within two years she impressively turned the "a" rating from the nra into a "f." she flipped on immigration, too, switching from a congresswoman who opposed all forms of amnesty to a senator who co-sponsored the dream act. lost in the talk about republicans primarying each other and running the party ever rightward is the story of gillibrand, hardly the only democrat forced to the far left of her party by an increasingly aggressive purification effort. if gun control and immigration were important issues in 2008, purrty on those issues is top of mind for democrats looking to run in 2014. democrats in the conservative districts won by mitt romney in 2012 are already fretting about the president's hard tact to the left since getting re-elected. as a politico piece by alex isentast laid out this week, the apparatus that recruited gillibrand and gabby giffords, a

tough on immigration, pro gun, pro business moderate who wan in arizona border district by casting herself as a centrist. now being a moderate means running against the president. bloomberg is hard at work waving his purity wand around the country. last month he spent $2 million waging war on a pro gun democrat in illinois. obama made no secret of his desire to take back the republican-controlled house and his re-election seems to have injected a new confidence in the administration and the democratic party. one that's willing to ignore that many of the districts' dems want to win lean right. will 2014 democratic candidates cave to the pressure of obama/bloomberg and the democratic apparatus as compliantly as gillibrand did or will the leftward plunge prove too perilous? one word is certain, if leftward becomes leftward no in 2014, kirsten gillibrand will get to working on reversing again.

good afternoon, it's tuesday march the 12th. paul ryan says if at first you don't succeed, try, try again. if that doesn't succeed, try, try again. if that doesn't succeed, just play the song. >> what we have here is the house budget committee. >> what we've got here is -- >> a plan that balances the budget in ten years. obama care. obama care. obama care. obama care. obama care. we will never be able to balance the budget if you keep obama care. >> surely you can't be serious. >> that's not going to happen. >> he's going to do it by killing obama care which by the way is a nonstarter. >> how would he factor this? >> we're note going to refight the past. law is law. we don't like this law. this is why we're proposing to repeal this law in our budget. >> ryan did this last year. >> and the year before. and the year before that. >> i am serious. and don't call me shirley. >> the election didn't go our way. believe me, i know what that

feels like. that means we surrender our principles? did we win these arguments in the campaign? some of us think so. it is a very businessy news day and we are watching a number of developments here and a frbr broad. at the vatican in rome, black smoke means there's not yet a new pope. cardinals completed their first day of deliberations with the next vote as early as tomorrow morning. the president has been at capitol hill meeting with senate democrats on their budget and policy priorities ahead of talks with house republicans on wednesday. but, we begin with an annual event with enough fantasy to fuel a whole franchise of big screen cinematic features. yes, it's the third installment of the ryan budget. cut hard with a vengeance. for the third consecutive year,

house budget chairman paul ryan unveiled the gop's latest vision of tax and spending priorities. ryan's latest work of ayn rand fan fiction would balance the budget, producing a small surplus in just ten years. a goal achieved with cuts of $4.6 trillion. but also by the addition of some new revenue. courtesy of the president. yes, those tax increases that the president fought for and won as part of the fiscal cliff deal, mr. ryan's going to keep those. i mean, why not? >> we're not going to refight the past. law is law. we know that that's not going to change. especially with respect to these issues. >> the past is the past. the law is the law. except when it comes to the affordable care act because much of mr. ryan's pie in the sky proposal is based squarely, get this, on the repeal of obama care.

>> we don't like this law. this is why we're proposing to repeal this law in our budget. more importantly, we believe that this law is going to collapse under its own weight. this, to us, is something we're not going to give up on because we're not going to give up on destroying the health care system for the american people. >> oh, dear. it seems mr. ryan may have misspoke or did he? after all, the ryan budget would slash about 70% of its spending cuts from health programs including defunding the affordable care act while also taking advantage of the savings that it created. senate majority leader harry reid has a word for that. >> congressman ryan has held out to be this person who understands things so well. what he understands is gimmickry. that's who he's done so well. >> gimmickry, chicanery, or as my next guest calls it, a total hoax. joining us now from capitol hill is democratic congressman chris

van hollen. ranking member of the house budget committee. sir, good afternoon. thank you very joining us. >> good afternoon, martin. absolutely. >> now, sir, we've become accustomed to mr. ryan's annual budgets being mathematically impossible and brutally callous. but were you not taken aback by his disingenuous use of tax hikes that the president won over the fiscal cliff and his plan to use savings from the affordable care act, but then the promise to repeal it? i mean, isn't it time that mr. ryan unveiled his budget in las vegas in a hall of smoke and mirrors? >> martin, this is absolutely head spinning, and it is a total hoax to try to go to your tea party caucus, which is what republicans want to do, and on the one hand say that they've balanced the budget and on the other hand they want to say they totally repealed obama care. but the dirty little secret in this budget is that the way they achieve balance in ten years is

in addition to keeping the revenue on high income earners that we just passed in january, that all the republicans voted against, in addition to that, they took the obama care savings from medicare that we got by ending overpayments to private insurance companies, savings that they campaigned against and demagogued against in the fall, and this is important, they also took the obama care revenues, almost $1 trillion over 10 years, that they've also campaigned against. so the bottom line is they got rid of the part of obama care that expands health care to 30 million people, but they kept the taxes and all the stuff that they've run against in obama care and they can't balance their budget without obama care. so it's a total myth to say they're balancing it and getting rid of it. >> mr. van hollen, i'm not the brightest of knife in the box, but can you explain how they

repeal and replace the affordable care act but deploy its savings? i mean, please explain that to me because i have absolutely no idea how you achieve that. >> well, you can't, right? i mean, it is absolutely impossible. it's a political myth that they want to sell to their tea party folks. because they tried to hit this political target, right, of balancing their budget. >> but mr. van hollen, he was selling it to america. he wasn't just appealing to the tea party folks. he held his third consecutive press conference and openly sells this to the american people as if we are dumb as bricks. >> well, and i -- it's hard to imagine they think they can get away with this. and i don't think they will this time around because as i said, what they're -- the part of obama care they're getting rid of is the part that makes sure that kids and peoples with pre-existing conditions can now get coverage, that they can't be

excluded from coverage. they get rid of that. they get rid of the effort we made to close the prescription drug doughnut for seniors. they re-opened that doughnut hole. what they keep in obama care is the stuff they've run against. the medicare savings which they said would shut down hospitals and nursing homes was never true last fall. not true now. it's in their budget. and the revenues from high income earners and other revenues that were put on providers of health care, because those providers were going to get 30 million more insured people, but they're going to wreck the health care system in this republican plan, because they take the savings without providing those providers with the 30 million additional insured americans. it is the craziest thing. >> well, let's continue the comedy, sir, if you wouldn't mind, because i'd like to play something that mr. ryan said this morning that i have to say almost beggar's belief. take a listen to mr. ryan. >> will the president take every

one of these solutions? probably not. are a lot of these solutions very popular and did we win these arguments in the campaign? some of us think so. >> he says we did win these arguments in the campaign. now, mr. van hollen, this from a man whose home state voted for the president. even his hometown voted for the president. if he won the argument, why did the majority vote against him? >> well, if you remember last fall, martin, mitt romney and paul ryan both said that the american people had a fundamental choice. that they had a choice between two fundamentally different paths with respect to this budget. and that they would have an opportunity to choose. and guess what? they chose. they chose the president's approach which calls for a balanced approach to reducing the deficit. so that we all share responsibility. they totally rejected the uncompromising lopsided approach that we saw once again today

from house republicans. so, look, we're in a time warp here trying to pretend the election didn't ever happen. even though they said one of the fundamental choices in the election was about exactly the debate we're having right now. >> it's extraordinary. this budget could have been conceived by harry potter. the president was on capitol hill today meeting with senate democrats, as you know. he'll be meeting with house republicans on wednesday. now, you've seen the president's outreach firsthand in recent weeks. you were at that lunch with congressman ryan. but on what you've heard today, from mr. ryan, do you see any possibility of compromise toward the grand bargain that the president is seeking? when you hear the sort of nonsensical baloney that mr. ryan has offered the nation today? >> well, certainly the budget that house republicans unveiled today, it doesn't give an inch. it's totally uncompromising. it's totally ideological.

the hope we have is that the president is now continuing to reach out. i mean, remember, he worked very hard one-on-one with speaker boehner. the republican leadership. speaker boehner said he didn't want to meet one-on-one anymore with the president, so the president's continuing to reach out and the president's saying, look, i'm looking for somebody to meet me halfway so we can end these artificial manufactured crises, get on with other issues, end the uncertainty in the economy and hopefully the president eventually will find somebody who's willing to meet him halfway. that's what the president's looking for, but certainly this house republican budget doesn't show any movement toward balance or toward compromise. it's the same old stuff on steroids. >> congressman chris van hollen, i understand the golden globes committee would like to give you an award for keeping a straight face during this interview. thank you, sir, very much indeed. >> good to see you, martin.

next, 40-something, and why republicans like paul ryan may be here to stay. stay with us. >> i think this is our moment to lay out our vision for america in a budget that balances in ten years, that doesn't raise taxes, that includes comprehensive tax reform, that includes a spending freeze in washington. these are the things that people want. >> it is a done deal. president barack obama wins his second term as 44th president of the united states. ♪ you know my heart burns for you... ♪ i'm up next, but now i'm singing the heartburn blues. hold on, prilosec isn't for fast relief. cue up alka-seltzer. it stops heartburn fast. ♪ oh what a relief it is! it fills you with energy... and it gives you what you are looking for to live a more natural life. in a convenient two bar pack. this is nature valley. nature at its most delicious.

bob will retire when he's 153, which would be fine if bob were a vampire. but he's not. ♪ he's an architect with two kids and a mortgage. luckily, he found someone who gave him a fresh perspective on his portfolio. and with some planning and effort, hopefully bob can retire at a more appropriate age. it's not rocket science. it's just common sense. from td ameritrade. when the doctor told me that i could smoke for the first week... i'm like...yeah, ok... little did i know that one week later i wasn't smoking. [ male announcer ] along with support, chantix (varenicline) is proven to help people quit smoking. it reduces the urge to smoke. some people had changes in behavior, thinking or mood, hostility, agitation, depressed mood and suicidal thoughts or actions while taking or after stopping chantix. if you notice any of these stop taking chantix and call your doctor right away. tell your doctor about any history of depression

or other mental health problems, which could get worse while taking chantix. don't take chantix if you've had a serious allergic or skin reaction to it. if you develop these stop taking chantix and see your doctor right away as some can be life-threatening. tell your doctor if you have a history of heart or blood vessel problems, or if you develop new or worse symptoms. get medical help right away if you have symptoms of a heart attack or stroke. use caution when driving or operating machinery. common side effects include nausea, trouble sleeping and unusual dreams. people around you...they say, you're much bigger than this. and you are. [ male announcer ] ask your doctor if chantix is right for you.

it's impossible to miss the republican party's super hot young look these days. heaven knows they need it. after all, this is a party that lost the youth vote by 24 percentage points on election day, despite running a

presidential candidate whose rugged good looks could easily have been ripped straight from a commercial promoting treatments for male impotence. fortunately for the grand old party, there's a new wave on the right wing in this country. a certain boy band putting the cool back into conservatism. of course s, we're talking abou freshman senator at rand paul of kentucky. 50 years of age, he's not too old to teach john mccain a few more tricks. ted cruz of texas, 42 years of age. this freshman senator is not old enough to remember the red scare. no one is doing more to keep mccarthyism alive. last, by no means least, representative paul ryan. they call him the cute one. don't let those baby blues trick you into forgetting how ugly is war against the poor really is. one question, though, are these guys a bunch of one-hit wonders, or will they expand their creative horizons and become the voice of their generation? you know, just like the beatles? let's ask dana milbank, political columnist for the "washington post" and msnbc contributor joy reid, managing

editor of the grio.com who's not stopped laughing during that lead. and so just get your laughter out. that was extremely disturbing. dana, we'll start with you. rans priebus, the chairman of the republican national committee, appeared on the "hannity" program last night on fox and we have managed to preserve some of the discourse for the sake of prosperity. here it is. take a listen. >> what do you think of this new generation, these younger guns in the senate? >> i think they're the future of our party. >> so, dana, if we take paul ryan as the quintessential young gun, should we assume he's going to keep bringing back the same old budget, his path to austeri austerity, if you will, year after year after year? isn't this the third year in a row he's trotted out that one? >> well, first of all, martin, only in washington could a bunch of guys pushing 50 be called the young guns. >> this is correct. >> but this is how we do things

around here. >> remember, priebus calls them completely awesome. >> they're completely awesome. this, that passes for youth and innovation in the capitol. look, this is the generation that was coming of age when ronald reagan was in the white house. they read ayn rand. and they have some notion that what's been going wrong for the republican party late ly is it hasn't been extreme enough. now, and, of course, we'll see cpac later this week that is absolutely dominated by these guys. this is the mattparty right now. i suppose the only hope is they might mellow with age. based on what i saw at paul ryan's news conference this morning, they have a little bit more to go before the mellowing begins. >> i think that's probably true. joy, this is the third time in as many years that we've seen the magnum dopus of ayn rand fiction. the budget. i mean, we've heard this every year for the last three years. do we need it for another year next year? it's the same stuff, isn't it?

>> right. i'm sure democrats hope we'll hear it for another year. this is what they're going to run on in 2014. >> they ran on it in 2012. >> i mean democrats. democrats are hoping they do it. this is setting the republicans who need to run for re-election in 2014 up perfectly because they're all going to have to vote for it once again. they're going to be on record for having to dismantle medicare and turning it into a voucher. the point here is, dana kind of got to it, you have a generation of republicans schooled on ayn rand who feel the party's problem is the sort of wisemen of the party keep leading the party into the center which as we know it hasn't been the center, it has been to the right. they feel the party has been too mild. they have this intergenerational issue that says that elderly people, people who receive medicare and social security, are greedy and that they're taking away and stealing the wealth of the young. and that what all these guys have in common, you left off marco rubio. >> even though the elderly people have actually paid into this. >> exactly. the elderly people are the voting base of the republican

party. remember, the republican party is in a way the party of the elderly. they have a generational struggle where they're saying we've got to stop elderly people stealing our wealth and, you know, what the poor. people like paul ryan also believe giving federal money to the fear is a waste, it should all be given to the marketplace. the genius of the market. >> right. dana, it's ironic that we have the papal conclave starting on the same day that paul ryan is out there peddling his same old budget again. in fact, the last time he brought out his budget, you wrote by the reaction of the u.s. conference of catholic bishops. you wrote "the bishops sent letters to onk staying the ryan budget passed by the house fails to meet the moral criteria of the church, namely its view that any budget should help the least of these. as the christian bible require, the poor, the hungry, the jobless, the homeless. a just spending bill cannot rely on disproportionate cuts in essential services to poor and

vulnerable persons." yet here we are a year later, same old budget. >> well, it's the same old budget except as you pointed out with congressman van hollen, borrowing the obama care tax increases. >> sorry, that's the new change. that's right. that's the big change. >> i tell you what, martin, what has changed here is the rhetoric. i think they realize that they sound harsh and they're trying to dress it up. paul ryan only used the word "cut" twice in this morning's news conference. that was to say things like cut the waste. the budget is basically like an old mad libs exercise. they leave all the blanks for people to fill in. they don't actually say where these programs are going to be cut because if they did, people would be very angry about it. so they've left that kind of vague. they've said, in fact, this is about securing the safety net, strengthening retirement, looking out for the poor. and, of course, you never actually get to the details of the budget because they know, as we know and everybody else knows, it's not actually going to become law. >> no, absolutely. now, joy, we've got a number of individuals out there kind of revising parts of history.

we've got chuck hagel and the scurrilous claims that were made by ted cruz about him. and also resurrecting mccarthyism. then you've got rand paul out there resurrecting the isolationist trend that dominated the party before the second world war. i'd like you to take a listen to john mccain. >> we are for a strong america and we believe that's the best way to prevent war rather than a weakened military which many of my colleagues now support who are the isolationists which goes all the way back to post world war i. >> that was an oblique reference to rand paul. >> right. >> if rand paul is is the future of your party, you must be in trouble. >> no, absolutely. and that, john mccain, is exactly what they're fighting. they believe that wing of the party, the neocon wing, the older guys married to 20th century notions of war and the reaganite peace through strength and we'll keep building up, they're against that, too. that's why they're more open. this new wing that's about cutting spending.

they're open to defense cuts. you played priebus earlier. i was at an event he did yesterday when he was doing a listening tour in the black community. he was at a church in brooklyn. he said what the republican party has is simply a marketing problem. they can have all these new ideas which are absolutely cruel. ezra klein pointed out 60% of paul ryan's budget cuts are to programs that help the poor. that do medical care for the poor. they have to market it in a nicer way. that younger looking people, people with brunette hair, people who look more pleasing, they think they can get that past the american people. >> is that, dana, a con job with a bit of change on the surface? >> there's some of that going on. i think guys like rand paul, certainly is genuine in what he's peddling here. you've had these two themes interwoven competing in republican party for years, but now you have this particular part that's, again, of something not only mccarthy would recognize but lindbergh would recognize. that doesn't mean it's here for

good, but that is a theme that is ascendant now and presumably it can't last for too long or there won't be a republican party. >> dana milbank, joy reid. a year ago he thought he'd celebrate his birthday in the white house. what a difference a year makes. stay with us. >> i've been getting hugs from the southern girls today. i mean, from 12 to, well, a lot more than 12. asional have constipation,

diarrhea, gas, bloating? yes! one phillips' colon health probiotic cap each day helps defend against these digestive issues... with three strains of good bacteria. [ phillips' lady ] live the regular life. phillips'. departure. hertz gold plus rewards also offers ereturn-- our fastest way to return your car. just note your mileage and zap ! you're outta there ! we'll e-mail your receipt in a flash, too. it's just another way you'll be traveling at the speed of hertz.

i worked a patrol unit for 17 years in the city of baltimore. when i first started experiencing the pain, it's hard to describe because you have a numbness but yet you have the pain like thousands of needles sticking in your foot. it was progressively getting worse, and at that point, i knew i had to do something. when i went back to my health care professional, that's when she suggested the lyrica. once i started taking the lyrica, the pain started subsiding. [ male announcer ] it's known that diabetes damages nerves. lyrica is fda approved to treat diabetic nerve pain. lyrica is not for everyone. it may cause serious allergic reactions or suicidal thoughts or actions. tell your doctor right away if you have these, new or worsening depression, or unusual changes in mood or behavior. or swelling, trouble breathing, rash, hives, blisters, changes in eye sight including blurry vision, muscle pain with fever, tired feeling, or skin sores from diabetes. common side effects are dizziness, sleepiness, weight gain, and swelling of hands, legs, and feet. don't drink alcohol while taking lyrica.

don't drive or use machinery until you know how lyrica affects you. those who've had a drug or alcohol problem may be more likely to misuse lyrica. ask your doctor about lyrica today. it's specific treatment for diabetic nerve pain. to hear more of terry's story, visit lyrica.com. what a difference a year makes for the one and only willard mitt romney. indeed, we knew that he wanted to be a red neck when he celebrated his 65th birthday campaigning for the white house with comedian jeff foxworthy. >> i've been getting hugs from the southern girls today. and, i mean, from 12 to, well, a lot more than 12. last night i was in mississippi,

by the way. i had catfish for the second time. it was delicious. we're going to get this thing won. jim foxworthy is going to make all the difference in the world. you by voting multiple times can make a big difference. >> your encouragement of voter fraud didn't put you over the top. cheer up, mitt. you're enjoying that flutternutter cupcake. have a very happy 65th birthday. stay with us. today's top lines coming up. [ phoebe ] stress sweat. it's different than ordinary sweat. it smells worse, and it can happen anytime -- to anyone! like when i ran to catch the train to work and a draft blew my skirt up and everybody here saw my unmentionables. yeah, and they aren't even cute. hello, laundry day. no...

[ female announcer ] stress sweat can happen to anyone, anytime -- and it smells worse than ordinary sweat. get 4x the protection against stress sweat. introducing new secret clinical strength stress response scent. ♪ but i'm still stubbed up. [ male announcer ] truth is, nyquil doesn't unstuff your nose. what? [ male announcer ] alka-seltzer plus liquid gels speeds relief to your worst cold symptoms plus has a decongestant for your stuffy nose. thanks. that's the cold truth!

she was a picky eater. well now i'm her dietitian and last year, she wasn't eating so well. so i recommended boost complete nutritional drink to help her get the nutrition she was missing. and now she drinks it every day. well, it tastes great! [ male announcer ] boost has 26 essential vitamins and minerals, including calcium and vitamin d to support strong bones, and 10 grams of protein to help maintain muscle. and our great taste is guaranteed or your money back. learn more at boost.com [ dietitian ] now, nothing keeps mom from doing what she loves... being my mom. from smoke watchers and righteous anger, to the real used car salesman. here are today's top lines. hocus-pocus. >> pope watch indeschism 2013. >> forgive me, father, i have sinned. >> memorize the act of contrition before you go in and

can't bring a flashlight. >> the repeal of obama care? >> yes. >> that's not to going to happen. >> righteous anger is the subject of this evening's talking points. >> this is going to be republicans want grand thma to . >> eliminate obama care? that's never going to fly. >> the other thing we need to do is stop bashing each other. >> magic in that. >> the day he took office. let's start that day. >> 800,000 jobs a month. >> teach a man how to fish, he can feed himself for a life. we're not going to give up on destroying the health care system for the people. >> he's a grown man. fishing is not that hard. >> people on food stamps, are they investing in the stock market? >> i'm not in business to make money or accumulate family. "killing lincoln," "killing kennedy" making the bestselling list. buy the books on the website, you get a free mug. >> i'm impressed you're concerned about the poor. thank you for that. >> we hold used car salesman to

a higher standard than we do this president. >> nice head room. >> this is sort of our lemon law. >> it's a lexus. >> toyota, lexus. same thing. let's not forget pearl harbor. >> i've heard the talking points many times. >> it's not talking points. >> we don't have the bully pulpit. >> election didn't go our way. believe me, i know what that feels like. >> what do you think of the younger guns in the senate? >> completely awesome. >> let's get to eugene robinson, columnist for "washington post" and we'll be joined by jonathan of "bloomberg news." the president started his three-day schmooze fest. today, senate democrats. wednesday, house republicans. thursday, senate republicans and house democrats. can i ask you, what's the point? he made the same trip four years ago. are republicans going to throw up his hands and say, okay, you're right, mr. president, we'll compromise a little on taxes? >> well, i wonder why people think they are. i mean, there's all this

optimism around washington about the possibility of a grand bargain and supposedly it can happen now, where it couldn't happen a few months ago. i don't see the signs. first of all, there's the paul ryan budget which came out today, and that's not much of a compromise document. in fact, it's a kind of ridiculous sort of escape into science-fiction wherein he expects obama care to be repealed and he does this sort of tax increase with he and other republicans opposed and now he adopts. but it's -- look, set that aside, the dynamic is the reason he had to produce that budget and make it appear to balance over ten years is that the republican caucus in the house was so restive about having had to agree to a teeny baby tax increase for the healthy in the fiscal cliff negotiations and they were fighting mad and

wanted something that was harder line to the budget committee. so given that tdynamic in the house, i'm wondering what the point of all the chitchat is other than, you know, chitchat is good, and maybe it helps for them all to get to know one another better. >> well, right. a few republic cans get a free dinner and lunch. they're not going to turn their noses up at that. >> exactly. >> let me read something from today "the new york times." "four months ago on the eve of bipartisan budget talks the president secretly invited five republicans to the white house for a moving screening of the stars of "lincoln." the film about that president's courtship of congress to pass a significant measure. none accepted." now, why would they not want to meet daniel day lewis? >> there's a big really stupid fight going on about this behind the scenes for the last couple of months because john boehner's office claims they weren't invited until the afternoon of

the screening. and he was swearing in a freshman, as they add, african-american democrat, and had to tend to official duties so couldn't make it to the screening. the white house says that's nonsense. he was given plenty of time. he might have missed a reception, but he could have come to the screening. clearly they did not invite them very far ahead of time, but also the republicans don't want to go to the white house because it makes them look bad with their own caucus if they're seen socializing with the president. so, hard to believe, but that's the way -- >> wow. >> -- they look at it. so, but that's why i think for all the criticism of what's going on this week, i think it's a good thing. these guys are supposed to be talking to each other. you know, franklin roosevelt had members of congress in every day. george washington had dinner with them every single week. so the branches of government are supposed to be in very constant consultations with one

another. we don't live in a parliamentary system where one party just rams it right through. they have to work -- >> stop attacking my background of where i was born, but, gene, isn't there some disordered about the decorum here? because it strikes me that if the president of the united states invites you to come to the white house and you've been elected to serve the nation, then there is some obligation on you to do that and yet somehow that's been inverted. now the burden's always on the president to go and visit them in the house and in their various -- does that not strike you as up-ending the correct order? >> well, it does strike me as odd, and not the way i would understand things to be. there is a magic to the white house. there is a majesty to the presidency. and i thought the rule was if the president of the united states invites you to his house, you go, and you've experienced it and i certainly have, martin,

when you go into the white house, there's something about that building and there's something about especially going into the oval office that sets a different tone. now, there are certainly spaces inside the capital as well that -- >> of course. >> -- to americans, at least to me, give me a sort of chill. the white house is special. >> they should go. gene is absolutely right. if you're invited, you should go. and these guys don't go to state dinners. they've been invited repeatedly. they don't show up. >> i won't bring up their failure to attend when her majesty arrived. but anyway. >> the reason that i think this is kind of encouraging this week is not because there's going to be a brand bargain. there won't be for $4 trillion. we might get a mini grand bargain in advance of what they call a continuing resolution. in other words, the budget fight that is -- >> march 27th. >> on march 27th. they could get some kind of a deal. >> fingers crossed. gene, let me play you something that the president said in january. take a listen, gene. >> when i'm over here at the

congressional picnic and folks are coming up and taking pictures with their family, i promise you, michelle and i are very nice to them and we have a wonderful time. but it doesn't prevent them from going under the floor of the house and, you know, blasting me for being a big spending socialist. >> gene, i'm sure that republicans meeting the president this week will be very friendly to his face, but what do you expect them to say to each other the moment he leaves? >> well, you know, i hope john is right that there is a possibility for a mini grand bargain which is kind of an oxymoron, but that would be called just a regular bargain. >> yeah, right. >> but cancel each other out. but i, again, i find it difficult to share the optimism, because i think that's exactly what they'll do. i think these meetings will be friendly. they'll all be happy for having gotten to know each other

better, but i don't see the fundamental change of the dynamic inside the house republican caucus and i don't see john boehner at this point so soon after the fiscal cliff deciding to break the hastert rule and put something before the house that's not supported by a majority of the republican caucus. >> i'm not optimistic. >> no, but was it not speaker boehner who actually said at the o turn of the year, i don't want to meet privately with the president? >> yeah. there was really bad feeling a couple months ago, but they have some business they need to get done. i'm not talking here about immigration reform and some of the bigger things. the pentagon cuts, for instance. they're completely stupid as both parties know. they're just machete cuts, and there are reasonable cuts that can be made. i think some of these meetings that the president has had with some of the senate republicans, which went well, apparently, according to john mccain and lindsey graham, might lay the groundwork for some compromise that then goes through the system and will, because there's no filibuster in the house, come

up for a vote in the house. at that point, there's a reasonable chance that coalition of democrats and a few republicans could get something accomplished. but i want to clear, i'm not optimistic. >> okay. jonathan alter there. correspondent for optimism. eugene robinson, jonathan alter, thank you gentlemen so much. coming up, when the public health clashes with personal freedoms, it's become a sticky situation right here in new york. stay with us. >> so a billion people will die of smoking this century, and at the rate obesity's growing, it will be even worse for obesity. as obesity is going to bankrupt this country because the health care costs of people overeating is just growing leaps and bounds.

let's see what you got. rv -- covered. why would you pay for a hotel? i never do. motorcycles -- check. atv. i ride those. do you? no. boat. house. hello, dear. hello. hello. oh! check it -- [ loud r&b on car radio ] i'm going on break! the more you bundle, the more you save. now, that's progressive. [ angry gibberish ] [ justin ] mulligan sir. mulligan. take a mulligan. i took something for my sinuses, but i still have this cough. [ male announcer ] truth is, a lot of sinus products don't treat cough. they don't? [ male announcer ] nope, but alka seltzer plus severe sinus does it treats your worst sinus symptoms, plus that annoying cough. [ angry gibberish ] [ fake coughs ] sorry that was my fault sir. [ male announcer ] alka seltzer plus severe sinus. [ breathes deeply ] ♪ oh, what a relief it is! [ male announcer ] try alka seltzer plus severe sinus day and night

for complete relief from your worst sinus symptoms. it's a challenge to balance work and family. ♪ that's why i love adt. i can see what's happening at my business from anywhere. ♪ [ male announcer ] now manage and help protect your small business remotely with adt. arm and disarm your alarm, watch secure video in real time, and even adjust your lights and thermostat wherever you are. with adt, you get 24/7 protection through our exclusive fast response monitoring. you can be confident that adt is always there for you. hey, lisa. is that the delivery we've been waiting for? [ male announcer ] and now during the adt get growing sale, get adt installed starting at just $99. [ woman ] i love the convenience of adt. i can finally be in two places at once. [ male announcer ] call today to get adt installed starting at just $99. hurry. this sale ends march 31st.

adt. always there. all stations come over to mithis is for real this time. step seven point two one two. verify and lock. command is locked. five seconds. three, two, one. standing by for capture. the most innovative software on the planet... dragon is captured. is connecting today's leading companies to places beyond it. siemens. answers. at a hertz expressrent kiosk, you can rent a car without a reservation... and without a line. now that's a fast car. it's just another way you'll be traveling at the speed of hertz. you are looking at live pictures of the vatican where a short time ago black smoke was

seen coming from the chimney of the sistine chapel indicating that a new pope has not yet been elected. after taking an oath of secrecy, the 115 cardinal electors locked themselves inside the chapel earlier today and began their deliberations. an american cardinal sean o'malley of boston is getting a lot of support from latin american cardinals who think their part of the world has been ignored by rome. this as american catholics increasingly express their desire for a more open and contemporary church. a new "washington post"/abc news poll reveals 55% of them believe priests should be allowed to marry. and 58% say it's time to allow women to join the priesthood. chris jansing, host of msnbc's "jansing & co" joins us live again from rome. chris, in addition to ardcardin o'malley, new york's archbishop, timothy dolan is attracting

attention. are some of the candidates somewhat undermined by the sex abuse scandal that has roiled so many american diocese? >> reporter: good evening, martin. i think not. and here's the reason why. let's take the case of cardinal o'malley who has been at three separate diocese as head of those diocese, and in all of them he has been tasked with cleaning up the sex abuse mess and has gotten generally high marks in fallriver, massachusetts, palm beach, and of course now in boston. timothy dolan has been someone who's been very open and outspoken about the mess that was created by the church and the secrecy. he believes now that the church is on the right path, although not all the organizations that support those victims of sex abuse might agree with that. certainly among the cardinal electors, i think ifiteria is t someone who has a track record of cleaning up the mess, the two men you named cardinals dolan and o'malley are not two that

would be eliminated on that ground. in fact, if anything, it probably helps cardinal o'malley, martin. >> it's interesting. now, that same poll, chris, asked american catholics if they felt the church was out of touch with their views. and 6 0% said yes. there does appear to be such a deep disconnect between the pronouncements of the church on issues, for example, like contraception, and the behavior of ordinary catholics, the vast majority of whom ignore the leadership and happily use contraception. >> reporter: and have, frankly, for some time. this is nothing new. i think that same poll showed that only about 40% of the adults in america who call themselves catholic go to church on a regular basis. look, this is an ongoing problem, and it's something that has a lot of americans looking very closely at this conclave because part of the split really is from the camp that wants the church to remain theologically pure. it's kind of like the really right-wing republicans who want to remain what they consider to

be fiscally pure. they want theological purity which means no movement on the social issues that concern a lot of u.s. catholics and, in fact, they're willing to have a smaller church if it is a purer church, and that's up against a lot of the reformers who believe there need to be changes. now, are there a lot of cardinals in there who are going to immediately say, let's have married priests? or let's have women priests? you're not going to see that out of this college of cardinals, but i think there really is going to be a message that's sent with whoever is elected about which direction the church is going in, and certainly american catholics are watching this very closely, martin. >> msnbc's chris jansing. traversing politics and theology. thank you so much, chris. next, paul ryan and president obama can agree on one thing. health care costs are crippling america. so why the outcry when a mayor wants to better public health?

first, mary thompson has cnbc market wrap. >> good afternoon to you, martin. a historic day on wall street. here's a look at how stocks stand going into tomorrow. the dow managed to eke out a very small gain of 30 points to yesterday another record close of 14,4450. s&p dropping 3.75. and the nasdaq dropping just about 11. we'll be back with more in a moment. gs -- cook what you love, and save your money. joe doesn't know it yet, but he'll work his way up from busser to waiter to chef before opening a restaurant specializing in fish and game from the great northwest. he'll start investing early, he'll find some good people to help guide him, and he'll set money aside from his first day of work to his last, which isn't rocket science. it's just common sense. from td ameritrade. to get her oven baked taste straight from the microwave.

like her oven roasted chicken baked in a rich, creamy alfredo sauce. she calls them her new comfort bakes. marie callender's. it's time to savor. diarrhea, gas, bloating? yes! one phillips' colon health probiotic cap each day helps defend against these digestive issues... with three strains of good bacteria. [ phillips' lady ] live the regular life. phillips'.

congressman paul ryan might consider listening to michael bloomberg's reasons for fighting the judge's order that overturned his extra large soda ban. as new york's mayor explained today, this fight isn't just about the size of a person's mountain dew, it's actually about the economic burden that obesity places on the country and its budget. >> the cost of health care is running away with the budget, and obesity is going to be one

of the primary drivers with the current trend continues. just cannot afford it. people whether they like it or not are going to have to face it. >> joining us now, nationally syndicated columnist, michael serota. welcome, david. >> thank withdryou. >> i'd like to share with you sarah palin's reaction. she writes "victory in new york city for liberty loving soda drinkers, to politicians with too much time on their hands, we say, government, stay out of my refrigerator." now, david, forget the ban didn't cover grocery stores so her personal refrigerator was never in peril. she's never one for details. why do republicans enjoy taking shots at bloomberg or the first lady as something as nonpartisan as public health policy? >> what they're trying to is trying to make the argument that people like michael bloomberg, people who are public health advocates are trying to control every part of individuals' lives. what they want to write out of the story is the fact individual

decisions have collective ramifications. the fact is "reuters" reports right now obesity contributes to about $190 billion to our health care, our national health care expenditures. now, whether you're in a public health insurance system or a private health insurance system, obesity in creating those bigger costs, they drive premiums up. look, i'm not a huge fan of michael bloomberg on a number of issues but i think as a mayor he was right to take this on and say, listen, we've got to focus the mind and deal with this in as many ways as possible. >> now, david, a 2006 study cited by the cdc shows how obesity is driving the costs of medicare, as you said, and medicaid. the study says medicare spends about a third more on an obese person versus someone of normal weight. and for medicaid, that figure is almost 50%. if paul ryan is keen to cut spending, then shouldn't republicans want to fight obesity? shouldn't this be a plank in their public health commitments?

>> it should be a transpartisan priority, absolutely. if we can all acknowledge that health care costs are a big driver of our deficits, then it's in our collective interest -- forget even about the mor rality of trying to kee people alive and healthy. it's in our collective financial interest as a nation to address this issue. everything from question about regulations of soda, questions about how much we're subsidizing the inputs to junk foods like soda. right now we're spending billions of dollars on agriculture subsidies that artificially drive down the cost of the foods that contribute the most to the obesity crisis. it's got to be a comprehensive look. you're absolutely right. where is the republican party on this issue from a position of deficit concerns? they say they care about deficits. if you care about deficits, you've got to care about the obesity crisis. >> david sirota, thank you so much, david. >> thank you. >> and we'll be right back.

today is gonna be an important day for us. you ready? we wanna be our brother's keeper. what's number two we wanna do? bring it up to 90 decatherms. how bout ya, joe? let's go ahead and bring it online. attention on site, attention on site. now starting unit nine. some of the world's cleanest gas turbines are now powering some of america's biggest cities. siemens. answers. tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 but there is one source with a wealth of etf knowledge tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 all in one place. tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 introducing schwab etf onesource™. tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 it's one source with the most commission-free etfs. tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 one source with etfs from leading providers tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 and extensive coverage of major asset classes... tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 all brought to you by one firm tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 with comprehensive education, tools and personal guidance

tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 to help you find etfs that may be right for you. tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 schwab etf onesource-- tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 for the most tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 commission-free etfs, tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 you only need one source and one place. tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 start trading commission-free with schwab etf onesource. tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 call, click or visit today. tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 investors should carefully consider tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 information contained in the prospectus, tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 including investment objectives, risks, tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 charges, and expenses. tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 you can request a prospectus by calling schwab tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 at 800-435-4000. tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 please read the prospectus carefully before investing. it fills you with energy... and it gives you what you are looking for to live a more natural life. in a convenient two bar pack. this is nature valley.

nature at its most delicious. as well as they could because they don't take it with food. switch to citracal maximum plus d. it's the only calcium supplement that can be taken with or without food. my doctor recommends citracal maximum. it's all about absorption. i'm here in your home, having a pretty spectacular tuesday. ♪ but i don't notice the loose rug at the top of your stairs. and that's about to become an issue for me. ♪ and if you got the wrong home insurance coverage, my medical bills could get expensive. so get allstate. [ dennis ] good hands. good home. make sure you have the right home protection. talk to an allstate agent. time now to clear the air. and it's hard to know where to start with congressman pa