She said the Democrats are passing up an opportunity to work with Republicans to practice working with the other party because they will certainly need them down the line.

"They need to practice that, because they haven't done it in a very long time," Rivilin said.

Rivilin and Mann said most of the issues for House Democrats on the 100-hour agenda will pass but then get changed in the Senate, and the final outcome will rest with the president.

Mann predicted Bush would approve a minimum-wage raise but would veto anything on stem-cell research.

The Senate Democrats have a similar list of priorities, but the Senate does not count legislative hours as the House does.

Meanwhile, Matheson is particularly supportive of the House Rules package that will likely be passed quickly. The rules will govern the House for the new session and include a "Pay-Go" rule. This requires any new federal spending to be offset by taking money away from something else. This system was in place until 2002, but it was never renewed.

Matheson hopes this rule would also eventually be passed as a law, so the Senate would also have to follow it.

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E-mail: suzanne@desnews.com