joining us is north dakota senator kent conrad chairman of the senate budget committee.ou for joining us. great to see you. >> good to be with you. >> senator, so it sounds like we're not even on the eve of the debt limit and yet each side is going into the trenches. do you think compromise is even possible and i say this to you as someone who as a moderate is retiring from the senate this year. >> i am retiring, but you know, i've been part for the last five years, efforts to bring both sides together. senator judd gregg who is a ranking republican on the senate budget committee and i came up with the idea for a commission, we pitched to the our colleagues, we got 53 votes but we needed 60. then the president went forward on an executive order basis and created the commission called the bowles-simpson commission, and that commission i was part of, 18 of us, 11 of us agreed to a plan, five democrats, five republican, one independent. i still remain hopeful that provides the best blueprint to deal with our deficits and debt. that's what i presented to the senate budget co

north dakota kent conrad's rerequirement is a great opportunity to pick up a seat but a new poll showsemocrat with a slight lead over republican rob byrd in what is otherwise a reliably conservative state. karl rove's group has announced that it will spend $76,000 on ads targeting hidecamp. it is the first one that has been funded this election season. it will be a big deal. and coming up we're going to speak to the woman in the middle. of that north dakota battle. heidi is going to join us live inside "the war room." and mitt romney is taking credit for things they shouldn't, and running away from the very things they should. occupy 2.0. a new set of tactics and targets. we'll have the latest on the occupy spring. we're just getting started. screwed again. >>i think you know which one we're talking about. the overwhelming majority of the country says"tax the rich, don't go to war." >>just wanted to clarify that. i have the most common type of atrial fibrillation, or afib. it's not caused by a heart valve problem. i was taking warfarin, but my doctor put me on pradaxa instead to reduce

. >> kent conrad.terday are acting so responsibly. ron widen. i tell you what, a tip of the hat to dick durbin, who dared to vote for simpson-bowles. there are democrats that are on the honor roll, but i tell you what, the senate -- >> collectively not getting anything done. the chart that joe just showed, what does that bode for us? >> technically in three or four years, the imf would be here if that continues. and one of the things that i think that we should have been doing is have a treasury secretary, as much as i like a lot of what tim geithner has done, he should be providing some analysis to the democrats. the three democrats you mentioned are financially literate. a vast number of the senate democrats are not financially literate. kent conrad knows more about the budget than republicans or democrats. he's been very straight. every time i've spoken to him he said it's a clear path. dave cody, who is the ceo of honeywell put together a lot of the notes of what happens with simpson-bowles. he is

kent conrad join me from the senate. thanks for joining us.pretty extraordinary that the president of the united states and you, as the budget chair and acknowledged expert on all things budget, with everything that you're facing that the country's facing, that you wouldn't be in communication almost constantly, is what going on here? >> you know, i really don't see this as a big deal. i really don't. i'm in contact with his chief of staff, with the head of the office of management and budget, with the vice president, with the deputy chief of staff. i've just never thought it was my place to be calling up the president of the united states when he's got so many consequencele things on his plate when i've got a very easy way to communicate with him, through his econochief of staff used to be head of office management and budge. but there's no senate budget, there has not been a senate budget for how long? it's a key attack line from the republicans. >> but let me stop you there. >> constant filibustering because of the republicans, as well, as

. >> the comments of senator kent conrad on the senate floor earlier today. jeff sessions republican from the budget committee, ranking republican weighing in their vision for the future while investing considerable amount of time and effort in attacking anybody who does. they even vote down their own president's budget as bad as it is, the most irresponsible budget ever submitted here in my opinion. so this is a really odd situation that we're in. and i would just say that our country has never been in more danger financially. bowles-simpson came before the budget committee and told us this nation, both of them sienged a statement from there, this nation has never faced a more predictable financial crisis. in other words, the course we are on today is unsustainable. they told us that. they told us it could happen as soon as within two years and that was over a year ago that they made that testimony. we are in the danger zone financially. and i know a lot of people would like to say it is not so but it is so. look at this chart. this chart shows the total deb

kent conrad, a moderate, i suppose, the head of the budget committee wanted to at least hold hearings on a budget, maybe the ryan budget, and harry reid wouldn't even let him do that. now, that is an abrogation of senate responsibility. >> you know what? i think if you look at the kind of hearings that are held, let's say in the house. let's look at the issa hearings, for instance. what happens is republicans want to put on a show for their base. they want to call only the kind of people to testify who will testify to their already existing ideology. they aren't hearings. it's a show. so there's no point in doing that. these things even if they were to make it through the senate somehow would be vetoed by the president. >> yeah, but wait -- kim, i think joy is missing the point. what i'm saying is there's no process in the senate, in other words, i'm not expecting the senate democrats to necessarily vote the paul ryan budget. but i am expecting them to hold hearings to have a national discussion to set an agenda for a policy debate that might look like simpson/bowles or whatever that

coburn, conservative republican from oklahoma, mike crapo, conservative republican from idaho and kent conrad. eight of us with mark warner, saxby chambliss. we are working toward the bowles/simpson approach which unfortunately paul ryan's budget doesn't reflect. everything has to be on the table. if we're going to work this out, if we're going to compromise and give the american people an answer instead of a political speech or sound bite, we've got to get back to the same basic bowles/simpson principles that paul ryan and unfortunately the three house republicans refuse to vote for. it's still the bottom line solution to our problem. >> senator, let me ask you a political question in this campaign. polling, "usa today"/gallup. a show of strength for governor romney on the economy. folks saying 55% of the economy would get better if romney's elected. 46% believe that if the president's re-elected p you see the corresponding numbers for how it gets worse. how much of a negative right now is the current state of the economy for president obama? >> i think people see an increase in a private se

top democrats kent conrad, chair of the senate budget committee, tom harkin, chair of pensions committeeff bingman chair of the energy resources committee have not talked to the president in months. you question the relationship between the two. it does not seem warm. we know the president met with leadership. but in terms of coordinating the message, that does not seem to be there. >> the most common thing i hear from democrats on the hill is how distant he seems. he doesn't reach out. how he basically has a chilly governing style. i think that's actually something we haven't talked a lot about in terms of the coming campaign. i think it will dim senses the ar door and enthusiasm that certain party leaders bring toward it, not in ways they necessarily intend. it's impossible to feel as passionate about someone who essentially ignores you as it does who reaches out to constantly. >> when he reaches out to you, gives you a to-do list. the president giving congress things he would like to see them get done. >> to a certain degree running against them has prevented him from enacting major p

>> kent conrad wanted to do a budget. he said many times.e're going to do a budget, at least in committee. if senator reid won't allow us to take it on the floor, we'll do it in my committee. i wasn't in the closed door meeting but he came out of that sufficiently shaken that he had to change his mind and said, well, we can't do a markup after all. everyone can have five minutes to say whatever they like. there will be no amendments, no votes, nothing produced. >> senator, you're telling me that the senate budget chairman said he was going to put a budget together, and then was ordered to stand down and would only be allowed to let people talk about it? >> well, all i can tell you is what happened between point a and point b. he started off saying he was going to produce a budget. much to his credit. we republicans embraced it. we said let's mark one up. let's have a big old fight and see if we can produce something. he said we will. and then the day before, the market markup was supposed to occur, he announced it would be a unique markup in

senator kent conrad -- >> their proposals would take us right back to the failed policies that broughtcessor, somebody said in the chat room earlier that mitt romney won't say george bush because it's like beatle juice, if he says it three times he appears. [ romantic music ] [ laughter ] >> miss me? [ laughter ] >> yeah, romney said i find it incomprehensive the president can come do office and call his predecessors -- george bush, george bush, george bush. [ laughter ] >> i'm back. [ laughter ] >> evil shall not be named. >> he should call his predecessor's irresponsible and done nothing to fix it. >> despite all kinds of obstruction set in his way. >> if you are look for a description of the problems we face, it's this, duck and cover. [ mumbling ] >> all he has to do -- >> i just have to go back in my shell. that's what i do. >> and he is covered. you can't see him. [ nbc "nightly news" theme ] >> guess what would violate the boner's debt ceiling plan? the budget monitor's budget paul ryan. >> so what is your point? >> isn't that wonderful, eddie? >> isn't that wonderful, eddie? >>

bunch of others are retiring, olympia snowe of maine, joe lieberman of connecticut and kent conrad andnebraska. lot of senators able to work with the other side to get things done will not be there most likely next year. >> exactly what president obama had wanted. >>> a big endorsement for romney last night. i'm calling it a little underwhelming. tell us about it. >> came out around 11:00 last night from former senator rick santorum. he suspended his campaign for the gop nomination back in april. he met with mitt romney last friday, a 90-minute meeting in the pittsburgh area. he sends out the e-mail to supporters, go 13 graphs down, above all else, we both agree that president obama must be defeated. the task will not be easy. it will require all hands on deck if our nominee is to be victorious. he is urging governor romney to put more conservatives on his staff and team and will keep lines of communication going but nothing about the two men campaigning together. we'll see what happens. >> that was my question to you, do you think that will happen? >> it might but there is a lot of ba

kent conrad, budget chairman, trying to cut a deal on the nation's fiscal crisis, can't recall the last heard from the president. tom harkin, in charge of the president's top priority on student loans, hasn't talked with the president in months. jeff bingaman, go-to guy on gas prices, hasn't spoken with the president much since the previous congress. these are all democrats, senator. what's going on? >> well, you know, i met with the president a year and a half ago, and we talked about entitlement reform, and i offered to work with him. in fact, i told him it would help his re-election if he would work with republicans to save social security and save medicare from the trillions of dollars that they're in the hole, and we don't hear anything. i've sent him letter after letter saying i will work with you. i rode on air force one saying i will work with you, but i think they've given up. i think they've taken the year off, they're going to campaign, but nobody's going to do anything. meanwhile, we're borrowing $50,000 a second, it's unsustainable, and where is the president? out on the ca

you have olympia snowe, joe lieberman, ben nelson, kent conrad among others.e tone? does the tone change at all in washington and specifically in the senate in terms of whether or not folks are going to be able to get things done? >> reporter: there's no question that it will change the tone, a tone as you mentioned that was already changing. you just ticked off some of them, we've counted about half a dozen centrist senators, democrats and republicans. they won't be there next year, and it already is incredibly divisive. with somebody like senator lugar gone, it just adds to it. there is no question about it. that is why he released this pretty extraordinary three-page statement. you read from some of it. just as he was walking off the stage warning from his perspective that bipartisan is not a dirty word and that republicans and democrats should not be as intransigent. not clear if anybody is going to heed that warning. >> for folks watching at home and they're wondering what does this mean for me, are they specific policy that is might change or even things

will no longer budge and those of us seen as bipartisan, those like dick lugar, olympia snowe, kent conradut or they're not bothering to run for office again. simon describes congress as collapsing from its former state of sluggishness to one of paralysis. even when it comes to issues both sides support like low interest on college loans that can't get it done. according to "the new york times" this week's senate vote on student loans was the 21st time that republicans have successfully filibustered a democratic bill since january of 2011. meantime our country is drowning in big trouble. from skyrocketing deficits, $15 trillion in debt, high unemployment and ongoing housing crisis and record poverty, food stamp use and the people that we elect to represent us turn a blind eye to those things that if left unattended will bring us down. a foreign enemy will have to fire a shot. here's the question. why won't our leaders focus on the problems that are destroying this country? go to cnn.com/caffertyfile and post a comment on my blog or go to our post on "the situation room's" facebook page. >>

olympia snowe, joe liberman, and two moderate democratic senators, kent conrad and ben nelson, all deciding senate could be more partisan next year. an interesting editorial this morning. at a time when power is divided between the parties, solving problems requires workhorse lawmakers willing to reach across the aisle. lugar lost tracks further and it sends a troubling message that consensus building will be punished. more troubling ahead in a more partisan senate next year. >> bipartisanship now sounds like a bad word. >> yeah, for those on the right and the left, it is. and in the primaries, those on the right and left dominated. it's only in the general elections where the people in the middle can make the point. >> let me switch gears a little bit and not that much because it looks like, again, a real intractable message in north carolina. a constitutional ban passed in north carolina. that's north carolina. the rest of the country feels a little differently if the polls have any indication. what does this mean going into november? >> it's very fascinating. you're right, amendment one

only six or seven months left to do something significant, and it will be easier to do it when kent conrad is with us and i hope we can achieve it. i want to say for those who have said over and over again it's time for a budget resolution, it bears repeating that we passed the budget enforcement act which is a law. a resolution is just that, a resolution passed by the house and senate recommending our spending levels. a budget law passed by congress, signed by the president has the force of law, and it in fact is going to determine our spending levels for the next year. so the people who come to the floor and say isn't it about time we had a budget resolution so we knew what we were going to spend next year? we do. we passed it on a bipartisan basis. in fact, the republican senate leader voted for it. so it isn't like it wasn't a bipartisan effort. it was all the way and the president signed it. and it guides our spending. but let me speak for a moment about those thrilling days of yesteryear as they used to say on the old radio serial, going back to 2001 if you can stick with me for a mi

and no one but perhaps kent conrad who i also wanted to go on that trip. i don't know which one knows more about the workings of finance of this country. they're both good and i wanted them to go together. they spent hours and hours seated in that airplane working out something to do something about the deficit. they both believed it needed some really difficult hard work, and they decided to do what the base closing commission did. that is, prepare legislation -- give it to a commission, bring it back to us. there would be no raiments, no filibuster, up or down vote. that was their legislation. they wrote that and brought it to the floor. so i, as the leader, decided i would move to proceed to it. and i moved to proceed to it. should be a slam-dunk. seven republicans who cosponsored the legislation voted against it. i couldn't bring it to the floor. so that was where the bowles-simpson commission came from. as a result of the republicans walking away from their own efforts to reduce the deficit. the bowles-sifn son was very difficult. they had to have 14