. >> dnc chair debbie wasserman schultz responds tonight. plus, senator barbara boxer on her new plan for national polling place standards. and a new poll shows half of all republicans think the defunct group a.c.o.r.n. stole the election from president obama. >> that's an eye opener. >> i wonder where they ever got that idea? >> you just have to wait and see what happens. >>> good to have you with us tonight, folks. thanks for watching. here is are the latest. republicans are at a stalemate with the white house for debt negotiations. republicans really only have two options now, bad and worse. "the new york times" is the latest outlet to report on senior republican leaders who are ready to strike a deal. they want to push off negotiations until the debt ceiling vote next year. president obama won't have it. the president is attacking the only leverage republicans have left. the president spoke to a group of ceos today and said that he will not negotiate if debt ceiling is going to be used as a hostage. >> i have to just tell you, that is a

i'm joined tonight by congresswoman debbie wasserman schultz. congresswoman, great to have you with us tonight. >> thanks. >> and the chair of the dnc. this has been a real circus the last 24 hours. the president today, congresswoman, went back to the basics. he basically said, let's just all get along on the 98%. >> right. >> let's just vote on that. why won't john boehner go there and trust the president that all of you can work on spending cuts after the first of the year? what's wrong with that? >> well, there is certainly nothing wrong with it, and that's the certainly that we should have already been able to give the middle class. it's what the president has been pushing for, and we have the bill that the senate sent us in july sitting in the house, ready to be voted on and sent to the president. but, you know, look. doing the right thing, doing the right thing, ed, is hard. you know, it does. it carries political risk. i mean, i know that. my fellow democrats who voted for that debt ceiling deal last summer, where there was a trillion dol

congresswoman debbie wasserman schultz with us tonight here on "the ed show." thank you so much. >> thanks, ed. happy holidays. >> you bet. and to you too. let's turn to karen finney tonight, former communications director of the dnc. where are we right now? who are the winners and losers right now? i think the american people are big-time losers on the deal. >> that's absolutely right. particularly after the american people spoke very clearly about what they wanted. i mean politically speaking, obviously i think the president continues to be a winner in that he has, as you were just discussing, he has tried to move, he has tried to, you know, many olive branches. i think the american people have seen him working hard. and the polls bear it out, continue the bear it out that he retains a high degree of confidence and support from the american people. i think nancy pelosi actually comes out of this with a little bit more leverage, because it's clear that any deal that gets done is going to need democratic support. and as we know, she has been a far more effectiv

. >>> i want to bring in debbie wasserman schultz, florida democrat and head of the dnc. congresswoman, when you look at what's happening today, you know, this meeting that's going to be happening at 3:00 p.m., what's going to be talked about there, what do you think? >> look, as long as the leaders are talking, there is still time for us to hammer out a deand prevent us from going over the fiscal cliff. what will be talked about today is what do the outlines and parameters of a possible deal look like that can be agreed to by a majority of democrats and republicans. really i think the key thing here is, will john boehner, instead of after having wasted all of last week on plan b, which, you know, he took as a go it alone strategy, will he be willing to get the number of republicans he can get to vote for a deal, combined with the number of democrats willing to vote for one and make a majority of the house of representatives in position to vote on the final deal. not a majority -- there are only reps in the house of representatives -- we have 435 house members, and the fo

wasserman schultz. also, house republicans in disarray. john boehner heads home with no deal on the fiscal cliff and not enough support for his own so-called plan b. but now what? i'm wolf blitzer. you're in "the situation room." we begin with the national rifle associations defiant restriction in the wake of the newtown, connecticut, shootings. instead, the nra is calling forearmed security guards at every school, every school in the country. cnn's tom foreman is joining us now. you were at that speech that wayne lap ichlt erre gave announcing the reaction of what happened a week ago today. tell our viewers how it went. >> well, as you know, they kept a very low profile but today they came out to say they had some things to say and they sure did. despite protesters, the president and public opinion increasingly pushing against the gun lobby, the national rifle association sent a sharp message to wayne la pierre. no retreat. >> the only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun. i c

joining me now to talk about the fiscal cliff, dnc chair, congresswoman debbie wasserman schultz of florida. good evening. >> good evening. >> used to saying good morning to you. >> i know. >> i know what you are talking about, democrats are saying if the republicans can't agree within their caucus about what to do we should vote on the president's proposal, which is to stop taxes going up on anybody who makes less than $250,000 a year. do you expect that to happen? >> i really expect republicans and democrats to do what the american people expect us to do, and that is to come together to make sure that we avoid taxes going up on 98% of americans and 97% of small businesses. we all agree, if the house republican leadership would simply allow a vote on the bill that we have here, we know it would pass. and we could really just set that aside, and leave the issues that have become more thorny and challenging for us to hammer out for another day. we really should be doing and had an opportunity to make a grand bargain. short of that make sure taxes don't go up for almost everyone. >> vice pres

. >> up next, democratic party chair debbie wasserman-schultz, what are the house democrats willing to give up? this is "andrea mitchell reports" only on msnbc. [ male announcer ] this december, remember -- what starts with adding a friend... ♪ ♪ ...could end with adding a close friend. ♪ the lexus december to remember sales event is on, offering some of our best values of the year. this is the pursuit of perfection. now's a good time to think about your options. are you looking for a plan that really meets your needs? and your budget? as you probably know, medicare only covers about 80% of your part b medical expenses. the rest is up to you. so consider an aarp medicare supplement insurance plan, insured by unitedhealthcare insurance company. like all standardized medicare supplement plans, they pick up some of what medicare doesn't pay. and could save you in out-of-pocket medical costs every year. call today to request a free decision guide. with this type of plan, you'll be able to visit any doctor or hospital that accepts medicare patients... plus, there are no networks, and

we heard from debbie wasserman schultz she heard a deal is in sight. what are you hearing? >> you can see what the framework of a deal is, and i think today you heard speaker boehner. his office tried to walk it back, but for the first time he made public remarks where he didn't rule out an increase in tax rates. you have to wonder if they don't start to move towards a resolution it to what has been the big stumbling point. >> zachary, she mentioned an increase in rates. it would seem that the magic number might be 37%. the president said 39.5% for the highest income earners. right now we're at 35%. maybe i'm oversimplifying, but the obvious compromise would be right smack in the middle. no? >> we'll take a finger in the wind. this is where people don't like to see the legislative process, because whether it con it comes it, there's a number to make in terms of revenue cuts -- not revenue but tax cuts, revenue games and how you get to the magic number has very little to do with the absolute number you need and this sort of optics of do you give a little to the republicans s

let's get to debbie wasserman schultz. great to have you with us. >> thank you, soledad. great to be here. >> let's start with reaction to what happened last night? >> well, you know, it's frustrating, behalfing, we've been at the negotiating table for weeks. president obama has moved in a mountainous direction toward the republican position, saying, no, we're not going to go with $250,000 in terms of raising the tax rates, we'll go with $400,000, $1.2 trillion in spending cuts and last night, even on the spending cuts plan of speaker boehner's plan "b," he was only able to pass it with a lot of arm twisting by six votes. on the spending cuts portion. and we know what happened with the tax rates. people making more than $1 million, to be honest with you was actually a tax break of an average of $50,000 for people who make more than $1 million this is behaaffling and frustrating. i've had conservative republicans stop me at home in my district. look, i don't agree with you on everything, debbie, but you have to come together and they are right, we do. >> what's the path to

. >> cenk: i like that debbie wasserman-schultz stood up. it was interesting that everybody in the mainstream media assumes you must cud medicare and social security when over three quarters of the country do not want that under any circumstances. let's bring in our political correspondent, michael shure here. ok jay carney also thought that it was comical. let's watch. >> you put a couple of sentences on it's not a plan to say that we're going to magically increase revenues through loopholes, closures and deduction caps approximate with not a single element of specificity. we don't know who pays. we don't know what we're talking about in terms of actual legislation to increase revenues. it's magic beans and fairy dust. >> i have not heard of the term magic beans. it's interesting. he says $800 billion in revenue. he's going to lower the tax rates anyway. he never explained it, did he, michael? >> not once. there was zero specificity, as carney said, you would have to read the letter and see. >> cenk: just trust me, nonsense right? the $600

i'm delayed to be joint any congressman debby wasserman-schultz. she has just been nominated by president obama to serve as chair woman of the democratic national committee following her speck tack her performance in this election just past. we're thrilled to have you with us. >> thank you great to be with you, eliot my pleasure. >> how do you want jim deminute's departure from the senate? is this reflective of the tea party on the run chasing money does he believe he can leverage this position into greater power? >> i think senator demint clearly sees that the tea party is not a growth industry. i mean, he had an election that just passed that did not see the ranks of tea party members expand the senate candidates that he expected to be very likery to join him in the senate were rejected in red states by the voters who simply know that extremism is just not the way that we need to go forward in getting our economy turned around, in reducing our deficit in creating jobs. so i think when jim deminute looked around, he looked and saw a future where h

debbie wasserman schultz, congresswoman and also the party chair of the dnc appeared on the last hour with richard lui talking about this. listen to her take. >> they're willing to take us over the fiscal cliff essentially controls john boehner, preventing him from being able to make any reasonable deal to avoid taxes increasing on 98% of americans and 97% of small businesses. >> being held hostage. knew that the clock was ticking. >> well, i don't know if it's so much that he boxed himself in. there is a fact out there that we now see more districts represented by people who win by over 20%, so they are hyper-partisan. yes, there are more republicans who are hyper-partisan than there are democrats. >> is boehner betting on the president losing? >> i don't know. i think what he was betting on is he could play his cards a little better. where he really lost control was on the parliament b move. i don't know what happened there. i think peel were hopeful they could come to a deal, but for a big deal to happen action he wood to have gone without the majority in congress, that could have

has decided and will announce he is asking debbie wasserman schultz today on as dnc chair, which i think is a good choice. can't argue with the results? right. >> that's a pretty good move. why would he go with somebody else right now? if you look at debbie wasserman schultz' role nancy pelosi decided to stay on and there is a domino effect when that happens. if she stays, basically the leadership structure stays which means where would debbie wasserman schooultsz go? it makes sense. it's to be expected. >> the results were good. i would not say the same for rince pre- rinceprebius. michael steelee, he followed me on c-span a couple of sapids ago, he was thinking he might run again for rnc chair. i think he was doing that to rub it in. >> we can only hope he will run again. >> no. exactly. first of all, i ask you this over and above whatever is happening with the fiscal cliff, have you seen "lincoln" yet? >> i have not. >> peter? >> i haven't. >> carol and i saw it over the week. it is unbelievable. it's just phenomenal. >> somehow i managed to see the new bond movie twice. >> i want to

nbc news has learned president obama will ask the dnc to approve keeping debbie wasserman schultz as chair. the fact the president carries her home state might have helped her cause. 23% gave president obama an excellent rating, 18% said the same for cuomo and both bloomberg and fema got 14% excellence ratings. cory booker is taking part in what he has labelled as the food stamp challenge. he will only eat what food stamps can provide, $4 a meal. a back and forth twitter exchange about the role in funding school breakfast and lunch programs. finally the kennedy center hohnr honore honorees. actor dustin hoffman, buddy guy and a balance lerina all in attendance in the east room event. >> it's different when you're not the one with the mike, isn't it, dave? you're looking a little stressed. >> led zeppelin. henry mancini and led zeppelin have the kennedy center honoree thing in common. oy. the markets will keep watching the slow going fiscal cliff negotiations today. how will wall street react to the latest maneuvering? to the market rundown. we'll let you know when to pay attention. i

we also have dnc chair congresswoman debbie wasserman-schultz republican congressman tom pole, florida congressman-elect. he says he will not sign the grover norquist pledge. dennis van roekel, and karen finney and michael steele. don't go anywhere, though. a great show is coming up next. "now" with alex wagner, and we will say merry cliff-mas. >> i'm say merry christmas and merry cliff-mas. >> every second counts, thomas. every second counts. merry cliff-mas to you, my friend. >> thank you. >> are we any closer to a merry cliff-mas, or is a republican caucus packing a stocking full of coal? the house gets set to vote on plan b, speaker john boehner struggles to shimy down the chimney with a deal. we'll have a discussion with luke russert, megan mccartel and -- plus, who better than joe? we will tell you how the vice president's past could be a guide to comprehensive gun reform. former assistant secretary of state p.j. crowley will weigh in on the new benghazi report and what it pourtends for john kerry. all that when "now" starts in a mere 180 seconds. tends to stay at rest... while a

. >>> to politics now where nbc news has confirmed congresswoman debbie wasserman-schultz will remain dnc chairwoman. two sources say president obama will ask the dnc to sign off on his choice in january. >>> everyone is waiting to see if the president will nominate u.n. ambassador susan rice to be the next secretary of state. she's had her defenders and detractors. both were on the sunday shows. >> it is terribly unfair that she should be the scapegoat for this when really the failures ought to be at the lap of the head of the intelligence community that produced those talking points but none of these guys will say a word about david petraeus. >> when it comes to citizen rice, as far as lind jay graham is concerned i find great fault with what she said on 16th september and in other areas i find her lacking when it comes to being the best choice for secretary of state. >> former president george h.w. bush is still in the hospital. he may not be discharged until this weekend. the 88-year-old has been struggling with bronchitis and a cough. >> the president is meeting with the prime mi

wasserman schultz 1257bing by, the chair of the dnc and was listening like all of us were to the president and hopefully we'll get the audio issue revolved. congresswoman, good to have you with us. >> thanks, thomas. >> just as we were about to hear what the president was saying with regards to what's taking place in washington, d.c., with you and your colleagues we lost the audio. the vitriol is well established on both sides. the president and john boehner have reportedly not even taken time to speak to each other when face-to-face yesterday at a white house christmas event but it seems both sides can agree that the sky is blue on the one issue when keeping tax cuts where they are for the middle class. >> right. >> why can't we get that one step accomplished and maybe move on to step two which is a bigger and bolder plan? >> that's what congressional democrats and president obama would like to see happen, and we have a discharge petition, which would bring the bill that has been sent from the senate and pass the senate overwhelmingly sent to the house, take that bill up and give, extend

nbc news has confirmed president obama wants congresswoman debbie wasserman schultz to stay on as the head of the national democratic committee. president obama celebrated some of the nation's most influential artists and entertainers last night. led zeppelin, buddy guy, and david letterman were among the seven honorees, while recognizing the late night legend, ray romano couldn't resist poking a little fun at the president. >> you want to win the world series. down one game to nothing? no, you keep going. you keep going. do you quit when you're down 1-0 in debates? no. no. >> that's awesome. those are the things we thought you should know. the "news nation" gut check is online today. you can go to facebook.com/newsnation to cast your vote. it's a question concerning grover norquist. let me hear your response. that does it for your edition of "news nation." thanks for hanging with us this hour. tomorrow mark mckin none and lois romano will join us life. we've give you the latest information on the fiscal cliff. "the cycle" is up next. i'm only in my 60's... i've got a nice long life a

i want to show debbie wasserman-schultz's quote. no 48-notice on house votes just yet. the president has a lot to gain politically with the blame on republicans for letting all of the country go over the cliff and the fact that they seem to hold on with the death grip for millionaires in this country. >> the republicans will be blamed it seems according to the polls going over the fiscal cliff but the president is responsible and wants the deal. he's been trying to negotiate by making reasonable concessions. lowered the revenue number. he's increased the tax limit from $250,000 to $400,000. the guy made all kinds of concessions. the republicans refuse to do anything to come to the table with a concession. that's not how you negotiate. the problem isn't the democrats. it's from my perspective, not surprised i will say this, we have a dysfunction congress, particularly the republicans in congress because on the house side they have a silly majority, the majority rule, which is nowhere in the constitution to have a majority of the majority. all you need is a majority of th

we have a line-up of guests, debbie wasserman schultz, senator ben carden of maryland and former oklahoma congressman j.c. watts who is also being touted to take up a new job, rnc chairman, plus live coverage of the president's remarks straight ahe ahead. plaque psoriasis. i decided enough is enough. ♪ [ spa lady ] i started enbrel. it's clinically proven to provide clearer skin. [ rv guy ] enbrel may not work for everyone -- and may not clear you completely, but for many, it gets skin clearer fast, within 2 months, and keeps it clearer up to 9 months. [ male announcer ] because enbrel®, etanercept, suppresses your immune system, it may lower your ability to fight infections. serious, sometimes fatal, events including infections, tuberculosis, lymphoma, other cancers, and nervous system and blood disorders have occurred. before starting enbrel, your doctor should test you for tuberculosis and discuss whether you've been to a region where certain fungal infections are common. don't start enbrel if you have an infection like the flu. tell your doctor if you're prone to infections, have c

. >>> wow, president obama's asking florida congresswoman debbie wasserman schultz to stay on as chair of the democratic national committee. big news for her. she's a frequent guest on this and other tv networks. she's been the head of the party since the spring of 2011. democrats won seats in the house and senate besides the president's re-election victory. the dnc will meet the day after the inauguration to elect its officers. we'll be right back. >>> the question is, i feel almost sorry for john boehner. in some ways he has to deal with this base of the republicans who grover norquist represents, and everybody has elevated grover. i met him for the first time. nice to meet him, but who is he? why is he this guy who has captured so much attention in this? >> that was senator claire mccaskill on "meet the press." asking a good question, who is grover norquist and how does one man who doesn't even get elected by anybody to anything become such a force? as she put it, norquist has come to represent the base of the party and the heart of the opposition to any at the potential fiscal clif

. >> congresswoman debbie wasserman schultz, thank you. >>> and -- >> thank you. >> matt and liz, she makes the point about republicans and whether the conservative wing of the party is in some ways holding hostage. there have been a few reporters about the responsibility of a challenge to speaker boehner. now tom price through a spokesman has said that he's not going to make that challenge. but that person also told robert costa from "the national review" that my concern is that in our conference conservatives who are a majority don't have a proper platform. matt, is this just a threat from republicans trying to get some leverage to go against john boehner? are there people who are really angry enough or convinced enough that they can't vote for this? >> i think what it reflects is populous pressure coming from the tea party movement. tea party movement is widely, i think, misunderstood by democrats as anti-tax or some other reason of the movement. it's an anti-government spending and government over-reach move m, which is very different from grover nor cyst project of holding the li

president obama's pick to chair the democratic party for the next four years, representative debby wasserman schultz, said this about secretary clinton today on andrea mitchell reports. >> she is an incredible leader who has a tremendous future as a leader of the united states of america. i'm sure that she'll be pressed into service. and knowing secretary clinton, i'm sure she doesn't plan to rest very long. >> and the race for the 2016 republican presidential nomination, moments ago, congressman paul ryan spoke at the jack kemp foundation dinner where senator rubio was receiving a leadership award paul ryan won last year. >> marco is joining an elite group of past rescipients of th reward. i'll see you at the reunion dinner. >> paul, thank you for your invitation for lunch in iowa and new hampshire. but i will not stand by and watch the people of south carolina ignored. >> joe klein, the games apparently have begun. >> only for those of us -- >> 2016 will be a lot more fun than 2012 was. and you know, up until a few weeks ago, i had the democratic ticket set. it would be a hillary clinton/d

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debbie wasserman schultz joins us. we'll talk to her about what happens next. >>> newtown, one week later. the next step forward for that community and whether the tragedy is changing the tone of journalism. and are we having a serious debate about guns? how much should the press be involved in that debate? talk about that this morning. and the saying goes, a picture worth 1,000 words. superstorm sandy to a celebration in egypt. the stunning photos that tell the story of this past year. that and much more, at the top of the hour. >> thank you, soledad. >>> it is 43 minutes past the hour. for the first time, first time in 15 years, an american has brought home the ms. universe crown. >> and ms. universe 2012 is -- ms. usa! olivia culpo is the winner. >> a self-described cellist nerd from rhode island won the ms. universe contest in las vegas, beating 88 other contestants. originally crowned ms. usa back in june and joins us live from vegas. congratulations to you. very proud of you. 15 years, that's quite an accomplishm

debbie wasserman schultz has earned herself the dnc chair renewal project. she will now be still running the dnc. what's your reaction to that? >> is anyone surprised in they picked autopsy number of seats in the house of representatives. they ended up winning seats in the senate that nobody expected. and she was a loyal foot soldier for the obama campaign. >> gretchen: that she was. >> she did everything that was requested of her. and did she tell a bunch of whoppers? you better believe it. but so what? so did the president about health care reform and he got elected. so i'm not surprised about this at all and i think it's par for the course in washington. it really doesn't matter what the truth is. it matters how loyal you are to your party or your party affiliation. >> steve: whoppers aplenty. >> exactly. >> steve: laura ingraham, always a pleasure, thank you very much. have a great week. >> gretchen: coming up next, a new push by atheists to end a popular prayer group on capitol hill. they say it's in the american people's best interest. do they have a c