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>> you it won't be just a day of winners and losers, the entire day there would be a new senate majority leader, new committee chairs and need for new strategy from president obama, who butted heads with republican on every issue and is largely lost support for his agenda. >> a switch in the senate could signify something bigger, can two badly damaged political brands and unpopular president governor together?

voters today they want a new order in washington, could a new senate majority be the answer? >> for the purposes of this conversation we're looking at what happens if when the smoke clears, the g.o.p. holds 51 seats or more, the democrats hold 49 seats or less, what happens in general and at this specific moment in time when the chamber that likes to call itself the world greatest collaborative body hangs up a sign reading under new management. joining us for that conversation, managing director of the consulting firm capstone counsel group. he worked for years for senate majority leader harry reid. and a john, let me start with you, there are many who say not

a dime's worth of difference between the two parties are we about to test that proposition? >> we're going to see a lot of different policies pursued under a republican majority in the senate than we've seen under a democratic majority in the senate. the senate will start to look a lot more like the house in terms of pursuing obama repeals, tax reform and the types of middle class agenda that is seen going forward versus a middle class agenda that the democrats see. >> will those bills that harry reid is accused of sitting on, blocking and not bringing to the floor the kinds of things that the republican-led house was voting on and passing now get a rehearing and re-airing? they'll certainly get a rehearing. there are a few stumbling blocks.

first the filibuster power of the democrats in the fat. that will be a serious stumbling block for lot of this legislation. the republicans won't have a 60-seat majority in the senate. they might have a 51- or 52-seat majority. i think what's not being talked about enough is internal republican politics are also a challenge, getting all of these republicans on the same page is going to be difficult because the republican majority is a very diverse lot. >> we'll be talking about that later in the program. william hogueland we don't have a parliamentary system. we don't have a queen who summons a new leader and asks him or her to form a new government. what happens with the m mechanics when the leadership changes hands. >> first, who will be the committees, the ratio between republicans and democrats, which will be a function of the outcome of this election as to

whether it's 51 or 52 or 53, that will determine the make up. there will be a lot of basic administrative work to setting it up, determining the membership of the staff, and maybe letting some staff go, and hiring some staff. this is in the senate. there will be early part of this exercise will just be administrative, putting the caucuses together, and as john said early on will be some heavy sitting down at least in the caucuses as to what the agenda we should pursue and how we should pursue it. as john mentioned it, it's not a forgone conclusion that this legislation, the majority leader mr. reid has held up. it's easy that it will come up. this is the great deliberative body. 60 votes to past legislation to get over the filibuster. there are ways around that

, but those are not simple. in some ways from the top of your question, at the outset of this program, i'm not quite sure you're going to see a lot of differences going forward for the next two years. >> does some of this stuff go in tandem with the lame duck section? they'll come back after the election day. they have business to do before the new congress comes to work in january and new legislators take their seat. will we see the same machinations that william hogueland was talking about when the smoke clears on november 5th? >> absolutely. you're going to see both causes. democratic and republican caucus organize. they'll have to pick their new leaders. you will a he see them pick their chairman, but you still have some issues that need to be taken care of in this lame duck. princecally among them is a

spending bill that needs to pass congress on december 11th. on that continuing resolution that funds your government right now will be expired, and so they'll have to sit down and figure out how they're going to move forward on that spending bill. will they do an ominous bill or a continuing resolution, which takes them in to the next year. those are questions that will have to be answered. they won't be easy to answer and tomorrow's outcome will help us figure that out. >> john, people who lose their seats, people who have decided not stay, will they still have their jobs. in the shadow of the election day, especially if people made a big decision. they still have their jobs. they still have their power.

but do they look back at last tuesday. >> there is going to be in congress this electoral broken down. senators from louisiana and arkansas are not going to be so worried whether voting for the president is going to come back and hurt them because it's already hurt them if they've lost. they have a little more freedom to vote their mind, their conscience, and maybe vote for what they think is right for their state even if the state's voters disagree. in terms of legislation that is going to be true. it's certainly going to be true in terms of presidential appointments. if the senate switches to republican, you're going to see a very active nomination and confirmation process in advance of van. >> ah-ha, but if mitch mcconnell is anticipating taking the majority leader's job in just a few weeks, are there things that he has powers that he has that can slow things down. slow up things that john is talking about? >> absolutely.

the filibuster rule still applies. if the republicans--if it's clear that republicans are taking back control in januar january 2015, his negotiations and thinks thinking will be what can i delay until i'm in control of handling the agenda next year. some of these issues may be delayed further during the lame duck session if it's clear that republicans are in control i in 2015. >> so will the judges, ambassadors, those kinds of things might still have to wait until next year? >> well, not necessarily. you still have the 51-vote filibuster rule that senator reid put into place earlier this wrong. that expires at the end of this year. what you're going to see, i think, from the democratic side regardless of the outcome is a real big push to try to clear as many nominations as possible. going into next year simply because you really don't know what the rules are going to look like next year with a democratic or republican majority. >> we'll be back with more

"inside story" after a short break. we know we return we'll continue with our guide to the u.s. senate if the republicans have a big night tuesday, and grab the majority of seats in the next congress. stay with us. >> bying homes by the landlords. monitory value. >> they're being taken advantage the crisis continues. >> ground breaking... >> they're firing canisters >> ... emmy award winning investigative series. landlords.

>> an election day midterms marathon. >> it's gonna be close. >> several swing state elections are up for grabs. >> are you kidding me? >> don't miss filmmaker a.j. schnack's unprecedented... >> if i can drink this, i don't

see why you should't be able to smoke that. >> behind the scenes look... >> are you gonna do this? >> at what it takes to win. >> it's certainly something that doesn't exist elsewhere in politics on television. >> midterms election day marathon. tomorrow, 1:00 eastern. only on al jazeera america. >> welcome back to inside story on al jazeera america. i'm ray suarez. by now, especially if you live in a battleground state you've heard that republicans taking control of the united states senate will either be great news or a terrifying prospect. we're spending this program assessing some of those possible outcomes with veteran senate insiders and watchers, and william hogueland, what's pending? both in things that haven't even coalesced as bills yet, what's actually in the pipeline that may be alter, the course may be altered in the lang of leadership.

>> the big thing, number one, you just have to keep funding the government. that has to happen. they're not going to have a government shutdown particularly in september. there are a number of tax provisions that take place, and those, too, need to be addressed. maybe they are extended. but then we move in to next year, and there a number of very big fiscal issues up u front of next year because dealing with, first of all, the debt limit. we reached the statutory debt limit on the 15th. there is an issue reimbursements for doctors, about the 20% reduction. there are issues associated with expiring the highway trust fund, that has to be extended. all of these issues are coming up quickly. it's interesting from my perspective little has been discussed in the campaign on the fiscal issues, which are going

to be some of the first things that are going to have to address. >> are there broad differences of opinions on the kinds of things that you just named so a change to republican management will make a difference in the way that things are dispensed with? >> we've seen that previously. when the house remains republican, the current thinking, obviously, there are major differences between those issuing budgets that passed under mr. ryan's chairmanship in the house on the budget committee, and those differences are very stark when there is spending on major entitlement programs. even in the senate it will be difficult--i would like to remind everybody that there is another election. in 2016 it almost flips. we have 20-26 republicans up in 2016, and ten democrats. they'll be looking over their

shoulders very quickly those who are up in 2016 as to what kind of votes they take in the next congress. that may soften their position. >> when your old boss harry reid is not your majority leader, if that's what comes to pass, and that's the terms we're having this conversation, are there burdens that the democrats will be all too happy to lay on republican shoulders responsibilities, should bills passed, certain revenue that they'll be glad to dodge the bullet on? >> i don't know if they'll be dodging the bullet, but you're absolutely right. there will be a lot of things that need to get done that aren't easy to get done. a lot of heavy lifting will have to take place. bill talked about the budgetary things that are coming down the pike like a debt limit. but there is some debate on what is happening on overseas foreign policy, isis, ebola, these are all things that are going to be coming down the pike. they're not going to be easy issues to handle.

>> or popular. >> or popular. let us not forget in the 2016 elections, the republican side, you have quite a few senators who are going to be looking to running for president. a majority leader mcconnell will be looking at all those factors as he takes a look at these very serious issues he has to take care of. >> one name that has made it clear, john, that he's not going to support mitch mcconnell as majority leader is ted cruz of texas. now, this is odd behavior from freshman senators. let's get that right out there in the beginning. but what does it mean to have a loud, energic and aggressive guy basically say i'm ready to buck the rules if that's what it takes? >> well, it shows that mitch mcconnell is going to have a headache over the next two years, but it shows a bit of amateurism already within the republican conference. that's a real challenge.

normally you have people who are--who understand this is a moment for republicans to move forward, to get their agenda heard, to get on top of messaging. that kind of language distracts from that. that's not what republicans need to be doing. i think bill's point is a good one. in the campaign so far we have not heard much about issues. we don't know about where candidates stand. and so that policy conversation has not been part of the agenda like it was in the 2010 mid terms, like it was in the 2006 mid terms. that means it's going to be very difficult for republicans not just to get things passed but to understand where the conversation is going to begin. comments like that from senator cruz put those conversations at bay. that's a real problem. >> william hogueland, some of the heat, freelancing and energic debate rather than hush tones, migrating from the house

to the senate, is that--is the senate becoming like a super house when you hear ted cruz, the republicans are on the verge of retaking leadership already saying i don't know that i'll back the new leader? >> i spent 23-24 years as a senate staffer not a house staffer. there is a difference between the house and senate, and we're always concerned about the senate becoming a house. yes, there is a concern there. i would say, though, if the republicans take back control, if senator mcconnell retains his position and becomes the majority leader, he's very astute, and he knows how to work. he's been through this with wayward sons, if you like, and daughters before. i feel that he would know how to handle mr. cruz, but john is right, the republicans have to come together on what they want to get done, and i think they have to take the position that they need to legislation, they need to governor.

they've been criticizing for the last four or five years. they need to be able to come forth and say we have an agenda and we have a direction we want to go and we have to get it done. in that regard, mr. cruz will come around to following the leader for the purpose of showing that republicans can governor. >> quickly before the break, there will also probably be more senators of his political flavor, who he campaigned for and helped make senators, does that give the freshman from texas a lot of left? >> it certainly does. it makes for a bigger challenge for the majority leader. if it's majority leader mcconnell. he'll have a difficult time early on getting his caucus together and coalescing around a goal and policy agenda that works for everybody. >> we'll be back with more inside story on al jazeera america. after a short break if the g.o.p. assumes control of the

senate this election day adding the chamber to their comfortable majority in the house, how will the next two years set the table for the 2016 national elections? stay with us. >> saturday on tech know. a brutal killing. a thorough investigation. >> we're pushing the envelope. >> but this is no ordinary c.s.i. >> what went on right before that animal died? >> hunting the hunter. >> we're gonna take down the bad guys. >> solving the crime. >> we can save species. >> tech know's team of experts show you how the miracles of science. >> this is my selfie, what can you tell me about my future? >> can affect and surprise us. >> don't try this at home. >> tech know, where technology meets humanity. saturday at 7:30 eastern. only on al jazeera america.

>> you're watching inside story on al jazeera america. i'm ray suarez. i heard two scenarios in recent days about what a republican senate would mean. one, it would build down conflict with the president. the congress able to deal with the obama administration from a position of strength would want to get things done. or internal splits inside of a more republican caucus would mean no compromise, two years of gridlock leading up to the national elections. with us, bill, william

and john . waldo mc milne. you want to look responsible, smart and capable, but not unprincipled. how do you thread that needle? >> from a democratic perspective i know we're looking at a slim democratic majority. harry reid will look to retake it in 2016. there are many more republicans up in 2016 than democrats. a much more favorable environment for democrats. that's what you're going to be seeing as you look at these policy debates being had. >> what's the winning recipe? is it to stick to your guns even if it means not getting much

done so you can go back to the people in two years and say, look, we stuck to our guns. we thought no laws was better than bad laws. >> well, no, i think--particularly after this election a lot of members are going to be looking at what the country wants. the country wants the congress to governor. they want washington to work. i think a lot of members the middle on the democratic side and on the republican side, are probably going to find ways ways to to work together. i've talked to republicans in washington who want to get things done. you'll see democratic moderates and republican moderates will come together and get some things done, show that congress can work and a democratic majority can work or a republican majority can work, but you have to show that the country can work and move. >> is there a risk, william hogueland that once the republicans are in charge some

of the things that they successfully bottled up they want to get done but their internal contradictions are such that make it really hard. >> i think you're absolutely correct, ray. i think there were things that passed in the house of representatives that they knew would never pass in the senate. it was easier to pass it now. if you want to show governance, and i agree with waldo on this. the center there is we have to governor. we want the economy to grow. we're all on agreement with the basic growth of the economy and the importance of lowering unemployment, keeping inflation down and reducing the size of the debt building. i think there is consensus for a number of those issues. i would suggest that it is not just the republicans in the house and the senate and democrats house and senate and requires the president to step forward and an part of this. he wants the last two years of his presidency to show also that he was willing to work with a congress to move good legislation forward. >> john, is there a dimension of this that is not just winning or

losing or blue or red, but there are very real disagreements on stuff, whether or not tax cuts increase revenue. whether human activity increases global climate change and the speed of climate change. real, fundamental disagreement. if you have to make a decision on which way to go, you really have people who don't see the world literally in the same way. >> i think that's right. there are serious theoretical disagreements, policy disagreements between the parties. but it's not true on every policy area. but the gridlock that we're in right now would make it seem that way. so what the parties need to do, and i agree with bill and waldo, they need to come together and approach politics as an important part of governance. that's not what we've seen over the past few years. we've seen politics for the sake of politics. that's a real challenge. what republicans in the senate neat to think about is whether they're more interested in being reelected to they are seats or more interested in having a

viable chance of taking the white house back in 2016. if the next two years are spent blocking everything or challenging the president or passing legislation that isn't serious, they're going to stay out of the white house a little bit longer than they already have. if they come to the table serious about governor and serious about fixing problems then that creates a better conversation for them in 2016. >> so any quick advice on what to look for in the transition that will tell you what direction this is going in? >> i suggest to you, ray, that the early part of the transition, there would be republicans who feel that they have to pay dues to their conservatives, so you still will see early action that will probably get votes of' peel on obamacare knowing that it will not happen because it will be vetoed. but after the first 30-40 days, that's when you need to look to see if we'll move forward. >> thank you all for joining me today. please stay with al jazeera america for continuing coverage

of this important midterm election now and throughout the week. that brings us to the end of inside story. i'm ray suarez. >> on "america tonight": raising terror at home. how a much-loved son found himself pulled to the other side of the globe and into a world of extremist fighters before his mother even realized it. >> he said he finally found a purpose, the life he felt where he belonged. he wasn't coming home. >> investigators warn the bid to radicalize a new generation is reaching into communities across north america. >> i don't buy into, i went to the internet, checked the internet like he said, i am