anyway we have chris cillizza joining us right now. tes looks like -- here is the president. let's go to the president direct. >> -- at this hour, the united states senate is moving forward on a package of tax cuts that has strong bipartisan support. and this proves that both parties can in fact work together, to grow our economy and look out for the american people. once the senate completes action on this bill, it will move over to the house of representatives for its consideration. and i've been talking with several members of that body, i recognize that folks on both sides of the political spectrum are unhappy with certain parts of the package, and i understand those concerns. i share some of them. but that's the nature of compromise. sacrificing something that each of us cares about to move forward on what matters to all of us. right now, that's growing the economy and creating jobs and nearly every economist agrees that that is what this package will do. taken as a whole, the bill that the senate will allow to proceed does some ve

chris cillizza and ken vogel. people like george allen, who lost to jim webb in virginia are just gloating over this thing. they're hoping they can say this was a disastrous vote and therefore the senators who voted for it acted unconstitutionally. >> one other name to throw out there, ken kuch nell, he's the one leading this. my guess is he's boosted by this in republican ranks. three rules. there are 25 legal cases about this law. we've had three rulings. two from clinton appointed judges. this is proceeding larnlly along the partisan lines. obviously, the debate over health care e involved into a partisan fight. democrats supportive of it. this is going to the support. one step of many. one important thing that the judge today didn't say, he did not say that an injunction, the structures put in place to implement the bill should be stopped. some democrats said that's not the worst solution we could have gotten today. >> what do you make of the fact that this is a bush appointee and he has contacts with the cons

chris cillizza, thanks. we'll read your blogs.t does it for us for this edition of this week of "andrea mitchell reports." next week richard trunka, head of the aflco. he's meeting with the president today. we'll get his reaction on the that. richard lui is up next with "news nation." [ laughs ] that's so dumb. [ laughter ] nice. [ male announcer ] don't be left behind. get it first with at&t. the nation's fastest mobile broadband network. period. rethink possible. hey tough guy, that cold needs alka seltzer plus! it has the cold-fighting power of an effervescent packed in a liquid-gel for all over relief! hiyah! dude! fifteen percent or more on car insurance? does a former drill sergeant make a terrible therapist? patient: and that's why yellow makes me sad. i think. sarge: that's interesting. you know what makes me sad? you do! maybe we should chug on over to mambie pambie land where maybe we can find some self-confidence for you. ya jackwagon! tissue? crybaby. geico. fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more. this

. >>> so which political story will be making headlines in the next 24 hours chris cillizza is joiningi, chris. >> hi, andrea. we keep talking tax cuts and we're going to keep talking tax cuts and the compromise until we get either a deal or no deal. the important thing tonight, 6:30 house democratic caucus meeting. they're trying to plot strategy, what they should do. there's significant unrest still about this package. it's primarily centered around the estate tax. in the senate bill that we expect to pass later today, you have a higher -- $5 million would be exempt. and there would be a 35% tax once you went over that. house democrats want that exemption to be lower and the tax to be higher. the issue, if they change the bill at all, it has to go back to the senate. it's not clear whether the senate can put together that coalition again. president obama and everybody else wants to get home, get this deal done and get out of here on their christmas break. so it's not clear what democrats in the house are going to do yet to make their opposition and at least make clear to this the pre

msnbc contributor and managing editor of postpolitics.com, chris cillizza joining us now.o? the rules have been pulled -- we've been talking about the house tax cut. >> sure. and now it's not the next 24. maybe it's the next 48 or seven days. >> i feel like -- exactly. like the next 96 every time i come on. at 1:50 every day you and i talk about tax cuts. this is a little bit of house arcana. it's something that will delay but not derail the bill. liberals in the house want more say. they want more amendments. it has to go back to the senate for approval. if the senate approves it. it's still going to take more time. we're waiting on start. we're waiting on don't ask, don't tell. as the snow outside in washington signals, it's very close to christmas. it's very close to the time in which congress is going to have to end this lame duck session. so any delay is not helpful. particularly for a president who wants to score this victory, a victory that the american people polling suggests want, large majorities want. he wants to score the victory, go on vacation, come back rene

msnbc contributor and managing editor of postpolitics.com, chris cillizza joining us now.looking at? >> gosh, andrea. what sad news. you captured it, but golly, i feel bad coming in on top of that. but here's what i will say, a big legislative week for the white house and for congress. first up, we have this test vote on the tax cut compromise, unemployment insurance, all that stuff coming at 3:00 today. we're expecting that this is going to get in excess of 60 votes and that it's going to pass the senate and eventually mass the house as well. >> right now we have to go to robert gibbs at the white house, of course, responding to the virginia federal judge ruling the individual mandate is not constitutional. >> the individual aspects of this legislation weren't to go into effect until 2014, so there's time to work this through. >> what gives the white house confidence that ultimately it will prevail? if this case continues to go on. >> well, i think, and i'm certainly not a lawyer in terms of the legal arguments that underpinned the briefs, but i would say that challenges