Washington doesnt work. That was president obamas message at a high dollar fundraiser in manhattan this week where he said, quote, we have a party on the other side that has been captured by ideology that says no to everything. But if the president wants to get to the true root of gridlock in washington, he may also want to look at the democratic controlled senate where harry reid has essentially shut down debate, refusing to allow a vote on all but nine, thats right, nine republican amendments since last july. Stopping several bipartisan bills cold. For more, im joined by wall street journal columnist and deputy editor, assistant editorial editor and washington columni columnist. Kim, describe what harry reid is doing. Here has been the long standing deal in the senate. Minority party would agree to move on to a bill to give the vote for closure to actually start debating a bill. The Majority Party in return would allow them to debate the bill and propose amendments. And everyone got something out of this. Harry reid has turned that on his head. It does not want his members to have to vote for some of the amendments that republicans are putting forward because they have bipartisan support and he and the white house dont like some of these provisions. So hes just stopped all amendments. And stopped all debate. And the only way republicans can fight back is to refuse therefore to move on the bhils. So youre saying there are actual legislation moving through the senate that is bipartisan majority support and would pass but reed is saying i dont want you to vote on this amendment or that amendment, and therefore hes closing hes not letting the senate work its will on these other pieces of legislation. Thats right. You saw this week. There was a Bipartisan Energy efficiency bill moving ahead, but republicans were going to propose a number of amendment has have huge sweeping support on the republican side and the democratic side. Acceptance of the keystone pipeline, for instance. But the white house doesnt like those provisions. It was fear follow those amendments would in fact pass, so harry reid simply doesnt you allow any of tofollow those amendments would in fact pass, so harry reid simply doesnt you allow any of to can up. I covered the senate for a long time. This has not happened before and i covered it when there were republicans in charge or democrats in charge. The Minority Party was and to offer amendments and part of their strategy was to offer amendments that put the majority into a tough spot. And hey thats life, thats a n. A democracy, you have to make tough votes. Hes really changed the american legislature. You talked about how we used to work in washington. Any standard textbook, it talks about you how the House Majority rules, but in the senate, its about deliberation and compromise. Minority rights have been far more protected. Thats right. And the idea is the senate will be more deliberative and craft bills with input from all sides. Hes really changed that. One with getting rid of the filibuster last year and now were talking about limiting amendments. And its a different american legislature. It is a majority rules controlled by the dominant party. And i think what is interesting now is its basically about playing defense. Last year it was about offense to get nominees to the executive branch approved or to the judicial branch. Now its basically stopping popular items from getting a vote. Can i defend harry reid . Yes. Lease. And viewers, please send mail to as a result of my colleagues, the viewers understand why gridlock exists in washington. But you love gridlock. Well, to some september, we love gridlock. We just described three good pieces of legislation, good for the country. They wont happen. Why arent they going to happen . Because the democratic midterm strategy is once again to paint the republicans as the party of do nothing in opposition. We just quoted the president of the United States giving that speech. Harry does this, the president goes on you aut and tells the c there is no bigger frustration than the fact that washington isnt doing anything. And i think the point of all this is to discourage republicans, to suppress the republican vote because they dont understand this senate proceduralism. And they are angry at the Senate Leadership for not doing anything. So i think given the hand they have been dealt, the democrats are running a fairly good strategy. Kim, do you, a, agree with that and, b, what would you why havent republicans if thats right, if dan is right, why havent republicans in the senate fought back more to try to get harry reid to change that strategy . I think youre seeing them now starting to do this week. They blocked two again very popular pieces of legislation. This is likely to get a lot of attention. The other one they blocked was a tax extender bill that has a lot of support among the Business Community. These are tax credits for businesses. Exactly. That the Business Community loves. Routinely approved every year. And so the fact that they blocked it will get a lot of attention. Dans right, the procedural argument is harder for republicans to make. But what you do see is more and more republicans instead trying to paint harry reid as himself the face of obstruction. And making the very straightforward point that if youof this Bipartisan Legislation to pass, youll have to elect a republican strategy. And that strategy has a better chance. If nothing happens, that will raise the pressure on reid to do something. They have a lot of incumbents that will have a problem because her basic argument is look how influential i am in the senate. Im the chairman of the thrg Energy Committee and im pushing all the issues you care about. If reid keeps stopping that from happening, i dont know what her argument is. All right. Thank you all. When we come back, former treasury secretary tim geithner out with a new book on the financial crisis and the role he played in the bank bailouts. But is his history accurate. Ac . [ male announcer ] hands were made for playing. Legs, for crossing. Feet. Splashing. Better things than the joint pain and swelling of moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis. If youre trying to ma, now may be time to ask about xeljanz. Xeljz tofacitinib is a small pill, not an injection or infusion, for adults with moderate to severe ra for whom methotrexate did not work well. Xeljanz can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. Seris, sometimes fatal infections and cancers have happened in patients taking xeljanz. Dont start xeljanz if you have any infection, unless ok with your doctor. 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You reviewed the book for us. What is the most important takeaway for viewers . Well, i think for readers, they may be surprised to learn really how little this man who was at the center of the financial rescues knew with the banking and finance. Had never been in banking, although a lot of people believe he was a Goldman Sachs alum. And also had never been a bank regulator. His first job regulating banks was president of the Federal Reserve bank of morning. Is the memoir itself in your view an accurate portrayal of what happened . Well, he admits to some of his failings in terms of not seeing the housing crisis coming, not understanding the banks he was regulating, not seeing the problems that citigroup had hidden in outside its balance sheet. But one thing he doesnt kind of glosses over is the bailouts begin starting with bear stearns in march of 2008, he says now that it was a problem because lots of other banks might have had the same problem, but we know from minutes of the Federal Reserve meetings that he actually was saying the opposite at the time, that the banks were not undercapitalized. Any geithner defense here on the panel . Sorry, i got nothing. But one thing i would just add to what james is saying is that his narrative of what happened goes something like, well, it was a really optimistic time in america, so no one could ever have known that this was going to come about. And when it did, myself and some other very brave people stepped into save the world. He doesnt have any he doesnt seem to have learned any lessons from the how we got into the problem and also how dangerous it is for five people to get in the room and have that much discretion. So that is why going forward, he says that he likes the Consumer Protection bureau that Elizabeth Warren has crafted. Because he says that is just more of us putting ourselves into the system, that is how were going to make sure it doesnt happen again. Let me defend it him a little bit in the sense that i think what we had is a classic mania. Everybody said great times are here, so they didnt want to stop the music as it were. And then we had a classic panic, Global Financial panic. And i think that its difficult for anybody who is in that cockpit to be able to make right decisions when theyre shooting with real money, real bullets. And i think anybody would have done much of what geithner did. Where i would criticize him is before the crisis. Not anticipating it, letting citibank have all of the money off balance sheet, not doing its fundamental responsibility. But in the panic, im not so sure anybody would have done any better. I wouldnt disagree with that, and i think in the middle of the storm, it is very difficult to operate for sure. What came after i think is the problem. You know, when you have a big financial crisis like this, somebody will take the ball for it afterwards. And in bureaucracy they dont at that time fall. The problem is theyre regulating bank misa way that make them publictime fall. The problem is theyre regulating bank misa way that make them public utilities. As john mack said, the government is your number one client now. And that is the problem the Obama Administration has put on the financial system. They have enveloped it now, they are overregulating. Thats why were not just talking about history here. This is current events, this is going forward. The too big to fail idea that the government stands ready to rescue large banks is still with us. In fact in the book mr. Geithner says a problem with doddfrank is that it still doesnt allow enough bailout authorities as much fire power as he would like the government to have. So now theyre proceed to go name other banks as systsi syst cannily important. And theyre also still banking on the pressurience of regulators to prepare us and prevent the next crisis when of course geithner being a knoll a couldnt predict the last one. Thats the idea of the Consumer Protection bureau. But also he talks about how ending too big to fail is an impossibility. Governments job is to stand by and always put up a fire using taxpayer money and all the discretion it can muster. And that seems like a very dangerous lesson considering the fact that, you know, if you look from 1971 to today, you have more and more financial crises, theyre deeper and deeper and they come more frequently. All right. When we come back, new Jersey Governor Chris Christie raising fresh speculation about a president ial run. But with the garden states budget in shambles, could bridgegate be the least of his problems in 2016. Way to get your fiber. Try phillips fiber good gummies. Theyre delicious, and an excellent source of fiber to help support regularity. Wife mmmm husband these are good marge the tasty side of fiber. From phillips. If youre looking to buy a car,t this . . Now is the time and truecar is the way. Just go to truecar. Com to lock in guaranteed savings. Without negotiation. Thank you happy memorial day weekend thats keeping you from the healthcare you deserve. At humana, we believe if healthcare changes, if it becomes simpler. If frustration and paperwork decrease. If grandparents get to live at home instead of in a home. The gap begins to close. So lets simplify things. Lets close the gap between people and care. When jake and i first set out on betwe ate anything. Care. But in time you realize the bett you eat, the better you feel. These days we both eat smarter. And i give jake purina cat chow naturals. Made with real chicken and salmon, anits high in protein like aow cats natural diet. And no added artificial flavors. Weve come a long way. And whatevers ahead, well be there for each other. Naturally. Purina cat chow naturals. Are are you still thinking about running for president and when will you you make a decision on that . Yes and later. New Jersey Governor Chris Christie on wednesday indicating that a 2016 president ial run is still very much on the table. But as he tries to put the George Washington bridge scandal behind him and restore his national standing, he faces an 807 million budget shortfall in the garden state as well as downgrades there all three of the major Credit Rating agencies. So could new jerseys fiscal woes sink his president ial plans . Mary, what happened to the new jersey miracle. I think fundamentally he had two problems. One, he ran and started his term talking about keeping taxes low, reigning in government and getting faster growth. Unemployment rate is still above the national average. And he had disappointing tax revenues. So that was one reason why he has this big gaping hole in the budget. But on the other side of the balance sheet, he also was not able to get the kind of cuts that he needed in health care for state workers and in pensions. And he did a pension reform, but it looks like it wasnt enough. So that is how we got here. It looks like, james, that the pension reform, which was broadcast when he first got it i think in 2011 as a big deal, just not adequate. I mean theyre talking about an 800 million extra payment to make, soon 4. 8 billion a year in revenue just to pay for pensions. Its a lot of money on a budget of roughly 34 billion a year. And these are problems to be fair he didnt create. I think he had a lot of momentum the first two years in office. He did it get a start on reining in some entitlement programs. He made a move toward reform. But what has happened is since 02011 when a new legislative map lock this had democratic majorities in both houses of the new jersey legislature, every if i canned figured out they dont need to deal with him. So i think he will be owning two terms of new jersey governorship where the economy wont be great. He happens to be a republican born in new jersey that will pry try to run for president which by and large is hopeless. But he did pass a cap of two Percentage Points max on property taxes each year. And la. But he did pass a cap of two Percentage Points max on property taxes each year. And hell be under pressure to raise taxes. Top marginal rate is nearly 9 . Its 6. 4 or are nearly so on incomes over 75,000. This is a very high taxed state. So i think christie is in a bind right now political. But the question is can he still offer himself to the Republican Party out there in the country as a Strong Political personality. And i think that is probably where he has to go now and Start Talking about national issues. But, mary, you need a reaction na rationale that says i presided over gridlock. Thats not much of an alternative to obama. And i think in the end his record as governor in new jersey will be the most important element. I agree with dan. The country is looking for someone who can articulate ideas, who looks like a leader. And he has some of those qualities. But i would say this is going to make it an uphill climb for him. And he also has a little bit of baggage with his style. I mean some people just dont like his style. So he has to offset those things and i think he was counting on good performance in new jersey. You talking to me . You talking to me . I like his style. I think hes got challenges in terms of how he is going to show in turnaround, but i like his style. I think if hesening about a run, he has a National Fundraising network. And that property tax cap, that is restraining local Government Spending in new jersey. Speaking of the taxpayers. Yeah. I wish it was going further. But he also has shown that he can make the case for reform even of initially popular entitlements. So i think those rhetorical skills may be appealing. But if youre talking about the republican electorate, a lot are talking governors because they have been producing real results in the state, you have a good record for john walker, john kasich, rick perry. They are all going to bring to the table if they run better track records of accomplishment than christie. Very much uphill for Chris Christie at this point. And the news out of new jersey is just not going to get better. It is not necessarily his fault, but hell have to accept it and deal with it somehow. Do you think hes still going to run . Anybody think hes not going to run . I think hell try. Hes going to run i would expect. All right. Is good shot at the nomination . I think these economic challenges make me think maybe it will be someone else. But, hey, hes a contender. If hes not the lock that he once was, hes still a formidable candidate. Thank you. We have to take one more break. When we come back, hits and misses of the week. Okay, listen up im reworkin the menu. Mayo . Corn dogs . You are so outta here aah [ female announcer ] the complete balanced nutrition of greattasting ensure. 24 vitamins and minerals, antioxidants, and 9 grams of protein. [ bottle ] ensure®. Nutrition inharge™. [ bottle ] ensure®. Life with Crohns Disease ois a daily game of what ifs. What if my abdominal pain and cramps end our night before it even starts . What if i eat the wrong thing . What if . What if i suddenly have to go . What if . But what if the most important question is the one youre not asking . What if the underlying cause of your symptoms is damaging inflammation . For help getting the answers you need, talk to your doctor and visit crohnsandcolitisadvocates. Com to connect with a patient advocate from abbvie for onetoone support and education. Time for hits and misses of the week. Kimber kimberly, first to you. A hit to gop primary voters in North Carolina and nebraska who managed to tune out all the media inspired nonsense over a gop civil war over who was establishment, who was tea party, and instead came together to elect two very talented conservatives. Ben sasse and thom tillis, who appeared to be the guys with the best chance of winning the party seats to the senate in the fall. If republicans are going to win the senate, they will have to remain united and the voters once again showed more common sense against the media and outside frout s outside groups showing discord. A miss for the russian ice hockey players who took a dive this week for the team and allowed Vladimir Putin six goals and five assists. And you may be surprised or you may not be surprised to learn that putins team won 214. Not only that, but russian news enter represented its regularly scheduled broadcast to break the news that putins team had done so well and i think that was because most russians were sitting on the edge of their seat wondering who would win. Lets see. Go to siberia, allow a goal. All right. Dan. Well, hold your breath, but well give a big hit to Harvard University and its president drew foust for condemn itting a planned black mass that was going to be held by the Cultural Studies group. He instead led a group of 1500 people in a pro catholic event at st. Pauls church. Thousand, i just wish that there was a way these College President s could have the same backbone against the most satanic religion on campus, which is political correctness. Thats it for this weeks show. Thanks to my panel and all of you for watching. Hope to see you next week. There is brand new fallout in the very disturbing and growing scandal of the department of veterans affairs. P welcome to americas news headquarters. There is outrage over those troubles allegations that records were changed and even faked to give the impression sick patients were being seen quickly. As a result 40 brave americans who fought for our country and our freedoms, they say, were left to die. Peter due city live with the latest. Woulder hearing similar allegation have now spread to at least ten states