it was the president, not congress who refused compromise. one of the most successful relationships between a president and congress occurred during the second administration of the clinton. he had encouraged the democratic party to move more closely to the center politically well before he ran for president. his welfare legislation reflect that. his success in working with newt gingrich and the republicans in formulating that tax reduction legislation led to a budget surplus is the touchstone for success in working with the opposing parties to fulfill a president legislative agenda. clinton insightfully appointed erskine bowles to represent him in negotiations with congress. bulls great talent for bargaining was important in reaching the president's legislative agenda. but this is followed by the same house of representatives voting to an each bill clinton, obviously an extreme example, but the age-old conflict between congress and the executive branch of government and get bill clinton was lifted, only seven were elected presidents who were

with you change congress?> bonnie, in today's congress with only a hand full of veteran, male or female, a female disabled veteran who saw combat is going to have unique standing to speak to defense issues. veterans who are disabled and come home don't know what their mission is. to have someone in congress fire for them i think that's a good thing. >> and i think that the diverse which she represents, she believes we need to modernize the v.a. is incredibly important to have her constantly beating that drum is important to make sure that the american people recognize the fact that these military folks have made for us. >> she's example ohow the role of women has evolved over the course of the past few years and past few decades in congress and in the military. >> so how does adding her voice change, for example, how things are going to be done about the next war, if there is one. >> it's interesting to note that there are veterans, people who were not in this congress, but to take mcgovern who was another war

worst congress ever.s no way to dress it up or a way to pretend they really did something important or kept from doing something harmful. they were just awful. >> and norm, one of the things that -- you guys just wrote an article call tonight five myths of the 112th congress, speaker john boehner gets a lot of blame, but he was not really the guy the blame for it. explain a little bit on the thinking of that. >> well, we always talk about the failed leadership, and leadership requires followers. boehner had a problem, he was a legislator, he would have liked to have done more than they did. but if you don't have people who are willing to follow you, and that is because he has people who are way off on the fringe. they are not conservatives anymore, they are radicals. and they has a bunch of others who are far more concern border t ed -- concerned about the growth and the primary challenge, we have sympathy for boehner that comes out in the article. >> there was one view of the 112th, where you said people

with great enthusiasm, we will move forward in this new congress. madam i yield back the balance of my time. >> the 113th congress convened yesterday. on today's "washington journal," we'll talk about two senators will the legislative agenda for the new congress. republican senator john hoeven of north dakota and then maine senator angus king. also today, the government releases the unemployment report for november. we'll talk about the unemployment numbers and what they mean for the economy with marilyn geewax of npr. >> it's quite true that a people history is the result of how our synthesizing the work of great many other historians. what had happened in the 1960s with the culture was that a whole new generation of young historians had come up and they were in essence reevaluating all aspects of our past. >> martin duberman on c-span two. like us on facebook. >> they put us in a field. i don't know someone took a shot and seems like shots were fired. i went down and i think there were something like 96 tanks and each one would fire into the group

worst congress ever.re is no way to dress it up or a way to pretend they really did something important or kept from doing something harmful. they were just awful. >> and norm, one of the things that -- you guys just wrote an article call tonight five myths of the 112th congress, speaker john boehner gets a lot of blame, but he was not really the guy the blame for it. explain a little bit on the thinking of that. >> well, we always talk about the failed leadership, and leadership requires followers. boehner had a problem, he was a legislator, he would have liked to have done more than they did. but if you don't have people who are willing to follow you, and that is because he has people who are way off on the fringe. they are not conservatives anymore, they are radicals. and they has a bunch of others who are far more concern border ed -- concerned about the growth and the primary challenge, we have sympathy for boehner that comes out in the article. >> there was one view of the 112th, where you said peop

what happens as congress begin dealing with the rules of this new congress? guest: the other major first legislative for the day was to deal with the rules package for the 113th congress in the house where this is how -- this is system by which you just set up a bunch of rules to make sure -- to help govern the house. it included in it -- there were some provisions on the house to run the house but there were provisions democrats pointed out authorizing additional money to fund the defense of marriage act in court which they criticized early in the day. host: what else you looking for today as congress convene. hurricane sandy will be the first this morning. guest: major item is going to be the sandy vote. this caused serious wreckage earlier this week. everyone has been focusing on the fiscal cliff vote and it finally passed congress. the news came that the vote that had been scheduled on sending aid to states hurt by hurricane sandy had suddenly pulled from the floor. it infuriated republicans, democrats and very notably republican from the new york and new

with congress over the jay treaty. he had won approval only after considering effort working to reckless members of congress, compromising and controlling. that was with a congress having majority of like thinking federalist. and a president who was revered as a national hero. when the democrats won majorities in congress during his second term, eisenhower worked quietly behind the scenes with the senate majority leader, lyndon johnson, to gain approval of his legislative agenda. ronald reagan developed a close relationship with the democratic speaker of the house tip o'neill, to somehow fulfill his legislative goals, compromise as they were. it might be cynical to postulate that some of nixon's rather liberal legislations forays were prompted by his desire to get along with a democratic-controlled congress. woodrow wilson was the target of republican party that wanted to even many a squabble they had with the president. he defeated both william howard taft and theodore roosevelt to win his first term. he spearheaded l

leaving congress. he was an active baptist minister, spending 35 years as the pastor of the baptist church. for 13 years he was president and ceo of the united negro college fund. he has been honored with nearly 80 degrees from the prestigious universities for public service. congressman bob livingston comes from a number of -- and another of the wonderful historic congressional families. three of his ancestors served in the continental congress. livingston served as a federalist in the eighth of not -- eighth and the ninth congress. edward livingston served in the andth and sixth congress'es then served in the senate as a member of the jacksonian party. senator trent lott, the always eloquent and with the senator, is a best-selling author. his memoirs i recommend highly for an insider's look at congress, and another little- known fact is that he was a cheerleader at the university of mississippi. i am pleased to turn the floor over to mark shields. mark, please take it away. >> things for that great c

you were in congress back in '94 when congress passed an assault weapons ban supported by presidents ford and reagan. president clinton pushed as part of a broader anti-crime package. even rudy giuliani supported it against the will of his party. will president obama's have a better chance of passing? >> if it is in one package the entire package could rise or fall based on one vote. i think if it is a comprehensive package, it may be shifting majorities. i know in the crime bill, there was strong support and strong opposition for a lot of different items but there is a majority across the board, i think if we had broken that up, it would not have had the adverse political effect. many people believe they lost their seats in congress because of the crime bill. because of the assault weapons ban. others did not vote for it because they had death penalties and other problems. i think there was a shifting majority for all of those so that those who oppose one or another wouldn't have to step up and vote and risk their seat for the package. i believe there's a lot that we can pass. we sh

but congress could revisit the no child left behind act.een federal and state regulations is going to come to a head sooner rather than later and congress will have to be forced to have that discussion. >> you also see the dodd-frank too big to fail law as a hot button issue. why? >> right. although there hasn't been as much of an uproar to overhaul that law or overturn it, as compared to say the health care law, there's definitely a growing sense on both sides of the aisle and interestingly enough to reexamine these too big to fail, the mega institutions, which are governing our markets. and i think you see people on both sides of the aisle, senator sharon brown, a democrat of ohio and senator witter of louisiana coming together and they're on opposite sides of the political spectrum, coming together to put pressure on congress to see if these banks are too big and see if five, ten -- five years down the road are we going to be in the same economic issue as in 2008. >> the epa's climate change rules for existing polluters. >> global warmin

congress. guest: we thought maybe there wouldn't be that much with the fissical call cliff but congress kicked the can down the road. they reached a deal on the fiscal cliff put they set up more fiscal cliffs, as senator jim moran said on the floor recently. the big battle is the debt ceiling. will the president and republicans in congress agree to raise the debt ceiling maybe in exchange for spending cuts. we saw that in 2011. the obama administration says they're not playing that game anymore. they have some type of plan to raise the debt ceiling and go around the congress. they're not revealing detifles it but that that's going to be the big fight, the debt ceiling fight in a couple of months. host: we're talking with bob cusack on the open dage of the 113th congress. we want your questions and congressmens, democrat, 202-585-3880, republicans 202- 585-3881. let's get the first call, michael. caller: i'm an professor in an m.b.a. program, i have students from 48 country, i have a pretty good

the 112th was a turnover congress.o was the 104th, when clinton was president >> if you look at the genesis for the dysfunction that we have in our politics, the parties operating the way they are, almost the tribal atmosphere, a lot of it was generated not just by the gingrich led congress, but what led up to it. 16 years before that where newt was trying get a republican majority, it took 40 years in total, took him 16 years. but he created a division, or helped to propel one that led us in the direction. it's one thing if you have parties that see themselves as adversaries and know you have to compromise, but when you have a party that is in opposition for the president and says if he is for it even if i was for it, i'm against it now. >> eight senators voted against it, this kind of bipartisan ship on such a contetious bill, almost unheard of here, do we think that maybe perhaps the culture is changing? >> well, if you look at the senate, i do think we are seeing a different senate. what i find striking though is t

and shame on congress and shame on us for not holding our congress accountable. >> shira, back to thessue of accountability, and i can't go back enough to the statement of david keene, the president of nra saying he doesn't believe an assault weapons ban would go through congress but some of the proposals expecting from the president which john touched on includes a universal background check on all gun buyers and the white house not backing off on a new assault weapons ban. the president saying consult your conscience. with some of the stats that john also pointed out and with this new ground swell of people who are gun rights advocates backed by mayors, bloomberg with his millions of dollars of influence and out with a new ad today, where does this leave the members of the gop? even those in red states. >> right. so, there's some members of congress, republicans, many of whom in the south from conservative areas that will not vote for anything that at all looks like a restriction on gun rights. they won't vote for it. some democrats, a few, as well. to pass any kind of legislation o

the 113th congress. will it prove to be the same old matchup between the white house and capitol hill? the new members of the senate will be sworn in just about an hour or so from now on capitol hill. a bit later on this afternoon. house speaker john boehner could face an historical vote to keep his seat today, just a day after the all-out mutiny on the s.s. boehner. >> there's only one group to blame for the continued suffering of these innocent victims, the house majority and their speaker, john boehner. i called the speaker four times last night after 11:20 and he did not take my calls. >> the dismissive attitude that was shown last night toward new york, new jersey and connecticut typifies, i believe, a strain in the republican party. this should not be the republican party, this should not be the republican leadership. >> under pressure the speaker issued a joint statement with eric cantor, saying getting critical aid to victims of hurricane sandy should be the first priority in the enough congress.

why is congress doing that to us? i don't think anybody can live on that -- we live below poverty, but we managed to pay our bills. we have complained to senators, we have complained to congressman, we have complained to social security about this. they said if he paid into social security, you would get this money back. this is what our government promised first. now they are telling s -- telling us that everyone is worried about entitlements. why are we paying into it if we're not going to get it back? guest: i'm certainly not going to offend -- going to defend and congress before me because i have not been a member. but i can tell you social security was a big issue in the campaign and is a big issue for seniors -- my mother lives on social security for example. whatever decisions are made are going to be made in a careful and deliberate way and i can only speak as one of 435. but it even do that yet, can to end a little while. but my vote will always be a vote to make sure the senior population is well represented

brand new congress swearing in at noon. of course there was no love loss for the 112th congress and very little was accomplished. will anything change for the 113th? republicans still have the majority in the house, democrats are in power in the senate. the agenda still has a lot of unfinished business, gun control, immigration, sequester, debt limit, farm bill, hurricane sandy relief, filibuster, violence against women act and all of problems they just didn't solve last time. after the partisan wrangling that characterized the last congress, there might be good news because, well, expectations are low. it was the least productive and with approval ratings as low as 12%, is there anyplace to go but up? let me bring in our guests. good morning. >> good morning. >> happy 113th to both of you. as far as wrable up old busin s as far as wrapping up the old business, the president is gearing up for the next fight, the debt ceiling. let me play what pat toomey said to you about it. >> the president is clear. he doesn't want to hav

it is a worthwhile endeavor to spend time in the first few days of this new congress, perhaps any congress, to review the inspiring words of our nation's founding document. the rules package i have just outlined for you will better enable each of us as an institution to perform our constitutional duties. and obligations -- duties and obligations with integrity, transparency and accountability while streamlining its operations. presenting this package to the house as my first official act for the 113th congress, i think it exemplifies an open, deliberative process that allows the majority to work its will while preserving the ability of individual members, particularly those in the minority, to present their ideas and engage in meaningful debate. i urge my colleagues to support this rules package and reserve my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from new york. ms. slaughter: i'm pleased to yield two minute this is the democratic whip from maryland, mr. hoyer. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for two minutes. mr. hoyer: i thank the ranking member, ms. slaughter

congresses and even fewer than the famous do-nothing congress of 1947-1948.s not just they were unproductive, they were actively counterproductive as ezra klein points outs in bloomberg today. the 112th almost shut down government, almost breached the debt ceiling, and almost went over the fiscal cliff. all crises of their own making. ezra klein is also an msnbc political analyst and "washington post" columnist. robert costa is the washington editor at national review and a cnbc contributor. gentlemen, the 112th congress was not only unproductive, it was hugely unpopular. for comparison's sake, the irs, nixon during watergate and bp during the oil spill all had higher popularity ratings than this congress, and yet, ezra klein, if the objective was to thwart all things obama, you could say they were immembersly successful. >> and yet they weren't because the over arching strategy was to eventually thwart obama himself, to get him not re-elected, to allow mitt romney or whoever was the republican nominee for president, to become president in 2012 thus fulfillin

of the 112 congress, and today.e won a second term as speaker, and boehner, cried tears of joy. >> we're sent here not to be something, but to to something. or as i like to call it doing the right thing. it is a big job, and it comes with big challenges. >> one of the loudest voices in yesterday's republican rebellion was new york congressman peter king, who blasted boehner for not holding a vote on sandy relief, accusing the speaker of taking out this function within the leadership ranks on the state of new york, and telling voters to stop donating money to his party, he today reversed himself. >> john is a voice of reason in our conference, despite when things i said yesterday, i do consider john boehner a friend, which is what really hurt the other day. lou: king reversing himself after boehner agreed to hold a vote on a scaled back version of sandy relief, and new jersey governor chris christie, saying as governor he has actual responsibilities unlike the people in congress, but the truth is that boehner's criti

president obama and congress face a pessimistic nation. very negative on their ability to work together. we're going to break down the new numbers in our brand new poll this morning. congress had slightly better numbers back in the '70s when minnesota's rick nolan first got elected. then he took a hiatus for 30 years. now he's back with a lot to say about what's changed. he is sort of everything is old is new again in our meet the new members series. the white house unveils the president's official portrait for the next four years. wait until you get a closer look at the toll of the last four on him. good morning from washington. it's friday, january 18th, 2013. this is "the daily rundown." i'm chuck todd. our final "daily rundown" of the obama first term. right to my first reads of the morning. if 2009 was all about hope, 2013 may be about the ability to cope. so says one of our pollsters. if it is possible americans have grown more pessimistic about their leaders in washington and, worse, they think those leaders are now hurting the econ

congress was hosting this institution. now, one of the strange things about the inauguration, and one that leads to controversy is that, as i mentioned, the constitution write out the oath of office. one thing the constitution does not say is concluding the inaugural oath with "so help me god." yet most president say so help me god. there was a folklore that develop that washington said so help me god, and we were looking for sources to verify that he did or did not say "so help me god," and we are not so sure about this. one of the account was given by washington irving, who was about five years old at the time, but years later he gave his remembrance. we still do not know what happened at this stage. it is up to the president of the united states to say whatever he wants, and most president in the 19th century did not repeat the oath of office. they just said "i do." what is interesting to me is that the chief justice that swears than in says "so help me god." if you are going to be a strict interpreter of the constituti

he is also asking the public to put heat on members of congress. >> remembers of congress if they support universal background checks to keep guns out of the wrong hands. the response from the nra was immediate. >> is the president's kids more important than yours? why is he's skeptical about putting our security in his school's, when his daughters have arm together school? mr. obama demands of will to pay their fair share of taxes but he is just another elitist hypocrite when it comes to his fair share of security. protection for his kids and gun- free zones for hours. -- for ours. >> at the white house, and jay carney called the ad cover the. the nra says that the ad is not aimed at anyone's child in particular. anyone who says otherwise is changing the topic and missing the point. sales have gone through the roof. can the president moving mountain this time around? >> no, and it is true public opinion has changed, there is more desire for gun control than ever but i do not think congress will budge on the big stuff. what the nra did was odious. i think the president is on the high grou

congress. >> it did not go so far. >> most of them are not in congress anymore. with the passage of time. >> but not for that reason. >> but not for that reason. they never said anything at all that would be taken as critical of the government of venezuela. remember, to get people to speak at when you have your own national interest to follow -- you know, the united states -- it is just the way it works. if the united states whispers something here, it becomes a roar in venezuela. there is a magnifying impact, which the government of venezuela uses. it likes to do that. they are in fact the magnifier. >> in a few moments, ben bernanke says that congress should raise the nation's borrowing limit to avoid a potential default of the u.s. debt. he spoke at the university of michigan. "washington journal" begins at 7:00 a.m. eastern. and then matthew cartwright, the member of the oversight and reform committee. and the u.s. house of representatives will be in session at 10:00 eastern. it includes disaster aid spending bill for hurricane sandy. members will consider le

your assessment of the new congress? >> well, as juan suggested, this is a much more diverse congress. notably, it is a much more progressive congress, particularly the senate. the changes that occurred in the senate, even seats that had been held by democrats, moved to the left. it is a congress that has the potential to do some things that were not done in the past. it is also a very vulnerable congress. the important thing to understand is this is a divided congress. the house is minimally controlled by the republicans. there is a lot of chaos in the republican party. the senate is clearly under democratic control, that democratic control has very little meaning without filibuster reform. this is the most important thing we will discuss today. if the democrats want to actually exercise power, if they want to be able to negotiate with the republican house in a realistic way, they will have to reform the filibuster rules so they cannot be blocked at every turn. >> john, the senate, which initially said it would move qui

if the congress, within 21 days after receipt of the latter written declaration, or, if congress is not in session, within 21 days after congress is required to assemble, determines by 2/3 vote of both houses that the president is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office, the vice president shall continue to discharge the same as acting president. otherwise, the president shall resume the powers and duties of his office. amendment 26, section 1, the right of citizens of the united states who are 18 years of age or older to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the united states or by any state on account of age. section 2, the congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation. mr. goodlatte: i yield to the gentleman from illinois, mr. davis. mr. davis: thank you, madam speaker. no law -- this is the 27th amendment. no law varying the compensation for the services of the senators and representatives, shall take effect, until an election of representatives shall have intervened. mr. goodlatte: and that concludes the reading of the united states

-- congress.aker boehner will be doing mock swear-ins for a while. guest: he saw three angels at the foot of his bed on his recovery. that has made him a more religious man. that is going to be very emotional. a lot of prayers have gone to him. host: we're hearing his way to make his way up the senate steps on the east side of the capital and will be met there by vice president joe biden. we will have a camera there. c-span.org for more of the details of. guest: that will be very emotional. host: first phone call for bob cusack, ron in pennsylvania, independent. caller: i am not a republican, democrat, or liberal, but i am just wondering, what is going on with this government? the treatise like we are babies. when they do not want to hear us, they go to another room and shut the door. the thing that really bothers me is hurricane sandy. i have friends and family in long island. when i saw president obama on tv and he went out there and waved a body like a big celebrity -- to everybody like a big c

the 113th congress is starting with the way the 112th congress ended. during the summer, i made the comment that if kicking the can down the road, which is what we're doing, was an olympic sport, then the united states congress, and by that i meant the senate and the house would win gold, silver, bronze and aluminum, because we have this habit of kicking the can down the road. the republican philosophy seems to be, why do now what we can do later and why do later what we can even do later. this isn't no way to address our fiscal challenges and no way to rule the economy. you lost a lot either in the koch brothers and the tea party group they fund has come out against using the debt ceiling as leverage rather than holding it hostage. and yet the republican congress is still in turmoil over whether this is the right thing to do. i was fascinated by mrs. miller's comments regarding the escrow and whether or not interest would be undertaken. i was looking at the 401k maneuver for $150 billion taken out of the 401k plan of congress and the federal employees.

the new congress sworn in today. 113th congress.rity is going to be yet another battle. this time, not over the fiscal cliff but over the debt ceiling and it is probably going to be uglier than the last one. we'll try to cover all of that in the next couple of hours we've got together here today and take your calls at 1-866-55-press. look forward to your comments on twitter at bpshow. facebook.com/billpressshow. here we are. team press. present and accounted for this morning. >> indeed. >> bill: peter ogborn and dan henning. >> happy thursday. >> good morning. >> bill: we're well into 2013. >> we are. >> bill: second work dave the new year. we're humming with phil backert on the phones and cyprian bowlding on the cameras our videographer extraordinaire. we know what you want to know. we know what your first question is. we will get right to it. by going to the -- sorry front page of "the new york times." breaking news today. headline, al jazeera seeks a u.s. voice where gore failed. it was announced late yesterday that al jazeera ha

other members of congress do that. but for some that's a personal thing and politics is something different. >> kim lawton, many thanks. >>> in other news, legal challenges continue against new contraception requirements in the federal healthcare law. under the law, employers must cover contraceptive services for their employees free of charge. dozens of organizations, many of them faith-based, say that violates their beliefs. last week supreme court justice sonia sotomayor denied a request from the hobby lobby craft stores to be exempt from the mandate while their lawsuit proceeds. as of january 1st, the chain's evangelical owners face potential fines of more than a million dollars a day for failing to comply. >>> pope benedict xvi rang in the new year with a strong call for peace. he said peace is all too often threatened by what he called "the prevalence of a selfish and individualist mindset" that gets expressed in "unregulated capitalism, various forms of terrorism and criminality." he told people gathered in st.

once the proposal gets to congress.mmittees in the house and the senate work with public officials an other congressional committees to decide on a budget president. and that's where it starts to get interesting. the budget president serves as a guide for all spending and revenue decisions for the year. at least that's how it's supposed to work in theory. none of this, ali, has happened since 2009. >> we're going to discuss why, christine, thanks very much. >>> why don't we have a budget? gridlock. senate majority leader, harry reid, a democrat, says it was not worth trying to go through the process of passing the president's budget. that's why you hear that old republican saw that harry reid won't even present a budget to the senate. you may have also heard the often-repeated claim that president obama's budget was struck down in the house and the senate, getting zero votes. goose eggs from either party. but those bills were not the budget. they were shell versions of the president's budget put forward by republicans,

that congress passed three times as many bills as the 112th congress. here we are at the last minute, rushing to pass this bill. it never should have happened this way. i commend president obama and vice president biden for protecting in a class with this and doing the best that they can, but my friends and my colleagues, we're going to have to work to meet in a sensible center. we are going to have to not ladies brinksmanship gains. the american people do not want it. president obama won reelection campaigning for the middle- class. this keeps those parties and we ought to support it. >> the gentleman from michigan, mr. camp, continues to reserve. >> i now yield two minutes to danny davis, our colleague from illinois and soon to be joining us on ways and means. >> recognized for 2 minutes. >> thank you. i have never seen a compromise where everybody got everything that they wanted or liked everything that they got. i certainly do not like everything that i see in this bill. and i certainly did not get everything that i wanted. but i do like the fact th

her congress got things done when she was speaker acres mazingly productive congress, the congresses she led. so we come to john boehner's 112th congress, which was, by many measures, the least productive we have had in a long, long time and roll into the 113th congress and there was a questions as to whether they could organize themselves today. two years ago, john boehner became speaker, he cried tears of joy and ceremony of the moment. today, i think he was choked up with anguish at the prospect of having to be speaker for another two years and try to -- if he doesn't negotiate with the president, with whom is he going to negotiate? who is he going to talk to? >> you made a good point there our own joe scarborough put in very stark terms what the gop is facing if it doesn't get its act together. let's all take a listen to that. >> the men and women being sworn in today start behind the 8 ball. they are already on their way to making nancy pelosi the next speaker of the house. they better, just like i said with romney in september, they better turn this ship around quickly or we're

from going over the fiscal cliff, congress let something else fall. house speaker john boehner put off a vote on a $60 billion age package for victims of superstorm sandy. >> it's why the american people hate congress. it's why they hate them. >> reporter: some of boehner's fellow republicans, especially those from the state affected by the storm deserves better. >> they deserve better. >> reporter: boehner scrambled to repair the damage. he promised a house vote on a $9 billion package on friday and the remain 5g $1 billion on january 15th. that was enough for some. >> this procedure that's laid out is fully acceptable and fully satisfactory. this will give us the full $60 billion. >> reporter: superstorm sandy nearly knocked the house in breezy point, new york, off its foundation and most who live here are still not back in their homes. >> this is people's lives. this is not a political football. >> reporter: joseph izzizzo's h was damaged by the storm. he calls congress's response disgraceful. >> how can you not act on this when you think about ire

despite months of wrangling the us went off the fiscal cliff when the new year old drive for congress finally reached a deal they claim is good for the country is it really though it will dive into the law congress just passed and see who the real winners and losers are. and it was a massive superstorm that caused billions of dollars of damage in new york and new jersey before the hundred twelfth congress came to an end the house g.o.p. punted on hurricane sandy relief so what does this mean for the states and residents left in the dark by their own government. and the pentagon has a problem the u.s. relies on drones to conduct warfare around the world now they've launched a sixteen million dollar effort to prevent high tech flying machines from being hacked so how serious of a problem is this for the u.s. drone program. it's wednesday january second happy new year five pm in washington d.c. i'm meghan lopez and you're watching r.t. . topping the news this hour well they've done it again in literally an eleventh hour deal the u.s. house of representatives passed a fiscal cliff budget

then congress could say, yes or no. it ought to appoint a commission that looks at where you cut spending, and do the same procedure, yes or no, nothing else. book, there is a moment where the secretary of cent -- defense says we cannot cut anymore, and eisenhower says, just go to every base and tellhem that they will get other sr if they are cut. i guarantee you that they will have a stampede. >> charles wants a commission that has these cuts. we had one of those, it was called some symbols. the republicans voted against it. -- simpson-bowles. defense spending can be cut, but personnel has skyrocketed because of an all-a volunteer force. >> there was a column in "e washington post" this week talking about the defense department's reserve policy board. we can no longer for the all- volunteer military if we plan to continue paying retirement for the troops. >> we have very generous health benefits for the military. the military deserves society's protections, but if you look at those numbers -- and it is not just soldier

why isn't congress?k minnesota congressman rick nolan, what's changed in washington since his last term in the house? which was 30 years ago. and lance armstrong opens up to oprah about his use of performance-enhancing drugs. psychologist jeff gardere joins me to discuss, what is this guy all about and his admission? don't forget you can listen to my radio show on sirius radio xm channel 127 monday through friday noon to 3:00 p.m. . share your thoughts with us on facebook and twitter. ♪ reach one customer at a time? ♪ or help doctors turn billions of bytes of shared information... ♪ into a fifth anniversary of remission? ♪ whatever your business challenge, dell has the technology and services to help you solve it. >>> welcome back to "the ed show." republicans wrapped up their retreat today. they do this every now and then, get together and figure out what's going on unless they want to downsize into a further regional party, they had better pay close attention to this very new poll that's out. only 26%

bypassing congress -- congress has been the checkbook. they start the money bills in congress. you can't do it. president obama is the guy, when he was senator obama, who called george bush's debt unpatriotic. if i'm not mistaken, correct me, but there was a time he voted against raising the debt ceiling. president obama is in a very, very interesting predictment right now. by the way, in an hour and ten minutes or so, he's going to address the debt ceiling and what he plans to do, what he wants to do with the debt limit. my guess is, though, she can say -- congresswoman pelosi says what she wants, but they need approval to raise it. >> you don't think he would do in >> that would be the legacy he doesn't want. a lot of people say he likes to go around congress with the stimulus, regulations, and epa, going around congress, with the cap-and-trade stuff, and for him to do that with the debt ceiling, as important as the debt ceiling, that's politically very difficult. >> you're joining the judge on the show just five or ten minutes ago saying the same thing, probably not going to

never. >> congress is heading back to their favorite place to vacation, congress. >> you're now a memberthe 113th congress. >> there's only one group to blame, the house of representatives majority and their speaker. >> i would love for someone to replace him, but who? >> any one of them right now is a slave to this group of hard right people. >> it was disappointing and disgusting. >> i don't trust eric cantor. >> this was the speaker's decision. >> republicans have no problem finding new york when it comes to raising money. >> that's why people hate washington. i was giving no explanation. >> if you're there, pick up, pick up. >> i was called at 11:20 last night. >> we're having quite a game of phone tag. >> i called the speaker four times last night. >> i was blow droying my hair. >> he did not take my calls. >> there's huge news john boehner will announce he's resigning. >> john boehner, speaker of the house. >> we're here to do something. >> how can you vote for a speaker who has a dismissive and cavalier attitude? >> if we're going to carry grudges for the rest of our lives, we'll

just because you paz more laws than a congress that may follow you does not make you a better congress. some of this crises is natural. it's going to happen when you must make difficult decisions about your spending and taxing. it's natural consequence of a big, big choice. >> it's also a product of the system you've got. i'm with you. love this country, lived here, but it's the system you've got. >> an efficient parliamentary system would be so much better to get things done. always. >> it does get things done. >> richard might disagree, there are certain things for which the american political system works better and certain thing where is the parliamentary system works better. >> the key is what you want to get done. >> the other issue is the american system is well designed for a country which has an effective political consensus. the divided government, which is structurally there, works when you have parties that are able to come to an agreement and do deals. reality right now is i think the nation is quite fundamentally divided and certainly the elected representatives are very

and asking congress to hold that vote today.o stay tuned, we'll find out if there's reaction from congress. glucerna hunger smart shakes.s they have carb steady, with carbs that digest slowly to help minimize blood sugar spikes. [ male announcer ] glucerna hunger smart. a smart way to help manage hunger and diabetes. [ male announcer ] glucerna hunger smart. excuse me, sir i'm gonna have to ask you to power down your little word game. i think your friends will understand. oh no, it's actually my geico app...see? ...i just uh paid my bill. did you really? from the plane? yeah, i can manage my policy, get roadside assistance, pretty much access geico 24/7. sounds a little too good to be true sir. i'll believe that when pigs fly. ok, did she seriously just say that? geico. just click away with our free mobile app. >>> so did you think after coming off an election year, you would have a chance to exhale? think against. there's three more -- we've joined to talk about his favorite five. it's so tough, break it down. >>> the coming bu

why isn't congress? i'll ask minnesota congressman rick nolan, what's changed in washington since his last term in the house? >>> and lance armstrong opens up about his use of performance-enhancing drugs. psychologist jeff gardere joins me to discuss, what is this guy all about and his admission? listen to my radio show on sirius radio noon to 3:00 pm monday through friday. share your thoughts with us on facebook and twitter. >>> welcome back to "the ed show." republicans wrap up their retreat today. unless they want to downsize into a further regional party, they had better pay close attention to this very new poll that's out. only 26% of americans have a positive opinion of the gop. 49% have a negative view. by comparison, 44% have a positive view of the democratic party. 52% have a positive view of the president of the united states. it should be a wake-up call to the republican party. four years ago, house republicans were at this very same retreat, planning their obstruction of president obama's age

congress. >> we are confronted with a bill that, if the vote full voting- age allow us to go over the ceiling or we can try to come together and pass something that neither tside of the aisle will agree with 100 percent. -- 100%. we do not have to can to new fighting. we have got to make sure parrot what i fin. maybe we are moving in the right direction and maybe we are moving toward -- forward. >> we expect them back any minute now. we do not know yet exactly what all happened -- what will happen. what we are hearing from several different sources is the rules committee is going to bring it up and it will be a straight up or down vote on the senate bill. the house will come back into session any minute now. off.ight have to cut an let's hear more voices. here are tweets -- let's hear voices on the phone. linda, what do you think? >> i do not think they know how to cut a budget. my family had to cut things whenever we had to do without. we could not go on vacation. sometimes, mother had to work

what will the legacy of this outgoing congress be?oining me from capitol hill is massachusetts outgoing congressman barney frank on his last day on the job. congressman frank, thank you so much for joining us on the show. >> nice to be here. actually, it would be nicer to be someplace else. >> my esteemed colleague tom brokaw said this regarding this congress: >> i think this congress has now sealed the deal. it's easily the worst in the history of the country as they go out. i can't remember a congress historically or otherwise that limps out of office out of this term in worse shape than this one does. >> congressman frank, you've been serving in the house for a long time. is this one of worst you've ever seen? >> it is the worst but the exception i would take is it's not "the congress." i was here in 2007 and 2008 when the democrats worked with george bush when we will to on an economic stimulus and on response to the crash. then in 2009 and 2010 we had a democratic house and senate and got a lot done. and then the tea party came t

we have a new congress coming in. 2013 brings the 113th congress.re the mayans -- >> we get to get rid of the old congress so let's take our chances. >> we have a whole bunch of new faces. everybody knows elizabeth warren is the new face to watch, the soon to be senior senator out of massachusetts. all of these senior senators elected in november, in about two hours. who else you watching? >> tim scott, historic role, he'll be the black senator, first republican black senator since the 1970s. i don't know if he'll have a big impact on legislation but i think his symbolic role will be huge and interesting to watch. >> he seems to be somebody, he doesn't want it be pigeon holed as just another tea party guy. he's certainly a conservative but trying to be what i call a conservative with a smooil. -- smile. >> he's not going to be jim demint. >> ted cruz. >> the guy who is still trying to figure out how to get to be president. he's openly talked about that. is that going to get in his way, that ambition? >> with jim demint leaving, there's a role for a

why isn't congress? i'll ask minnesota congressman rick nolan, what's changed in washington since his last term in the house? >>> and lance armstrong opens up about his use of performance-enhancing drugs. psychologist jeff gardere joins me to discuss, what is this guy all about and his admission? listen to my radio show on sirius radio noon to 3:00 pm monday through friday. share your thoughts with us on facebook and twitter. [ male announcer ] you are a business pro. omnipotent of opportunity. you know how to mix business... with business. and you...rent from national. because only national lets you choose any car in the aisle. and go. you can even take a full-size or above. and still pay the mid-size price. i could get used to this. [ male announcer ] yes, you could business pro. yes, you could. go national. go like a pro. >>> welcome back to "the ed show." republicans wrap up their retreat today. unless they want to downsize into a further regional party, they had better pay close attention to this ve