majority to demonstrate that we have the capability of working together as republicans but also working together with our democratic colleagues to find solutions to the country's problems. it is important for us to do that politically, for the 2016 elections including the next set of senate elections. it's important for us to do that in the 2016 presidential race. much more poorly than the politics of 2016, it is important for the united states senate to function for the benefit of the american people, and i look forward to working with all of my colleagues to accomplish that. our candidates, that we brag about so much, there is not a candidate who ran last night who wants to come here and do nothing.

they want to come here and work together to solve problems and move the country forward so that the future is bright for american citizens. >> all right, are there any questions? >> several new women were elected. number offairly small republican women. are you satisfied with the results? >> first of all, i would say that the women who are coming in are a very talented group. they will help us grow the women members we have in the next cycle. that is why i said we have only just begun. there is a lot of work to do to diversify our party and grow our party. we have just won seats from maine to american samoa. we may pick up san diego and florida. we are making big progress. but we have to focus on recruiting good women candidates to run, helping them get into

, and building that up. it will take a couple of cycles. mentioned that after the next election there is always another election. you worried about a danger point?reach at any down votee, and up or on obamacare that would invite a ano, would that be overreach? >> we expect to have policies put in place that the american people support and we expect to work together to accomplish that. we would start with very much the basics. how about the united states senate abiding by the law that

says will pass a budget by april 15? how about the normal things that used to happen in congress in which we pass appropriation bills to fill in the blanks. it gives us the opportunity to demonstrate that we can govern and sets the stage for a successful 2016. a lame-duck years, you're going to have some very serious questions. do you think some factions in your party might be energized before you get to the next session? will ask forthey more money for ebola, isis, or whatever else? >> i think there is a desire to do the things necessary to govern the country in the lame-duck session.

issues that are not required to be determined and now should be considered by new members of congress. the appropriations bill will be front and center. republicansgine the would not be supportive of providing the necessary money to combat ebola in west africa as well as in the united states. will you approve the potential nomination for attorney general if the president puts forth? >> this question seems irrelevant to me, no offense. the republicans do not have much to say about the combination -- confirmation of officers when only 51 votes are required. >> should the gop congressional

leaders agreed to fund implementation of obamacare in the cr that has to pass by september 11 or in the lame-duck session? >> i smile at this question because i am the ranking committee member and we have grappled with the question of obamacare in that capacity. i think at the moment this is an issue for the house and not the senate. we have been able to reach an agreement in regard to the labor h bill. , a veryoment theoretical circumstance. i know we're working with barbara mikulski on those issues.

>> what should middle america ?xpect higher salaries? more access to higher education question -- education? more access to health care? or will they wait for it to trickle down? >> the point is we're going to break through the gridlock and grow american jobs. the american economy has not recovered as any of us would have wanted. we are in this recession. we are kind of coming out of it. but i tell you what, there are hands of government regulation trying to crack down on agriculture, small businesses. we have rate increases coming from obamacare. 30%-70%. i was a small businessperson for 21 years with my wife.

i know what this does to the bottom line. if you want to grow jobs and increase pay, you have to get the federal government out of the way. think about the jobs we could start tomorrow if we approved the keystone pipeline. most of those are trade union jobs. they pay pretty well. that's two years of putting american workers to work. that's not trickle down. that's real live jobs that count and make a difference in american lives. >> in a months time, there won't be any white democrats from louisiana. >> think about senator scott, , an african-american republican elected in texas.

we are going to do our best to bring all americans together and do the right thing for all americans. growing jobs is good regardless your locale, or getting government out of the way so the kids can get a good education is really important. there is a lot we can do in this country that would bring us together, unite us, and get america on track. up in america every morning and wonder what i am going to hear from all of you about what we'll came off last night. that is how americans are feeling. insecure about their future. insecure about disease. diseases, five hundred cures. we can do better than that. there are some exciting things in government always seems to be in the way. we want to move forward from the government brush. things are measurable and you measure us on it. but they need to be done.

>> ted cruz would not support -- commit to supporting mitch mcconnell as a leader. some people think there should be an aggressive effort against the white house as opposed to trying to work together. what would your message be for the american people in the next two years. how do you get all of the people on the same page? >> for one thing, i think it is really incumbent on republicans to take a step back and think about what just happened last night. what happened last night is that the american people were given a choice to either except the policies of the democrat party and the president or reject them, and they wholeheartedly rejected those policies. , when peopleime

were given a choice to continue the policies and take on the policies of conservative republicans like scott walker, rick snyder, bruce rauner, rick scott, larry hogan, they went for the republican. rejection ofst a barack obama. it was an embrace of the values of conservative governing. they think what is really necessary is for the president to come down to capitol hill and look through harry reid's desk and figure out what of the 370 bills that are sitting there he is ready to work on. i don't believe it's incumbent on the republicans to suddenly capitulate on something the american people have been very loud and clear on that they are not buying what the president is selling and they are not buying what the democrats have been selling and i think to do

anything otherwise would be wrong. >> to date, the republican party has not passed any immigration reform, partly because of the 2014 electric. expect ahead, can we action on immigration by the end of the year? what is your message to ?epublicans who won last night >> i think you have to take a few steps back. had republicans from marco rubio to rand paul talking about serious immigration reform. the idea of serious immigration reform is still alive and something both parties need to look at.

however, since the president has continuously lied to many people in this country about his intentions on immigration reform, told hispanics one thing and done another, even when he a super majority in the house, 60 votes in the senate, delivered nothing on immigration reform. he then threaten the country action on amnesty which he doesn't have the power to do. he then got in trouble coming into the midterms so he pulled back on that promise. and because other people got upset, he is now saying he's going to go forward with it anyway. he has used people as pawns. what he has done is unified the thetry against anything president wants to do on immigration reform because people don't trust him. countrylso unified the on the idea that we can't get anywhere an imitation reform --

immigration reform and less the border is secured. -- unless the border is secure. i think the president's actions have solidified the view that we can't get very far unless we secure the border and assure the american people that we are not going to end up back in his place in 10-14 years. do you think it's possible to get big-ticket items like tax or form done in the next congress? >> i will let the legislators make a comment. one thing people forget is you don't need the president signature to set budget parameters. we can get paul ryan and the senate on the same page. i think you can have a budget. obviously, you don't need the president to do that. >> i think particularly tax reform is a great opportunity for the senate and the house to come together. i think you see senator wyden,

the chairman of the committee had a chance to pursue and really fell into the same trap that republicans -- he is a face the samehey circumstances republicans face. it doesn't matter what your committee does. no bill is going to come to the floor allows votes to occur. i think it's a matter of the process now changing in which that becomes an opportunity, but i also think people's jobs tax reform.y demand >> with ryan is the next chairman of the ways and means committee and tom price likely the next budget committee chairman, we can get a budget agreement. when you think about it, the senate has voted on one budget in six years that they have passed. we passed them every year.

now we have a partner we can dance with. you can do tax and spending issues. it if we get tax reform and produces the kind of jobs we think it will and generates the kind of return of cash from overseas that we think it will, you can solve another problem in america, and that is infrastructure. there is enough revenue to fund the highway trust fund for eight years. to generateys revenue, generate jobs. >> thank you very much. >> what about the other side of the coin? >> all of these issues can be dealt with in a budget process and we have laid out plans to do that. thank you. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2014]

>> when the 114 congress begins in january, both chambers will be controlled by the gop. before that, the 113 congress reconvenes on november 12. work one is likely to federal spending for the remainder of the fiscal year. the government is currently operating on temporary funding through december. senators could debate several judicial nominations and the child care development block program.

live coverage can be seen on c-span and c-span two. hands,e senate changing current majority leader harry reid released a statement after the gop wins saying -- >> house speaker john boehner weighed in with this comment -- >> and earlier this afternoon, president obama held a news conference on the results of the midterm elections and what is ahead for the democratic party. it's in our and 15 minutes.

-- an hour and 15 minutes. > good afternoon, everybody. have a seat. today, i had a chance to speak with john boehner and congratulated mitch mcconnell on becoming the next senate majority leader. i told them both that i look forward to finishing up this congress's business and then working together for the next two years to advance american business. look forward to the prospect of

working together. i look forward to hosting the entire republican and democratic leadership at the white house on friday to chart a new course forward. republicans had a good night. they deserve credit for their campaigns. i will leave it to all of you that's what stands out to me is the american people send a message. one they have sent for several elections. they expect the people they elect to work as hard as they do and expect us to focus on their ambitions and not ours. they want us to get the job done. all of us in both parties have a responsibility to address that sentiment. still, as president, i have a unique responsibility to try to make this town work. i hear you. we had to give americans more reason to feel that the ground is stable beneath their feet. the future is secure. there is a path for young people to succeed. and folks here in washington are concerned about them. i plan on spending every moment of the next two years doing my job the best i can to keep this country safe and make sure that more americans share in its prosperity.

this country has made real progress since the crisis six years ago. the fact is more americans are working. unemployment has come down. more americans have health insurance. manufacturing has grown. our deficits have shrunk. our dependences on foreign oil is down, as are gas prices. our graduation rates are up. businesses aren't just creating jobs at the fastest pace since the 1990's, our economy is outpacing most of the world. but we just got to keep at it until every american feels the gains of a growing economy where it matters most, and that is in their own lives. obviously much of this will take action from congress. i'm eager to work with the new congress to make the next two years as productive as possible. i measure ideas not whether they are from democrats or republicans, but whether they work for the american people.

that is not to say that we won't disagree over some issues that we are passionate about, we will. congress will pass some bills i cannot sign. i'm pretty sure i'll take some actions that some in congress will not like. that is natural. that is how a democracy works. we will find ways to work on issues where there is broad commitment among the american people. i will offer my idea. i will offer areas where you can respond together to economic needs. take one example. we all agree on the need to create more jobs to pay well. both parties have been for jobs, recreating the infrastructure. roads, bridges, ports, waterways. we can hone in on a way to pay for it through tax reform that closes loopholes. we could also work together to grow our exports and open new markets for our manufacturers to sell more american made goods through the rest of the world.

we share the same aspirations for our young people and i was encouraged that this year republicans agreed to investments that expanded early childhood education. i think we have a chance to do more on that front. we have some common ideas to help more young people afford college and graduate without crippling debt so they have the freedom to fill the good jobs of tomorrow and buy their first homes and start a family. and in the five states where a minimum wage increase is on the ballot voters went 5-5 to increase it. that will give about 325,000 americans a raise in states where republican candidates prevailed. so that should give us new reason to get it done for everybody with a national increase in the minimum wage. so those are some areas where i think we have some real opportunities to cooperate.

i'm eager to hear republican ideas for what they think we can do together the next couple of years. there is still business that needs attention this year. there are things we can work on before the congress wraps up for the holidays. i'm submitting a request for funding to ensure that doctors, scientists, and troops have resources they need to combat the spread of ebola in africa and to increase our preparedness for future cases here at home. second, i will begin engaging congress over a new authorization to use military force against isil. the world needs to know we are united behind this effort and the men and women of our military deserve our clear and unified support. third, back in september congress passed short-term legislation to keep the government open and operating into december.

that gives congress five weeks to pass a budget for the rest of the fiscal year. when our companies are steadily creating jobs which they are we don't want to inject any new uncertainty into the world and the american economy. the point is, it is time for us to take care of business. there are things this country has to do that can't wait another two years or another four years. there are plans the country has to put in place for our future.

and the truth is i'm optimistic about our future. i have good reason to be. i meet americans across the country who are determined and big hearted and ask what they can do and never give up. and overcome obstacles. and they inspire me every single day. so, the fact is i still believe in what i said when i was first elected six years ago last night. all of the maps plastered across the tv screens today and for all of the cynics who say otherwise. i believe we are more than a collection of red and blue states. we are the united states. and whether it is immigration or climate change or making sure our kids are going to the best possible schools to making sure that our communities are creating jobs, whether it is stopping the spread of terror and disease, to opening up doors of opportunity to everybody who is willing to work hard and take responsibility, the united states has big things to do. we can and we will make progress if we do it together. and i look forward to the work ahead. so with that, let me take some questions.

i think that our team got my list and we will start with julie at associated press. >> thank you, mr. president. you said during this election that while your name wasn't on the ballot your policies were. and despite the optimism that you are expressing here, last night was a devastating night for your party. do you feel a responsibility to recalibrate your agenda and what changes do you need to make to address the concerns that voters expressed with your administration? >> well, as i said in my opening remarks, the american people overwhelmingly believe that this town doesn't work well and it is not attentive to their needs. as president, they rightly hold me accountable to do more to make it work properly. i'm the guy who is elected by everybody, not just from a particular state or a particular district, and they want me to push hard to close some of these divisions, break through some of the gridlock and get stuff done. so the most important thing i can do is just get stuff done and help congress get some things done. in terms of agenda items, julie, if you look -- as i just mentioned, to a minimum wage increase, for example, that is

something i talked about a lot during the campaign where voters had a chance to vote directly on that agenda item they voted for it. and so i think it would be hard to suggest that people aren't supportive of it. we know that the surveys consistently say they want to see that happen. that the key is to find areas where the agenda that i put forward one that i believe will help strengthen the middle class and create more ladders of opportunity into the middle class and improve our schools and make college more affordable to young people and make sure that we are growing faster as an economy, the key is to make sure that the ideas that i have overlap somewhere with the ideas that that the republicans have. there will be some ideas that i have got that i think the evidence backs up would be good for the economy. and republicans disagree.

they are not going to support those ideas, but i will keep on arguing for them because i think they are the right thing for the country to do. there are going to be some ideas that they have got that they believe that will improve the economy or create jobs that from my perspective isn't going to help middle class families improve their economic situation. so i probably won't support theirs. but i do think there will be areas where we do agree on infrastructure and making sure that we are boosting american exports. and part of my task then is to reach out to republicans, make sure that i'm listening to them. i'm looking forward to them putting forward a very specific

agenda in terms of what they would like to accomplish. let's compare notes in terms of what i'm looking at and what they are looking at. and let's get started on those things where we agree. even if we don't agree 100%, let's get started on those things where we agree 70%, 80%, 90%. and if we can do that and build up some trust and improve how processes work in washington, then i think that is going to give the american people a little bit more confidence that in fact their government is looking after them. [inaudible question from the gallery] >> julie, i think -- every single day i'm looking for how can we do what we need to do better. whether that is delivering basic services the government provides to the american people, whether that is our capacity to work with congress so that they are passing legislation, whether it is how we communicate with the

american people about what our priorities and vision is, we are constantly asking ourselves questions about, you know, how do we make sure that we are doing a better job. that is not going to stop. every election is a moment for reflection, and i think that everybody in the white house is going to look and say all right, what do we need to do differently. but the principles that we are fighting for the things that motivate me every single day and my staff every single day, those things aren't going to change. there will be a consistent focus on how do we deliver more opportunity to more people in the country. how do we grow the economy faster.

how do we put more people back to work. and i maybe have a naive confidence that if we continue to focus on the american people and not on our own ambitions or image or various concerns like that, that at the end of the day when i look back i will be able to say the american people are better off than they were before i was president. and that is my most important goal. so, but the other thing i just want to emphasize is i have said this before and i want to reiterate it, if there are ideas that the republicans have that i have confidence will make things better for ordinary americans, the fact that the republicans suggesting it as opposed to a democrat, that will be irrelevant to me. i want to see what works.

some things like rebuilding the infrastructure or early childhood education that we know works. i'm hoping that the kind of attitude and approach that mitch mcconnell and john boehner expressed their desire to get things done allows us to find some common ground. jeff mason? >> thank you, mr. president. in 2010 you called the results of the midterm election a shellacking. what do you call this? and can you give us an update on your feelings about the immigration executive order and result in the aftermath of the election? does the election affect your plans to release it? is it likely to come out before the lame duck session is over, and how do you reduce the scope

to just a million people? >> as i said in the opening statement, no doubt that the republicans had a good night. we will make sure what we do is to reach out to mitch mcconnell and john boehner who are now running both chambers in congress and find out what their agenda is. and my hope is that they have got some specific things they want to do that correspond with some things that we want to get done. what is most important to the american people right now, the resounding message not just of this election but basically the last several is get stuff done. don't worry about the next election. don't worry about party affiliation. do worry about our concerns. worry about the fact that i'm a

single mom and at the end of the month it is hard for me to pay the bills in part because i have these huge childcare costs. worry about the fact that i'm a young person qualified to go to college but i'm worried about taking $50,000 a year out in debt and i don't know how i will pay that back. do worry about the fact that i'm a construction worker who has been working all my life and there is construction work that should be done but for some reason projects are stalled. if we are thinking about those folks, i think we will hopefully be able to get some stuff done. in terms of immigration, i have consistently said it is my preference to see congress act on a comprehensive immigration reform bill that would strengthen our borders, would streamline our legal immigration system so that it works and we are attracting the best and brightest from around the world and that we give an opportunity for folks who live here in many cases for a very long time, may have kids who are u.s. citizens, but aren't properly documented. give them a chance to pay their back taxes, get in the back of the line but get through a process that allows them to get legal. the senate on a bipartisan basis passed a good bill. it wasn't perfect. it wasn't exactly what i wanted but it was a sound, smart piece of legislation that really would

greatly improve not just our immigration system but our economy and would improve business conditions here in the united states. and make sure that american born workers aren't undercut by workers who are undocumented and aren't always paid a fair wage and as a consequence employers who are breaking the rules are able to undercut folks who are doing the right thing. we got a bipartisan bill out of the senate. i asked john boehner at that point can we pass this through the house? is there a majority of votes in the house to get this passed? and speaker boehner i think was sincere about wanting to pass it but had difficulty over the last year trying to get it done. so when he finally told me he wasn't going to call it up this

year, what i indicated to him is i feel obliged to do everything i can lawfully with my executive authority to make sure that we don't keep on making the system worse, but that whatever executive actions that i take will be replaced and supplanted by actions by congress. that is a commitment i made not just to the american people and to the business and evangelical community and law enforcement folks and everybody who has looked at this issue and thinks that we need immigration reform. that is a commitment that i made to john boehner i would act in the absence of action by congress. before the end of the year we

are going to take whatever lawful actions that i can take that i believe will improve the functioning of our immigration system that will allow us to surge additional resources to the border where i think the vast majority of americans have the deepest concern. and at the same time, i will be reaching out to both mitch mcconnell, john boehner and other republican and democratic leaders to find out how it is that they want to proceed. and if they want to get a bill done, whether it is during the lame duck or next year i'm eager to see what they have to offer. what i'm not going to do is just wait. i think it is fair to say that i have shown a lot of patience and have tried to work on a bipartisan basis as much as possible. and i'm going to keep on doing so. but in the meantime, let's figure out what we can do lawfully through executive actions to improve the functioning of the existing system.

>> if you want to get into the details of it, i suspect that when i announce that executive action it will be rife with detail and i'm sure there will be a lot of follow-up questions. chris jansen? >> thank you, mr. president. i want to follow up on a couple of things and start with immigration. and are you concerned that if you sign an executive order on immigration before the end of the year it will scuttle whatever chances there may be for there to be some sort of compromise on the issues that you talked about? >> i wonder given the unhappy electorate why they publish the republicans versus the democrats by far? >> when it comes to the analysis, that is your job.

what is also true is i am the is a president of the united states and understandably people are going to ask for greater accountability and more responsibility from me than from anybody else in this town. appropriately so. and i welcome that. and the commitment that i will make to the american people and the way i have tried to conduct myself throughout this presidency is i will wake up every single day doing my absolute best to deliver for them. there are areas where we have made real progress. i think economically i can look back and there is no doubt that on almost every measure we are better off economically than we were when i took office. but what is also true is there is still a lot of folks out there who are anxious and hurting and having trouble making ends meet or are worried about their children's future

and it is my job to give them some confidence that this town can work to respond to some of those worries that folks have. and we haven't done a good enough job convincing them of that and i understand that. if they have been watching washington over the last two, four years what they have seen is a lot of arguing and a lot of gridlock but not a lot of concrete actions at least legislatively that have made a difference in their lives. and so we have got to make sure that we do a better job. and i'm committed to doing that. on immigration, i know that concerns have been expressed if you do something through executive actions even if it is within your own authorities that that will make it harder to pass immigration reform. i just have to remind everybody, i have heard that argument now for a couple of years.

this is an issue i actually wanted to get done in my first term and we didn't see legislative action. and in my second term i made it my top legislative priority. we got good work done by a bipartisan group of senators and it froze up in the house. i think that the best way if folks are serious about getting immigration reform done is go ahead and pass the bill. and get it to my desk. and then the executive actions that i take go away. they are superseded by the law that has passed. and i will engage any member of congress who is interested in this in how we can shape legislation that will be a significant improvement over the existing system. but, what we can't do is just keep on waiting. there is a cost to waiting. there is a cost to our economy. it means that resources are

misallocated. when the issue of unaccompanied children cropped up during the summer, there was a lot of folks who perceived this as a major crisis in our immigration system. now the fact is that those numbers have now come down and they are approximately where they were a year ago or two years ago or a year before that. but it did identify a real problem in a certain portion of the border where you got to get more resources. but, those resources may be misallocated separating families right now that most of us, most americans would say probably we would rather have them just pay their back taxes, pay a fine, learn english, get to the back of the line but we will give you a pathway where you can be legal

in this country. so where i have got executive authorities to do that we should get started on that. but i want to emphasize once again, if in fact republican leadership wants to see an immigration bill passed they now have the capacity to pass it and hopefully engaging with me and democrats in both the house and the senate it is a bill that i can sign because it addresses the real concerns that are out there. and the sooner they do it from my perspective, the better. johnathan carl? >> thank you, mr. president. mitch mcconnell has been the republican leader for six years, as long as you have been president. his office tells me that he has only met with you one on one once or twice through the six year period. as somebody who came to washington promising to end the hyperpartisanship, it was a mistake to do so little to develop relationships with the republicans in congress? >> i think that every day i'm asking myself are there some things i can do better.

and i will keep on asking that every single day. the fact is that most of my interactions with members, most of my interactions with congress cordial and constructive. oftentimes we haven't been able to get what is discussed in a leadership meeting through -- through caucuses in the house and the senate to deliver a bill. the good news is that now mitch mcconnell and john boehner are from the same party. i think they can come together

and decide what their agenda is. they have sufficient majorities to make real progress on some of these issues. and you know, i'm certainly going to be spending a lot more time with them now because that is the only way that we will be able to get some stuff done. and i take them at their word that they want to produce. they are in the majority. they need to present their agenda. i need to put forth my best ideas. i think the american people will be able to watch us and they are paying attention to see whether or not we are serious about actually compromising and being constructive. and my commitment to them, and i said this when i spoke to them, is that anywhere where we can find common ground i'm eager to pursue it. >> are you going to have the drink with mitch mcconnell that you joked about at the white house dinner?

>> i would enjoy having some kentucky bourbon with mitch mcconnell. i don't know what his preferred drink is, but -- my interactions with mitch mcconnell. he has always been very straightforward with me. to his credit, he has never made a promise that he couldn't deliver and he knows the legislative process well. he obviously knows his caucus well. he has always given me i think realistic assessments of what he can get through his caucus and what he can't. and so i think we can have a productive relationship. >> bill manning.

>> thank you, mr. president. another deadline coming up is your negotiators by november 24 have to figure out if they will reach a deal with iran on a nuclear agreement. i'm interested what your current perspective is on how the negotiations are going? also, if it is your feeling that you have the power to implement any type of agreement that is reached without any action from congress? and then also wanted to quickly touch on the aumf. more of a codification of the limits that you put in place for the mission up to this point? or what should we be looking for on that when you send it to the hill? thank you. >> on aumf, the leaders will be coming here on friday. an expanded group, not just the four leaders but a larger group who all have an interest in the issues we are discussing today. and i'm actually going to invite lloyd austin the cencom commander to make a presentation about how our fight against isil is proceeding. and i think to answer questions and assure that congress is fully briefed on what we are doing there. with respect to the aumf, we

already had conversations with members of both parties in congress and the idea is to right-size and update whatever authorization congress provides to suit the current fight rather than previous fights. in 2001, after the heartbreaking tragedy of 9/11 we had a specific set of missions that we had to conduct and the aumf was designed to pursue those missions. with respect to iraq there was a specific aumf. we now have a different type of enemy. the strategy is different, how we partner with iraq and other gulf countries and the international coalition that has to be structured differently so it makes sense for us to make sure that the authorization from congress reflects what we perceive to be not just our strategy over the next two or three months but our strategy going forward. and it will be a process of listening to members of congress as well as us presenting what we think needs to be the set of authorities that we have. and i'm confident we will be able to get that done. and that may just be a process of us getting it started now.

it may carry over into the next congress. on iran, because of the unprecedented sanctions that we put in place that really did have a crippling effect on iran's economy, they have come to the table and they have negotiated seriously around providing assurances that they are not developing a nuclear weapon for the first time and they have abided by the interim rules. we have been able to freeze their program, in some cases reduce the stockpile of nuclear material that they already had in hand and the discussions and the negotiations have been constructive. the international community has been unified and cohesive. even countries where we have differences like russia have agreed with us and have worked with us cooperatively in trying to find ways to make sure that we can verify and have confidence going forward that iran doesn't have the capacity to develop a nuclear weapon that could not only threaten friends of ours like israel and trigger a nuclear arms race in the region but could over the long term potentially threaten us.

whether we can actually get a deal done, we will have to find out over the next three to four weeks. we have presented to them a framework that would allow them to meet their peaceful energy needs and if in fact what their leadership says that they don't want to develop a nuclear weapon, if that is in fact true they have an avenue here to provide that assurance to the world community and in a progressive step-by-step verifiable way allow them to get out from under sanctions so that they can re-enter as full fledged members of the international community. but they have their own politics and there is a long tradition of mistrust between the two

countries and there is a sizeable portion of the political elite that can cut its teeth on antiamericannism and still finds it convenient to blame america for every ill that there is, and whether they can manage to say yes to what clearly would be better for iran, better for the region, and better for the world, is an open question.

we'll find out over the next several weeks. >> sir, if the -- on whether or not you have power unilaterally to relax sanctions to implement an agreement? >> there are a series of different sanctions. multilateral, u.n. sanctions, sanctions that have been imposed by us, this administration unilaterally and i think it is different for each of those areas. but i don't want to put the cart before the horse. what i want to do is see if we, in fact, have a deal. if we do have a deal that i have confidence will prevent iran from getting a nuclear weapon and that we can convince the world and the public will prevent iran from getting a nuclear weapon, then it will be time to engage in congress and i think we will be able to make a strong argument to congress this is the best way to avoid a nuclear iran. it will be more effective than any other alternatives we would take including military action.

i would rather have no deal than a bad deal. what we don't want to do is lift sanctions and provide iran legitimacy but not have the verifiable mechanisms to make sure that they don't break up and produce a nuclear weapon. ed henry? i missed you guys. i haven't done this in awhile. >> i missed you. thank you, mr. president. i haven't heard you -- i haven't heard you say a specific thing during the news conference that you would do differently. you have been asked it a few different ways. i understand you said you are going to reach out. almost like you are doubling down on the same policies and approach you had for six years. why not pull a page from the clinton playbook and admit you

have to make a much more dramatic shift in course for the last two years? and on isis, it was a pretty dramatic setback in the last few days with it appearing the syrian rebels routed, gitmo detainees who rejoined the battlefield helping isis and other terror groups is the report. my question is, are we winning? >> i think it is too early to say whether we are "winning" because as i said at the outset of the isil campaign, this is going to be a long-term plan to solidify the iraqi government, to solidify their security forces, to make sure that in addition to our air cover that they have the capacity to run a ground game that pushes isil back from some of the territories that they had taken, that we have a strong international coalition that we have now built but that they are on the ground providing the training, providing the equipment, providing the supplies that are necessary for iraqis to fight on behalf of their territory. and what i also said was that in syria that is complicated and that is not going to be solved

any time soon. our focus in syria is not to solve the entire syria situation, but rather to isolate the areas in which isil can operate and there is no doubt that because of the extraordinary bravery of our men and women in uniform and the precision of our pilots and strikes that have taken place that isil is in a more vulnerable position and it is more difficult for them to maneuver than it was previously. there is a specific issue about trying to get a moderate opposition in syria that can serve as a partner with us on the ground. that has always been the hard

effort piece of business to get done. there are a lot of opposition groups from syria along a spectrum from radical jihadists who are our enemies to folks who believe in democracy and everything in between. they fight among each other. they are fighting the regime. and what we are trying to do is to find a core group that we can work with that we have confidence in that we vetted that can help in regaining territory from isil and then ultimately serve as a responsible party to sit at the table in eventual political negotiations that are probably some ways off in the future. that has always been difficult. as you know, one of the debates has consistently been should the obama administration provide more support to the opposition? could that have averted some of the problems taking place in

syria? and as i have said before, part of the challenge is, it is a messy situation. it is not a situation where we have one single unified broad-based effective reliable -- let me answer the question, ed. and so what we are going to continue to test is can we get a more stable effective cohesive moderate opposition. but that is not the sole measure of whether we are quote, unquote, winning or not. our first focus, ed, here is to drive isil out of iraq. and what we are doing in syria is first and foremost in service of reducing isil's capacity to resupply and send troops and then run back over the syrian border to eventually re-establish a border between iraq and syria so that slowly iraq regains control of its security and its territory. that is our number one mission. that is our number one focus. there are aspects of what is

going on in syria that we have got to deal with in order to reduce -- our support for kurds in kobane, that is not just because we are trying to solve a syria problem. that is also because it gives us an opportunity to further weaken isil to meet our number one mission which is iraq. in terms of things to do differently, i guess, ed, the question you are asking is one actually i think i have answered. if you are asking about personnel, if you are asking about position on issues or what have you, then it is probably premature because i want to hear what -- >> something about the -- >> ed, what i would like to do is to hear from the republicans to find out what it is that they would like to see happen. and what i'm committing to is making sure that i am open to working with them on the issues that where they think that there is going to be cooperation. now, that isn't a change because i suggested to them before that

where they think there is area of cooperation i would like to see us get some things done. but the fact that they now control both chambers of congress i think means that perhaps they have more confidence, that they can pass their agenda and get a bill on my desk. it means that negotiations end up perhaps being a little more real because they have larger majorities for example in the house and may be to get some things through their caucuses that they couldn't before. but the bottom line to the american people want to know

that up -- and that i'm going to repeat here today is that my number one goal, because i'm not running again, i'm not on the ballot, i don't have any further political aspirations -- my ballot. i don't have any further political aspirations -- my number one goal is just to deliver as much as i can for the american people in the last two years. and wherever i see an opportunity no matter how large or how small to make it a little easier for a kid go to college. make it a little more likely that somebody is finding a good paying job. make it a little more likely that somebody has high quality healthcare. even if i'm not getting a whole

loaf i'm interested in getting whatever legislation we can get assed that adds up to improved prospects and an improved future for the american people. sam stein? >> thank you, mr. president. following the elections, congressional republicans are pushing for major reforms to the healthcare act. in the past you said you don't want to undermine -- can you tell us what specific ideas you are ruling out? have the election results changed your calculus on reforming the law? and how confident heading into the second enrollment period? and on a totally unrelated matter, have you settled on a nominee to replace attorney general eric holder? and if so, who is it? >> you want to spread out your news a little bit, don't you? you don't want it all in just one big bang. on the attorney general we have a number of outstanding

candidates who we're taking a look at now, and in due course i will have an announcement and you'll be there, sam, when that's announced. but i'm confident that we will find somebody who is well qualified and will elicit the confidence of the american people and will uphold their constitutional obligations of rule of law and will get confirmed by the senate. on healthcare, there are certainly some lines i'm going to draw. repeal of the law. i won't sign. efforts that would take away healthcare from the 10 million people who now have it and the millions more who are eligible to get it we are not going to support. in some cases there may be recommendations that republicans have for changes that would

undermine the structure of the law and you know i will be very honest with them about that and say look, the law doesn't work if you pull out that piece or that piece. on the other hand, what i have said is there is no law that has ever been passed that is perfect. and given the contentious nature in which it was passed in the first place there are places where if i were just drafting a bill on our own we would have made those changes back then and certainly as we have been implementing there are some other areas where we think we can do even better. so, you know, if in fact one of the items on mitch mcconnell's agenda and john boehner's agenda is to make responsible changes to the affordable care act to make it work better i'm going to be very open and receptive to hearing those ideas.

but what i will remind them is that despite all of the contention we now know that the law works. you have got millions of people who have health insurance who didn't have it before. you have states that have expanded medicaid to folks who did not have it before, including republican governors who concluded this is a good deal for their state. and despite some of the previous predictions, even as we have enrolled more people into the affordable care act and given more people the security of health insurance, healthcare inflation has gone down every single year since the law passed so that we now have the lowest increase in health care costs in 50 years. which is saving us about $180

billion in reduced overall costs to the federal government and he medicare program. so we are, i think, really proud of the work that has been done, but there is no doubt that there are areas where we can improve it. so i will look forward to seeing what list they have of improvements. >> the individual mandate one of the lines you can't cross? >> the individual mandate is a line i can't cross because the concept borrowed from massachusetts from a law instituted by a former opponent of mine, mitt romney, understood that if you are providing health insurance to people through the private marketplace then you have got to make sure that people can't game the system and ust wait until they get sick before they go and try buy health insurance. you can't ensure that people

with preexisting conditions can get health insurance unless you also say while you are healthy before you need it you have to get insurance. obviously there are hardship exemptions. we understand that there are some folks who even with the generous subsidies provided still can't afford it but that is a central component of the law. in terms of enrollment, we will do some additional announcements about that in the days to come. starting in the middle of this month, people can sign up again. i think there are a number of people who the first time around sat on the sidelines in part because of our screwups on healthcare.gov. that is one area, ed, by the way, is very particular. we are really making sure the website works super well before the next open enrollment period. we are double and triple checking it. and so i think a lot of people who maybe initially thought we are not sure how this works, let's wait

and see, they will have an opportunity now to sign up and what has been terrific is to see how more private insurers have come into the marketplace so that there is greater competition in more markets all around the country. the premiums that have come in that are available to people and the choices that are available are better than a lot of people i think had predicted. so the law is working. that doesn't mean it can't be improved. major garrett? >> thank you, mr. president. and if you do miss us, allow me to humbly suggest we do this every week. >> we might. who knows? i'm having a great time. >> let me go back to immigration. moments before you walked out here, sir, mitch mcconnell said, and i quote, if you in fact use your executive authority to legalize a certain number of millions of undocumented workers it would poison the wealth and would be like waving a red flag in front of a bull.

do you not believe that is the considered opinion of the new republican majority in the house and senate? and do you also not believe what they have said in the aftermath of last night's results that the verdict rendered by voters should stop you or prevent you from taking this action because it was a subtext in many of the campaigns? i will ask you a couple of specifics. republicans haven't made a mystery about some of the things they intend -- >> do i have to write all these down? >> you are familiar with these. keystone excel pipeline. ask you to repeal the medical device tax as part of the mechanism to the affordable care act, and repatriate by reforming the corporate tax code without touching the individual tax code. to use your words, are any of those three lines you cannot cross and also deal with what you perceive to be republican attitude about immigration? >> i think, major, i answered

the question on immigration. i have no doubt that there will e some republicans who are angered or frustrated by any executive action that i may ake. those are folks, i just have to say, who are also deeply opposed to immigration reform in any form and blocked the house from being able to pass a bipartisan ill. i have said before that i actually believe that john boehner is sincere about wanting to get immigration reform passed. which is why for a year i held off taking any action beyond what we had already done for the

o-called dream kids, and did everything i could to give him space and room to get something done. and what i also said at the time was if, in fact, congress, if this congress could not get something done that i would take further executive actions in order to make the system work better, understanding that any bill that they pass will supplant the executive actions that i take. i just want to reemphasize this, major. if, in fact, there is a great eagerness on the part of republicans to tackle a broken immigration system, then they have every opportunity to do it. my executive actions not only do not prevent them from passing a law that supersedes those actions but should be a spur for them to actually try to get something done.

i'm prepared to engage them every step of the way with their ideas. i think we should have further broad-based debate among the american people. and i've said before, i do think the episode with the unaccompanied children changed a lot of attitudes. i think what may also change a lot of attitudes is when the public now realizes that was a very temporary and isolated event and that, in fact, we have fewer illegal immigrants coming in today than we did five years ago, 10 years ago, or 20 years ago but that what we also have is a system that is not serving our economy well. so -- >> republicans who say the lection was a referendumens -- referendum at least in part on your intentions to use executive authority for immigration. >> as i said before, i don't want to try to read the tea leaves on election results. what i am going to try to do as president is to make sure that i'm advancing what i think is

best for the country. and here is an opportunity where i can use my administrative authorities, executive authorities, and lawfully try to make improvements on the existing system, understanding that that is not going to fix the entire problem and we are much better off if we go ahead and pass a comprehensive bill. and i hope that the republicans really want to get it passed. if they do, they will have a lot of cooperation from me. so let me just tick off -- on keystone there is an independent process. t is moving forward. i'm going to let that process play out. i have given parameters in terms of how i think about it. ultimately is this going to be good for the american people, is t going to be good for their pocketbook, is it going to create jobs and reduce gas prices that have been coming down? and is it going to be on net something that doesn't increase climate change that we have to

grapple with? there is a pending case before a nebraska judge about some of the siting, the process is moving forward and i will gather up the facts. i will note while this debate about canadian oil has been raging, keep in mind this is canadian oil, this isn't u.s. oil -- while that debate has been raging, we have seen that some of the biggest increases in american oil production and american natural gas production in our history. we are closer to energy independence than we have ever been before or at least as we ave been in decades. we are importing less foreign oil than we produce for the first time in a very long time. we have got a 100-year supply of natural gas that if we responsibly tap puts us in the strongest position when it comes to energy of any industrialized

country around the world. if you -- when i travel to asia or i travel to europe, their biggest envy is the incredible homegrown u.s. energy production that is producing jobs and attracting manufacturing because locating here means you have got lower energy costs. so our energy sector is booming. and i'm happy to engage republicans with additional ideas for how we can enhance that. i should note that our clean energy production is booming as well. and so keystone i just consider as one small aspect of a broader trend that is really positive for the american people. and let's see. ok. medical device tax. you know, i have already answered the question, we are going to take a look at whatever ideas -- let me take a look comprehensively at the ideas that they present.

let's give them time to tell me -- i would rather hear it from them than from you. major, you know, conceivably i could just cancel my meeting on friday because i've heard everything from you. i think i would rather let mitch mcconnell -- i would rather hear from mitch mcconnell and john boehner what ideas they would like to pursue and we will have a conversation with them on that. on repatriation, i said in my opening remarks there is an opportunity for us to do a tax reform package that is good for business, good for jobs and can potentially finance infrastructure development here in the united states. now, the devil is in the details. so i think conceptually, it is something where we may have overlap and i'm interested in pursuing ideas that can put folks to work right now on roads and bridges and waterways and ports and a better

air traffic control system. if we had one, by the way, we could reduce delays by 30%, reduce fuel costs for airlines by about 30%, and hopefully that would translate into cheaper airline tickets. which i know everybody would be interested in. there is all kinds of work we can do on the infrastructure. this may be one mechanism that republicans are comfortable in financing those kinds of efforts. so that will be part of the discussion that i think we are prepared for on friday and then in the weeks to come leading into the new congress. whew. major works me, man. jim acosta? >> thank you, mrpresident. i know you don't want to read the tea leaves, but it is a fact that your party rejected you in these mid terms. by and large, they did not want you out on the campaign trail in these key battleground states. how do you account for that and your aides have said that this

is the fourth quarter of your administration. but i don't know if you saw the morning talk shows, but there were several potential candidates for 2016 who were out there already. is the clock ticking? are you running out of time? how much time do you have left? and what do you make of the notion that you are now a lame duck? >> well, traditionally after the last midterm of the two-term presidency, since i can't run again, that's the label that you guys apply. here is what i tell my team. i told them this last week and i told them this, this morning. we had this incredible privilege of being in charge of the most important organization on earth. the u.s. government. and our military. and everything that we do for good around the world. and there is a lot of work to be

done to make government work better. to make americans safer. to make opportunity available to more people. for us to be able to have a positive influence in every corner of the globe the way we are doing right now in west frica. and i'm going to squeeze every last little bit of opportunity to help make this world a better place over these last two years. and some of that is going to be what we can do dministratively. and, you know, simple things like how do we make customer service better in every agency? are there things that we can do to streamline how our veterans access care? are there better ways that we

can make businesses understand the programs that are available to them to promote their business or exports? there is a whole bunch of stuff to do on that front, and as i said before, there is going to be opportunities to work with democrats and republicans on capitol hill to get laws done. and if you look at the history of almost every president those last two years all kinds of stuff happens. in some cases, stuff that we couldn't predict. the one thing i'm pretty confident about, jim, is i'm going to be busy for the next two years. and the one thing that i want the american people to be confident about is that every day i will be filling up my time trying to figure out how i can make their lives better. and if i'm doing that at the end of my presidency i will say we played the fourth quarter well and we

flayed game well. and the only difference between i guess basketball and politics is that the only score that matters is how did somebody else do, not how you did. and that is the score i'm keeping. am i going to be able to look back and say are more people working? are their bank accounts better? are more kids going to college? is housing improved? is the financial system more stable? are younger kids getting a better education? do we have greater energy independence? is the environment cleaner? have we done something about climate change? ave we dealt with an ongoing terrorist threat and helped to bring about stability around the world? and those things, every single day i've got an opportunity to make a difference on those frantz, which is -- absolutely not. i wouldn't be satisfied as long

as i'm meeting somebody who doesn't have a job and wants one. i'm not going to be satisfied as long as there's a kid who writes me a letter and says i got $60,000 worth of debt and i don't know how to pay it debt. and the american people aren't satisfied. so i want to do everything i can to deliver for them. >> how about democrats? you out that they held of the battleground states? >> listen, as i think some of you saw when i was out on the campaign trail, i love campaigning. i love talking to ordinary people, i love listening to their stories. i love shaking hands and getting hugs and just seeing the process of democracy and citizenship manifest itself during an election. but i'm also a practical guy and

ultimately every candidate out there had to make their own decisions about what they thought would be most helpful for them and ill wanted to make sure that i'm respectful of their particular region, their particular state or congressional district and if it was more helpful for them for me to be behind the scenes, i'm happy to do it. i don't have -- i'll let other people analyze that, but what i will emphasize is that one of the nice things about being in the sixth year of your presidency is you've seen a lot of ups and downs and you've gotten more than your fair share of attention -- attention and, you know, i've had the limelight nd there have been times where the requests for my appearances were endless. there have been times where politically we were down and it

all kind of evens out, which is why what's most important, i think is keeping your eye on the ball and that is are you actually getting some good done. scott, last question. >> thank you, mr. president. you mentioned that where your policies actually were on the ballot, they often did better than members of your party. does that signal some short coming on your part or on the party's part in framing this election and communicating to the american people what it is that democrats stand for? -- ou know, i do think that you know, one area where i know we're constantly experimenting and trying to do better is just making sure that people know exactly what it is that we're trying to accomplish and what we have accomplish in clear way

that is people can -- that understand how it affect them. and you know, i think the minimum wage, i talked about it a lot on the campaign trail but, you know, i'm not sure it penetrated well enough. - enough to make a difference. uh, part of what i also think we have to look at is the 2/3 of people who are eligible to vote and just didn't vote. one of the things i'm very proud of in 2008 and 2012 when i ran for office was we got people involved who hadn't been involved before. we got folks to vote who hadn't voted before, particularly young people, and that was part of the promise and the excite was if you get involved, if you participate, if you embrace that

sense of citizenship then things change. in abstract ways but change in concrete ways. somebody gets a job who didn't have it before, somebody gets health care who didn't have it before. a student is able to go to college who didn't have it before. and sustaining that especially in midterm elections, has proven difficult. sustaining that sense of the you get involved and if you vote then there's going to be big change out there. and partly, i think, when they look at washington, they say nothing's working, it's not making a difference and there's just a constant slew of bad news coming over the tv screen, then you can understand how folks would get discouraged. but it's my job to figure this

out. as best i can. we are talking about issues isn't working then i'm going to try some different things. if the way that we're approaching the republicans in congress isn't working, you know, i'm going to try different things, whether it's having a drink with mitch mcconnell or letting john boehner beat me more weekly or press conferences. i don't know if that would be effective but whatever i think might make a difference in this, you know, i'm going to be drying out up until my last day in office. but i'll close with what i said in my opening statement. i am really optimistic about america.

i know that runs counter to the current mood. but when you look at the facts, our economy is stronger than just about anybody's, our energy production is better than just about anybody's. we've slashed our deficit by more than half. more people have health insurance. our businesses have the strongest balance sheets that they've had in decades. our young people are just incredibly talented and gifted and more of them are grating from high school and more of them are going on to college and more women are getting degrees and entering into the work force and one part of the reason i love campaigning is you travel around the country, folks are just good. they're smart and hard working

and they're not always paying a lot of attention to washington. in some cases they've given up on washington but their impulses are not sharply partisan and not ideological. they're really practal, good, generous people. and we continue to be a magnet for the best and brightest from around the world. our armed forces, you talk to them. i had a chance this morning to just call some of our health service that is operating in liberia and the amount of hope and professionalism that they've brought has val -- galvanized the entire country and they've built a platform suddenly for other countries to start coming in and we're seeing real progress in a country that was a

month, month and a half ago was just desperate and had no hope so all that makes me optimistic and my job over the next couple of years is to do some practical, concrete things as much as possible with congress. where it's not possible with congress, on my own, to show people why we should be confident and to give people a sense of progress and a sense of hope. that doesn't mean there aren't gunn ago to be ongoing nagging problems that are stubborn and can't be solved overnight. probably the biggest is that despite economic growth, wages and income have still not gone up and that's a long-term trend we've seen for 10, 20, 30 years and it makes people worried about not just their own situation but whether their kids are going to do better. which is the essence of the american dream. i think there are things we can

do. minimum wage in those five states was a good start. but i think more than anything, what i want to communicate over these next two years is the promise and possibility of america. this is just an extraordinary country and our democracy is messy and we're diverse and we're big and there are times when you're a politicians and you're disappointed with election results. but maybe i'm just getting older, i don't know. it doesn't make me mopey. it energizes me because it means that democracy is working and people in america were restless and impatient and we want to get things done and even when things are going good, we want them to do better and that's why this is the greatest country on earth and that's why i'm so privileged to have a chance to be president for the next couple of years.

all right? hank you, everybody. [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2014] [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org] >> president obama's news conference lasted an hour and 15 minutes and if you missed any of the president's remarks, we'll show it to you again tonight at 8:00 p.m. eastern. right after that, another news conference with senate republican leader mitch mcconnell. he met with reporters to discuss the election results and what the agenda will be. see those remarks at 9:15 p.m. eastern. >> this weekend on c-span networks. friday night at 8:00 eastern on c-span, more reaction to the midterm elections. on saturday night at 8:00, a debate on the future of the internet and sunday even -- eveningal 8:00, taves smiley on

his latest book "death of a king." and friday night on c-span 2. author ronald rosbottom on german occupied paris in world war ii. chang.y at 10:00, jeff friday at 8:00 on american history tv on c-span 3. medal of honor recipients reflect on their service and saturday at 2g ever 8:00, the social prejudice immigrants faced during the 18 hubs and sunday night at 8:00, the anniversary of the fall of the berlin wall. let us know what you think about he programs you're watching.

join the c-span conversation. like us on facebook. follow us on twitter. >> earlier today the national law journal held a conference on last night's election results. we hear from democratic and republican pollsters and a look at what last night's results could mean for the 2016 presidential race. this is 45 minutes. [applause] >> fantastic. we're going to get started with our first panel about last night's analysis of key election results and the outcomes. i want to welcome to the stage ron fournier, who is a senior reporter for "national journal" and ron will be joined onstage with, by, whit ayers, founder and president of north star research. is a linda lake, president of he search -- research partners.

ron, i'll let you go ahead and get started. >> i was doing an interview back there with celinda. thank you all for coming. whit and celinda has been good political sources of mine over the years. since we're dealing with a couple of poll materials -- pollsters i was going to start with a handful of numbers that jumped out at me with the exit polls and maybe a thought experiment and i would like you guys to think about that as well. you look at the exit apologies, a little over a majority of the electorate who voted last night disapproved of president obama. no surprise. 80% disapprove of congress as an institution. 60% disease approve of their leadership in congress and at the white house. only 44% of the people who voted have a positive opinion of the democratic party. less than that, 40%, have a

positive opinion of the republican party. 2/3 of the country thinks the nation is on the wrong track. nly 22% of americans right now think the next generation is going to be better than the current one. only 22% of the public still thinks there's such thing as an american dream. if people who were voting last night had the same buffet of choices in politics that they have in the theater, where they're going to shop, how they're going to shop. where they're going to eat. . if people had that kind of buffet of choice in politics last night, how many republicans and democrats would have been thrown out of office? celinda, whipt? why don't you answer that question. how much of the republican victory yesterday was a choice

between twoest? >> there's no question that people are discouraged about washington and the direction of the nation. but yesterday was a whopping rejection of this president and this president's agenda. the people who lost yesterday were democrats. republicans picked up or will pick up nine senate seats and are within an eyelash of picking up a 10th in virginia. we defeated five, or will defeat after the louisiana runoff, five senate incumbents. we were going to pick up at least 11 seats and maybe get the largest majority in the house since world war ii. we held the governorship in florida and picked up three governorships in deep blue states of maryland, massachusetts, and illinois. so it's pretty clear which party lost yesterday and which party one. >> the second part is not clear. your party was able to prove

that yesterday your party was not quite as bad as the other guys. how does the republican party stern yesterday's democratic defeat into a true governing that imprust the republican brand going forward? >> by demon stralting that we can govern. the snearts politicians all believe that people vote for things as well as against things. they vote for positive agendas as well as against agendas they don't like. that's the reason why the r.n.k. -- c. put together a list of principles that republican candidates can stand behind and it covers the array of various policy areas and that's the first place i think a republican congress can go. show that they can govern. >> celinda, i would suggest that we didn't see many of those principles presented by republicans in the election.

it would be great if we get them going forward but it was mainly an anti-obama election. do you degree that last night was a shellacking or thumping of president obama? >> i think that, obviously, the democrats got badly beat last night but i think there are three things i would say. one, i think the table was set very poorly from the democrats from the get-go. structurally, an off-year election, the array of seats that were up and the midterm election when the turnout was lower. >> why couldn't you get your base out? what happened to the coalition? >> it just turns out every four years. >> that's a big problem, isn't it? >> it's a huge problem. >> why is it a problem? >> it's a problem that gets better every year, though, because the republicans are living on borrowed time on their

coalition and this is the question i think democrats have to answer. why is there such a problem despite great organization in turning tout base and why did we do so poorly, particularly among independent stpwhim i think the answer to that is the economy. we did not end on an economic message. we've never won elections when we haven't been ahead on the economy. on the election eve we were ahead on the economy. we only split economic voters. all those voters that you listed, the ones that think the economic is -- economy is not good, we lost thore voters -- those voters. >> whose fault ask it that the democratic party didn't have an economic message. >> well, it starts at the top because i think it's very hard for an individual senate candidate to articulate an overall economic message. >> why has the president fumbled that? it's his economy. why didn't he do a better job of

presenting a plan? >> i think either by choice or by circumstance, he had a lot of cree cease in the fall. >> but presidents have to deal with crises and run a campaign. what's the explanation? >> you can call and talk to him about that. >> what would you tell the president today? >> articulate tomorrow an economic vision for the country and say, just as bill clinton did, we have done this but it's not good enough and we're going to work with republicans to get these things done. >> last night the president's aides were pretty defiant. one was quoted as saying he does not feel repudiated. what does that bode for us going forward if the president thinks that last night was not a repude occasion of his record so far? >> one of the lessons from this selection that arrogance will bite you. this president is the most arrogant politician of my entire lifetime.

he set his own people up. he really did. he set his own people up. the only way the kay haggan and the mark prior's and all the other democrats who lost yesterday were going to survive was to separate themselves from the presidents. the president's response is that's fine, they'll vote anyway. the president made the republican argument for us. we barely even needed to make it and the response yesterday was well, if these democrats hadn't withdrawn from the president many of them would have done better. what alternative universe are these people living in? it is beth takingly air gadgets and this president helped make our case for us and helped sink all of these democratic senators. >> on the topic of arrogance, john theory, a well-known and respected republican consultant said last night the hard right is not controlled by the

republican agenda anymore. the inmates are no longer running the asylum. do you think that's true? is the hard right no longer running the republican party and on what would you base that? >> i think part of the key for the republican victories yesterday is that we had candidates that managed to unite the republican coalition and that's another takeaway from yesterday, is that candidate quality really, really matters. across the board we nominated better candidates who ran better campaigns. three quick examples. cory gardner in colorado was a far superior candidate than we normal flate last time. he ran a great campaign and he won comfortably against a guy who beat the war on women to death. senator uterus. >> senator, let's get the came -- name right. >> sorry, mark you tall.

joanie ernst ran a great campaign. i'm so proud of ed gillespie i'm about to bust. back on labor day i said they needed to keep an eye on ed gillespie. he was going to be an upset special and a lot of people thought i was nuts. but if you know ed you know how good he is, how smart he is and e was within an eyelash of knocking off somebody who people thought was virtual limb unbeatable. >> you didn't really answer the arrogance question. there was a poll that came out last week that said the number one issue that voters were looking for in candidates was the economy. a close number two was they're looking for people who would break gridlock. i've seen no evidence that the president of the united states is either willing or capable that the president is breaking

gridlock and i've seen no evidence that republican party establishment is willing or capable of breaking gridlock? >> i disagree with you. if you listened to mitch mcconnell's speech. >> words are words. >> mitch mcconnell was pitch perfect last night and he basically said what i said to start this panel. we need to demonstrate that we can govern. mitchell mcconnell wleevers that. >> the president is going to say the same thing. why should we believe it's any different now? >> because i think you have an attitude of people who got elected yesterday that realize they field to advance a policy of agenda. whether this president is even willing to work with them or not i have no idea. he's shown no inclination to do so. >> so you think republicans are insented to compromise. what about democrats? >> first of all, i disagree with

the assessment that the president hasn't tried to work with republicans. he has. >> he's talked about it but he hasn't been able to get one single compromise. i have to assume either he can't or won't. >> he reached out today and said let's get together. divide government, congress on one hand, president on the other, far more productive than mixed government. >> why is that, you think? >> because i think that the house and senate will be able to agree on a lot and deliver it and i think neither side is interested in just government by veto. so i think it is greatly incentivized a come promise. when you have one house and one senate, they never set anything up. the other thing i want to say that i think is the most important lesson of last night. this is the one thing i don't agree with you on. the democratic agenda was not

rejected last night. democratic candidates were. i think the republicans were very in initiating the right. >> can you explain? >> across the board, when voters had the ability to directly vote on the issues. minimum wage, four states, legalizing marijuana in several states and you can go on and on. rejecting the two-party primary. across the board, the democratic agenda did very well. when voters had the abilities to vote directly on the issues. >> is that a fair distinction, whit? i know it didn't matter yesterday but is that a distinction maybe that the democratic party can learn from? >> lot bigger issue was obamacare in these critical senate battleground states. obama care was an albatross around the next of democrats who voted for it, not just because of one factor.

it's a combination. it's the substance of the law, it is what it represented, a large government intrusion into the health care sphere but also how it was passed. major social changes get passed by bipartisan majorities if they're going to stick. a majority of house republicans voted for medicare in 1965. a quarter of the senate republicans voteford medicare. medicare prescription part d that passed during george w. bush's administration passed with democratic votes in both the house and the senate. obamacare -- we had clients who remember perfectly willing to work with the president on a health care reform and the basic attitude is we have the votes, we don't need you and so they crammed it down the throlets of republicans, changing the rules in the senate to get it through, and created a political issue that basically has killed seven promising democratic careers and

is going to be an ongoing issue because of the way they passed it. sake of argument, democrats have an zwhreanled on its own can be popular and in this election, obamacare was a big an shrill -- anvil and the president was. 2016 presidential race, a different elek rat. obama will step out the door. obamacare will be two years older. by the way, the country is fastly becoming a minority majority and the republican party still tidses itself as a party of white peevement >> come on, ron. >> no, that is the brand. interesting if you can push back on that the next two years. >> we do not advertise ourselves as a the party of white people. >> it's a very uncomfortable

place for a person of color right now. >> we need to do a better job reaching out to majority. 35% of latinos voted for republican house candidates yesterday. we tpwheeled to be up with the 4% to 50% that george bush got or kay baily hutchison got. >> how do you get there? >> it's all about how we govern and how we nominate. some of us are old enough to remember the so-called republican lock on the electorate college back in the 1980's where there was no way the democrats were going to be elected again. bill clinton comes along and says i want to end welfare as we know it, i'm for the death penalty and in one election he turns the party around. the republican candidate is one election away from election at the presidential level. >> do you see that candidate out there now?

>> well, i happen to have a few options. marco rubio is a client of ours and i happen to think he does more for the republican party than anyone else out there but there are a number of possibilities that can give a new sexidge new face for the rental party. >> what happens if in two years we still don't have immigration reform and still 11 or 12 million people still living in the shadows? >> let's not take those ascumpleses. we have a new congress and it's a new day. >> you agree that's an important issue? >> sure. no question. in 2010, 77% of the electorate was white. every mid term, about two percentage point less nonhispanic white. it was 72% white less than in the mid terms and so we'll have an electorate in 2016 that's

out 70% white, about 30% nonwhite. it doesn't take a generous who figure out we have eto do better among asians, latinos, african-americans. >> so if president, as you say, was repudiated. if one of the things he does is fiat legalizes illegals citizens and he's right this kind of legislation in our country to be durable has to have legislation support. what does he have to do? i tweeted yesterday it would be the equivalent of flipping the bird to the american public. the american public doesn't want necessarily the chief executive to do it or his or her own. they want compromise. >> i think the number one reason that -- i mean, the people that won last night at the governor

level i think are very illustrative because they were governors who have to deliver. the republican governors were able to say to themselves because they have to deliver. i think that is a lesson for the senate. i think if the senate will not -- if the senate passes bad immigration emple -- reform that's going to be as bad as not passing any immigration reform and if the president says these people will not work with me to have zpenalt humane and practical immigration reform, i'm just going to get it done. then that's an entirely different message. >> are you sure? is the public going to buy the explanation he couldn't get it done so he's doing the right thing or this is just another politician who's giving lip service to compromise and we're going to punish his party again? >> for one thing, if you pass immigration reform -- >> i'm saying by executive

order. >> i understand but real people see something different on tuesday than they had on monday. when you get something done, it affects real people's lives. >> the ends justify the means? >> i think it matters less how you get it done. i think the major frustration last night was with, they can't compromise but they're not getting anything done and rome is burning and they're not getting anything done. >> real quickly on that? is getting immigration reform done any way ok? >> you can't just pass something. i mean, it's obvious we have a seriously broken system that hurts our economy, that hurts everybody involved with it and when you have a seriously broken system, it's incumbent on the congress to fix the system. it is not incumbent on a president to arrogantly try to do it on its own. that's the best way i know to kill immigration reform is to

come out and get an executive order to something even he has said should be the province of congress and try to do it on his own. >> i want to turn to 2016 but before i do, two pollsters up here, i have to ask about these polls. they were all off. they basically overestimated the democratic turnout. this has got to be a scary time to be a pollster. can you explain why they were all so off yesterday and how your business is going to have to change to be more accurate? >> i think the number one thing -- >> both of you. >> the number one thing that helps explain why the polls were off is that we overestimated the women's vote. ou know, utah electorate was 72% -- 75% white. it was more white, older and less female. and many of the pollsters i think accounted for it being older and many accounted for it

being more white. most of us did not account for it being less female. >> why not? what went into the thinking? >> for example, in 2010, the electorate was not more female. in some ways the structure of the elek rat se >> resemble more 1994. you lad a decline among women. in 1994 it was called the year of the angry white man. we lost yesterday because we had fewer women and because we lost women -- won women by less than we lost men by and that's a formula for big defeats so i think women voters are a big piece of last night's story and one we haven't talked about so much on this panel and it's a big reason why the polls were off. >> ron, i don't accept the premise that the polls were

weighoff. this was a classic wave election. waves break late. we did bill frisk's race in minnesota 1994. he was up by four points. by thursday he was up by seven, by saturday, up by nine and he won by 14 percentage points but you would never and caught that unless you polled all the way up to election day. if you look at the polls over the course of the last week it was very clear that where democrats were leading like new hampshire and north carolina, the leads were narrowing and where republicans were leading, like iowa, like colorado, like arkansas, the leads were widing. -- widening. i mean, the trend was there clearly and i think what happened was a classic wave where you came in very late, within the course of the last week, and you ended up getting a substantial republican boot persuadeables went

one way. >> exactly. that's what a wave is. >> i agree with whit on that as well. most of us think -- good point. >> policy-wise why did women stay home? what did the democratic party do wrong or the republican do write to keep them home? >> i think the number one thing is men think it's a good thing when government hasn't done anything bad to you. and there is the challenge for republicans is that women want to get something done and women have two major, major concerns on their minds. incredibly concerned about this economy and the impact it's having on their families and a belief that no one really understood their kitchen table economics and the second thing was the mounting security concerns about the instability. isis, ferguson, ebola.

people, women in particular thinking new crisis after new crisis of new crisis of things i've never heard of affecting my family. >> why did that keep them home? >> because i think they felt no one spoke to them. no one gets me -- my life. no one is going anything for me. >> first of all, let's not make too much of this. a majority of the people who vote yesterday were female. it was 51-49. >> but it was less than we -- >> a point or so less but it wasn't like there was a huge shift in the gender electorate that voted yesterday. women have a tendency to place a higher priority on issues like education and health care and i think any politicians, republican or democrat, who homes to appeal to women, has got to have something intelligent to say about both of those issues. we don't have as many people as we need to be able to articulate

a position on education. it's not coincidence that the last republican president was very, very good and talked a lot about education. lamar alexander talks a lot about education. we don't have as many as we need to paint a compelling picture. >> good point. >> by the way, i would say the last two republican presidents -- >> good point. >> george bush sr. -- we may disagree with their polls -- policies but bibut they articulated strongly on education. >> and the president before as well. in tallahassee and presidential sweevets around the country there were men and women who were thinking about running for president surrounded by family and consultants digging into the results yesterday and wondering what does this say about my chances? what can i learn that might make

me the next president? who do you see as being the early winners and losers in 2016 based on these sflults who can find good >> i don't know that it's particularly productive to -- what we learned was, there is no one faction of the republican party that is large enough to produce a presidential nominee. you can't run from one particular slice and hope to win the nomination. whoever wins it will demonstrate an ability to join the party, libertarian, social, conservative, all in one coalition and get enough of each of those groups to build a