majority leader and kevin mccarthy as majority whip. what challenges does he face from his own party? >> i'd think it is hugely exaggerated in the end, the debt limit is going to be lifted. the only question is what is going to be offered in return. boehner is not a fool. they will look at anything sober and reasonable that can be agreed upon. i am not worried about that. i think what you are going to see in this house is a talented team of young leaders like paul ryan, the head of the budget committee, who are going to impress on policy, not necessarily as politicians, but extremely impressive on policy. it is going to be a serious republican house. >> you are talking about backtracking. >> john bidder is a grown-up, a legislator, whose job iso -- john boehner is a grown-up and legislator, whose job is to get the job done.

you saw nothing of kevin mccarthy, the majority whip on purpose. this was a strategic effort on their part to be humble in the approach of power but also try and manage expectations not only externaly but internally. boehner, canter and mccarthy sevened in state slurs. they know the game and -- legislatures. they know the game and how eager the house republican freshmen are so they have to model late their appearances, their tone and try to keep the tea party inspired house republicans from overtaking the agenda. it's a very difficult thing to maneuver through. >> gwen: john, i was struck by nancy pelosi's speech in handing over the gavel where she basically said the democrats were right, even though we lost. how much different is his little going to be from hers? >> major talked about the differences between newt beginning rich and boehner. gingrich said 6,000 words in 1995. boehner about 1,300, only 30 more than nancy pelosi. in 2007 when she came in she had movie stars richard gere in the speaker's box. boehner had the boehners, the family. boeh

he and kevin mccarthy and i wrote a book together and we reserved a chapter for discussion about social security, about medicare and how we can begin to -- >> i'm asking you what you are for? >> what we're for is an active discussion to see what we can come together and do. >> social security has been discussed for years. the irony of paul ryan doing the response to the state of the union, he has proposed cuts to social security and medicare and republicans don't stand behind it. >> that's not true. we put a chapter in our book about it because the direction in which the road map goes is something we need to embrace. >> raise retirement age, means testing benefits, those are specifics. >> the starting point in any plan has got to be we need to distinguish between those at or nearing retirement. anyone 55 and older in this country has got to know that their social security benefits will not be addressed. will not be changed. it's for all of the younger people. those 54 and younger, we're going to have to have a serious discussion. with harry reid talking about the fact that he doesn't wa

and even kevin mccarthy the republican whip in the house has sort of given it a semi endorsement anyway. but that's a step. we can sit and talk with each other and we're human beings. >> lehrer: why would that be important? >> because the chief dynamic in the congress is the herd mentality, my herd and your herd. i've stopped. when a member of congress starts telling about the other the party i want to stop listening because i know what will follow will be false. because they don't know the people this the other party very will well so they get this herd dynamic and it is materialized in the way they sit together and meet together and react as one with. and if you actually physically interspersed them i think would defang that herd mentality and actually have a material difference because the geographical way they organize their lives is, has an effect. i was on the senate floor before the session with a senator and he was showing me the desks. and i wanted to go see the kennedy desk but he was a republican. and he said oh, it's somewhere over there. he didn't quite know where it was be

gingrich and his revolution in 1995 and i don't think that john boehner or able lieutenants like kevin mccarthy want to bring down this caucus in the first year. >> rose: all right. gillian? >> if you lift your eyes out of congress for a second, one issue's going to throw into very sharp relief the challenges that america faces is that we have a visit by the chinese president hu jintao and by golly is that not only going to serve as a reminder of structural challenges america face bus also the fiscal issues because the chinese are holding a lot of american debt. they, like many other international investors, want to see what america's going to do to make sure we can repay that debt. >> rose: what is it that you, congressman mccotter, would like to see the president say in the state of the union about creating growth and creating a competitive economy that can be up to the challenge of emerging of the emerging nations like china? >> well, first what i'd like to see him say about communist china is the reality that it's not a free country. what they have is an economy that they've allowed people

john thune of south dakota and kirsten gillibrand of new york and in the house majority whip kevin mccarthy of california and his democratic counterpart steny hoyer of maryland. udall said he hopes the gesture would prove to the american people that their elected officials can work together. >> i'm an old mountaineer. i think the aisle that divides us has become as high as a mountain. and it's time to climb that mountain and look out upon america altogether. >> reporter: the idea to jettison the traditional seating arrangements gained momentum in the aftermath of the tucson shootings. on capitol hill today, black-and-white ribbons were being handed out to members of the house and senate in remembrance of the victims. >> thank you so much. >> reporter: among first lady michelle obama's guests tonight will be the parents of nine-year-old christina taylor greene who was killed in the attack, daniel hernandez, the intern who came to the aid of the congress wam after she was shot, and university of arizona trauma surgeon peter reed who cared for giffords. bipartisan seating and civility aside, p

republican members of selected as majority whip the gentleman from california, the honorable kevin mccarthy [applause] >> trecognizes the gentleman from connecticut. >> thank you, mr. speaker. as chairman of the democratic caucus, i have been directed to report to the house that the democratic members of elected as minority whip, the gentleman from maryland, the honorable steny hoyer, and as assistant democratic leader, the gentleman from south carolina, the honorable james cliburn. >> the chair recognizes the gentleman from texas. >> i offer a privilege resolution and ask for its immediate consideration. >> the clerk will report a resolution. >> house resolution 1, resolve that karen's of the state of maryland be and is hereby chosen clerk of the house of representatives, that will send living good of the commonwealth of virginia be and is hereby chosen sergeant at arms of the house of representatives. then daniel j. frodel of the district of columbia be and is hereby chosen chief administrative officer of the house of representatives, and that father daniel coughlan of the state of illino

think you all again and god bless. >> i am kevin mccarthy, the majority whip of.veryone's heart is warm because we celebrate the sanctity of life. pahang i may be a member of congress, but one of my proudest moments is to be a parent. we can think of a more special moment in the first moment you see that sonogram of your child. you watched that newborn begin to coo or take their first steps. we want everyone to have that opportunity. when you look in the eyes of a newborn, you know the power and grace of car maker is reflected in psalm 64, verse 9. then everyone shall stand and confessed the greatness of the miracles of god. he will realize what an amazing thing he does. as you heard from our leader, erich kantor -- eric cantor, the ultimate objective is a society in which there are no abortions. i pledge to you that our republican team in the house of representatives will stand hand in hand with you and we will work to ensure that not one penny of taxpayer dollars is spent funding abortion or abortion coverage. [cheers and applause] as we leave this place today,

republican members of selected as majority whip the gentleman from california, the honorable kevin mccarthy [applause] >> to recognizes the gentleman from connecticut. >> thank you, mr. speaker. as chairman of the democratic caucus, i have been directed to report to the house that the democratic members of elected as minority whip, the gentleman from maryland, the honorable steny hoyer, and as assistant democratic leader, the gentleman from south carolina, the honorable james cliburn. >> the chair recognizes the gentleman from texas. >> i offer a privilege resolution and ask for its immediate consideration. >> the clerk will report a resolution. >> house resolution 1, resolve that karen's of the state of maryland be and is hereby chosen clerk of the house of representatives, that will send living good of the commonwealth of virginia be and is hereby chosen sergeant at arms of the house of representatives. then daniel j. frodel of the district of columbia be and is hereby chosen chief administrative officer of the house of representatives, and that father daniel coughlan of the state of illi

[cheers and applause] good afternoon, i'm kevin mccarthy from california; the majority whip in the houseause] it may be cold out here, but i want to tell everybody's heart is warm because we celebrate the sanctity of life. i may be a member of congress, but one of my proudest moments for my wife and i is to be parents. like many of you who cannot think of a more special moment when you first see that ultrasound of your child or see your child coo or take their first steps. we want everybody to have that opportunity. when you look at the eyes of a newborn, you know the power and grace of our maker. "everyone shall stand and confess the greatness of the miracles of god." [cheers and applause] they will realize what an amazing thing he does. as you heard from our leader, erik cantor, is this congress deciding there are no adorations. as we pursue this, the republican team in the house of representatives will stand hand in hand with you to work to ensure that not one penny of tax dollars are spent funding abortions or abortion coverage. [cheers and applause] as we leave this place today, i w

house minority whip steny hoyer and house majority whip kevin mccarthy became the latest lawmakers to call for democrats and republicans to sit together boy/girl, boy/girl style for the president's speech, joining a movement of lawmakers including senator mark udall. udall says the image you present helps culture change. that is not just talk. he will put is derrier where his mouth is. "i will sit with joe wilson." no lie. with 16 members endorsing the plan, we can start to think about potential parings. nancy pelosi with representative alan west, who tried to hire as his chief of staff a woman who pelosi called "garbage." or we can look at kevin brady and tom price, both of whom have called for tim geithner's resignation. attorney general eric holder would be joined by representative darrell issa, who is called obama's "one of the most corrupt administrations" in history. our guest on "newsmakers" is catherines a bid -- kathleen sebelius. she spoke about the impact of health care law will have. >> since the house has chosen to do this as their first order of business rather than work

leadership of the house, speaker john boehner, majority leader harry kantor and majority whip kevin mccarthy taking office today -- majority leader eric cantor. of this extended five-hour "washington journal" this morning we will speak to several members of congress, congressional scholars, and, as always, we will be taking your phone calls. here is how you can participate -- here are the headlines of the three publications that cover capitol hill comprehensively. here is "roll call." "politico" -- and "the hill" newspaper -- joining us is the managing editor of "the hill" newspaper, bob cusack. this is a day of thispomp. what kind of pomp and substance will be -- will we see today? guest: it is john boehner's day. senators will be sworn in by vice president joe biden. but all eyes are on john boehner. he is going to be sworn in as the 53rd speaker of the house. sworn in by john dingell, the dean of the house. then he will deliver a speech where he will outline how he plans to run the house, the issues he plans to focus on, and primarily it is going to be cutting spending and trying to creat

kevin mccarthy came out and said it is a good idea, a good message to the american people.he assassination attempt on a congressperson is not -- is a very rare event. this is how they're chosen to respond. they've chosen to respond. it is a chance for the new members to showcase their numbers. it sends a message that we won and we are here to fight peer ye. host: our next phone call. caller: we supported the big three. my point is when we were starting to lose our business, the first thing to go is we would get pay cuts and benefit ♪ ♪cuts. and government seems like there is a sense of entitlement where they do not consider treating it like a member of our are sold. is there a reason they cannot go back to basics. and obviously defense is important. and you know, space, and stuff that is important, but not as important. and when they balance their books like a person would in ridhome, why can't stathey get of a lot of the fat? host: sorry about that. we lost or call. guest: the short answer is there were able to get away with it for a long time, and it became have it. lawma

[cheers and applause] good afternoon, i'm kevin mccarthy from california; the majority whip in the houses and applause] it may be cold out here, but i want to tell everybody's heart is warm because we celebrate the sanctity of life. i may be a member of congress, but one of my proudest moments for my wife and i is to be parents. like many of you who cannot think of a more special moment when you first see that ultrasound of your child or see your child coo or take their first steps. we want everybody to have that opportunity. when you look at the eyes of a newborn, you know the power and grace of our maker. "everyone shall stand and confess the greatness of the miracles of god." [cheers and applause] they will realize what an amazing thing he does. as you heard from our leader, erik cantor, is this congress deciding there are no adorations. as we pursue this, the republican team in the house of representatives will stand hand in hand with you to work to ensure that not one penny of tax dollars are spent funding abortions or abortion coverage. [cheers and applause] as we leave this place

the decision will be made by speaker banner, erick kanter, kevin mccarthy, paul ryan. -- speaker boehner. caller: i am 54 and have been a registered republican all my life, but i did vote for obama in this last presidential election, so i can go either way. th respect to major garrett, i hope he is wrong, and i think the majority of the american public hope he is wrongn his analysis of how the state of the union speech is going to go where president obama is going to defend everything that the democrats have done and not give on anything and republicans are plan to argue that everything they have done so far is bad and why it needs to be changed. i think the midterm elections for the american public sick and tired of congress not doing anything. we want to see them do something. the last date of the unions we have seen we have voicing the republicans stand up and cheer and sit down, and this democrats stand up depending on what point was being said. i think the american people want to see everyone stand up and support and talk about vigorous debate. our ideologies are totally different,

the decision will be made by speaker banner, erick kanter, kevin mccarthy, paul ryan. -- speaker boehner. caller: i am 54 and have been a registered republican all my life, but i did vote for obama in this last presidential election, so i can go either way. with respect to major garrett, i hope he is wrong, and i think the majority of the american public hope he is wrong in his analysis of how the state of the union speech is going to go where president obama is going to defend everything that the democrats have done and not give on anything and republicans are plan to argue that everything they have done so far is bad and why it needs to be changed. i think the midterm elections for the american public sick and tired of congress not doing anything. we want to see them do something. the last date of the unions we have seen we have voicing the republicans stand up and cheer and sit down, and this democrats stand up depending on what point was being said. i think the american people want to see everyone stand up and support and talk about vigorous debate. our ideologies are totally differe

[cheers and applause] good afternoon, i'm kevin mccarthy fro california; the majority whip in the house p representatives. [cheers and applause] it may be cold out here, but i want to tell everybody's heart is warm because we celebrate the sanctity of life. i may be a member of congress, but one of my proudest moments for my wife and i is to be parents. like many of you who cannot think of a more special moment when you first see that ultrasound of your child or see your child coo or take their first steps. we want everybody to have that opportunity. when you look at the eyes of a newborn, you know the power and grace of our maker. "everyone shall stand and confess the greatness of the miracles of god." [cheers and applause] they will realize what an amazing thing he does. as you heard from our leader, erik cantor, is this congress deciding there are no adorations. as we pursue this, the republican team in the house of presentatives will stand hand in hand with you to work to ensure that not one penny of tax dollars are spent funding abortions or abortion coverage. [cheers and applause]

this process, both within the leadership, including of course the top team of eric kanter and kevin mccarthy, but also to commit the leaders. how long that lasts a that way will be an interesting process. but also, for john boehner who has a law career, and then being dumped at a time when the republicans went through a great turmoil before it knew to gingrich left the leadership, when you have to say is that this is a very determined and persistent man. you do not fall off that ladder, get up and heal broken bones, get back on, and then rise in this fashion with a pretty strong backbone. host: also joining us is donald ritchie. one of the things the senate is going to do today is look at the filibuster rules. has it ever change? guest: is changed a lot. in the first congress, there was a reference to one of the senators, trying to talk a bill to death. even before they had a filibuster, the day were filibustering. we've begun to see in the 19th century the filibuster. very early and its history, the larger house set of very tight limits on how long a person could speak. the senate has alway

kevin mccarthy came out and said it is a good idea, a good message to the american people.ssassination attempt on a congressperson is not -- is a very rare event. this is how they're chosen to respond. they've chosen to respond. it is a chance for the new members to showcase their numbers. it sends a message that we won and we are here to fight peer ye. host: our next phone call. caller: we supported the big three. my point is when we were starting to lose our business, the first thing to go is we would get pay cuts and benefit ♪ ♪cuts. and government seems like there is a sense of entitlement where they do not consider treating it like a member of our are sold. is there a reason they cannot go back to basics. and obviously defense is important. and you know, space, and stuff that is important, but not as important. and when they balance their books like a person would in ridhome, why can't stathey get of a lot of the fat? host: sorry about that. we lost or call. guest: the short answer is there were able to get away with it for a long time, and it became have it. lawmakers