not a kentucky conservative. >> by mitch mcconnell and i approve this message. >> it is hard, it is direct. you are going after bevin's strings. he is claiming to be this conservative alternative to mcconnell and you are raising doubts about his integrity. another story -- we had said bevin claimed he was against the wall street bailout but he was actually for it. they knew exactly what they were going to use against him and they did. they even told him, we are going to run these ads. >> i would add that what was remarkable about it is that it came up the day he announced he was going to run. there was a statewide ad going after bevin. no one had even heard of matt bevin, but they were going after him on day one. >> how badly did he beat bevin? >> 60%-30%. >> they claim this was a good margin because bevin spent $5 million on this campaign, and he was supported by outside groups. >> in your article, you say that mitch mcconnell spent $2 million of his own money. you say you came here as an intern in college and worked for senator and then went back and did the same thing. where does he get

katzenberg and the folks who wanted to shake mcconnell -- liberal democrats hate mitch mcconnell, no tion, they were going to get him. they were going to put a lot of money into super pacs and they were going to dump it all on mcconnell. >> grimes was very -- these outside groups would get her money. before she got in there was a very aggressive push by both her father -- to line up fundraisers and make sure the majority pack would not leave her hanging, they wanted to make that clear. it shows just how cautious of a candidate she was. super cautious on the campaign trail and before. she did not want to take the risk if there was a chance the democrats would abandon her. >> the day she was supposed to get in, she initially told reid she was not running. so they panic. they get her on the phone and she goes into a meeting with her supporters and comes back out and she is running. there was this disconnect -- she was a very well-respected executive director. it is -- the republicans have their own version. the national republican senatorial committee. >> when we see the president allow

takes up work putting republicans at the legal ams of all the economies as chairs, and kentucky's mitch mcconnell in charge as majority leader. speaker john boehner of ohio will lead the large republican majority in the house of representatives, but there were two dozen members willing to stand as candidates against him or vote against him. since the democrats were soundly beaten in the 2014 midterm election speculation has been growing of what it would mean to have republicans back in charge of both chambers since 2006. it's a new year in washington, that means new jobs for 58 representatives. >> congratulations. you're now members of the 114th congress. >> and 13 senators. >> i'm going to ask you to please raise your right hand. >> it's the first time in decades the republicans have had this strong of a majority in congress. all but one of the new senators sworn in tuesday were members of the g.o.p. >> we recognize the emorety of the task before us. we know many opportunities await. >> the first item on the docket is the keystone pipeline. many had set eyes on passing the proposed project that

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

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

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

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

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

and the senate, it was harry reid and mitch mcconnell working together. in the house, it was john boehner because nancy pelosi said she did not want any part of it. the number two democrat was saying nancy, we have to govern. and who was there with the two from the senate and two from the house making phone calls to members of his party and saying, will you get in line and help out? barack obama. barack obama making common cause with john boehner and mitch mcconnell because the people had sent the message that they wanted things to start to work again. that is where you come in. because you are the people. what you do to get more folks to participate in intelligent ways is what this effort on the part of the bpc is about. america, first nation to set itself up on the basis yes separation of powers, yes, gridlock, the people. we have had all kinds of problems, made all kinds of mistakes, our history is filled with blunders and a lot of embarrassing things. but, we have muddled through the decades and centuries to have produced the strongest, most resilient

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

visit angieslist.com today. >>> does mitch mcconnell trust the president?im that and more in our exclusive interview with the new senate majority leade watch. so the question i have for you is, what's going to change? because i know you came out and said, look mr. president, big things can be accomplished if we work together. but what exactly do you think can be accomplished? >> well, we'll see. i mean i've certainly been discouraged by what the president's done since the election. seems to be on a crusade to continue doing things with executive orders. what the majority leader has the opportunity to do is to set the agenda. what i've said is we're going to turn first to the keystone xl pipeline a decision he's been sitting on for five years that would literally put thousands to work immediately. supported by 70% of the american people. and help us embrace this remarkable energy revolution that's going on in our country. everybody sees that at the moment with low gas prices. and yet the president says he'll veto it. look, my attitude is if we can find some

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

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

and mitch mcconnell said we'll do the best we can and if the president vetoes it. we will use it as a clear difference between the republicans and democrats. you will have most of the presidential candidates favoring key stone pipeline and then it becomes a tougher question for hillary clinton, if she decides to run, she has to decide whether to side with obama's veto or supporting the key stone pipeline a poll show most americans support. >> he doesn't expect to make big deals on big issues in the country but believes they can reach agreement with the white house on revenue streams and overhaul of the tax code and international trades deals. does that save the voters? >> i think it would satisfy some voters, but you still have tensions in both parties you have a conservative element that is brewing and believes that john boehner gives away too much in every budget deal and on the democratic side the elizabeth warren wing of the democratic party will not want to compromise especially on the issues of trade when you see manufacturing ripped apart in the industrial m

i think mitch mcconnell is doing fine. >> can you talk about what concussion symptoms you experienced and all that stuff? >> to my knowledge, i am not getting any treatment for concussions. i do have a better understanding of football players in baseball players who have concussions. nobody has told me i have one, but perhaps i have. >> are you looking at a liability lawsuit for the elastic bands? >> if i were, i would not be broadcasting it here. >> have you given any thought to -- [inaudible] >> no, at this stage, i fully intend to run. >> were you consulted by speaker boehner or mitch mcconnell on the netinyahu address? was the address bipartisan? >> no. i was not consulted. here is how i feel about that. i have a good relationship with netinyahu. he called me, as a matter of fact, about my injury, and i appreciate it. but he is the leader of a country. he will come give a speech. we will listen to what he has to say. >> he said, at this stage, i will continue to run. is there a circumstance where you would change your decision? >> this question was asked of me at the break, and i'

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

what is mitch mcconnell doing?what he said was laughable, it's like herbert hoover taking credit for the new deal or strom thurmond taking credit for the civil rights bill. as paul klugman, they said did everything they could to slow it. now, ed the recovery seems real and that presents a problem for them in 2016 because as people see the economy getting better president obama's numbers will rise and dechlmocrats' numbers will will rise. they'll take credit for the clinton recovery and voters just didn't buy it. the real danger here is that republicans will damage the economy over the next several months, over the next year and a half by either shutting down the government playing politics with the debt ceiling and trying to force the president to improve keystone and roll back his immigration reform and now while they may want a bad recovery that's dangerous for them because they can't be seen to do that and while they want to satisfy their base on immigration, that's dangerous, too because if they alienate hispan

thank you so much. >> woodruff: with the seating of the new congress this week, kentucky senator mitch mcconnellthe leader of his chamber and one of the most powerful people in the country. but even to some who cover him cmósely, mcconnell can seem like an enigma. we asked our political editor and reporter lisa desjardins to bring us a closer look at the man now under more of the spotlight. >> reporter: when mitch mcconnell took the podium as senate leader this week.. >> today is an important day. >> reporter: ...it was also a day that he had worked for over half a century. >> apparently from the beginning of his adult life he wanted to be the majority leader of the united states senate. >> reporter: that's al cross, longtime kentucky reporter now at the university of kentucky. we'll talk to him more, but first, some background. mcconnell's childhood is a map, born in alabama, he contracted polio and his mother took him to warm springs, georgia, made famous by f.d.r. for treatment. the family later settled in louisville kentucky where mcconnell would go to college and write his thesis on henry c

mitch mcconnell is the new senate majority leader. that is the big change.here congresswoman nancy pelosi is expected to easily win the selection, but on the republican side, john boehner is also expected to win the speaker's job despite two tea party congress men who said we will amount to a challenge. we will bring you the latest as it happens. you are watching "andrea mitchell reports" only on msnbc. to have a heart attack. pete's heart attack didn't come with a warning. today his doctor has him on a bayer aspirin regimen to help reduce the risk of another one. if you've had a heart attack be sure to talk to your doctor before you begin an aspirin regimen. u for calling colonial penn life insurance company. i'm glad i was able to help you today. hi, my name is diane tull, and i'm a customer service representative for colonial penn life insurance company. insurance can sometimes be difficult to understand, but here at colonial penn, we make it simple. alex trebek has been representing colonial penn for over ten years and is here to tell you how we do it. t

yes innocent it was harry reid and mitch mcconnell working together.it was john boehner and steny hoyer because nancy pelosi said i want no part of it. and steny hoyer the number two democrat was saying nancy we have to govern. and who was there with the two from the senate and the two from the house trying to make it work, making phone calls to members of his party saying will you please get in line and help out? barack obama. barack obama making common calls with john boehner and mit mcconnell, because the people have sent the message that they wanted things to start to work again. and that's where you come in. because you are 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, the first nation, to set itself up on the basis yes, separation of powers, yes, gridlocked 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 bu

i suspect mitch mcconnell and john boehner probably feel like they're herding cats.ow you have very distinct camps in the republican party. they're still trying to decide if they can somehow reconcile and present a united front as they approach the primary season. >> that's going to be interesting to see how they do it. a lot on the table with this weekend retreat, wouldn't you say? >> there is a lot. first of all, they're going to have to come to some sort of consensus on how they handle immigration. the house of representatives fired quite a shot yesterday. this is early in the game. they have their work cut out for them. first of all they're going to have to decide who is going to speak for the party. right now that's mitch mcconnell who is saying the more the herier when it comes to presidential candidates when it comes to senate torsion rising up against him, i'm sure he would say the less the merrier. >> bob, thanks for joining us. we appreciate it. >>> still ahead, talk show host ellen degeneres is setting the record straight. stay with us. [ basketball bounci

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

earlier today the brand new congress was sworn in, with kentucky senator mitch mcconnell now officially becoming the new majority leader and speaker of the house john boehner fending off challenges from members of his own party to hold on to his leadership post as well. more than an hour before house members could even raise their right hands and take the oath of office, the obama administration drawing a line in the sand, promising the president will veto the popular keystone pipeline even though it has bipartisan support and huge support among the american people. and that's not all. despite his party's big midterm losses, we're hearing rumblings that president obama even feels emboldened to take on republicans during his final years in office. chief white house correspondent ed henry reports. >> the bottom line is the president's aides tell me he feels liberatedd after the midterm election. he met with a bipartisan group of governors, not meeting with congressional republicans who will be here at the white house next tuesday, though. he talked about cooperation in his remarks, cooper

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.

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

and the senate, it was harry reid and mitch mcconnell working together. in the house, it was john boehner because nancy pelosi said she did not want any part of it. the number two democrat was saying, nancy, we have to govern. and who was there with the two from the senate and two from the house, making phone calls to members of his party and saying, will you get in line and help out? barack obama. barack obama making common cause with john boehner and mitch mcconnell because the people had sent the message that they wanted things to start to work again. that is where you come in. because you are the people. what you do to get more folks to participate in intelligent ways is what this effort on the part of the bpc is about. america, first nation to set itself up on the basis, yes, separation of powers, yes, gridlock, ultimate source of power -- the people. we have had all kinds of problems, made all kinds of mistakes, our history is filled with blunders and a lot of embarrassing things. but, we have muddled through the decades and centuries to have produc

[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

kentucky senator mitch mcconnell, the new senate majority leader.ile, we are a straighting a vote whether house speaker john boehner will keep his job. we'll take you there live of course when that happens. >>> well, tensions are rising here in new york city as a manhunt is underway for suspects in another police shooting. two cops were wounded while responding to a robbery last night. they were part after group of five plain clones officers at the scene. there is no evidence they were specifically targeted. it is a painful reminder when just two weeks ago when officers were shot to death execution style while shotting in their patrol car. mayor bill place blast is speak first time on officers turning their back on him during the funerals of those officers. >> those individuals who took certain actions these last week, or last two weeks, they were disrespectful to the families involved. that is the bottom line. they were disrespectful to the families that lost their loved one. and i can't understand why anyone would do such a thing in the context li

we heard from mitch mcconnell and john boehner moments ago. and the red carpet just got a lot whiter. what is behind the oscar nominations announced today? all just ahead. double wings, extra ranch. we need to do something different. callahan's? ehh, i mean get away. like away away. road trip? double wings, extra ranch. it feels good to mix it up. the all-new, fuel-efficient volkswagen golf tdi clean diesel. up to 594 miles of adventure in every tank. introducing the all-new volkswagen golf family. 2015 motor trend car of the year. alright, so this tylenol arthritis lasts 8 hours, but aleve can last 12 hours... and aleve is proven to work better on pain than tylenol arthritis. so why am i still thinking about this? how are you? aleve, proven better on pain. push your enterprise and you can move the world. ♪ ♪ but to get from the old way to the new you'll need the right it infrastructure. from a partner who knows how to make your enterprise more agile, borderless and secure. hp helps business move on all the possibilities of today. and stay rea

brooke, i asked mitch mcconnell whether it matters.nning this on president obama, it's about the way we talk about the ideology but i asked mitch mcconnell does it matter that the president did not link this specifically to radical jihad and radical islam. he said it does. your take on it. >> absolutely. the fact that the obama administration even though it's taken the opportunity now to make these grand statements about free speech has during the course of the administration done everything it can to stifle open dialogue about militant islam from sponsoring human rights and make it a crime in international law, going to the u.n. saying the future does not belong to those who slander the prophet of islam sends the message to islamist terrorists not only that we agree with them that it's not okay to exercise free speech when it's offensive to muslims, but also sends the message that we don't have the backbone to defend the inalienable right to free speech. >> let me talk about this. phil donahue on today, he doesn't say they deserved it

mitch mcconnell i thought making a rather generous offer to the white house, just sign the bills and everything will be fine. much as the president said that's what i want. >> i thought it was also interesting the point he made, if you don't like the bills then you will have a chance to tell the american people why you don't like them. the keystone pipeline showed 72% of americans including a large number of democrats support its passing. a large number of republicans obviously and a large number of democrats so the president is hurting himself by vetoing the bill. there's something broader here under way. in early december after the election the question was asked who should take the lead in setting the direction of the country and said opposing party in congress meaning republicans, 53% or the sitting president, 36%. and that seems to be a pretty big advantage to the republicans in congress. normally people have confidence in the executive, the sitting president, regardless of party, they have more confidence in him then in the congress. but now that's not the case. >> well the pre

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

democrats accuse new majority leader of mitch mcconnell of political wrangling and obstruction. if tensions are already this high right out of the gate what can we expect down the road. we have chief congressional correspondent for the "washington examiner" susan fer very much yo. those who don't follow the senate and intricacies, explain what happened. they were voting on keystone pipeline late into the night and democrats are not happy with the way mitch mcconnell is running things. why? >> well basically democrats feel they should be allowed to offer as maniments as they would like to try to change the nature of the bill which would authorize the construction of the keystone pipeline project. jon: that is kind of ironic given the fact in the last congress under harry reid republicans were virtually never allowed to offer amendments on anything. >> that's right. remember both parties know that the public kind of, their eyes glaze over with all the stuff about amendments and procedure and house in the senate. i think what democrats are trying to do, we're trying to do last nigh

in the senate it was harry reid and mitch mcconnell working together. in the house, it was john boehner and steny hoyer. because nancy pelosi said i don't want no part of it. and steny hoyer, the number two democrat was saying, nancy we have to govern. and who was there with the two from the senate and the two from the house that were trying to make it work, making phone calls to members of his party saying will you please get in line and help out? barack obama. barack obama making common calls 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, gridlock ultimate source of power, the people. we had all kinds of problems we made all kinds of mistakes, our history is filled with blunders and a lot of things that are real

but let's begin with new senate majority leader mitch mcconnell!ardened exterior and love of all things lettuce -- (laughter) -- and seasonally-driven, sand-based spawbing spawning runs -- it's a fact, he is a total and the first of his kind to hold elected office -- but inside lies the hardent critic of president barack obama's economic policies >> you do have to wonder, though, whether the stimulus has had any impact at all. a bill that was meant to rein in wall street. but which is widely expected to stifle growth and kill more jobs. this is certainly the most anti-business administration since the carter years. >> # million fewer jobs will be created summit of obama care. spending, borrowing taxing, regulation and tepid growth! >> jon: i mean, it's just... this president's economic stewardship has borne a wasteland of shuddered businesses, abandoned factories and stores that sell but misery. marauding hordes wishing for the promised death panels to end their socialist misery -- and yet -- >> the american economy growing faster than in over a de

later, reporters discuss the political career of mitch mcconnell. we talk to a number of capitol hill reporters about the opening of the 114 congress. we're also joined by incoming freshman house members. plus, your facebook comments and tweets. washington journal is live tuesday and every morning at 7:00 eastern on c-span. up next, a conversation on the prospects of bipartisanship in the new congress which opens tuesday. we're from former congressman dan glickman and former utah senator robert bennett. the washington center hosted this event. >> thank you jason for reminding us all about the holiday party karaoke. i am going to bring up our first panelist. senator bennett has not been able to join us yet but will in a little bit. he is on the way. the first person i want to bring up is former agriculture secretary dan glickman. secretary glickman is a senior at the bipartisan center. he cochairs are commission on political reform as well as our nutrition and physical activity initiative and our task force on defense budget and strategy. secretary g

first, the conversation from 2010 was senator mitch mcconnell, the incoming senate majority leader for the 114th congress, which convenes in january 6. he talks about the history and traditions of the united states senate. >> senator mcconnell, as you come to work each day, you look at this building, what does it represent to you? >> the history of the united states. and the symbol of the greatest democracy and the oldest democracy in the world. and i think about it really almost every day as i walk into a structure that had only then partially opened in may of 1800 when the government moved here from philadelphia, and had been developing in phases. the greatest development, i guess, prior to the civil war. >> this office itself, describe it for someone who's never been here and what has happened here in the past. >> this particular space on the capitol is actually habitable right at the beginning when the government came down here from philadelphia. i don't know whether the walls were in place in the same way. but the house of representatives, which was much smaller, met in this area.