i am supporting senator mcconnell. i think he is helping to read -- corral all republicans together. corralled and worked to get all the republicans together on aim amendment. we will see where these late. i think each voter will have to make their own mind up. >> i wanted to ask you about mitch mcconnell's part. yet some very nice things to say about you back in december when he said that he found to somebody that he could work with, somebody he wanted to get things done. i am more curious but your evaluation of working with senator reid in how you see him dealing with amendments on the floor, how you see the senate right now. how is he running the chamber? a person.him as we have had many good conversations. i am trying to figure out a way i can do things with senator reed. we do not agree on every issue. we try to narrow the issues. i said the same thing to president obama. there are some things we do agree on. let's try to narrow it to those things. i will give you an example. both parties worry about jobs going ov

cornyn and mcconnell both went up to take that vote. it was a tough vote for both of them, particularly mcconnell. he's facing a primary challenge back in kentucky. if ted cruz wanted to, democrats were willing to let this go forward. cruz insisted on a vote that would take 60 to get there, which meant some colleagues had to walk the plank. >> ted cruz cut off republican noses to suit their face -- i'm mixing analogies there. what is the relationship between those two wings of the senate? the ted cruz wing and the john cornyn wing. >> i asked ted cruz after the vote whether or not he would still support mitch mcconnell? and cruz said that in the first instance that was going to be up to the voters of kentucky to decide. not a ringing endorsement exactly. >> ted cruz has no friends in the senate. casey hunt, thank you as always. joining me now is the coanchor of "squawk box" and from chicago director mr. axelrod. at the same time, it is so incredibly dysfunctional in the caucus that members of leadership are being sacrificed to do ordina

>> mitch mcconnell has a problem that all incumbents have. and mitch mcconnell has been magnified, because he has the title, leader. voters everywhere don't like incumbents. they especlly don't like incumbents with titles, because they view them as responsible for the problem. i've seen some of the internal polling in kentucky, and the voters in kentucky are mad at mitch mcconnell, because they view him as part of the problem in washington. now, bill clinton said it himself, mitch mcconnell's a very crafty politician. if you go back, there have been many times in his career he's been counted out. he has a tea party challenge to deal with first. he hasn't spent a lot of money focusing on the democrat yet. but if this race right now, february, so, in some ways, discount this, but this race right now, if you match up allison grimes and mitch mcconnell, it's a toss-up, which tells you mitch mcconnell is going to have to fight, assuming he survives this primary, and it tells you, brooke, that a boat load of national money from republicans and demo

mitch mcconnell will be seen as a political operator regardless of this. that will be true before this vote, after the vote. this is just another piece of evidence, but i think a lot of this is already baked in the cake for primary voters, and we seal see if matt bevin, his primary challenger, can use that to his advantage or not. >> less about conservative versus really conservative and more about inside washington and outside washington. >> and i think back in kentucky, mitch mcconnell isn't in any worse off place than he was before this vote. i mean, he has had votes for raising the debt limit before that if conservatives back there who didn't like him wanted to use it against him they could. but, you know, i talked to one really smart reporter up on capitol hill who covers the senate and said, look, this was one of those cases where we skipped to the last chapter. we ultimately knew that this was going to have to happen on the senate side and it did, and i think mitch mcconnell will take a little bit of a hit on the early side, but he's still in a much

you seem to suggest this is almost a gentleman's agreement between john boehner and mitch mcconnell, they understand they have to play two sides of the same coin here. i feel like in the process john boehner is humiliated once again. he did come out with standards. this is a behind closed doors meeting, members of his own caucus, and it looks like he can't even sort of get a piece of paper through his own party without the senior senator from kentucky slapping him back. i just wonder truly if you think there is a line of communication where those two men understand each other. >> i think if john boehner had been the kind of guy who shriveled and went away at the prospect of being humiliated, he would have left washington a long time ago. >> that is true. >>> because it keeps happening over and over again. i think what's happening here is that it's possible -- it was very downbeat by boehner today, killed it maybe, but i think that after the senate primaries in which a number of republicans including mitch mcconnell are facing tea party opposition, if mitch mcconnell wins, if lindsey

how powerful mick mcconnell is. she has a funny comment she likes to say a lot on the campaign trail, even if mitch mcconnell had a kidney stone, he would refuse to pass it. i want to show you some of the literatures they are handing out today. kentucky families deserve better than gridlock politics. i am sure we are going to hear a lot about that over the course of this year. >> one thing you will not hear about is president obama. the democratic senate, candidate in kentucky, seems to be running away from him. this speaks to a bit of a weakness. erin mcpike in kentucky for us. paul steinhauser, always great to have you. thanks so much, guys >>> did you miss it, the tv apology from ted nugent, sincere, bizarre? should candidates be running to nugent or running for cover? n a. but what's even more surprising is that brushing alone isn't enough to keep it clean. fortunately, you've got listerine®. unlike brushing which misses 75% of your mouth, listerine® cleans virtually your entire mouth. so what are you waiting

mcconnel first has to win the spring gop primary. he thinks he'd be majority leader now as republicans take more challenges more seriously. gushing about rand paul is smart politics. >> he's a national figure already, deeply involved in the national debate about the direction of this country. >> paul went out of his way to reciprocate. >> we should understand we're li privileged to have mcconnel. >> years ago mcconnel endorsed paul's go gop opponent. watch the body language. warm words but no back slapping. >> despite the rocky start, mcconnel and paul have formed more of an alliance that extended to mcconnel's re-election campaign. the man running it is paul's nephew. he helped paul get elected in kentucky and also the one that ran ron paul's presidential race. >> many encounters over the years. that's for sure. he's keeping busy. >> dana, thank you so much. >>> dr. jim withers spends his nights in a makeshift clinic to help the homeless. amazing. take a look. >> for more than 20 years, dr. jim withers has spent days like this. oper

which mcconnell says irs is targeting conservatives again and the rules with voices from the outside

what reaction has there been to senator mcconnell is yes what? >> well, the reaction was a little bit of surprise, but also, you know, this is something that does and typically should do. the politics of the midterm election year, especially for mitch mcconnell and especially since control of the senate is at stake republicans have a chance to take control of the senate. this move was kind of surprising, as it is kind of politically -- can be politically harmful. so it was remarkable to watch a handful of other republican senators joined with the leader to provide them some cover as well. i would just point out, you know, for clarification that this was a motion to proceed with the bill. all of these senators ended up voting against final passage. but that procedural vote is key in getting this over the finish line. >> with the house passing the debt ceiling bill first and now the senate, what does this mean for the influence of conservatives in both of those chambers? >> conservative outside groups are vocal in their opposition. local in the pas

mitch mcconnell is running for a third decade. he's pretty unpopular and running against a popular democratic woman, alison lundergan grimes, who is half his age and giving him a run for his money. >> i love kentucky. you've voted for me twice. you've been great to hillary. i love kentucky. >> reporter: the former president is making his to 14 trail debut here in louisville to help, who else, an old friend, alison lundergan grimes, daughter of jerry lundergan. >> it makes a big difference who wins this election and alison lundergan grimes should win it and will with your help. >> reporter: she's the secretary of state who's practiced law and done plenty of politicking with her father. >> the clintons didn't forget kentucky. >> reporter: jerry lundegran did two chairs as the democratic chair. the family business catered clinton inaugural events and chelsea's wedding in to so. now clinton is returning favors to the next in line. grimes is just 35 and playing up that she'd be the state's first woman in the u.s. senate. >> you will he

you, mcconnell, you, cornyn, have to vote with us on this. that meant mcconnell and corn y were in a position to be deciding votes on a vote like this and don't want to be there. that's when they started scrambling and told harry reid, shut off the microphones and they corralled as many people as they could, took them in the cloakroom, explained the situation that murkowski and collins were going to vote no if they didn't get the support of leadership. then you see people like mccain come out and change their votes and vote yes. >> that's fascinating. that explains why the votes were crossed out and changed because the moderates were like, no, we're not going to do this alone. >> mcconnell and cornyn thought it was going to be business as usual, they could go about, they could vote no on this, they could demagogue it on the campaign trail. then they found out, hmm, it's either demagogue on the campaign trail or a financial crisis. so, you know, to their credit, they decided they would not force a financial crisis on the globe for the sake of

mcconnel is facing challenges from all times. he's enlisting his junior with credentials. >> two senators from the same state and party sharing the stage shouldn't be remarkable but it is with mcconnel and rand paul. >> i'm pleased to be here with my colleague, senator paul who does a fabulous job representing our state everyday in the united states senate. >> this day of joint appearances in eastern kentucky was planned last month. after what happened last week in the senate, the timing couldn't be better for mcconnel to appear with the tea party favorite like paul. mcconnel angered his own gop providing the vote to break the filibuster by cruz. >> my job is to protect the country when i can and step up and lead in occasions when it's required. that's what i did. >> the senate republican leader up for re-election this year wants to keep his job. though campaign aids are most worried about beating democrat grimes in november, mcconnel has to win the spring gop primary. he thinks he'd be the majority leader now had others taken th

grimes is facing nominal opposition in the democratic primary and is expected to face mitch mcconnell in november if he moves on to that point. joining me live, nbc news senior political editor mark murray. so, mark, the event hasn't started yet, so let's first talk about the landscape right now. looks like mitch mcconnell, despite early belief that it would be a tough battle for him, he's looking good at this point, pollwise. >> well, he's looking good in his primary race, tamron, that's against matt beavan, a tea party challenger and seems mcconnell has momentum on his side heading into that may primary, but the general election is a whole different story and that race remains competitive. we're going to see which force is more powerful in the state and that's kind of the anti-obama, antidemocratic force like a race in kentucky, or are people so frustrated with congress and its leaders, mitch mcconnell is a senate minority leader, what does that weigh out, and right now those two forces are hitting each other. this may be a very close race to watch come 2014. >> this brings me to al

lou: bubba on the campaign trail in kentucky going after the minority leader mitch mcconnell. but history said, mcconnell does wel when bubba comes to town. >> no one votesor an endoement they vote for the candidate, mcconnell has bn majority leader f a long time, minority leader for a long time, he has produced f kentucky he is a tough person. i can't tell you one personhat he elected and he was very popular, it is just been 18 years since clinton been on a ballot,e couldo i he could raise money but he is not going to make anyone vote for a candidate if they don't want to. lou: grimes was circumstance spec about presidentbama saying she di did not need a serogate coming down, she could speak for herself, another place with the president is an uncongress political force. >> theresident cannot do much for his candidates this time. he has to be on ballot whether or not he wants to because obamacare will be on front and center, it may give senate to republicans. lou: jeb bush is not a fellow a thought with a man with a since of humor but he said he thinks that 2016 will be a litt

then mitch mcconnell said we're not doing this again this year. we're not taking up immigration again. if the house did pass something, they would have to reconcile with the senate. mitch mcconnell who on both days would be on the same page with boehner. >> is anything really for all practical purposes everything important on hold this year? >> we can't answer that question definitively. there's a chance that republicans will try to do some of the pieces of this. might they do more border control, might they do a guest worker program, might they deal with the dreamers, those younger illegal immigrants who were brought across the border through no fault of their own but through their parents. the big question whether legal status or it is citizen for the 11.7 million or so, republicans no way they'll touch that this year. speaker boehner says the issue is trusting the president. if the house republicans don't trust the president now, do you think they'll trust him more when they get closer to the election? >> if they put this on pause, they need a

senator bob corker said, hopefully, people will understand that mcconnell especially in toughest republican race in the country had the courage to vote the way the vast majority needed to occur. senator cruz called it a classic victory for washington establishment interests and when asked in mlb consequently could remain a leader of the caucus he replied it is ultimately a decision for the voters of kentucky. for the first time the number of people signing up for health care coverage through the federal and the state exchanges has exceeded white house expectations. overall, 3.3 million have signed up for coverage under the aca since october 1st and that includes nearly 1.2 million who enrolled last month, nearly a hundred thousand more than projected but a significant drop-off from the sign-ups in december but obamacare is struggling with the young invincibles. 25% of those who enrolled are young adults and well below the white house target of 40%. a new survey finds the number of uninsured americans have hit a five-year low. 16% of adults say they do not have health coverage. wendy davis r

lou: bubba on the campaign trail in kentucky going after the minority leader mitch mcconnell. but history said, mcconnell does well when bubba comes to town. >> no one votes for an endorsement they vote for the candidate, mcconnell has been majority leader for a long time, minority leader for a long time, he has produced for kentucky he is a tough person. i can't tell you one person that he elected and he was very popular, it is just been 18 years since clinton been on a ballot, he could do if he could raise money but he is not going to make anyone vote for a candidate if they don't want to. lou: grimes was circumstance spec about president obama saying she di did not need a serogate coming down, she could speak for herself, another place with the president is an uncongress political force. >> the president cannot do much for his candidates this time. he has to be on ballot whether or not he wants to because obamacare will be on front and center, it may give senate to republicans. lou: jeb bush is not a fellow a thought with a man with a since of humor but he said he thinks th

how bad it is for mcconnell right now? well, his approval rating in the state, his home state is down to 32, two points lower than president obama's in kentucky. and we'll be right back. discover card. i asked my husband to pay our bill, and he forgot. you have the it card and it's your first time missing a payment, so there's no late fee. really? yep! so is your husband off the hook? no. he went out for milk last week and came back with a puppy. hold it. hold it. hold it. at discover, we treat you like you'd treat you. get the it card with late payment forgiveness. >>> governor chris christie's biggest headache in the bridge scandal is david wildstein. now it turns out wildstein may be more dangerous to christie than we previously thought. "new york times" reporter reports today that wildstein's sources when he wrote for the blog politics nj include the same players at the center of this bridge scandal, including christie himself. quote, wildstein's sources, including the u.s. attorney at the time, chris christie, plied h

it will mitch mcconnell prevail? youngg us live his sam man, who was full-length -- who is following the story. the morning to you. caller: inc. you for having me. for having me. host: we take a look at early polling and at the moment mitch mcconnell still has a healthy lead. matt devon. over some conservatives think he can still win this race. think the general contours of this race haven't changed much from the end of last year. mitch mcconnell is not well-liked. and matt devon has not been able to gain really much traffic at all. thee are pockets within republican parties who have grown disdainful. there have been no signs that has caught on statewide or is in any danger of blossoming into a full threat. host: the primary is scheduled for may and in terms of turnout based on past midterm elections, what can we expect the echo guest: there's going to be a lot of interest in this race. i think kentucky has a closed primary, which means republicans vote republican primary. democrats are going to be watching this very

should mitch mcconnell be the senate republican leader? >> look. that is a decision for the conference to make. >> no. but what is your personal opinion about that? is' strong leader or is he a sell-out? >> i strongly disagree with the decisions -- some of the decisions republican leadership has made this past year. there is a real divide over how you win elections. there are a number of folks in washington who think the way you win elections is you put your head down, you don't rock the boat, you don't take any risks. >> and that describes the current senate republican leadership? >> sadly. >> it's a fascinating interview there. mike allen asking some tough questions and pushing. but david gregory, i want to go back to rand paul. a couple of years ago there was a big discussion whether bwhether you're going to have ted cruz or marco rubio or rand paul or all three of them fighting for the same spot in 2016. it looks like rand paul has just broken out of the pac. certainly if you look at the polls and the way he has handled himself, he has

the effort to knock off the top republican in the senate, mitch mcconnell. dloin clinton says he's turned gridlock into an art form. >> when there's a problem, do everything you can to make sure the problem is never fixed. it may work in an election, get people all torn up, upset, everybody mad all the time. but it's a dumb way to run a country. >> reporter: in kentucky today, clinton was helping mcconnell's opponent, secretary of state alison lundergan grimes. she was a teenager when he was president. here she is, only 14, presenting roses to the clintons at their inauguration in 1993. surrounded by senators in washington, mcconnell brushed off clinton's visit. >> every time he's come, it's been really good for me. >> reporter: perhaps. but this year, bill clinton is his party's biggest draw. fueled by nostalgia for the past and a hope that hillary clinton runs for the white house. one person not mentioned today -- president obama. you didn't mention president obama even once in your speech today. why is president clinton such a bigger draw? >> well, for me

yes, this is bad for mcconnell. he's trying to show he's the most conservative person in the primary and this is dangerous. but cruz is not running to be a senator. he's not trying to be on a committee. he wants to run for president and be the tea party leader. and the polls did show that cruz is ahead in terms of tea party votes right now. >> amy, i want to jump to the rand paul aspect of this. because what to me struck me as a interesting pr stunt, a good one for him, libertarian view on nsa, there's a left-right coalition that's not happy with the nsa, a lawsuit could be one of these populous things and in fact it looked like if you read the initial dana milbanks story, they were going to have a democrat on the lawsuit, they were not going to have -- and all of a sudden it got turned into a very conservative political event, bringing in cuccinelli, bringing in freedom works when the initial plan was not to do that. >> that seems like -- that is the question for rand paul which is he's trying to be this guy bringi

mcconnell said he is not scared of the former president stumping for his opponent. he said he welcomes him to kentucky. >> i welcome him back. the last time he ran in 1996, he eked out a narrow victory in kentucky while i beat the current governor by 160,000 votes, 10 points. in 2008, both bill and hillary clinton came to town, including the day before the election, and i won by 100,000 votes. so i welcome president clinton back to kentucky. every time he has come, it's been really good for me. thanks a lot. >> he is still smiling, howard. your thoughts. and it's time for you to start out thing this race here. you're from out there. you know it. you're the jack germond of louisville, kentucky. is this too close to call early, or is this guy, the old pro just going to wind it up when he needs it? >> i haven't eaten in nearly enough restaurants to be the jack germond of anywhere. but i was in the room today for the fundraiser that bill clinton headlined on behalf of alison grimes. it was an overflow crowd. it was a big crowd. it was a crowd so enthusiastic, it was alm

super pack is taking a mitch mcconnell as well. they already released a web ad challenging over the debt ceiling votes. mcconnell is likely to win the republican primary in kentucky. all of this could could -- could cause damage to his challenges. this whole situation may soften him up. >> what about senator cruz? as he expressed any regrets? , none so far. he issued a statement saying he did the right thing. there are too many members of congress who think they can fool people and will forget about next week. remember.the people ted cruz not making a whole lot of friends. >> thank you so much. is a quick look at the top company news. fightingbank has been a merger with men's wearhouse and announced it is buying eddie bauer. joseph a bank will pay $825 million in cash. deals -- s the another miss for john malone after being supported from buying time warner cable. sales advanced 71% a year ago. liberty has spent almost $50 billion to consolidate europe's cable. watchers, those shares shed 20% after hours last night. 2014 earnings w

mcconnell. the presiding officer: the republican leader. mr. mcconnell: madam president, i'm here in support of what our colleague from arizona is going to be talking about shortly, and it's basically this -- we have a white house that is busily at work trying to quiet the voices of those who oppose them. by doing the following -- they are proposing a new regulation directed at 501-c-4 organizations who have been active for over 50 years in expressing themselves about the issues of the day in our country. and this regulation actually predates the i.r.s. abuses that we saw during the 2012 election. i've spoken about this a number of times, including a couple of major speeches at one of the think tanks here in town about what a threat it is to citizens when the heavy hand of the i.r.s. comes down on them because they speak up against policies of the government. this regulation that senator flake is going to speak about here in a few minutes that we'd like to see delayed for a year has generated 120,000 comments -- i would say to my friend from ar

mitch mcconnell test they did not want to do that.t. ted c cruz has solidified his will. people do not like that. the wall street journal went after him. >> called h him all kinds of names. i love the drama. you have covered this. there is another thing -- you will come back with more about that after the break. stay with us. when w return, the cost of criticizing amacare. when politics and business collide. after the breaeak. >> lcomome back. it is becoming a popular punching bag for businesses. the much-maligned affordable care a act. one leading company has learned that going too far in botching heth care costs can b backfire. especially wn you add into the bashing and complaints about specific employees and their babies. case in point, aol. the ceo is an emple of wh not to say. -- tim armstrong announced on a a conference call with employees changes to the 401(k) plans. first, he blamed rising health care costs. he said they were caused by obamacare. >> we would have to actually increased payments per month on health care plans. that is where the balance of that and t

mcconnell called snowden a spy and said he's caused more damage to u.s. national security than anyone in history. >>> this morning, 30 enlisted sailors accused of cheating on exams. the sailors allegedly passed answers to nuclear reactor training to others. they had no connections to weapons unlike dozens of weapons officers accused of cheating. still a black eye for the navy. the navy pledging to get to the bottom of this. >>> the u.s. has hit the pause button on drone strikes in pakistan. the u.s. has been working to bolster its relationship with prime minister sharif. and has insisted there's no formal agreement over the strikes and will go after any al qaeda target deemed a threat to the u.s. >>> and back on capitol hill, the crew chief financial officer of target talking about the data breach. john mulligan was before the house and congress committee the day after admitting to a senate panel that target no idea its systems had been hacked until government officials told them. >> had you had any knowledge of that malware was there before the departmen

in 2008 hillary went to campaign against mitch mcconnell and he wub by six. in 2010 bill went back to kentucky to campaign against rand paul and he won by 1. he's a familiar face in the state. i don't think at the end of the campaign it will be dispose tiff but it will help her raise money and have conversations like we're having today. >> what was interesting, she was asked whether she wants president obama to campaign for her. >> this race is about putting the people first and i don't need a surrogate to do that. what's the difference? >> one is an unpopular president and the other is a friend of her father, major powerbroker in the kentucky democratic party. >> will it hurt her she didn't vote for obamacare. that's trouble for democrats to run for re-election. >> hard to say with a straight face she wouldn't have. how do you say in retrospect i wouldn't have voted for it. i wasn't there. i wouldn't have voted for it. she doesn't seem to be able to explain the issue, distinguish the issue, explain how she disagrees other than to say obamacare is a disaster

mcconnell said he is not scared of the former president stumping for his opponent. he said he welcomes him to kentucky. >>. >> i welcome him back. the last time he ran in 1996, he eked out a narrow victory in kentucky while i beat the current governor by 160,000 votes, 10 points. in 2008, both bill and hillary clinton came to town, including the day before the election, and i won by 100,000 votes. so i welcome president clinton back to kentucky. every time he has come, it's been really good for me. thanks a lot. >> he is still smiling, howard. your thoughts. and it's time for you to start out thing this race here. you're from out there. you know it. you're the jack germond of louisville, kentucky. is this too close to call early, or is this guy, the old pro just going to wind it up when he needs it? >> i haven't eaten in nearly enough restaurants to be the jack germond of anywhere. but i was in the room today for the fundraiser that bill clinton headlined on behalf of alison grimes. it was an overflow crowd. it was a big crowd. it was a crowd so enthusiastic, it was

whether mcconnell does or not, that's a debate. but one indication that mcconnell may think that it's not as serious of a threat from his tea party challenger is what he did this week. if he was truly worried about that, he might have gone the other way. >> ask another republican to -- he only need five republicans and ultimately they had 12. >> they had more than enough. >> let's talk about president obama and vice president biden. they spoke at the house democrat retreat earlier today. i want to play a little bit about the need for integration reform. >> i believe, frankly, that there are folks on the other side of the aisle who generally want to see this done but they are worried and they are scared about the political blowback. >> there isn't a republican party. i wish there were. i wish there were was a republican party. i wish there was one person we could sit across the table from and make a deal and know that when we got up from the table it was done. >> it's funny, it's like an analysis from president obama, almost a sympa

you have mitch mcconnell the deal maker, mitch mcconnell very conservative leader of the senate where on immigration he comes out and forcefully says no, not going to get an immigration deal and you have john boehner in the house saying he might. he's handcuffed to the tea party. even after the primary, high turnout to prevail in a race against a well funded democratic candidate, a strong democratic candidate. if outside money comes pouring in, you know where it's going to pour, it's going to pour on him. where else would you put it if you're a democrat? >> there you go. up next, the author of smart people should build things. did you hear that, meacham? >> i'm for that. >> explain why he believes the author, solution to economic problems is as simple as the title of his book. "morning joe" will be right back. that's insane. yep, and you can customize it. i can download anything i want. [ girl ] seriously? that's a lot of music. seriously. that's insane. and it's 15 bucks a month for the family. seriously? that's a lot of gold rope. seriously, that's a signature look. you don't have a

mitch mcconnell is one of those. and the second is mary landrieu, who i always joke wins by 13 1/2 votes every six years. republicans think for five and a half years they're going to vote mary, and mary always ends up winning. democrats think the same thing about mitch mcconnell. what is it about -- let as you talk about mitch, since that's the race. what is it about that guy that makes him so tough, where he doesn't seem like a natural cultural fit. >> he's enormously unpopular. he's around richard nixon territory. he is the toughest politician around. he will spend gobs of money. he's relentless, he will attack. i think it's possible his luck runs out, his charm. charm of mitch mcconnell, you don't usually associate with one another. he has a double whammy. the primary will soften him up, and he'll have a tough time in a general. i also don't think kentucky is a swing state anymore. those cultural states, culturally conservative states -- west virginia, tennessee, kentucky, arkansas -- bubba carried them all. they'

there were a lot of kudos for mitch mcconnel and john for doing this. they felt they put politics aside. that brings me to the other man we've been talking about, ted cruz. i have to tell you, i have rarely seen so much anger frankly at somebody in the senate among his own colleagues and his own party as we're seeing for ted cruz. he knows that. he's not unaware of that. he got it over and over again in private meetings during the government shutdown. that's a strategy he push had the led to the government shutdown. the fact that he insisted on having the filibuster even though, you know, he understood full well it would put fellow republicans in the danger from the right made many angry. he's not backing down. he put out a statement people are going to have to basically pay the piper in november and worry about their own stance when it comes to facing voters. he is somebody who says that he's come to washington to stand up for conservative principles. he doesn't care about the way he's perceived in his own caucus. it has made for something you don't se

can seee at home and the faces down there, mitch mcconnell is one to watch carefully, as is bob corker. one of the republicans who could support this effort to at least bring it to the floor for a vote. drama on the senate floor on the even though it may not look like much. >> also watching this carefully is wall street. the majority in the red. dow jones industrial down 45 points. s&p 500 down fractionally. thing that is important for people to bear in mind, the clock is working against congress in all of this. we heard jack lew say february 27 is the deadline. air is a snowstorm about to hit washington. if this would go down in defeat, there would need to be an effort in the senate to gin up some new agreement. any change in the legislation would require the house to return to washington. right now the house is supposed to be on recess for two weeks time. house democrats have already left for their retreat in maryland. there are challenges if this does not go down. not insurmountable, but it means they are pushing harder and harder against that february 27 deadline. we know that woul

was that mitch mcconnell? wasn't that the same guy? >> i think it was rush limbaugh also. >> the very same guy who said if he had only cooperated with us. >> absolutely. >> part of the problem is the president is not hitting them with the sort of things you're talking about. he steps back and says well, we've created x million job years. >> i tried to talk him into being me. i'm sure he is watching. do it like i do it. >> it's not just this president. the democrats seem to play by these marquee of queensbury rules. >> no, they play defense. >> exactly. if you're explaining in politics, you're losing. why are they not going on the offense and saying these guys drove us into the ditch. they want to drive us back into the ditch. >> it was the bush economy. it was the bush economy that he walked into. the economy was in free-for-all. and we should be calling this the long slump rather than anything else. >> rather than whining and complaining about the other party, i just believe in attacking. >> well, and telling the truth. >> and having

mcconnel has reputation as a ruth less contender. louisville, kentucky. >> i guess i'll thank you again. erin mcpike from louisville. sorry about that. thanks so much. >>> opening bell on wall street about the ring. prices posing strongest gains since 2013. one analyst say the strongest part of the recovery is over. shares of the struggling company blackberry could get a bump as rumors swirl that it is in talks with ford to pow ter in-car entertainment system sync. >> you may be taken back considering how much blackberry has struggled lately. it's the last company you think ford turned to for him. it's doing just that. at the moment microsoft powers the sync system in ford cars. it lets drivers make hands free phone call, make texts, play music, mark dinner -- just kidding. >> sources say that using blackberry's technology will wind up being cheaper and improve speed and flexibility of sync. audi and bmw also use it. ford drivers are complaining about how you the system frequently freezes and crashes. it looks like it's trying to fix

mitch mcconnell, republican, may be in trouble. i want to hear your thoughts about that. stay with us. i bought a car, over and tells you, and you're like. a good deal or not. looking at truecar.com. there's no buyer's remorse. save time, save money, and never overpay. visit truecar.com just a couple from social media here. ed holtz wants doug to stop using the phrase, bottom line. >> i will. >> twitter, saying the oddesty of hope in execution has become the mendacity of hype. if that's the case, perhaps republicans have an opportunity, but if kentucky is any indication, maybe not, john. >> well, the man daidacity of h meaning the president has turned out to be less than forthright and honest and all hype. what we have in kentucky where the senate minority leader, the republic leader of the republicans, mitch mcconnell, is in serious trouble, as the poll shows. but the biggest number is -- there he is, losing by four points stoof the secretary of state, and he does have, mcconnell, a tea party republican primary in the spring. >> interesting. >> but his approval and disap

they have my approval and senator mcconnell. i ask unanimous consent these requests be agreed to and printed in the record. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. reid: madam president, chairman leahy has told me that he has no need for a r

mitch mcconnell says he did what he needed to do. guest: the bulk of the house and the senate have been particularly inept at negotiating some sort of budget. remember when they took office or in -- office. they had promised some serious spending cuts. they have been losing that fight ever since. mitch mcconnell engineered the back away from the sequester. i think that somebody else needs to take charge of this. the real problem is not whether or not we increase the debt ceiling. the real problem with the national debt. andck obama and harry reid the republicans have been unable to do anything about that. somebody needs to step up and help. host: you have endorsed the primary challengers in mississippi and kentucky. not in texas, where there is a primary challenge. why? guest: part of the reason is the structure. we're waiting to see if there is a credible challenge. much like ted cruz did. we will see if that happens. i think that john cornyn is not terribly popular with republicans in texas. he may or may not get a serious challeng

he heads the national hotels union and right through that rift to meet with mitch mcconnell republican leader in the senate. prior to that meeting, mr. taylor already said he was bitterly disappointed with obama care and before that another union leader that leads the labor union he said to harry reid, look we have concerns about obama care and we want changes and you are not listening to us. there is a public splins and th obama care. >> we'll go to the issues as to why? issue number one. the unions want the president to keep his pledge. pledge on what? >> the pledge from the president if you like your plan you can keep it. the unions want to president to keep that pledge. a lot of union guys will be switched off their plan and they are insisting that the president live up to his promise. if you like the plan keep it. >> second issue you believe it undermines the unions themselves and they themselves are reaching the conclusion? >> yes obama care undermines the reasons to join a union in the first place. union officers have good health care plans and they are genous. and they will tax

he called the republic an leader in the senate, mitch mcconnell. president called them both right after he was done giving that speech on election night. but neither one of them picked up the phone. according to "the new york times," they were sleeping. which is maybe understandable due to the late hour, but you also might think that maybe if the president of the united states calls you right after he wins re-election, you might answer the phone or maybe the person who answers the phone on your behalf might know that this is one of those instances when it's actually okay to disturb your boss from his sleep. or maybe that's just me. so whether they were intentional snubs or innocent snafus, it was actually a pretty perfect symbol of the relationship between president obama and both boehner and mcconnell ever since the 2010 midterm wave that brought republicans to power on capitol hill. think back to the summer of 2011. the first summer after that republican takeover when the tea party infused gop majority claimed the debt ceiling as a bargaining chi

somebody mitch mcconnell, he's been preparing for a tea party challenger for months. they wanted to make sure he was not vulnerable. that was a mistake some senators made in past election cycles, one of the senators in utah, mike lee, made that mistake of not realizing the tea party threat was legitimate. but you have republican senators in other state who is haven't been as prepared, haven't been raising money, haven't been on the air. thad cochran in mississippi is one example. pat roberts in kansas could potentially have faced some trouble after it was sort of revealed that he doesn't actually live full-time in his home state. he's been challenged by -- >> a minor point. >> right, that is of particular grievance to the tea party, who are looking for politicians who don't seem like politicians. that's a move for -- these guys come across as the pa tigs sort of old era. they came in at a time that it was okay to move the washington, you took your family with you, it was considered an honorable way, a place to be, and that's not what these people are looking for at th

but he certainly has mitch mcconnell rung scared. he is running the whole senate that way. >> what is this about marrying your son or daughter? what wackiness are we talking about? we have more clown card memberships here. >>> back in july, king explain wide he was opposed to the bipartisan immigration reform compromise. let's catch this golden oldie. >> for everyone who is a valedictorian, there is another 100 out there who they weigh 130 pounds and they've got calves the size of cantaloupes because they're hauling 75 pounds of marijuana across the desert. those people would be legalized with the same act. >> he is talking about human beings who came in the country illegally without documents. he is talking about people who somehow got calves the size of cantaloupes from hauling 150 pounds of harbor whatever. this guy is crazy. when asked about the harsh rhetoric he uses on a number of issues, including immigrationer, he said some of that rhetoric was about getting his colleagues to pay attention. for example, he said -- >> dick dur

could it have something to do with the democratic woman currently ahead of mitch mcconnell in kentucky? or the woman expected to top the democratic ticket in 2016? the timing may be right for senator paul to show he's the right person to stand up to the clintons with chris christie out of the top spot. the latest polling has paul in second place among a very wide open gop field. and in a bid to establish his 2016 credentials, senator paul addressed immigration reform this weekend during a visit to texas. but the gop's right flank continues to stand in the way of progress in washington. coupled with attorney general eric holder's announcement last night extending federal rights to same-sex spouses, wedge issues like immigration and marriage equality could cripple republican efforts to win the white house. victoria defrancesco soto and jared bernstein join me now. thanks to you both. >> thank you. >> thanks. >> so jared, i want to start on this issue with rand paul. this attack on the clintons, it strikes me as kind of a two-for. he's able to go after bill clinton and try to make him a l

he called the republican leader in the senate, mitch mcconnell. president called them both right after he was done giving that speech on election night. but neither one of them picked up the phone. according to "the new york times," they were sleeping. which is maybe understandable due to the late hour, but you also might think that maybe if the president of the united states calls you right after he wins re-election, you might answer the phone or maybe the person who answers the phone on your behalf might know that this is one of those instances when it's actually okay to disturb your boss from his sleep. or maybe that's just me. so whether they were intentional snubs or innocent snafus, it was actually a pretty perfect symbol of the relationship between president obama and both boehner and mcconnell ever since the 2010 midterm wave that brought republicans to power on capitol hill. think back to the summer of 2011. the first summer after that republican takeover when the tea party infused gop majority claimed the debt ceiling as a bargaining chi

here is how mitch mcconnell interpreted that obamacare to print even more pink slips. >> the cbo report is certainly not pretty if interested in creating jobs in america. as we know they estimate up to 2 million fewer jobs created as a result of obamacare. >> the national republican congressional committee echoed mcconnell saying quote new budget outlook says obamacare is hurting workers. here is a tweet from virginia under obamacare millions will lose jobs and those who keep them will see hours and wages reduced. senator grassley had this message according to the cbo the law will hurt economic growth. just to be clear because we go to more ramble. the cbo said the reduction stems almost entirely from a net decline in the amount of labor that workers choose to supply. in other words, the affordable care act is not leading to mass layoffs, it's giving people the freedom to leave jobs because those jobs provide health insurance. don't tell eric cantor that. you always smile at that one. joy, i'm going to give you the rare opportunity to explicate something. generally the president likes c