work. let me just get out my checkbook and start spreading the cash first. all right, that does it for the "cycle." alex, it is all yours. the state of the union depends on who you're talking to. it is tuesday, january 28th, and this is "now" live from capitol hill. >> the state -- >> of our union. >> there's a lot of pressure on this one. >> it's all about action. >> action. >> the call for action. >> taking action. >> a year of action. >> taking ae ining action is gee points on the board. >> 2013 was a lost year. >> he got two. >> bobble it up in my committee during a collection and so we can kill it when you're not looking. >> the country is strong and resilient. we in this room are a mess.

>> my republican colleagues want to suppress any kind of activity that will make this president look good. >> they're always been good ideas parties can agree on. >> if i were a liberal democratic president, i would hammer republicans ornamentn mi wage every night, every morning, every day. >> the vast majority of the americans aren't going to pay attention to the speech. >> will a country that is so sour on washington actually listen? it is the super bowl of politics. in just a few hours, president obama will walk into this building and speak to some 532 members of congress to deliver his vision for a year of action, with or without the participation of those same 530 members of congress. can the 113th congress shake off

its bad rep and it's 13% approval rating? it is possible perhaps that dreams of a semifunctional congress are not entirely delusional. there's been a quiet effort to actually get stuff done. in december, congress passed its first budget in five years. a month later, it passed a $1 trillion spending bill to keep the government funded through september. and yesterday, members of the house and senate reached a long awaited agreement on a farm bill. all these things actually happened, but were they flukes? as the president addresses congress tonight, there are some big priorities to check off the list this year and there are issues that americans care about. unemployment insurance, immigration reform, and the minimum wage. is there any glimmer of hope

that the to-do list sees action in the age of gridlock politics? joining me now is washington senator patty murray. an honor and pleasure to see you in person. >> i'm good. >> you actually got something big done with paul ryan. the narrative going into this evening is the president is going to say, congress, you can be with me and that's great, but i'm going to do it without you. and built into that is that congress can't get anything done. do you think that's a fair position to start from? >> i think what congressman ryan and i showed is if we take the time to respect each other's side and hear what they have to say and find common ground, we can find an agreement and we can move forward and we can respond to this country's thirst for a country that works. >> certainly that thirst is only

periodically quenched. from the outside, you look at where republicans begin when you talk about compromise and you talk about the farm bill. they want to cut effectively what we're looking at $8 billion in cuts, which is twice what the senate democrats would like. and it's a decade's old proposal to block federal assistance. when we talk about compromise, there's a concern on some parts of the left that that means moving to their side of the field. what do you think? >> i think compromise is listening to their words and making them live up to those words. if we need to deal with the fact that people today don't have access to opportunities that allow them to get into the middle class, let's find out how we can do that together. if their rhetoric is about

finding a way to find a path forward that means no more government shutdowns, let's talk about how we find that way. that's how we have to work together. >> how legitimate and deep seeded do you think this new republican concern for the poor and the unemployed and the working class is? because it is certainly a narrative that seems a little johnny come lately. >> they wouldn't be talking about it if they weren't worried about it. we're seeing an economic recovery that has left far too many people behind. it has taken too long. too many people are sitting at home and worried about if their retirement is secure, if their child is going to get an education. we need to address that. and we haven't addressed that. the only thing we've been addressing is government

shutdowns. i hope our agreement allows us to get back to that so we can talk about unemployment extension, minimum wage increase that will help businesses and communities get back on their feet, ways we can provide education for all young kids today so they have the opportunities of the future, talk about pensions and retirement. i hope that we've left that playing field open now to talk about. >> well, i guess when you talk about moving forward and collaborating, it sometimes seems like the republicans, if they do concede on an issue, it is only to take it up later. the reason there have been government shutdowns is the republicans are not okay with the aca. today we have a proposal, the patient care act presented by tom coburn. it appeals a lot of the

protections that are in the affordable care act with people with preexisting conditions. i would raise the cost of health care for women. does it surprise you that this issue continues to be litigated, or do you feel like you're going to have to be defending obamacare for the next two to four years? >> look i'm surprised when they put out their alternative. what they did was take us backward. the country wants to make health care for everyone work. they want access to health care for everyone. if they're sick or they have a preexisting condition, they can have access to insurance. they want to make sure if they're women and they don't have an automatically preexisting condition that doesn't allow them to pay more for health care. are we working to make it work or make it fail?

the republicans have been working to make it fail. now that they have put this back on the table, they are taking us back to where we were. >> dothe fact that they cannot seem to get past this, this continues to be litigated year after year, how does that effect deal making? >> we see it as just what they're going to talk about. the rest of the country wants to know again that their retirement is secure, that they have the job, that they have the skills for the jobs, that their kids are getting an education, that we're doing something that makes their lives more secure. >> there's an article today that says the congressional democrats want the president to move off more of the issue of inequality

and focus on the issues that you just outlined. we ne it is good politics. how concerned are you that the democrats may lose the upper chamber in 2014? >> i feel very good about keeping the majority in the senate because our democratic incumbents and our democrats who are running for seats are talking about the issues that people care about today. they're talking about how people can feel more secure, how they can feel they have an opportunity, and how they can participate in the economy as it grows. that's what people want us to do as a country. it's what we've always done, and it's what democrats are going to stand up and fight for in the coming months. >> the other thing i'm sensing you'll be fighting for is the

seahaw seahawks. what is your celebration plan? >> i plan to be with family and friends celebrating when sherman intercepts a pass. tonight's state of the union may be the last chance at addressing a captive american audience. we'll discuss the message with robert gibbs. josh ernest previews what's in store for tonight. that's next on "now." i need proof of insurance. that's my geico digital insurance id card - gots all my pertinents on it and such. works for me. turn to the camera. ah, actually i think my eyes might ha... next! digital insurance id cards. just a tap away on the geico app. could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance. everybody knows that.

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tonight's state of the union, the white house says president obama's speech is in the tweaking phase. the main themes of the speech are set. there will be a focus on income inequality, a push for immigration reform, a call for more information spending, and an expansion of prekindergarten education. the speech will have another message. you can take it or you can leave it. in a move that's been years in the making, his speech is going to make a turning point. he is mad as hell and not going to take it anymore. dennis explained it in more refined terms. >> rather than sit and wait for congress to take action, we're going to roll out on our own using the president's authority. we'll look to work with congress where we can. as we have seen over the last

several years now, congress is sometimes a little slow to action. we're not going to wait for that because we believe the american people are looking for concrete proposals to see progress and opportunity for everybody. >> joining me now is josh ernest. thank you for taking the time to tell us all the secrets you didn't want out there for the president's state of the union. forget the embargo. i feel like the president is going to enter the coliseum tonight and the spectators want blood. there's been a lot of talk about the president using the power of the pen and the telephone and the executive action to effect as much change as he can. is this truly the beginning? are we going to see executive orders on environmental issues? is he going to issue limits on new coal plants? are we going to see a real

movement on epa concerns through executive order? >> sure. well, alex, as much as there is likely to be a coliseum like atmosphere, the real audience he wants to reach is the audience of the people tuning in tonight. a lot of people have been frustrated over the course of the last year that there hasn't been nearly as much activity in d.c. as we'd like, not as much progress on the core priorities and values that americans share. we should be able to find some common ground. what you can expect to hear from the president tonight are the kinds of values and the commitment to making progress to expand every opportunity for every american. we should be able to find some reasonable common ground. we're going to work with him and act on it. where congress refuses to act,

the president is not going to hesitate to take action on his own. >> is that a yes on the epa regulations? >> i want to do my job and i want to protect the president's ability to make his own announcements tonight. i will reassure you and your audience that the president feels very strongly about the responsibility he feels he has and this country has to deal with what -- the growing threat that is posed by climate change. there are some steps that the president took last year that significantly reduced carbon pollution and will continue to reduce carbon pollution over the next several years. the united states has done more to reduce our contribution to climate change than any other country in the world. we've made some important progress. most of that is because of executive actions the president has taken. the president will certainly address this issue tonight. >> okay.

that's a deep tease. we're going to be tuned to it. senator mike lee, who has given responses on behalf of the republican party, we had some excerpts of his remarks. he says, we are facing an inequality crisis, one to which the president has paid lip service, but seems uninterested in truly confronting or correcting. what is your response to the republican contention that the president has only paid lip service to the issue of inkwa y -- inequality in this country? >> it's been the value, the goal of this president's domestic policy agenda. he ran for president on the notion that it's been harder and harder for middle class families that are working harder to get ahead and yet are falling further behind.

what can we do in the country to expand economic opportunity for everybody? the president worked to pass health care reform. that's going to provide tremendous health care security to middle class families all across the country. every middle class family has access to quality, affordable health insurance for the first time. middle class families don't have to worry about being discriminated against by their health insurance company because they have a preexisting condition. health care reform itself is a great example of something the president has done to try to expand economic opportunity and to look out for those who are falling further behind. what you can expect to hear from the president tonight are other policies that should have bipartisan support on how we can make progress and expand

opportunity for everyone. >> it is congress after all. it is not a normal world. one area a lot of people have not paid lip service to is the war in afghanistan. given the developments today, the u.s. ambassador has responded it is a deeply con speartori -- con speartorial view. the president has long touted the withdrawal of the u.s. from afghanistan as a good thing for this country, and yet it is a very complicated matter. i wonder if you can give us a little insight into how much band width this is going to get tonight. >> the president will address

this tonight. this is the most important foreign policy issue he will have to confront this year. the open question is what will our presence in afghanistan look like. american troops will no longer be subjected to combat in afghanistan at the end of this year. that's a really important work. we have a lot of work to try to figure out what we can to bring additional stability into afghanistan. our goal was to disrupt this mantle that's operating, al qaeda. we have made tremendous progress in that effort. we want to make sure al qaeda can no longer use afghanistan as a base of operations. there's still some work to be done to make progress on that. that's what raises this question of what our presence is going to

look like at the end of 2014. we struck a bilateral security agreement that is in the best interest of the united states of america and the afghan people. that's something community leaders in afghanistan, they have their own process there. they have ratified this agreement. we can start making decisions about what our post 2014 presence will look like. >> josh ernest, have a power bar tonight. coming up, who got the big invite? we'll look at each parties plus-ones. there was a time not long ago when the opposition party would offer just one response to the state of the union. that's no longer the case. we'll preview tonight's four republican responses next.

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good evening and happy ma i mardi gras. >> nothing as frustrated me more than false choices like the one the president laid out tonight. >> no one said giving a state of the union response was easy. lawmakers giving a standing ovation, to an empty room with a politician and a teleprompter.

it falls on four republicans who will offer a response. if the burden has not been spread equally enough on four pairs of shoulders, republicans leaving the chamber will be guideed to rapid response booths to record a vine of their thoughts. for some republicans, the more the merrier strategy looks a lot like party mutiny. we're no longer in a place where members are echoes leadership. they're completing with leadership. and indeed leadership just might be on to them.

last week the rnc voted to shorten the republican primary and cutdown on the number of debates. perhaps next year the gop will issue a formal limit to the number of republican responses to the state of the union and responses to responses to the state of the union. tonight it is a response fest. sit back and enjoy. after the break, robert gibbs explains why tonight's state of the union is so important and whether it is the president's best opportunity to save the u.s. congress from republican hands. that's next. you really love, what would you do?" ♪ [ woman ] i'd be a writer. [ man ] i'd be a baker. [ woman ] i wanna be a pie maker. [ man ] i wanna be a pilot. [ woman ] i'd be an architect. what if i told you someone could pay you and what if that person were you?

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glitches, tonight's state of the union speech will give the president the opportunity to hit the reset button with the american people. it is perhaps the last significant address president obama will make tin the halls o congress. with the 2016 presidential election just around the corner, if you look very closely tonight, you'll see the crescent moons of planet hillary in the night sky. it is the last time the president will have a captive audience and the attention of congress. joining me now is robert gibbs. great to see you. >> how are you? >> i bet you're glad you're not in the press briefing room today and you're weirdly happy. >> i'm weirdly happy to be in the senate. i feel for my good friend josh who has to continue to keep the lid on the speech. >> that part of it --

>> it's a dance, yes. >> this year, there's been a lot of run up to this state of the union because this could be the president's last kind of big state of the union that has legislative import or r reprecussions. >> i think the president's view on these speeches is less to speak to the room and more to speak to everybody listening to the room. last year was a last year for the presidency. the poll that nbc has done shows just what the impact of 2013 was. people need to feel tonight a

sense of confidence, a real focused plan by the president, and the ability not simply to talk about the things that the american people care about, but to have a plan to make some genuine progress on them, particularly the economy. without that, 2014 could look a lot like 2013. >> to that note, the use of executive power, the desire of the president to use all the tools at his disposal, is not historic. it falls in line with a recent move by harry reid to end filibustering on executive appointments. if the president didn't do this, huge pieces of his legacy would be up for grabs.

he would not have someone appointed to the consumer financial protection bureau. this is central to cementing his legacy as much as anything else. >> i'm sure every party and every point in which the president says i'm going to use the full powers and capabilities of this office begins to scream, it is making it law. there's a symbolic increase overall and there's an important increase for those that it impacts. the limits of executive power, you still have millions of workers that aren't impacted by that executive order that have to go through the legislative

fight. presidents before him have used this. this president will use them. i can assure you every president after will do the same. >> we're seeing a renewed tenacity from the democrats. it's also appointments like the head of the office of political strategy and outreach. we have talked about the necessity of war rooms inside this white house. it feels like for the first time in a long time this white house understands stakes are high for 2014. >> this pla-- if the president

loses the senate, there's lots of tough geography that democrats have to wage in senate races this time. if he loses the senate, the state of the union this time next year is going to be an exceedingly minimal affair understanding we would be on the beginning of the horizon of picking a new president and have congress completely controlled by the republicans. the electoral stakes at the end of this year is important. the state of the union is the first act in what has to be that yearlong play. he can't just give one good speech and take it and file it away in somebody's desk. there has to be a plan to go about implementing and trying to make progress on all the things

he'll mention on a night like tonight. >> the president outlined five big ticket items including the minimum wage, infrastructure development, did not get to complete the task. you know the man. how frustrating is it for him to be reminded of the things that didn't get done and how does he take that mantle and say we're doing it this year? this is not part of my legacy. >> i think he is frustrated by the lack of an inability to move these things through congress. i think he's deeply frustrated again due to the unfocused nature and the buffeting crisis that hit all through last year, that the white house was unable to make progress. so i think there's that dual frustration. some of that you'll never be able to control. some of the crisises you'll never be able to control. tonight he gets to outline for

the american people and those in congress how he sees this plan playing out. that's why i think in the end it is such a big stage and it is really such an important speech. >> we'll all be tuning in to it, robert. former white house press secretary, robert gibbs. coming up, it is well known rob ford is a football fanatic, but wearing a denver broncos jersey at a news conference, yes, rob ford is still mayor. that's next. [ male announcer ] the new new york is open.

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the toronto mayor and crack smoker wore a denver broncos jersey to a news conference yesterday. i'm tempted to put my entire life savings down on the seahawks. #kissofdeath. the saga continues. after the break, tonight president obama is expected to announce an executive order on the minimum wage. we will talk with lily ledbetter about the value of an honest days work when she joins us. that'll be next. here's a look at how the stocks stand going into tomorrow.

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these days republicans may be digging in their heels when it comes to raising the federal minimum wage, but as of this evening, hundreds of thousands of american workers are getting a raise. in tonight's state of the union, president obama will announce an executive order requiring that future federal contractors be paid at least $10.10 an hour, which is nearly $3 higher than the federal minimum wage of $7.25. this announcement comes after years of grass roots

campaigning, including rallies and strikes by low wage federal employees this december. almost as soon as it was announced, john boehner slammed it. >> let's understand something. this affects not one current contract. it only affects future contracts with the federal government. so i think the question is how many people, mr. president, will this executive action help? i suspect the answer is somewhere close to zero. >> as to the 30 million who will get a pay raise, for now, they're out of luck. the value of the minimum wage has fallen 32% since it's peak in 1968. with public approval at a whopping 66%, don't expect this to be the last you hear about an honest day's work and an honest

day's wage. joining me now is lilly ledbetter. it is an honor and pleasure to see you today. with the news that the president is going to be giving a raise -- a pay increase to future federal contractors, the speaker of the house is down playing it. you wrote something encouraging the president to do more, to use executive action to raise wages. is this enough? >> it's not enough. it's a start, but i really wish he'd gone further and protected those workers from retaliation if they discuss their pay and other aspects of the federal work force because that's one of the problems that workers have. they can't talk about their wages or they can't find out exactly how people are paid. if they do, even if they're in a

position they can, oftentimes they're fired or let go or they lose their jobs simply because the employer figures that they're interested in what they're making. we should be. whatever you earn goes on to the rest of your life. your requiremetirement is built social security, 401ks. you're talking about american families. this is not just a women's issue or a man's issue. it's not republican or democrat. it belongs to everybody. and this nation is depending on it. >> you just made the very important point that this isn't a male issue or a female issue, but when you talk about fair pay and gender discrimination in terms of salary or in the workplace, the other day rand paul said the war on women is over. the women in his family are all

good. 64% of minimum wage workers are women. 15.3 million women would get a raise if the minimum wage were raised to $10.10. women's take home pay affects men and american families. why is there resistance to this issue? >> the corporations are backing that, what rand paul is saying, the top americans that are so wealthy, they don't understand what it is like for the middle class and the lower class in this country trying to make ends meet. i talked to women all across this country working two jobs, sometimes a part-time job with two full-time. congress has not passed anything since the ledbetter bill that's helped the income of the american family. that's what i keep harping on

because we're slipping in this country with our education, our food programs. we have obesity. congress must start working to make a difference, and the president can use the executive order, which he's doing. it's a start, but we really need more. it is just such a small start. >> i feel like there's been people in congress and legislators, they have lost a sense of what an extra dollar means. i wonder if you could tell us, given your experience not being paid an honest day's wage for an honest day's work, what an increase in wage means? >> it can mean a lot. it can mean the difference in whether or not you eat a decent meal. it means so many things.

that that child gets new shoes when they're almost worn out. i see this across this country. it is so heart breaking. when people tell me their children at the end of the month don't have food, the food stamps being cut -- there's a war not so much on women as it is on the american families, keeping them down. and we need to start pushing congress to make a difference and make some changes and pass these laws. 50 years equal pay has been on the books. here i am in my retirement years drawing 40% less than i should be drawing and struggling like so many other people in the country. >> this is not the american future. >> exactly. >> thank you so much for your time and for your work. >> thank you, alex. coming up, she has also

earned the distinction of being a guest at the state of the union. tonight's lineup has no shortage of compelling names. republicans are taking the opportunity to invite sean hannity and a star of "duck dynasty." we'll compare and contrast the invites list. this is betsy. her long day of pick ups and drop offs begins with arthritis pain... and a choice. take up to 6 tylenol in a day or just 2 aleve for all day relief. all aboard. ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] old el paso frozen entrées. now in freezers. cozy or cool? "meow" or "woof"?

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a sample of invites past. in 2009, there was lily lly ledbett ledbetter. in 2012, there was warren buffet's secretary. last year the star of the show, was 102-year-old ms. victor, who waited hours in line at a miami polling station to cast her vote for president. the white house isn't the only place issuing invitations. republican lawmakers want in on the party too and will be bringing their own guests. who is part of their in-crowd? mostly it says division. sean hannity will be there. willy robertson will be there. a dozen house republicans will bring americans negatively

impacted by the president's health care law. as for the white house, guests sitting with the first lady tonight include two survivors of the boston marathon bombings. then there's ms. tuff who talked down a gunman at an elementary school. then there's the first openly gay player in the nba. these are people who have displayed bravery, people who have made us feel we are indeed moving towards a more perfect union. you are the company that you keep. that is all for now. i'll see you back here tomorrow at 4:00 p.m. eastern. "the ed show," is up next.

good evening, americans. and welcome to "the ed show" live from washington, d.c. let's get to work. >> it isn't income inequality, it's income opportunity. >> you might think paying people enough to live is so self-evident that even crazy people could understand it, but you would be wrong. >> do you believe in raising the minimum wage? >> i believe in opportunity. >> you said back in 2005 that taking away the minimum wage could virtually wipe out unemployment. where's the evidence for that? >> i'm just asking if you believe there should be an increase in the minimum wage. >> no, i don't. >> so you're saying that the minimum wage is one of those regulations that you look at and try