. >> ifill: so senator durban, help me here. how is what is being said on capitol hill today which everybody says we're going to work together, we're going to compromise, how is that different from where we left this play last time we were sitting in the audience? >> we are edging closer to the cliff. >> ifill: how? >> december 31 is the deadline. on that date there will be dramatic changes in the tax laws as they affect middle income and upper income families and we're going to see spending cuts, automatic spending cuts, going in place. so we voted for this, democrats and republican ace like voted for it, said we want to make things so ominous, so foreboding that we'll do something. i think that will move us to action. the president has said the fit move should be protect middle income families from a tax increase. if speaker boehner says i'll go along with that, that's where we'll start. i think the conversation is under way for a solution. >> ifill: senator durban, are you kicking the can down the road by only talking about t

senator durban said, it shouldn't be ps deal. i don't think there is a bar gain to be had. it is a win win for alabama. he is going to get the tax hikes or the rb ares will say no deal and he gets the tax hikes which is what he will prefer anyway. that is a big pot of money he can use for whatever he wants. they are still not going to be a deal. baker, democrats saying there is no problem with social security, even though the piece in the "wall street journal" today said they are $20 trillion in the hole. they said they are $40 trillion in the hole. how can democrats argue that with a straight face. i know that stuff inside and out. most of those shortfalls are in the 22nd century. we don't have a big problem with those programs. in fact most of the story is health care. the budget office may adjust their projections and the story disappears. i know people like to run aaround with that but it doesn't make sense. >> what me worry scenario. medicare no problem. medicaid no problem. i don't know, one trillion deficit no problem. >> markets are falli ining dean. take a look. i

leaders speak with one voice in south africa is very much an integral part of that african favorite durban is going to be the host as well as we said of the next brics so mitt so how's the how's the preparation going on you said you're that the children be talking about about the about the actual toxins that are going to take place with it but there but in general how is it going on well on logistics side we are more than ready even if the summit was to come tomorrow we will be ready to receive all the four other heads of states in their delegations there's already a build up of of there for mittens. sectoral riches that are taking place between the outgoing. host or chair india and south africa our supplies are busy on the ground we've already agreed on the agenda for the business council and the launch of a briggs business council where families in model it is of building up a brick think tank which will be built by the academy from all of the countries of brics the discussion about waking one looking at the possibility of formation of the brics development bank out of a food. and the ea

personalty not policy, let's talk about the issue, is medicare going bankrupt or not, senator dirk durban tackle medicare or it will be bankrupt in 12 years. let's talk about that instead of norquist, he is one of the most selfless guys in politics. you know this is a reagannesque parts of the soul of the republican party, if some want to break their own pledge to voters not to raise taxes they can do that and be account able. lou: there is not a reagan nesque figure in the republican party right now who is the intellectual leader right now? what group of the republican party? the governors? >> kelly ann is right, governors, there are 38 republican governors, there will be after the first of the year. we'll see who emerges. lou: striking you are not hearing speaker boehner or mitch mcconnell. >> when have congressional leaders been major lead irs of their party, they are wheel ordealers. >> politics abhors a vacuum. lou: governors are nation -- >> but, several are chief executives. i want to stick up for mcconnell and boehner, they are playing hand theying dealt, on the 1600 pennsylvania

senator dick durban and lindsey graham will be on "this week" with george stephanopoulos coming up at 8:00 here on abc7. >>> new this morning the u.s. supreme court justices will go behind closed doors this week to decide whether now is the time to rule on same-sex marriage. today's l.a. times reports on friday the court will sift through appeals on california's prop 8 and the national defense of marriage act. for justices the issue is not just what to decide, but when it should be decided. in the past the court has been criticized for waiting too long or moving too quickly to recognize constitutional rights. >>> locked-out national hockey league players hit the ice last night in new jersey raising money for super storm sandy victims. it is the first game since the lockout began in september. the charity game was called operation hat trick. tickets sold for 20 to $100 each, and the nhl players association plans to slow in an additional $20,000 on top of what they raise. >>> 422 regular season hockey games have been cancelled so far and friday the nhl pulled the plug on the all-star we

a conversation with the number two senate democrat dick durban and tom price. chairman of the house republican policy committee. also, republican carlos gutierrez. >> we must be the party of immigration. >> our follow-up conversation with a man who led mitt romney's outreach to latinos. >>> plus, the politics of scandal. the jackie calmes of the "new york times" and jerry seib and cnn pentagon correspondent barbara starr. i'm candy crowley, and this is "state of the union." >>> good morning from washington. with all the intrigue of a bond film, i stealthy general david petraeus arrived and left capitol hill. behind closed doors they heard him. >> his testimony today was that from the start he had told us that this was a terrorist attack. terrorists involved from the start. >> it was testimony that seemed to challenge white house explanations of who knew what when about the attack on the u.s. consulate in libya that killed four americans. joining me is missouri senator roy blunt and mare marry -- maryland congressman, doug coopersburger. thank you for joining us

the opposing view of durban says social security is not in a crisis. back to our question for our viewers. how would you fix your school system? david in kansas, an educator, republican line. caller: i just want to say i am an educator. i'm not republican. i would make education a completely free market good. i would get rid of compulsory school attendance. --would get rid of taxation a i think you need a wall that separates the government and education, just like we have a separation between government and religion. host: ok. june in wisconsin, independent. caller: hi. you know, the baby boomers got the last excellent, well-rounded public-school education. it was based on the basics -- proper english, writing. for whatever reason, somebody decided -- and i saw a teacher wrote an article on why we have to write all these rules in english, such as "i before e" in english. i thought, are you kidding me? for some reason somebody said, "whatever you think it is, and johnny." it's ridiculous. there's nothing wrong with people understanding if you get down e

what you here from barack obama, harry reid, nancy pelosi, dick durban is not lowering all tax ratesocratic party that is so far to the left that they believe in sunday amount alley anti-american concepts of radical wealth redistribution in order to equalize everyone. that is not what america is all b. the leading party that is leading the country in terms of the white house and congress really believes that by force, i don't mean by military force like the old school communist and social lists did, but by force of the tax code and redistribution of policies like obamacare they intend to force that on the american people. megyn: keurs te megyn: durbin chose two good people to make that example of. people don't love and reveer the hedge fund manager, they make other people a lot of money and they make a lot of money but most people have respect for our navy seals. is he on point? >> i do think he's on point. what monica just said, radical redistribution, we are talking about the radical redistribution is going back to the clinton era tax rates. i mean that just doesn't strike me as ra

. >> stephanie: do you feel some democrats durban and murray saying if we have to go over the cliff,'s where what we need to do to get where we need to be. we don't want to sell out. so if we set out on revenues, which is probably what the republicans would require. >> stephanie: right. >> caller: then we're going to have a dead-end situation that will dig the hole deeper. if we have to wait until after the first, by the way, it's a slope. not a cliff. >> stephanie: right, right. >> caller: we'll put legislation on the floor that would allow everybody in congress to vote for a tax cut at that point for 100% of the people. even the top 2% who would go back to the clinton rates would still enjoy the lower rates on their income up to $250,000. >> stephanie: i mean, let's hope because obviously we would have all of leverage if we do in fact go over the slope cliff or dirt hole, whatever you said. good luck with all of it, vermont where the cheddar is delicious and the congressmen are awesome. >> caller: thank you. >> stephanie: bye bye. there we go. >> the congressman is awesome. >> step

host: senator durban from illinois, let's look and his comments on abc yesterday. he is talking about what democrats would be willing to do to avoid the fiscal cliff. [video clip] >> social security does not add one penny to our debt, not a penny. it is a separate-funded operation. we can do things now, smaller things, played out over the long term, that gives its solvency. medicare, only 12 years of solvency lie ahead if we do not think. those who say don't touch it are ignoring the obvious. we want medicare to be there for today's seniors and tomorrow's as well. we don't want vouchers or to privatize it it. we can make meaningful reforms in medicare and medicaid without compromising the integrity of the program, making sure the beneficiaries are not paying the price for it, except perhaps the high income beneficiaries. that's a reasonable approach. let me salutes lindsey graham. when he just said about revenue and taxes needs to be said on his side of the aisle. we need to put everything on the table. >> does that include raising the age for medicare eligibility?

also senate majority whip dick durban. jake tapper and celebrity chef tom colicchio. >> those are all great. but now, unfortunately, we've got to wait for our good guests to come on. >> we're going to lose everyone. >> up next, jim vandehei joins us here onset. >> the clicking of channel changers across america. jim, we love you! come over here! >> bill karins -- oh, no, speaking of -- >> what? >> we call him c.g. for -- >> no, we don't. >> c.g., what do we got? >> now i've got to think of something creative for what c.g. stands for. snow is falling in a few areas this morning, we're looking at new jersey, looks like the suburbs outside philadelphia and new york could see snow. getting ready to treat a lot of those roads. a lot of that eco friendly rock salt. let's show you what's happening on the radar, the pink is where it's a little bit of a mix and the green is the rain. we've set up the boundary line somewhere north of philadelphia and just north of new york city. below that, it's kind of a mix or rainy around philade

i'm just putting tax increase on the table here in durban is even beyond the spending cut and i haven'tree to anything. i just talk about tax increase. said senator committee think it's possible german suspect the democratic caucus and says that these imaginary and cuts on the table and seven at tom coburn says he never be that dishonest. i think he is any think you're not and i think he seriously and you should not take him seriously. they spent more than a year putting the simpson/bowles commission, which if you've seen it is a fight temptation. it's an outline, a haiku. the only numbers are in the page numbers. it is a series of interesting things. there's specific about tax burden from 18.5% of full employment to 21 q. that is effectual in dollars tax increase. it's 2.5% of gdp. sci-fi dollars in tax increases. plus as ryan reid it's a trillion dollars in tax increases from eliminating or reducing reductions in exemptions and someone. balmy seaside in addition. i don't read that in the affidavit as simpson holes, but ryan was in discussions and i wasn't. if you were $5 tax increase

we just saw yesterday senator dick durban, one of the leaders in the senate changed his position andey shoe not be part of any negotiations and short-term deal that would be entered into during the lame duck session. this is a good step in the right direction. i think that ultimately we need to take the high road here. we need to assume that we can win on this, act like we can win, and show the president, and show democrats and congress-- >> cenk: i got to wrap it up. >> that we have their backs. >> cenk: no, you have to do the exact opposite. that's what i'm getting at. yes, you fight beforehand. don't be pessimistic like me. they've done great things with social security. they got it off the table. great job but don't tell the democrats that you have their back. that encourages obama to say i don't have to worry about alan. alan is a pushover. he'll clap louder. don't do that. tell him you're going to kick his ass. >> when i say have their backs i mean it in the firm sense of pushing them hard to live up to the commitments that they made to the american people. >> cenk: i hope you