>> republicans talking about republican issues.ow novel. >> here is liz mayer of go proud that promotes the republican party and gay rights. in our google plus hangout, tyler deton. the author of rule and ruin, the downfall of moderation and destruction of the republicaning party from ice en that you are to the tea party and gina lauden, credited as one of the founding members. nationwide tea party movement. thanks to all of you for joining us. so, liz, liberals have an idea of what the republican party is. what's the republican take on what's going on right now inside the republican party? >> you would be shocked to know that within the republican party, there are probably about 5 different groups there that all have their idea about what the republican party is, too. and i think as rand paul said after the doma decision came down from the supreme court: that's a discussion that's going to be ongoing for quite awhile at this point. people need to debate that out fully. but i do think when you take a look at what's happening with p

to enough tea party republicans. that's the problem in this town. these guys live in districts where mitt romney got 55, 65%. they got unopposed in the general election. they are not afraid of this president. that doesn't mean it hasn't hurt the republican party. they don't care. >> i don't think the president is going out there to gloat, because that's not sort of his style. he may be doing this because of foreign markets. he may be doing it to give the signal things are going to be okay. we're not going to blow by the debt ceiling and he's probably going to point out the bipartisan margin that he got in the senate that he surely -- >> is it smart to do this? >> a lot depends what he says. if he comes out and attacks republicans in the house it would be dumb and drive voters away. if he comes out and says i was serious about negotiations, i'm willing to sit down and appointment my team tomorrow that could help him. but i think -- i was on to something. it was -- he wants to be in the news cycle. it looks like he's b

there were real authentic moderate republicans, liberal republicans. lots of them.harge of a small band of conservative back benchers. the mission was ideological, but tactical. no more compromising with democrats. just open partisan warfare. this was their vision. it was a vision that resonated powerfully with the conservative grassroots. and c-span was integral to the gingrich game plan. house rules allowed for something called special order speeches. so members could take to the floor after hours and hold court on any subject they wanted. no one ever did it. what was the point of droning on to an empty chamber. but when c-span turned its cameras on, that changed the equation. the chamber was still empty. for the first time, ever, any american will cable television could watch at home. gingrich got this. he got it right away. he and his crew. bunch of back benchers they started gobbling up special orders time. night after night. stand on the house floorturns r democrats. and preach the gospel. >> i will pick up what's the matter with the democratic foreign policy.

>> senate republicans are hoping the house republicans could pass something tonight. but when that plan fell apart, now it goes back to the senate and all the republicans in senate are trying to do is protect sequestratiosequestratiw they're on the ropes and that's all they can possibly get. >> it's generally a deal that the democrats are happy about, given the circumstances. the question then is, a, are we confident that boehner will take this deal that comes out of the senate and actually put it on the floor for a vote in the house? are we confident that will happen? >> i'm not entirely confident of that? they say boehner has two options, he can accept what the senate brokers tomorrow morning. or heck try to float some kind of six-week extension of simply the debt limit. i think the leadership would like to embrace the senate deal. but as we saw today, the way things are so fragile in the house, boehner may just go for a debt limit extension. >> and do we have any sense of how democrats will respond to is that. >> as much as republicans want to get beyond this impas

the tea party republicans.o avoid primaries. if you look at all the contested states around the country, i think there is seven republican races. they're all, you know, crawling all over each other, trying to say who could be most conservative and leaving a lot of running room for democrats. >> that's another -- another difference, heritage in the mid1990s was pushing individual mandates because -- anyway, we're out of time for the segment. i want to thank congressman charlie rangel for joining us. we'll take a peek at the man behind the curtain who is driving the agenda for the democrats during this shutdown fight. across america people are taking charge of their type 2 diabetes with non-insulin victoza®. for a while, i took a pill to lower my blood sugar, but it didn't get me to my goal. so i asked my doctor about victoza®. he said victoza® is different than pills. victoza® is proven to lower blood sugar and a1c. it's taken once-a-day, any time, and comes in a pen. and the needle is thin. victoza® is not for

is he lobbying republicans or does he expect republicans to work this out themselves?> he has, particularly on the senate side, had a lot of good interactions, particularly in this year. and in developing relationships with people that are interested in working on budget issues. but we keep hitting some walls here, which is they're not willing to consider new revenues or they still want to hold some things hostage, like for example, they want to hold obama care, use that as a negotiating tool. so, i don't know that there is a lot. you know, i don't want to give people the sense that in this particular case, we're just talking about this really narrow funding bill that just goes two months. and likewise, just getting congress to pass legislation to pay their bills when it comes to the debt ceiling. i don't know that there's a lot of negotiation for the president to do directly. he'll continue to make the case to the american people. we feel that that case -- you know, i think there will be more attention paid to this, and that breaks through. but it's apparent what need

good republican? bad republican?ly witch nominated was in delaware against the center right candidate mike castle. we saw how that worked out. >> right. what should, what would you say to democrats that they should hope for in this fight? because a lot of democrats were very, very happy to see the christine o'donnell nomination, see a bunch of tea party nominations that's the way they won the senate seats. what do you say about that? >> what i say about that is if democrats are reveling in the disarray that the republican party find itself in at the moment. they're mistaken. my belief is the country works best when you have two strong political parties who advance coherent, cogent arguments and the people can pick between the two of them. and god forbid you should have to work with one another off to find the common ground and solution. democrats who would look to have the levers of power and run it their own way. that doesn't always work so well. if you have a weak sister party as the the democrats were in the 70s a

look where the republicans are. dwindling republicans in purple states. they're there. 23, 24 republicans in places like ohio. in places like california. in places like wisconsin and michigan whuch michigan. who have to run for re-election too. for them this is armageddon. can't be tied to a party seen as blowing up the united states econo economy. you cannot ride that to re-election. the abstract hatred of government doesn't work when specifics in the district where you live are going the other way. >> crystal, i think we have an extraordinarily clear president. he makes himself very clear. all of the time. one of the first things he said. there will be absolutely no negotiating over raising the debt ceiling. no negotiating. and these people did not believe him. they did not believe him though he had been rock solid in the statement from the very beginning. alug absolutely -- no wiggle room. i think boehner worked on ape deem with reid where they were going to do a clean cr, at sequester levels. a lot for democrats to swallow. boehner had no control of h

republicans. >> actually, i've been talking to my colleagues on the other side of the aisle all along. a number of them are embarrassed. they know they're looking bad. i mean, if you think about it, everything crystal just described sounds like a children's temper tantrum. and we have to make sure they behave properly the next time. i do think that a number of them feel -- because they've said, they've been on record saying, over 20 of them said they would vote for a clean continuing resolution today. that is what needs to go on the table right now. so i'm just hoping that after their meeting with the president that they will walk out and they will realize that it's just not enough to say they're going to raise the debt ceiling and not open up the government. we need to do it both and then after the government is open, after the debt ceiling is raised, then we sit down and talk about whatever it is they want to talk about. >> but the practical question that i want to raise, because this is just pr

now, if senate republicans had united and supported house republicans, if we had 46 senate republicans every day, in the media every day making the point, why won't they fund the va? why are they holding our veterans hostage? where are they holding kids with illnesses hostage? that's a fight they can win. on the other hand, what we did have is half the republican conference on tv not making that point but instead making president obama and the democrats' point attacking the house republicans, attacking those of us trying to stop obama care. this is a recipe that necessarily leads to losing. i hope going forward we don't follow that same pass. >> when do you make your intentions for the white house known? >> look -- >> what time is it? >> my focus is entirely on the u.s. senate. it's on substance. i get that everyone wants to talk politics. >> and, you know, some trips to some of the first primary and caucus dates may be a little hints. >> there's a reason for that. the only reason to win this fight and for that matter to win some of the other fights we've had is to energize and activat

most republicans don't like it. all of the democrats, we don't want this for obama and any president, republicans or conservatives to put a gun at the president's head saying if you don't agree with me politically, we're going to take down the united states of america and those countries that depend on our dollar. that is absolutely ridiculous. it's not a compromise it's a hostage taking. >> it's always good to have a chance to speak with you. >> thanks for having me. >> please, work harder. that's all we ask. >> we are. we are. >> thanks so much. >>> coming up in just a few moments is a live window where three flags a lot of mics are standing by. the house is going to come and give us a briefing about probably the same thing you just heard the house republicans briefing us about. the deal. the latest reedit race of the deal. we'll talk about that in a moment. it grabbed the patient's record before we even picked him up. it found out the doctor we needed was at st. anne's. wiggle your toes. [ driver ] and it got his

the president has been meeting with republicans, talking to republicans all year long in search of that compromise. and we should, you know, put everything on the table, the president has made that clear. it's exemplified in the budget proposal he put forward. but what we cannot do is continue to punish the american people, which is what tea party republicans are doing in the name of, you know, trying to extract partisan demands they couldn't get through the normal legislative process, whether that's an attempt to defund, repeal, delay the affordable care act or partisan demand, maybe tax breaks for millionaires or, you know, anything else they could attach for it that's just -- it's -- who benefits from that approach? the american people don't benefit and the economy doesn't benefit. and that's why the president has taken the position that he's taken. >> a republican coming to the white house this afternoon. you've said the administration isn't going to negotiate over the debt ceiling or the government shutdown. but republicans now say think have made this suggestion, offer of a short-

jindal is saying don't twine us by the republicans in washington, define us by the republicans in the states getting stuff done. it was amazing the argument he was making for the party. don't talk about the ones here in washington. gwen: a lot of republicans in washington are saying don't link me to republicans in washington. >> but the ones taking a stand in washington are saying we are with -- the true conservatives. bobby ginnedal is saying no, it isn't. gwen: the next big fight, the debt limit. these things have been wrapped up together but this, it seems to me to be the fight that the administration is most worried about. >> this is the fight that's most consequential. this is the fight that could plunge the country into recession and it's coming up within two weeks. gwen: and that's generally accepted. to be fair, this is something john boehner says he does not want. >> absolutely. that's the vice grip boehner is in. he said he recognizes he cannot -- we cannot default, that the debt limit needs go up but he said eneed something with that and by shifting what he wants in return

later, the tea party republicans versus the non-tea party republicans.at who they like and who they don't. we'll be right back. lights alwa. [ tires screech ] ♪ [ beeping ] ♪ may you never be stuck behind a stinky truck. [ beeping ] ♪ may things always go your way. but it's good to be prepared... just in case they don't. toyota. let's go places, safely. your financial advisor should focus on your long-term goals, not their short-term agenda. [ woman ] if you have the nerve to believe that cookie cutters should be for cookies, not your investment strategy. if you believe in the sheer brilliance of a simple explanation. [ male announcer ] join the nearly 7 million investors who think like you do: face time and think time make a difference. join us. [ male announcer ] at edward jones, it's how we make sense of investing. >>> on the edge of possible default, we are taking a deep dive to see how they can wreck an economy. we look at the largest default in modern history. they saw the economy grow and strengthen. if people were among the richest in south ameri

red for republican, blue for democrat. over time, big picture as you can see, the democratic party has sort of been broadly, more well liked in the country than the republican party is. the second term of the george w. bush presidency, in particular. way earlier than that, though, the republicans do have this one big problem area, one big plunge, more than a dip, right? they kind of fell off a cliff right there. what exactly was going on right there that made the country hate the republican party much more dramatically than they ever had before? that was the vote to impeach bill clinton for stooping an intern. the republicans saw it as a great opportunity. they had finally impeached a president. but the country hated them for it. over the last 20 years, the country has never hated republicans more than they hated them at that moment until now. the new gallup polling on the american public's view of the republican party is now the worst it has ever been in modern times. it has even gone lower than it was during the clinton

now that we see these meetings, republicans going in, all the talks about senate republicans and democratsof getting together, do you feel it is time to take the ezra klein victory lap? >> i'm not taking a victory lap over a terrible place for the country. that's going too far. what i've been arguing along with others like matt iglesias, a shutdown would be a place where republicans begin to feel enough pressure, pain, would begin to see poll numbers drop such that they would not want to compound that pain by reaching the debt ceiling. assuming boehner's deal passes on the floor of the house, that appears to be what is happening. it is a very good thing that we're not going the breach a debt ceiling. i never thought i would say thank god for the government shutdown. but thank god there was some other arena that was less damaging to the country that the republicans could, as rachel maddow likes to put it, get er in -- their yahyas out. certainly the country is not having a victory right now, even if we're not having quite the catastrophic defeat we could be. >> the temper tantrum on the shu

when a republican does it, oh, that was okay. it's okay if you are a republican.he single most consistent principle in congress today. that said, if this is the best they could come up with, if this is the quality of the opposition to jay johnson's nomination, it is safe to say this is pretty much a done deal. we'll watch this space. [ male announcer ] this is pam. her busy saturday begins with back pain, when... hey pam, you should take advil. why? you can take four advil for all day relief. so i should give up my two aleve for more pills with advil? you're joking right? for my back pain, i want my aleve. a man who doesn't stand still. but jim has afib, atrial fibrillation -- an irregular heartbeat, not caused by a heart valve problem. that puts jim at a greater risk of stroke. for years, jim's medicine tied him to a monthly trip to the clinic to get his blood tested. but now, with once-a-day xarelto®, jim's on the move. jim's doctor recommended xarelto®. like warfarin, xarelto® is proven effective to reduce afib-related stroke risk. but xarelto® is the first and

the republican base.uld republicans win elections. are there enough rational republicans to make up for radical ones? >> the answer quite simply is no. would anybody have suspected mitt romney would get fewer votes in ohio than john mccain did? lets be clear, iowa was held today, ted cruz is the winner of the contest. maybe rand paul gives him a run for his money. that's on one side of the party. chris christie could be the lomb knee unless he takes your moniker and brands himself as a moderate, then he's a dead man walking. look, anybody -- it's interesting. you've got to go through a primary process. once you're the nominee, regardless of where you're from, you've got to put together the foot soldiers on the other side of the party into one cohesive unit. it might take republicans a little like it did the democratic party. we lost 1980, 1984, 1988. dee dee will remember this. in 1992, we had somewhat of an ideological primary. somebody more towards the center versus some on the left. it was a semipainfu

of the republican party. the polling is actually quite fascinating. if you ask tea partier where they fall, they put as much distance between themselves and republicans as they believe there are between the republicans and democrats. this is why cruz and mike lee and these guys were able to cause such chaos. they don't have to care about whether this is good for the republican party because their supporters don't care about whether this is good for the republican party. that's why the democrats have a structural advantage. even though liberal democrats are frustrated with obama, they still want obama and the democratic party to succeed. the republican base, the tea party base of the republican party doesn't care about the fortunes of its own party. >> that's why they're so perfectly aligned with the rush limbaug limbaug limbaughs, who also doesn't care if president party succeeds. disappointment with their own leadership is what drives the base. >> i think there's an institutional breakdown of the republican

republicans are running ads against republicans.ed cruise is raising money for an organization that runs attack ads against his fellow sitting republican senators. this is no surprise to me and anybody who covered the 2010 elections, this is no surprise to them either. you started to hear grass roots republicans getting very frustrated. just think back and just the rage that you saw at the town hall meetings. they are in congress now. they are running not just against democrats. they are running more against republicans. they want to take the party for themselves and that's what this is all about. half of the gop republican caucus has been there for three years or less. so you think about who is there now, who's in charge. john boehner is a typical dc legislator who people think is very nice. that is is a huge disconnect. so to see this to see it playing out and opening, it is republic. >> you sounded a note of hope. you tweet ed there is a slight possibility that bain ser a genius. >> it was based on a report by byron york. he is v

and got no republican support.er all the president did. >> we went down to the williamsburg retreat in virginia. only about three weeks in his term and he attacked republicans who disagreed with him substantively on the stimulus bill. >> here's where the division k07 comes from and where the healing has to half. it's become the common thing in this town to say president obama did not deliver on the unity message. but people do not take responsibility for the fact that from the very beginning there was a republican strategy, a strategy to oppose him on everything in the middle of two wars and the great depression and that's wrong. >> here's the thing. i think we're so used to going throughout the highs and the lows in washington. the question i have is, why can't people just go to work every day an get things done? that's what most of us do. >> that's what this president tried to do for five years. this time he finally said no to the bullying and he won and we're glad about it. >> the president's not without blame h

republicans have said no over and over and over again. republicans have refused to participate. as part of this deal, the republicans have agreed. they will now do that negotiation thing the democrats have been asking 4 for six months that republicans were refusing. now they will get in. to summarize, through this process, they said they would shut down the government. once it was shut down, refused to open the government until they got each one of these things. of all those things they demanded, they got none of them, none. the democrats suggested that they would please like to talk about the budgets. now they will go along with that. on the evening of day 16 of the government shut down, hours from the moment when the treasury department said we would hit the debt ceiling and start to be unable to pay what we owe, the senate passed a bill to reopen the government and raise the debt ceiling. banner had refused a vote on that. most republicans did not like the idea and wanted to keep adding more ransom demands. none of which they got. finally, wednesday night, tonight, john boehn

, most republicans didn't like the idea. so he wouldn't bring it up. most republicans wanted to keep pressing for more demands, more things to add to the ransom note, again, none of which they got. tonight, john boehner says he will allow a vote and raise the debt ceiling just in time. there are no winners, nobody is coming out on top here. and it may be true that nobody won, but somebody definitely lost here. and that has kind of been the story of john boehner's leadership of the house republicans, since the house republicans got control of congress in 2011. under the speakership of john boehner, we have now had two near defaults. we have had two brushes up against the debt ceiling. we have had one long government shutdown. and we have had no legislation of any significance passed at all, since he has been speaker. one real crisis, two near crises that you could call crises, because they didn't cause real damage, and no accomplishment. and he has also been unable to roll back any accomplishments of the legislature during th

senate republicans, i believe house republicans are very supportive of that.nd whatever kind of agreement we make -- entitlements, savings versus additional spending i think has to be done with the understanding that at the end of the day if we don't make an agreement, the number is going to be $967 billion in discretionary spending. >> let me pick up on that with you, senator durbin. because as senator blunt suggested, republicans have some leverage here. if nothing happens the sequester spending cuts kick in on january 15 and discretionary spending is cut by $21 billion. paul ryan, the house budget chair, is proposing a kind of trade in which they would agree to some short-term spending increases, which you guys want, in return for some long-term spending cuts through entitlement reform. does that sound reasonable? >> well, i can tell you this. if this is the bargain that the republicans are now pushing for that we have to cut medicare to avoid cuts in the department of defense, let us step back and take a look at this. paul ryan couldn't pass his budget in

and crazy republicans.hifting to obama care and the website that may do, a whole program. if we talk about that for two months. you know, the issue may be that obama as the the stand in for all democrats, for democartic pro gramentz is not competent. they can't do what they want to do. republicans, were looking for years, for, you know, for ways to attack obama care. death panels, premiums going through the roof. socialized medicine. all these things that were not true. and finally, into their laps falls this thing, that, the website, isn't working. so that's -- could affect overall perceptions. but then something could happen again in the next. >> you are right. >> which will come in january and february. >> i think they will have the website fixed a year from now. the point is, talking about something else. something else. through cycles. the shut down will be well past us. will people think front and center about our crazy republican problem or president obama and the economy and the latter seems more li

republicans. far bigger is the relentless onslaught of anger against the president, the affordable care act, and all things obama. for that the course is now set. a huge fight over the budget heading into the week before christmas. another government shutdown looming early in the new year. finally another debt ceiling the month after that. expect this fight against obama to barrel all the way until 2016. for his enemies, the demolition of this president remains their most exciting quest. they call it the cause. its battle flag is the stars and bars. the notion somehow those who back cruz and lee are the real americans. to take it back from the other. minorities and liberals and others who to them constitute the enemy. be warned. with every fresh defeat, this crowd becomes more frustrated and angry. this made the they who are the true superamericans assume their votes should count more than those lesser folk they think are lesser who voted for the president. how else do you describe a group that wa

i know senate republicans are feeling the heetd and many house republicans but i'm not so sure that thea party element of the house republicans that they're really feeling it. they think that they're scoring points. >> they're fine. i don't think we can talk about the republican party anymore because there is so many different groups within the republican party, it's so disseparate that there's not one way to talk about it. so if you take the 30 to 40 member of what i call the hell no caucus, they're doing fine back in their districts. this isn't going to bother them. but those republicans who are actually in feats in which they could have races, this could be a problem for them. one interesting thing in that poll last night that i looked at which kind of made my eyes each a little wide is the generic number. you ask people, if the election were held today, would you vote for democrats to be in control or republicans to be in control of the congress. and the numbers are saying they wanted democrats to be in control was up nine points. that's double, wolf, from what it was over the summe

the republicans are reacting.8% on election day in november, i think you are right. i do think the republicans will adjust and be less divisive. maybe that will change their numbers, get their numbers up some. in politics, if you are 28%, you can only go up, really. so they will figure out a way to go up. >> well, you look at a state like arkansas, prior did not have a lot going for him in terms of ways to go after tom cotton, now the shutdown is what going into almost the third week, we saw his recent ad saying what was tom cotton when the government allowed the shutdown to happen? he wasn't there to take the votes. clearly, this is giving some of the more vulnerable democrats ammunition they didn't have before. he doesn't just have to be on the defensive anymore. he has things, like he can try to use to attack his opponent. >> here's another example of this, we got a pretty dramatic illustration of the potential for democrats. in some states at least this week, in virginia, a couple polls out this week, a govern

why is he republican?> well, i think he is, but only in the sense the tea party republicans are republicans. that people are borderline anarchists, that they don't believe the government has any real roll or function and then getting the hell out of the way. that's what ted cruz is working for. he doesn't believe in taxation. he doesn't believe in the basic needs being provided in any way by the federal government. we're all in this on our own. and if he can effect that, he makes the tea party happy and himself happy. again, i want to stress this thing about ted liking attention. because this is very much a case of a guy who loves it and he thinks he's going to be the nominee for president in 2016 for the gop. >> one thing we've learned in this country and our self-governing democracy, there is that. the checks on power. and in this country, the demagoguery is not a good career plan. it's a great plan for a couple weeks or months, joan. it works. like a roman candle. we all know it ain't going to live long

republicans have said no over and over and over again. republicans have refused to participate. as part of this deal, the republicans have agreed. they will now do that negotiation thing the democrats have been asking 4 for six months that republicans were refusing. now they will get in. to summarize, through this process, they said they would shut down the government. once it was shut down, refused to open the government until they got each one of these things. of all those things they demanded, they got none of them, none. the democrats suggested that they would please like to talk about the budgets. now they will go along with that. on the evening of day 16 of the government shut down, hours from the moment when the treasury department said we would hit the debt ceiling and start to be unable to pay what we owe, the senate passed a bill to reopen the government and raise the debt ceiling. banner had refused a vote on that. most republicans did not like the idea and wanted to keep adding more ransom demands. none of which they got. finally, wednesday night, tonight, john boehn

the republican splart. it's two republican parties. party republicans that are thinking the exact opposite thing. >> that has been a thing in the past that i've denied. i looked at the numbers last night and i said, doug brinkley these are two parties. there's two parties. you look at the 21% or so that support the tea party in america. the 24% that support the republicans. those are two different groups now. >> they are. everybody was looking for a grand bargain between the obama white house and the gops in congress and the grand bargain has to be between boehner and the tea party crowd and i think it's coming. i always thought it's about days. i write history for a living. somebody says five days shutdown it sounds dinky. today it's 11 days. monday will be two weeks. that's when it bill close. basically they want to say we stuck to it obama for two weeks, shut the government, so i think things will pick up next week. i don't feel all of this will be as big in history as some people make it sound. there's been 17 shutdowns. most peopl

republican line. what are your thoughts on the shutdown? over the vehement objections of democrats in both the house and the senate. overouse passed it democrat objections and the senate refuse to pass it. the republicans in the house are doing the right thing to stop the default, but it is not getting reported. establishment media ignores anything that is inconvenient to the democrats. the threat ofe of default directly on the democrats. their arrogant insistence on getting their own way and refusing to compromise and obama's refusal to negotiate is unprecedented rate they have no respect. they are totally irresponsible and i'm not hearing that from anywhere in the establishment media. c-span for allowing us to opportunity to hearing the unvarnished and uncorrected news. i don't see it in the "boston globe." unseated in the "new york times" or network television. thank you for taking my call. as far as obama negotiating with the republicans echo they stated theirhen they went to retreat that they wou

the republican, as you know, the republican brand has gone completely. the worst numbers i have ever seen. the worst numbers that anybody poll forded for a party control the house i they keep doing this kind of stuff, we are going to take the house back. against all of the odds. and they know that, they know that. and boehner's got to now pull in, some how, rein in these 30 to 80, lunatics. >> you know, matt drudge of all people predicted to night that, the democrats will win the house back. and he did it in a tweet. saying, speaker pelosi part 2. opening january 5, 2015. luke russert zero time on the clock for a while. still 62 not voting. can you explain to america how you get to continue to vote in the house of representatives when the clock shows zero. >> in the house, leadership, or the chair can keep the vote open on the house floor as long as they want. this is most famously during medicare part d, the gop house leadership didn't have the votes. kept the flar ooor open many ho until 4:00 a.m. able to convince republicans to come on board and pass

not just when it comes to the public perception of republicans, specifically house republicans, but also the divided nature of the republican party right now. in fact, john boehner, i'm told, by one congressman, told the rank and file, we send the best messages when we are united, meaning, please vote for this. now, there could be several reasons that he's urging them to vote yes. maybe the most important is he doesn't want to have a vote count at the end, where it is a majority of democrats and a minority of republicans. it's not that he's not going to let this on the floor, he will, but it certainly will be better for him when it comes to his leadership, when it comes to the way he can, you know, be perceived as the head of the republican caucus in the house, as somebody who can at least get the majority together. the other interesting note that i was told is that the house majority leader, eric cantor, was very specific and honest about the divisiveness inside the republican caucus. he said, i'm told we have disagreements in this room about tactics, but he told them, we republicans ha

that many senate republicans made the decision not to stand united with the house republicans. i'll tell you, i'm hopeful with a little bit of time and reflection that senate republicans will decide to come together again. i would love to see republican unity. you see all of us stand together against this train wreck that is obama care. >> ah, tisk tisk, tisk tisk. senator cruz is strongly mistaken if he thinks people will stand with the republican party. americans do not like it when the government shuts itself down. they don't like it when political gridlock costs the country $24 billion. $24 billion. they don't like hundreds of thousands of federal workers losing their wages. new polling numbers show americans are extremely unhappy with the way the federal government works or fails to work. the abc news "washington post" poll shows americans' approval of congress is at a 40-year low. these wounds to congress are self inflicted. it's a result of budget brinksmanship. blame for the shutdown is being focused on the republican party, which is at least -- at its least popular lev