david axelrod for the hour. thank you very much. we'll see you next time. captioning sponsored by rose communications captioned by media access group at wgbh access.wgbh.org

former senior adviser to president obama david axelrod. host of msnbc's "morning joe," joe scarborough. presidential historian doris kearns goodwin. nbc's tom brokaw. and our chief foreign correspondent richard engel. plus, chuck todd will be here as well to take us inside the numbers as president obama looks ahead to his second term. that's all coming up after this short break. [ ryon ] eating shrimp at red lobster is a fantastic experience. 30 shrimp for $11.99. i can't imagine anything better. you're getting a ton of shrimp, and it tastes really good! [ male announcer ] hurry in to red lobster's 30 shrimp for just $11.99! choose any two of five savory shrimp selections, like mango jalapeÑo shrimp and parmesan crunch shrimp. two delicious shrimp selections on one plate! all with salad and unlimited cheddar bay biscuits. 30 shrimp, just $11.99 for a limited time. wow, that's a lot of shrimp. i'm ryon stewart, i'm the ultimate shrimp lover, and i sea food differently. is efficiently absorbed in small continuous amounts. citracal slow relea

adviser to obama 2012, david axelrod.hief foreign correspondent richard engel is here, safe and sound in studio. richard, it's great to see you in person this morning. "new york times" best-selling author of "team of rivals" doris kearns goodwin. in between awards shows she's joined us. and nbc news special correspondent tom brokaw. welcome to all of you. tom, that's where we tee it up. the president, as he begins a second term, very difficult climate in washington and very real expectations. >> yes. and i was looking at those top three priorities for the american people. and they all fit into his single most difficult task, it seems to me, both conceptually and specifically. in the next couple of years, he only has a couple of years, these are second terms and not four-year terms. you're running right up to the mid term election. there's a desperate need for the country going forward to do something about tax reforms and entitlements sitting under the umbrella of fixing the economy and creating near jobs and stopping spe

>> i was going to say, governor, you've seen david action axelrod and alex sitting here. >> there's enoughat it will and david congratulations on a great campaign. there's a pause in the action right now. this is the time to celebrate our democracy and celebrate the president's re-election. we'll be back at you some time soon but now is the time to take a little time off and be great that we're american. >> i know you will and i also know there are some issues in which we all ought to be able to work together. one of the things that i appreciate about you is that you've been able to do that, say that. it's important for the country. >> i think it's important for all of us to see this little goodwill, even if it's brief, especially around an historic moment like this right now. any final words you want to offer alex, governor, before you go? >> i had a huge mustache and didn't cut it until i was 26 because i wanted to look old and then i cut it off because i already was older looking and now alex will get a new lease on life. david, you look pretty good there, too. i think you're going to e

former senior adviser to president obama david axelrod.ost of msnbc's "morning joe," joe scarborough. presidential historian doris ke kearns goodwin. nbc's tom brokaw. and our chief foreign correspondent richard engel. plus, chuck todd. all coming up after this short break. >>> "meet the press" is brought to you by the boeing company. prego?! but i've bought ragu for years. [ thinking ] wonder what other questionable choices i've made? i choose date number 2! whooo! [ sigh of relief ] [ male announcer ] choose taste. choose prego. [ sigh of relief ] tintroducing a revolutionary. it new mascara. clump crusher...crusher. 200% more volume. zero clumps. new clump crusher from easy, breezy, beautiful covergirl. i've been fortunate to win on golf's biggest stages. but when joint pain and stiffness from psoriatic arthritis hit, even the smallest things became difficult. i finally understood what serious joint pain is like. i talked to my rheumatologist and he prescribed enbrel. enbrel can help relieve pain, stiffness, and stop joint damage. enbre

i am pleased to have the david axelrod as we look forward to the presidency inraise. welcome. >> thank you, good to be here, charlie. >> when you go to this inauguration, what are you going to feel? >> well, you know, i guess i will feel a little of what i felt when i stood beside the stage in des moines when the president was making his last campaign speech this year, late at night on the eve of the election. i will be thinking about the journey that we've taken together. we, you know, i met barack obama 20 years ago. and we've been working together now for ten. and in a sense we came together at a time when we both were going through a kind of midlife professional crisis. he wondering whether he should continue in politics, me wondering whether i wanted to continue as a consultant because i felt it was becoming so hard edged and cynical. and i said to him after the election, i said he gave me my idealism become and i'm really grateful for that. so i will be thinking about the journey we took together. >> rose: he is an idealistic man. >> i believe he is. he's pragma

former senior adviser david axelrod, ken messina.hey have never, ever sat down together for a joint interview on television until now. enjoy this. >> welcome to you all. this is a rare political event. a piece of history. the three of you have never given a joint television interview. >> i think you should go to the smithsonian as long as we're in washington. put it right in the vault there. >> it is a big day for the president. for america. but also, i think, for you three because you've been so instrumental really in getting barack obama to where he is. he is now got the luxury of a second term. what does that bring him? start with you, david. what would you love to see his legacy end up being after four more years? >> i think the legacy he's after, the legacy we're all working for is to revitalize this economy and the country in such a way that there's new vitality that american compact saying if you work hard you can get ahead. you can count on your kids doing better than you. this is sort of fundamental to our country and under

really close to him, david axelrod, really knew that he was significantly impacted by this.was really shaken by the entire event. very confident guy, but like any really confident person when they get knocked off their legs, they are up set. and they instituted sort of this buck up (program internally that included a visit with his former press secretary robert gibbs, a drive around the driveway in a chevy volt. >> he complained ever never got to do. >> he nearly gave one of the grounds keepers a stroke. >> you always hear that this president doesn't pay attention to the critics, he tunes out the washington chatter. guess what, his staff had to take away his ipad because he was looking so darn much at the reviews after denver. >> warner: which would only depress him and the staff. >> that's right. >> warner: we have to leave it there but it is really great reading. thank you both. >> thanks, margaret. >> on-line another kind of >> woodruff: online, another kind of year in review. we say good-bye to the six political ad characters we're happiest to see disappear from the airw

yesterday david axelrod said growing the economy is a priority for this administration. >> there is a larger priority, how do you create an economy, rebuild an economy in which the american dream, the american compact is fresh where people who work hard feel like they can get ahead. and that's not just about dealing with the fiscal crisis. it's about education. it's about research and development. it's about controlling our energy future. all of these are part of the equation. >> president obama has outlined debt reduction as a top priority heading into the second term. also high on his list, immigration reform. putting more emphasis on developing renewable energy and the most urgent for the president, gun control. joining us now, jim vandenhike. so we got done with the first term. bipartisanship towards the end, incredible. any reason why that will change? >> zero. >> okay. >> i would love to be optimistic. i think we should be slamming the blacken ambers they serve up here as you think about the next four years. largely because we already saw in the last two months in the lame duck

david axelrod is tonight's keynote speaker.wrenching issue for the women who make that decision but it should be their decision with their doctors and their families and no one should take that choice away. senate president john cullerton is joining planned parenthood supporters and calling row vs. wade a victory. by electing people who would support the position of supporting planned parenthood. roe vs. wade earliest victims would now be in their early 50s members of the pro-life action league protested to night's celebrations. >> hundreds representing the archdiocese of chicago and washington d.c. to attend the annual march for life. in response to the protesters outside supporters of planned parenthood say that when it comes to abortion... >> it should be nobodies choice but hers now or ever it's something that we are at risk of losing and we have to continue to push to make sure that we don't lose that right. people can have their views on it until they are experiencing the situation... ...so as you can see, geico's custome

david axelrod wanted me to say -- i think this is fair -- about susan rice. said that the president had never considered susan rice, said he had considered her, but he had just never heard that that was his choice. so -- >> i had heard he really wanted her for the position and really considering her from other people. but, you know what, since you bring it up, we love this show. we had a great heated conversation at the top of the 6:00 about -- numbers of -- >> binders. >> about the numbers of women serving in the president's cabin cabinet. i actually have a list of high-ranking women in the white house. but i'm going to hold that. >> good, read that. >> you know what -- there are good points to be made on both sides of this. this is one of the biggest arguments we ever had. some of the bigger ones, torture -- you were right on that. >> wrong on that one. >> i will say i did use a bad word perfect tank you and i'm very sorry about that because you are not chauvinistic. of all the people that work here at msnbc, you are not a chauvinist. i didn't love -- >> an

campaign and white house and now the head of the institute of politics at university of chicago, david axelrodo be inside and warming up. >> there you go. here in fox news. and let's talk about-- >> warmed up here. >> let's talk about the inaugural address. i think the general reviews from people here at fox has been that it was a very assertive, even aggressive call to arms for a liberal agenda, fair? >> no, i think it was a call for the country to come together and act on these big challenges that we have to face in order to perpetuate opportunity in this country, to perpetuate an economy in which people can work hard and get ahead. and-- >> but it was from a liberal perspective. there was almost no talk about budget and deficits, in fact, he said, he had one sentence about, yeah, we need to deal with controlling health care costs, but i'm not going-- and then very prolonged defense of entitlements and also, this line which a lot of us noticed. we cannot mistake absolutism for principle or substitute inspe speck cal or reason and-- >> here at fox took umbrage on it. >> no, on the part of the

and joe scarborough joins us, and david axelrod, and chuck todd here to talk about the numbers in a newt's coming up on "meet the press." >>> and shortly after "meet the press," president obama will be sworn in at a private ceremony at the white house. and earlier today vice president joe biden took his oath. sotomayor swore in the vp. >>> and the families travelled to church for services set to start in a few minutes. and today's services is celebrating president obama's second inauguration as well as the martin luther king jr. holiday and the 175th anniversary of the church. as crowds make their way into downtown tomorrow morning, we will keep you up-to-date, we start early tomorrow, on capitol hill at 4:00 a.m., and you can see the special coverage of the private swearing in ceremony is coming up here after "meet the press." >>> and it's a very exciting time. i know the weather, there are some things that cannot be so promising. >> it could be a lot worse. it could be a lot colder, if it was on tuesday it would have been a lot worse, and it couldn't be as bad as reagan's second inaug

david bernard. weekend, jim axelrod in new orleans, where the city's chefs have served up an economic recovery. captioning sponsored by cbs this is the "cbs evening news" with scott pelley. >> pelley: good evening. the senate judiciary committee had assembled for the first congressional gun control hearing since the sandy hook tragedy when the surprise witness appeared. former congresswoman gabrielle giffords of arizona was led by the hand by her husband, mark

. >> eric: that said, president obama, david axelrod, stephanie cutter and messina took a hatchet, chaincre to the romney campaign over bounders. >> kimberly: remember that? >> eric: this man is nothing more or less than should be called the hypocrite in chief because of that. put the right people in. >> dana: i agree with you. they set themselves up from the cit terrorism their own side. i think the other cabinet position will go to women. but those complaining about the lack of diversity in the cabinet and women they are upset that barack obama beat hillary clinton in 2008. they wanted her to win the nomination. they are okay with president obama but hope she will leave the state department rest up and come back. >> andrea: it's a one man glass ceiling. but i don't think president obama did anything wrong. he has valerie jarret as trusted advisor. he wanted to nominate susan rice. i won't beat him up on this. he hates women, trying to take away the -- he said that romney caused cancer in one woman. the attacks were absurd. >> bob: there are 3,500 political appointees in the administrat

i'll be joined by the president's inner circle, david axelrod, jim macina, stephanie cutter and many others. that's all for us. have a good night tonight. >>> lance armstrong salutes the crowd. seven-time winner of the tour de france. this is the biggest fraud in the history of sport, the biggest. he couldn't have done it alone. >> armstrong has been stripped of his seven tour de france victories, banned from his sport, left his charity and lost nearly everything. but he hopes comments like these he made on the own network -- >> they are my mistake and i'm sorry for that. >> -- might be enough to help restore his reputation and rewrite his story. >> you win the tour de france seven times, you have a happy marriage, you have children -- it's just this mythic, perfect story. and it wasn't true. >> it's the greatest sports story ever told in many ways. that's why it's been the most traumatic fall from grace. >> yes or no, did you ever take banned substances to enhance your cycling performance? >> yes. my cocktail, so to speak, was only epo, but not a lot, transfusions and testosterone.

how did he know to trust david plouffe, to trust axelrod, his air game, his ground game. he never seemed -- >> that was one of the secrets having covered both of his campaigns, one of the secrets to the success of both of his campaigns was his refusal to panic. >> yeah. >> and any moment he trusted the people he brought aboard from the very beginning, some of whom were sitting with him. people like david axelrod and robert gibbs who were with him at the beginning of his career were ten feet away from him. he stuck with the same people and listened to them and he never panicked. >> do you know what he did at the dinner -- >> he probably didn't panic enough at the first debate. >> i was sitting behind him after the first debate didn't go well and he said i'm going to mention it, he took a little shot at me and then he comes back and says calm down, i got this. where is that from? after the first debate. calm down, i got this. >> that's a great line. have you said that on the air before? >> no, and i just did. >> that would summarizes it. >> i was going to say it's a relianc

stephanie cutter, robert gibbs and david axelrod. a team that has now won two big races.e republicans note campaign style pressure on the moderate democrats like saturday joe manchin over gun control may not play well in red states like west virginia. >> they found this for example in the battle over healthcare where they took the people they had in 2008 and found it difficult to motivate them on behalf of the healthcare initiative. >> the president begins his second term with 47% of the country approving of his job performance in a new fox poll. 18 points lower than four years ago. the public appears frustrated about the fiscal cliff deal. when asked whether their paycheck is smaller this year because more taxes are being taken out, 60% said yes. only 25% no. >> shovel ready was nots shovel ready as we expected. >> now comes word the president's job council, business and labor leaders tasked with helping the deal with stubbornly high unemployment has not had an official meeting in the full year. white house officials note the president has had plenty of other meetings in

david axelrod said -- michelle was like no, mr.resident, i don't think you did really all that well. it took him four or five hours between him and romney where he realized this was a cat clichl of a certain magnitude. >> to that end, some people accused obama of appearing to take the reelection for granted. there was that poor debate performance. there was making missteps like you didn't build that. some thought it was sloppy and lazy. if you watched the emotion out of the president after he got reelected, crying as he thanked the campaign staff, there was no doubt in my mind that up until the very last second he did not think this was in the bag. he was very emotionally invested. what was your take? >> that's a good point. i view it as a long protracted and a version of the christmas carol. obama was made to see the ghost of the white house future. it was mitt romney and he didn't like what he saw. there was a sense that he had missed the out on a negative future and no doubt that obama and his team were confident. they had a ver