Pressure is on lawmakers to find a fiscal solution

>>> president obama is appealing to a higher calling to avoid falling off the fiscal cliff. joking to a beau dast monk in tie and he could use a spiritual assist working with the federal budget .

>> i always believe in prayer. i believe in prayer when i go to church back home, and if a beau dis monk is wishing me well i will take whatever good vibes he can give me.

>> it might take prayers. joining me brendan , former communications director for nancy pelosi , and mark mckinnon , distributor to the daily beast . what about the need for prayer, brendan ? you've been through budget negotiations and saw the democratic leader nancy pelosi said over the weekend that there is no give on the, you know, fundamental demand about some adjustment on tax rates .

>> right.

>> top rates, that you can't get enough by capping deductions to make up what you need to get some balance going forward. what about prayer? is that going to be helpful?

>> prayer is always helpful and so is trying to work together in a constructive way. i think the meeting the leaders had at the white house with president obama last week, both sides came out and said we have to get something done. i am optimistic. there's a lot of tough issues that have to be worked out but i think they can do it.

>> mark, all joking aside, are you as optimistic? i read between the lines and you see speaker boehner clearly wants a deal and, perhaps, has more leverage now with the house republican caucus , but once you get down to the actual negotiations, there are some very tough issues here, a reason this has not been resolved in previous summits.

>> that's right but i am optimistic there was a clear mandate, the mandate was for solving our problems. i'm encouraged at no labels.org, an organization that has about 600,000 people, is putting together a group of 40 members of congress evenly split between democrats and republicans who are agreeing to come together as a problem solver 's caucus, that the leadership can go to and cut deals on these important problems like the fiscal cliff, education. we have members of congress that recognize that people want them to be problem solvers and work across the aisle. we'll be announcing these 40 members in short order and that represents the kind of mood we're seeing in the shift in congress.

>> let me ask you both about mitt romney 's post-election comments last wednesday, be in a telephone conference call with donors. many of the donors not too happy apparently or understandably with the election results. and the reaction -- well, david gregory asked lindsey graham about it and his reaction yesterday on "meet the press."

>> we're in a big hole . we're not getting out of it by comments like that. when you're in a hole, stop digging. he keeps digging. most people are on public asiens don't have a character flaw. they just have a tough life. i want to create more jobs and the focus should be on how to create more jobs, not demonize those who find themselves in hard times .

>> mark, seems to be a real struggle right now for the heart and soul and future of the republican party .

>> well, actually, andrea, i'm encouraged about what's happening in the republican party . there's been a loud and strong consensus like that just reflected by lindsey graham . not a lot of people defending mitt romney . in fact, most of the republican party recognized that the elections have consequences, that the republican party needs to do a lot of adapting to the reality, recognizing reality, and creating a new vision and paradigm for the republican party going forward. we have to expand, be more tolera tolerant, diverse and have policies that recognize the modern american and the needs that people have today. i think there's a big shift happening faster than i expected to see.

>> and brendan , is a democratic party going to have some movement on immigration reform ? the president said to the " des moines register " before the election this was going to be one of his top priorities, but you're going to have to get the unions on board, a lot of the interest groups on board to have real immigration reform .

>> i think that's right. i think we can do that. i was at a summit last week that james carville and mary mag lin hosted. mark is is right about everybody there, the comments mr. romney made was the day before. everybody said that's not helpful. on an immigration, we agree that has to be done. there are a lot of elements in the republican party that want to get it done, i think. we have to figure out a way to make it happen, and sthaets something the president will push for next year.

>> done, i think. we have to figure out a way to make it happen, and sthaets something the president will push for next year.

>> mark, it's already starting, 2016 . marco rubio this weekend was at terry branstad 's birthday in iowa, and now according to the pittsburgh paper he's asked for an invitation to go to new hampshire in february for a lincoln day event. they're off and running.

>> well, again, i see that as a good stein for the republican party . as republicans they're already talking and thinking about young, vibrant and new leadership that is rethinking the old paradigms. it's a quick gun on 2016 . it's an acknowledgment by the republican party we need to look to new, younger faces and new leadership in the party for a new direction for the future.

>> in the democratic party , new faces, or the person who came in second for the nomination?

>> it really depends. if hillary clinton runs, i think she would be the front-runner tlchlt may be others that get in. it's amazing the coverage of marco rubio already. here we had this election, and we're talking about 2016 .

>> isn't it partly because the results were so clear that the hispanic vote is increasingly important and that republicans are getting a smaller and smaller share of it.

>> they kaecan't be a viable party if they can't do that. they have to do something with immigration. there are opportunities here to work together to get it done. if they don't, they can't be a viable party the way they're going.

>> brandon daly, great to see you. mark mckin none, thank