molly ball and david goodfriend. molly, it was kind of remarkable to hear a member of congress say we're here, important times, trying to get a big thing done and he said this is the highlight of the day, nothing to do. >> well, yeah. i mean a lot of senators and congressmen are not privy to the inner workings of the negotiations. it's only happening between a very small number of people and sort of always been the case as the negotiations have gone on. first it was primarily between obama and boehner and now mcconnell and biden. but we are seeing some progress and i think the congressman should take comfort surely he will be let in to solicit the vote. >> david, what did you think of the president's comments? were they effective? what was the messaging and trying to get across and to whom? >> i was struck, t.j., mostly by the body language. not so much the contents of the remarks. he was confident, relaxed. this is a president that knows how to keep the cool under the pressure. the sub text seems to be there's hope

. >> joining me now is erin pike and david goodfriend. david, you heard congresswoman bass refer to grover norquist. i want to play what he said regarding this ominous threat as described to republicans who may not fall in line. let's play it. >> tea party 2 is going to dwarf ta tea party 1 if obama pushes us off the cliff. >> this was in reference to the president. he's threatening we will see a new, stronger tea party if we go off the cliff. >> yes. grover norquist also predicted an overwhelming victory by mitt romney and was proven wrong then, too. i think he and other republicans are playing a very dangerous game with their own political futures by failing to see the connection between this situation and the situation we were in around 1995 when there was a government shutdown. republicans thought they could drive this to the bitter end, and what happened? the american voters actually blamed them, the republicans, for what happened. i think it's a pattern in american politics when things happen that are, in effect, harmful government s

strategist david goodfriend and editor jim frederick.re were interesting names on the short list. the decision was the president. is that an obvious decision or a risk? >> it's always a safe choice. people think it's more automatic than it actually is. we had a tough time this year. the pakistani girl who was shot in the head by the taliban is one of the most forceful proponents and symbols and acti activist of women's rights was the runner up. it was a squeaker, but we had to come back to influence and impact. oddly enough, malala who was an activist for a while, she catapulted to fame this year because of something -- there is no other way to put it -- it was done to her. she was shot in the head. we see her and love her and think she's a hero has pure potential. we will see what she does from here on out. she has the platform and financial backing. >> she in the process of recovering. >> she is recovering. we expect big things from her, but the combination of impacting the past and potential in the future, we had to go with her. >> i

zachary carabel and democratic strategist david goodfriend. only gentleman here not wearing a tie for some reason. no tamron, no tie. >> i'm in new york city with you guys today and i'm going tieless in honor of it. i think it's the only way to go. >> pick it up with rachel. we'll start with you. this exchange between senator reid and speaker boehner, when's the inside baseball here? is this more about establishing who could very well get the blame if all of this continues to go south? >> that's right. happy new years, america. we appear poised to dive off the fiscal cliff starting with a round of finger pointing today. this is classic gridlocked washington. why america is fed up with the lawmakers and all about pointing fingers, gaining the upper hand here. and also, gaming this out because if we do dive off the cliff an we don't get a deal in the next couple of days, which looks increasingly like where we're headed then we come back in january and have to negotiate again and a political advantage for both sides if that's the case. >> her's t