Transcripts For MSNBC The Daily Rundown 20130111

Pentagon . And three is a magic number. It its the the daily rundowns third anniversary. Some surprises along the way. Good morning from washington. Its friday, january 11th, 2013. This is the daily rundown, im chuck todd. Boy, three years . A different part, huh . Lets get to my first reads of the morning. Vice President Biden will present his recommendations on gun violence to the president tuesday. White house Officials Say an assault weapons ban will still be an element of whatever final package is proposed, despite reporting to the contrary this morning. And while in a 15minute statement for cameras yesterday, biden emphasized an emerging consensus around a set of what he called gun safety proposals. He did not mention the assault weapons ban idea once. There is a surprising so far, a surprising recurrence of suggests that we have universal background checks. Ive never quite heard as much talk about the need to do something about highcapacity magazines. The whole question of the ability of any federal agency doing any research on the issue of gun violence. But even those points are likely to face opposition from the nra. Research money for studying the impact of guns is a fraction of what it was in the mid 90s and Public Health scientists have complained, because the gun lobby has choked off funding to parts of the center for Disease Control that used to study gunrelated injuries and deaths. And no surprise, there was little sign the white house and nra found any Common Ground in yesterdays closed meeting. The white house released this picture, but they didnt characterize the meeting, and refused to respond to the nra. The nra, they put out a pretty combative statement saying this, quote, we were disappointed with how little this meeting had to do with keeping our children safe and how much it had to do with an agenda to attack the Second Amendment. On the today show this morning, nra president david keen said much of what the white house is considering are, quote, feelgood proposals. We have a profound disagreement with this administration. First of all, on what would make a difference. We dont think that a ban on socalled assault weapons, which hasnt worked in the past, is going to work this time. Do you have the support in congress to block any federal ban on assault weapons in the coming year . I do not think there is going to be a ban on socalled assault weapons passed by the congress. Even as yesterdays white house meeting was occurring, a high school in rural central califoia was in lockdown after a student opened fire with a shotgun in a science classroom, wounding one student and leaving three others with minor injuries. Another School Shooting doesnt change the difficult politics of this issue. Though bidens meeting came with a photo op. As an owner of shotguns, as a guy, im no great hunter, mostly skeet shooting for me. Both the nra meeting and an evening meeting with the entertainment representatives pictured here were closed. During his movie, django unchained Quentin Tarantino with movies like pulp fiction refused to answer the question about the possibility of violent images. The Vice President is talking to the people in the movie industry today about violence. And you know where i stand on it. Which is that there is no relationship. Yes. But you havent said why you think there is no relationship. Its none of your damn business what i think about that. There you go. An arraignment hearing for james holmes, the shooter who killed 12 people and injured dozens more at a movie theatre in aurora, collapsed summer and claimed to be inspired by batmans joker is scheduled this morning. Biden is holding a meeting with representatives from the video Game Industry today. The last time president obama and afghan president ahmad karzai spoke facetoface was about four months ago Via Video Conference after a week when the white house suggested its considering a zero option in it afghanistan when it comes to troops post 2014, floating the possibility of withdrawal or bust as a negotiating tactic. Well be watching what the president and karzai say in public at their press conference this afternoon. Karzai, who met yesterday with defense secretary leon panetta at the pentagon with secretary of state hillary clinton, has different expectations. Perhaps as many as 15,000 troops staying, which he hinted at in comments yesterday. Can assure you, mr. Secretary, that afghanistan with the help that you provide, be able to provide to people and to protect. And protect karzai. Karzai added, that help is needed, quote, so afghanistan will never again be threatened by terrorists from across our borders, suggesting he understands the u. S. Priorities there. The white house considers plans that range from roughly 3,000 to 9,000 troops. The president has made it very clear, he wants only the force necessary to carry out a very narrow counterterrorism objective and training mission. Today the white house will announce new military aid it plans to give the afghan military, including helicopters and other equipment. The pentagon is making budget pressures clear, ordering a freeze on hiring of civilians and taking other steps to cut spending in preparation, by the way, for the possibility of the socalled sequester. What the hell is going to happen . The simple fact is that this fiscal uncertainty has become a very serious threat to our national security. Readiness is whats now in jeopardy. Were on the brink of creating a hollow force. Those are going to be words youre going to hear a lot in march when the sequester becomes a heated talking point and debate item in this town. One thing between the president and drawdown he is pushing in afghanistan is the u. S. Commander there and the joint chiefs at home. General john allen has submitted a plan which would keep up to 20,000 troops, closer to what karzai wants on the ground post 2014. But yesterday for the first time, chairman of the joint chiefs, martin dempsey, acknowledged that this zero option is in play. You know, weve said, i think, from the start, no option is entirely off the table. Turning to the cabinet shuffle, lets remember the chuck hagel nomination is another way for the president to signal what he wants with afghanistan withdrawal, which is to get out sooner rather than later. President obama went when it comes to the cabinet shuffle, while monday and chuck hagel was about getting a tough confirmation fight and having a tough confirmation fight in the upcoming days, he went for more of a sure thing thursday. He called on his chief of staff, jack lew, to fill the slot at treasury, being vacanted by secretary geithner. Lew has gone before the full senate for confirmation more than once in the past four years. He hasnt gotten a no vote yet. And the president doesnt expect one now. Jack has my complete trust. I know im not alone in that. In the words of one former senator, having lew on your team is the equivalent as a coach the luxury of having somebody in almost any position and knowing he will do well. And i could not agree more. So i hope the senate will confirm him as quickly as possible. One thing lew may have to work on, though, if he gets the job, his signature. Yes. This string of loops is actually jack lews signature. And its not a small thing, considering it would go on all the new dollar bills. Thats the first one we would see. And frankly, a lot of currency over the next few years. Jack assures me that he is going to work to make at least one letter legible [ laughter ] in order to debase our currency, should he be confirmed as secretary of the treasury. All kidding aside, president obamas secondterm cabinet is very much in flux now in dwindling diversity. Hil hilda solis is out. Homeland security will stay. Some others, though are in limbo. There has been no official word of some of them, one way or the other. Lets focus on what may be the big confirmation fight. Former senator chuck hagel is out there now personally lobbying for support in his bid to become defense secretary. Yesterday visited the pentagon and thursday making calls to old senate colleagues. One problem with that. Of the senators who will sit in judgment of hagels confirmation, 42 of them never worked with him. With me now, moderator of meet the press, david gregory, had an exclusive interview with colin powell there to make the case for chuck hagel. One thing about taking the step back if you will about this week and what were seeing with the president in this cabinet. There is no equivocation when it comes to placating the washington establishment. He is doing what he wants, regardless there is no gates, no hillary. Everything else the first four years was about keeping washington in check. Not this time. President s have a way of getting reelected and deciding how about i do what i want to do. How about i choose who im comfortable with. And they have extra confidence that they can do that. And they should be able to do it. And there is sort of you know, its by the way, its also why theyve had this diversity issue a little bit, not thinking about that. It doesnt explain why he didnt stand behind susan rice. If that was really his view. Hes choosing the fight over hagel, in part im sure because he gave up on susan rice. Why didnt he do it for her . Its possible he never was for susan the way others were. There really was a split in that white house. It looked like it had touched a personal cord with him when she was being criticized. May be separate from whether he wanted her for the job. I think the attitude is whats driving this on hagel. And i think his comfort level, his knowledge that if hes going to deal with Defense Budget cuts, he wants a republican in there. Im not sure as Andrea Mitchell has pointed out that having somebody who seems to have such a difficult relationship with republicans is the best one to lead that fight. Well, no, it is sort of the idea in whats in practice seemed to be two different things. Watching republican reaction here. So jeff sessions, senator from alabama, says hes going to put a hold on jack lew. Lindsey graham says hes going to put a hold on john brennan. Are they going to have to say guys, you have to pick one. You cant fight them all because the obstruction charge then starts. I think the idea of holds is maybe a little bit farfetched. You know, even those who are sounding pretty tough about chuck hagel indicate they think hell get confirmed. But they want to ask tough questions. I think its tough to beat a senator over policy issues. Even if the issue is real. I think john brennan is going to face questions about the leak investigation. Maybe on the left over some of the, you know, enhanced interrogation issues. You know i dont see any of these things bubbling up to the point where you actually get a hold. You know, well see. But i dont see that. But i see the hagel nomination certainly being tough. And i want to turn to guns here a minute. Were seeing its funny, the white house has a very vehement reaction to the New York Times story this morning, saying they are just wrong, they are not backing off an assault weapons ban. They are going to make this push. But it does seem as if this week biden was trying to lower expectations, talking about executive action, small bore by nature. You cant to big things by executive action. And the fact that, you know, its like there seem to be theyre talking about consensus that may not go big. Well, and it certainly will go broad. That will deal with Mental Health, that will deal with, you know, background checks in the largest possible way. Ive talked to Democratic Senators who say well probably focus on some areas where we can get bipartisan consensus, rather than go to the tip of the spear on magazines and assault weapons. Its curious to note, back in 94, biden was the one who opened those initially, because he thought it would tank the crime bill. Which we he, of course, is authoring. You get the sense there might be some unease here with biden, because hes really in a weird box. He could be the face of wanting to take guns away, which, of course, he doesnt politically want to be. And he could end up disappointing people on the left. This is really one of these nowin situations. I just wonder whether theyre going to introduce this, do what they can in a bipartisan way, and then sort of table it and maybe come back to it later. Because we havent seen an indication the president is going to make this the kind of issue that will draw his Political Capital down on in this first year. Especially with what we know with march. David gregory, a busy weekend and this sunday on nbcs meet the press, an exclusive interview with former general youre never a former general colin powell, secretary of state, on there to support chuck hagel. Thank you. Our meet the new Congress Series continues with the connecticut democrat who upstaged a heavy favorite to win her seat in the house. Thats next. She represents newtown, by the way. First, a look at the president s schedule. Big news today, by the way, is going to be afghanistan, karzai. And in celebration of the daily rundown s third birthday, take a look at how far we have come this past year. Caucus day. A special edition of the daily rundown from the Polk County Convention center in iowa. Coming to you from manchester. Live from the campus of winthrop university. From orlando, florida. Coming to you live from the university of south florida right here in tampa. Outside the Supreme Court today. Traveling with the president here at the g20. Good morning from new york. From tampa, florida. From charlotte on the First Official day of the democratic convention. Were here just outside the education nation summit at the new york public library. Good morning from littleton, colorado, just outside of denver in the allimportant denver suburbs, the swingiest part of this state. From the university of denver, a beautiful campus here. In kentucky, Abraham Lincoln behind me. Here in myanmar. This is the daily rundown , im chuck todd. Woo. Living with moderate to severe Rheumatoid Arthritis means living with pain. It could also mean living with joint damage. Help relieve the pain and stop the damage with humira, adalimumab. For many adults with moderate to severe ra, humira is clinically proven to help relieve pain and stop joint damage. So you can treat more than just the pain. Humira can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. Serious, sometimes fatal events, such as infections, lymphoma, or other types of cancer, have happened. Blood, liver and nervous system problems, serious allergic reactions, and new or worsening Heart Failure have occurred. Before starting humira, your doctor should test you for tb. Ask your doctor if you live in or have been to a region where certain fungal infections are common. Tell your doctor if you have had tb, hepatitis b, are prone to infections or have symptoms such as fever, fatigue, cough, or sores. You should not start humira if you have any kind of infection. Ask your rheumatologist about humira, to help relieve pain and stop further joint damage before they stop you. My exgirlfriend. 7th grade math teacher. Who is this . Thats pete. My. [ dennis voice ] allstate agent. A starving artist has an allstate agent . He got me. [ dennis voice ] the allstate value plan. Its their most affordable Car Insurance and you still get an agent. [ normal voice ] i call it. [ dennis voice ] the protector. Is that what you call it . The protector okay. The allstate value plan. Are you in good hands . If you see something you can fix, you need to step up and fix it. To make sure that our manufacturers have a level playing feield, our children, every field in this great state has an opportunity for quality education, that our Small Businesses have access to credit, to create good, quality jobs right here in america, that our seniors can retire in dignity and respect with the medicare and Social Security that theyve earned and that we are creating good jobs. All right lets meet elizabeth esty, one of 98 women elected to the house, the harvard graduate spent several years at a top dc law firm where she wrote Supreme Court briefs before moving back home to connecticut to work on health care policy. She served one time in the connecticut state house, losing her bid for a second term following an emotional debate where she opposed the Death Penalty on the heels of high profile murders in a connecticut town. Two years later, won a tough battle in a huge upset against the connecticut House Speaker chris donovan. 38 days after she was elected, 20 students and 6 adults were massacred at sandy hook elementary school. And thats in her district. Esty says the shooting has refocused her. Joining me now, congresswoman, welcome to washington. Youre in connecticut this morning. But congratulations on the new job. And let me start out with what youre hearing from whats going on with vice President Biden, what the administration is going to propose. What would you like to see from the administration, what would you like to hear from the president when he does his when he starts to talk about Gun Legislation in the next week . Well, ive been in touch with the Vice President. He called me the day after the shooting. I spoke with him again last friday. And im hearing from the president and the Vice President a strong commitment to i think our shared values as americans, which is to keep our families and our children safe. And thats the bottom line commitment. So we need to get together, find a way to make that true. Well, what does that mean . Does that mean pushing for an assault weapons ban . Well, i would like to see, and ive been on record for quite some time about dealing with highcapacity magazines, and closing the gun show loophole and really getting serious about enforcing the laws we have. But, again, i think we need to be focusing on what is it going to take to keep our families safer . And i just dont believe that the Second Amendment requires that freedom of the Second Amendment requires that our first graders be able to be executed in their classroom. That just cant be the right balance. Theres two other proposals floating around, by the way. One has to do with increasing Police Protection at schools. Would you like to see that . I have to tell you, as a mother of three children who was a first grade room parent, i think it is the wrong direction to go to make our schools into prisons. And, you know, if you look at that, i talked with teachers yesterday, every day, who just are horrified at the thought of guns in their classrooms, guns in their schools. So, again, we need to find ways to keep guns out of the hands of people who had misused them, not arm everyone. I think that would be the wrong direction. Let me ask you about culture. Do you think hollywood, video games, they play a role in this . We were playing a clip of an interview from Quentin Tarantino and he believes his movies do not contribute to a culture of violence at all. Well, i think there is going to be time and place to really look at an examination around that. I have two teenage boys, im certainly well aware of whats out there in video games and whats on the tv and the radio. Right now ill tell you, though, my attention is tightly focused on helping the folks in newtown, the families, the first responders, pat lodrah, the first selectedwoman, and the teachers. And i think theres going to be time over the months ahead for us to engage in a discussion about a culture of violence. But also very importantly around Mental Health issues. Because that clearly is playing a factor here. And i know, since newtown is in your district, this is going to be a huge focus for you, but obviously your first big debates and votes youre talking have to do with fiscal issues taking place, whether its debt ceiling, whether its Government Spending and things like that. Are you willing to see cuts in Government Spending . Are you willing to see reforms in medicare and Social Security that deal with parts of this debt problem the country has . Well, ill tell you. Ive always been an advocate for responsible spending. I think government needs to be delivering services for people in a Cost Effective way. And now we have not only an opportunity, but an obligation to do that. Find ways to spend smarter. Thats what i stood for in the state legislature, drill down into budgets, find ways to more effectively deliver for people. So that is absolutely what im committed to doing. You know, in my position, in addition to working on the task force on gun violence in the house, im also on transportation and infrastructure. And science. And those are two great persons to look for how we lay the foundation for Economic Growth, for jobs in our communities. And that is going to have to be key part of this battle. Okay. Elizabeth esty, democrat from connecticut, new member of congress where newtown is. I know a big focus of your first year is going to be on the gun violence issue. Thanks for coming on and welcome to washington. Thank you so much. And happy anniversary, chuck. Thank you. Very kind of you to say. Well get a check on wall street next, but first todays trivia question. As we celebrate our third birthday, since 1856, how many people have been either a democratic or Republican Party, president ial nominee, three times . And only three times. Tweet me the answer at chuck todd at the daily rundown. First answer. The answer is coming up on the daily rundown. What are you doing . Nothing. Are you stealing our Daughters School supplies and taking them to work . No, i was just looking for my stapler and my. This thing. I save money by using fedex ground and buy my own supplies. Thats a great idea. Im going to go. We got clients in today. [ male announcer ] save on ground shipping at fedex office. [ male announcer ] save on ground shipping is bigger than we think. Sometimelike the flu. Fer from with aches, fever and chills the flus a really big deal. So why treat it like its a little cold . Theres something that works differently than overthecounter remedies. Prescription tamiflu attacks the flu virus at its source. So dont wait. Call your doctor right away. Tamiflu is prescription medicine for treating the flu in adults and children one year and older whose flu symptoms started within the last two days. Before taking tamiflu tell your doctor if youre pregnant, nursing. Have Serious Health conditions, or take other medicines. If you develop an allergic reaction, a severe rash, or signs of unusual behavior, stop taking tamiflu and call your doctor immediately. Children and adolescents in particular may be at an increased risk of seizures, confusion or abnormal behavior. The most common side effects are mild to moderate nausea and vomiting. The flu comes on fast, so ask your doctor about tamiflu. Prescription for flu. Im up next, but now im singing the heartburn blues. Hold on, prilosec isnt for fast relief. Cue up alkaseltzer. It stops heartburn fast. Oh what a relief it is turning to wall street. First day to absorb the idea of jack lew, the s p starts today at its highest level in five years. And were seeing evidence that average investors are getting back into the market. Cnbcs becky quick joins me for a market rundown. We dont get to do it every day these days, but were working on this to get our little dance back together. You know, this makes it sweeter when we do get to catch up. Fair enough. Jack lew, whats wall street think . You know, jack lew there are people who look back and forth at this. And there has been a raging debate on wall street. The instant kneejerk reaction was that the Business Leaders, business community, would like to see somebody who would listen to them, maybe get their points across a little more, maybe be more interested in growth. But overall, people say jack lew has a great resume. He is a very strong player. And he is somebody who has been involved in the budget negotiation talks. And thats something that we need going around. So while they say he may have some weak points, they also expect he will be confirmed. And so people are getting used to that idea. What theyre talking about now, who would be the deputy treasury secretary, someone who has a very close finger and the pulse on the financial markets, because they say thats their big concern is we want to see what happens with all these things. We have seen investors coming back into the markets. And chuck, i know its your threeyear birthday today, threeyear anniversary for its 21 you know, cable is dog years. Well, three years is forever. Exactly. But because of that, i wanted to get you a little gift. A little something. Ohoh. And what good is anniversary if you dont get to talk to oh, my. Who is that . Your original your original work wife. How about that . Savannah. Oh, ms. Guthrie. I dont know what kind of gift it is. Thanks, becky. Hi, chuck. Hi, savannah. How are you doing . Happy anniversary. Thanks. Youre in burbank. Im in had burbank getting ready for the golden globes. Things have changed a little since ive left the daily rundown. I was going to say. Im getting ready for karzai. I love the budget negotiations as much as the next guy, but the red carpet is cool too. I wanted to say happy anniversary. We started the show together three years ago. So im going to do a little trick here. Im going to light a match live on television to celebrate. I have a little doughnut with your three that youre 3 today. And i got you this card. Look at that. I know. Its all virtual. It says youre 3. And i scrawled like a 3yearold these three little butterflies are fluttering their wings to wish a special 3yearold his favorite birthday things. Happy anniversary, chuckles. Wow, savannah guthrie, very kind of you. A big deal for you to interrupt your golden globe stuff. Yes, well, i have to say, chuck, as much as it pains me, i know that the the daily rundown has only gotten better every day. It is a great show. And then something that makes me really happy, you and i have remained really good friends. And i adore you. And i am so glad to be part of your special day. Well, i couldnt have started this without you. And i would like to think that this show has a little bit of responsibility for why things are so much better moving forward at our favorite place or second favorite morning show called the today show. And youre still doing the soup of the day and that is incredibly important to me. It is. And annoys viewers. Really . Some hate it, some love it. And some love to hate. And you know what, brook is in my ear saying lets go. Apparently this is not good television. Okay, goodbye. Have a good day up next, a deep dive into the obama administrations rocky relationship with big business and whats ahead in his second term. Youre watching the daily rundown only on msnbc. [ male announcer ] wouldnt it be cool if we took the already great sentra apart and completely reimagined it . With bestinclass combined mpg. And more interior room than corolla and civic . And a Technology Suite with bluetooth, navigation and other handy stuff . Yeah, that would be cool. Introducing the allnew nissan sentra. Its our most innovative sentra ever. Nissan. Innovation that excites. Now get a 169permonth lease on a 2013 nissan sentra. Developing now, youre looking at some live pictures of transportation secretary ray la hood, holding a News Conference about boeing 787, the dreamliner. The faa is announcing a thorough review of the planes operating system. The examination comes after several recent incidents on boeings newest and most technologically advanced planes, including a fire and a fuel leak earlier this week. Something boeing is going to be very, very nervous about. All right, the political tug of war, between the president and the u. S. Chamber of commerce has come to exemplify what you might call this administrations lovehate relationship with big business. And its our deep dive today, a relationship that will be tested again in the upcoming battle over spending and the debt and the debt ceiling. Today that deep dive into the battle between these two political heavy weights. The seeds of conflict, if you will, were planted early. President obama has been targeting lobbying groups like the chamber since the day he announced his white house run. They write the checks, you get stuck with the bill. They get the access while you get to write a letter. They think they own this government, but were here today to take it back. The time for that kind of politics is over. It is through. Despite that, the relationship actually started off on a somewhat positive note. The chamber broke with republicans early on in obamas presidency and backed the 787 billion stimulus package. But things went down hill quickly as the two sides clashed over the president S Health Care and economic agendas. The chambers number two man, bruce joss ten, blamed the white house for targeting the group unfairly. In fact, they have come out of the white house, trying to neuter the u. S. Chamber of commerce or trying to marginalize the u. S. Chamber. Were not going to take the bait and engage in a namecalng campaign here back and forth. Were going to stay focused. The chamber poured money in attempts to block the president s agenda, spending nearly 3 million a week according to the washington post, a record for lobbying efforts. Nonetheless, president obama passed the Health Care Overhaul and the wall street reform. Another 33 million was spent on the 2010 mid terms as the chamber tried to take down congressional democrats. Sestak voted for a government takeover of health care. He even voted with pelosi for massive new spending. Unemployment. Spending. Dead. Washington is broken. Policies are making it worse. Does anyone think alexi can create jobs . Look at his record of economic failure. 28 years of Barbara Boxer and america is going broke. The results were largely successful for them. The chamber helped elect candidates like marco rubio and kelly in the senate. Although big money efforts to unseat some senators, like Barbara Boxer and Michael Bennett did fall short. Both sides sought to repair relations. Tom donahue said he was willing to work, and the president extended an olive branch when he went to the chamber in february of 2011. Maybe if we had had brought over a fruit cake when i first moved in, we would have gotten off to a better start. But im going to make up for it. For all the disagreements, tom, we may have sometimes on issues, i know you love this country. I know you want america to succeed just as badly as i do. Once again, however, it seemed to be one step forward and one step back. The two sides battled over taxes, spending and the budget throughout 2011 and 2012. The chamber accused the president of trying to kill jobs and strung jipt letters to make the point. When the white house invited donahue to weigh in on the fiscal cliff, he met with officials and not the president himself. Thursday, mr. Donahue delivered his annual state of business address and despite all thats happened, he made it clear hes not backing down in 2013. And the difficult environment of divided government, we stand ready to work with both parties. But we will not sugar coat or shy away from the disagreements that will inevidentbly arise. Well, you might be putting the debt ceiling fight at the top of the list of those disagreements. We shall see. He suggested, its a perfect opportunity to deal with issues left out of the deal on the fiscal cliff. The president of the u. S. Chamber of commerce, tom d donohue. Let me start with, many Business Leaders do not want to see the republicans use this as leverage. Where are you on this . I believe that fundamentally, if the country does not deal with its debt, that debt that is driven by entitlements, 10,000 people a day retiring, if we dont do it, it will consume all of the nations income. And we have to find a way to do a big deal. Its there. Make it work. Where we come on the issue of what should stimulate it, of course we know that sequestration and other issues will require us to work together, when you get down to defaulting on the debt, you have a very, very serious question. What will happen to interest rates, what will happen to our relationships around the world. Really hurt the economy. It could really hurt the economy. On the other hand, if we dont deal with the debt, it wont be very long. 10, 12, 15 years, when entitlements will consume all of our income. So i think we have to let the folks up on the hill use the assets they have while at the same time trying to tell them that using the debt is the least desirable. Are you believing that elections have consequences . Youre damn right i am. So you participate in elections. So here we have 2012 produced a stronger democratic senate. Right. A reelected democratic president. And a reelected republican house. The message then seems to be, not everybody is going to get everything they want. One could look at this and say that boehner has had the harder time getting convincing his members theyre not going to get everything they want. How are you going to get involved in that . First of all, we all know you have a lot of experience. The guy that owns the white house owns the bully pulpit and has a lot of leverage. And the first cut on the cliff were serious tax cuts, and adjustments and elimination and deductions, not really anything on not cutting spending, turning down the growth of spending. And i think that boehner has a real tough time, tough time dealing with the white house. And a tough time dealing with his colleagues. You know, its the peoples house. It has been for all of our history, the place where they raise all kinds of hell. And he has got you know, bring those people, his caucus, to a reasonable conclusion. Im very hopeful well get there. Hell have 20 of them that youre going to, you know, god bless. I was just going to go do you make the case that, look, youre going to get maybe only 40 of what you want . You have a third of this trifecta here. Maybe at best youre going to get 40 or 50 of what you want. Take that as a victory, not as a loss. It might be a political victory. And it might be an economic tragedy. We have 23 of the work force either is underemployed, unemployed, stop looking for work, you have a real challenge in this country. We need Economic Growth and jobs. We need a major deal on spending, and we need to turn down the very quickly on jobs. Corporate profits are up. A lost corporations have money. Why arent they spending that money on creating jobs . Well, they have a very serious question, and i hope youll do a joe on this. The real cliff thats scaring us now is the regulatory cliff. They dont really know how all this Obama Health Care is going to go. They dont know you look at dodd frank, weve only done 25 of the rules. You look at whats coming out of the epa, you look at whats coming out of the labor department. So you its regulation that is Holding Business back from spending. I think if im running the big company, im waiting to see what happens on taxes, im waiting to see what happens on spending and im waiting to see what happens on the regulatory circumstances until i decide two fundamental things. Am i going to hire more people, am i going to expand, and where am i going to do it . All right. Tom donohue, head of the u. S. Chamber of commerce. Always great to have you in. Great to be here. And by the way, happy anniversary. Thank you, sir. I appreciate that. Weve got developing news about a democrat retiring from the senate. Our the daily rundown birthday gaggle will be here next. Well tell you who that democrat is. But first, the white house soup of the day. Roasted chicken and vegetable. No birthday candles on that one. Dont forget to check us out on facebook, help us celebrate our third birthday by liking us today. Apparently that matters to us. Well be right back. Three coins in the fountain [ rosa ] im rosa and i quit smoking with chantix. When the doctor told me that i could smoke for the first week. Im like. Yeah, ok. Little did i know that one week later i wasnt smoking. [ male announcer ] along with support, chantix is proven to help people quit smoking. It reduces the urge to smoke. Some people had changes in behavior, thinking or mood, hostility, agitation, depressed mood and suicidal thoughts or actions while taking or after stopping chantix. If you notice any of these stop taking chantix and call your doctor right away. Tell your doctor about any history of depression or other Mental Health problems, which could get worse while taking chantix. Dont take chantix if youve had a serious allergic or skin reaction to it. If you develop these stop taking chantix and see your doctor right away as some can be lifethreatening. If you have a history of heart or blood vessel problems, tell your doctor if you have new or worse symptoms. Get medical help right away if you have symptoms of a heart attack. Use caution when driving or operating machinery. Common side effects include nausea, trouble sleeping and unusual dreams. It helps to have people around you. They say, youre much bigger than this. And you are. [ male announcer ] ask your doctor if chantix is right for you. By the armful . By the barrelful . The carful . How about. By the bowlful . Campbells soups give you nutrition, energy, and can help you keep a healthy weight. Campbells. Its amazing what soup can do. And his new boss told him two things cook what you love, and save your money. Joe doesnt know it yet, but hell work his way up from busser to waiter to chef before opening a restaurant specializing in fish and game from the great northwest. Hell start investing early, hell find some good people to help guide him, and hell set money aside from his first day of work to his last, which isnt rocket science. Its just common sense. From td ameritrade. A little breaking news this morning. In politics, longtime West Virginia senator and former governor, Jay Rockefeller will not be seeking another term. This was something a lot of people had been speculating about. The 75yearold testimony told the Associated Press that he will retire in 2014, rather than seek reelection to devote some more time to his family. Lets bring in the gaggle, msnbc contributor and former spokeswoman, karen finney, u. S. Ambassador to singapore, frank laughin, and politicos lois romano. Jay rockefeller was a once a future president of the united states. When he first bought that seat, and he really did at the time he spent 10 million on the u. S. Senate seat. At the time, that was a huge. Chuck, he spent more money on tv ads outside of West Virginia than his republican opponent spent inside West Virginia. He was buying washington, d. C. 5 gets you that one panhandle county or two counties. At most, he was one of those democrats that thought, im not going to run in the 2 for president. Ill wait until 96, well let these little guys like bill clinton run. Missed the opportunity. But when they arrived, they arrived with a big bang, would have parties at their house. They were going to be a big deal. Exactly. They were going to make a footprint. They were. And there was this thought that the rockefeller he was going to be the rockefeller that was going to make it to the white house. Karen, i want to shift gears a little bit here, put you a little bit on the spot, or maybe you have a lot to say about it. Is the diversity hit on the white house right now fair . Not yet. Not until we see i want to see what the full complement looks like. But youre hold south judgment. Youre not ready to say initially, disappointing. But if you look at the president s record from the first term, it is excellent. Across the board. I also think the white house needs to do a better job of putting out more of those Diverse Voices and faces because the people are there. We just dont always see them. I do want to see what the full complement looks like when we get to all of the appointments and all of the people resigning. At the same time, you know, look, i also think that theres a Bigger Picture issue here. This is the kind of thin we should hold any Administration Accountable for. Just as we should hold our own organization, news media organizations. Some people pointed out that i love our own organization for. Some people pointed out, i love you chuck, but the front row of white guys asking the question, thats not reflective of diversity as well. Youre not allowed to ask that question . Youre allowed to ask the question but lets ask the question of everybody. Lets reflect the diversity of our country everywhere and keeping those open. Frank, youve been involved in second term president ial administrations, whats been interesting, is this just a phenomenon, its clear president obama sort of not worried about establishment, the first term it was gates, it was hillary and g geithner and other people saying you must have these people. This time the president is confident saying no, these are the people i want and if it causes me a bad photograph or bad headline in the new york time times, i dont care. Sure, but hes still gravitating towards experience and people who have been around. He is but as people that will inplemt his agenda. Absolutely. Theres no one in the cabinet now, arguably the new team arguably john kerry who has an independent political identity or stature or constituency. Theres no hagel doctrine that he represents. Team of rivals it is not. What he did in the first term was did the team of rivals but if you remember he did the czars. He was consolidating power inside the white house. He had all of those people running those other people. This time he said, i dont care, im going to put the people in i want. And they are the czars, this is a czar administration, i dont need the czars inside. Do you think the cabinet will have a higher profile or do you think well be back a lot of cabinet members are like, this has not been the greatest experience for them. I dont think were going to see a big change in the way cabinet members are used but the way the president thinks about this, this is my Foreign Policy team, its important to look at what the whole team looks like, not just the individuals. Im going to take a quick break. This was a fun one. Since 1856, how many people have been a democratic or Republican Party president ial nominee three times and frank lavin three times only . The answer, three, a Perfect Question for our third birthday. Richard nixon and Grover Cleveland were the only three. Only one got to the white house. D focus on your longterm goals, not their shortterm agenda. [ woman ] if you have the nerve to believe that cookie cutters should be for cookies, not your investment strategy. If you believe in the sheer brilliance of a simple explanation. [ male announcer ] join the nearly 7 million investors who think like you do face time and think time make a difference. Join us. [ male announcer ] at edward jones, its how we make sense of investing. Lets bring back our guests. I apologize for this, were going to blame savannah for this, but i have to make this shame less plugs. I want to congratulate my daughter kristin from graduating from clom columbia and working for piers morgan. Is that right . Good luck to that. Shameless plug, export now. Com, any company can post online as easily as amazon or ebay in the united states. My mom lisa, president of the annapolis opera, trying to raise funds to bring opera to the people of annapolis. Thats it for this edition of quts the daily rundown. Thanks for three great years. Well see you back here to start year four on monday. Coming up next, chris jansing. [ ryon ] eating shrimp at red lobster is a fantastic experience. 30 shrimp for 11. 99. I cant imagine anything better. Youre getting a ton of shrimp, and it tastes really good [ male announcer ] hurry in to red lobsters 30 shrimp for just 11. 99 choose any two of five savory shrimp selections, like mango jalapeno shrimp and parmesan crunch shrimp. Two delicious shrimp selections on one plate all with salad and unlimited cheddar bay biscuits. 30 shrimp, just 11. 99 for a limited time. Wow, thats a lot of shrimp. Im ryon stewart, im the ultimate shrimp lover, and i sea food differently