i think i lened by talking to chris van hollen, i think we may have the outlines of a deal. >> don't get me too hopeful. >> let's cross our fingers and hope we'll have a delay. let us hope. >> wrap it up. >> if it's too early, what time is it? it is time for "morning joe" but now it's time for "the daily rundown." see you tomorrow. >> six degrees of separation. the senate's gang of six is back. the president and the senate rank and file love it. but senate leaders and house republicans, they waste little time dowsing cold water on the idea. the debt limit deadline is coming up fast. will the president and much of the senate drag the house into a deal kicking and screaming. look who's surging now? michele bachmann rockets up the ranks in the "wall street journal" poll. is she a flash? we'll have that and much more from our brand new poll.

plus -- >> we now know which party it was, if you like, the slumber party. obviously. >> it's finger pointing time and question time. day after parliament grills rupert murdoch, it's david cameron himself. no break in this london fog. give the prime minister a hurrah. i'm chuck todd. the big, brand new nbc "wall street journal" poll, and the revived gang of six which the white house is seizing on to give new life to the president's push for a big deficit reduction deal. the bipartisan group's proposal is still in outline form. they would reduce the deficit by 3.7 trillion over the next decade, cutting discretionary spending, defense spending, overhauling entitlement programs, rewriting the tax code by lowering rates, getting rid of deductions that overall would

generate a trillion dollars in those deficit cuts. the plan got an enthusiastic reception from the white house and senate rank and file. watch. >> we now have a bipartisan group of senators who agree with that balanced approach. we have got the american people who agree with that balanced approach. >> 49 senators came to the room, and you know what, there were no fist fights, there were no -- there was no swearing. >> i think they're creating a vital center on what is the most important issue facing the country. >> it is a great start and it has provided great leadership. but senate leaders mitch mcconnell and harry reid, they weren't so enthusiastic about the idea. listen to what they had to say. >> i don't have an opinion yet. we were pleased to hear their recommendations, but i haven't had a chance to decide how i feel about it. >>. president knows because i've explained to him many, many

different times the problems we have with time around here, so again, i repeat, i'm happy to work and use anything in the gang of six that we can, but remember, we only have 13 days. >> all right. there is a calendar reality as harry reid pointed out which means gang of six is not going to be the vehicle that's going to end up getting the debt ceiling rate. the mcconnell-reid back doorman ufring, all of that legislative gymnastics is what's going to get the debt ceiling raise. there's something else going on in the divide. there's a lot of pentup frustration. a lot of them feel they don't know what's going on in the deal. they've been taking heat back home. they simply wanted to cut the big deal. they want to be involved something big. these are senators. this is what senators do. that was a little bit of the divide yesterday. mcconnell and reid on one page, which was interesting and the rank and file on another.

why was the president so quick to come to the cameras to praise the bipartisan gang? a lot of reasons, but the white house has seen some of the same polling we have. according to our new nbc "wall street journal" poll, voters prefer a big plan, the president's idea of a $4 trillion deficit reduction package that's mixed with some tax hikes on wealthy americans and corporations, over this idea of a cuts only approach of 2.5 trillion that house republicans say they would prefer. it was a 58-36 split. wasn't even close. independents, 54% of them preferred that bigger approach, the president's approach which is similar to gang of six and why he came out for it. the only people that seem to be on the other side of this were some of the core rank and file republicans and tea party supporters. more from this poll. 52% believe democrats in congress should not compromise on entitlement cuts even if it's the only way to get a better

deal. 62% believe republicans should compromise on taxes. look at the poll. the poll says the politics of this is harder long term for democrats, compromising on entitlements than it would be for republicans compromising on taxes. the problem is the base of the republican party is much more animated on this, and the tea party, 62% tell republicans -- say republicans should not compromise on taxes at all. the middle, of course, is in another place. independents and the tea party are not in the same place. they were in 2010. that's why republicans came to power. they're not right now. that's why the president is winning this problem. michele bachmann is rising. she's surged into second place on our poll and the republican prima primary, 16%, trailing mitt romney. a month ago she was at 3%. we've seen this every month in our poll going back to april. in april, it was trump that surged to second place. in june, the candidate that

surged was herman cain. right now, it is bachmann. next month, is it going to be rick perry. look at our poll. combine rick perry and richelle bachmann, the two of them got 27% to romney's 30. there is an anti-romney coalition out there. will some conservative coalesce it? that's the game to watch over the next six to eight weeks. momentum may be building the gang of six budget plan. democrat senator, michael bennett, member of the banking committee, senator bennett, nice to see you. let me start with what harry reid said, not enough time to get this done. how do you respond? >> well, i think harry has a huge challenge on his hands. once again, washington has left the hard work until the very end, so we're going to have to sprint to see what we can get done here to be able to express the will of, i think, a majority of the senate but certainly the will of the people that live in the state of colorado who have

said to me for months that they want a plan that materially addresses the problem. they wanted to know that we're all in it together and they want it to be bipartisan. and that's why i like this gang of six plan, because it meets those tests. >> you know, it was interesting to watch yesterday, gang of six comes out, previews it for you guys. i believe there were 49 of you getting a preview in the morning. i know one of your colleagues, clair mccaskill was tweeting minute by minute. there was a huge, almost pent-up frustration. have you known what's going on in the talks at the white house? >> not exactly but in general. it's been disappointing for me to see things slide back into a smaller plan. the argument i've been making to people around here is that if the credit rating downgrades our debt and interest rates spike for the american people and for the people that are borrowing -- are buying our debt, nobody is

going to remember what pledge anybody made about anything. what they're going to know is that we were the first group of 100 senators that actually drove our death rating into the ditch. that's what they're going to care about. that's why we need to do, not just get past the debt ceiling which we need to do, but also put this country on a path of fiscal sustainability. >> when you look at our nbc "wall street journal" poll, and we ask specifically, on the two third rails if you will, inside boat parties, taxes with republicans, entitlements with democrats, a majority told us they don't want democrats in general to cave in on using cuts in medicare and social security in this deficit reduction plan. what do you say to the base of your party which clearly, frankly, may be more animated on this than even the tea party is on taxes with the republicans? >> nobody likes having to do the work that we're having to do now, which is why revenue is a percentage of gdp is at a 60

year low and why government spends a a percentage of our gross domestic product is at a 60 year high. politicians don't want to tell the truth about this stuff. we've come to an inflection point where failing to act is no longer an action. i think -- the math dictates that. it tells us that. i think what we can do to build confidence is be able to demonstrate with a plan that involves everybody, that everyone's got some contribution to make, then you can build confidence that one group of people isn't being advantaged over another group of people and you can get it done. >> what you're saying is you're open to raising the retirement age if taxes are on the table. >> i'm open to that in the context and not if we don't have revenue as part of the equation. >> senator michael bennett, democrat from colorado.

a lost actit of action in the s yesterday. >> finally. >> the gang's all here. does it matter, with time and cash running out and the plk ready to get a deal done, we're going to ask mark kirk, if his party is ready to compromise on taxes as the poll says the public wants them to do. michele bachmann is surging. she's second in our new nbc "wall street journal" poll. is she there to stay or is rick perry the next one? look ahead at the president's schedule. it's local tv interview day, by the way. this is becoming a weekly think with the president. watch "the daily rundown" on msnbc. as a manager, my team counts on me to stay focused. so i take one a day men's 50+ advantage.

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>> we want to go to lodge done. there's no letup in the phone hacking scandal that's consumed the country. there's a new man feeling the heat as we saw with the attention shifts from rupert murdoch to david cameron. it got very, very partisan. he found himself on the defensive during this question time. a lot of back and forth. yesterday featured a lot of circus like oots fear of the rupert murdoch hearings. these hearings are new when it comes to parliament and how they do this procedure. they didn't do this 20 years ago. they didn't do it much 10 years

ago. the hearings lasted more than the hour they told us. we saw the murdochs getting grilled for close to three hours, which of course the pie incident being the shiny metal object of the day, and in an odd way, did seem to help rupert at the end put attention on something else. but of course today, the attention has been on all things prime minister cameron. let's take a look at what he was dealing with this morning. >> everyone can see exactly what he is doing, an attempt to play this for narrow party advantage. the problem has been taking place over many years. the problem is for both our main parties and the problem is one that the public expects us to stop playing with but to rise to the occasion and deal with it for the good of the country. >> nbc's martin fletcher is live in london.

martin, this is good old fashioned partisan politics that we saw take place in the house of commons today? >> that's right. it's a fascinating session in parliament. still going on by the way. cameron called for himself for three hours. he called for greater transparency among the media in parliament, relentless investigation of wrongdoing, in the media, police, politicians. he denied that he or his staff tried to stop and earlier police investigation into phone hacking and bribes. he said the police know they have his total backing wherever the investigation goes, including where it concerns the man he hired to be his communications chief, andy coleson. >> martin, what i thought was fascinating was how he was trying to link this a little bit to labor and say, hey, wait a minute, this happened on your watch too. >> well, absolutely, but the problem that cameron has is that by hiring that guy, andy coleson who was the former editor of the

"news of the world" apparently possibly knowing about the investigation into the bribery and phone hacking scandal, the question is, to what extent did cameron know about that investigation? know that the police had not fully investigated the scandal and nevertheless, against the advice of his people, in 10 downey street, he insisted on hiring andy coleman. as miliband put it, an error in judgment, that's what cameron is now defending himself. of course, he claims that is just pot touring by the opposition, but it's a serious question here. >> it's a tough time to be prime minister. martin fletcher in london for us. thanks very much. still to come, we got the ultimate test of brevity. which presidential hopefuls have to count characters today as a handful of republican presidential candidates are going to debate on twitter.

140 characters at a time, but first today's trivia question. which five states cast the highest percentage of votes for president obama in 2008? tweet me the answer@chuck taodd @msnbc. make it yours. make it mio.

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>> well, as we've been telling you all morning, there's a new debt plan on the table. two weeks until the potential default day. the gang of six proposal has moved from behind closed doors and know a public debate. republican senator mark kirk serves on the banking committee, had positive things to say about it. my apologies for technical difficulties. what's your impression of the gang of six? >> i think they've done a very good piece of work, especially the tax reform, which will wipe out tax expenditures and lower the top rates from 39 to 28 and

also taking on the tough issue of entitlement reform, which is where the real spending control has to happen. we're going to kick our spending habit. >> as you know, this is going to probably be a tough sell for house republicans. i want to play for you what republican, ohio republican jim jordan had to say about the gang of six proposal yesterday. >> our folks here, we don't like the gang of six plan. if you can ever figure out what's in it, and we certainly don't like the mcconnell plan. we're circulating a letter. we have over 80 signatures on the letter saying we don't want the mcconnell plan. >> there's a difference between not liking something and not voting for something. what pitch would you make as a republican senator to that republican member of the house or other house republicans who are skeptical of this gang of six plan? >> fiscal conservatives, i think the gang of six plan which calls for lowering the future borrowing of the united states by over $3 trillion is necessary to reassure americans, markets

and our allies overseas. i would focus on the leadership of senator tom coburn, probably the most fiscally conservative senator of all 100 senators. he supports this plan because he thinks it's the best way to cut spending and we now may have this coburn and democratic leadership alliance surprising agreement on both sides, and i think that's necessary because the rating agencies have said that uncle sam's credit rating is very much at risk. >> have you felt -- you know, it's fascinating to watch as an observer yesterday was all of the rank and file, so many rank and file senators coming out yesterday, whether it was a democrat or republican, whether it was you or dan coats, republican side, michael bennett on the democratic side, almost as if there had been pent up frustration that you hadn't been involved in the debate even as you had been taking heat back home. is that fair? >> i think from the leadership

side, most of the groups, for example, under vice president biden, et cetera, were run by the loyal partisans of both parties. that is a recipe for long term failure. there is a vital center here, and i think senators who are increasingly alarmed about the fiscal future of the country. we very much supported the decision of the bipartisan deficit commission report under republican senator allen simpson and erskine bowles, but under the leadership of todd coburn, the gang of six proposal is even better than what the bipartisan deficit commission laid out. >> you just came from the house. you are a member of the house. explain the difference between -- is it easier being against something in the house than it is in the senate? in your mind? >> no. >> explain some of the differences? >> it's exactly the opposite. i've been a senator, junior sfo

senator all of 200 days but i served in the house for the last ten years. in the senate it's very easy to be against everything and everything grindses to a halt. there's growing alarm on both sides about the future of the country. i do believe the nuance you just picked up, house members say they are against mcconnell. they have concerns about the gang of six opens up the door and as we approach the deadline, we remember 1996 when, as the government shut down, speaker gingrich's forces very quickly collapsed. this is a way for us not to collapse. this is a way for us to go forward with a very credible plan that doesn't cut billions, it cuts trillions. >> all right. illinois republican senator mark kirk, former member of the house as well. thanks for joining me this morning. >> you bet. up next, is the tea party reaching its boiling point. what the poll says about the growing tension between nontea

party republicans and independents and the tea party itself. we're going to crunch the numbers with the pollsters. plus independents and the tea party were in the same place in 2010. right now they're not. what does that mean for the presidential race in 2012? you're watching "the daily rundown" on msnbc.

bottom of the hour. just 13 days left until the august 2nd debt deadline, and both sides could soon return to the bargaining table perhaps at the white house today. the outline released from the senate's gang of six is getting much attention but realize it is not the vehicle to get the debt ceiling raised. more than 30 states from the midwest to new england are under heat advisories as blazing temperatures move east. relief isn't coming fast enough as cooler air isn't expected to start pushing out the heat until

the weekend. the opening bell is about to ring on wall street. there they are there. investors are hoping to build on yesterday's gigantic gains. few other stories making headlines. minnesota could see an end to the 20 day government shutdown. the minnesota house and senate approved a budget deal during a special session. state services should resume when the bill is signed into law later today. if it's wednesday, we have election results. today it's in green bay, wisconsin. 66% of the vote, democratic state senator dave hanson beat back a recall challenger, david vand vanderlist, limiting collective bargaining rights. democrats net three seats in the other seats in august, they will

retake the majority. republicans couldn't get the candidate they wanted and had somebody that the party had to distance themselves from. get ready for the first presidential debate through twitter. there will be a twitter debate today at 140 town hall. so far republicans participating are michele bachmann, herman cain, newt gingrich, gary johnson and thaddeus mcconor, yes, he's running for president too. the latest nbc "wall street journal" poll shows growing tension between those who identify themselves as tea parties and independents who put the republicans in power. here to help us break down those poll results are the men who do the poll, bill mcenturf and bill. the basic message this poll is

sending to washington today. >> people are fed up with washington fighting. they want something done. that's true, it's always true. but it doesn't mean by the way, they would like the deal that would come out what would happen in washington. you have to distinguish between how fed up they are with washington versus whether or not they would support or oppose the kind of deals that are currently being discussed. >> peter, there seems to be a disconnect between the tea party wing of the republican party and other parts of the american electorate. simply on raising the debt ceiling, plurality says raise it in our poll, but a large majority even after told the explanation of the tea party wing of the republican party, 62% say don't raise it. that was another part of this poll, a big disconnect between tea partiers and the rest of the american electorate. >> absolutely right, chuck. you've been reporting it from the beginning. there are 13% that essentially

are the tea party group and they're going in one direction and you basically have 87% of the rest of the nation going the other direction saying look, as bill said, it's time to do something, but more importantly, what they're sending a message very directly, i think to the republican and the republican leadership is look, your sacred idea of not touching taxes doesn't wash with us. you have to make sacrifices. you have to make change. for the republicans, it's a tough call, because they're appealing to their small base of tea party people, the rest of the nation in the opposite place. >> you know, bill, there's two poll numbers i want to put up, the overall number, should republicans agree to raise taxes, overall, they say yes, they should get rid of their no new taxes pledged, there in lies john boehner's box, does it not? >> yeah. let me tell you something, the republican party is the anti-tax

party. our entire coalition is held together by not raising taxes. the speaker of the house is exactly correct. if you want to consolidate and hold anything like a republican base, there's lots and lots of ways to cut trillions of dollars of spending without agreeing to a tax increase. i think the house republicans are accurately reflecting the views of their base. they will hold the republican party together and the point i'm making is independents may be fed up with the baloney in washington. believe me, republican running on i did the right thing, i raised taxes is not a republican who's going to win an election. >> peter heart, this isn't easy for democrats. you made an observation in our call yesterday when you said, you look at the raw numbers, particularly this issue of the taxes issue versus should democrats hold the line on cuts to social security and medicare if it's standing in the way of getting a big deal. the majority, majority of

everybody, not just democrats said democrats should hold the line, should not agree to the cuts. you made the observation, politically, there is longer term potential problems for democrats if they agree to do major entitlement reform than there would be to republicans on taxes. do you still believe that? >> not even close on that question. if you're playing just politics and looking at the poll, it clearly leads you in one direction. that is don't touch medicare, don't touch social security. if bill says taxes are their third rail, then social security and medicare are the third rail for the democrats. in the end of the day, i think what the voters are really saying is you have to compromise, you have to make change, and i think that the ability to go to the public and say we've done the right thing and we've done it in the right way. while bill says there are a lot of ways to reach this goal, the fact is the only way to truly reach the difference and i think you're hearing it from the gang

of six. >> let's jump to the presidential race and those numbers. bill i want to ask you about president obama. you look at these numbers in isolation. his job approval ratings upside down, 47 approve, 48 disapprove. the wrong track number, highest of his presidency, yet this poll wasn't that bad for him. why? >> actually, i think the poll is bad for him. let me tell you what happens long term. when you hit 67% wrong track and that becomes larger, incumbencies tend to track. presidencies don't exist. incumbent presidents lose. we watch what begins to happen when you get to those numbers. is this poll that bad? no. long term, the economic pessimism, the high wrong track and the strain of presidential approval all suggest an incredibly close election. >> job approval, 47, over time, that matches the ballot test at the end of the day? >> job approval and ballot

tested are usually within single digits, one or two points of each other. >> peter hart on the republican primary, this month it's michele bachmann. you made the observation that the last three polls we have had a new sort of shiny metal object inside the republican party. what does that tell you about mitt romney's front runner stat us? >> well, what's fascinating is i think the conservatives are looking for an alternative to mitt romney. at this stage of the game, he continues to hold a good portion of that vote. he has to hold a share of that vote in order to be the true front runner. i think the conservatives are looking for that person. cain one month, trump another month, this month it's bachmann. clearly they're looking for a place to land. that tells mitt romney he still has problems on the right. >> bill and peter, thank you

both. up next, a big anniversary happening high in the sky today. plus it's the hump day panel. what our new poll says about who is up and who is down in the 2012 race. are all these questions michele bachmann's health a tad sexist. soup of the day, it's roasted red pepper and tomato. you are you are watching the "the daily rundown" only on msnbc. and my hands were full. i couldn't sort through it all. with unitedhealthcare, it's different. we have access to great specialists, and our pediatrician gets all the information. everyone works as a team. and i only need to talk to one person about her care. we're more than 78,000 people looking out for 70 million americans. that's health in numbers. unitedhealthcare. be kind to your eyes with transitions lenses. transitions adapt to changing light so you see your whole day comfortably and conveniently

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>> that's one small step for man. one giant leap for mankind. >> that's right. it was on this day 1969, the daily flash back those immortal words were uttered when neil armstrong became the first man to walk on the moon. president kennedy issued eight years earlier to put a man on the moon by the end of the decade.

nasa is one day away from the end of the shuttle program. let's ask what it is like to in station for the last time. >> when you pull away from the station, it makes you enormously proud that not only our country, but the global community can pull together to construct that incredible vehicle in orbit. as the space shuttle does retire, we hate to see it go, we know it's leading an incredible lasting legacy and we are extraordinarily proud. >> the crew is expected to touchdown on earth tomorrow. any time i hear about the moon landing and the very first, i think about a story mary lou henner told bob costas on nbc. on the trail, michele bachmann responded to a hit piece in the conservative news blog, the "daily caller" using a

handful of anonymous sources, they claim that bachmann suffers from incapacitating migraines. >> i am prescribed medications whenever symptoms arise and they keep my migraines under control. i would like to be abundantly clear, my ability to function effectively will not affect my ability to serve as commander in chief. >> christina balantoni, we're going uptown and cynthia thomas, welcome all. a lot of us had conversations with significant others and friends not about the republican presidential race, about this bachmann story but about whether this is the type of story that would happen to a man running for president. my wife reminded me i get kidney stones and i'm incapacitated for

an hour or two. that's similar to what happens with migraines. do you think this is a fair story? >> it's a tough question, if this is an actual, it's something she should talk about. a health issue is important. however, migraine does carry with it certain connotations. certainly this is a story that is framed in a way to suggest she is not qualified to be president. would this same story come out about a man? i don't personally think so, but it has been a pretty fun debate to talk through this. the bigger question is i think how she's connecting with americans still using this, saying i am one in every four americans who suffer from these major headaches. >> the difference between her and how others might respond to something like this. she didn't lash out on the media on this. she did what christina just said, hey, i'm one of millions that have this issue. >> chuck, the stark contrast is with sarah palin to whom she is often compared. >> she probably would have lashed out at the media.

>> bachmann, you have to give her credit for this much. she has tried to clean up her act. she's listened to advisers. she's tried to be mainstream, not lash out at the media. that doesn't get you anywhere, not whine and not say they're doing this to me because i'm a girl. you have to give her credit for that. >> david, you're probable lie like me, where did this story come from? that was the first thing that hit my mind, who's dropping this? >> i was about to say, i've subpoena to michele bachmann. there are certain of them to find anti-bachmann stories. she was not trying not to blow it up into anything more because she's trying to do a dance and keep this story about spilling into other stories. >> she's gone through a lot of staff on capitol hill. >> she's got the reputation. not a lot of trust with staff. >> exactly. >> more about presidential leadership than anything having to do with migraines.

i want to move to rick perry. the other surprise on our poll is that rick perry is also in double digits and he's not even announced. we're learning more yesterday. here's what he said the latest what i'm calling rick perry watch day 300. we don't have it. here's what he said. i've been getting calls across the country, iowa, florida, new hampshire, the calling aspect of this is the stand point of people letting me know they're going to be there has been overwhelming. rick perry, is that somebody you think is going to be a player in this race. instincti cynthia? >> i think he could rise near the top of the polls very quickly. it says much more about the unsettled state of the republican field that so many republican operatives and major players are not satisfied and again, it says something about mitt romney at this point, that

so many major republican players aren't satisfied with him as the nominee apparent. >> david, the texas tribune is doing only political junkies would love. here's one that features rick perry and a guy named george bush. watch. >> barbara and i have known him for a long, long time. everyone in our family strongly supports him. >> rick, i look forward to having you by my side. it's important that texans elect rick perry. he's a man of honor. he's a man of integrity, and he's trustworthy. >> my heart is where barbara's is, where george's is, in the perry corner. >> we see a lot of bush ads for rick perry in 2012. >> i don't think we'll see an ad like that. here's the big question, does he have a recipe for a magic possession of taking that tea party element of the party and combining it with the establishment wing, the texas

money that he knows well and maybe across the country. i think it's a question mark, because we do know the bush world and a large chunk of the establishment not on board with rick perry at all. he is fred thompson flair of the month candidate or does he have a recipe we don't know about. >> combined bachmann and perry, they are at 27 versus romney's 30. suddenly romney is not a huge front runner. if somehow the anti-romney conservatives coalesce. >> what i heard again and again is i didn't like john mccain, i like michele bachmann, rick santorum, because they are true conservatives. >> they want to be excited. the base wants to be excited. >> stick with me, we're going to talk gang of six without the leather jackets after the break. trivia time, we asked which six states cast the highest percentage of votes for president obama in 2008. the answer, hawaii, vtd have the, rhode island, illinois,

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the one thing that we want to talk about this debt deal and the president jumped right on it. part of this whole gang of six and part of what the president is pushing for is some entitlement hits on social security and medicare which, by the way, in our poll is not popular to do. is the president risking more here than even he admits? >> well, house democrats certainly think so. nancy pelosi has -- perhaps it's a dream, but she has this dream of winning back the house for democrats. and she was counting on bashing republicans over paul ryan's medicare plan in order to do that. if obama then muddies the message pie taby talking about o

medicare himself, the house democrats lose that perceived advantage. and so it is not at all clear why he thinks it's a good idea to talk about this. >> you're a big watcher of capitol hill. the pent-up frustration yesterday, the split to me. you had rita mcconnell in one camp. no, no, we're superman, we have got the power to raise the debt ceiling and about 50 rank in file members overloading our inboxes, i love gang of six. there's a little bit of disconnect between leadership and rank in file. >> and don't forget barack obama coming out. yeah, everybody wants to be the last-minute hero. both boehner and obama remember how they looked pretty good after this whole continuing resolution deal they struck earlier this year. that's why you're seeing it get pushed to the very last minute. believe me mark warner being part of the gang of six is not an accident. he still very much wants to run for president. >> you know, the hero that was

painted yesterday by everybody was tom coburn. the oklahoma senator who was not in the gang of six, came in and endorsed it last minute. he said he and the president still talk frequently so to me it felt like choreography a little bit. coburn endorses it 9:30, 10:00 on the senate floor. three hours later the president is going i love it. >> i think it felt like choreography when coburn initially left. i think that's when it began in order to be wooed back to have this moment. the gang of six have always been looking for the moment in this debt limit fight. >> i didn't think they were going to find it. >> i didn't think they were going to find it. as you know, it's not legislation yet. there's very little time. i don't know that this vehicle will be a legislative vehicle by august 2nd. that sounds like a huge mountain for them to climb. but they did indeed find their moment in this debate. >> cynthia, for the first time the president actually picked a fight with congress and won. he's actually lost every one of these battles as far as public opinion is concerned. what was different this time for him?

>> for one thing he's learning how to use the bully pulpit. how many times has the president has press conferences in the last two weeks, when in fact much of his first two years went with no press conferences as all. so i think he's learning to communicate better, for one thing. >> and christina, the other part of this, they're all waiting on the house republicans. we know speaker boehner is there. probably if he could endorse the gang of six would, but he might be alone in the house republican caucus and that's an issue for him. >> in which then it all falls on nancy pelosi. >> no, it falls on steny hoyer. ultimately because i don't think she's going to be there to be counting votes. >> it's sort of that question of who's the grownup in the room. it's t.a.r.p. all over again. >> we shall see. shameless plug time, cynthia, i'm start with you. >> read my column. i talk about shameless republicans who don't care if the economy teeters over the abyss. >> christina. >> well, first happy birthday to

david. but roll call, we have a little tidbit that some white house leaders are meeting with faith leaders about the deficit. >> if you need a compliment to first read check out the morning line at pbs news hour, our website. today we'll be interviewing ron paul. >> ron paul? who sits at 9% in our poll. he doesn't ever grow, though, he just sits there. that's it for this edition of "the daily rundown." tomorrow on the show, among my guests democratic senator chris koonce. next is chris "jansing & co." then andrea mitchell, joining her debbie wasserman schultz who had quite a dust-up questioned with a tea party republican. see you tomorrow. in cyber attacks. in financial transactions... on devices...

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and good morning. i'm richard lui in for chris