the presiding officer: the senator from michigan. the senator from michigan. mr. levin: i ask unanimous consent that the proceedings under the quorum call be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. levin: i apologize to the chair for a premature request for recognition. mr. president, we are now going to turn to a, an amendment of senator whitehouse which has been cleared, and we've worked to make sure that everybody understands that he's going to proceed to the amendment. and then i understand there's not going to be a need for a roll call vote on it. and also i would ask the senator from rhode island about how much time does he believe he would need on his amendment before we hopefully voice vote it. mr. whitehouse: i would say just a few minutes, two or three minutes. mr. levin: i thank the presiding officer and yield -- mr. whitehouse: but i do believe, mr. chairman, that the senator from oklahoma wishes to respond to whatever i say. mr. levin: i appreciate that. i ask unanimous consent there be ten minutes on the whitehouse amendment equ

a senator: mr. president? of. the presiding officer: the senator from delaware. a senator: i ask to speak for up to five minutes on the convention on the rights of persons -- excuse me. i ask to speak for up to five minutes on the topic of the convention on the rights of persons with disabilities. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. coons: thank you, mr. president. i rise today as not just the senator from delaware but also a member of the foreign relations committee, to speak to the topic before us of the convention and whether or not the united states should ratify a convention on the rights of persons with disabilities. our country has long been a global leader in recognizing and protecting the basic rights, the human rights of all people, including those with disabilities and of working hard to be at the forefront of a global movement to improve access to the basic and essential aspects of productive daily life for those with disabilities. now today we have the to help extend those rights, the same rights that disabled americans have to other people

senate. another chance to see a form on the future of newspapers focus in on an investigative journalism. tomorrow, president obama will be at arlington national cemetery to participate in the tomb of the unknowns and a remembrance ceremony at the amphitheater. live coverage begins at a o'clock eastern -- 11:00 eastern on c-span. >> 2013 and should be the year we begin to solve our debt to reform and entitled to reform. we will averted the fiscal cliff in a manner that says 2013 is the year our government comes to grips with the major problems facing us. >> i am open to compromise and new ideas. i am committed to liking ideas. i refuse to accept any approach that is not balanced. i am not going to ask students and seniors and middle-class families to pay down the deficit while people like me making over $250,000 are not asked to pay one dime more in taxes. " the current congress has work to do in what is referred to as a lame duck session. work is pending on the fiscal clef. planned cuts to d

as long as a lone senator, a minority of senators can log jam the entire u.s. government the people want to get something done will be in the words of tennessee williams, relying on the kindness of strangers. anyone in the minority will be able to demand not just a majority of senators to pass a bill but a super majority of 60. that means we're not going to see much get done, are we? the other way to make the government more active, of course, more responsive to the country's need is for one party to do a bang-up job, manifestly good job that people rewarded with a strong super majority of

senate. he's blocked hundreds of pieces of legislation that he thinks are a waste of money, but he is also one of the few republicans-- or democrats, for that atter-- willing to cross party lines to help break the political gridlock that's kept the senate from dealing not just with big issues but with basic senate business. >> coburn: this is the first time in 51 years the senate has not passed a defense authorization bill, which directs where the... the defense spending is going to go, and in terms of the priorities. our commanders need that. >> kroft: what about a budget? >> coburn: same thing. we haven't done that in four years. >> kroft: the inaction certainly can't be blamed on a pressing legislative schedule. take the week of september 10-- after returning from a five-week vacation, the senators had a monday night vote and approved a non-controversial judicial nominee. tuesday, their first full day back, there were no hearings scheduled, only a ceremony to honor the 9/11 anniversary on

senator durbin, senator barrasso, senator more an, senator udall, -- senator moran, senator udall, senator coons, all of whom worked very hard to secure the ratification of this very important convention. as the chair of the committee on health, education, labor and pensions and as the lead senator as author of the americans with disabilities act, i want the united states to become a party to this convention so we can apply the expertise that we have developed under the a.d.a. and help the rest of the world remove barriers to full participation and honor the human rights of their citizens with disabilities. one of my greatest joys in the senate has been my work with so many senators on the americans with disabilities act of 1990. the a.d.a. stands for a simple proposition -- that disability is a natural part of the human experience and that all people with disabilities have a right, an inherent right to make choices to pursue meaningful careers and to participate fully in all aspects of society. so thanks to the a.d.a., our country is a more welcoming players not just for people with a var

republicans have the house, democrats have the senate. but barack obama is going to have to work with senate leaders. that's going to be a test of the relationship between speaker boehner and president obama should he be reelected tonight. >> we were talking before that the senate will not have the 60/40 majority. the two sides are going to have to work together. >> they're going to have to reach a deal. tax cuts. there's so much to be done. congress has been so gridlocked. that's going to be the challenge for policymakers. really over the next few months, and into early next year. >> what about the mandate too? there was a theory that the other side would have a mandate? >> we're seeing leverage games already. this is a mandate. no new taxes, okay? and now president obama has run on raising taxes for millionaires. people making over $250,000. already we're seeing some leverage. >> we're seeing senator elect kaine coming out and joining the crowd. we want it send it now to bob. actually maybe we want to stay with this, as senator elect ka

senate. when you look two years ahead there's every reason to think -- half of what we do focus on the states and as you mentioned we had 48 states and two meetings, 90 people get together -- >> in the morning -- >> no time for one and it is not work. we didn't have people who won the house in 2010, what do we do now? >> not going to top that. >> floating is not working. >> thank you, appreciate it. we appreciate vote politicos who made this possible. thank you for coming out, we appreciate it. we have a breakfast next wednesday, bob woodward and senator marco rubio, grover norquist, thank you. [applause] ♪ >> the u.s. senate dabbles in today about an hour from now at 10:00 eastern and today they will continue working on legislation dealing with equal rights for persons with disabilities. majority ritter harry reid hopes the senate to work, 2013 defense program. off of the 4 u.s. ambassador susan rice meet with republican senators discussing the september attack on the consulate in benghazi

senate senate in wyoming between senator john, democratic challenger. and joe. the debate courtesy of wyoming pbs. it's about an hour. >> moderator: first candidate is going to be a joe otto. give me a moment. there's a complication. he's lives -- open the family ranch. he worked as a design engineer and was active in the republican and libertarian parties before joining the country party. our democratic party candidate tim chest nut he is worked extension lively as a professional photographer and as a staff member of our regional services which provides assistance to go only disabled. and the republican party candidate is senator john. he's a physician and a former president of the wyoming medical society. he was opponented to the u.s. senate in 2011, and re-elected to that post in 2008. he is a member of several senate committing including the energy and natural resources committee. welcome to all of you. well, our first question to all candidates why are you running, and what are your qualificationings to serve as a u.s. senator from wyoming in you have one m

office. >> senator brewster. the question in the immediate term is this. if she were to step aside right now, the only guy who has the votes to replace here is tenney hoyer. she's stoking speculation she might leave, but what is the scuttle but there? is she still the deck tim leader when this is over? >> in preparation for this segment i made calls to folks about what she thought would help behind the scenes. a small group thinks pelosi could stay, and she enjoys the fund-raising aspect and being part of the conversation. if she wants to stay, it's all hers. if she goes, there's speculation she can appoint her own successor, perhaps somebody who is more appealing to the liberals within her caucus. the caucus is more liberal in the last election to supersede steny hoyer. from conversations i've had recently folks asay steny hoyer because of his personal relationships in congress over the decades he's been there would be able to be leader if pelosi would step away. there's a strong feeling that she could not desig

>> i checked with senator sessions office and tonight is the 1,288th day since the sbt senate has passed a budget, they are supposed to do it every 365 days. what has happened was the senate pass -- senate democrats passed a budget to their liking with huge filibuster-proof majority in april of 2009. that's the last time they passed one one. they have used rules and procedures to extend the think about -- >> greta: it's a dodge. >> it's a dodge of the 1974 law. it is true, the president has submit aid budget, nobody wanted to vote for that. the house republicans have passed a budget. and it remains stuck. the person holding it back is harry reid. >> greta: so to the extent, sam, that the president talks about wanting to reach across the aisle and speaker boehner wants to reach across the aisle and others want to reach across the aisle, has senator harry reid shown any indication that he will pocket the bills? >> i don't know that harry reid is a super villain here. i think he has done what the height house needed him to do. he is not bruceing the president's budget because it would lose.

i want to thank especially senator feinstein and senator graham and senator ayotte and those who were involved in this whole detainee issue. i think that there was a result that helped us to move forward enormously and i want to thank, obviously, the chairman for his unlimited patience which is something that i -- a quality which i do not have. the presiding officer: is there objection to the unanimous request -- unanimous consent request to adopt the amendments en bloc? without objection, so ordered. mr. levin: the -- the presiding officer: the senator from michigan. mr. levin: mr. president, i ask consent that these amendments which i believe by the chair's ruling have been -- are to be considered en bloc, also that the amendments -- that the motion to reconsider be laid on the table. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. levin: i thank the presiding officer. and my understanding is now that the senate is open -- the floor is open to debate and that hopefully folks -- people want to debate on these four amendments will debate tonight so that the two minutes tomorrow will be

, senator feinstein and senator boxer. women are empowered in california. i also want to acknowledge that although our numbers are great here, two of our colleagues have gone on to the senate, senator elect tammy baldwin. and senator-elect mazie hirono. only the second woman of color to serve in the senate. so that's pretty exciting. and unfortunately we won't have kathy hochul and betty sutton in this next congress, but the future is soon and coming upon us and we know they will be making a great public prohibition. here we are. in the past week since the election we are still finishing up some of our campaign. we are very proud of the success, as i said yesterday, and as you see here today. why is it important for us to make this statement of the strengths of women in the congress of the united states? of the house democratic women. because this is where the hopes and dreams of america's families are riding. they may not know that. they may not know one party from the next and the rest. but we know that without rosa dela

senate. >>> and the democrats considered least likely to win back her senate seat beats the odds, and i think thanks to todd akin, and is back for a second term. our friend, the great claire mccaskill, joins us tonight, the senator from missouri. >>> what's the first sound you hear after a democrat wins a presidential election? a republican crying fraud. tonight, the latest republican fairytale of how president obama -- i'm not going to say it -- took the election by ruse or whatever. they say stole. i hate that word. anyway, this is "hardball," the place for politics. made a commitment to the gulf. bp has paid over twenty-three billion dollars to help those affected and to cover cleanup costs. today, the beaches and gulf are open, and many areas are reporting their best tourism seasons in years. and bp's also committed to america. we support nearly 250,000 jobs and invest more here than anywhere else. we're working to fuel america for generations to come. our commitment has never been strong

i don't see senator levin here. senator levin is here. senator mccain was here earlier. i have had conversations with senator levin. i haven't spoke to senator mccain this week, but i spoke to him previously on a number of occasions. this is a bill we should get done. it's an important piece of legislation. i know we have the defense appropriation bill at a later time, but, mr. president, this is something we have to do now because it changes policy toward our fighting men and women around the world. it does a lot of good things for them. we need to get this bill done, i repeat. probably what we're going to do is move to the bill. i don't know why in the world we have to file cloture on a motion to proceed to it. i don't quite understand that, but i haven't understood that about almost 400 times in the last few years. so what we're going to do is -- everyone should understand, listen to this, everybody. we're going to move to the bill. if we get permission to move to the bill, we'll have an open amendment process on this bill. i have been assured by senator levin and mcc

. >> if senator mccain and senator graham and others want to go after somebody, they should go after me. >> tonight congressman tim ryan of ohio on the president's middle class rally be cry. jonathan alter on the epic throwdown with john mccain. plus the new senator even nate silver didn't see coming. >> we missed the north dakota senator. >> yes, you did. >> heidi highcamp joins me for an exclusive interview. and republicans in ohio haven't learned anything. tonight state senator nina turner on today's republican vote to defund planned parenthood. >> good to you have with us tonight. thanks for watching. absence of arrogance. president obama continued his fight for the middle class today and hit back at republican bullies in the process. the president held his first new conference since winning the president once again pipts the first time he's faced the news media without the worry or pressure for reelection. president obama is staying in constant communication with the american public as he makes it clear the country cannot afford to extend the bush tax cuts for the wealthy. >> th

senate. we called the two senators and asked specifically what they propose to do if they manage to tweak the filibuster. senator cornyn's office got back to us, but not with an answer. senator coburn did not respond, but he did give politico.com a hint of what he might do. "i will filibuster any way i can. you ought to be willing to get out and earn it. i don't have any problems with that. he says he will respond to being told he has to old-time filibuster by really old-time filibusters. i actually think the democrats would be okay with that. that's what they are proposing. what's your objection, sir? i don't know yet whether harry reid and the democrats can must er 51 votes to change. but it sort of appears that harry reid's side is winning argument already saying they will do what the democrats are proposing to do as a way of objecting. >>> senator sherrod brown of ohio joins us straight ahead. stay with us. >>> what these democrats have in mind is a change for the purpose of consolidating

it's the sense of the senate. it's not a binding requirement that you're putting on the pentagon or the president. what are you hoping is going to be the practical effect of this proposal? >> well, let's compare this to what the house has in their language. they say there need to be 68,000 american troops at a minimum through the entire next two years. so they're talking about basically indefinite war at large numbers and the senate has responded tonight and said, no. this war must come to an end. we have lost thousands of americans. we have spent half a trillion dollars. we have spent 11 years. the nation building is not working. our primary missions on the training camps, our primary mission on taking out those responsible for 9/11 is completed. let's get our sons and daughters home. it's an incredible rebuttal to the case the house has made for indefinite high levels of war in afghanistan. >> the executive branch and the congress obviously are separate and co-equal branches of government. i have to ask, though,

senator lafollette, a famous senator from wisconsin, put it well. he said let no man think that we can deny civil liberty to others and retain it for ourselves. when zealots of the government, agents of the government arrest suspects or radicals without warrants, hold them without trial, deny them access to counsel or admission of bail, we have shorn the bill of rights of its sanctity. today we have a chance to reaffirm our belief in the right to trial by jury. we have a chance to replace fear with confidence, confidence that no terrorist and no country will ever conquer us if we remain steadfast, steadfast to the principles of our founding documents. we have nothing to fear except our own unwillingness to defend what is naturally ours, our god-given rights. we have nothing to fear that should cause us to relinquish our rights as free men and women. i urge my colleagues to reject fear, to reject the siren call for ever more powerful government. justice white put it well when he said a right to a jury trial is granted criminal defendants in order to

senate. among the republicans in the senate, their number of women actually dropped. they went from 5 to 4. in the house, it's the same pattern. as best as we can tell thus far, there are still some things to be decided yet, but the democratic caucus in the house added eight women. there used to be 52 democratic women in the house. in january, there will be 60. on the republican side, though, they went down again. they went from having only 24 women in the house on the republican side to having only 20 women in the house starting in january. so even with there being more republicans in the house than democrats overall, even though democrats are the smaller party overall in the house, democrats now have triple the number of women that the republicans have in that house. nancy pelosi, the leader of the democrats in the house and the first woman to ever be speaker of that body, today she announced that although with every single woman member of her caucus, all 60 of them, that she would put her name in to stay the leader to have the democrats in the house. as we tried to

, senator from virginia. he bowed out of the possibility of running for governor in virginia, an office he held in the past. he's a possible leader on the fiscal cliff talks right now, leave him well positioned, someone to keep an eye on. >> greta: bob? >> two women. senator kirsten gillibrand from new york is all for hillary clinton in 2016, but if hillary clinton doesn't run, watch gillrgillibrand. she has those aspirations. on the republican side, nick kid smoking haley from south carolina, 40 years old. the republicans need a new face, and this would be a change of direction. she literally is respected by the right. >> i wrote down a list of 13 republican names -- by the way, when senator thune was walking out, i said would you like me to add your name to this list? he said no. >> cross one out. >> i pick scott walker actually, scott walker, governor of wisconsin, is the guy who actually did what a lot of republicans want to do, which is he took on the entrenched interests behind the spending that's killi

okay, senators elect. and i so especially mean you, elizabeth warren you have to rewrite your rules about how you handle the political media and rule number one is no national media none. that is right. i'm telling you not to do my show or any other national tv show. the coverage you get from or local tv stations is much more important to your re-election campaign which by the way, starts now. you are being invited on national shows now but your local media will get jealous quickly when they see you turning down a local tv interview and your voters will quickly notice that you enjoy the national spotlight more than tending to their local concerns. the current master of this rule is senator al franken who is in his 4th year in the seb at nate and he has not volunteered one word to the national media. he has not given a single quote to the "new york times." he has been begged to come on to the national news show and he remains the hardest get in washington. but senator franken is always available to local mi

after 18 years in the senate. and i have to say, senator, to me, it was another sign, a real sign that our political system is broken when you announcethat you were retiring from the senate because you just couldn't get anything done there anymore. and it will be the senate's loss. but we wish you well. let me just talk to you-- and i do want to talk to you about your reasons and all of that, but first, you're a member of the intelligence commit, where do you weigh in on this whole benghazi situation? >> well, first and foremost, we have to get to the truth, and as a member of the senate intelligence committee, we're doing exactly that. we have had it at least eight hours of hearings this last week. we intend to have at least three more hearings and publish a report at the conclusion of those hearings. what is most disturbing, in my estimation, is the discrepancy about those talking points and the reality that exist on the ground, and why the administration wasn't able to get the information in a more accurate pic

and romney supporter ohio senator rob portman. 33 senate seats, 435 house seats and one president seat. an election extravaganza with former mississippi governor haley barbour and cnn's dana bash. i'm candy crowley. this is "state of the union." >>> they are ships passing in the night and the day. this day mitt romney will be in iowa, ohio, pennsylvania, and virginia, while the president heads to new hampshire, south of florida, back up north to ohio, out west to colorado. monday romney goes to florida, virginia, ohio, and new hampshire. obama counters with wisconsin, ohio, and a closing rally in iowa. the biggest surprise in that final 48 hours is romney's last minute bid in pennsylvania. polls in the state favor president obama, but not by as much as they once did. the romney campaign calls it expanding the electoral map. the obama campaign calls it a fairy tale. well, in the parallel universe phase of the campaign. joining me is chicago mayor and former white house chief of staff rahm emanuel. let me start by showing a poll out of pennsylvania showing that the president's numbers ha

senate. host: josh gerstein is the white house reporter for political coast and has been talking about the resignation yesterday of c.i.a. director, general david petraeus. the general cited an extramarital affair in explaining the reason why he was resigning. josh gerstein, thanks for being on the "washington journal" this morning. guest: happy to do it. take care. host: we're now going to continue our discussion regarding the president's claims that the election gives him a mandate on taxing the rich. in the "baltimore sun," the headline, "obama opens to compromise." host: we're going to continue our discussion regarding the president's claims that the election gives him a mandate on tacking the rich. jay is calling from louisville, kentucky. jay is making under $50,000 a year. jay, you're on the "washington journal." thanks for waiting. caller: yes, i think if it's going to be risen, it should be for everybody, not just the wealthy. host: so you would say that it would be ok for the presid

we will ask democratic senator from new york, chuck schumer and republican senator from oklahoma, tom coburn. >>> also, we check in with cnbc's jim cramer to hear about the economic status should washington fail and avert fiscal disaster by the end of the year. >>> plus, what is the future of the gop after a stinging defeat for romney and the republicans? and how will president obama govern in a second term? we will talk to a new letter elected democratic congressman, joaquin castro. plus, republican strategist steve schmidt, presidential historian, doris kearns goodwin, whip, nbc's political director and chief white house correspondent, chuck todd and the "washington post's" bob woodward. >> announcer: from nbc news in washington, the world's longest running television program this is "meet the press" with david gregory. >>> good sunday morning. the newly reelected president's message on friday, get back to work but the focus of that work and on that work is now overshadowed by friday afternoon's resignation of cia director david petraeus, which sent, as you know, shockwaves through

there is no united states senator, in the u.s. senate remotely like mike lee. [applause] i tell you afterwards, he and i went and visited -- first time we met and we spend the next couple of hours debating constitutional law, and brand-new senator elect, and that is very down in the bowels there. pretty sure i saw minutes wandering around. i spent a couple hours with mike walking around, i remember it was this friday because it was the day that committee assignments were due, he handed in his request i remember one of the things we've talking about at the time was the national debt. and estimated the value of the land owned by the united states government. it was at $14 trillion. and rather than the united states the parent being the largest landowner in the world, and we begin discussing that, in the presence of a fellow federalist. he mike was the first major national figure and rightfully launched. it was just a month or two later visiting it after dinner talking about the senate and what can i do to help? and he looked over and says i can do that i can do t

senator. [applause] know what the most difficult part of this is? i now have to break the news to my truck that i will be taking it home. [laughter] you guys are all fired up tonight. this is great. [applause] thank you, alright. what matters even more is what we achieved. -- i kept my promise to you. i kept my promise to you to be that independent voice from massachusetts and i have never ever, ever regretted any decision that i made for you. you all sent to washington to be my own man and i will be returning my own man and for that i am very proud. thank you for that opportunity. right now, i want to reach out to the young people that may be watching or listening and those who have maybe fountain that -- found an especially difficult time in their life, and difficult station in their life, and those face without or uncertainty. we live in the greatest country in the world and i am so thankful for the opportunity. when it seems that nothing is possible and the odds are stacked against you, le

if senator mccain and senator graham and others want to go after somebody, they should go after me. and i'm happy to have that discussion with them. but for them to go after the u.n. ambassador who had nothing to do with benghazi, and was simply making a presentation based on intelligence that she had received, and to besmirch her reputation is outrageous. and you know, we're after an election now. i think it is important for us to find out exactly what happened in benghazi and i'm happy to cooperate in any ways that congress wants. we have provided every bit of information that we have. and we will continue to provide information and we have got a full blown investigation. and all that information will be disgorged to congress. and i don't think there is any debate in this country that when you have four americans killed, that's a problem. and we got to get to the bottom of it and there noeeds to be accountability. we got to bring those who carried it out to justice. they won't get any debate from me on that. but when they go after the u.n. ambassador, apparently because they think

, senator reid. [applause] >> we just made a deal. [laughter] the vice president and i were going to meet in the morning. we will be in session tomorrow having votes. i also apologize. we have a bill that warren rudman was well aware of. i will have to excuse myself in and try to work that out. we have given john a little bit of time off from the for tonight. i will go back to see if we can speed things up a little. warren rudman was born with a fighting spirit. he learned that because of him being jewish. he fought anti-semitism. he fought it physically. that is how he learned how to be tough. he wrote that in his memoir. he was a boxer at syracuse university. joe'he commanded an army industry during the korean war. he was decorated for his heroism. this shape his views about the world. i learned in korea, he said, that war was a lousy idea. that is a direct quote from warren rudman. as a senator and national security expert, he believed, that was a last resort. he was a critic of the iraq war. he w

senator ayotte and sflor mccain and senator graham have been about ambassador rice. she hasn't been that critical up until now. but those meetings are not over. when she emerges, when ambassador rice emerges from this meeting -- >> reporter: ashleigh i'm going to interrupt you because senator collins is here right now. >> terrific. if you could grab her for us that would be terrific. we'll find out the tenor. let's listen. >> i've just cudedn hour and 15 minutes with ambassador t remain unanswered. i continue to be troubled by the fact that the u.n. ambassador decided to play what was essentially a political role at the height of a contentious presidential election campaign by agreeing to go on the sunday shows to present the administration's position. in addition, it is interesting to me that ambassador rice emphasized in her presentation not that this was a terrorist attack by al qaeda affiliates but, rather, that it had begun with a protest that we nownow was nonexistent and that it was linked to a video, which we also know is not accurate. at the time ambassador

senator. election day also saw voters decide on a series of landmark ballot initiatives to rewrite state laws. advocates of marriage equality ended tuesday with four out of four victories, as voters legalized same-sex marriage in maine and maryland, upholding same-sex marri washington state and defeating a measure to ban same-sex marriage in minnesota. in addition to same-sex marriage, maryland voters also affirmed the dream act, allowing undocumented immigrants to receive in-state tuition. in florida, voters defeated a measure that called for amending the state constitution to restrict abortion rights and bar public funds from funding abortions. in california, voters defeated ballot measures to repeal the death penalty and another that would have required labeling of genetically modified foods. a separate measure to ease penalties for nonviolent offenses under california's three strikes law was approved. california voters rejected measure that would have curbed the political influence of unio

united states senate. he told politico this morning he wants to carve a compromise immigration plan with an eventual path to citizenship for illegal immigrants a proposal he believes could be palatable to conservatives. paul is working on a novel plan he says would assimilate many of the 12 million illegal immigrants currently in the country. quote, if we assimilate those who are here however they got here, don't make it an easy path for citizenship, there would be an eventual path but we don't make anybody tomorrow a citizen who came here illegally, but if they're willing to work willing to pay taxes, i think we need to normalize those who are here. that is to the left of the democratic party position on immigration, if there is a democratic party position on immigration. no one has been advocating a path to citizenship for everyone who is here illegally, but now rand paul is. the most the democrats have been pushing, if you can call it pushing, is some form of a dream act for kids that grew up in the uni

the senate wasn't designed to work this way. >> senator bird would not want these rule changes, would be going against what the democrats want right now. the bottom line here is the danger in changing the filibuster rule. i mean i see both sides of it. let them go ahead and filibuster politically with the american people. the next election cycle is going to come around and the republicans could pay a heavy price in the next election. the question is, is it worth that? can we afford as a country to have that many filibusters again and not move forward, especially on things like the economy? steve benen, great to have you with us. >>> he dared to speak the truth on fox news so now fox news is going after him. the thomas ricks saga. beware future guests on fox. stay tuned. you're watching "the ed show." [ male announcer ] we all make bad decisions. like say, gas station sushi. cheap is good. and sushi, good. but cheap sushi, not so good. it's like that super-low rate on not enough car insurance. pretty sketchy. ♪ and then there are the good decisions. like esurance. their coverage coun

senate. we called the two senators and asked specifically what they propose to do if they manage to tweak the filibuster. senator cornyn's office got back to us, but not with an answer. senator coburn did not respond, but he did give politico.com a hint of what he might do. "i will filibuster any way i can. you ought to be willing to get out and earn it. i don't have any problems with that. he says he will respond to being told he has to old-time filibuster by really old-time filibusters. i actually think the democrats would be okay with that. that's what they are proposing. what's your objection, sir? i don't know yet whether harry reid and the democrats can mustmust er 51 votes to change. but it sort of appears that harry reid's side is winning argument already saying they will do what the democrats are proposing to do as a way of objecting. sherrod brown of ohio joins us next. take dayquil... [ ding! ] ...and spend time on the slopes. take alka-seltzer plus cold & cough... [ buzz! ] ...and

of the senate. that's why members of both parties have always defended it, whether they were in the majority or the minority. because they knew the senate was the last legislative check against the kind of raw exercise of power majority parties have always been tempted to wield. the congressional record contains literally mountains of reverential statements by republicans and democrats extolling the near-sacred characteristic of the senate as the one legislative body on earth that protects minority views from majority rule. and it requires supermajorities for anything significant to become law. why is that? so that majorities can't simply roll over those who disagree with them and, just as importantly, so majority parties are forced to resolve the great issues of the moment in the middle, ensuring their stability and their permanence. it's this mechanism that has so frustrated majority parties over the years but which has ensured -- at least most of the time -- that our laws are stable and not subje

senate. he's blocked hundreds of pieces of legislation that he thinks are a waste of money, but he is also one of the few republicans-- or democrats, for that matter-- willing to cross party lines to help break the political gridlock that's kept the senate from dealing not just with big issues but with basic senate business. >> coburn: this is the first time in 51 years the senate has not passed a defense authorization bill, which directs where the... the defense spending is going to go, and in terms of the priorities. our commanders need that. >> kroft: what about a budget? >> coburn: same thing. we haven't done that in four years. >> kroft: the inaction certainly can't be blamed on a pressing legislative schedule. take the week of september 10-- after returning from a five-week vacation, the senators had a monday night vote and approved a non-controversial judicial nominee. tuesday, their first full day back, there were no hearings scheduled, only a ceremony to honor the 9/11 anniversary on

senate bid to incumbent democratic senator bob casey of pennsylvania. republicans who were forced to campaign on their anti-abortion politics, by and large, did not fare well this year. but by all means, republicans, follow the anti-abortion movement's advice and campaign harder on your abortion politics next time. really. really, go for that one third of the electorate that thinks they agree with you on this issue before they've heard you really explain it. maybe you can petition to change the rules of mathematics so that 36% will add up to a majority. regardless, definitely talk more about rape, you guys. keep it up. >>> hey, to all of you who waited in long, long, long lines to cast your vote in this election, your democracy thanks you, yay! how about this. let's never have to do that again. let's fix that. who's with me? that's next. you can prevent gas with beano meltaways, or treat gas with these after you get it. now that's like sunblock before or sun burn cream later. oh, somebody out there's saying, now i get it! take beano before and there'll

ambassador susan rice will replace secretary of state hillary clinton. >> if senator mccain and senator graham and others want to go after somebody, they will go after me. and i am happy to have that discussion with them. but for them to go after the u.n ambassador who had nothing to do with ben go swree -- benghazi and was simply making a presentation based on intelligence she had received and to be smir of -- besmirch her reputation is outrageous. >> senator john mccain was trying to reach out to the president and get answers. what did you think of that? >> i think it is unfortunate because first of all if she had nothing to do with benghazi or the u.n ambassador she shouldn't have been out on all of the sunday shows that some five days afterwards stating that it was a spontaneous demonstration that was triggered by a hateful video that turned out to be absolutely false. there was month demonstration. i don't know how you logically assume that she had nothing to do with benghazi since it was the white house that had her on all of the sunday shows second of all, i am not trying to get

, senator feinstein and senator boxer. so women are empowered in california. i also want to acknowledge that although our number are great, two of our colleagues have gone on to the senate. senator baldwin -- [applause] >> we are very proud of that. senator-elect -- [applause] only the second woman of color to serve in the senate. so that's pretty exciting. and, unfortunately, we won't have capital coal -- kathy local and betty sutton in this next congress, but the future is soon and coming upon us and we know they will be making a great public contribution. so here we are. in the past week since the election were still finishing up some of our campaigns. we are very proud of the success or as i said yesterday, and as you see here today. why is it important for us to make this statement of the strength of women in the congress of the united states, of the house democratic women? because this is where hopes and dreams of america's families are rising. they may not know that. they may not know one party from the next and the

send them to the senate. if the senate democrats want to block them, let the senate democrats block them. this idea that some kind of phony negotiation at the white house -- it's clear the president has a sense of hubris from his victory. it's clear they don't want to do anything serious. how can yiu have a serious discussion about the, quote, fiscal cliff, when the president is talking about spending more, particularly when you look at the information coming out on how they spent the solar money, it's a scandal, how many billions of dollars they misapplied to lost causes, and how many people got rich out of government guarantees promptly cashing out as soon as they got the money. i think congress ought to slow down, have a lot more hearings and a lot more markups, and produce a number of separate small bills, and then let the senate democrats do they really want to go into 2014 as the obstructioniness senate or take up positive legislation and get something done. >> greta: quote, we don't need a surrender ca

that his party still faces after those rape comments from senate candidates, not senators, todd akin and richard mourdock. focus on mourdock and akin revealed neither of them are outliers. as john weaver told "new york times"sh, quote, they did not seem foreign to our party, they seemed representative of our party. wow. the senate will make history with 20 women making up the largest percentage of women ever to sit in the upper chamber. i don't like the phrase upper chamber. one of those members will be senator amy klobuchar of minnesota who is coming off a big win tuesday night. senator, thank you, and congratulations. you're one of those people that people dare not run against, i guess. anyway, what do you make of the fact -- just the whole women's thing and the way women now tend to be democrats. you see it in california. we have two senators who are women in washington state, and new york, of course, you have a woman senator now and in the northeast. in fact, i think you've got 17 democratic women now, right? >> well, we do. we have -- we're going to have 20 women senators, which

will the senate look more like the house? that is not -- >> i think one of the things that shouldn't take place is be more part sab and dig in more. >> we shall see. shameless plugs. you first. >> happy birthday to shelly and her press secretary. >> on her birthday. >> she is announcing for the senate and i think she will be a welcome member. >> once the filibuster rules don't take shape. >> i think mcconnell is wondering where were you the three other times. smart. >> today is cyber monday and tomorrow is giving tuesday. here is one charity to think about if you have somebody that has everything you need and thinking about a christmas gift, kick start.org and two guys experienced in swernt charitable organizations and develop mobile water pumps for farmers in subsaharan africa and changing lives one family at a time. >> wish a happy birthday to my god son in north dakota. chances are he is watching sesame street but if he happens to be watching. >> accidental. huge with kids. >> yeah. yes. happy birthday. >> that's it. tomor

warner, senator coons and senator rubio. start-up act 2.0 addresses critical needs facing entrepreneurs today. the legislation provides new opportunities for highly educated and entrepreneurial immigrants to stay in the united states where their talent can fuel economic growth and create jobs for americans. by making new visas available for foreign students who graduate with an advanced degree in a stem field from an american university, start-up act 2.0 will provide a much-needed way for fast-growing start-ups and businesses in america to get the talent they need to continue to grow and create jobs. this is a critical and growing challenge. the partnership for a new american economy projects that the united states will face a shortfall of more than 223,000 workers with advanced degrees in stem areas by 2018. if the current trend holds, there will only be 550,000 american workers with the needed skills, far short of the projected demand. without these workers, american businesses will be at a distinct disadvantage and unable

and once again, i can only say to senator gillibrand, senator schumer, senator menendez, senator lautenberg and others, our prayers are with you and your constituents. you suffered grievously. thank you. >> senator, thank you so much, and we will work with you as we get this water bill to the floor. senator schumer, we are so honored to have you here as well and to be part of this record. so, please, you're recognized for ten minutes followed by senator menendez. >> thank you. first, madam chair, let me thank you so much for having this hearing, for your caring and compassion. as you mentioned, you were on the phone with us the minute sandy hit, and, you know, i feel so good about several things in this committee, many things. but the fact that you are chair of the committee and you are such a good legislator and so compassionate about these things gives us some hope. the fact that senator vitter has shown an active role in many areas and has been through this makes us feel good about it. and the fact that both senator gillibrand and senator lautenberg are on the committee as well as senato

senate, senator dianne feinstein is now saying, you know, we need this information. i mean, they can't call it politics if the democrats are asking for it. >> you can't possibly look at this and not wonder what the heck were they doing? several explanations, totally conflicting. totally strange pattern of behavior in the four months leading up to this attack, including not protecting the embassy. an embassy that is attacked, you put extra security there. why was there no extra security? why did the president take as along as he did to react? why weren't more forces put in? why do we have two conflict explanations? and why does the evidence keep getting discovered by the press and outside people, not by -- by the fbi, by administration officials and if they are going to put out the information to the senate, why don't they put it out for two days when nobody's around. >> sean: my goodness. you would have to be stupid not to come to the conclusion that there is something very suspicious here. >> greta: you left one out, the fact that a month ago, a tukneesian man was p

the presiding officer: the senate stands adjourned until senate stands adjourned until >> the senate finishing the first day of the lame duck setionz, providing a cost of living increase for veterans, and sending the measure to the president's desk. the house passed that veterans' bill in early july. the chamber voted 92 #-5 to move forward on a bill to expand hunting and fishing on federal lands. senate majority leader reid plans to finish work on the sportsman's bill before thanksgiving. off the floor this week, senators hold closed door meetings on the benghazi consulate attack in libya that killed four americans. members of congress plan to meet at the white house with president obama about fiscal issues. on how members of congress and how the president could approach the so-called fiscal cliff with tax breaks and spending cuts. they hosted senators. [no audio] >> majority leader compared the job to being a grounds keeper in a cemetery. there's a lot of people under you, but they are not paying attention. >> that's true. [laughter] and then from the democratic side, we have a for

senator kyl, senator rubio, senator durban. i think we can do that. and i want to say on the simpson bowles commission i think they are a starting place and every senate republican that was on that commission also voted for simpson bowles so you have a bipartisan potential as a starng int. maybe you don't like everything in it. but honestly, gwen, entitlement reform is going to have to be part of an overall deal if it's going to impact the deficits and the long-term debt and i think if we have tax reform and we really look at entitlement reform then we would be able to work together because i think republicans will certainly come to the table if we have a fair tax system and also we know that the cuts in entitlements that must be ma will b made. you know, it's actuarally, social security can't hold the way it is now and we all want it to. >> ifill: i would love for one or both of you to take a whack at explaining to our audience-- starting with you senator durbin-- what is different now than before the election? a lot of what i'm hearing, including th