Herman Cain support is going to hold up. Let me share something with you know I spoke to the folks at Harvard who ran a poll just this morning because I'm looking at them going wrong. And one of the reasons why I was so curious about their poll where they ask a series of

questions tally where they basically say they look at Romney Perry and her men and they said and they sort of separated those four out and then polled on those four and I said what about. Herman Cain and the pollster said to me Arnie when we read this poll like but a week ago Herman Cain was that like you know well I mean he went from zero to 20 in a matter of minutes. I mean we didn't even factor him in as a factor to ask questions of. So that really tells you how volatility and you're absolutely right Ferguson nobody knows what nae nae night is. Let me just share with you to suggest is that what the 999 you know tax reform plan of Herman Cain is someone said and they want Paul cite it meant nine pieces nine toppings at $9. That's what they said I that's better so I can my friend is a political science professor in Iowa. And Stefan Schmidt cousin of course is German and he said it means 1999.

No no no. OK so listen to this. This is. No one really knows what the Nae Nae Nae knew. And you're actually right for this. They don't know that it would be a tax increase on a significant number of Americans. Unbelievable. Well I do point out two things from this poll. One that only 10 percent say they are definitely voting for Mitt Romney even though he got 38 percent foreign away from the next to him by the way. Ron Paul is equal to Herman Cain in this in this pretty equal to him in this poll and six percent of the people say the same thing about Herman Cain. So only 14 percent of the whole people that they talk to say they are very satisfied with the field of candidates so there's a lot of movement still going on. But what I also know is that Patrick Griffin the senior fellow at the New Hampshire Institute of Politics says the data really is not for all of us to concentrate on who the front runner is. That would be Mitt Romney. But who is not in the top tier which is I guess what you guys are saying that that's pretty interesting.

I mean Rick Perry down to four percent. This is dagger ing machine. Michele Bachmann down to 2 percent. She'd been at 12 percent over the summer and now you know maybe 12 percent. Not a big number but most of the other candidates would love to have that. If you get 12 percent of the vote on primary day you're going to walk out of New Hampshire with at least a couple of delegates. But you know this collapse that we've seen is amazing. And look you know maybe it's just time as someone else has pointed out to love the one you're with this idea that the field is somehow lacking that there's no you know new Ronald Reagan or there's no one who's really lighting people on fire. I think that's really unfair to the existing candidates. And I think it's not different than what we've seen historically. There's always that sense that there's something better. You know I mean fortunately my wife used to think that maybe there was something better eventually. Well purchases of goods you know. And so you know I think the boaters boaters are going to have to do that themselves one day.

I think the voters have said that the calicoes look also interesting in that poll is the vast majority of Republicans whether they're supporting Mitt Romney or not say Mitt Romney will be Barack Obama. Yeah and you know in the end that's the ultimate test. And that's I mean Mitt Romney in the state of New Hampshire has like 96 percent name recognition and 75 percent approval. So even if you are dancing with Herman Cain even if you are dancing with Ron Paul you probably still approve of him you probably still know who he is and you think he's going to beat Barack Obama. So I do think they want something else because let's be honest Mitt Romney is not exciting. Let's one of the reasons why they like Chris Christie is that he still bombastic you know in your face. They find that so refreshing in Mitt Romney's 180 degrees the opposite of that. But in reality when you look at all the other textured numbers Mitt Romney seems to be the most stable in the group and in the end that ability probably will take him beyond the New Hampshire primary.

You know using the dating metaphor again you can just hear sort of the voters whispering in her ear you know I know he's not a prince funny but he's a good provider. You know he doesn't have anybody don't you doesn't you're not an addict to any substances you know he's pretty good honey you solid you can go with him. All right well there is one. Little thing that keeps cropping up no matter what he does he may be all of that but he's also a Mormon and that's raised its head its ugly head again so we'll talk about it on the other side of this break at least how people are talking about it has made it kind of ugly. We're talking about the presidential race with a focus on how the GOP candidates are fairing in New Hampshire. We'll continue the conversation after the break. Keep your dial on WGBH Boston Public Radio. WGBH programs exist because of you. And the Museum of Science presenting the exhibit A day in Pompei. You can explore the treasures of an ancient city steeped in legend

and mystery preserved forever by the Vesuvius eruption. More info online at M.O.s dot org. And the Fletcher School todays world news jumps from the front page to the business page. You can learn hard business skills and nuances of geopolitics with a master of Internet. Business a tough Fletcher School tough business. And Elsa Dorfman Cambridge portrait photographer still clicking with the jumbo format Polaroid 20 by 24 analog camera and original Polaroid film online at Elsa Dorfman dot com. And that's Elsa Dorfman dot com. He's the author of The Virgin Suicides and Middlesex. His new novel The Marriage Plot involves a romantic triangle between three graduating college students. One of the young men goes off to India to volunteer for Mother Teresa and a home for the destitute. GENOVESE did as a young. This afternoon at two point seven. Hi I'm Emily Rooney from radio and television inviting you to join

me at our studios in Brighton. The third conversation with NPR's Bob Edwards and Jim Lehrer a longtime anchor of his news hour. It's your chance to talk politics with two of the most. Trusted names in broadcast news feed is limited. For tickets and other information visit WGBH dot org slash box office. Hope you can join us. The latest local news headlines are as close as your smartphone with the new WGBH app with a single tap you can dig deeper into the news of the day from business to arts and culture. Just a free download away at the App Store or at WGBH dot org. Welcome back to the Calla Crossley Show. If you're just joining us you've tuned in to an edition of New Hampshire insiders with a look at how the GOP race is playing out in the land of Live Free or Die. I'm joined by public affairs consultant Fergus Cullen. He's the former chairman of the New Hampshire Republican Party and an editorial page columnist with The New

Hampshire Union Leader. Also on the line from New Hampshire is radio and TV commentator Arnie Arneson. So I said before the break that I wanted to talk about this new focus on Mitt Romney's religion he's a Mormon. It came up at the Values Voter Conference this weekend when Rick Perry was introduced by his minister Robert Jeffress a Southern Baptist Evangelical leader from Texas. Who afterwards after he introduced Rick Perry and after he spoke then described Mormonism as a theological cult and that stirred up another firestorm. Mitt Romney's been here before Fergus so far he's chosen not really to respond to this and I think that's wise and this is unfortunate and ugly and I don't think it represents a mainstream view inside the Republican Party at all. I don't think that his faith is hurting him in any way in New Hampshire. I do think that there's a lot of evidence to suggest the base may have hurt him in

Iowa four years ago. Among evangelical Christians who tend to dominate the process there and is a large part of why Romney has been keeping Iowa at arm's length of this entire campaign you know certainly not committing to campaign their full strength and not committing to try and win the Iowa caucus the way he did four years ago. But in New Hampshire I just don't think it's it harms him politically at all. And and the fuss over this latest incident may in fact shame a lot of Republicans into acknowledging that we need to move beyond this. It will come up in the debate tonight. I can't imagine that it's not going to come up in the debate tonight because it's not just Mitt Romney who has to talk about this issue because Mitt Romney is a Mormon but though it Huntsman I think called Jeffrey MOORE I guess you know one of the let's listen to it. Arnholm second let's listen to the clip with Huntsman talking to CNN's Wolf Blitzer in which he did refer to Robert Jeffress the Southern Baptist Evangelical leader as a moron here it is the fact that you know some moron can stand up and make a

comment like that. You know first of all it's outrageous Second of all the fact that we're spending so much time discussing it makes it even worse. I mean give a major foreign policy speech today as I did and the questions that come after the foreign policy speech are more focused on religion as opposed to our place in the world. This does not help the American people come to terms with the choices that they're that they have in the 2012 election cycle and as far as I'm concerned let's stick to the big issues that really matter and leave religion off the table. Last I looked that wasn't a prerequisite or requirement for the presidency. There's a fair point Arny. Well you know I'm really glad that husband did that but I do want people to know that it is going to be brought up. And part of the problem is is that they have to figure out how they can shut it down Rick Perry has been very ineffective at shutting it down. He was asked the question after his pastor said this. And he said I don't think it's a call was his answer. I mean I don't think what is that. So I think that's part of the problem but there's something you need to know Kelly.

This has been a problem for the Republican Party for a long time. I remember in 1999 Fergus you'll remember this our former United States Senator Bob Smith decided to leave the Republican Party and run for president of the United States on the U.S. taxpayer party. Well it turned out that one of the reasons why he decided not to go ahead with that or they decide decided not to choose him was that he was Wellman past like and he wasn't good enough for them because they were evangelical Protestant. So this is a problem and you would think that the Republican Party would figure. How to come to terms with that and I hope tonight they all do across the board when they bring this up because you know it'll be brought up well but Fergus as you point out it might be an issue in Iowa still it appears because Mitt Romney is not doing well there now even as we speak. But in New Hampshire there's a different kind of feeling about this. Right. Well it's hard to improve on Jon Huntsman's answer on those just outstanding and you know I want to see more candidates take opportunities like that sort of push back on these

uglier elements of politics sometimes I think it would help them politically when they do it as well. Let's remember New Hampshire has elected someone you have to be a Mormon to federal office. Congressman Dick Sweat was elected not once but twice in New Hampshire and has a successful political career so I just don't think. It's a it's a negative here and as far as Iowa I mean Romney has a shot to actually win Iowa. Again you sort of been arm's length he hasn't made a full commitment. I sort of envision that campaign is sort of circling around the airport to do boy and thinking well maybe we might land if we think we've got an opportunity to win this thing for a poor with a poor Audi. But they're certainly not going to make the mistake that they made four years ago of going all in and then finding that the electorate just wasn't open minded to him because of his base. And I make it a point an important point because the pastor who did refer to a Mormon as a cult also said something very very interesting that I think people need to hear. He said this is what he said I'm going to win. Druck I'm going to advise people that it is much better

to vote for a non critic who embraces biblical values then can vote for a professing Christian like Barack Obama who embraces on the biblical values. I don't know what that means but what I'm telling you is he even gave them the pass that if they voted for Mitt Romney it was OK because he was a better choice than on the biblical Barack Obama. Well it certainly won't be the first time somebody as a minister got them in trouble we've seen that before so I'll be interested to see how this plays out. You're listening to eighty nine point seven WGBH an online a WGBH dot org. I'm Kelly Crossley and you're listening to another edition of New Hampshire insiders we're looking at how the GOP primary is playing out in the Granite State. I'm joined by public affairs consultant Fergus Cullen. He's the former chairman of the New Hampshire Republican Party and an editorial page columnist with The New Hampshire Union Leader. Also on the line from New Hampshire is radio and TV commentator Arnie Arnesen. Now we have some breaking news according to The National Journal. Chris Christie will endorse Mitt Romney this

afternoon in New Hampshire. Have you heard that Fergus. You know there's breaking news well one shot in the arm for Mitt Romney. Yeah I would say that really sets him up well for the debate than I would assume. I think that's going to change the topic really from a return. Yes exactly that. And maybe that's why he did it. You know that because if you want to change the conversation how do you trump an online ad to you trump it would be Chris Christie who everybody still wants but no one is exactly sure why. And I think that's powerful but there was a wonderful piece that Fergus sent us Kelly about why Chris Christie decided not to do it. And I think it's really important because you actually see it with Rick Perry. It is not easy to run for president. And one of the things you get with Mitt Romney is that you can tell he's been around the block a lot of times he's thought about these issues for a long time since his second campaign. There are there's a there's a sense of knowledge and confidence whenever he's in a debate. What you saw with Rick Perry was he

thought he could move from being the governor of Texas to you know being prepared to run for president when he hadn't thought of the whole congo line of issues. And you clearly see he doesn't feel schooled in a lot of these things. There's not a lot to draw on Chris Christie probably also understood the same thing might happen to him. You know the hell of a lot about New Jersey. But he may not know a hell of a lot about pocket. And he may not know a lot about some of the other major issues that Mitt Romney has now spent you know close to eight years studying. And I think that's the other thing. People need time to think about this and they need time to prepare. Fergus your piece really dealt with the fact that the the the whole pool of candidates was missing a maverick. These are your words somebody that could you know really stand up even in the face of maybe some negative response at the moment and say hey this is what we should be and feel good about it and not not fear losing a vote or two in order to be true to his or her values. So does Chris Christie who was labeled a

maverick by many people as his giving up his endorsement to Mitt Romney make him more like a maverick. Well I mean you know John McCain won the New Hampshire primary not once but twice. He got 49 percent of the vote. In 2000 he got 37 percent of the vote. Just four years ago and I would have thought that some of these candidates were not named Mitt Romney would have looked at that model and said. That's the secret. You know a little bit of independence not being afraid to take on the base of your own party. This is a way to connect with New Hampshire's independent minded voters and instead what we've seen is one candidate after another I think still trying to win 100 percent of the primary vote. They're afraid of alienating any single voter. And it can be good politics sometimes to strategically pick a fight with your own base. I mean when Jon Huntsman just now said you know call this preacher a moron. You know I think that's good for Jon Huntsman I think it's also right on the 100 merit. But also I think it's good politics. And you

know in today's debate I'll be interested to see whether candidates will be creating those kind of opportunities. You know if the last debate we saw a soldier happened to be gay ask a question and get booed by the crowd. And none of the candidates interjected and said hey you know this is a soldier serving his country and we appreciate that service. These are opportunities that have gone by the wayside in some of these past debates. I expect candidates will not let those moments go by tonight. What do you expect. What do you think each of them should do to be ready tonight. I mean what should they put forth so that people can hear their message and be impressed by it. You know a lot of pressure on Rick Perry I think tonight after a three week debate performances the last one being borderline disastrous. You know no one single gaffe but you know he's asked a question on Pakistan. It was clear he might have trouble finding Pakistan on a map. That's the quote you know he tries to deliver a premeditated trip premeditated rehearsed it on Mitt Romney and he stumbles all over himself

can't get the words out. You know if you are recruiting bundler or an uncommitted elected official in a key state for Rick Perry right now your job's gotten a lot harder in the last couple of weeks. And did you know a lot of people are probably waiting on the sidelines looking for a strong capable competent performance from Rick Perry before they're going to commit to him. And if he fails to deliver that he's going to have a real hard time moving forward I think Arnie and the other thing is I think that what you just wrote Forget about looking for the maverick itself fascinating. Obviously I'm I'm I'm a liberal Democrat and if I called to Hampshire and one of our writers at that probably talked about the fact that they were hoping you could I know how Huntsman can win the New Hampshire primary. I would. Basically describe the maverick stuff that you were just saying Fergus in your column and that's where Huntsman can actually deliver tonight as well because he really is going nowhere in the polls he's only spent all his time in New Hampshire. But he hasn't used the New Hampshire advantage and I don't mean the New Hampshire advantage on taxes. I mean the New Hampshire advantage of

undeclared voters that are the largest constituency in the state that can vote in a Republican primary they are not Republicans. They don't want to knee jerk Republican. They don't want someone who basically wants to get along with the crowd. They want someone that sounds like an adult. That's really where Huntsman has an opportunity tonight to do that. So I think Huntsman can actually reach out to those underclothes tonight and look at the alternative to Mitt Romney where still a lot of people are not satisfied with him is that a choice. And the other thing I think that can happen is that Rick Santorum came in third in the Value Voters Summit who clearly is. I think if you're looking for consistency and being articulate and you want to be more evangelical and more Christian conservative he really is that guy. And he should be able to take away from Rick Perry and Michele Bachmann tonight point to what happened at the Value Voters Summit and he should be able to garner those votes as well in this debate. So this is one thing that I was thinking about and that is does Michele

Bachmann have a shot. You know I know you know. To say that but OK so Jon Huntsman has made his strategy. I'm in New Hampshire my headquarters are here. I'm all in. Michele Bachmann had been there in awhile since June but she's back now trying to probably capitalize on a lot of the social conservative stuff that's going on at this point is she just positioning herself for vice president perhaps. I mean hasn't been here in a while that's like saying you know Haley's Comet hasn't been there in a while. I think a Michele Bachmann in the year before the New Hampshire presidential primary took three and a half months in between visits to New Hampshire and then she shows up this weekend. Why is she in New Hampshire because this debate tonight. So I guess she might as well spend an extra couple of days as she tries to sort of put one over on New Hampshire voters and say that the reason she hasn't been here is because you know to return to Washington for the debt ceiling vote was totally wrong months ago. You know and here not the entire month of September tally has been Am I

owing in Washington per month she has no record that one vote I think in June you know even her excuse is that one candidate and you don't think I'm going to bring that up tonight. Oh come on. This is really this is exactly not the way to handle it. Again the idea when you look like you're trying to put one over on people that's even worse than just being honest with them and telling them something they don't want to hear. All right well a couple other points. Herman Cain would not it makes. Statement I don't know which one that. Hey where a different kind of place. If Herman Cain comes out on top in New Hampshire I know Mitt Romney everything does just let's just you know put that on the table. Nobody was expecting the black man to be number two at this point. Well I understand his appeal you know he's a successful business person he's an engaging speaker he seems very likable. I mean you know that's all great stuff in a candidate but if there's substance behind that. And but more the point he just hasn't

been tested and he really hasn't been treated all that credibly by the media who have basically given a free ride to this point. And of course by his opponents you know I'm not sure that they really view him as a threat either so they'll let him say whatever he wants and they they won't challenge it. Well now that he is you know 12 to 20 percent in the polls you know it's time for someone to ask him that hard question. You know foreign affairs also about the details of his tax plan and make sure that you can give an answer that sounds convincing but last for longer than 30 or 60 seconds. We haven't seen that yet and if he passes that test I'm all for it I think though be great. But let's just acknowledge the kind of scrutiny of this point the campaign. OK and you're absolutely right the media has given him a pass and you know that's just not going to fly anymore. You saw where he came in second in the Value Voters meeting right behind Ron Paul. Now he's come in second in the state of New Hampshire he went from basically zero to 20 percent. And it's a you know a matter of minutes but nobody knows. Nobody

has ever said to him when he keep talking about that Nae Nae Nae Nae plan nobody ever said what the heck is that. You know play that out. You know tell me who's going to pay and who's not going to pay. So tonight he also has something very interesting I believe I'm correct on the surface but if standing or sitting next to Mitt Romney. Yeah. So he can see he's an I don't know what it is I'm Todd. Right exactly like so. So he is now going to be in a place where he is going to be under scrutiny and he's going to have to answer questions and show his substance and you know that he's not going to have to be the Rick Perry of this debate because Rick Perry is going to feud with talent on substance he didn't produce. Well now it's going to be faffing to find out whether Herman Cain is prepared to answer when you give him a really substantial question. Yeah and one of the nines is a 9 percent sales tax. New Hampshire right now is zero bills and that's good but you know how's he going to answer that question of you know people in New Hampshire are going to be paying a 9 percent sales tax on everything. I mean look there's an argument to be made for his tax plan. He needs to be able to make it. But I'm not persuaded it's going to be able to convince lots of people

to support him. Well Lawrence O'Donnell by the way on MSNBC has given him a little bit of a going over though it's somewhat controversial so I want to put that on the day Bill. But let me just close out with this because I'm curious to know if you think that this will come up in the debate tonight. And and how people answer it will make some voters have a decision one way or the other and that is the Occupy New Hampshire movement taking up space in one of the parks there in Veterans Park in Manchester. And they're making the same point that the other Occupy groups are making across the country. How will these candidates respond to this. Ernie these are your people. Well no I think I think my people. I think I think it really does have to come up because you know once for a while everybody ignored it including NPR didn't cover it for about three week. So what you know is instead of not covering it that it didn't gain momentum it is gaining momentum and you're seeing it happening across Iowa. There's about seven locations in Iowa now where there's going to be

Occupy Iowa in a morning. You're seeing it now in New Hampshire with Occupy Concord occupy Manchester. And what's interesting is who's showing up because it's all people showing up at a lot of young people who are overloaded with debt and find no opportunity for employment. Ok but how does it affect the candidates responses. My question how do how come I think I think that they're going to have to respond in a more serious fashion. I think they just can't discount it as a bunch of riffraff. I think to some extent if they legitimize some of the for. Station because you know it's the economy stupid. And what's driving a lot of those folks on Occupy Wall Street is about the economy. If they give them some semblance of legitimacy and credibility because they have a reason to be angry they may be surprised at the reaction. I sort of disagree with you know the sort of I think this is an opportunity for Republican candidates to market these protesters and say you know I wasn't able to go to you know keep my movement because I have a job something like that would really appeal to the Republican base.

And you know I think that they have a garden because they're basically in corporate America where all of Wall Street is doing well. And all of Wall Street is being bonus and all of Wall Street got paid and bailed out by folks in the middle class. And now as a result it is a Wall Street that unemployed it's everybody else and when you've hollowed out your manufacturing sector and the only thing left are the financial sector that basically sells you know collateral debt obligations and derivatives on the international markets. Nothing you make in a manufacturing plant. I think I'm sorry. They're not talking about not having a job. They want more. There just isn't any work. All right but I'll be curious to know and Fergus is of the opinion that. Going against him is not going to hurt any of the candidates tonight. So that will be fascinating to watch today. It will be interesting but the question is it won't hurt them tonight. The question becomes is it going to hurt them in the long run. All right maybe you got you got kik you got two timetables here you got an immediate timetable and then you've got to figure out what setting you want to win in November. And that's

part of the problem about being in a primary is that when you're in a primary you're focusing on your base. When you're running in a general election it's got to be more than that. Well Fergus is going to be a delicate balance because you're trying to run the New Hampshire primary and those are independents as you both acknowledge. So that's a slightly different crowd from just the Republicans whom you say would absolutely support anybody mocking these protesters. Well I still think that these folks are well out of the mainstream I mean I'm not sure that there's a coherent message in terms of what they're representing. There is a certain protest of the Month Club on the far left. You know if the World Trade Organization were having a meeting this week they'd be protesting that instead. And you know in a Republican primary I think this is a very very safe target. All right well I think you're right. And I think if you just remember that I'm right I can't wait to see what happens tonight I think it's going to be a really interesting this is the fifth presidential debate happening tonight. Pay attention we've been talking presidential politics and how the race is shaping up in the nation's

primary capital New Hampshire. I've been speaking with public affairs consultant Fergus Cullen. He's the former chairman of the New Hampshire Republican Party and an editorial page columnist with The New Hampshire Union Leader. And Arnie Arnesen who is a radio and TV commentator. They are our New Hampshire insiders. We'll be checking in with them in a couple of weeks Thank you guys. Thank you. Up next we drop in on Provincetown for a preview of the musical comedy pulp. It's this year's benefit performance to raise awareness for breast cancer and other areas of women's health. Don't go away. We'll be back after this break. This program is made possible thanks to you. And Boston Private Bank and Trust Company Boston private bank provides private and commercial banking and investment management and trust services to individuals and businesses. You can learn more by visiting

Boston private bank dot com. And celebrity series of Boston presenting superstar pianist Lang long in recital performing works of Bach Schubert and Chopin. Sunday October 30th 3pm at Symphony Hall. For tickets you can visit Celebrity Series dot org. And Harvard division of continuing education and the Museum of Science sponsoring news and talk on eighty nine point seven. Learn more about sponsorship on WGBH by calling 6 1 7 three hundred fifty five hundred. Marco Werman Before Richard Holbrooke died last year he was facing down one of the thorniest diplomatic challenges of his career. HOLBROOKE understood that peace and security in Afghanistan is dependent on peace and security in Pakistan. And you have to get this right to find your way out. Afghanistan Pakistan and peace. The unfinished legacy of Richard Holbrooke. That's next time on the world. Coming up at 3:00 here on eighty nine point seven WGBH. Sample some of the best wines of Mendoza Patagonia and sun upon at the next taste of

WGBH event at eighty nine point seven Brighton studios on October 30 support WGBH with a gift of just sixty dollars and eighty nine point seven will say thanks with a pair of tickets to wines of Argentina. An evening of wine and food and music in celebration of Hispanic American Heritage Month members get your tickets at a discount at WGBH dot org slash box office the latest local news headlines are as close as your smartphone with the new WGBH app. A single tap gets you up to date with headlines from business to arts and culture. Just a free download away at the App Store or learn more at GDH dot org. Good afternoon I'm Cally Crossley. We're marking Breast Cancer Awareness Month with Provincetown carriers each year they produce a benefit performance to raise awareness and funds for women's health. This year they're going all out with the production of pope. That's with an exclamation point. A musical comedy about the award winning playwright Patricia cane

Joining me for a preview of this year's production Arlin DND goanna and Maureen Keeler Lindy and goanna is a filmmaker and the founder of Provincetown cares. She's directing this year's production. And Maureen Keeler is a veteran actor of the stage and screen both big screen and small. Thank you both for joining us today. Hi Kelly. Hi Kelly. Thank you for having us. Let me start with you and I'd love you to talk about your personal motivation for creating Provincetown cares. Well I launched the organization in 2008 and it came out of really a feeling about sort of wanting to pay my personal blessings forward and that at the time I had several friends who were suffering with breast cancer a couple of forms of cancer and and. I wanted to do something more make a bigger difference than just the ability to write a check or do walk and so I thought well I've got really only one skill and that's I know how to put on a show. So I thought what if I get a group of friends and we put on a play and we give all the money away to charity.

You know maybe that'll make a difference in terms of awareness and let people have fun but raise money for good causes same time. What was attractive to you about this morning about the first production. You know what the first part of the first production we did was last summer at bluefish Cove which was a sort of a landmark lesbian themed play and I was asked to join the cast. I was with a lot of people that I knew and loved. So. So that's always attractive and I love Provincetown and love not to like what's not to like you know usually in the fall it's just gorgeous and I like the idea of doing something that would be helpful to people who are ill and in need of some help. So now from the beginning Maureen just mentioned the very first production but and you've had several others there all been kind of serious but this year you went a totally different direction. Yes I was forced to you know. OK well it's our fourth year and yes the first year we did last our bluefish the second year we did fallen angels about their women Air

Force pilots and then last year we did memorial original play about Katrina and softball and the actors cornered me and they said Lynn we love you will come back year after year but please do you know. Pope is fun it's fun just picture you know a steamy sexy Chicago bar 956 with little lesbians and so music coming you know. Yeah performing in drag so actually Maureen introduce a property to me. I had done a production of it with Boston Theatre Works a few years back. It's just a really fun piece it's a high camp and mellow drama and there's some really lovely music in it. And so it's a little of everything it's very funny and it's also got a lot of heart to it. Yeah so it'll be a good time and where we've been please where the only production townhall they just refurbish in Provincetown. Oh wow so we're

doing a play two days two nights only in Provincetown and that should be great. So far the we've gotten a lot of incredible response. Well you started this in 2008. You've been doing it every year and you've said that you wanted this to be more than just kind of a fundraiser is really a community coming together. Talk about that if you will. Oh absolutely. This really is in every sense kind of community organizing that the first year I literally went on my bicycle up and down Main Street commercial street asking the different businesses if they would help me put out give me some money to put a banner up. And that. That sort of intent has grown so now we've got restaurants to donate food. People in the town and outside of town donate their mileage so I can fly the actors in town. People donate their homes for people to stay at. We have volunteers helping to sell tickets and doing and promoting it so every part

of Provincetown really comes together and in my other motivation was that I wanted a way to sort of repurpose which is a really fun week in Provincetown women's week not only honoring National Breast Cancer Awareness Month but I thought well if we can make this a destination event where people have fun but also raise money. Then I'd feel happy and it really has done that because not only do we put on a great play we introduce people to the Cape that don't maybe wouldn't come out in the fall and so it's been really it's been really exciting the way it's taken off. Now Maureen for you as one of the actors you'll have much time to rehearse. They you know fly U.N. people by the way we should say the community supports the actors and putting them up in the town really just does reach out and braces. And so I mean you feel so spoiled when you're there I mean Jodi comes and picks you up in the cab anywhere you want to go any time of night. We stay in beautiful

homes people just really open their hearts and their homes to us it's incredible what this event really brings to people. It's great but you should know I should say it is it's an exciting kind of scary part of theater and that the cast truly comes together probably Thursday morning. So we get all of Thursday to rehearse part of Friday morning and then we have to perform it Friday night and then Saturday for a matinee and they go home on Sunday. But I think that makes that gives you a lot of energy if I do yeah. I mean you know what choice do you have. Exactly and we should say that it's a staged reading so that's that's a different kind of format than a play that people might be thinking of. Well it's a little less pressure but you know I don't actually have to have the lines memorized and you can sort of refer to the script but you have to really have to know it pretty well in order to really connect with the other actors. And this year it's a musical so the singing as well. I will be singing as well. Now can you sing I dare ask.

Some of my arguments. I think I do OK. OK so I mean I have the advantage that I've done the show before and so I do know the music. But there are people who don't and they are just hearing it now for the first time and freaking out a little bit about having to learn it so quickly so. And we have a great three piece band that's going to be backing us up it's going to be really fun. Martha Bourne and Nash Satterfield is probably a local band I'm sure some of your listeners have heard they're coming to Provincetown and they're going to be our house band for the place. It should be great. And you know of course as we've said it's happening and Provincetown is part of women's week. Some may know that Provincetown has a significant gay population but not everybody there is. Yeah yeah not everybody knows about the ideas. This seems to. This event seems to have brought in everybody from you know wherever they may sit on the spectrum of who they are.

I absolutely would agree with that. We get our audience is very broad and and diverse and diverse Yeah very diverse. And we've sold out the last three years of the art house we sold out every performance. So part of moving to the Town Hall is that the exciting thing is we've we had to find a new home because we outgrew our previous our previous place which is amazing. Yeah. So we're hoping that town hall be our new home and we can really kind of fill it and you know make a statement there. Now you could have I mean I don't know Lynn you said this is your only talent putting on a show but. But you could have like done a tradition more of a traditional fundraiser I mean there are lots of them around for breast cancer. You just decided to go a different direction. Yeah I did because I don't know I just thought in keeping with the spirit of Provincetown which is really about perform. You know it's a combination of performance art and crafts people and fisherman I wanted to sort of kind of dig into that spirit a little bit and tried that way in.

And it's when the audience comes it's I've kind of also taken it up a notch because the first year we did do a block stage reading where they were most of the time the actors were in their seats and they would come and stand up and sort of move forward but every year it's gotten more and more ambitious where we've gotten sets and it's really about movement and so the only thing that's different is that you'll see some of the cast will have their script in their hand. But for the most part they're playing with props and singing and dancing. So so it's a real play. But in the so it's kind of blurring all the lines of what people come to expect in a great way. Oh Maureen you've done as we said film and TV and also plays around the Boston area. How does this fit in the in the scheme of things of the work that you do. Oh it's very much like I do quite a bit of theater in Boston and so it's very much like that I mean we're working with people in Provincetown cares that I've worked with

on stage before. And so. It's very much like doing theater only. It's just like holding the script in your hand it's just like it gives you that little bit of what's the word I'm looking for like a security blanket that if thing you know. It's something that you can put together really quickly which is great. You know I think when I was reading about this the thing that struck me you were talking about the postman asking you about it. So this really become an integral part of the community that people are looking forward to it every year. And you know not to forget that the reason for this is to raise money for breast cancer. And I wonder if you think that in some ways even though there are breast cancer fund raising events all around there become ubiquitous in a way that people may think it's kind of over you know like this is you know we've done this now haven't we gotten close to solving it. And this is a way to remind people that we're still in the in the thick of it.

Oh yes I would agree with that and you're right I do get stopped on the street this time they are saying well what's a play this year and what are we going into. And. One of the one of the sort of philosophies of the organization when we start is that I wanted to start in our village and work out so one of our beneficiaries is how helping our women which is a volunteer based organization helps women dealing with cancer and other chronic debilitating illnesses from driving them to their appointments taking care of their everyday needs. You know to sort of feel normal when you're taking on the battle of your life as well as the Fenway community health center. And Dr.. Susan Love's Army of Women Foundation so our fundraisers every year really take almost create a third of the total fund raising for how so I know firsthand what a difference we make in just that community and their clients come up to us and thank us and we have anonymous donors every year who always put away put aside 20 tickets. That's great so the people

that are in the community can come and kind of see where the money you know what we're doing to raise money for them. All right well this year's play sounds fun and you've raised $100000 over time and. This it'll be a little bit different from the more somber plays that people have seen in the past. I'm so glad that both of you were able to come we've been talking about Provincetown care's and the upcoming annual benefit production pulp musical comedy. It's this weekend in town hall in Provincetown Friday the silent auction is at 4pm and the curtain goes up at 6 on Saturday the site of auction as it one in the curtain goes up to three. To learn more check out our website or go to the Provincetown cares dot com. I've been speaking with the founder of problems down cares filmmaker Lynn dn goanna and actor Maureen Keeler. Thank you both. Thank thank so much. Thank you very much. You can keep on top of the Calla Crossley Show at WGBH dot org slash Calla Crossley follow us on Twitter or become a fan of the Kelly Crossley Show on Facebook. The Kelly Crossley Show is a production of WGBH Boston Public Radio.