In on gun control by dropping big dollars . And a deep dive into the heart of texas. Are democrats really on track to turn the rock solid republican region to a slightly more purple shade in the battleground . Good morning, im athan m manuel its tuesday, february 26th and youre about to watch daily rundown with chuck todd. Thank you, athan and carolina is my second favorite Basketball Team in the acc. Another day closer to sequester, another day of public posturing and what appeared to be no serious attempts to stop the sequester or even meetings between the white house and Congressional Republicans to pretend that they might think about stopping the sequester. The only thing different today is the address, thats newport news, virginia, where the president takes his pr campaign to the docks. Well all be in the tide water region of virginia where workers will sit idle when they should be repairing ships and a carrier sits idle when it should be deploying to the persian gulf. The president will take a tour and make reports. Virginias largest industrial employer. According to the white house, highlight the devastating impact that the sequester will have on jobs and middle class family physical congressional families fail to compromise. Virginia, a state that could be among the hardest hit by the spending cuts, of course, home for the number two House Republican eric cantor. Canters message yesterday was the president is making too much of the sequester and, oh, yeah, when it comes to virginia, it might be really bad. We heard the president say last week that he was going to be forced because of the sekeseration to let criminals loose on the street. The president is off campaigning in my my state, newport news, virginia. We are concerned about the comm commonwealth, as we are on all states. The president will have a surprise guest with him today. Scott ridgeual. A former car dealer whose road district stands to be hurt by the pentagon furloughs. The first republican to travel on air force one since may. Virginias republican devastating cuts telling the president and congress its time to fix it now. Mcdonnell will join us later this house. The white house admitted monday no talks or phone calls scheduled this week between the president and congressional leaders. Instead yesterday for the second thyme in a row the White House Press briefing featured a cabinet secretary issuing dire sequester warnings. I dont think we can maintain the same level of security at all places around the country with sequester as without sequester. If you have 5,000 fewer Border Patrol agents, you have 5,000 fewer Border Patrol agents. Also almost gleefully confirmed that therer with no meetings that were going to happen. Mcconnells spokesman said, no, there is no active negotiation from the white house. That would get in the way of the president s campaigning. There is fingerpointing, a ton of it. The only republicans in the entire country rejecting a balanced compromise are republicans in this building. Hope springs eternal. The president can sit down with harry reid tonight and work with Senate Democrats who have the majority in the senate to move a bill. At some point, weve got to do some governing. There are are two potential sort of lastminute solutions to the sequester that neither sides want to unite around. The final white house offer to boehner on the grand bargain included nearly 1 trillion in spending cuts over ten years. Could it be as a goodwill gesture the white house offers one year of those cuts, which come out to 90 billion as a replacement to the sequester this year . Then theres the Plan Senate Republicans could offer this week, they havent decided if theyre going to this week that gives the white house flexibility on how to cut spending, but even republicans arent united on that one. Heres what i dont understand. Were the party of physical conservati conservatism. Have we put a plan together to cut 85 billion between march and october . No. We will criticize everything he does. Say, mr. President , it is now up to you to find this 85 billion in savings and well say to make it easier for you, but every decision hell make well criticize. Lindsay gram, a little Straight Talk there admitting that strategy. The blame game leaves folks at the ship yard where the president is going to today fed up with all of washington and outsiders, aka, the republican governors, are enjoying the idea of having washington be their political punching bag. I could not be more frustrated than i am right now. How many more times are the governors going to have to pick up the mess of washington, d. C. . I would challenge the president and congress and leadership in congress to sit at a table and quit talking through the media. Were not speaking on behalf of republicans on the hill but republican governors. The contrast is, were providing leadership. Thats what they need to do here in washington. Theres a reason its harder and harder, though, to make deals in congress, particularly the senate. The body that was supposed to break through the shirts and skins mentality of american politics is becoming more and more polarized. The polarization isnt new, but its becoming more entrenched. National journal does these vote ratings and Gold Standard since they began in 1982, sort of creating an ideological spectrum here. They confirm what was an anomaly just three years ago is now the norm. For the third year in a row, not a single senator who is an ideological crossover. In other words, no republican member of the senate had a more liberal record than any democrat and no democratic senator had a more conservative record than any republican. For decades, there always was a couple on each side, but as national journm frames it, what had only happened one time in history before 2010 is now nearly as unremarkable in the senate as naming a post office. The most conservative member of the senate, according to National Journal someone you may not have heard of. Idahos james reich. He is joined by john corn nn, jim demint, pat toomey and ron johnson. Joined by udall, ron wyden and al franken, dick durbin and patty murray. So are two of the most conservative members of the caucus. The threat of primaries in 2014 moved several republicans to the right in 2012. 2011 Lindsey Graham was the senates 42nd most conservative member, basically one of the most moderate and john cornyn the 14th. Gram leapfrogged to 42 and cornyn to 3. Flagging the rankings for journalists who have written or continue to write that senator ted cruz is pushing cornyn to the right. Not just republicans who are more conservative last year than the year before. North carolina kay hagan, one of the handful of red state democrats who could be in danger in 2014. She jumped from 69th to the 52nd most conservative in 2012. The senate odd couples are breaking up. Ron johnson the 5th more conservative. And a breakup of longtime odd couple harkin and grassley innide waw and in south dakota rumors that tim johnconson could head for the exits breaking up that pairing with john thune. If its tuesday, somebody is voting somewhere. Today that is chicago. To fill Jesse Jackson jr. s seat. 18 active candidates, 15 democrats on the ballot. Whichever democrat wins today is all but certain to win the april 9th special election. Comes down to a threeway race debb debbie halvorson, robin kelly and anthony beale. One issue on the ballot, guns. Michael bloomberg poured 2 million into the race to boost kelly and knock halvorson blanketing the airwaves with tv ads. Gun violence is out of control. Debbie halvorson will make it worse. She received an a plus rating from the nra. Debbie halvorsons record more guns in the hands of criminals. She will join on president obama to take on the nra for effective background checks and ban deadly assault weapons. The group sent out mailers like these leaving halvorson unmatched. This is what is wrong with super pacs. Somebody can come in and spend all the money they want. In this case, one person. 1 billion from new york coming and spending all the money he wants to buy a congressional seat. Its like intimidation. That is what has happened here. Totally changed the dynamics of this race. Easy place for bloomberg to make his point. If you want to bring attention to the gun issue and flex some muscle, chicago isnt a bad place to try it. See if he can do it in a swing district say in colorado and still he will be gloating on this one polls close at 7 00 p. M. Local time. We have Bob Mcdonnell here in our studio and were talking about cuts and consequences. Plus, why is the republican vying to replace mcdonnell as governor coming out against his big transportation compromise. Rocky road for virginia republicans. Plus, just released details about what will happen once Pope Benedict xvi retires later this week. Including how he will now be addressed and what happens to his trademark red shoes. But, first, a look ahead at todays politics planner. You know where the president is, but some other big news. Senate vote on chuck hagel. Speaker boehner has a big meaner today, speech that hes giving. Well hear from him. John mccain and Lindsey Graham go to the white house to talk immigration. Looking for a litter with Natural Ingredients that helps neutralize odors. Discover tidy cats pure nature. Uniquely formulated with cedar, pine, and corn. [ female announcer ] roc® retinol correxion max. The power of roc® retinol is intensified with a serum. Its proven to be 4x better at smoothing lines and deep wrinkles than professional treatments. 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The president s first facetoface talks with mccain and gram. The invitation came up with the president s phone calls with all those Senate Republican members last week. The senate will reconsider the failed culture vote on chuck hagel this afternoon. If it succeeds, as everybody expects it will, the confirmation vote itself will be today or tomorrow. A few republicans are expected to support the culture, despite their opposition. The backing of all democrats and 3 republicans having more than enough votes for a majority. The white house is pushing back on claims that big donors for organizing for action, the new version of the president s camp, 2012 Camp Organization can buy access to the president if they cut a check for 500,000 or raise 500,000. According to both l. A. Times and New York Times offer quarterly meetings with the president and two members of its National Advisory board. To get on that board, a group of people, you have to be in one of the group of people that donated 500,000. Jay carney struggling to defend the action. Administration officials routinely interact with outside advocacy organizations and this has been true in prior admin strigzs and true in this one. 500,000 does not guarantee you access to the president. This is an independent organization. I would point you to that organization for how it raises its money. It has said quite clearly distinguishing it from other organizations that it will disclose its donors, but i would direct your questions to them. By the way, this independent organization has full control of the barack obama twitter account, by the way. The vatican has announced once Pope Benedict retires on thursday, he will be known as an, meritus pope but he will trade in the red shoes for Brown Leather ones. What he was going to wear post retirement has been in question since he announced he will resign. He is the first pope to resign in 600 years. In his last 48 hours as pope, benedict is packing and sorting documents and tomorrow he will hold his general audience in st. Peters square. Sequester time. Virginia is going to be hit the hardest. If all the predictions are right. When we come back, well talk to the republican of virginia, republican Bob Mcdonnell who has a lot of intraparty action going on. Which state holds the record for the longest consecutive democratic winning streak in president ial elections . First person to tweet the correct answer to chucktodd and dailyrundown will get a shout out. My mother made the best toffee in the world. Its delicious. So now weve turned her toffee into a business. My goal was to take an idea and make it happen. Im janet long and i formed my Toffee Company through legalzoom. I never really thought i would make money doing what i love. [ robert ] we created legalzoom to help people start their business and launch their dreams. 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[ female announcer ] ask your doctor about lyrica today. Its specific treatment for diabetic nerve pain. To hear more patient stories, visit lyrica. Com. Just three days to go before 85 billion automatic spending cuts take effect, president obama is taking his sequester message to virginia today to talk about the impact on the Defense Industry. Virginia probably has the most to lose more than any other state, particularly from pentagon cuts where employees could be furloughed. Joining me now Bob Mcdonnell. Good morning. Let me start with sequester and the message we heard from eric cant cantor. On one hand, the sequester isnt going it be as bad as the president is saying and then right at the end of his comments, eric cantor admitted about in virginia it is going to be bad. Where are you in this on a sequester, something republicans it is going to be very bad for my state, but devastating to the military. Secretary panetta said that. We have 19 estimates and lose 200,000 jobs over ten years, but, chuck, we have to cut spending. 1. 2 trillion really a drop in the bucket. That is not even one year of the deficit. We need more than the sequester, but dont put 50 of the cuts on the u. S. Military. We still have kids in afghanistan and this is not the right way to do it. Its a haphazard policy. They need to cut spending, but dont put it on the back for our kids in uniform. Not a single meaning plan. It goes into effect friday. You know, theres, republicans saying president wont lead, president saying Congressional Republicans wont what is your assessment here . My sense is that washington is dysfunctional. Not the way we do in most state capitals around the country. President should meet with canter and boehner and mcconnell and others and see if something can be worked out. Everybody understood, this was going to be a cut. Do you think that canter and boehner and all that that they need a compromise on this, as well . They need to agree with what the cuts are. That was the understanding, chuck. That these would be real cuts that would be put in place. That was the deal to avert the debt limit, debt limit 18 years ago. To force a larger compromise on taxes and on the underspending cuts. The understanding from most members of congress is that it was a cuts approach and 1. 2 trillion. I dont think people understand that we are in deep trouble. 17 trillion in debt. And that weve got to dramatically cut spending. And that was the understanding, i think, that republicans had about what was supposed to happen. The supercommittee failed. The congress has failed. The president has failed to lead. Hes the commander in chief of the u. S. Military, he has to do a better job. You had a big political victory for yourself, this passage of your big trsportation compromise bill. Eliminates the 17. 5 cent gas