prepared to use executive power that he has. >> republicans, they aren't backing down on this issue and calling any such move a poison pill. >> i've been very disturbed about the way the president has proceeded in the wake of the election. >> the executive order flies in the face of the american public. >> the president does have executive order authority just like any other president in the past. >> president, don't use your executive authority. he turned to us and said don't use your legislative authority. >> the executive order is meant to inflame the house republicans right after the very difficult elections. >> it's actually in the democrats' interest to pick fights right now with the republican congress. >> this might take all of the things that we've been talking about and the old trash bucket. ♪ >> go big and then probably go home. this afternoon, major news outlets are reporting that the president plans to announce broad, executive actions to protect up to 5 million immigrants from deportation as early as next week.

a carding to officials with direct knowledge of the plan, the initiative will allow undocumented parents of u.s. citizens and legal permanent residence to obtain work permits to stay in the country legally. that alone can help as many as $3.3 million men and women currently living in the shadows. the actions will also expand opportunities for immigrants with high tech skills. it will shift more security resources to the southern border and it will give clearer guidance on low-priority deport eggs including men and women with no criminal history. >> for their part, democrats seem to be pretty okay with it. >>. >> it will be exciting to see with the timing of that and the scope of it. we have no idea. but what we do know is that every modern day president has used that executive authority. >> act boldly, act swiftly and generously, mr. president. >> but on the other side of the

aisle, the reaction has not been as enthused. it has been downright alarmed. even before the details were made public, the gop was already using the "i" word. >> impeachment is in the house if that's a possibility, but you still have to convict in the senate and that takes a two-thirds vote, but impeachment would be a consideration. yes, sir. >> congress can stop it and must stop it in my opinion. it is a threat to the constitutional order. >> you have the president re-writing the law and you have the president failing to comply with his oath. what does that equal? that equals serious violations of the constitution. that equals offenses that rise to the level of impeachability. >> joining me now is the democratic representative from california's 46th district and member of the caongressional hispanic congress, loretta sanchez. in september, you said you were disappointed in president obama. does this news change that?

>> well, i would like president obama to use his authority and act swiftly to help the american people. how do we help america? we ensure that we keep these families together. people who have been working hard here. people who have been part of our pshgs pta and deacons in our churches and i don't believe that's about american values. so, yes, mr. president, do something now. >> do you. if the details that have been released is this what the hispanic caucus is looking for from the president? >> i believe in march or may of this past year. those things we believe would not change the law, but would change some of the regulations that the executive branch has made with help to how you treat people. that is what the president legally can change and we gave them the legal basis to be able

to pick and choose from those six pages and the men of the things we thought was from the hispanic caucus to help these american families and he told us that he would, in fact, take a look at it and see what he could do. so we that the he might be able to help 6 million people to get some sort of status, at least temporarily in this country to keep families together, and what i'm hearing is it might be 3 million to $4 million. obviously, he's chosen something, but not everything we have on the list or maybe he's come up with his own, but either way, we need to ensure, that young children born here. american citizens have their moms here also. >> is there any concern given the proposals which have been outlined today, basically, they're all just maneuvers to keep folks here and keep them with their families. are you at all concerned that

congressional republicans will use every weapon in their arsenal to come at the president and come at democrats on the constitutionality and legality of this? >>. >> we know the majority of immigrants are pro-immigrants and we need to keep these families together. on the other hand, we know that a majority of republicans especially in the house are not pro-immigrant. i would say most of them are anti-immigrant. i believe that they'll use any excuse, any type of legal format, any type of impeachment format, anything they possibly can do to try to keep to pull these families apart as they have seen and they have been doing. they refuse to help us with an immigration reform. the president's been trying to get this done for six years. it's time that he does something. it's time that america stands up and coulds we need to keep our families together, but yes, the

republicans have made obstacles at each and every turn of this process. >> congresswoman loretta sanchez, thank you for joining us this busy day. >> thank you. >> joining me is senior editor of the new republic and senior fellow of governance studies at the brookings institute, e.j. deion. >> congresswoman sanchez is wearing a red suit, perhaps not coincidentally. it seems the democrats are ready to wave the red flag. >> i thought i was on fox for a moment and he's showing his true leftist colors, they would say. i think he had almost no choice here which is to say he could have taken boehner at his word, i really want to pass something, but boehner has said that over and over again since the senate passed that bill. the republicans would still try to obstruct him and he'd be sitting there passively and he drew, if i may use the term, a red line. >> yes.

>> he said he would do this and he backed off for the election which didn't do democrats any good. so at least in this case he's sitting in a situation actually fighting for something and saying to the republicans, okay, you can push back if you want. i would rather have you pass a bill, but he's acting instead of being passive and i think that changes the dynamic. >> i think the midterms really emboldened him to do this, brian, because he sat back, watched the senate democrats lose the senate and looked at their strategy of sort of nonconfrontation. i don't think he thought it was the winning one and here he thinks this is about being aggressive, a-g-g-r-e-s-s-i-v-e and this is the most aggressive we've seen the president. >> he addressed this after his news conference that lame duck is what you guys say about the president that's no long or the ballot and no more midterms in the future. the midterms happened and he let the senate democrats run their

own strategy and that strategy didn't work out very well and they no longer have much say over what he can and will or won't do with respect to his power to change or modify immigration enforcement. >> by the way, if we really want to be political, in 2016 a lot of these senate races are not in red states. >> no. the big blue wall as one republican strategist called it. >> so this doesn't even carry that risk if indeed the other thing did carry that risk. >> when looking at the new york times is one of the first out there. fox was reporting this and new york times had more details and usa today where it is a cascade effect now with various folks reporting on different pieces of these proposed executive actions, e.j., when you read about it and i feel that i am guilty of this, the reality that this is 5 million lives we are talking about, comes crashing down on this debate in a way that it hasn't, i think, in other moments. it becomes increasingly less

about democrats and republicans and political capital and elections and one understands that these are families that are being split apart. these are people who have been here in the country for a very long time and understand themselves to be american and this is the president doing whatever he can to keep them together, and i think in that way makes it, i mean, the earlier sort of partisan analysis, makes it easier for democrats to defend this and it makes it harder for republicans to oppose it. >> i've always thought that on this issue the strongest slogan is family values. >> right. >> if you really value families you do not pursue a policy that busts up parents and kids or one parent. >> right. >> this is crazy and this is totally opposed to values and we constantly talk about and this is put up or shut up time, and i think again by getting something done, you force a conversation on the specifics.

>> yes. >> it's a much tighter and more articulate way to make the point you're trying to make. >> you want to split these families apart? what do you propose to do? >> if families don't get you, how about the tech industry? there's always stuff in here. so he's linking the two. >> and border security. >> and the republicans may not worry as much about latino voters, but they would love to have more support from the tech industry. >> yeah. the conventional wisdom on the right is this is the president overstepping his bounds and they'll block as well as poison, et cetera, et cetera. the impeachment talk is real and it's always a question with this republican party and how much power it has and whether or not the republicans can stop themselves from going over the line on this because at a certain point the sort of advantage boomerangs back to the

republicans. >> as long as this issue of obama using executive authority to mitigate deportations has been in the news, right? the party that has been more frayed about it is the republican party because they're not exactly sure how the members will react and what position they'll be forcing to. what they would like to see is the democrats back on the heels and reluctant to act, maybe palliative. it doesn't just, you know, do all of the substantive things that we were just talking about. it opens the whole pandora's box on their end, but they're not sure they'll issue ready to control. >> when you talk about the campaign, the republicans were attacking president obama for being weak. weak on ebola and weak on isis and in aness is he's hitting back and it struck me, karl rove had an op-ed piece in "the wall street journal" today and there was an important paragraph where he said, by the way, guys, don't impeach obama because he knows what a threat this is. >> and don't shut down the

government over this, either, because ted cruz and mike leigh are trying to attach riders to any sort of budget compromises that deal with executive action on immigration. >> it is going to be an interesting next couple of weeks. after the break, will president obama push a fellow nobel peace prize laureate on crimes against humanity? i spoke with white house deputy national security adviser ben rhodes who is traveling with the president in burma. plus republicans make it through their own leadership elections, but can they lead congress to pass anything at all? later, are democrats prepared to side line environmental priorities to save one senate seat? all of that is ahead on "now." [phones rings]

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president obama is back in bur burma trying to keep the country from backsliding to free and fair democracy. the president returns to a country confronting at best, uneven progress. after meeting with president thain singh today, he said burma remains unfinished. >> through our discussions we recognize that this process is still incomplete. the constitutional amendment process that has begun needs to reflect the ability of all voices in myanmar's society. >> tomorrow the president will meet with opposition leader and nobel peace prize laureate aung sung suu kyi who remains banned

from running in next year's elections and aung sung suu kyi has promoted criticism for her failure to speak out on the persecuted muslim minority. she became an icon for human rights after being jailed for 15 years has refused to acknowledge what has been called ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity including forcible confinement in squalid camps. deputy national security adviser ben rhodes is traveling with president obama and woke up early this morning to speak with me from the burmese capital. >> thanks for joining me, ben. let me first get to the issue of the day which is the plight of the muslim minority in burma. has the white house taken up the issue with thain singh and the bum ease leadership? >> yes. when president obama called president thain sirng before coming out here he expressed deep concern over the treatment

of the rohinga and what we need to see are three things. first, there needs to be more humanitarian access to the rohingya. we would like to see them operating again and to bring that assistance. second, we want to see an action plan that does not rely on putting these people in camps, but rather allows them to settle in their communities where they can have access to development and third, we would like to see the rohingya to be citizens without identifying as bengali. that's the type of action plan that the president will be discussing here with the burmese leaders. >> what's been the reaction to those suggestions? i wonder actually specifically what has been the reaction of aung sung suu kyi upon whose shoulders much expectation rests? >> well, what we hear from the government, what we hear from

opposition leaders like aung sung suu kyi who plays such a critical role in this country is how difficult it is to deal with the tensions between the local populations in the state and how difficult it is to resolve long-standing stedz are tensions and the capacity issues with associated with it, but the current situation is not acceptable. we can't have's population like this, marginalized and profitable. part of it has to be the treatment of minorities like the rohingya. politicians like aung sung suu kyi is the political process, the upcoming elections and constitutional reform. we want to make sure the government and leaders inside of burma are focused on the humanitarian administration. >> there is the former presidents' club and the nobel peace prize laureates club and

both president obama and aung sung suu kyi belong to that club. she has been, and i will put this -- abysmal. has she lost her luster in some ways because of that in white house eyes? . no. look, aung sung suu kyi has been an icon of democracy. she has suffered and sacrificed for this country. her release from house arrest and return to active political participation in parliament was a key part of the opening that's taken place here. i think what we're seeing, alex is this is a difficult issue and now that we're in a political season here in burma, people jockeying for position and preparing for elections you don't see national leaders speaking out on this issue because it's not popular, but what we've said is sometimes you have to do difficult things and the reform process that we're invested in, that aung sung suu kyi has faced and if there is not a plan to allow these people

to have a better life and have a place in the future of a reforming burma. >> ben, let me ask you that we are talking about burmese human rights here even as the white house is facing criticism for what some folks are saying is a half step on banning torture at the united nations. do you think we would have more leverage in this discussion if we were to ban torture unequivocally? >> look, we have prohibited torture unequivocally. it was what president obama did when he took office. we did so in part because it's completely counter to the values because we need to set an example when we're going around the world and trying to promote human rights in other countries we need to lead by example. the ban of torture by the united states is categorical, it's unequivocal and what we're doing at the u.n. is working to make that policy clear and again, to stand up against the type of abuses that weave seen in the country like burma or in any country in the world and that's going to be the position of the

united states government. it's always been the position of president obama since he took office. >> do you think there is no currency to critics who say that's a half-step measure? >> it's not a half-steve measure because it's an executive order that the president issued when he took office. it's a blanket prohibition on the use of enhanced interrogation techniques that we have said were tantamount to torture when you talk about things like waterboarding. we're engaged at the u.n. we've been engaged at the human rights council and various human bodies to make our position clear and we'll continue to make that clear going forward. >> let me ask you about a situation that is constantly developing and getting more desperate, it seems as the weeks pass by. the u.n. held an emergency meeting on ukraine and we have word of russian tanks rolling over the border. is it your opinion that we may see a return to full-scale fighting over there? >> we're deeply concerned and what you have is you have a cease-fire agreement at minh of course between the separatists and russia was invested in that,

as well. while we see the continued violations and in recent days and weeks more and more russian military support across that border back to the sprattives and it risks dragging the country back into the large-scale violence that we've seen in the worst days of this conflict. there is a framework at minh of course. we believe they have to abide by those regulations. when president obama saw the meeting at a.p.e.c., he made clear that that is a pathway that should be followed if russia and the separatists continue to violate the spirit and letter of that agreement they're only going to face greater isolation from the international community and we will continue to support the ukrainian government as they have upheld their own commitments under the minsk agreement. >> ben rhodes, thank you very much for your time. i have to ask you this question because you're standing there. is it still as weirdly, eerily empty as reports suggest?

>> well, yes, alex. if you compare it to a vibrant city like rangoon, that is a thriving, civil society and long-standing culture and wonderful architecture and this is a city that they built really out in the middle of nowhere in many respects. there's more development. i was here last year. just in the last year there's been more construction, but it is not nearly the size and population and the long-standing history that you will find in rangoon and mandalay and parts of the country that have captivated the world for so long. they're working at developing their own character here, but they have a long way to go to meet the standards of some of the more thriving capitals of pasts like mandalay and rangoon which i know you yourself hold dear. >> indeed i do. i cannot tell you how much i appreciate you getting up at this insanely hour. [ speaking foreign language ]

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alaska, believe it or not, for this afternoon. so the cold will keep fanning out across the country. we have it moving off to the east where temperatures are going to be slashed by about 20 to 30 degrees overnight. that's the latest from here. back to you, alex. >> msnbc meteorologist domenica davis. just ahead, we're awaiting a press conference from the newly elected house republican leadership team. will speaker boehner and company be able to keep the, quote, frogs in a wheelbarrow this time around? that's not a rhetorical question. we will answer it next on "now." e for the holidays in a german-engineered volkswagen. like the sporty, advanced new jetta and the well-crafted all-new golf. if you're wishing for a new volkswagen this season just about all you need is a finely tuned... pen. get zero due at signing, zero down, zero deposit and zero first month's payment

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promise to be the next majority leader without so much as a whimper from the hard right. the question now is can these guys lead anywhere anywhere? they can pass conservative legislation which the new york times will immediately test the skills of the prospective senate majority leader and balancing conservatives against moderate republicans. they're about to begin a press conference. let us take a listen and hear what they have to say. >> well, good afternoon. the americans have trusted the republicans with the house and the senate. i am proud of the leadership team that's assembled here. together, our focus will continue to be listening to the american people by making their priorities our priorities. we've got an opportunity in the coming months to do some important things, and i think we've made it clear that we'll

start with those jobs bills that we've passed through the house. almost all on a bipartisan basis that sit in the united states senate today. we decided not toledo one of them and that is the keystone pipeline. hopefully the senate will pass it, as well. this is a vote to lower energy costs and create more american jobs. finding common ground will not be easy, but for the sake of american workers i hope that the president will sign this bipartisan bill without delay. >> i'll start by congratulating the new leadership team, and i want to start also by thanking my con stitch wens for giving me the opportunity to serve another two years. the election was a very large election. you must not misread into what it said. the american public have watched

from obamacare to the va to the irs to benghazi the challenge that this government has had in incompetency and our mission as house republicans is to change that and to move america in the right direction and when you watch and see what we'll start with tomorrow as the speaker talked about keystone pipeline. it's jobs. it's the economy and moving us forward. you will find that as we walk into the new year, the house and the senate will work together. we'll have a number of bills already sitting that we can move to the president's desk and we ask for an opportunity for this president to start anew that both houses and the president work together to put america first. i made a promise when i took the leadership job a few months ago and we will keep that. the house republicans will have the wisdom to listen, but the courage to lead. >> it's an honor to be

re-elected by my colleagues to serve as house majority whip as well as the people of southeast louisiana to give me the opportunity to serve another two years and we're excited to work together to get our country back on track. if you look back at the election, the president said that this would be a referendum on his agenda, and i think the public took him to his word there, but if you also look throughout our races in the house, both the returning members of congress and our new members, we talked about the bills. over 350 bills that we passed out of the house to get our country back on track that were stuck in the senate, and i think the public also went to the polls and said that they want to get a congress and a washington that works for them and when you look at this new freshman class in this large house majority, largest since the 1920s and i would argue one of the most diverse congress reses we've had and we have great people coming out with great mergetic ideas that get to work to solving

problems for the american people. i'm excited about that opportunity to help be a part of this leadership team that's stronger than ever and more focused on the problems this country is face to get the country back on track. >> i, too, am excited to congratulate the new leadership team for the 114th congress and this is a team that is committed to listening, committing to advancing real solutions and committed to making life better for every person in this country. that is what focuses us as a team that represents every corner of the country, diverse background, diverse experiences, but we are united in a belief in the promise of this country and we'll be working every day to advance those policy solutions that are going to improve people's lives, that are going to create more opportunities and they're going to allow people to keep more of their hard-earned paychecks, moms and dads and recent graduate so that they

have more opportunities. as i think about the new congress, i think, you know, beyond the traditional just left versus right or even republican versus democrat debate, this really is a debate about the future of this country and what kind of a country are we going to have and the opportunities that are going to be made available for every person in this country and we're about a bright future, the promise of america and look forward to the challenges ahead. >> well, good afternoon. i'm greg walden, chair of the republican congressional committee and i would think my constituents for re-electing me and my colleagues to reelecting me. we had a big week and we had a big night and the country sent a big message and if you catch the bus, you have to drive the bus and we'll do that as republicans. from a political perspective, we won seats in deep territory and ones that president obama carried in the prior election and some as much as 16% and our

candidates won with 60. from maine to american samoa, from literally sunrise to sun t sunset, republicans were elected. youngest woman ever elected to congress, and incredible opportunity for us to grow as a party and we did. we know 16 will be a different election year. we start right in we'll have opportunities to gain seats even on top of what we have. so our mission will be to retain and gain and we think we can do that, but first we have to govern and that's what we're all committed to do. thank you. >> hi there. i'm luke messer, i'm the newly elected policy chair and new member of the team. it's an exciting opportunity to be here and we want to thank the voters of indiana, none of us get to serve in these roefls without first being sent by the people we represent in our district. on election night just a few days ago the american people spoke loudly. they've given our party an

opportunity and they expect us to deliver. this conference is serious minded about delivering policy that jump-starts this economy and makes a difference for the american people. that starts tomorrow with the vote on the keystone pipeline and that's just the beginning of what we'll see in the coming days and months. thank you. hi. my name is mimi walters and i'm 52 and i'm a freshman. i'm very excited to be a part of this team and i'm very excited to be the voice for the freshman class at the leadership table. we have a wonderful, diverse group of new members and i'm looking forward to getting to meet them and to know them and i'm grateful for the opportunity to be working with the refrt of this group. >> i'll take a couple of questions. luke? >> speaker boehner, was there talk that any bills to fund the government must have language in it that would prohibit the president from the executive order.

do you support that language? >> the president is threatening to take unilateral action on immigration, even though in the past he's made clear he didn't believe he had the constitutional responsibility or authority to do that. and i'll just say this we're going to fight the president tooth and nail if he continues down this path. this is the wrong way to govern. this is exactly what the american people said on election day they didn't want and so all of the options are on the table. we're having discussions with our members and there are no decisions that made as to how we will fight this if he proceeds. >> the funding bill could have that language. would you leave that option open? >> all options are on the table. >> we'll have conversations with our members and when we have a decision we'll let you know. >>. [ inaudible question ] >> our goal here is to stop the president from violating his own

oath of office and violating the constitution. it's not to shut down the government. [ inaudible question ] >> we are looking at all options, and they're on the table. our goal here is to stop the president from doing this. >> do you think you can? >> well, we'll find out. [ inaudible question ] >> well, you know, every administration needs this and needs that and needs all kinds of things, and, you know, if he wants to go off on his own there are things that he's just not going to get. nice to see you. >> that was the new house republican leadership following elections earlier today, and back with me now is e.j. dionne. joining me now is former white house press secretary robert gibbs. well, well, well, robert, what did you make of that press conference that began on talking

points and a lot of that we are going to work and this is not your father's gop and boehner ended it by saying we'll fight the president tooth and nail. >> reporters had gone out to see campaigns and -- and you had candidates saying we'll break the gridlock in washington, yeah, and we'll fight the president and there were these two very, very different ideas. >> right. >> and i think the press conference gives you a little bit of that visual sense of what now that is going to mean. is how do you get the town moving? how do you break gridlock yet, if your biggest thing is opposing the president tooth and nail or using all options that are on some table, sort of how do you do all that? and i think it will be an interesting thing. obviously, we were talking as it was happening and the governing

face that the republican party wants and needs america to see. >> it sounds like boehner is open to the idea of attaching something to any government funding bill that could theoretically shut down the government. >> it would have to do from preventing the president? >>. >> that's the first thing mitch mcconnell said when he was basically crowned majority leader and i don't mean that in a pejorative way, the day after the election when he said you know, we're not going to do government shut downs and debt ceiling shenanigans. i think this is going to be the beginning of this very, very fascinating dance to watch over the course of really the next year and this is just in some ways the warm-up act. >> i think when congress gets into how to do a budget, e.j.

probably recalls 20 years ago bill clinton who lost the congress and lost the senate and then drew a pretty bright line on the budget and medicare and social security and the environment and that really was the fight that washington had for the entire year and quite frankly led to a successful reelection in 1996. >> how do ju justify or square all options are on the table and there will be no government shutdowns. >> first, we need a freedom of information request to find this table. >>. >> we need a really big table or a small one. >> i was struck when speaker boehner said that he would stop the president from violating his oath of office and that sounds like impeachment because that's really strong language to put out there. so if that's what he thinks this is, how does he stop it? because he clearly doesn't want to go even to impeachment and robert mentioned the clinton fights in the '90s.

i think this is going to be a really interesting test for the president. >> where does he draw the line? what does he choose to fight on? >> you know, when clinton picked medicare, medicaid, education and the environment and i still remember it, it's in my ears and he picked popular things that were principal things for democrats and the republicans will have to be careful that they don't give him great issues to fight on and i think the ryan budgets if that's the path they go on. >> and that's the -- and the question is do they take up the ryan budget? that's the premium support model of medicare and that has blocked medicaid to governments that is setting up a commission to look at social security. the complaint was you can't get any of this in the senate. now you have the senate. is this the plan? >> to their credit, republicans have been priming their members to vote for this that at some point in the future they control all branches of government and that's what the repeated votes

on the budget are about. for the last few years, house republicans who are much safer and their seats are much safer and they've been able to take the vote knowing that it will not go to the senate and there are not 50 votes to pass that budget. now there are 54 votes and they'll send it to mitch mcconnell and the filibuster is not an issue so mitch mcconnell will have to find a way to get susan collins and ted cruz. he can't lose that many votes and if he can't reach 51 votes then it kind of goes to show you the republicans can't actually do this even if they want to. >> that is president obama's best. that ted cruz and susan collins will not get on the same page. >> not to mention all of the republicans that are on the ballot for states for them. >> the one thing i don't know that i would totally count on is getting the republicans all on the same page because if there's one thing they've been pretty good at for the last six years is beings on the same page at least in stopping what the president wanted to do. so some party loyalty will be

interesting. i think susan collins just got reelected so these got six years. i think the republicans have to show that they can govern. the democrats have to show they also can govern and this will be a fascinating and quite frankly, a year-long, big, big fight. >> we have to take a big break, robert, brian and e.j. i sound like a teacher. coming up, the president may be issuing his third veto ever against something members of his own party are pushing to pass. i'll explain just ahead. so guys -- it's just you and your honey. the setting is perfect. you know what? plenty of guys have this issue, not just getting an erection, but keeping it.

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and sometimes i struggle to sleep at night,nd. and stay awake during the day. this is called non-24, a circadian rhythm disorder that affects up to 70 percent of people who are totally blind. talk to your doctor about your symptoms and learn more by calling 844-824-2424. or visit your24info.com. don't let non-24 get in the way of your pursuit of happiness. we decided not to lean on one of them and that's the keystone pipeline. the house will vote tomorrow to build the keystone pipeline and hopefully the senate will pass it as well. >> that was john boehner making his first public remarks since the new republican leadership was elected. >> it comes one day after mary landrieu urged a vote on

keystone in the senate and the house. >> landrieu took to the senate floor again to remind everyone it was not republicans who brought keystone to a vote. >>. >> i'm the senator that came to the energy committee to say let's get our business done. let's start now. i'm glad we'll be voting very soon. >> it will take a final vote on it tomorrow. the senate is expected to vote on it next tuesday. back with me are robert gibb, brian boyntler and e.j. dionne. joining me is co-chair of the congressional progressive caucus congressman raul. so much happening on the hill today and not what i'm used to saying. what's your thought about the fact that democrats are a major engine behind the keystone pipeline? frankly, i think that it's kind of in the senatorial campaign in louisiana and the

representatives running against senator landrieu in the senate. the keystone needs study and it continues to need studied and the public continue s to continn and it needs to be deliberate and done correctly. a lot of pressure the president in terms of what his final discussion was going to be. if it passes both houses, i hope the president veto it and then requires the two-thirds vote because this is the hijacking a process, accepting this particular transcanada from the environmental reviews and the economic reviews that are necessary and unintended consequences should not be on the table for this pipeline and frankly, i hope the president vetoes it if it does pass. it's one upsmanship and the american taxpayers are caught in the middle.

>> congressman, what do you think about the leaked information on the president's executive action on immigration. the fact that it might affect 5 million men and women that are undocumented in this country. >> i'm glad the president is moving in that direction. i don't know any specifics, but the amount is an amount that will affect many people and particularly those individuals that have citizen children and citizen spouses so they, too, can have a protection for two years as do the dreamers in this country. i think it is a strong step forward. other areas still need to be touched in terms of how we deal with this issue, but overall, the president is waiting for republican leadership in the house has not borne fruit in the last four years. the president waiting now for mcconnell to move the senate in that direction after they passed the bipartisan bill 18 months ago. i don't see much progress there. i think the president telling the country and congress i'm

prepared to act before the new year and before the new congress. i think it moves the republicans into taking this question that is very serious and serious to the american people and do something with it or, quite frankly, the last option is the president, we've known that for a year and for him to exercise that option i don't have a problem with it given the inability and resistance to do anything meaningful on immigration reform. >> thank you very much for your time, congressman. >> thank you very much. robert, let's start with keystone, because you haven't talked about that yet. what is the interesting place for the president here? >> the white house has to fig you out what it wants to fight on. you know, it seems likely they'll get 60 votes tomorrow. we know there are 60 votes particularly when you add in the

new members. so i do wonder in some ways if the president doesn't say, you know, this is a fight that they're likely to lose on the pipeline either some time just next week or some time next year or you can easily see the president simply deciding not to veto it and moving that issue off the table. >> the ultimate question is, brian, do you think it actually helps mary landrieu and her race? because that's actually why this is even happening at all. >> at the margin, maybe, enough to overcome a 10-point deficit, absluolutely not. i think that there is a good chance that come january there will be 67 votes for this. if they can override a veto in january, the logic becomes why not try and help mary landrieu even if it doesn't work very well and if it's going to happen anyway in january, let's do it now in november when it can possibly be down to the benefit of the democrat. >> i guess that's the logic.

>> since this is all political, if they do pass it. the president has to assign a veto if that's what he wants to do until after the runoff in louisiana and be totally candid that this is policy and it will become automatically. >> let me ask you, robert, in terms of the budget. the idea that we are going to get through government funding without it being some sort of painfully extracted process seems unlikely, but to the point earlier. >> i think that is almost assured. >> or in terms of the president. in terms of what he will stomach, do you think there's anything in the way of social safety net programs that the republican congress would pass that he would be a menable to? >> in some ways it's hard to imagine and i think, you know, going back to the clinton example literally 20 years ago it is looking for, you know, what are the real core values that you have? quite frankly, one of the things

that the democratic party needs to speak to which is a broader economic agenda and that's why a social safety net is important. that's why education funding is so important and i think that's the place that you'll see the president draw the line and quite frankly, i hope that means then there will be that broader democratic, economic agenda raising the minimum wage is absolutely important. it cannot be the totality of an economic idea because it leaves out literally hundred his of millions of people. it has to be much, broader and it has to speak to the income and equality and i think that's what this fight's going to ultimately end up being about. >> robert makes a good point as to whether democrats need to make more thinking. >> elizabeth warren got her own feet in democratic leadership and none of it existed before today. e.j., what do you -- what does that mean? how do you read that? >> president obama said that

president clinton should be secretary of explaining stuff. elizabeth warren was the senator of explaining stuff in this campaign, but does that complicate things for them? >> does it complicate? it could. i don't think she would challenge the leadership if she knew they were wrong. she doesn't just rally the democratic base. >> and warren has a message that voters wouldn't necessarily trust the democrats and listen to and say these attacks on the privilege, these things make sense to them. >> anything that progressives have and there is's progressive case to be made among white working class voters. >> i think that getting more signals two things and the senate democrats want to be a primary and they want a progressive spokesperson who is there to anchor the party and the others that they're preparing for some difficult times and that they want

somebody who speaks to the base well to be able to explain what's happening to them. >> all options are on the table. all options were on this table. i don't think anybody at home can see how many note cards i had today. robert gibbs, it is good to see you, my friend. welcome back. >> i'm glad to be at the table with the options. >> thank you guys. always good to see you. that is all for "now." "the ed show" is coming up next. good evening, americans and welcome to the ed show live from new york. if you're in the business of doing business for the people you've got to have a plan. what is the republican plan for health care? let's get to work. ♪ ♪ >> there has to be a solution to replace obamacare. >> now is the time! you've been less than forthright about what their proposed chans