. >> and joining us in the studio -- jonathan strong and jonathan weisman. gentlemen, thank you for joining us today. let's start with the unemployment figures. 8.1% in the united states with jobless figures added back. what does that mean? >> it means we're headed in the right direction, but what it means emphatically is the republicans should have passed the president's jobs bill. it is the only jobs bill that is out there. it puts 2.1 million people back to work. what we ought to do is take the time -- because we hear repeatedly the republicans talk about the number of people that are unemployed. it just seems that their policies need to be geared towards seeing the president's failure rather than seeing the nation's succeed. that should be the order of business. frankly, we should really get the jobs bill done. >> go ahead. >> congressman, it has been 3 1/2, almost four years president obama has been in office. how many years do you expect voters to give him to bring the economy back to where was before the financial crisis? >> how many years do you thin

also joining us -- jonathan strong and jonathan weisman. >> congressman, your the chair of the democratic caucus. at the end of this congress, you will be term-limited al. the you expect to have a leadership role in the next congress? >> hour and tighter focus -- our entire focus is winning back the majority. >> as you know, there are candidates running for vice chair. >> let me say the vice chairman position and the chairman position of our caucus -- there is an excellent role. it is, as you point out, term- limited. most members, i daresay, and our caucus are focused on their reelection. your colleagues understand that you're running. but i will guarantee you that both jared and joe and barbara lee and others seeking positional all indicate the primary focus is to win the majority. >> will the house remain in republican control? >> as it stands today, and just listening to the reports that we have during this past convention week, we are right there. and we believe once we get a little bit of a sale to our back here -- sail to are back here. re-taking 25 seats. there is nobody who works

. >> our guests joining us today -- you just heard from jonathan weisman, a congressional reporter for roll call. jonathan strong. both you gentlemen. thank you for joining us on "newsmakers." >> america has been patient. americans have supported this president in good faith. but today the time has come to turn the page. the time has come to put the disappointments of the last four years behind us. to put aside the divisiveness. to forget about what might of been and to look ahead at what can be. now is the time to restore the promise of america. [applause] many americans have given up on this president, but they have not ever thought about giving up. not on themselves. not on each other. and not on america. what is needed in this country today is not complicated or profound. it does not take a special government commission to tell us what america needs. what the government needs is jobs. lots of jobs. >> know this, america. our problems can be solved. if our challenges can be met. if the path we offer may be harder, but it leads to a better place. i am asking you to choose that future

. >> our guests joining us today -- you just heard from jonathan weisman, a congressional reporter for roll call. jonathan strong. both you gentlemen. thank you for joining us on "newsmakers." >> what "newsmakers" >> thank you. thank you. thank you. my fellow democrats. my fellow americans, my fellow texans. i stand before you tonight as a young american, a proud american of a generation born as the cold war receded shaped by the tragedy of 9/11, connected by the digital revolution, and determined to reelect the man who will make the 21st century another american century, president barack obama. [cheers and applause] . my grand mother was an orphan. as a young girl she had to move from mexico to san antonio where some relatives had agreed to take her in. she never made it past the fourth gread. she had to drop out and start working to help her family. my grandmother spent her whole life working as a maid, a cook, and a baby sitter barely scraping by but still working hard to get my mother, her only child, a chance in life, so that my mother could give my brother and me an even better o

. >> and joining us in the studio -- jonathan strong and jonathan weisman.tlemen, thank you for joining us today at. let's start with the unemployment figures. 8.1% in nine states withob