that grey cylinder on the front. it's been about 30 days since this would have hit water. question is are those batteries still alive sending out that signal. thanks for starting your morning with us. >> go make some great memories today. stick around. "insi "inside politics" with john king starts now. the economy is looking up as is enrollment in obamacare. >> armageddon has not arrived. >> the president is also inching up in the polls and his party thinks it can make an issue now of the koch brothers' money machine. are democrats dreaming or is there suddenly an opening to keep 2014 from turning from bad to disastrous? plus -- >> i think what you want more than anything else is someone who's also to listen, someone who had's willing to learn. >> is he losing an important ally? hillary clinton sends a message. >> there is a double standard

obviously. >> why then is she celebrating? ""inside politics." "the biggest stories sourced by the best reporters -- now. welcome to "inside politics." i'm john king. thanks for sharing your sunday morning and with us to share their reportering and insights, melee ka henders . democrats know 2014 is going to be a very tough political but over the past several days more democrats are suggesting this big campaign year shift. they say better economic news, better obamacare news, even better presidential poll numbers, evidence now these democrats say this mid-term season will be bad but not disastrous. help me here. democrats say they're happy. essentially they're saying we're going to lose seats in both the house and senate but we aren't going to lose as many.

>> that is about as good of news as you can get right now if you are democrats. looking at the map are you looking at in the senate and just at the concrete hold the republicans have on the house. best news, yes, the economy would certainly be helpful. the other thing that democrats really need to go for them is they need republicans to put up candidates that allow them to make a strong contrast. republicans were very good at giving them big, fat targets in 2010 and 2012. we'll see how they do this time around. >> you write a piece in the newspaper that most of the tea party challenges have failed. most of the races which produced shall we say out of the mainstream republican candidates. but one other contrast the president tried to draw this week. give the president some credit, they got to more than 7 million in obamacare. they hit the road trying to use the paul ryan budget, the republicans are just cold-hearted, mean-spirited.

>> they tried to sell this sandwich at zingerman's, they'd have to call it the stink bird or the meanwich. >> he's trying to be funny there but he's also trying to make a serious point that the republicans would cut social programs and medicare. the democrats tried this in 2010 saying if the republicans take power this is what you get. what is there to have a reason to believe it is going to work in 2014? >> well, because it is not talking about health care. look, it speaks to the fact that democrats are looking for an issue what to run on which is the chief accomplishment of this president, at least democraticaldemocrati domestically. be it the koch brothers, issues for women or african-americans or hispanics, it is not what they aren't talking about. now that you've got some success on the affordable care act, are

democrats going to be more emboldened to come out and at least try to put the republicans a bit on the defensive about the popular parts of the affordable care act. some of the polling on the individual parts of that law are very, very popular. democrats seemingly are scared to talk about it. >> the number came out this week. they reached 7 million in enrollment. the president essentially says "i told you" to republicans. one of the key races, arkansas. here's one of the first local interviews you see asking about reaction to those good obamacare numbers after they are released and how they might impact the race. >> knowing now what you know now, would you have voted for are this back then? >> i would have. of course i would want to see some changes back then. but i think on something like this, it is big, it is complicated, it is difficult. if you get 80% of this right you've really done something. we probably did get 80% of it right. >> it's maybe ryan, if i had a

chance -- >> basically their advisor is saying just don't announce your votes but change the subject, say mend it don't end it, then move on to some other issue. i think -- when i hear that the conversation inside among democratic consultants is the big structural problem they have in a mid-term elect trorateelec think they have a sort of lock on the presidential race. but in mid-terms to drive those new voters obama energized in '08 or '12, they just don't have the excitement about obama to get those orders out this time. >> young voters drop, african-americans drop, latinos don't show up. one of the of things they are a bit more happy about is the president's own standing. if you watch one thing in a mid-term election year, watch the president's approval rating. history tells you that's the biggest north star in a mid-term election. state of the union night, republicans were saying no, no.

by election day george w. bush had dropped from 43% to 35%. we don't know where president obama will be come november. if you look at some polling it does seem like he ticked up a little, maybe from 43% to the 45% range. is it enough? >> it probably won't even really matter. if you look at how he stands in these red states, it is not going to be 45%. republicans are running a national campaign but if you look at these democrats they're very much wanting to run a very localized campaign. they're even trying to do that in some ways with health care. if you look at what mary landrieu is doing in louisiana, she's going after bobby jindal and his refusal to expand medicaid down there. i think broadly, one of the things i look at is the twitter accounts of these candidates, democratic. candidates, to see what they are talking about. it ain't obamacare. they didn't mark the 7 million number at all. sf >> the folks in the white house will show you he's not george

bush, he's not going to lose his base. you won't get below 40%. >> can he get close to 50%. even if he doesn't lose them, will they vote is the big question. another thing the democrats have tried, first it happened in a handful of senate races, now a couple of house races. the incumbent in west virginia was about to retire a couple weeks ago and the leadership convinced him not to do that. they promised him there would be more money coming in. he's one of the guys under attack by outside interest groups including the koch brothers, including these mega donors on the republican side. the democrats have decided not to attack republican opponents, to attack the millionaires. >> if you're thinking of voting against nick rahall, you should know this -- new york billionaires pay for those ads attacking him and they're not true. he's not against coal. he saved my job and 500 others when he stopped washington from closing the mine. >> amy walter, is that the best they got or is it smart in the sense the koch brothers may be

throwing a lot of money in, they may be angry at democrats, but they're not on the ballot. a strategist said nobody knew about bain capital but we made bain capital an issue in 2012. romney was on the ballot. >> i think the koch brothers right now are a stand-in for republican candidates that don't exist. a lot of these places they don't have an opponent yet so this is the best can you get to make that popular argument. bag to the point that this is not a national election but a regional election? the fact is in 2012 the obama campaign could make the economy and romney and bain capital and the middle class the issue because romney was the opponent in every single state. it is not going to be the case in these individual -- this is a regional campaign instead. i think what they're goinging to do is then go after -- find who the republican candidate is and try to attack them, undercut them as quickly as possible. >> am i correct on this theme

have the democrats found new energy and a new strategy, the consensus here is it is a little better but don't buy champagne. >> with lots of caveats. >> it is still a grab-bag strategy. we've come up with five or six they'll run on in the mid-terms. you feel like the republicans even though i've talk to republicans and they say they want to diversify their portfolio beyond boobamacare. it is still obamacare. >> if democrats in these races aren't going to get the nominees to run again to get decent, passable, saleable republicans. >> everybody stay tight. up next our puzzle explores the toll of bridgegate. and brand-new reporting saying chris christie may pay an even more personal price. bill clinton competes against bill clinton in this edition of "politicians say the darnedest things." >> one of the few things i miss

about this diets, i like hard cheese, hard cheddar cheese and swiss cheese and i miss that. >> which do you miss more? being president or cheese? >> well, i liked being president more than i like cheese.

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yogurt is number 14 of my 20. the new amex everyday credit card with no annual fee. still good. make 20 or more purchases in a monthly billing period, and earn 20% more rewards. it's membership that rewards you for the things you already buy, everyday. what's your 20? they took a post office and sat it on my desk. it doesn't take up any room. i don't have to wait in line, and it never closes. [ male announcer ] get a 4-week trial plus $100 in extras. go to stamps.com/now and never go to the post office again. welcome back. a puzzle every politician facials at some point in his or her career is how to reverse sliding poll numbers. chris christie is in the thick of that challenge right now. first let's look from a national perspective. quinnipiac asked at the beginning of the year, then recently, how do americans view a long list of political names. in january chris christie was the hottest, 55.5 degrees in first plays nationally.

fallen to ninth place. bridgegate having a national toll on chris christie. at home in new jersey, the monmouth university poll, 59%, down to 51% an eight-point drop and nine-point increase in his disapproval. here's one plus governor christie can brag about. $33 million ain't chump change. that's a record in this period of time as he's led the committee, including $23.5 million during those bad bridgegate headlines. mostly bad news in the polls, decent news in the fund-raising. an extensive new profile in the new yorker will be out tonight. >> one these of news that i can drop here is in new jersey politics, tom caine sr., twice elected governor, probably the most popular political figure in the state, he is chris christie's political mentor.

when ychris christie was 14 yeas old he knocked on this guy's door and said tom caine taught had him how to do it. probably the most person in his political life. tom caine told me that he is no longer sure that if chris christie runs for president he will back him, he will endorse him. he's now being look at three possible republican 2016 candidates. jeb bush, scott walker and john kasich. that's a dramatic statement from one of the most important people in chris christie's life. >> you write in the article that he volunteered that. you didn't have to press for it. tom caine brought up the fact that i might look elsewhere. >> i didn't think it would even be a question. at the end of the interview he brought it up on his own. very clearly wanted me to know that. >> he also said this is part of the discussion about tom caine speaking about his former pupil, chris christie, he doesn't always try to persuade you with reason. he makes you feel that your life is going to be very unhappy if you don't do what he says.

jonathan martin, if tom kean was supposed to be your character witness to the republican party, that's a problem sg. >> it speaks to the sort of messiness that goes with being a governor. back story is tom kean's son is a state senator in new jersey, very ambitious his self-. a power play that happened late last year, effectively chris christie and his people blocked his ascent in the state senate. as kean told me, he tried to take out my son. that's the back-door story. >> even putting aside bridgegate, it explains why it is hard to climb the greasy pole of politics. in jersey it is especially personal. this is obviously not helpful for governor christie at all. he's still somebody who i think is seen as a very formidable figure in the eyes of a lot of national republicans. what's so interesting is three years ago all of us would have

said, well, romney is not that great of a nominee but wait until 2016 when they'll have a great field of republicans. we're close to 2016 now and the field is not as formidable as it once seemed. >> that's why he's got a shot. nobody is out there that's so dominant that christie should just pack it in. >> the establishment is saying jeb bush, you've got to run. there were even this round of rumors they'll run to mitt romney. if chris christie the morning after his re-election victory he was the front-runner, far and away. now the republicans have no front-runner, maybe rand paul because he leads in the polls by a half of point. nothing. this used to be a party of whose turn is next. >> now on the democratic side it is you have a very strong front-runner and no bench. on the republican side you have a very big bench and no front-runner. i think for chris christie the bigger issue that i see his problem with republicans is not so much about bridgegate but it is about the sandy aid.

when i talk to conservatives, the frustration with christie isn't so much that he gave that big hug to the president when he came up. it is that what he demanded was federal money for his state. he refused to listen to the concerns that conservatives in washington had about how that money was going to get spent. that's going to be used against him much more than -- >> you can see rand paul on stage if he runs in a debate really going after him with that. i think you have a situation now where you have a crowded possible establishment field for 2016 in the gop and a crowded field on the sort of right side of the party as well. in looking a at those poll numbers, one of the thing that's troubling also -- 61% of folks who were polled in that said they thought that chris chris itty wasn't being completely honest. the irony there is that they still -- 51% approve. so i think he's got some repair work to do in new jersey, too. >> also suggests he would fall some more if people learn things they done like. you mentioned the other party does have a front-runner.

her name is -- hillary clinton. she was at an event in new york this past week with the head of the international mon tar fueta. two of the world's most powerful women. hillary clinton tried to tell young women don't take criticism so seriously. >> you can't let it crush you and you have to be resilient enough to keep moving forward despite whatever the personal setbacks -- believe me, this is hard-won advice that i am not putting forth here. so it's not like you wake up and understand this. but it is a process, and you need other women, you need your friends to support you. >> having covered first lady hillary clinton during the bill clinton presidency, i get her point. there was a time when she did take it much more personally. she was hard on herself and her staff. is there she as evolved from those days when it was always sort of war room mentality with the clintons, and particularly

the first lady. but i think that's good advice. i think at some point she quoted eleanor roosevelt there in saying grow a skin as thick as a rhinoceros. >> the hillary meter runs up and down. one week she's not running, the next week she is. >> people close to her say that same thing, too. >> i think the meter's running "yes." >> what she said there, there are lessons there for both male candidates in the primary who want to run against her and male candidates obviously on the republican side who will face her in a general election. remember what happened de blasio. that's something for the republicans to think of in the primary, who is the right candidate to run against a candidate such as hillary. >> but how formidable will she be next time around because she's run once before. we haven't talk about the lessons that she learned from a

50-state campaign in 2008 in terms of timing, in terms of press, in terms of policy. engaging your opponent. learn the rules of the election process. >> south dakota. >> david plouffe's took over. >> sometimes little states have a little more impact than you might think. tomorrow's news today is next as our reporters share stories still in their notebooks. a problem on the horizon that could cause chris christie even more trouble than bridgegate. i tell people it's for the climate. the conditions in new york state are great for business. new york is ranked #2 in the nation for new private sector job creation. and now it's even better because they've introduced startup new york - dozens of tax-free zones where businesses pay no taxes for ten years. you'll get a warm welcome in the new new york. see if your business qualifies at startupny.com

welcome back. let's get you out ahead of the big political news to come by asking our great reporters to share something from their notebooks. >> i'm looking at susan collins, republican senator out of maine in her movement around the minimum wage debate. she sees a field of some skittish democrats not feeling like the $10 minimum wage raise that they want to go for is actually a realistic target. might be more realistic to get it somewhere close arer to $9, a figure that a cbo outline is more realistic and wouldn't have as high an impact on job losses. it will be interesting to see if she can sort of work their bipartisan magic with this. >> an attempt at legislating in washington? >> very strange. i know. >> one more nugget from this piece about chris christie, tom kean talked about the culture of

intimidation that's been sort of suggested by bridgegate and that's suggested by some other episodes in christie's rise through new jersey politics. the flip side of the tough guy personality that's always been such an asset for him. >> rand paul has caught some flack from some of his allies and advocates for not doing more to grow his infrastructure. one of the things he is doing a keeping up a presidential style travel schedule. apparently over the next couple of months he may do as many as four state conventions. state conventions are so crucial because that's an opportunity where he can fuse new establishment party regulars with his dad's supporters who go to those events. one of those conventions -- iowa in june. >> not bad food. maybe we'll take the show on the road. >> i love that pork chop on a stick. if the oou citizens united case opened up a fire hose of money into the process, the most rekrunt mccutcheon case that

came out of the supreme court is more like a garden hose. i've been talking to a lot of folks in this world of chain finance. they tell you it is going to add more money to the system, the fact that donors can write checks to more candidates. but they still expect that the parties and candidates are going to get outspent by these big outside super pac sip type of groups. >> remember when alex sink lost a close house election? that night she was prepared to say she would not run again. but i'm told the house democratic leadership convinced her to leave the door open. now they are lobbying her publicly and privately very aggressively to get her in the race. they still think she is the strongest candidate in november. with charlie crist being a

democrat now, they think she would win in november by about a point and a half. we'll see if they can talk her into taking that risk. thanks again for sharing your sunday morning with us. "state of the union" with candy crowley starts right now. sunday morning's questions. are those underwater sounds that searchers are detecting the pings from black boxes on flight 370? and did someone deliberately fly this 777 on a path designed to avoid indonesian radar? today -- two ships in the search detect underwater signals. >> this is an important and encouraging lead, but one which i urge you to continue to treat carefully. >> the race to find the black boxes before their batteries die. and then, running against all odds. how democrats push for a november miracle.