GOPers eyeing 2016 already?

>>> to thank some people. i'd like to thank the red cross . also to my wife who put up with a husband who smelled like a wet fleece for the past three weeks.

>> you have been wearing that fleece a lot.

>> it's basically fused to my skin at this point.

>> i wear the suits over the fleece . i'm going to die in this fleece .

>> in the spotlight tonight, republicans making moves with with an eye on, wait for it, 2016 . new jersey governor chris christie is getting a lot of love from comedy on both sides of the aisle for his "snl" appearance.

>> how is cleanup going?

>> so far so good. this isn't going to be done in a couple days. fortunately, new jerseyens are known for their patience.

>> they are?

>> yes, they are. i get it. screaming at people at gas stations is a new jersey tradition. but you don't do it during a crisis. there will be plenty of time for yelling when this is all over.

>> a force, louisiana governor bobby jindal who has been pedaling as fast as humanly possible to put distance between him and the crazy members of the republican party .

>> we don't need to be saying stupid things. we don't need to change principles, but we can be respectful.

>> keeping a lower profile, as in not being all over the television set all the time was senator marco rubio . he went to 2016 's first caucus state of iowa on saturday to speak at a birthday fundraiser for the republican governor. and to try to fill the void in the hearts of iowa republicans. one prominent iowa republican said from an iowan's perspective it was like a rebound date. get back up on the the horse and start looking to the future for something better. there's no one that feels bad for mitt romney . he did not disappoint bringing with him red meat and even a dog whistle or two.

>> if the america declines that the power of our example is dimmed, what takes its place? the answer is nothing takes its place. and your children and grandchildren will inherit not just a diminished country, they'll inherit a diminished world. what's at stake here is not just our country, but life on this planet. and what that means is we need to do a better job convincing our fellow americans. the free enterprise is the best way forward for them.

>> but perhaps the most absurd 2016 republican headline so far comes to us from weekly standard writer charlotte allen. the headline, hey gop, take the palin cure, she's hot, she's blue collar , she's electable. hardly anyone could be more blue collar than palin. a war against women, not only is she a woman, she's got a single mom daughter, bristol. gay marriage ? palin opposes it. looks count in politics and palin at age 48 has it all over her possible competition including hillary clinton who will be 69 by election day 2016 . men love sarah palin and she loves men. joining me now, two men, hugo lindgren and jonathan capehart. jonathan , my friend, i must start with had this notion, this notion that sarah palin may somehow reenter center stage because she's hot and blue collar .

>> no, no, please, for the love of god , no. talking about 2016 when 2012 is only two weeks old is crazy. but the idea that sarah palin could run for president in 2016 is absolutely ridiculous. the opinion piece that you read from is also ridiculous. and nowhere in the piece does it it talk about the fact that sarah palin , after 2008 when she had the opportunity to disappear, study, do all the hard work it takes to be leader in her party, study up on foreign policy , study up on nest domestic policy and come out of the gate running at full speed to run in 2012 to be the leader of her party and grab the nomination, what did she do? none of that. she decided to become a reality tv star, do all sorts of things that made her very, very famous, very, very rich, but incredibly unelectable. her approval rating , let's focus on the disapproval rating, which is in the high 50s.

>> i think it might be in the high 200s at this point. i will say, never mind qualifications, let's focus on looks and who is prettier on the stump. moving along, hugo. as long as we're talking about far, far off.

>> let's talk about chris christie .

>> before that, let's talk of marco rubio . he of the gloom and doom. when you mention life on this planet, i feel like you're sending the wrong message.

>> the diminished world is like a frightening speck tor. i think marco rubio is trying to be the nice guy overall. he's not even digging at romney. he's trying to be a little sweet to the republican establishment and also just trying to be like all around a good guy. to see him go to iowa and break out with the diminished world, we're all screwed, it was just a little --

>> or that the free market will stake care of this planet in distress.

>> it could.

>> jonathan , you're effortlessly elegant, and i would assume you're a regular reader of "gentleman's quarterly." he made a few headlines. mario rubio is a member of the commerce, science and transportation e committee. how old do you think the earth is? he begins with maybe one of my favorite lines, i'm not a scientist, man. the age of the universe has zero to do with how our economy is going to grow. there are multiple theories on how the universe was create d and this is a country where people should have the opportunity to teach them all. whether the earth was created in seven days or seven eras, i'm not sure we'll be able to answer that. this is a man that sits on the commerce, science and transportation committee in the u.s. congress .

>> i'm speechless. i'm without words. what do you say to that? somewhat what do you say to someone who is an elected member of congress, who is a potential presidential nominee , someone who could be president of the united states and he's speaking this way? the republican party , maybe that plays well to the republican party base, but in no way is that a winning message for the vast middle of the country who wants someone who is a little more with it in terms of science.

>> and that's a very good point. we talk about the fallout the republicans have had on certain issues. whether that's women's health or immigration, another piece of that is science. the fact that many people were turned off by the gop by their strict of facts and figures.

>> i think what marco rubio is trying to say, and i don't want to speculate too far, but this is the not the core issue. he's trying to get back to the economy and the republicans perceived strength and not try to get on the issue of creationism.

>> never mind the fact that scientists say the earth is 45 billion years old.

>> he was trying to change the subject. i'm not a scientist.

>> if someone is going to be the the savior of this party, perhaps he's wearing a fleece or perhaps he's not.

>> finally, chris christie .

>> i know you wanted to talk about him. our thinking that chris christie may be a nominee. he remains a long shot. let's look at the hurdles. assuming the party does go to the middle, he may not be the the one to carry the banner. it seems impossible now, but voters are fickle lovers.

>> what you see with christie in a lot of the stuff since the hurricane, he seems at ease with himself. it's not about policies, it's about who the person is. in the last few weeks, we have seen somebody who is unafraid to speak his mind and be clear about things. it's refreshing in that regard. there's a long way to 2016 . we'll see a few other sides of chris christie between now and then. i think we'll see what the whole story is.

>> jonathan , you're wearing a pocket square . can this country elect a man with a fleece stapled to his skin?

>> chris christie is comfortable in his own skin. he knows who he is. and that's something mitt romney could never get across to anyone.

>> i can't picture you in a fleece . we'll leave it there. thank you both for joining me tonight.

>>> coming up, republicans look to the states to stop obama care.

>>> and what president obama 's visit to burma represents to that country and the world and what it says about his own personal history. that's coming