mcconnell didn't like about mcconnell -- she was going far on that.ut if you do that, you can probably get 40%-45% -- but how do you get that last 6% to push you over the top? >> she was never able to say that i am not mitch mcconnell. there is a second half of the equation. you can run against somebody and mitt romney suffered the same problem with obama. i am not obama, but you have to answer the second part. voters are not stupid. they understand -- you are not mitch mcconnell -- who are you and what are you going to do? >> how long have you two been with politico? >> i joined in 2008. just over six years. >> i am an original. i was hired december, 2006. i was there when political started in 2007. >> somebody far away from washington, d.c. can get politico where? >> online. we have a newspaper that is circulated but mostly that is washington. >> we are owned -- he was a tv executive. his father owned some tv companies and stations. they have sold that now, so he owns politico. we own "capital new york." we are opening politico europe. >> back to al

what exactly is mcconnell's plan to get there?s first address as leader, mcconnell said he wants to reopen vigorous senate debate. >> we need to open up the legislative process in a way that allows more amendments from both sides. sometimes, it's going to be meaning working late. but restoring the senate is the right thing to do. >> reporter: lott says the keys to mcconnell are determination and tenacity. >> mitch has a really good sense for timing ande will wait until hell freezes over to make the right move, waiting for the moment. and he has an ability to sense that. >> reporter: another factor, how long mcconnell has waited for and strategize for this moment. >> mitch mcconnell has finally grabbed the brass ring, this is what he's looked for all his life and now he's going to prove he isn't the dog that caught the car, that he knows what to do with this job. and lisa joins us now so yertle the turtle is his nick name but he is seriously successful. so what does he want to do with his power. >> he wants to change how the senate

mcconnell: mr. president could we have order. the vice president: the senate will come to order please. the senate will come to order. the majority leader. mr. mcconnell: mr. president i suggest the absence of a quorum. the vice president: the absence of a quorum having been suggested, the clerk will call the roll. quorum call: the vice president: a quorum is present. mr. durbin: mr. president? the presiding officer: durbin: mr. president?the vice president: mr. president, the democratic leader is necessarily absent. i'll be acting in his stead until his return. the vice president: also noticed. mr. mcconnell: mr. president i have a resolution at the desk and i ask for its immediate consideration. the vice president: the clerk will report. the clerk: s. res. 1 informing the president of the united states that a quorum of each house is assembled. the vice president: without objection, the resolution is considered and agreed to. mr. mcconnell: i move to reconsider the vote by which the resolution was

you'll hear majority leader mcconnell talking about restoring the senate. what he means by that, he intends to bring a new fresh more robust, more open, free-wheeling debate to the senate. members will have a chance to put forward amendments for the first time in a long time, and regular order in the committees will be restored under his leadership. >> will they also be dealing with a president who is in an objectively different place now? final two years he'll never face the voters again knows what he has to deal with now with a national legislature that is in the hands of the other party. we've seen glimmers of that in the last couple of months. >> i think you'll see both sides try to work together where they can. certainly the past is the past, but it's a new day. i think that there is a commitment from at least the republican leadership to try to reach out where there are areas of agreement. >> first order of business, jim manly, they announced a schedule for the debate of the keystone pipeline reintroduction, and josh earnest announced at the white hou

in the end, senator mcconnell just sort of plowed forward and left democrats behind. started making motions to table all the amendments. the senator state until midnight last night, tabling amendments. it was a great thing for dancing the bill. they are almost done with the amendment process. however, it left a lot of raw feelings on the democratic side. democratic senators feeling like senator mcconnell was not holding up his promise to keep the open amendment process going. of course, senator mcconnell says he tried. the the democrats were stonewalling on how to proceed. that is a bit of a standoff. raw emotions. we will see how that turns out on monday. they will have a key vote on the keystone pipeline. a need a threshold to edit and send. they will need to get the democratic senators to support the pipeline on board. >> lisa writes for the l.a. times in the tribune newspaper. keep following her on twitter. and your website. -- and her website. thanks a lot. >> thank you. >>

[laughter] very happy today to have the senate majority leader mitch mcconnell, my friend, with us here. >> thank you. we are pleased to be here today. the announcement i want to make is senator joni ernst will be delivering the response to the state of the union for our side this year. she is a perfect choice. americans voted for change, and the senator ernst will explain what the new congress plans to do. and what it is already doing to return focus to the concerns of the middle class and away from demands the political class. joni ernst has dedicated her life to iowa in the country, serving in the military, the iowa national guard, for more than 20 years, and has deployed overseas. she is focused on growing an economy and expanding the middle class. >> thank you. thank you so much. thank you, speaker, and leader also. i am truly humbled and honored to have this opportunity to deliver the republican address. and it is a long way from red oak to washington, d.c. and growing up on a southwest iowa farm years ago, i never never would have imagined that i would have this opportunity. so t

>> mcconnell: look, can i say something about vetoes? the president's vetoed two bills in six years, two little bills over technicalities. the reason was the senate never sent him anything that caused him any discomfort. in our system, it's... it's going to happen occasionally. presidents veto bills-- there are differences of opinion between congress and presidents that's not unheard of in our system. >> pelley: president obama's job approval rating is 46%. it's pretty poor. but the job approval rating for the congress is 15%. what do you say to the 85% of the american people who think you're doing a lousy job? >> mcconnell: i would say they're right. hey, i wouldn't vote to approve this congress. and from a senate perspective, i can... i can tell you the senate has been essentially dysfunctional for four years. i mean, it's basically been shut down. and these guys on the house side have passed lots and lots of legislation. it would come over to the senate, and literally nothing would happen-- i mean, absolutely nothing. >> boehner: over

i talked to the speaker and mitch mcconnell about this. we agree that this is an area we can work hard together to get some legislation done and make sure we are much more effective at protecting the american people from these kind of cyber attacks. there will be opportunities for us to work together on trade. there'll be opportunities for us to work together on simple fine taxes and making sure everyone is paying their fair share. there will be opportunities for us to streamline government so it is more responsive. on each of these issues, i will be listening to everybody around this table and i am hopeful in the spirit of cooperation for the americans first, we can be a position with an of this year will be much better than where we were at the start of the year. host: so quick, some our guests. i want to pick up on the taxes because you mentioned that earlier the segment. what is realistic in terms of tax policy this year? guest: corporate tax reform is a realistic and achievable result. republicans and democrats see the same problem an

mcconnell: now mr. president, i ask unanimous consent that the senate proceed to consideration of s. res. 38 submitted i i earlier today. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: senate resolution 38 relative to the death of wendell h. ford, former united states senator for the commonwealth of kentucky. the presiding officer: is there objection to proceeding to the measure? mr. mcconnell: i ask unanimous consent the resolution be agreed to -- the presiding officer: without objection. mr. mcconnell: i ask unanimous consent the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid on the table, with no intervening action or debate. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. mcconnell: now mr. president, i ask unanimous consent that when the senate completes its business today it adjourn until 4:30 p.m. monday, january 26, that following the prayer and pledge, the morning hour be deemed expired the journal of proceedings be approved to d

with john boehner and mitch mcconnell. because the people had sent the message that they wanted things to start to work again. and that's where you come in. because you're the people. and what you do to get more folks to participate in intelligent ways is what this effort on the part of the bpc is all about. america first nation to set itself up on the basis, yes, separation of powers, yes grid lock, ultimate source of power. the people. we've had all kinds of problems. we've made all kinds of mistakes. our history is filled with blunders and a lot of things that are really embarrassing. but we have muddled through, through the decades, and now the centuries, to have produced the strongest most resilient most diverse most powerful economy and country the world has ever known. and i'm a polyiana guy who says we're going to continue to muddle through just fine. >> i guess, if i may just comment. two things. one is, you mentioned i have a background in the movie industry so you've got to go see the movie selma. has anybody se

mitch mcconnell needs at least 60 votes.six democrats every time to get something done and he has to keep people like ted cruz in line. martha: let's pretend like we are congress. mary anne. what do you think would pass. you have got a republican house and senate. what could they the president's desk that would send a message to the american people and the president would sign it and they would say we are get something where. what would it be? >> if you want to put people back to work ... martha: what bills? >> bridges roads infrastructure. put people back to work. there are plenty of bills that do that. everybody wants that done. >> keystone is a huge piece of long-term energy efficiency infrastructure that they can put on the table right now immediately. you mention president obama doesn't agree with keystone? guess what? a lot of democrats agree with keystone which proves the points president obama is only about president obama and his agenda. he rejects keystone he's setting the tone for the next two years to be full of

mcconnell: mr. president i ask unanimous consent that at 9:30 a.m. friday, tomorrow, the senate proceed to vote in relation to the following amendments in the order listed -- sullivan 67, cardin 75 murkowski 98, flake 103 cruz 15, moran 73, daines 132. further, that all amendments on the list be subject to a 60-vote affirmative threshold for adoption and that no second degrees be in order to the amendments. i ask consent there be two minutes of debate equally divided between each vote and that all vote after the first in the series be ten-minute votes. the presiding officer: is there objection? mr. durbin: mr. president reserving the right to object. the presiding officer: the assistant democratic leader. mr. durbin: now that we have purged the calendar of five of the six democratic amendments, the majority leader tells us it's time to vote. it doesn't strike me that this is in the best interests of what we are trying to achieve here in going back and forth in a bipartisan constructive fashion. i wo

mitch mcconnell will become the majority leader in the senate. once again, joining us for our special coverage this hour, chief washington correspondent, jake tapper, the anchor of "the lead." give us a little flavor of this new house of representatives. what do you see there? >> we should say the congress in general, the house and senate, this is the most diverse congress in american history. you have, first of all, 46 african-americans, you have a record number of women in the house and senate, 104. there are 33 hispanics, there are 12 asian americans. this is the biggest class of black republicans, two, since ri construction. there's mia love and tim scott. >> and she's the first woman republican in the house? >> first african-american woman republican in the house. but all that being said, this incredibly diverse class or most diverse class in history, it is still 80% male, 80% white. so still has a long way to go in terms of reflecting the united states of america population. >> good point. dana is up on the hill, our chief congressional cor

mcconnell: so, mr. president, i ask unanimous consent that when the senate completes its business today it adjourn until:30 a.m. tomorrow -- until 9:30 a.m. tomorrow, friday january 9. following the prayer and pledge, the morning hour be deemed expired, the journal of proceedings be approved to date, and the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day. following any leader remarks the senate proceed to a period of morning business with senators permitted to speak therein for up to ten minutes. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. mcconnell: if there is no further business to come before the senate, i ask unanimous consent that it adjourn under the previous order. the presiding officer: the senate stands adjourned until 9:30 a.m. tomorrow. why is the keystone though one of the first to come up in congress and the effort in the house? >> guest: thanks for having me. keystone is the first bill to come up because since after the midterms last year the senate majority leader

senate -- senator mcconnell let the democrats behind, plowed forward and began making most -- motions to table the amendments. the senator stayed till midnight last night tabling amendments. now, they are almost with the amendment process. but it left raw feelings on the democratic side that felt like democrats felt senator mcconnell was not holding up his promise to keep the open amendment process going. of course, senator mcconnell says he tried, that the democrats were stonewalling on getting an agreement on how to proceed. that is a bit of a standoff. it left people raw, with raw emotions in the senate. they will have a key vote on the keystone pipeline, to advance the bill they need a 60-vote threshold to advance it. republicans only have 54 votes. republicans will need to get democratic senators who support the pipeline on board. we will see if they do that monday. >> thanks, lisa. you can keep following her at lisa mosquera, and at l.a. times.com. thanks a lot. >> now, a look at white house communications strategies and the relationship with the press corps. you will hear from

i called mcconnell, the leader. chris has invited me. should i go? i said to take jeff gold with you. we decided to take bob corker as well. chris had a couple of democrats. dick durbin, chuck schumer marty from the house. we sat down and in about two hours we put a bill together and that was basely it, though more details that go into it. ok, the house rejected it. nancy pelosi said hey, this is enormously unpopular. republicans are in charge of the house. we will make the republicans pass it with republican votes. she withheld a certain number of democratic votes, whereupon john boehner said that he was not playing that game, withholding the appropriate number of republican votes, after that nothing failed. it lost one dollar trillion in value after 20 minutes whereupon mcconnell and read and we are not recessing until this has been passed. you will see to it. we will stand here. the collapse in the stock exchange stopped after harry reid and mitch mcconnell took the stand. talking to the house ok, mrs. pelosi released the democrats she had held ba

mcconnell is right. one of the messages that voters sent. they are frustrated with the things that the administration is or not doing and they are unhappy with congress as well. and they are going to have to meet in the middle to change a lot of things if they want to get the public on their side. >> the president so often blames the congress for what he sees, as a lack of progress on various things and if he veto key stones, it doesn't seem like the american people will be with him on that. >> you bet. >> and 12 people murdered and others fighting for their lives after a horrifying terrorist attack in paris. the hunt for gun men at large. >> and days of down arrows and now seeing a bit of an upswing in the dow, that's next. this is the equivalent of the sugar in one regular soda. and this is one soda a day over an average adult lifetime. but there's a better choice. drink more brita water. clean, refreshing, brita. .. ...heartburn. did someone say burn? try alka seltzer reliefchews. they work just as fast and are proven to taste better than

here is mcconnell who explains. >> they are tired of the act. to give you examples like the approving the key stone pipeline that would put people to work. >> reporter: so if the president is talking about working with republicans and the first thing they pass is the key stone pipeline and he vetoes is. that would be the opposite of what the white house is talking and the president might be welcomed back with legislation like that. and we welcome you back. >> thank you for much. ed, great to see you thank you. >> the incoming senate majority leader has information for the troop. his goal is to reach a functional majority that scores some conservative points. i don't want american people to think that if they add an republican president that would be a scary outcome. i want the american people to be comfortable with the senate being g a reasonable, right of center governing majority. don't be scary the mantra from mitch mcconnell. >> he has to look at the other chamber tomorrow is the first test for the republican leadership in general. speaker b

i mean, senator mcconnell is absolutely right. when you drone a terrorist, you've taken a terrorist off the street. but at the same time you've vaporized all the intelligence in his brain. we need that intelligence in order to keep the country safe. i mean think about the challenge that our intelligence community faces. intelligence in the war on terror is like having 10,000-piece puzzle put out on a table in front of you and you've got to put it together and connect the dots before an attack takes place. but you're not allowed to look at the picture on the cover of the box. imagine how hard that is. how do you get the picture on the cover of the box? you get the terrorist who drew the picture you capture them and get them to tell you. that's what we did with kalid shaikh, mohamed, he gave us something else. he gave us the picture on the box. >> is the reason for that political correctness? we now look at what happened in france, also accused of being too politically correct when it comes to handling this problem. and we see these

mitch mcconnell says authorization of the keystone pipeline will be a top priority. president obama says he will veto the bill if passed. joining me for a look at the 114th congress is l hunt. -- al hunt. happy new year. how do we look at this new congress? what they might accomplish, what is the mindset and the landmines? >> the mindset for john boehner and mitch mcconnell is to have some come from isa's, battles and confrontations. -- is to have some compromises titles, and confrontations. the early posturing over keystone and health care is to lay markers down. the question is whether boehner can control his caucus. whether when you get to the specifics of corporate tax reform, infrastructure, trade -- even immigration -- whether you can put together that kind of compromise and whether barack obama is willing to cover my's more than his base would like. >> -- willing to compromise more than his base would like korea >> let's talk about the opposition to john boehner. is it serious? the impression was, coming into the congress, all the weakness he had shown and his

mcconnell said look, i don't have time to go through it all. it to senator alexander, whom i listen to on these issues? he wasn't being rude. he was just being realistic about the kinds of pressures that a leader has. and the bpc staff said to me, well, you are close to alexander, which is true will you go with this? kind of to make sure that alexander would come to the meeting i guess. i don't think that was necessary. i think lamar would have shown up when i was there or not but i went in with the others, and they presented these recommendations. and lamar alexander, who is a student of american politics, and longtime participant he was in the nixon white house, that's where i first met him when i was in the nixon administration he was governor of tennessee. he's been a university president but he was a cabinet officer and now he's ascended to. there isn't anybody who has a broader background in american politics and lamar alexander. he listened politely to the things we had to say, and then he said picking out one item he said we exception o

mitch mcconnell or john boehner should be responding to the president tonight. this is a real opportunity to unite with the president and move the country forward. now whether the gop agrees with the president or not, it should come from leadership directly. people are going to be walking away from tonight thinking well, this is just more of the same. mitch mcconnell i think, is missing an opportunity to lead and i think it speaks volumes of what really their mission is. their mission is to defeat president obama. this selection of joanie earnest, when it first came out, i really thought it was a joke. i thought they were kidding. here are the republicans. they have not had both chambers the house and the senate for some six years. this is an opportunity for them to show the country that they are serious after all this obstruction. they're going to put the biggest obstructer right in front of the american people tonight. i think it is a bad move and the republicans are off to a bad foot nationally because the country is paying attention to this tonight. this is

as strong as boehner and mcconnell have been so far, the will really be tested now.ho will be the leader? a need stronger voices in the front, public side then boehner or mcconnell have been. [bell rings] >> they will use every possibility to make the republicans not improve their image. now, mayor bill de blasio called a press conference, but they also address of that cops have turned their back on the mayor more than once as a sign of protest. >> they were disrespectful to the families. that is the bottom line. they were disrespectful to the families who lost their loved one, and i can't understand why anyone would do such a thing in a context like that. >> the selfishness of that action. the selfishness of it. come demonstrate outside city hall. demonstrate outside police headquarters. do not put on a uniform, go to a funeral, and engage in a political action. >> those guys speaking strong words there. do you think bill de blasio, his refusal to back down on this issue, is that smart or dumb politics? >> on the merits, i think it is strong in a think the public ma

i called mcconnell. i said, chris has invited me to this, should i go? he said, take judd gregg with you. we decided to take bob corker as well. we walked in. chris had a couple of democrats, dick durbin and chuck schumer, arti franklin. in a two-hour period, we put the bill together. a lot more details went into it, but that was basically it. the house rejected it. nancy pelosi said, this is enormously unpopular. republicans are in charge of the house, we will make the republicans pass it with republican votes, so she withheld x number of democratic votes. john boehner said, i'm not playing that game. and he withheld the appropriate number of republican votes and the thing failed. the new york stock exchange lost $1.5 trillion in value in the next 20 minutes, whereupon mcconnell and harry reid took the stage and together said that congress was scheduled to recess and we are not recessing until this has been passed. we will stand to hear and see to it. the collapse on the stock exchange stopped after harry reid and mitch mcconnell took their stand. then

, thank you so much for your time. >> that was senator mitch mcconnell, speaking in 2010. he is the senate majority leader for the 114th congress, which convened on january 6. we continue with our look of the historical role of the senat

the president before christmas time did talk to mitch mcconnell. they talked about how they might be able to trade proposal, actual concrete ideas. from all the folks that i've talked to who have also been democratic advisors to president obama, this gets harder than the brass talks. and the president has this idea that he can leverage infrastructure spending, roads and bridges for democratic ideas and find some business partners that the business community wants to do that. on trade he's ready to defy some of the republicans on this. i remember the nafta fight. they're laying some tough markers -- first of all he has to negotiate that and then go to the senate to ok that. >> the president has been burned before when he thought he was getting good signals from the fiscal bargain. does he have a new strategy? is there something that leads him to believe it can be different? >> within of the interesting things about barack obama he's got this idea of whose political interests are going to fit in with his political interest in the tax reform he thinks

he's going to try to make mitch mcconnell toe the line. look, again, i keep talking about this homeland security fight in february. but the backdrop of all that is the president's executive order on immigration. and what the ted cruz wing of the party wants to do is make that a huge issue to try to repeal it-- they can't-- but to make sure really fellow republicans walk the plank on that one. so i think that's full of peril for mitch mcconnell and for john boehner and ted cruz is one smart, tough customer. he's not going to give in easily. >> rose: al hunt, thank you so much. >> thank you charlie. and again happy new year. >> rose: you, too. back in a moment, stay with us. >> rose: stephen hawking is the world's most famous living physicist. he was diagnosed with motor neuron disease in 1963 and was told he had two years to live. he married had kids, and continues his work unraveling the mysteries of the universe. his book "a brief history of time" has sold over 10 million copies worldwide. i spoke with stephen hawking in cakein 2008. you

i don't think senator mcconnell or anyone else a strike to block him on it. i would expect senator sanders will offer an amendment and we will have a vote. we will have amendments from the republicans and democrats. some amendments are for people supporting the legislation and some are opposed. >> how would you vote on it? >> senator sanders offered that type of amendment in committee and it is not one i would , support. i motioned to table it and we voted to table the amendment. i made that point. why don't you offer that on the floor? if it is the same amendment he offered in the committee, i would vote against it. >> nasa scientists announced that 2014 was the hottest climate year on record. i am wondering how that statistic fits in this broader energy debate that you have been referencing. >> it makes the point that i continually try to emphasize and that is the way that you get more energy on a more affordable basis more dependably and moving move it more safely is if you build the infrastructure and make the investments to develop and deploy the new tec

mcconnell takes credit and scrambled politics is right now. republicans have been in control of congress less than a week and already mitch mcconnell is linking america's improving economy with the gop. he said yesterday, the uptick appears to coincide with the biggest political change of the obama administration's long tenure in washington. the expectation of a new republican congress. well democrats they were quick to respond after mcconnell touted the so called accomplishments of the gop led congress. a quote, that mitch mcconnell is one funny guy. he likes to remind everybody he's not a scientist. we's not a mathematician or an economist either. >>> according to a new report, former florida governor jeb bush may release decades worth of tax returns. he has made it clear he is exploring a possible white house run. releasing his tax returns would distance himself from comparisons to mitt romney who was pressured into doing so in 2012. >>> groundhog's day is coming up and fortunately, this won't happen. new york city mayor bill de blasio won'

i talked to the speaker and mitch mcconnell about this.agree that this is an area we can work hard together to get some legislation done and make sure we are much more effective at protecting the american people from these kind of cyber attacks. there will be opportunities for us to work together on trade. there'll be opportunities for us to work together on simple fine taxes and making sure everyone is paying their fair share. there will be opportunities for us to streamline government so it is more responsive. on each of these issues, i will be listening to everybody around this table and i am hopeful in the spirit of cooperation for the americans first, we can be a position with an of this year will be much better than where we were at the start of the year. host: so quick, some our guests. i want to pick up on the taxes because you mentioned that earlier the segment. what is realistic in terms of tax policy this year? guest: corporate tax reform is a realistic and achievable result. republicans and democrats see the same problem and th

that brings me to the funniest clip of mitch mcconnell you will ever see.ish growth we're finally starting to see some economic data that can provide a glimmer of hope. the uptick appears to coincide with the biggest political change of the obama administration's long tenure in washington. the expectation of a new republican congress. >> a new republican congress. oh i get it. he's saying the republicans saved the economy from the brink of collapse. [ laughter ] the democrats got a kick out of that too. the dnc released a statement saying, quote, ha-ha ha ha-ha ha-ha, that mitch mcconnell is one funny guy. oh yes, he is. he should try stand-up with that kind of material. joining me now is political strategist angela rye and democratic strategist mark hannah. thank you both for being here tonight. >> thanks rev. >> mark i've heard some funny jokes, but how funny is mitch mcconnell taking credit for the economic recovery? >> it's hilarious. i think the funniest thing is that he said that with a straight face. what's he going to do next? >> that's good commeed

no drama today, as mitch mcconnell game majority leader of the senate.t's a different process there. so he had already been selected by republicans to be the leader of the senate. that will change the dynamic because the majority leader decides what issues what votes happens on the senate floor. we've gone for several years now as harry reid being in charge, running the democrats' agenda through the senate. now republicans will get a turn. and it is a real test for mitch mcconnell and john boehner. can they deliver? one of the things we learned today is they plan to move forward with keystone pipeline but the white house says the president will veto that if it gets to his desk. >> you know, kelly, on that note, let me ask you just a little about what you're hearing in terms of strategy on the hill because for republicans, now that they have the senate and they can, as you said send things up from the lower house up into the senate if they wish to, for boehner's team is the strategy to more -- to create more bipartisan bills that when they get to the pres

both mcconnell and -- actually mcconnell reid pelosi and boehner, the four members of leadership. have -- they know how to run a railroad. i do think that the most divisive era of recent history was under harry reid. that is the going to change perhaps, with mitch mcconnell and it start this is week, where believe it or not, you're going to get to actually have a vote on a piece of legislation. and there will be amendments and this should not be a novel concept, but that's not how it's been the last six years and it actually might help president obama get some things worked out. as going to be tough on these guys. u now he has the luxury of having enough votes out of his caucus to go where before he had to stop when the very conservative people said no. now he can go and negotiate. and i think he's a very god negotiator. >> on what a gop -- what gop control means. >> republicans are going to have a chance to show how retro actively for the last six years everything has stopped, they effectively acted as a shield to look like obama wasn't the one stopping stuff, now he's going to b

my next guest is putting mcconnell's pledge to the test.nie sanders of vermont and the ranking member of the senate budget committee plans to introduce an amendment forcing republicans to go on record with their views about the connection between humans greenhouse gas emissions, and climate change. the senators amendment will ask lawmakers if they believe, quote, climate change is real climate change is caused by human activities climate change has already caused devastating problems in the united states and around the world. and it is imperative that the united states transform its energy system away from fossil fuels and toward energy efficient and sustainable energy. it's important to know where lawmakers stand, especially ahead of 2016. according to politico a republican senator declined to say how he would vote because he was told by the powers that would be that the amendment would not get a vote on the floor. we're just one week into the new legislative session. hopefully mcconnell hasn't already abandoned his promise in the effect t

what's going to be high on mcconnell's hit list as we go into 2015? >> mcconnell you know he really wants to bring order back to the senate. what he's talking about, of course, first we know the keystone bill. once they dispose of that, it's kind of anyone's guess on what mcconnell will move to next. we know he's talking already about moving to the iran sanctions legislation after they get done with keystone. luke mentioned the department of homeland security funding measure. and then a bunch of leftover items from last year. things ranging from terrorism risk insurance to raising the national debt ceiling. those measures that you talk about, those big republican priorities are really not going to be -- you know may take a backseat to some leftover items. you know if they don't -- keep in mind, they also have to deal with difficult things like passing a bublgdget, which is no easy task in a divided republican conference. so, there are a lot of basic housekeeping measures and leftover items that divide the -- divide their own party they have to deal wi

mcconnell: --. the presiding officer: without objection, so ordered. mr. mcconnell: execution the motion to reconsider be made with no intervening action or debate. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. mcconnell: for the information of all senators, we are designating the full member membershipship of each committee plus the chairman of the armed services and energy committees tonight. we'll appoint the rest of the chairmen tomorrow once we have had a quick meeting of the republican conference to ratify the names. now, mr. president -- mr. durbin: i ask unanimous consent the senate proceed with resolution of senate resolution 22 submitted earlier today. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: senate resolution 22 to constitute the minority party's membership on certain committees for the 114th congress or until their successors are chosen. the presiding officer: is there objection to proceeding to the measure? without objection so ordered. mr. durbin: i ask unanimous consent the resolution be agreed to the motion to reconsider con

the president before christmas time did talk to mitch mcconnell. the incoming senate majority leader. they talked about how they might be able to trade proposals, actual concrete ideas. from all the folks that i've talked to who have also been democratic advisors to president obama this is much harder when you get down to the brass tax than just talking to be idea that republicans and democrats wants to come together. and the president has this idea that he can leverage infrastructure spending, roads and bridges for democratic ideas and find some business partners that the business community wants to do that. on trade he's ready to defy some of the democrats of his party on this i'm old enough to have covered the nafta fight occurring the clinton years and i remember how tough that has with your fellow democrats and they're already laying some tough markers on whether -- forever he has to negotiate that and then go to the senate to ok that. >> the president has been burned before when he thought he was getting good signals from the -- from the repu

>> senator mcconnell has been preparing for about 40 years. i think this has been a goal of his license the 1960's when he worked for john sherman. i think mitch had expired to come to the senate. that is where you really make a difference. the majority leader position is very powerful. it is much better being the majority leader, but it is much harder. you govern or leave the senate by the respect for the position and by the power of your persuasion. you do decide what bill will come up, what conditions come up, there are no rules committee like the rules committee and the house. it is much more open, very difficult to control processes. it is easy to block things in the senate. to go from a congress that it not get much done to one that begins to move issues, whether it is trade, taxes, infrastructure, immigration, health, each one of those will be a battle. what has happened, i am sure over the last couple of weeks mitch mcconnell working with john boehner. and, are we going to be able to do some things that are low hanging items that will

and mitch mcconnell said let's turn the page and find out where we can work together and be cognizantthe government is not the solution. sort of tried and tested old gop ideas but the selection by joni ernst has a lot more to do with personality than to do with policy. one thing mitch mcconnell said around the christmas holiday, he doesn't want republicans to be made out to be the bad guys in the room. he is working hard to change the face of how they are being interpreted by americans. joni ernst is his attempt to do that. i expect it to be about personality and republican themes and not specifics to the president's speech. >> it is interesting. because the republicans acquired bower and were able to take over -- power and take over the house and the senate based this strategy and being the bad guys essentially, and saying they would give the president nothing. is it making heads spin on capitol hill that suddenly now that they are in charge now they want bipartisanship and warm nl and coziness and such? >> well i think a lot of democrats will say it is facetious. and you do hear tha