now, you hear david plouff saying the president is going to come out and talk about it this week. they know republicans are going to engage on this issue, no matter what. they've got to be prepared to fight against it. >> schieffer: do you think, in fact, major, that some democrats may be praying they attach that to the vote, because then they can say look what these mean old republicans are doing? >> certainly. i think house republicans know that's probably a bridge too far this soon on the debt ceiling vote. but they want things that change the way washington builds its budget. maybe going to a two-year budget cycle, doing other things that put a higher premium on balancing the budget or reducing spending, as opposed to increasing budget baselines. i think that's where republicans are heading. the other thing is, last week, charles schumer said john boehner was the reasonable republican to deal with. john boehner has one of the most conservative voting records in the history of congress. for democrats to say and now portray speaker boehner as the voice of reasonableness against

joining us now is david plouffe, president obama's senior advisor. mr. plouffe, welcome back to "fox news sunday." >> good to be with you, chris. >> chris: let's peel back a little of the process. you have gone out today, pretaped some of the other sunday shows and you are live here on "fox news sunday." you are apparently saying that the president is going to lay out this week new plans to cut the deficit. tell us about it. >> well, the approach this week in terms of the scale of debt reduction the country needs to grow economically and in the future, a balanced approach. obviously, we need to look at all corners of government. as he said previously, the healthcare law is $1 trillion in reduction in the decade but we have to do more there. we have to look at more spending here, carefully. we have to use a scalpel not a machete. this is a distinction between the republican plan announced this week. that plan would give the average millionaire $200,000 in tax cuts and ask more of senior citizens, double the healthcare cost $6,000 year down the road. cut ed

with us, president obama's senior adviser, david plouffe. then, the budget fight isn't over. >> if we stay on the current path, we are heading toward a debt-fueled economic crisis. >> what does the near shutdown mean for negotiations over next year's budget? and a growing debt crisis fueled by spending on programs like medicare and social security. here for an exclusive interview this morning, the chairman of the house budget committee, congressman paul ryan of wisconsin. finally, our political roundtable weighs in on how the budget showdown was merely a preview of the 2012 campaign. spending cuts, the tea party influence and the fight for independent voters. with us, white house correspondent for "the new york times," helene cooper, chairman and ceo of the special olympics and contributor to "the washington post," tim shriver, host of cnbc's "mad money," jim cramer, and nbc's chief white house correspondent and political director, chuck todd. captions paid for by nbc-universal television >>> good morning. after signing a temporary order to

joining me now, the president's senior adviser, david plouffe. he was the president's campaign manager in 2008 and now advises mr. obama on politics and policy from inside the white house. thank you for joining us. >> good to be with you, christiane. >> so the president started had whole process a while back talking about spending increases. friday night he came out and called it an historic deal. this cut, so many billions, that must be a disappointment, a historic cut. >> no, the president has been very clear that we need to reduce the deficit and obviously because the last two years, we were on the brink of a great depression, that had profound impacts, not just on the economy and our people most importantly, but also our fiscal situation. so in order to -- because the president believes we have to invest in things like education, research and development, and technology. the only way to do that in this fiscal situation is to live within our means and cut spending. so it was a huge spending cut, as the president said friday night in some progr

now a senior adviser at the white house and one of the key figures behind his re-election bid, david plouffe. welcome back to "meet the press." >> good to be with you, david. >> does the president feel some responsibility for all that transpired, a near government shutdown? >> well, it obviously went up to the wire, but i actually think it was a good moment moving forward here. our leaders in both parties on behalf of all americans showed they could come together, compromise. compromise, by the way, cannot be a dirty word. it's the way we're going to move forward as a country in divided government. so, we cut spending, biggest annual spending cut in the history of the country, while still protecting investments in education, in infrastructure and research and development, the things we're going to need in the future going forward. >> but a person can't view what happened and say this is a shining moment for washington. >> obviously, things got heated. the president's approach, as you saw, was to encourage all parties to come together, not to engage in a spitball battle back and forth. i thin

he had his little minion go onkv television -- >> sean: david plouffe. >> david however nobody knowsow to pronounce his name. he made a statement oh -- >> sean: he said you have zero chance you would get hired by the american people. >> yet i just won the independent vote.@j i was tied statistically with obama the only republican that was. and i haven't even done anything. i haven't said i'm running. so, -- the poles, -- the polls, one of the pollsters said one of the reasons i don't go higher is a lot ofñz people done think i'm running. they think i'm having a good time talking to people like you. you've become a friend. the fact is, a lot of people in the polls don't vote for me, because they think i'm having a good time. they think i'm promoting "celebrityím apprentice" which i'm not. i don't need to. >> sean: there's a poll over half a million. >> that was the best of all. >> sean: that was the best. second in new hampshire in a poll that came out, romney first and you second. >> and he live there is. >> sean: he's from massachusetts. the question is, why do you think7o your mess

. >> white house senior adviser david plouffe says the president is exploring savings in medicare, medicaid, defense spending and is taking another look at tax increases for the wealthy. but in the near term, there's a looming vote in congress over increasing the nation's debt ceiling. it's expected to hit its limit by mid-may. >> if the markets believe we're not going to pay our debt, it could be a formula for recession or worse. so this is playing with fire. >> reporter: to democrats who want state up or downvote, republicans say that's not likely to happen. >> the president says, i want you to send me a clean bill. well, guess what, mr. president, not a chance you're going to get a clean bill. there will not be an increase in the debt limit without something really, really big attached to it. >> another big fight is the 2012 budget. republican congressman paul ryan of wisconsin unveiled his controversial plan last week. it makes dramatic changes to medicare and medicaid while aiming to cut $6 trillion in spending over next decade. >> the country wants growth. they want a debt-free nation

her guests include david plouffe and powerful lawmakers from both sides. heated round table tomorrow morning. >>> we're going to turn to the severe weather. tornado watches and warnings are posted across the south and in the plains. this will be a night of high anxiety as the red river is expected to crest above flood stage. barbara pinto is in fargo, north dakota on the tense 24 hours ahead. good evening, barbara. >> reporter: good evening, david. all eyes on the rising red river and on the sky. there's a bit of rain in the forecast tonight. how high did the river get? take a look. this is all the backyard. the river doesn't usually start until that far row of trees. that is the scene all over this region. the swollen red river has muscled over its banks swallowing everything in its path. the third 100 year flood here in three years. in fargo and towns along the red, it is a familiar sight. stacking millions of sandbags against the rising river, praying this will be enough. >> if it weren't for those people, we would be talking through a snorkel. >> repor

david's guests include the president's senior adviser david plouffe and republican budget committee chairman congressman paul ryan. that's tomorrow morning on "meet the press." >>> with the shutdown averted, federal workers will continue to get paid. and for families heading to national parks and museums, the plan is drawing mixed reviews. nbc's michelle franzen reports. >> reporter: in lower manhattan, a picture perfect day for a trip to see the statue of liberty. >> it's a nice day. you're going to the top, are you? >> reporter: an estimated 10,000 visitors, including the riggs family from baltimore, waited in two-hour long lines to board a boat and get a close-up view. >> are you really happy you're going to see the statue of liberty? >> yes, because it's going to be so exciting. >> reporter: fun for the kids and a relief for mom jesse who worried the park would be shut down. >> we were very concerned yesterday. we didn't pre-buy our tickets. >> reporter: liberty and ellis islands are part of the 1,000 national parks, monuments and museums spared from closing. in washington, d.c., the nat

deficit-reduction plan for the next several years without giving specifics:00 senior's advisor david plouffe indicate mrs. obama will try to end bush- era tax cuts for wealthy americans and seek medicare and medicaid cuts. >> as he said, you can take a machete to the budget or take a scalpel and make smart decisions to make sure we preserve the ability to invest. while still reducing the deficit. >> reporter: obama's address comes as the debate in washington shifts from this year raze budget to next year and bound a. the top of the week, congressional aides will finalize the down-to-the-wire spending deal struck friday night. >> this agreement on behalf of all-americans is on a budget that invests in our future, while making the largest annual spending cut in our history. >> next up is the fight over the election-year 2012 budget. congress must also decide whether to raise the debt ceiling, which left undone, would put the us government into default. many gop lawmakers are either against doing so or have signaled concessions on core issues will be necessary to raise the debt ceiling. >> thre

and indeed, on our program last week, david plouffe, the president's political director basically said he hopes that this is about raising his ratings because he won't be hired by the american people. that's what many of the establishment republicans are saying as well. but with no clear front-runner at the moment he feels the vacuum certainly in style and showman ship. perhaps that's a little bit of what is going on. we'll talk to our tea party members of congress and ask them what they think about him, including the representative from florida. >> perhaps a more serious note. the president will hit the road this week to sell his plan to bring down the debt and deficit. i know you have a big interview with tim geithner, the treasury secretary. i want to ask you, does the administration think there's a chance of bipartisan participation in bringing down our debt? >> certainly that's the mantra. and secretary geithner has been saying in the past that he believes that both sides released the public stance are essentially, in the big picture on the same page, they know trillions of dollar

. >> reporter: on cnn white house senner advisor david plouff said the president was offer a different in a speech on wednesday. >> his approach is different. how do we preserve the program, not end it, how do we squeeze every dollar without putting the burden on seniors. >> reporter: the white house is expected to take up the compromise bill for this year's budget on wednesday. with details still unknown, supporting both in both parties could slip. >> brown: still to come on the newshour, new tremors in japan, one month on; making california schools safe in an earthquake; new protests in egypt; and applause for detroit's symphony orchestra. but first, the other news of the day. here's hari sreenivasan. >> sreenivasan: republican mitt romney took a major step today toward his second presidential run. the widely perceived frontrunner announced he's formally exploring the race. he spoke to supporters in a you tube video. >> it's time that we put america back on a course of greatness, with a growing economy, good jobs, and fiscal discipline in washington. i believe in america. i believe i

christiane will have much more later on "this week" when she sits down with the president's top adviser david plouffe, republican congressman mike pence and democratic congressman chris van hollen. now we sit down with dan claiborne with the other headlines this morning. good morning. >> good morning. >>> firefighters in west texas are bracing for a tough battle today. a massive wildfire has burned as much as 125 square miles. and the situation could worsen because of dry, windy conditions. two homes have burned down and several communities have been told they may have to evacuate. >>> and a second person died from a shooting at a party outside of philadelphia friday night. eight others were wounded at the party hall which was filled mostly with teenagers. the shooting is said to have started after someone set off a firecracker. one suspect was arrested and charged with murder. >>> four people in california are lucky to be alive after their small plane crashed into a storage facility on saturday. the plane reportedly lost power as it prepared to land and burst into flames after going down. three pass

. >> i think what david plouffe said is that the president has for a long time made clear that we donot believe that social security is driving our deficit problems in the near and medium term, but he also welcomed the efforts to further strengthen social security for the long term. that is the president's position and the position that david plouffe was echoing yesterday on the sunday shows. >> on congressman ryan was the plan, he said let's get past 2011 and then we can talk about 2012. are there any elements are aspects that the president agrees with in the ryan plan? >> he agrees with the goal that we need to address our fiscal issues, the things that are driving in creating debt and driving our deficits. we strongly disagree with the lack of balance in congressman ryan approach. we believe is not appropriate and would not be supported by the american people to have a fiscal plan that relies on dramatic restructuring, reform of the programs that provide security to seniors and poor and disabled people. at the same time, it gives enormous tax cuts to the wealthiest americans. agai

one senior adviser, david plouffe, made clear on abc's "this week." >> i saw donald trump rising in someis behavior and spectacle the last couple of week i hope he keeps rising. week, i hope he keeps on rising. there's zero chance that donald trump would ever be hired by to run this country. there may be a small part of the country that believes these things but mainstream americans think it's a sideshow. >> all right. donald won't take that sitting down. for his part he says he told new york's "daily news" i know for a fact i'm the only candidate they're concerned with. >> humble man, that donald. >> yes and not shy about the press. >> not at all. >>> well, a major deal is now off the table on wall street. the new york stock exchange has turned down an $11 billion bid from nasdaq to buy the company. the company says it will stick with a plan to be bought by a german exchange operator for about $10 billion. analysts say the nasdaq deal would have meant more people would lose their jobs. there were also, i should say, antitrust concerns. >>> one of our favorite stories of the day. life is

. >> i think what david plouffe said is that the president has for a long time made clear that we do not believe that social security is driving our deficit problems in the near and medium term, but he also welcomed the efforts to further strengthen social security for the long term. that is the president's position and the position that david plouffe was echoing yesterday on the sunday shows. >> on congressman ryan was the past he said let's get 2011 and then we can talk about 2012. are there any elements are aspects that the president agrees with in the ryan plan? >> he agrees with the goal that we need to address our fiscal issues, the things that are driving in creating debt and driving our deficits. we strongly disagree with the lack of balance in congressman ryan approach. we believe is not appropriate and would not be supported by the american people to have a fiscal plan that relies on dramatic restructuring, reform of the programs that provide security to seniors and poor and disabled people. at the same time, it gives enormous tax cuts to the wealthiest americans. again, we

president obama's senior adviser david plouffe cast doubts on tv. >> there is zero chance donald trumpy the american people. main stream americans think it's a side show. >> reporter: trump fired back, this time on fox & friends. >> obviously i hit a nerve. i don't hear them talking about mr. pawlenty, but only trump. i'm their worst nightmare. i am not the person they want to run against. >> reporter: from beauty queen bailouts. >> tara will be given a second chance. >> reporter: to his very public feud with rosie o'donnell. >> everyone deserves a second chance. >> well, rosie has been a loser for a long time. >> reporter: donald trump is no stranger to controversy. it's clear his public antics don't sit well with bill cosby. >> start running now. the only thing he's running in his mouth. >> well, on that note, bill cosby, we'll see if he runs. we'll see. >> i don't care. >> but if he runs you have to take it seriously. >> no, i don't. not him. >> yes, you do. >> not him. >> reporter: trump came back with one last salvo. sadly, he got more attention talking about me than he did on the

david plouffe, the president's senior advisor and former campaign manager, had this to say about thepresident's proposal -- quote -- "people like him who have been very fortunate in life have the ability to pay a little bit more. well, that's big of him. we hear this quote quite a bit from rich democrats. please tax us more, they say. well, i know a whrot don't say that -- a lot who don't say that. as the ranking member on the senate finance committee, i feel obligateed to tell mr. plouffe, those rich democrats can write a check to the i.r.s. and make a payment on their tax returns to pay down the federal debt. the option is right there at the bottom of their tax return. this might be a good talking point. i am sure it has polled really well. but i have yet to hear the economic or fiscal rationale on raising taxes on small businesses and families. it is certainly not deficit reduction. raising taxes may be politically necessary for democrats, but it will do little to reduce the deficits and debt that are at their root spending problems. an article from the tax policy center shows jus