street guitar. >> how cool. i heard about this place. >> "morning joe" fan. >> can i have this? >> great gear. that's where you go. >> i'm going to wear it running. thank you very much. pope francis. enough said. >> thank you. rolling stone. >> this whole morning show doesn't work out for you two, you have a career as tsa agents. >> yeah, look at that. >> shaking people down. >> shaking him down. >> joe did the cavity search. >> it's way too early. >> it's your day tomorrow. >> exactly. >> it's way too early, what time is it? >> it's "morning joe." >> now time for chuck todd. >> and cokie's book. awesome. on amazon. >> whatever. six-year pitch now just 12 hours before president obama delivers his state of the union for 2014. his team is making it clear, they expect little to no help at all from congress. so, this hour we'll hear from a lot of members of congress about that, including house democratic leader nancy pelosi as well as

house republican who has been tapped to give the party's spanish language response tonight. then there's hillary clinton. she opens up with some new thoughts about 2016, but also some thoughts benghazi and the attack of 2012. we'll also get some insight from senator bob corker. this is a special edition of "the daiy lily rundown." president obama will lay out his 2014 agenda tonight before a nation that's increasingly pessimistic about the country's future, worried about the president's abilities and certain that the economy is not working for them, including the middle class. only presidents harry truman and george w. bush have begun the sixth year in the white house in a place as weak as the president is politically today.

43% approve. 68% say the country is stagnant or worse off since mr. obama took office. just 31% say the country is better off. just 40% say they're optimistic or confident and hopeful about the president's remaining time in office. another 59% say they are either uncertain and wondering or pessimistic and worried. there's a deep overall pessimism that's clouding the public's mood. ready for this? the tenth straight year, a decade, folks, where more americans say the country is headed on the wrong track than headed in the right direction. this time it's 63% and 28% respectively. when asked to describe where america is headed, the number one word was downhill. overall, two-thirds of the responses were negative words like that. others included stagnant, disaster and declining.

and just 3% called the state of the nation strong. more respondents called it divided, troubled and deteriorating. 90% of folks we asked could only give us a negative word on the choices we offered them. 71% say they are dissatisfied with the state of the economy. so tonight the question is, will a country so dissatisfied listen? psychological reassurance rather than searching for a specific policy. respondents gave nine of 15 issues we tested majority support as far as prioritization for 2014. tonight the president is expect ed to address many of them. for instance, creating jobs top the list. reducing the deficit was up there. ensuring that there's universe pre-k access for all children. that has big bipartisan support. addressing iran's nuclear program, closing tax loopholes on the corporate tax code, withdrawing from afghanistan and reforming social security and

medicare, fixing and keeping the health care law even though it's unpopular a majority want it fixed not repealed and increasing the minimum wage. each of those issues i just went through, americans are call them an absolute priority for washington to focus on this coming year. there's your country's agenda. the president will launch this year's populous agenda, between rich and poor, signing an executive order that requires all janitors, construction workers and other workers for federal contractors be paid at least $10.10 an hour. so, we're getting an idea how -- what the president means when he says he has a pen to implement some of his agenda. it is meant to emphasize that the president will work around congress if necessary after a year where most of his legislative priorities went nowhere. as the president tries to persuade the people tonight that he still has some juice left to

act on their behalf. in 2009 the president didn't deliver a formal state of the union. in that february speech in the midst of the economic recession, the president made a case for government action. >> over the next two years, this plan will save or create 3.5 million jobs. i reswreject the view that says problems will simply take care of themselves, that the government has no role in laying the foundation for prosperity. >> couldn't immediate immediately between the month he signed the stimulus into law and the unemployment rate went from 8.1 to 8.9%. the president pledged we could no longer afford to put health care reform on hold. he promised to responsibly end the war in iraq, the withdrawal of troops began in june of that year. he also promised to close the detention center at guantanamo bay. that pledge met almost immediate

resistance in congress and has never been met. in 2010, his most productive year of legislation, calling on congress to pass health care reform. >> don't walk away from reform. not now. not when we are so close. let us find a way to come together and finish the job for the american people. >> fight the loss of a filibuster that year, he was able to sign health care into law, signed a financial reform bill, called upon congress to repeal don't ask, don't tell, and that passed in september. incentive that is will finally make clean energy the profitable kind of energy in america, he would say. the energy bill failed in the senate and has gone nowhere since. the president said he was committed to continuing the work of fixing our broken immigration system to secure our borders and enforce our laws. kicking off an immigration reform push that has cropped up

each year since. the white house granted some young immigrants special status, the immigration bill is still stalled in the house. 2011, overhaul of the tax code, something that has cropped up again each year since and hasn't happened. infrastructure bank and new infrastructure spending. that proposal died in congress. last year in the wake of newtown, he ended his state of the union with a call for congress to reform gun laws. >> gabby giffords deserves a vote. the families of newtown deserve a vote. the families of aurora deserve a vote. the families of oak creek and tucson and blacksburg and the countless other communities ripped open by gun violence, they deserve a simple vote. >> easily the most powerful moment of any state of the union the president has given. and yet president got his vote in the senate, not in the house.

but gun reform went nowhere for him. he also called on congress to pass a sbunbudget and do it wit brinksmanship. they were able to hammer out a two-year deal but only after a 16-day shutdown. immigration, any other policy that the president may push tonight may seem familiar. >> raise the federal minimum wage to $9 an hour. make high-quality preschool available to every single child in america. i'm announcing the launch of three more of these manufacturing hubs. new college score card that parents and students can use. i propose we use some of our oil and gas revenues. send me a comprehensive immigration reform bill in the next few months and i will sign it. >> so tonight the country is ripe for a bullworth kind of moment where the president says the state of the union is stronger than many of you think but every politician in this

room, including myself, needs some serious work because what's happening in washington is dragging the country down. it's an argument you could make that he could say. the big danger heading into tonight's speech is that americans begin tuning him out, as they do most second-term presidents. the public may be looking for some disruptive type moment but it doesn't look like we'll be seeing that tonight. from the north lawn tonight, frigid temperatures. i'm very sympathetic, since i was just out there two hours ago. >> but you're not here now. >> no, i am not. i learned my lesson, miss pa palmieri. the sort of bombardment for the president. disapproval is higher than his approval, three straight polls where his disapproval is over 50%, likability rate something upside down. nearly 60% of folks in our poll

believe that -- or are pessimistic. 70% believe that the country is in the same place as it was when he took over or worse off. how does he win back the credibility of the public, i guess? when you look at this poll, it seems to be the public is either -- maybe it's fed up with all of washington and he's a victim of it, but they seem to be in a pretty pessimistic and cynical mood. >> reporter: i think what all those numbers show you is that the american people want action. and i think that's what they'll see from their president tonight and they'll see him taking action on the issues that are most important to them. i think the economic recovery has brought us back somewhat, but what a lot of these families feel is that they're concerned about getting jobs. they're concerned about having jobs that have good wages. they're concerned about whether or not their kids will have skills they need for jobs of the future, whether they'll be able

to afford retirement. and the president will have very specific, concrete, specific proposals to say on these issues and actions that he will be able to take on these issues. we think that's what -- we're coming off some rough few months in washington. and so it's not surprising to see the country to be pessimistic about washington, but they're going to see their president talking about the issues that they care about and taking action on them. >> you know, there's -- you guys already talked about an executive order he has already signed having to do essentially raising the minimum wage when it comes to anybody work iing for federal contractor. >> reporter: right. >> if there are all these alcohols that the president can take unilaterally without congress, why hasn't he done it already? why wait? >> reporter: there are some actions that he has taken, you know, in the past year. for example, we did a big proposal that wires 99% of our

schools. he took a lot of action on clean energy and on climate change, don't ask, don't tell. and on minimum wage, it's an issue we pushed last year. we didn't make a lot of progress. i would note that a lot of states have made progress in passing higher minimum wage. it can help a lot of people but it also speaks -- we also think it has power and moving the debate forward and what we hope is that by doing this, we'll encourage more states to take the same action and for congress to take the same action. there are a few issues that we think congress -- that there's a real chance that congress could act on and get done this year. immigration reform is one of them. minimum wage is one of them as well. >> i guess i go back to these various executive actions. it sounds like you guys are putting it together so that you have a public relations event over the next few days, but i guess why not do them six months ago or do this federal contractor thing a year ago?

why did you wait a year? that's what i'm getting at here. >> reporter: there are actions that he has been taking over not just the last year, the last few years. in the past year, we did do a push in congress on minimum wage and other issues. this is something that we can do now to move forward. you know, we are not -- this doesn't have to be an either/or. we are going to work with congress where we can and take action where we can. and so we're going to do this on minimum wage for contractors. and we're going to continue to push in congress and there will be other steps that you'll see that he will take tonight and in the coming months on these issues. >> all right. jennifer palmieri, white house communications director, i have to leave it there. thank you very much. go get warm. >> thank you. >> apologies for making you do that outside. >> that's quite all right. much more here. are there signs of progress on capitol hill? believe it or not, house and

senate reached a deal on something, a big something. the farm bill. house democratic leader nancy pelosi will be here next. but first a look ahead at today's politics planner. we have a live look here in minneapolis. where the high today is minus 4 degrees. they're laughing at us here on the east coast. as the midwest and east coast face record lows there's a deep freeze in the deep south where they're expecting a once in a generation snow and ice storm. now i'm about to photo bomb congresswoman pelosi and hey guys! sorry we're late.

did you run into traffic? no, just had to stop by the house to grab a few things. you stopped by the house? uh-huh. yea. alright, whenever you get your stuff, run upstairs, get cleaned up for dinner. you leave the house in good shape? yea. yea, of course. ♪ [ sportscaster talking on tv ] last-second field go-- yea, sure ya did. [ male announcer ] introducing at&t digital life. personalized home security and automation. get professionally monitored security for just $29.99 a month. with limited availability in select markets. ♪ i have a big meeting when we land, but i am so stuffed up, i can't rest. [ male announcer ] nyquil cold and flu liquid gels don't unstuff your nose.

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. lawmakers gathering for state of the union tonight instead of trying to break the congressional deadlock of sorts. there are new sign that is maybe skong ready to do some deals. after all, house and senate negotiators finally agreed on a new farm bill. of course, it's a massive piece of legislation two years in the making, reforming agriculture subsidies, slashes the federal food stamp program by $8 billion over the next ten years, far less than the $40 billion cuts that house republicans had passed. an initial vote is expected tomorrow. this will go through before we see milk prices sky rocket. it's the kind of legislation that used to get done without much fanfare. now it seems like nothing can get passed without a fight. 81% of the public disapproving of the way lawmakers are doing their job here on capitol hill. it hasn't dropped below 80% in more than 2 1/2 years. right now, they find the

republic on the generic side. a flip from our december poll. also congressional republicans are getting the majority of the blame for the lack of compromise on capitol hill. 5 % say they are too inflexible when it comes to negotiations with the other side. 39% say the same thing about the president. 41% say that he strikes the right balance in negotiations. one more interesting piece of our poll, we ask folks who is benefiting from today's economy. a majority says today's economy works well for two groups, the wealthi and men. by contrast over a third say the economy is working well for them and their family. 33% say the economy works well for women today. 22% say the economy works well for the middle class and 13% say it works well for the poor. more now on congress and the state of the union, i'm joined now by california congresswoman nancy pelosi. good morning. >> good morning. >> it's nice to be on your side of pennsylvania avenue. those numbers probably don't

surprise you. it is sort of this is the issue that i know you wanted the president to tackle. what exactly do you want to hear from him tonight? >> tonight we'll hear from the president, a message that is hopeful, that is optimistic, that is about opportunity, about an economy that works for everyone and will have a year of action as we go forward. i think it's important to note, as you talk about the poll, when you talk about how the economy works for men versus women that we have an initiative when women succeed, america succeeds. it's not only good for women but it's good for our economy. and i know that the president will be making a special emphasis on addressing women in the economy. >> how do you legislate this? how do you think you -- what are two or three specific pieces of legislation? if you were the speaker again, what would you be passing that you believe would make those poll numbers say, you know what? the economy is working well for middle class and women? >> we did. when we had the majority, first

100 hours, we raised the minimum wage, which was really important to increasing purchasing power that injects demand into the economy. >> you would be doing that first? >> raise the minimum wage. over 60% of the people making minimum wage are women. we would have -- address the issue of paid sick leave, which helps women be in the workplace and balance home and work. and we would follow and pass the president's initiative for universal preschool, which is really very important. that is all-importa important f and children, parents earning, children learning. on the women's piece, that's where we would go. i think it's important to note also, because you're talking about this poll that is saying you're better off than the rest, to remember where we were before. five years ago in october, october 2008 in my office, in

the presence of the democratic and republican leadership, house and senate, chairman bernanke said if we do not act immediately, we will not have an economy by monday. >> the famous visual hank paulson on his knees begging you for a vote. >> which we did and which republicans 2-1 rejected president bush's appeal to them, but that we cooperated with. in the past one of the toughest votes for members to make. but the point is since that time under president obama's administration with 8 million jobs created largely in the private sector, 48 six months of private sector jobs increased. now that's not good enough. we have the opportunity that the president will be addressing. but let's remember where we were and how far we have come from the bush economic policies. >> i hear that. >> to where we are now. >> but it is sort of -- you take the step back and you look and it sort of hit me like a two-by-four. ten straight years we've had

where the public -- ten straight years where the public believes we're on the wrong track. there's specific reasons. it was iraq, then it was the economy for some people. >> meltdown. >> for some people it's -- there's plenty of everybody sometimes has an individual piece, but collectively -- and you said the president will be optimistic tonight. in some ways, is that -- do you worry he will sound too polly annish? >> no. i think the president understands the pain that the public is feeling and the uncertainty that they have. that's why i know that his policies -- and i don't know what he will say tonight but i believe it will go a long way to restore confidence in the economy with job creation and growing an economy that works for everyone. i would hope that we could restore confidence in our safety. we take an oath to protect and defend bypassing background check legislation, restore confidence in who we are as a

nation. nation of immigrants. bypassing comprehensive immigration reform. of course, all of this would be more easily done if we changed -- restored confidence in our democracy by reducing the role of money and politics. >> i'm going to talk to you about that. i want to flash up something here. there was a phrase that became pob popular about two americas. we can divide up our poll by people who live in democratic and republican districts and there's really two issues to show you that if you live in a republican district, you don't think much of the president. disapproval rating for him in republican districts is 62%. if you live in a democratic district, you really like the president. the health care law. in democratic districts, 42% call it a good idea. 37% say it's a bad idea. and republican districts it's reversed. my point is we know the issue here, this very polarized congressional district that's

written. california has come up with its own unique way to solve this problem. a, do you think this is among the biggest process political problems that hits congress, this issue of redistricting? and two, do you think the california reform say good one? >> i don't think the california reform is a good one at all. >> top two? >> no. it just prolongs the electrics in districts and it costs more money and it's really not a good idea at all. but i do think that what i -- it's interesting to me is that democrats and republicans know what they believe. >> that's right. >> they know what they believe. that's what's happening in congress. but in congress -- >> should there be more swing districts? would that help you get more done? >> the point is what is happening here now -- and let's -- since you're trying to analyze it, that we have a large section of the republican party that's anti-government. we don't want any more government than we need but they're anti-government, anti-science and anti-obama. they have a trifecta that is

going. i say to the republicans -- >> they would be punished if they went the other way in their own districts. >> take back your point, i don't know. leadership to get the job done for the american people. we all come with our views. none of us thinks that our view will prevail. you come with confidence about the debate that goes on, to try to influence the decision. but to obstruct every initiative that the president has put forth on jobs and then say, why don't we have more jobs -- we do have more jobs but no thanks to the congress of the united states. so, i would be among those who disapprove of the way congress does its -- >> you're part of the 81%? not friends and family? >> no. but it's something very -- we did not treat president bush this way. we worked with him to pass the biggest energy bill, to do the t.a.r.p., as i mentioned, to do many things. we opposed him on the war in iraq and we opposed him on

privatizing social security, but we thought we had a responsibility to work with the president to get a job done for the american people and we did. this obstruction to president obama is something quite stunning and something quite different. >> before i let you go, california will have recreational use of marijuana potentially. it will be on the ballot in 2014. how will you vote? >> let's see how that ballot read. >> you're not ready to commit? >> the tide in the country, as the president said -- >> are you ready to move with the tide? >> i have been a long supporter of medicinal marijuana. we'll see how the ballot reads. >> pleasure to see you. >> my pleasure. >> nice to be on this side of pennsylvania avenue. coming up, republican reputtals, plural. the more cursed job in washington, it's been called. will that muddle their message?

we'll talk to congresswoman from my hometown in miami, who will give the spanish republican rebuttal response. question, who is the most recent future democratic presidential nominee to be part of the response to the president's state of the union? this is the first power plant in the country to combine solar and natural gas at the same location. during the day, we generate as much electricity as we can using solar. at night and when it's cloudy, we use more natural gas. this ensures we can produce clean electricity whenever our customers need it. ♪ i took medicine but i still have symptoms. [ sneeze ] [ male announcer ] truth is not all flu products treat all your symptoms. what? [ male announcer ] alka-seltzer plus severe cold and flu

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♪ ♪ each year it seems we get more responses to the state of the union. we'll hear the official republican response from kathy mcmorris rodgers, tea party response from senator lee and the rand paul response from senator rand paul. i'm not making that up. iliana latham will give the spanish republican response. >> great to be here with a fellow miamian.

>> thank you. >> i talk a little bette about my biography, coming here as a cuban refugee, coming for freedom, democracy and opportunity. and i think our menl ssage is a around the same theme, party of less taxes, we want to get rid of obamacare. we want to make sure that we get back to the business of governing for america's families. not expanding government but making it more responsive to the people. >> going back, you said you want to -- you still believe you have to repeal the health care law? majority in our poll say fix it. even people that don't like it. it's interesting. we looked at the slice of folk whose believe the health care law is a bad idea, but who don't want to repeal it. most of them are republican women. >> well, that's interesting. you know, it depends a lot on how it's asked. i don't think that the impact,

the effect of obamacare is really hitting people yet. a lot of attention on the glitches and it's not functioning well. i think once people see that their premiums have gone up, that their deductibles have gone up, that they can't keep their doctor, that they can't keep their plan, i think a lot of those positions will change. and we have always said repeal and replace. we'll be rolling out a few of the republican alternatives. right now we certainly are not going to get off the dime on repealing obamacare. >> you'll be talking about your personal biography. i know it pretty well, being an immigrant from cuba. i'm going to ask you about immigration then. where are you on this? where were you on the senate bill and what do you want to see the house do? >> i'm in favor of the senate bill. that's not going to be happening here. i'm a co-sponsor of hr-15, which is a little similar to the senate bill. in my republican response, just as when i was chairman of the committee, it's not just about my feelings and my beliefs. it's reflective of the

republican party and that we want a system that works. we know that the immigration system is broken and we want to replace it so that it's fair to everyone. i think we're getting there. john boehner has been very helpful. paul ryan, my great colleague from miami. we're moving in the right direction. we'll have a set of principles and soon legislation will follow. the first step is border security. >> tell your republican friends -- one of the things i've found, univision and telemundo specifically, they cover the immigration issue as closely as the english-speaking channels cover health care. >> absolutely. i am so glad you're bringing that up. most of the folks, democrat or republicans, really have no idea how strong these two networks are in all of our districts. my district is about the second or the third most hispanic district in the country. >> they get all their news from

spanish-language television. >> telemundo and after, of course, "morning rundown with chuck todd" they'll go for that one. >> there you go. >> that's intertwined, whether the kids are getting jobs, whether they're getting a lot of college debt. so, we're concerned about everyday problems that every american would, but immigration trumps all of them. so i think our party is getting behind what they should do. legal migration. >> you tell them about the disconnect? >> you have no idea how huge this issue is on our number one and number two networks. >> ileana ross-lithian, thank you. senator bob corker will be here. the president is visiting tennessee in the next couple of days. but first, white house soup of the day on this state of the union day is coconut red lentil.

no idea if it was a state of the union impact or not. since we're here on capitol hill we should tell you, as always, it's navy bean on the menu in the senate cafeteria. [ fishing rod casting line, marching band playing ] [ male announcer ] the rhythm of life. [ whistle blowing ] where do you hear that beat? campbell's healthy request soup lets you hear it in your heart. [ basketball bouncing ] heart healthy. [ m'm... ] great taste. [ tapping ] sounds good. campbell's healthy request. m'm! m'm! good.®

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[whistle] purina pro plan can help him achieve it. nutrition that performs. one of the reasons 2013 was such a rough year politically for the president and democrats, a lot of the summer was spent investigating and relitigating what happened on the night of september 11th, 2012, in benghazi, libya. it came up again monday during a q & a with hillary clinton. after she spoke at the national auto dealers convention in new orleans. here is what she said about it. >> my biggest, you know, regret is what happened in benghazi. it was a terrible tragedy, losing four americans, two diplomats and now it's public so i can say two cia operatives. and, obviously, it was a great

personal loss to me since i sent chris stevens to libya the first time. >> with me now, tennessee republican senator bob corker, ranking member of the foreign relations committee. let me just quickly get you to respond to what secretary clinton said about benghazi. are you satisfied with all the investigations? three investigations have essentially all came to the same conclusion, which is a lot more could have been done by state, a lot more could have been done by the cia but there was no conspiracy? >> i think one thing, chuck, no matter what side of the aisle you're on that causes people to sort of lose faith in our government is there's been no accountability. there were mistakes and i think that, you know, the intelligence committee's report is unfortunate that, again, we didn't have one in the foreign relations committee, which has jurisdiction over the state department. but i think the one thing that really puzzles folks is that there were -- >> who should be fired? do you think someone should be

fired? >> i could mention some names but i do -- again, the fact that there were such mistakes made and no one at the state department has been held accountable, i think, is the one thing that americans question and wonder about. >> you know, on this issue, it's funny. i think that this exposed something that's a truth that we never want to admit. our intelligence and diplomatic community work hand in hand sometimes. that is actually not something we like to admit. we don't want to admit that state department outposts and councilists are sometimes staffd with cia operatives. is that something that should be revisited about whether this is a good thing? >> look, i'm glad to admit it. one of the first things i do going to any country is to sit down with our cia operatives. >> who are usually based right there? you can't say. >> first thing i do typically is sit down. what i find is that there's a wealth of information, not just about some of the things that

you would think they focus on, but economic issues. other things that are happening within the country. so, look, we are a sophisticated nation. we're the biggest nation in the world. and i think that it's appropriate that our citizens understand that these agencies have to work hand in hand for us to be effective. and to try to, you know, sweep that under the rug is a silly thing. of course we have them working hand in hand. hopefully, they'll work even more closely than they do now. >> is it possible that state department security funding should probably be increased since a lot of times they're securing cia operatives? >> there's no question that -- i will say every time we have a problem, first thing people say is we need to spend more money, okay. that was one of the things that came out on the front end. it was a little concerning. again, much of this -- there were resources available to these people. you know that. at no cost to the state department. this was being funded by the military. and these people were sent away.

so -- but there's no question that, look, we need to work in a more seamless way between these entities and i'm not sure money was the problem. matter of fact, i'm pretty sure money was not the issue in benghazi. >> tonight foreign policy will probably take a backseat a little bit to some of the other issues you're going to focus on. there will be some foreign policy. namely something on iran. essentially calling for everybody in that room to give them time and space. you now seem to be comfortable giving at least the six-month deal the five months it has left to see if it works. >> i think, chuck, from the very beginning, if you look at our work relative to the bill that is out there right now, our work has been to focus on the end state. the administration has never stated where they want to go. so at a minimum, what we have encouraged is that at least you get to the place where the u.n. security council together voted on back in 2011. so, that's been our effort. look, i understand all of us

want to see diplomacy work here. we do. i met with several iranian officials last week, you know ark, at the world economic forum. i think there's a concern that we actually get to the place that's not making this interim deal the permanent deal. there's still room for discussions. i do think the senate and the house has an opportunity to weigh in constructively here. i also understand -- >> but not forcing him where he feels he has to veto in order to save the deal? >> what they stated is that they have an agreement with iran, that no new sanctions will go in place between now and july 20th. as you know, the bill that's even contemplated doesn't put any sanctions in place until -- >> july 21st. >> -- july 21st. should we schedule a vote on that day, there are a lot of discussions occurring. my thoughts are that we will get to a good place on this. >> i'm sure you'll be listening

intently. senator corker, good to see you, sir. >> thank you. trivia time. you have to go all the way back to 1985 when then governor bill clinton participated in the official state of the union response for democrats. not many times do responders eventually become presidents. that's why some people call the response the state of the union purse these days. congratulations toty's winner matt gorman. is so soft you can actually see the softness with our new comfort cushions. plus you can use up to 4 times less. enjoy the go with new charmin ultra soft. plus you can use up to 4 times less. hey, buddy? oh, hey, flo. you want to see something cool? snapshot, from progressive. my insurance company told me not to talk to people like you. you always do what they tell you? no... try it, and see what your good driving can save you. you don't even have to switch. unless you're scared. i'm not scared, it's...

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i never suggested the change would be easy or that i could do it alone. what comes at this moment will be determined not by whether we can sit together tonight, but whether we can work together tomorrow. i bet most americans are thinking the same thing right about now, nothing will get done in washington this year. or next year. or maybe even the year after that. because washington is broken. >> believe it or not, that was the president two years ago. no president wants to admit in

his state of the union that things aren't going well. gerald ford did it, but that didn't work out so well for him, but that was president obama making an annual plea for some kind of cooperation. well, i'm joined by two men who have crafted similarly tough messages for former presidents. good morning to both of you. i actually had a conversation with the president's former speech writer and he admitted that state of the union is the worst speech to write. you both agree as speech writers? >> i actually think i'm the only speech writer and american that disagrees. >> you enjoy writing the state of the union? >> bill clinton loved this. this was the perfect combination of policy and more policy and showmanship and personality, and he could talk as long as he wanted. but the public actually likes to hear directly from their president unfiltered and unmediated where he wants the country to go, so it's still an

important, if not poetry. >> i take it you disagree, the other michael here. >> i worked on five or six of them. they are not generally very memorable speeches, a lot of cooks in the kitchen. >> too many is what favro would say. >> and they also don't have much effect if you look at the polling. clinton was an exception in a couple of his speeches, but for the most part they don't move opinions. a lot of questions about credibility, questions about competence of the administration, they are not rhetorical problems and they are not going to be solved by speech writers sitting in a room. >> it's interesting, both of you had to tackle speeches where it was tough political times for your own president, seeking to win back credibility for different ways, bill clinton on a personal front, george w. bush because of tough moments with iraq, so what's the -- how would you advise cody keenan tonight, who's helping the president write tonight's speech? >> right now, president obama

has a challenge because of the way the health care law rolled out and the republicans have a challenge because of the shutdowns and the debt ceiling, which creates in a sense an opportunity for him. he can't try to aim his words just at the members of congress in the room. congress isn't hostile, it's divided and dysfunctional, so he should talk about what he wants to do. i think all this talking about executive action is a little bit of reading the stage directions, but it's very exciting for those of us who like a lot of those policies and talk about what the country should do, not worry about what can pass congress any moment. >> how would you be handling this moment and how did you handle it with george w. bush? >> the context is if loses the midterm elections, it's the end of his presidency legislatively. he's got to have democrats rally around -- >> more of a political speech? >> i think so, but i also wouldn't minimize. sometimes you can introduce creative policy that mixes up

the situation, so bush in 2003 proposed the president's emergency plan for aids relief out of nowhere. it passed in four months, had a huge effect. nobody expected it. a state of the union can be used to do an end run around. >> like last year, minimum wage at the time came out of nowhere. anyway, i got to go. getting the -- playing the music. two michaels here, thank you both. that's it for this special edition of "the daily rundown." stick with msnbc all day long for your pre-game coverage of the state of the union, and, of course, we'll have special primetime coverage tonight that begins at 9:00 p.m. coming up next is chris jansing. i'll see you later. i'm meteorologist bill karins. in the southeast, consider it shut down this afternoon and evening, snow, freezing rain,

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south. 50 million people feeling the deep freeze. and youngest ever gold medalist in the winter olympics tara lipinski will be here talking about sochi. is the security threat changing the spirit of the games? good morning, i'm chris jansing. the anticipation and the pressure on president obama is building for the state of the union tonight. widely talked about as his last best chance to make his second term matter after the dismal 2013. the challenge, of course, is significant. when asked about the state of the union, the american people use words like, uncertain, downhill, on the wrong track. that's from our brand new nbc news/wall street journal poll. 90% of respondents, their first answer was negative. 31% think the country is better off than when the president took office. and his challenge tonight, lay out an agenda that restores confidence, saying he's both in touch with both people want and able to deliver what he's