trent lott from mississippi and tom daschle of south dakotah. glad to have you with us. >> glad to be back. >> thank you. >> you look at the election, bitter partisanship, dysfunction over the years, a by and large a lame duck president, unpopular. a presidential election coming up it is enough to depress you. but you have some optimism, trent lott. >> well, you have to have optimism. and the people expect it. >> you think something is going to happen? >> i do. there are some areas where clearly i believe that the president working with the congress can make some progress. there they're already talking about things like trade promotion. if you want economic growth, we can did more an benefit more from a trade treaty with the asian countries, the pas civic area countries, also with europe. the president is to the going to get that just with democrats. it's going to take republicans too. and he's going to have to lead. and the republicans are going to have to lead. so that's one. the energy area, we're having an energy boom in this country. but ar

another person who would be watching his former senate majority leader tom daschle who joins us now.e has a key interest in that raise. perhaps he will play my. you give for doing this. welcome. >> thank you good to be with you. >> let's start with an overall question about the senate races. the republican party has done a lot over the last two months to nationalize this race around president obama. democrats in danger, democrats having a hard time dealing with that. some of them have refused to have acknowledged they voted for president obama. do you think democrats have handled the issue well or badly? explain why. >> i think every state has its own circumstances. generally, i think it is a mistake to run away from the president. you can't do it. there are too many votes, too many speeches, too many public associations and pictures. generally the strategy should be to recognize it is what it is and make the most of it. running away sometimes houses more challenges, more problems and far more -- causes more challenges, more problems and far more questions than it may solve. >> do yo

i'll talk with senator tom daschle next. >>> immigration impasse.use delightfulls morsels. in honor of our 75th anniversary, we're bringing you nestlé© toll house chocolate filled with caramel, peanut butter cherry and mint. so peanut butter up some blondies and brownies. caramel-ify those chocolate chip cookies. and give that thing a hint-y of something cherry or minty! it's time to bake the world a better place with new nestlé© toll house delightfulls. bake some love™ nestlé©. good food, good life. i am totally blind. and sometimes i struggle to sleep at night, and stay awake during the day. this is called non-24, a circadian rhythm disorder that affects up to 70 percent of people who are totally blind. talk to your doctor about your symptoms and learn more by calling 844-824-2424. or visit your24info.com. don't let non-24 get in the way of your pursuit of happiness. >>> here is a live look at the center for american progress conference underway in the nation's capitol. democrats and progress i haves are doing some soul searching after the big med

however, i think on the plus side, the area where tom daschle may have been referring to is that there are plainly some area where is they are in the mutual self-interest of both sides to get together to resolve problems. senator mcconnell specifically said there would be no government shutdowns. he has a clear personal and political interest in there not being a government shutdown. that's not true of all republicans. it's a small thing you think not to shut down the government, but if you can agree on a budget, that's a big thing. if you can agree not to shut down the government, that's a step forward. and there are specific issues on which the parties have a mutual interest. both in terms of their commitment to the national interest and a commitment to their political interests. immigration comes immediately to mind. the republican party position on immigration was devastating to them in the last presidential election and will be again unless they find a way to moderate it. the effect isn't felt in midterm elections for a whole variety of reasons, political and other. >> they have a

former democratic leader of the senate, tom daschle has said he knows mitch mcconnell worked with him in the senate. and he personally any way is betting that mitch mcconnell is actually going to rise to the occasion and be the kind of responsible republican leader that we have seen in previous generations in the senate. >> well, we have experience to draw on here. these are the same things people said about john boehner. people said john baner is a deal maker. he has a history of working with democrats and what happened. he ultimately decided it wasn't worthwhile to take on the right wing tea party minority within his caucus and i worry that that's going to repeat itself with mitch mcconnell. he is a deal maker, but ultimately boehner wasn't willing to take on his fringe. that may be the way that mcconnell goes as well. we'll see. >> rich blumenthal and senator murphy, thank you for joining me tonight. >>>. co-ing up, why were people surprised that democrats ran away from obama. and will congress override d.c. voters over marijuana? and "the advocate" has chosen their person of the y

. >> in 2004 when john thoon came back and defeated tom daschle, he won by less than .6 of one vote.w in south dakota, and nour thoughts on the native american vote? >> well, i'm hoping that it does become an issue where the native american vote turn-out makes a difference. you have to understand, it's not just going there and casting the ballot. native americans are fighting, early voting places are fight g fighting. the sheriff there at the voting place. we had to call in for federal monitors to sit there so they can be able to try to cast a vote. so, yes, we expect a high turn-out, but we're also being faced with obstacles all along the way. >> wizy pond, what about the integrity of the vote, can it be protected? >> well, one of the reasons why i've been such a staunch advocate for participation in the american system is, voter intimidation that i've seen. i've seen an old indian grandmother going to the polls for the first time in his life, in her 80s. and i've seen a republican operative standing in front of her taking pictures. that's one of the reasons why i've been such a sta

we have talked to everyone from tom daschle to trent lott to olivia snow -- olympia snowe. about 1981 through 1986, i was on the staff budget committee. you have -- or you had the opportunity if you picked it up, a chance to look at this chart. this is not a joke. this is reality. you might remember when the late got on from pennsylvania the floor of the united states what thed outlined hillary clinton health plan would look like. and everyone said that was crazy and you can't do that. them did notst of realize, we were already doing this. budget the way that the and appropriations process works now. it is not with any particular probably --i saved say 90% of the budget members and their staff do not know how the budget process works. about 80% of the house in the last four electorate cycles, and almost as many in the senate, and none of this is intuitive. we had two or three of us that in 86 and i, i left left it to my friend bill hoagland, and i blame most of this on him. [laughter] that veryabout a plan as people have had. , like 3.0,e a plan because one and two were tor

the senate as chief counsel and senior policy adviser to former bingaham and special counsel to tom daschle. she holds a j.d. and a master's degree in public affairs. carmel and the panel, please come up. thank you. >> i'm going to start by introducing our very prestigious panel. and dive right into discussion. on my right, we have ted mitchell, the under secretary of the u.s. department of education. he has served since his confirmation earlier this year. in this role, he oversees policy programs and activities related to post secondary education, career and technical education, adult and federal student aid. ted is charged with planning and policy to have the u.s. have the most competitive work force in the world by the year 2020. next we have david baime who serves as senior vice president for government relations and policy analysis at the american association of community colleges. in this role he directs the efforts for the nation's close to 1,200 community colleges and their students. we're happy to have david here today to speak about the association's strategic plan to boost as muc

the center of policy.an range from tom daschle to to trent lott. let me talk about in 1981 to i was staff director. you have or you had the opportunity if you picked it up look at this chart. his is not a joke, this is reality. you might remember when the late senator from pennsylvania got on the floor of the united states outlined what the illary clinton health plan would look like and err one said this is crazy. you can't do that. what most of us didn't realize doing this.dy this is the way the budget and process works now. nd it is not with any particular wisdom that i say of the members and their staff do not know how the appropriations process works. of the % of the members house have been elected over the last four cycles. almost that many in the senate -- none of this is intuitive. or 3 of us that worked left i left in '86 and bill. my friend i blame him for most of this. he disowns it. the first thing complexity of the process. that ked about a plan various people have had. we'll have a plan and call it 1 and 2 were torpedoed. but the plan

we range from tom daschle to pete domenici to trent lott olympia snowe as people who have set up and are senior fellows at our institution. let me talk about in 1981 through 1986 mr. domenici was chairman. you have or you have the opportunity to pick it up, a chance to look at this chart. this is not a joke. this is reality. you might remember when the late senator from pennsylvania got on the floor of the united states senate and outlined what the hillary clinton health plan would look like and everyone said that's just crazy. you can't do that. well, what most of them didn't realize is we are already doing this. this is the way the budget appropriations process works n now. and it is not with any particular wisdom that i say probably 90% of the members of this staff do not know how the budget appropriations process works. about 80% of the members of the house have been elected over the last four cycles, almost that many in the senate and none of this is intuitive. we had two or three of us that worked on it. i left and 86 and left it to my friend bill hoagland. i blame him for most

we have talked to everyone from tom daschle to trent lott to olympia snowe. let me talk about 1981 through 1986, i was on the staff budget committee. you have -- or you had the opportunity if you picked it up, a chance to look at this chart. this is not a joke. this is reality. you might remember when the late senator from pennsylvania got on the floor of the united states senate and outlined what the hillary clinton health plan would look like. and everyone said that was crazy and you can't do that. well, what most of them did not realize, we were already doing this. this is the way that the budget and appropriations process works now. it is not with any particular wisdom that i say 90% of the budget members and their staff do not know how the budget process works. about 80% of the house in the last four electorate cycles, and almost as many in the senate, and none of this is intuitive. we had two or three of us that worked on it, i left in 86 and i left it to my friend bill hoagland, and i blame most of this on him. [laughter] we talked about a plan that ve

the alaska matters and louisiana matters, both tom daschle and another leader said there's more differencethan just three. if it's 51 any one senator, they're all prima donnas to begin with any one senator can hold up the leader and imprison him or her. but even with that mcconnell will be presiding over a senate in which there are at least three presidential candidates ted cruz rand paul maybe ron portman. ted cruz will be grand standing every minute of the day making life miserable for mitch mcconnell. rand paul has already told mitch mcconnell that he wants mitch mcconnell to do a deal on immigration. he's going to try to push and help and protect the flank of mcconnell if he can on immigration. would paul be able to do that against ted cruz? i don't know. mitch mcconnell gave a very nice speech tonight he wants to prove to the president he can be bipartisan. mitch mcconnell spent a whole career not being that way. can he rise to the occasion? will he take on the ted cruzes of the world? i think that's a huge question. if i had to bet i would say that mcconnell will gingerly try to do i

the senate as chief counsel and senior policy adviser to former bingaham and special counsel to tom daschle. she holds a j.d. and a master's degree in public affairs. carmel and the panel, please come up. thank you. >> i'm going to start by introducing our very prestigious panel. and dive right into discussion. on my right, we have ted mitchell, the under secretary of the u.s. department of education. he has served since his confirmation earlier this year. in this role, he oversees policy programs and activities related to post secondary education, career and technical education, adult and federal student aid. ted is charged with planning and policy to have the u.s. have the most competitive work force in the world by the year 2020. next we have david baime who serves as senior vice president for government relations and policy analysis at the american association of community colleges. in this role he directs the efforts for the nation's close to 1,200 community colleges and their students. we're happy to have david here today to speak about the association's strategic plan to boost as muc