this joint committee. they believe they go hand in glove. they believe that, okay, if you reform the tax code and you lower the top rate, then it's easier to say okay, let the tax cuts for the wealthy expire because they are getting a lower top rate, so they -- they believe those things could actually work together. >> yeah. it's not going to be easy. it's only four months for the so-called super committee to get their act together. >> i know. >> come up with recommendations that the congress will have a chance to vote up or down on. the president would have to sign that into law, but if they don't do it, that trigger will be powerful. >> very powerful, and they believe it's a sword over their heads and that that's why they are going to act because they need something to push them up against a watch. i was talking to a senior administration official who said we'll know about this about who gets put on the committee. there's some talk in the senate that the whole gang of six, the

bipartisan group should be members of this committee because at least they have a track record of doing something on a bipartisan way. but, for example, the house budget committee chairman, paul ryan, was on the erskine bowles committee and he voted against the final report which called for some tax increases so if he's on this committee, some democrats are going to be really wary about whether they can get anything done and he's the chairman of the house budget committee so one would think he would be on it. >> and it's not going to be easy to get some sort of consensus, six democrats, six republicans and presumably some of those democrats and republicans will be on the extreme. nancy pelosi, the democratic leader is speaking. >> thank you to the gentleman for yielding, and every chance i get i want to salute him for his tremendous leadership as the top democrat on the budget committee, for the work he did with the bipartisan talks as they strove to have what the american people want, a

balanced, bipartisan, fair agreement to lift the debt ceiling and take america forward. unfortunately, that did not happen. what did happen, and it brings to mind the extension question why are we here? and i would divide in legislation, i would divide that question into why are we here and why are we here today? we are here because all of us in this body care about our country, have decided that public service is a noble pursuit and that we have come here to make the future better for future generations. that is what our founding fathers visualized for america, that every generation would take responsibility to make the future better for the next. that's why, mr. speaker, our

founders, in addition to writing our founding document, the declaration, the great declaration which embodies fairness in it and equality and then the constitution, they declared independence, they fought the greatest naval power in the world. they won, they wrote the constitution. the bill of rights, making us the freest, greatest nation in the world, founded on a principle of respect that all people are created equal. that had never been done in the history of the world. and when they did that, they -- as i've told you before, because i love it so much, they also created the great seal of the united states, and that great seal of the united states has on it nobus order secorum, a new order for the centuries, for the ages, forever. so competent were our founders and their idea about

generational responsibility, one to the next, that they were confident that our country, that what they were putting for the would exist for the ages. that was the challenge they gave us. that is the responsibility that we have. and for a couple of hundred years or more that has always been the case. every generation has always believed that it would make the future better for the next, for their children and for their grandchildren. we're here today because we believe that, and we believe that the public policy that we put forth, the legislation we put forth, should result in public policy that makes the future better for our children and our grandchildren, that we are committed to their education, the economic security of our families, the dignified

retirement of our -- of our seniors, including my being a senior and also the safety and security of their neighborhoods and of our country and that we would do it in a fiscally sound way that did not give our kids any bills, public or personal, and so if we believe all that have and that's why we are here in congress, it's hard to believe that we are putting our best foot forward with the legislation that comes before us today. i'm not happy with it, but i'm proud of some of the accomplishments contained in it and that's why i am voting for it. that takes me to the second question? why are we here today? why are we here today within 24 hours of our nation going into default? after months of conversation about how we would address

lifting the debt ceiling, not to have future spending but to pay our past obligations, and we won't go into again how we got here. >> you got the news out of nancy pelosi. she made it official. she doesn't like this deal, but she's going to reluctantly vote in favor. presumably she'll influence some other doubting democrats as well. gloria still with us. she could have gone either way. >> yeah. >> until now. we had heard from sources she was inclined to vote -- reluctantly vote in favor of it, but now she's made it official. >> and she also made the case, while she doesn't like this legislation, they managed to protect things that are very important to democrats, the safety net, medicaid, for example, the only -- the only cuts that would ever possibly kick in on medicare are to providers, not to beneficiaries, even under the worst case scenario, so i think there's a sense from nancy pelosi that she doesn't like doing this. she doesn't want to do it.

she wished she would have had tax increases as part of it, but they did protect some key constituencies that they think would have been really hurt. >> and we're waiting to hear from the speaker of the house, john boehner, he'll be speaking on the floor as we're told just before the vote. you'll see it and hear it live. the vote will happen here. it could be close. we'll see what happens when the house of representatives finally votes on raising the nation's debt ceiling. stand by for that. meanwhile, lots of losers in the debt debacle. did anyone really come out on top? >> has the taerp won? >> you know, i think there was a victory for the tea party and there was a victory more importantly for the american people. >> a closer look at the tea party, calling the shots and changing the debate and it may be the most colorful criticism of the debt ceiling compromise. congressman emanuel cleaver

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selling snake oil again. look closely at this so-called deal on the debt ceiling crisis, and you'll see a triumph of sleight of hand over substance. last night it was we're going to cut $1 trillion in the first ten years. by this morning $1 trillion had become $917 billion which means we lost $83 billion overnight, sort of makes you afraid to go to bed tonight. in the first three years of the obama presidency the deficits will total about $4.2 trillion. cutting $917 billion over ten years, that's $91 billion a year, that's chump change. then there's the commission, another commission. remember president obama's deficit reduction commission? he ordered them to come up with answers to a lot of this stuff almost a year ago, and they did. their report was full of a lot of good ideas, and it was promptly ignored.

that's going to be left for the commission. my guess is they won't touch it anymore than the current crop of cowards tackled it this time around, and without those two items we are doomed. supposedly there will be triggers in that legislation that will require additional cuts of $1.4 trillion across the board if the committee and congress can't agree. color me skeptical. we're facing $61 trillion in unfunded liabilities from medicare, medicaid, social security and various other government obligations. 61 trillion. there is no money to meet those obligations and our government knows it. but they have the unmitigated gal to march out last night as though they had found a cure for cancer and expect us all to break down in uncontrolled

adulation. they make me sick. the government's so-called solution to the debt ceiling crisis. go to cnn.com/caffertyfile. post a comment on my blog. >> jack, you're pretty passionate about this question. this is nonsense, wolf, nonsense. just -- it's -- they are not -- they are not going to touch enteams. they are not going to touch tax reforms. they are going to name another commission down the road to sit aron and do what? it's garbage, and they keep going out and selling the same sack of fertilizer because we're dumb enough i guess to keep buying this crap. >> let's think what our viewers think. they will be weighing in very soon, jack. thank you. i'll ask the house democrat about the charge that the debt deal facing a vote right now on the floor is a sugar-coated satan sandwich. congressman emanuel cleaver standing by live.

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call the number on your screen now... and find out about an aarp medicare supplement insurance plan. you'll get this free information kit... and guide to understanding medicare, to help you choose the plan that's right for you. as with all medicare supplement plans, you can keep your own doctor and hospital that accepts medicare, get help paying for what medicare doesn't... and save up to thousands of dollars. call this toll-free number now. while they are certainly unhappy at both end of the political spectrum, liberal democrats feel like they came out on the short end of this debt deal. some have been venting to the vice president joe biden who was up on capitol hill trying to shore up support. let's bring in our chief white house correspondent jessica yellin to update us what's going on. the white house clearly trying to get enough votes to get this deal passed, jessica. >> reporter: that's right. wolf, today the president, vice

president and members of staff have been making calls to the hill urging passage of this bill, their focus clearly on democrats. democrats whom are clearly upset but they want as many republicans to vote for this as possibility. for the white house they want this to be as bipartisan an effort as possible so it's not simply democrats who are saddled with raising the debt ceiling. wolf, i'd add that while no one here is declaring victory and certainly far from it, there is today finally a sense of relief, that the heavy lifting that can be done from the white house has been done and now all eyes are on the hill to see if they will do their part tonight. wolf? >> what are you hearing about some of the closed door meetings going on? >> reporter: so, as you know, the vice president went to capitol hill today. many democrats, as you've been reporting, are deeply frustrated with this bill and he helped close the deal over the weekend, sat and listened to many house democrats vent. here was the vice president talking about it briefly, and then we can talk about what i heard about that meeting after.

>> i didn't go to convince, i went to explain and lay out exactly how we got to where we were and why this is so important to the country. my career up here for 36 years, i never asked another person to vote against what they think their interests are. >> reporter: multiple democratic sources tell me, wolf, that in that meeting the vice president listened as some democrats raged at him, that, quote, they felt, quote, pick-pocketed by the republicans in this deal, that the country was, quote, being held hostage, that the republicans are, quote, terrorists in this deal and the vice president placating the room at one point said, well, at least we've taken away their weapons of mass destruction, that's a quote meaning we've taken away the debt ceiling as leverage that republicans can use against democrats in future negotiations. i'm told by other democrats when he went over to the senate side the mood was much more calm and they asked more about the terms of a deal and when they can get

back to a jobs agenda. >> doing a quorum vote right now to make sure they have a quorum in the house of representatives. the white house, i assume the speaker wouldn't allow this vote to be happening unless the speaker were convinced he has the 216 votes needed for passage. >> that's right. there's cautious confidence here that this is going to pass. >> all right. jessica yellin is going to watch it together with all of us here in "the situation room." jessica, thanks very much. neither side is ecstatic over the hard fought debt deal. the fight showed washington to be at its worst and if there's a winner, it probably would be the tea party movement. cnn's jim acosta has that. >> reporter: score one for the tea party movement. the people by hind the anti-tax,

anti-big government rallies that burst on to the scene two years ago have changed the debate in washington. witness the debt ceiling deal. all spending cuts, no tax increases. has the tea party won? >> i think there was a victory for the tea party and a victory more importantly for the american people. instead of talking about spending and more taxes, we're talking about less spending and no taxes. >> reporter: standing against a white house that wanted to eliminate some tax breaks for wealthier americans, an army of more than 80 house gop freshman including idaho's raoul labrador held their grounds, at times defeating their own speaker. >> you did not get your butt in line? >> i did not. >> reporter: while some tea partiers are a no on the deal allen west is a yes even though he said he didn't get everything you wanted. >> when you run a marathon, you start at mile one. you don't automatically get to mile 26. >> reporter: that's your message to tea party folks? >> i think we're probably right now at mile 11. >> reporter: angry democrats say

the tea party exchanged horse trading for hostage-taking, putting the nation on default to protect the rich and the president caved. >> they claimed that they came here to change the way business is done in washington, and the first thing they did is insist on protecting every special interest, every loophole, every greedy corporate interest. >> reporter: matt kiby with the tea party organizer freedom works says the movement is far from finished. did the tea party take this town hostage? >> we forced this town to actually have an adult conversation about spending. they wouldn't have done it without the tea party. i don't think that's irresponsible. i think that's a breath of fresh air in a town that doesn't like to talk about tough issues. >> reporter: and for americans sick of the brinkmanship there are more tough votes to come. >> the house will be in order. >> reporter: on the budget in the fall and extending the bush tax cuts next year. >> remember, there's still two potential government shutdowns over the next 14 months that

will invite more legislative blackmail over an extreme agenda since it's clear that recklessness works. >> jim acosta reporting for us on the apartment movement, maybe a clear win mer this entire debate. they are getting ready to vote on the house floor on the legislation to raise the nation's debt ceiling. you'll see it and hear it. this is a quorum call to make sure there's enough members there. there are enough members there. you'll see it coming up in a few moment. certainly, a lot of colorful language used to describe this entire package but the prize, the certain prize goes to congressman emanuel cleaver. he summed it up in the following tweet. let me read it to you. this deal is a sugar-coated satan sandwich. if you lift the bun, will you not like what you see. congressman emanuel cleaver, chairs the congressional black caucus. congressman, thanks very much for joining us, and explain what

you meant by a sugar-coated satan sandwich. >> well, if you lift the bun or lift the paper on the outside of this deal, the contents are antithetical to everything that all the great religions of the world teach which is taking care of the poor, the elderly, the children and i don't think that we can find that kind of content in this -- in this legislation. there are some things that are good politically. there are some things that are also good i think legislatively, but when you look at the whole of this -- this bill, it's -- it's not a good deal. >> you're going to vote against it, congressman, is that right? >> well, i'm walking over to vote as soon as i get through, making up my mind, and the reason that i'm saying this is that the consequences of voting no may be more dire than the consequences of voting yes. >> it's hard to believe

something could be more dire than a satan sandwich, right? >> satan sandwich is not a tasty deal, and it's even worse when it's been sprinkled with potomac river water, and i think that we've got to, you know, figure out how we can continue to govern in an atmosphere here where everybody is naft toe each other and there's no compromise. in fact, we -- we are up here in washington having fact-free debates, and it's -- it's frustrating because once -- one side seems to just throw out all the facts and you have no basis for an argument, and so right now i think you're going to see a lot of democrats struggling because i haven't seen one democrat today, not one in leadership or otherwise, who thinks this is a good deal. >> well, let me just be precise. even only minutes before you're going to vote, are you not 100% convinced which way you're going

to vote, either yes or no on this legislation? >> that's absolutely correct, and i'm not playing any kind of political games. look, we cannot allow the debt ceiling to linger. we have to raise the debt ceiling, and i don't know of very many people who would sit by and watch the political process taking the -- the economy of the united states off into the abyss, and so if i'm sitting there and they need one vote to pass this thing, absolutely, i'm going to vote for it, and there's no need playing games and i think there are a lot of people out there who hate this bill but who, you know, if -- if they had to are going to vote yes. >> so i can assume you'll be one of the last members to actually push that button and vote yes or no, depending if you have 216 or not, if there's more than 216 who voted in favor, you'll vote against it. if there are less, you might have to vote in favor of it as difficult and as bitter that will be for you.

one final question, congressman. do you feel let down, some would say betrayed by the president of the united states? >> the president did everything he could to get the best deal he could, and, you know, i'm not going to be one of these individuals kicking the president under the bus. i think that under the circumstances he believed that he had to do exactly what he did which was to sign off on this bill. he said it's a bad bill. he tried to say it in different language, but essentially he said this is a bad bill. i don't know of anybody who is saying this is great. the republicans got everything they wanted out of the bill. we get -- we didn't get anything. they got everything except the democratic donkey. >> congressman, thanks very much for sharing your thoughts with us. good luck. i know this is a painful process for you. >> good to talk to you. >> congressman emanuel cleaver of the congressional black caucus. john king is standing by working his sources. we're only moments away from this vote. i assume, and just based on my

years covering congress, the speaker wouldn't allow the vote to happen unless he's confident that 216 votes in favor would occur. >> reporter: i think you're exactly right and expect this measure to pass and when you're talking about this with the democratic congressman emanuel cleaver is how many republicans will defect and therefore, how many democrats, does speaker john boehner need? how long will the democrats wait to bebrujingly cast the votes? we're watching a stunning example of divided government at a time of fierce partisanship. nobody, there is nobody who loves this deal. there are some people who kind of like it. a lot of people who don't like it at all because if you're on the left you think it would bring social security and medicare cuts down the line and if you're on the right you think it's a back door to tax increases down the line. it appears we're moments away from watching the gridlock broken in the house. i say appear because given the last week or so i won't be

convinced and how many republicans is john boehner about to lose? that's the first question. how many reluctant democrats come forward and then there's the immediate questions? how does this debt ceiling spending cuts debate play out and there's so many questions about how the ramifications and ripple effect into 2012 and beyond that i think are fascinating? a lot of people will say the volume will go down after today. maybe the volume will go down for a few days but this debate is not going anywhere, the super committee and a 2012 campaign in which every one of these issues is going to be front and center >> you know, john, we're waiting for the speaker john boehner. he'll be leaving his office and walking on to the floor of the house of representatives. we think he'll make a statement on the floor before the actual vote begins. assuming it passes, how does he emerge politically? is this a win for him? is it a loss for him, the entire process going forward? has he been strengthened, in other words, or weakened? >> reporter: it depends, like so many things in this town, which prism through which you view this. what is your own partisan

political leanings? if you're watching the speak here, of course he's been weakened somewhat and diminished somewhat because he scheduled a vote on wednesday and had to delay is on thursday and the senate rejected the deal on friday and now he comes back with this deal. the number of republican defections will say a lot about the speaker's standing going forward, but, wolf, we're watching perhaps the most fascinating figure in washington right now. that's not to say president obama is not fascinating, not to say there aren't other fascinating dynamics, but this speaker is by dna and history in the congress a deal-maker. just over my shoulder is the kennedy caw kougs room. john boehner cut some education deals with him and cut some health care spending bills with other democrats back in the day. he's still that man and likes to legislation and likes to do deals, a practical pragmatic conservatives and the speaker of a caucus with 87 freshmen members who came to washington after campaigning on one