Rice: Immigration debate chance to show GOP has ‘broad appeal’

Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Sunday said that immigration reform would be a pivotal issue for Republicans, who needed to prove their party had “broad appeal.”

"I think immigration is really the big issue, frankly. We sent some pretty bad signals around immigration," said Rice, as she made her debut as a CBS News contributor on “Face the Nation.”

In a panel discussion, Rice said the Republican Party needed to shift its messaging on immigration and said voters would be watching the upcoming debate on comprehensive immigration reform in Congress.

"The Republican Party certainly has to stop turning off large segments of the population. I've said it's not a strategy to keeping hoping that parts of the population don't turn out. You've got to simply broaden," Rice said. "The Republican Party has to demonstrate that it has broad appeal."

Rice also praised Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) for leading the call for immigration reform among Republicans in the Senate.

Rice also said that President Obama, who began his second term Sunday, would need to remain focused on the nation’s economy.

"The first challenge is to do something about the American economy, because I do think that our international leadership has suffered both from the perception that America can't get its act together on entitlements and the deficit and so forth, and from the reality that without a stronger economy there are just some things we cannot do," Rice said.

Rice is the first African-American woman to serve as secretary of State. She formerly served as President George W. Bush's national security adviser and has faced criticism for the Bush administration's handling of the Iraq war.

Rice was one of the top speakers at the Republican National Convention this summer. She is currently a fellow at Stanford University's Hoover Institution and a professor at Stanford's Graduate School of Business.

On Sunday, "Face the Nation" host Bob Schieffer announced Rice's new role as a contributor with CBS News.

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Obama: Inauguration a chance to celebrate ‘this incredible nation’

In a short speech at the National Building Museum on Sunday night, President Obama thanked his supporters and said his second inauguration was a chance to celebrate “this incredible nation.”

“What we are celebrating is not just the election or swearing-in of a president; what we are doing is celebrating each other and celebrating this incredible nation we call home,” said Obama at a reception for campaign donors and backers of the Presidential Inaugural Committee. 

“And after we celebrate, let's be sure to work as hard as we can to pass on an America that is worthy of our past and our future,” he added, looking ahead to his second term.

Obama was preceded by first lady Michelle Obama, Vice President Biden and Dr. Jill Biden, all of whom also delivered remarks.

“I’m delivering another speech tomorrow, so tonight I’m going to be pretty brief, because there are a limited amount of good lines and you don’t want to use them all,” Obama joked. “My main purpose tonight is just to say thank you.”

The president said looking around the room he could see people from “every walk of life” who had “invested so much of their heart, soul, time, money and energy.”

“One of the things that made this campaign unique was the degree of investment and ownership people had in this common project of ours, because you understood this was not just about a candidate,” Obama added. “It was not just about Joe Biden or Barack Obama. It was about us and who we are as a nation, what values we cherish, how hard we are willing to fight to make those values live for future generations.”

Vice President Biden, who spoke before Obama, said he had been “honored” to serve with the president, and thanked their supporters for “believing in us.”

“This man’s already done an already remarkable job,” said Biden, citing Obama’s healthcare law, the end of the war in Iraq, the drawdown in Afghanistan and his support for same-sex marriage.

“He’s just getting started,” Biden added to cheers. “In the months ahead we are going to reduce gun violence here in America, we’re going to pass comprehensive immigration reform and we’re going to put this nation’s economy on a sustainable path to the future.”

Obama and Biden were officially sworn in on Sunday morning, but on Monday will take their ceremonial public oaths of office.

The president appeared relaxed and encouraged his supporters to enjoy the Inaugural festivities.

“Feel free to stay up as long as you want; tomorrow’s not a school night,” Obama joked.

The president also praised the first lady, who introduced him to the audience.

“First of all, I love Michelle Obama, and to address the most significant event of this weekend, I love her bangs,” said the president about the first lady’s new hairstyle. “She always looks good.”

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Rep. Van Hollen: Better than '50-50 chance' of deal before midnight

Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) estimates there's a better than even chance that Congress will find a "fiscal cliff" agreement just ahead of the midnight deadline on Monday.

"I think there is some good news. I mean the conversations continued late into the night. I think now there's a better than 50-50 chance that we will avoid the fiscal cliff by midnight tonight," Van Hollen, the ranking Democrat on the House Budget Committee, said Monday morning on CNN's "Starting Point."

But the window for legislators to prevent the looming spending cuts and tax-rate increases is closing fast.

On Sunday, the parties raced to finalize a deal, as Republicans dropped a demand to reduce Social Security benefits and Democrats showed flexibility on tax rates. But both sides are still split on the estate tax and how to pay for offsetting the sequester.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Vice President Biden continued negotiations late into the night, according to the senator’s office.

Like Van Hollen, Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) made a similar prediction on Sunday saying that chances are "a little higher" than 50-50 that legislators would reach a deal. 

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