>> you're watching booktv, nonfiction authors and books every weekend on c-span2. >> chris matthews is the host of msnbc's hardball. he recalls the working relationship between president ronald reagan and former speaker of the house up on you. chris matthews wasn't a to the former speaker. he says despite the political differences between the speaker and president reagan, they were able to work towards compromise. this is about 45 minutes. >> well, thank you for that. i think it was an endorsement. thank you all for coming out tonight to the still open part of the reagan library. i have to tell you my son is here. i've been in many times. thanks to nancy reagan, the

first formerly i was able to debate it. mitt romney was side was that night. he walked away with it. maybe he would've done better the first time. seriously. not everything i say is ironic or sarcastic. i mean the words they speak. that plane brings back memories. that very vehicle is where i learned we lost the presidency in 1980. if you go up and look at it again tonight, the first section seat i was sitting there. it's in the book, if you buy the book to me, i'm sitting there, carter is behind, jody powell standing there with a big pill in his arms. is holding a pillow. it's saturday night before the election and jody will go to sleep in the hallway. there used to be a punk or. cigarettes and put. times have changed. everyone was all smoking. i had just gotten the word in

that seat that we're going to lose by 10. we got the word in seattle the last stop, it was an amazing sprint. that's in the book. i want to talk about my book a little bit but really i want to talk about what it's about. people walk up to me and why are you writing this book now? i didn't write it last night, okay? i gave a lecture on it here years ago. i talked about this years ago, and i spoke about it here because nancy invited me to talk about because of what to think it was a grown-up aspect. they played by the market rules. one of things that's change, i cannot stand turning on somewhere channel and seeing total warfare. what's it called? unlimited fighting with a couch of each other's eyes out and they can get all this nonsense. muhammad ali was a great fighter because he played by the rules.

there are no rules today. politics isn't much like that. as i go along i will tweak some of the thoughts you make him just a couple of them. this is a wonderful thing. self-government is the essence of who we are. it's what we have. besides her natural resource and we have more than we thought, we have self-government. if we don't have that, what do we have? i also think the wonder of it was in the late 18th century when general washington would be the british empire and a french immigrant were riding horseback upon what was then called jane conceal. they were looking down over this suave and they were imagining this national capital. like who are these guys to think that they can do this? philadelphia, the second largest in the persian empire, we have

to have this great empire. they were imagining the executive mansion and the capital of upper on the postal. they put all this together anything how much imagination and courage did that take? imaginimagine how much it's a de about a country that govern itself, which had never been done it so. imagine all the issues which were very much alive than. they said no, we can deal with this. we can make it work if we are congress and the presidency and checks and balances, we can make it work. even with everybody screaming at each other. thathat's what we have today. is not an omlt it's just perhaps carried a bit too far in terms of this method. you tell me the times in american history where there's -- there's been shortridge. the johnson initiation we lost

because of inflation, the 66 campaign. some parties have at nominal party but they didn't have the filibuster power to allow them to dictate what they wanted to do. it's very rare a political party has the power to do what it feels like doing. it almost always in the other party to participate. that's true now and true in the reagan era as well. what was given in the reagan era was a couple things what you want to talk about. first of all when president reagan went to washington he benefited because he saw all the mistakes are to me. carter had no friends on capitol hill. none. somebody said make one at least and he'll tell you what's going on. [laughter] obama is pretty much like harder that way. is not the guy who wants to hang out with the boys. he spotted a great father, great has been but he's not a regular guy. common over and we'll have some drinks and we'l will play cardsd we'll talk about the hill. he says things like, i would be

glad to meet at the jefferson hotel again. with a set number of people and how of course leave at 9:15. that's the way does. if you want to meet somebody, if one does somebody go to your house, you invite him over to your house. it's a different statement. when they come over to your house they get to decide when to leave. you meet at a restaurant, you can leave. earnest anyway had that trick when he was riding and he did want to be bothered using lets me down at the bar. then he said i have to get back to my writing but it's over in 20 minutes. roosevelt, i think the greatest president in the 20th century, maybe reagan, given where we are, a reasonable argument that roosevelt played poker all the time with these guys, members of congress. he knew he had to do it. he also knew when he wrote the checks for 20 bucks the odds he knew no one would ever catch. because it would ever get rid of a franklin roosevelt check? you would keep it. tip was more like roosevelt.

he liked the company of other politician. he said there were three ways to spend your life in washington, chase girls, drink -- those two go together pretty well, and, or play cards which teacher with from both of them, and he was a card player. and i believe him. he was a carpenter. one time we were driving and he said many morning i've seen that flag flying. i once to contest the check written at some card game. there he is with his big irish sweater on radio for the night. he loved to beat people at cards. the reagans were different than carter in most presidential couples because they got to washington and immediately began making friends. nancy made friends with a gram, the "washington post" and george. and they went the rounds and divided tip in. they had erupted into, just for dinner, which never president really offered.

they invited tip to the birthday party for reagan. he just turned 70. all kinds of these friendly things were going on them. my favorite, tipped at the 69th birthday party, reagan hosted it at the white house just for him and a couple of the guys and that went on often integrating even -- reagan hardly drinkable. he called for champagne. ordering of a champion for the afternoon on a weekday. they all had their champagne. reagan offers a big toast. it was over the top. if i had a ticket to heaven and you didn't, i would give away mine and we would go to hell together. [laughter] i wouldn't say literally. that's a little too much. then they went arm in arm to the elevator and outside tip kicked the hell out of them. which this is the way it was. you can be friends in the room together but afterward we are political rivals.

i first met reagan in the state of the union of 1982. first state of the union he got to give. he was in a holding room. the weirdness of washington is how close together you have to do with your political opponents. the holding room for the president when he gave his state of the union was our ceremonial office. i had this big desk outside the office like the doorkeeper watching "the guardian," which was not my roll but i this big desk and everything. i was administered assistant to the speaker and i would sit there. i knew reagan was in the room. what am i going to do? i went in. and aye, mr. president, welcome to the room where we plot against you. [laughter] and reagan, oh, no. the speaker says we're friends after six. that's the first i heard, friends after six. until i read tips memoir. after six can we change our

watches? if you want to deal on this isn't all about irish blarney or buddy. this is not a bromance. these guys were at odds. reagan i think the president didn't have any close relation except for nancy, which is as close that you can be with another person, but he really likes according to ron who i'm friends with, told me he would always get off on he was of tip around the house. i was impressed with the. to but always say their differences. you could carry on -- tip was very tough. really tough. i know, i worked for him, tough guy. the good thing about it was a had the sort of old school rules which i would like to see resuscitated. remember when a new president got a honeymoon ask there's a phrase we all grew up with. and it's a dead. now you have to start plotting the day the guy gets nominated. let's get rid of this guy. the voters vote ought to count

and it ought to be hey, we went to the polls and we made a decision get that out to mean something. that's my belief. you can disagree with. what tipped it, what he said, the tax cut, this been cut, the increases, he promised reagan early on you get a boat and everyone of them by august 1. he did and reagan won every time. tip gave him his schedule. no games. today, that doesn't happen to you have to fight for it with a filibuster rule and everything else. not something i would like to see back. that's reason why they begin on a good relationship. is also of course the assassination attempt which met reagan very hard to criticize after that. he came back like lazarus. he made i think intuitively the people said, he made it, maybe should have made. maybe there's something there, something fateful about his survival. it was meant to be. maybe this guy ought to get his turn. whatever was there before, there

was a lot more afterwards. it was a lot harder with reagan himself, i think he knew he was on earth for purpose and he was driven after that. the bullet was right to. he lost half his blood internally. they did bury afterwards, tip and reagan. 23rd psalm. they -- tip really did kiss him on the 40. they really did hold hands for a long time. it was something. we don't have much of that today. haven't seen it if it's happening. the speaker who was my boss and i really respect them because it gets because he knew what it meant to be unpopular. just as reagan was in his wilderness period most of the time coming out of california was seen as too far to the right, he put up with that for years. he went back to doing a column. he weathered the storm what churchill did. he was willing to be unpopular. that is a real test of any population. are you willing to be who you

are? are you willing to be wrong by public opinion? and tip had to put up with being this big, fat democratic liberal from massachusetts everybody made fun of how fat he was. he had to get up every morning and go to work. i always said that was his latest courage, just going to work against reagan. tip would say he was the greatest speaker ever. it's in the book and he said better than candy, better than roosevelt. tip would do things -- relationship between the two sides was a different unimagined today. the speaker became friends with michael deaver. oliver north we all got along with. charles wick. we all knew him. there were like nice little courtesies passed back and forth is totally different than i think today. there was a guy who is dying on a hunger strike and mike deaver, i got them on the phone with the speaker and i said this guy just doesn't want -- a nuclear attack

sobering called the body of christ, corpus christi. can we do something about that? mike was drinking at the time and he said it seems like a stupid reason to kill yourself. that was his attitude in those days, but on monday he went around cap weinberger in which a president reagan and they call the city of corpus christi. the guy had a cheeseburger last night i mean, these things can be worked out. i figure there would've been republican fight interest in swaziland. that's a little shot. but deaver but on the plane with lionel and and for the trip which was fastened undertaken -- which was that goes. i thought he overdid up at that was great. this is the lionel hampton, and

the republican, and his partner of their, big republican leader of new york. honorary chairs or whatever. he's playing the saints go marching in on some little xylophone and handicapped section of the airport for me. that was quite a trip to but the other things, my wife was an anchorwoman. can i get a press pass? sure. so these little things back and forth. went to africa again on another trip. people were nice to get and work together but it was different. i think that's part of the. it was not personal. so let's get to the somewhat grubby aspects of politics. you have to agree to disagree and you still have to get something done. 1981 was that you because the president got what he wanted to

the speaker got to say now it's your responsibility to make this country work. you get everything you wanted, now it's your turn. if the economy goes south, it's your turn. he liked the. it wasn't all courtesy but he wanted that monkey off his back. he wanted it done the president. it was very understandable. in 1980 they realize they've gone too far with the tax cut in defense spending which could a big deficit for fiscal 83. they got together on bob dole's revenue bill, passed that. tip would on the floor for the president and said you are here because of reagan. you here because he was elected president of the training. he was talking to the republican members of congress. he brought you here and now we're on the election and is asking for a change of policy. are you going to follow the leader who brought you aren't going to run? then reagan said how strange it was to be on the same side of the fight as tip o'neill and 82. social security deal was a piece of choreography. you can imagine today.

there was a greenspan commission but also people like pat moynihan and bob dole, especially bob dole who got behind it. what happened was they had this thing where every hour on the hour it would check to see whether the president approved a provision and whether the speaker approved it or not. intermediaries checking every hour. to nothing would get it. you can do for, they got it through and that the split second it was like a kidnapping we deliver the money and the baby at the same time. this is what happen. to make it work they announced -- they couldn't agree on the same statement to reagan got to announce that it had agreed which is the way they didn't simultaneous. i understand the speaker supports this package. social security has been sound as hell ever since because of the dealmaking. after that they had st. patrick's day. here's reagan's diary. i love the diary because they're so much, it's a combination of how much they weathered a day,

who they were hanging out for dinner that night an amazingly important stuff all in the same diary. reagan diary, march 17, 1983, st. patrick's day. a shamrock die for a republican from massachusetts and one from tip o'neill. launch on capitol hill. about 30 people including foreign minister of ireland the tip was a true pal. he can like you personally and be a friend while politically trying to beat your head in. [laughter] so a lot of trips to think we could use today. respect for the voter. don't ignore elections. respect for the other office in institutions like deadline. those government shutdowns at those, i forgot that they were so small. do you know why they weren't a big deal? because they get most of the appropriation bills done on time. what the c.r. did just covered what wasn't covered by the appropriations. i got most of the bills done on time. today, none or done. when you have a secret it covers the entire government and that's

a big difference. it is a government shutdown. not that you agency. compromise does not mean agreement. compromise means you find what you want to get, which are willing to give up goin to whate other person -- what they're willing to give up and you put it together. that's called a compromise. you don't say i want this, you can't have it. it's more like i want this other thing over here more than you wanted, so can a habit? i'll get something out of it and then i'll give you something that you want more than i want. somebody compared it to an orange. one way to split an orange, put a knife through it and give half to each but that's maybe not with one. some people want the inside stuff and some people want the skin to make, to bake something with. they give people what they want. the social security in all these deals that's how they would do. there were times when he did agree like northern ireland and the whole relationship between

us and the soviet union. what i discovered in writing this book was, this is so important to clearly ronald reagan deserves credit for ending the cold war. i'm not claiming tip o'neill didn't help them but i know tip made a point in the backroom of making sure he didn't screw it up. for example, he did go over there in april 1985 representing the president as head of a bipartisan delegation. he did deliver the letter from reagan saying he wanted to meet with gorbachev. and more importantly, gorbachev said what's opposition in? he didn't quite get that part. tip said it means we don't disagree about everything. but you just need one of your parties like the comments. but at this point you to understand when it comes to superpower negotiations, he's our president it is absolutely sincere about nuclear arms reduction. so reagan goes to geneva, and tip, before he goes to geneva tip calls all the fighting off about negotiation. and tips words he wanted reagan

to double to pick up the check. when he made the negotiations. when he went to reykjavík, the big one. he told the liberals had the guy from berkeley, and then he had my friend eddie markey is now the senator from massachusetts together and he said i've been with this movement but it's going to nurse the president when he's is in reiki that. let's go on that when he's meeting over there and these guys are crying because they know they can win the fight. they decide not to call it. these little backroom -- it's not about praying with the guy, expressing, community, it's on the big stuff, especially common patriotism. i think it was the. the other thing is, always been able to talk. you may disappointed i know your political point you made rather well. i would offer a different version which is willing to talk because any marriage you have to deal together again to be able to committee.

all this irish stuff they did together, the jokes and the parties and all that stuff together i think kept the door open. you could call a break in and thank you, it's after six. or reagan would do the same to them. they were able to communicate, negotiate all these deals. that's what my book is about, being grown-ups. you know the other person has different interests than you do and you try to reconcile them. i think that's it. i think it's about willingness to talk. this thing we are in right now is dead serious. i do worry about the 17th -- maybe its the 19th on the 21st, i don't know what day it is. about $30 billion in cash he believes enough to cover what we have the cover. but he's not sure. receipts come in when everybody pays the taxes. you don't know what day is coming in and he don't know expensive will move around a today. we don't want to be in a situation, this is my pitch,

that we don't pay attention to facts and make some kind of agreement before the 17th. people say you should be religious because you never know if there is a heaven or hell so why not assume there is? that's a pretty good position. by the way, nobody wants to quickly find out. so we don't know what after the 17th looks like. secretary lew was sitting next to me all time. his desk was right next to mine. he was in his 20. he'd been to yale law or whatever. quickly he was a genius i guess. anyway, it looks exactly the same by the way. look at them in the book. so i think we are at a situation where we better be grown-ups. my theory is will hear from somebody like probably paul ryan. he's beginning to talk. i think will not hear an idea from obama. i don't think will get an idea from boehner. they are too much like this.

i think we need like reagan and tip were. i think we will hear the same we did back in some else whether it's jim baker or alan greenspan are probably one of the chairs of the finest meet with ways and means committee. the other people who really know where the deals are. they are the ones who know the long history of the fights over entitlement reform and corporate tax levels, a reformed or possibly. all the rich areas the president has been alluding to. republicans say they want. they want lower corporate taxes so they can compete better and the president said he was thinking about that yesterday and also it will long-term entitlement reform. so that's where we're talking but the question is how do they regulate, how did he make that happen between now and next thursday? how do you do all that? this stuff takes a long time but the question is was a good marker to put down so each side will toast the other they're going to do that? what has been have to talk to the tea party about, the 30 or 40 guys out there and convince them he is series.

he probably won't get their votes but he has to get half the votes in the caucus. he's got to get like 115 votes to meet the hazard rule. it exists whether you like it or not. but it can be done. it really can be done and then get a vote in the house with have democrats, have republicans. everybody is happy except the very far right and ethnic some commitment on the big stuff. if you have any with health care. not the actual do but i do think over time that have some kind of review commission to look at and see how it works and make it work. you can't be on the commission if you goal is to kill. i don't think obama will ever agree to that. it's going to be an interesting time to watch. i think my book is a good guide to how it can work out. remind ourselves it doesn't all have to be fighting to the death. i think we have to remember that we live in different times and bad times and i think reagan was

a hell of leader and i've been saying that a long time. weed my book the now limiting what i really think. it's all in the. i praise him alongside church, my hero. it is pretty well. in the, thank you very much. i want to take questions. [applause] >> so we are on c-span so it has to be very clean. spent christmas agreed to take questions, but the point is trying to make is -- >> we have microphones. that's what these people in the audience are standing up for. if you have a question please raise your hand and the microphone will come to you. and by the way, my understanding today that chris is book, this book is talk about is now ninth on "the new york times" bestseller list so i hope all of you will get it tonight. [applause] >> that's after five days.

>> and the question is, one of the big battles in washington right now is obamacare. do you feel that they will eventually give the independent people rather than businesses a one year reprieve -- >> no, i don't think he will. i think yes to try to do. he wants to try out the car before he gives up on. i think he wants to give it a were. the trouble if you put it off, that's on one of us gets to makt work. i was just talk about a political situation he's in. the people who want to put off for a year don't want to work. is the goal is to fix the car before hit the road, that would be one thing but the goal is not to fix it. is to keep it off the road. he knows that. so i'm just telling you his political position, he needs all the time of his second term to make it work. i do think you listen to senator cruz, he said in january his

concern was it would be like sugar, they would be addictive and he's afraid people will like it. that's what he set himself on the record. so if he's afraid people will like it is got -- i think are other things to debate. i think it's very hard for obama to give it a. i don't know if you will but if he gives it up he will be clobbered by the left as a weakling. and i think he will lose his presidency over it. i think they will clobber him. that's what i think. >> in your opinion, how long do you think the government shutdown will last? and was there a shutdown during the presidency of president ronald reagan? >> they averaged two days and they're not total -- they were some agency. the issues were relatively, really small. one was over fcc rules. usually overspending.

you can't even find it. we were looking the other day, my producer. we were looking for news coverage of the shutdowns. there's hardly any. they were not like this. this is big. this is big. but how long will it last? i hope it doesn't come much past the 17th. my concern is this, and this is not partisan, i believe he always was an honest guy. when i worked with them. suppose an airline had 100% safety record for 100 years, 200 years. and then it announced it had a 95% safety record. would you get on that plane? we have had -- you would? gridlock. [laughter] you wouldn't it was an airline with 100% safety record. you would get on that one. we've been great about this. we've made our payment our enemies. when you're paperboy and your told by savings bond, we've always make the payments.

when we stop them i think it goes on record like anybody credit rating i'm worried about it. because we don't know. it's like it's deathlike. we don't know. we don't know what the day after death is like. we don't know what this is like. we can pretend we don't -- first of all i don't understand the politics because why would people say now it doesn't count another today's competitive three days, another two weeks? what i going to get in those days politically? what are they going to get out of the? that's what i cannot get out of it. what did you when it's the 20th or the 24th or december 30? what do you get out of that? we will be in the same gym we are in now. for so i never, never got the politics going after obamacare. this is the one thing he would not give him. i don't know what tom -- senator cruz is up to. my answer is i hope its the 17th.

i think dan has said clearly there will be no shutdown. there will be no default. i think they knows it's serious business. yes, sir. , right there. >> thanks for your time. do you really think this is about obamacare? >> what do you mean? what is it about? >> do you really think it's about maybe going after the president? >> oh, yeah. >> and obamacare just happens to be -- >> they know it's got his name on it. there's about 30 members who dislike the guy, and maybe more. the birthers, for example. i don't think it was is about what the question because cruises mother delivered the baby up in candidate and nobody's even brought to do. i have said from day one he's a natural born american. just like obama did not be naturalistic even if donald trump is right in your secretly born in kenya somewhere because his mother, white woman,

brilliantly said why don't i go have a baby in kenya and call the kid barack hussein obama and raise him to the presidency. it's crazy talk. there's always a logic to this. i think the republican politics right now is pretty conservative. i think if you just watch, i think he'll move somewhere between scott walker who to me, is the dark with. i'm watching scott walker. he beat l.a. because. is tough. is a real executive. he does stuff. and wisconsin is really important. i watch them and i looked over and i said somewhere between him and rand paul is the nomination to it's not jeb bush. it's not, i don't think it's rubio. i think he got in big trouble with the party over immigration. so i'm looking -- you have to

run pretty soon. they will be running right after the next election in 14. you've got to push her name down and start running. i'm going to be -- by the way, i'm good until 18. i signed up for five more. [applause] i love. i think hillary is the nominee. i think biden is hoping she won't run. i don't know if he wants to go head-to-head with the but whoever th did that is because o head-to-head with her will look really good if the goes positive. look at this. look at the exposure you get. you don't have to be true. she is unbeatable, therefore you can't lose. if you're martin o'malley a summit of bludgeoning of the, campaign can make her look good, you look good. it would be great. and i'm just political i guess. i think this woman has been holding her hand up since the beginning. went into the get the mic to you. >> hello, mr. matthews. i was just wondering if you

think the tea party has been to visit to the republican party? >> well, it's a divisive by nature because it's revelation of the it wants to change everything and understand what its role is to newt gingrich is sort of the first tea party. in a way, his methods. here's the thing about this been the one reason i don't worry in the long run about islamism, i worry short term, zealotry by its nature doesn't last. hot, we are all roman candles but i think cruise is an amazing politician for what he's doing but you can't stay that hot for that long. you burn out. people have to watch -- you think you blow up in front of the face. [laughter] it's too much he. got to have a little charm, a little smile, you want to have the guy around you. you want them on tv. can you imagine watching cruise for four years? is just too hot. and i think the people that

thomas like kennedy and reagan, they have real, you want to keep their company. apart from anything else but goldwater was like the. he got a little scary at times because he let the generals decide when to use the secret weapon. he just should have said the. i always liked him. he just shouldn't have said that. by the way, hillary was for goldwater, to the i wasn't the only one to move over to that terrain. gene mccarthy was a smart politician who didn't like -- didn't act like a politician. he looked like he read hard bound books, you know? [laughter] why did you ask me? [laughter] the tea party is -- look, let me explain to you something really boring, the numbers. there are 232 congressional districts. a strong majority voted against

obama. so when those members vote against anything obama, the guy said i couldn't stand being 10 feet from him over christy walked the beach was and they don't want to be anyone in the that are overwhelming conservative but you cannot lose except a younger person who is more conservative than you. if you want to be safe or be in a black disregard of the district you can only lose because you can't lose a general election, you can only lose in san francisco to somebody younger than you and your left. moderates never win primaries. it's always the harder right. look what happened -- both his voting record? 95%. he was a moderate but he lost to the murdoch character. one of the two races candidates. word comment about rape and all this. don't say the word again, you know? so the trouble with the party is if you're in berkeley do think you will lose to moderate or conservative? you only loose to someone

younger and to the left. pelosi, 85%, adobe, 85% for obama. the big cities like the zones. off a democratic votes are all in the big cities. pittsburgh, philly, penn state. once you get out of their comfort republican, marginally. sunday when the electoral votes as lon long as state-by-state we will protest the republicans want it by congressional district. they when the most congressional district, right? that's why we have divided government because we have a system that benefits the republicans by congressional district, not just because the clever redistricting and enforcement and gerrymandering. some of that certainly, although california was a genius at redistricting. in philadelphia, and pennsylvania where i'm from, 100,000 more votes for democrats, they want to there are 13 republican congressman and five democrats. that's the way it works.

bob brady cannot be defeated by a general election but if you can't lose a general election you can only lose the primary, and you can only lose this a more extreme to you. it's mathematics. it's grim. how do you open it up? california took a big step with the open primary. i think california may be one of the reason why things are starting to work after, i don't know, is he had a wide open primary system now. they do get out and they don't agree on anything but that's what we are. we people in congress who were 180. remember there was an overlap. you have seven democrats who are a lot more conservative than a lot of northern republicans. right now the most liberal republican senator has the voting record to the right of any democrat. there is no overlap. nobody that's a mellow southern democrats or like john lindsay

or rockefeller all those democrats -- republicans. clifford casey. they are all gone. there's only a few. new england had republicans all over the place and they were pretty moderate. noris cotton, all these guys. lodge, but all the way right. case of new jersey. it's just all gone now. we don't have anymore republican. no liberal republicans and i don't of any conservative democrats anymore. the parties are very polarized. they fight it out. >> i want to go to stanford when i grow up, so with a government shutdown affect my future? >> no. not that. but it will still -- if it's still shutdown when you're 18, i am really worried. that's a grim prospect. attaches question, but i don't think -- my wife went to

stanford. good luck. it's fabulous. it's fabulous. [applause] >> good luck. >> that was the worst case scenario right there. come on, give me your best shot. i've got one here. i see this guy. >> thank you. i have a question about who do you think might be the most likely democrat candidate? everybody thinks it will be hillary and biden, but how about hickenlooper? >> here's what i think. i get together, women my age, so many of them have been waiting for their turn. they believe that men have blown it in many ways. they don't want to you about it again. i'm not a democratic activist

women also other women. hillary clinton as a building, and she does it well and doesn't get into any kind of campaign mode that turns people off. she's learned her lesson, i think. most people do. most of when the presidency. reagan wanted for drug. bush want o on the second try. nixon on the second try. it's almost like a super bowl. you have to go there once before you when it. that's, it's a hard thing to win the election. you have to run for two years. hillary is about my age. she's got to make a commitment of three years of getting ready to run for president, or years at least serving, if i were her i wouldn't think about that the lebanese but i would think about the seven. don't want to commit seven years to this? at the end of the first term she can make a judgment about running again. it's a big commitment so i don't know what she's going to be. i know all the people around her want her to run, including big bill. big bill wants back.

imagine -- [laughter] [applause] you know, it would restrict him a little bit, but i think he's been pretty good. and so i think it's all good for him. imagine being in the white house not doing anything. it's great. unless he's going to do the social events. i don't know. [laughter] look. i work with a lot of democrats, i know a lot of democrats and women, it's just a cause right now. you can think of a reason why not to give her a chance. we will see. at benghazi thing will be used against her and i think there's some answers that have to be given now. but what happened when the call came in, how quickly did he act? why didn't he bring planes from italy? why didn't they just love everything and save the lives of those people they could.

not whether prepared. ambassador decided to what risk is going to take. later, i don't get what they said in the pr, the tv, "meet the press," that political questions but the real-life question is security an lookingt for your fellow americans is an issue and you just can't say it doesn't matter. it matters. that's one place she can be. she's got to decide if she's going to go back and. if you don't like the heat stay out of the kitchen. the republicans -- i do believe you may think i'm wrong, there is a chance even rand paul can be triggered this country is volatile right now. you can't predict. i think chris christie would give her a hell of a race. a hell of a race. christie is very popular and he's going to win big. he'he is a moderate and he's a dealmaker. and i think scott walker could give her a raise. i don't think cruz to give her a raise. i think he would be too far over. but, you know, what? we know which way the wind is blowing. everybody around her want her to

run. >> time for one more question. >> who has had their hand up longest? over there. over there. >> hillary, what a twofer. spin do you want big bill backed? >> yes. >> why? >> i'm waiting -- >> who do you think would lead vice presidential choice if hillary should run speak with a guy, a working guy. it went to ivy league school, he didn't show it off too much. i me, a working guy like i like the cut of the gem of sherrod brown. it looks like a labor day. a little rough around the edges. i think would fit with the. she won't ever get a guy like that the scheppach somebody fine and refine and all. she'll pick some guy like will on the good wife. [laughter] scheppach some guy like that.

the kind of guys under in -- the kind of guy other guys don't like. i would say michael bennet of the album called about a guy. michael bennet of colorado. he has all the degrees and he's mild-mannered. he sort of educated looking. she likes that stuff i think. i don't know. i'm just having fun. i think sherrod brown. and also the working way people of this country are looking for a hero again. they have the own problems with obama which is sometimes obvious. they want somebody to go out and hang out with them and have a beer with him and feel like they can have a beer with the guy, you know. biden, i don't know if -- he can't be vice president so he won't do it again. he could technically but i don't think you'll do it again. i think he wants to be secretary of state. i don't know whether barack obama wants to be on the supreme court or not. i don't know.

he is a young, healthy liberal. that's a great prospect to some people. this has been great. you have been very nice and in no, i can from the other side of the aisle but i do consistently not just when i'm on the home turf, favorite things about president reagan. i think he is in the top 10 or so of allah president. i think he is way up there and i think the big things that smart presidents do, like obama, they always respect the greatness on the other side. if you want to know the difference between a great politician, or a good one even, they always point to the other side like reagan was a respected roosevelt. even though he changed politically. he looked up to roosevelt. you can spot it and i think increasingly eisenhower is coming back. you a hard time with the liberals. i don't think they were. i think eisenhower is coming back because he got things done. what respect is the fact 95 for seven or 80, you can cross this country, pretty nicely because

this guy did he build this country. he also did something nice. he accepted a nazi some and. he was quite a present and quite agenda. they are looking for heroes like him and harry truman who everybody likes. certainly every republican's favorite democrat. so we have been very lucky and we will see how things turn out. the obama thing is right up in there right now. will he be a good president or not is i believe, i supported him, is up in the air, how he handles next week. if he does what some of you wanting to do, i think he is finished. i think if he gives up on what he fought for, democrats have supported and republicans -- certainly nixon with some kind of national health plan, he gives up on that, i don't know what he has to show. so this is big time and hope we get through this thing. i do hope that everybody comes to respect the common fact that we're in this together in the end and we better not get to risk prone can end of next week.

anyway, thank you all for coming. [applause] >> thank you, chris. for the record -- >> thank you, nancy reagan, for having me here. spent for the record, that was an endorsement of your book and you're welcome your anytime. so chris has agreed -- >> if you want the book i will stay as long as you do decide the book. i do like signing books. >> chris has agreed to personalize them. that will be a real treat. chris is going to go sit here at this table, and first, first serve. calm way though, please the right here is the line to get your book signed. >> you are watching c-span2 with politics and public affairs. weekdays feature live coverage of the u.s. and. on weeknights watch key public policy this. and every weekend the latest

nonfiction authors and books on booktv. you can see past programs and get our schedules at our website and you can join in the conversation on social media sites. >> the c-span bus is parked down here on the mall and on the bus with us right now is novelist joyce carol oates. here is her most recent book, "the accused." joyce carol oates is the author. we don't often have novelists on booktv on c-span but this is historical fiction in essence. spent i did a tremendous amount of research and that was the most pleasant turn of writing. woodrow wilson was president of princeton university. >> what was princeton like been? >> princeton at that time and it's kind of -- a representation of affluent and white christian

america generally and princeton is sort of an exemplary community spent woodrow wilson has a cameo in your book speak with woodrow wilson is a principal character in. the novel is about woodrow wilson. is confronted by a demon. he's tempted. i shouldn't say what happens but he becomes quite noble in the novel but he doesn't rub that many of the shortcomings of people at the time such as he was a racist. he was a sexist and probably his most principled was he thought he was anointed by god,. >> to what? >> be a leader. he was annoyed by god. i don't think it's not uncommon for people to feel, politician and statesman. spin without giving away, can you ll