gene sperling, direct tore of the national economic council will join us., the white house soup of the day, gumbo. feel like it's often gumbo and i only rarely guest host this show. you're watching "the daily rundown" only on msnbc. [ male announcer ] heard this one? listen to this. three out of four americans don't get enough vegetables. so here's five bucks to help you buy v8 juice. five bucks. that's a lot of green. go to v8juice.com for coupons. you can count on us. and this time in your attic has been the best week of my raccoon life. i'm digging, i'm nesting in this fluffy stuff. i've already had like four babies. i'm the smartest raccoon i know. and if you got your home insurance where you got your fifteen-minute car insurance, you could be paying for this yourself. [ laughs ] so get allstate, you could save money and be better protected from mayhem like me. [ dennis ] dollar for dollar nobody protects you from mayhem like allstate agents. [ dennis ] dollar for dollar purina cat chow helps you well-being. we're all striving for it. nurture it in your

just a few moments ago i spoke with gene sperling one of the president's top advisers. i asked him why we haven't seen and didn't see job creation last month. >> when you're coming back from a financial recession of this

joining me is gene sperling director of the national economic council. thank you for joining me. the president announced today he'll go after the rich. the republicans say that is a form of class warfare. the president says it's math. but the reality is it is class warfare. the rich are a class and he's going after them. >> it's the opposite. the president is asking for balance, for shared sacrifice. he's asking for everybody to contribute and getting our long-term deficit down. he wants a plan that will be strong and powerful. the american jobs act. but we come to fiscal discipline, we all have to be in this together. when the president put out as a principle that those who make over a million or 10 million shouldn't be paying lower taxes than middle class teachers, firemen, construction workers, some said class warfare, but i'm a little puzzled. how can it be class warfare when you're just trying to ensure that there's greater parity between those in the middle class and those who make over 10 or 50 million? the top 400 highest 400 earners in the united states who average over

we're joined by the director of the national economic council, gene sperling. gene, thanks very much for coming in. >> thanks, wolf. >> is it fair to call tonight's proposal that the president will unveil an economic stimulus package? >> i think it's fair to say, as you said, that there will be sense of urgency. that urgency comes from the american public itself. we've got 9.1% unemployment. we've got an economy projected to not grow anywhere near as strong as it needs to to get the number of americans back to work, to get customers in to small businesses so they can expand and hire, and the president is going to make very clear inaction is not an option. no is not an option. we as a country can take bold action to arrest this situation, to jump start job growth, to jump start growth, to give more moment tell to this economy. and we can do this in a context that we also make clear that in the long term we'll get our deficit and debt down. those two things together are exactly what our economy needs to get growth and momentum in the short term and the type of co

then it gene sperling arrives and says if they want to do it some other way, that is fine. they want the politics, but they don't care about the policy. >> i believe they want to deal because they think a deal is what the american public, who are still perce wadable an undecided about the election, what. the think i am wrong? >> he has failed in terms of convincing independents with what he is doing. it is not like he is holding firm with one group of the as losing everything. >> do you think that stillpersuadable? >> someone wants to do predictions of political pundits 40 months before an election. >> one thing the obama administration and his team have taken -- 14 months before the 2008 primary, what was the story line? hillary clinton was going to be the nominee. i think they view this conversation, as well as many conversations in washington as something that is fundamentally disconnected from regular people. they believe conventional wisdom -- barack obama would never have run and the conventional wisdom has been wrong throughout and it is wrong again, and they will be

the white house dispatched advisers david plouffe and gene sperling to the hill today to convince dissenting senate democrats to support the president's legislation. complaints in recent days ranged from the bill includes too much spending to the bill includes too many tax cuts to it unfairly eliminates subsidies for oil companies while ignoring other big industries. after the private 90-minute meeting, senate majority whip dick durbin told reporters, "we're not going to get 100% of our caucus, but believe me, if it's up to the democrats to pass the president's plan, it'll pass." senate minority leader mcconnell saw the meeting as a sign of weakness. >> one would think they'd want to be briefed on details before the president demanded they pass it right away, not after. but then again, the white house probably expected stronger support from democrats than it's gotten so far. >> joining me now, editorial director for aol, huffington post, msnbc political analyst howard fineman. thanks for joining me tonight, howard. >> hi, lawrence. >> howard, i'm confused by dick durbin's statement. he's say

. >> president obama's national economic council gene sperling joins us live from the white house briefingd morning, gene. >> good morning. >> the president said last night, now i know that it's a big price tag, but it's all paid for. but it sounds like he's having the super committee figure out where -- how it's going to get paid for. is that wrong? >> that is wrong. the president is asking everyone to step up their game and what he made very clear last night is that what our economy needs right now is it needs bold action to get jobs going, get growth going in the short term. but that we have to do that in the context of a long term plan. >> right. >> every penny of the jobs plan and you bring the deficit and bring that down. he also said very specifically that he was going to put out his own specific deficit reduction plan on september 19th in which he would lay out the exact details that would show people how we're going to get our debt down, stablized and paid for the jobs app that is so critical right now and is being projected by many independent observers to create nearly two milli

i just do not believe doing nothing is going to be an option for them. >> gene sperling, director of the national economic council. thank you very much for joining us tonight, gene. >> thank you. thanks a lot. >>> joining me now, robert reich, former labor secretary in the clinton administration. he's now a professor of public policy at the university of california at berkeley and the author of "aftershock." thanks for joining me tonight, bud. >> good evening, lawrence. >> this is a fighting president going out in the rose garden this morning with that speech. there was nothing conciliatory there. it seems to me he is confident enough in these positions that he's outlined and their voter appeal. that he's going right over the head of congress on day one and willing to actually ridicule and make fun of the speaker in his announcement of what he wants to do legislatively. >> this is a new barack obama. this is a feisty president who is in an election year contest right now. i would have predicted, lawrence, that the big battle to come was over medicare, republicans want to cut it, maybe

gregg: that's right, gene sperling. one of the president's top economic advisers, take a listen to jenna's conversation with him. jenna: what is the message coming from the white house? what do you have to say to americans that see the headlines today of no net job growth and are scared and struggling? what do you say to them? >> i think what they should know is that, first of all, almost all economic experts do think our economy is still expanding, that we have created over a million private sector jobs this year, that we are actually ahead of where we've been from the last recession in terms of private sector job creation. but more importantly, that they know that this president doesn't think that this is anywhere close to enough and that whether it had been 50 or 70 or 100,000, we have to get a much more robust recovery going to dig ourselves out of the deep hole we inherited. and i want them to know that their president is deeply focused on this like a laser beam, is going to stay on it every day and that we need al

. >> if you think that's a lot, we have obama's top economic adviser, gene sperling on "morning joe."inish last month's invoices? sadly, no. oh. but i did pick up your dry cleaning and had your shoes shined. well, i made you a reservation at the sushi place around the corner. well, in that case, i better get back to these invoices... which i'll do right after making your favorite pancakes. you know what? i'm going to tidy up your side of the office. i can't hear you because i'm also making you a smoothie. [ male announcer ] marriott hotels & resorts knows it's better for xerox to automate their global invoice process so they can focus on serving their customers. with xerox, you're ready for real business. new splenda® essentials™ no calorie sweetener with b vitamins, the first and only one to help support a healthy metabolism. three smart new ways to sweeten. same great taste. new splenda® essentials™. same great taste. do you have an irregular heartbeat called atrial fibrillation, or afib, that's not caused by a heart valve problem? are you taking warfarin to reduce your risk of stro

no new jobs, so one of the president's top aide z, he did speak out, gene sperling, a short time ago on fox and tried to give a preview of what the president's going to do next thursday. take a listen. >> he's going to put forward very meaningful proposals that would have a very significant impact on the economy and job creation in areas like tax relief for workers and small businesses, in the areas like jobs for rebuilding america, in areas like strategies to deal with those who have been unemployed for a long time through no fault of their own. >> reporter: the problem for this white house, of course s is the president has talked about every one of those issues that gene sperling just mentioned for over two and a half years now right through the line. he's had various tax cuts, he's had various ways to try to stimulate the economy whether it be green jobs, whether it be the shovel-ready construction projects which the president acknowledged a couple months ago were not so shovel-ready. all of this is ratcheting more pressure on this president as he lays out that new plan next thurs

the director of president's economic council gene sperling. thanks very much for coming in. lots to discuss, not a whole lot of time. let's go right to the issue of social security. a lot of reform ideas. but didn't touch social security at all, why? >> the president made clear in his remarks today that he does consider one of our great long-term challenges to protect the sol solvency of social security and make sure it is there, a progressive rock solid benefits to come. but long-term solvency over 57 years within, he wants to work with democrats and republicans. this plan is about making sure that as we have a powerful plan for job creation and growth, with the american jobs act, we also have a plan for long-term confidence we are getting our fiscal house in order. living within our means and bringing our debt down is a percentage of our economy. that's what this plan does together. that's what our economy needs at this moment. >> republicans saying the president punted effectively as well when it comes to medicare and medicaid. the other major entitlement expenditures whi

gene sperling at the white house, thanks. >> still to come, the other side of the jobs bill debate.tor will join us live. if republicans can work with the president's plan. two men who nearly died on 9/11 talk about how they survived and how they've coped ten years after the towers fell. you're watching "american morning." [ woman ] jogging stroller. you've been stuck in the garage while i took refuge from the pollen that made me sneeze. but with 24-hour zyrtec®, i get prescription strength relief from my worst allergy symptoms. so lily and i are back on the road again. with zyrtec® i can love the air®. new splenda® essentials™ no calorie sweetener with b vitamins, the first and only one to help support a healthy metabolism. three smart new ways to sweeten. same great taste. new splenda® essentials™. >>> top stories. new york and washington on alert right now for a possible attack ten years to the day of 9/11. a senior administration official saying they are looking for at least three people, one is a u.s. citizen and the plot may involve car or truck bombs. >>> millions of american

time i flew on air force one with president clinton had long discussions with larry summers and gene sperlingafter there was talk about doing something with investing social security trust funds in nongovernment bondses away of growing the rate of return -- maybe personal accounts. we were looking at different things, all interesting. men monica lewinsky happened and the president collapsed. the reform never happened. >> greta: as i understand -- those are targeted at younger people not people getting the social security now or in the next 10, 15 years. if we allow young people to opt-out and have private accounts now, how in the world are we going to fund social security? we need their money in the income stream. great, we let them opt-out what happens with those on social security now, where do we get the money for them? >> that is a big problem now. when i was advocating for personal accounts, as i did for 10 years. we were running a 3% surplus. we were collecting three percentage points of social security tax more than we needed. what my plan was to take that 3% we didn't need and let you

i read place today that the white house, that gene sperling at the white house called warren buffett for permission from him, almost like they work for him in order to use his name on this. >> that's pretty interesting. you have to wonder who works for who. buffett has been helping the banking system out recently, because he invested five billion dollars in bank of america which helped the administration indirectly, they are all working to the. the buffett tax has some appeal. his name has a lot of value connected to it. almost like a good housekeeping seal of approval in a lot of people's minds. he's this friendly omaha investor. that's what they attached on there. >> greta: is he feeling burned? there's a lot of eye-rolling among people across the spectrum, middle or upper middle class or rich about the fact that he acts like he can -- he has 50 billion dollars, co-give 49 billion dollars to the government if he wants and -- and still be a very wealthy man. >> he is in a different league being a billionaire. he's been public about giving a lot of money to charity. not everyone's si

there's gene sperling, the president's economic adviser walking in as well. he's a member of the cabinet, the director of the economic council. once he's tout will be a moment or so before the president himself is introduced by the deputy sergeant at arms of the congress. gloria, $450 billion, that's what we're told that this package that the president will announce tonight will cost. and republicans no doubt quickly will say this is just more of the same old, same old. the economic stimulus package that they say didn't work two years ago. this is not going to work now. >> right. >> either, and they will dismiss it. >> to follow up on what david gergen was saying. the republicans are going to say it's too large. the folks at the white house understand that the republicans are going to say that, but they also have a democratic constituency they are trying to speak to as well, wolf. so i think what they are optimistic about, what jessica was talking about what, they are optimistic about is getting the say extension of the payroll tax cut for employees as well a

it was he and gene sperling and stephanie cutter that went down there to brief senate democrats.ent better. >> that was after we heard quotes saying maybe we'll take this piecemeal, there is a big resistance. i think the white house may expect they're going to get this bit by bit. but they don't want senate democrats saying that openly. they want a show of unity. >> but it's a larger structural problem that i think team obama has, most rank and file democrats don't believe this white house fights for anything. they don't believe this white house stands for anything. and so it's a larger structural problem that no memo will fix. >> and it's the little things. so, for instance, the speech date thing, the fact that the president caved on that. it was symbolic. emblemat emblematic. and then, forb instance, one da david axelrod says no, we're not going to negotiate this piecemeal. and then three hours, we'll take it. >> it's the slow drips that democrats are saying you know what, i don't know what this white house -- >> stop working with these guys. they're not working with you. >> ex

gene sperling is director of the president's national economic council. >> the president's task tonight make clear to the united states congress and the american public that, when comes to getting jobs growing and our economy getting stronger, "no" and "nothing" are not options. that we have to take bold action to get more momentum in the economy, more demand, more customers, more jobs. and we have to do it in the context of having greater long term confidence in our fiscal situation. that's what our economy needs now. >> holman: indeed, mr. obama will go before the congress at a critical time, with unemployment still above 9%, and new applications for jobless benefits up again last week. the president's plan, dubbed "the american jobs act," will arrive here as legislation next week. with tonight's speech, mr. obama hopes to show what he's willing to do to jolt the economy. but white house officials say he'll also urge republicans to join him in solving the country's economic woes. >> we've had a lot of bad breaks >> he's going to put forward an american jobs act proposal tonight that's

as far as the president's new debt reduction proposal, gene sperling is from the national economic council's top economic advisors, he will join us live at the top of the hour. we are covering the whole world. what better place to do it from the united nations. you should be here in new york. i know you would like hanging out with these world leaders as well. >> i would like that. you and i be sa side by side, well make it a date wolf. >> next year? new york. >> thanks, wolf. see you in a couple of minutes. >>> meantiming with listen to this -- >> if your family was destroyed by evil, i think that you would all try to do the same thing and be there for your family. >> this man, lost his entire family. his wife, his two young daughters during horrifying home invasion. now dr. william pettit is sitting through every single last detail all over again. as one man is set to die for the murders, another man, this one, getting his day in court. coming up next, why the defense is arguing, as he says he never intended to kill anyone. live forness connecticut, on the case, next. wer cholesterol. [ m

we'll get a preview from one of the top economic advisors, gene sperling.tive from south carolina very active in the tea party movement, christy nome will be joining us with a very different perspective. i'll get her reaction and see where the tea party supporters stands on some of the specifics the president will unveil. no doubt there's an urgency the president will convey later tonight an urgency to try to get the economy going once again so more jobs can be created. as important, brooke, as the political fallout from all of this is, the economic fallout for real americans, the 14 million who are unemployed, the millions more who are underemployed, have part-time jobs or jobs where they're making a lot less than they used to make or those who have given up even looking for jobs, it's all really, really critical. we'll see if the president can inspire democrats and republicans to work together in the coming weeks and pass this legislation. we'll see what happens. i think it's fair to say, and i'm sure you will agree, the stakes now for the country -- forg

we'll hear remarks from white house economic advisor gene sperling and then house majority leader ericed chairman, alan greenspan, testifies about u.s. tax policy. >> last week f.b.i. agents searched the headquarters of the solar manufacturing company after it filed for bankruptcy. tomorrow morning a house panel holds an oversight hearing to an energy department loan made to the company. that loan was part of the 2009 economic stimulus package. live coverage gets underway at 9:30 eastern on c-span3. and later in the day also on c-span3, a hearing examines refinancing or restructuring home mortgage loans that are in financial trouble. the c.e.o. of the mortgage bankers association, david stevens, is among those testifying. live coverage starts at 2:00 p.m. eastern. that's from the senate banking subcommittee on housing. >> the c-span networks. we provide coverage of politics, public affairs, nonfiction books and american history. this month look for congress to continue federal spending into november, including funding for recent natural disasters. keep tabs on the deficit committee, as

and i think gene sperling, i won't repeat it, laid out pretty moderate ideas about things that i think seem reasonable to do, and at least i would say a very provocative set of choices that the country needs to make about how we're going to pay for them. in the long run, though, i just want to say this to answer your question. one is we have a health care system that's irresponsible. we spend 5-7% more than any other industrialized nation in the world. every country in the world, industrial nation, has a national health care system. not single-payer. ask newt gingrich about switzerland. all of them cost 5-7% of gdp less. that's $700 billion a year to a trillion dollars a year, and in the washington budget speak that's $7 trillion to $10 trillion in savings. we have a retirement system where george bush was half right which was to create a national private account, wealth-building account. he just funded it the wrong way out of social security. but there is a way that countries around the world, and not a one glob a lifetime -- job in a lifetime economy have found ways with professional

you go after this collection of pay-fors that looks like rich people and oil companies, and then gene sperling arrives today and says if they want to do it some other way, that's fine. they want the politics, but they don't care about the policy. >> i mean, i think i said this with the debt ceiling too, i believe that they want a deal because they think a deal is what the american public who are still persuadable and undecided about the election want. >> despite all polls to the contrary. >> do you think i'm wrong, though, andy? >> i think they do want that -- >> yeah. >> i think they've failed in terms of convincing independents with what he's been doing. >> right. >> so it's not as if he's holding firm in one level of the direct rate. he's losing everything, so it does make you think he should reconsider a little bit. >> but do you think independents have just, they're tuning the president out, or are they still persuadable? is. >> i think 14 months before an election nothing matters, you know? it's kind of like your lehman brother predictions. someone wants to do predictions. 14 minutes bef