television to appeal directly to the grassroots, to convince conservatives across america that he was only republican in wash work who was really going to fight for them. this is how he made his name. not guy passing laws, not by chairing a committee, not by using stunts to make him self adhere to the base, the kind of hero that any republican looking to get ahead in this world will thing twice before attacking. newt gingrich, more than any body else, may be responsible for where we are, what we are now seeing playing out. inside the halls of congress. he wrote the script. ted cruz is following it to a t. here we are. now barreling towards day three of the first government shutdown in nearly two decades. no end in sight. newt gingrich may be gone. but his legacy absolutely lives on. that does it for us tonight. rachel will be back tomorrow. and i will see you saturday morning at 8:00 a.m. eastern for my show "up, now time for "the last word with lawrence o'donnell." good night.

>> government shutdown, day two. president obama meets with congressional leaders to do what republicans refuse to do to the american people -- listen. it any just too bad john boehner and mitch mcconnell have nothing worthwhile to say. >> we are not going to engage in serious negotiations. >> it doesn't look good for a quick end to the government shutdown. >> this could drag on for weeks. >> we're done to the bare minimum. >> the house of representatives offered compromise. >> the republican party is in denial. >> we want to sit done and get this done. >> the president has to talk to people. >> they won't even sit down. >> he hasn't communicated. >> and have a discussion. >> he never got it. >> i am a mans. i am sensitive. >> all we are asking for is a discussion. >> i need to feel loved. i need to be desired. >> not that kind of a system. >> the president.

>> the leaders of the house and senate will head to the white house. >> opportunity for the people to sit in the room. >> mounting across the country. >> this is a political war. >> tea party republicans have taken tight a whole new level. >> tea party driven. >> members of the tea party. >> cruz led. >> they wanted to shut down government. >> am i exasperated. i am exasperated. >> so much at stake. >> who need the fda? >> no biggy. >> send me your drugs. i'll test them. >> day two of government shutdown. >> day two of the government shutdown. >> this could drag on for weeks. ♪ ♪ >> day two of the shutdown. president obama's position is clear. he is not negotiating with republicans on opening the federal government or paying the country's bills. cnbc chief white house correspondent john horowitz snagged the first interview with

the president since the shutdown. john will join me next. first here is president obama in his own words. >> the message i have for the leaders is very simple. as soon as we get a clean piece of legislation that reopens the government. right now in the house of representatives. >> until after that? >> until we get that done. until we -- make sure that congress allows treasury to pay for things that congress itself already authorized. we are not going to engage in a series of negotiations. >> the president held his ground in an hour-long meeting at the white house with boehner, reid, mcconnell and pelosi. they will not negotiate. the president of the united states -- strong, strong, strong. >> the president continues to maintain privately the position he has had publicly which is he does want to negotiate about the continuing resolution to operate

government or overraising the debt ceiling. >> president obama emphasized while he is going to hold firm, this is not a fight he wants to have. >> as you try to appeal to those other republicans you think you could work with, i wonder about your tone lately. i have heard from you -- an increasing amount of exasperation and edge. even mockery some times. you said one time, recently. keep hoping a lightbulb goes off. it gives the impression -- that you think that your republican opponents are either stupid or nuts? is that what you think? if you think so does it help your cause to let people see that out loud? >> john, i think it is fair to say that -- during the course of my presidency. i have bent over backward to work with the republican party. and have purposely -- kept my

rhetoric down. i'm then to be a calm guy. some times people think i am too calm. am i exasperated. i am. i am exasperated with the idea that unless -- 20 million people -- you can't hatch health insurance. these folks will not reopen the government. that is irresponsible. my expectation is that, if and when -- john boehner makes the decision to put a bill on the floor, only thing holding it up. it could happen in the next 10 minutes. and that vote takes place and government reopens, and if and when they -- they vote to make sure congress pays our bills on time. so america does not default on costs that already accrued, then -- i am prepared to have --

a reasonable civil negotiation around a whole slew offer use reflected not just by my word but my deeds over the last four years. >> joining me now, cnbc's john harwood. congratulations on the interview. >> thank you, alex. it was, it was a big moment to talk to the president. i was struck by the fact that he really feels a sense of grievance about the situation that he is in. he said he is welling to negotiate on a budget deal with republicans. but drew a hard line on not doing that, until after they -- open government. after they raise the debt limit. going to be hard to get them to cross the line. but he said this is a fever of crisis governance that need to be broken trying to break it right now. >> yeah, just like pinprick was urd word of the day. exasperation will be the word of the week, next two weeks, next month. i wonder what you think of his

comments. he has bent over backwards to work with the republican party. he seems the chapter in his life his presidency seems very much over compared to 2011. >> well, it is so different. remember the sort of whip saw you had. when he came in in 2009 and 2010. he had overwhelming democratic majorities. and -- did he try to get republican votes for example on -- on the stimulus, on the financial regulation bill on health care, yes he did? and he hung out -- hard for that to try to get people like olympia snow and chuck grassley with him. he couldn't get it. because he had the vets to pass the things with his democratic majorities, that's the way that he chose. and, and -- republicans felt stiffed though he reached out to them. now that they have won the majority, in 2010 and held it in 2012, they have gone very hard after him and he is sick of it.

>> i want to play one more clip from the interview where you ask him about wall street. and you talk the attitude that financial sector has had during this entire debate. let's take a listen. >> wall street has been pretty calm about this. the reaction has been washington fighting. washington posturing. yada-yada-yada, is that the right we to look at it? >> no. this time is different. democracy is messy. when you have a situation, a faction is willing, potentially to default on u.s. government obligations, then -- then we are in trouble. >> john, what is your sense here? is this, the president is, legitimately concerned we are going to default on our debts or he is trying to gin up wall street support. so that wall street convinces the gop that this is something they need to tackle and deal with. >> both. i think he is concerned that as

the difficult as it's been for speaker boehner and the republicans to get out of the cul-de-sac that they have marked into the spending bills, that -- it's going to be very difficult to do it on the debt limit. i think that most people in washington like people on wall street think end of the day that rationality is going to prevail. and this unbelievable self-inflicted wound will not be inflicted by the congress. but i think he is a larmd enough about it. he is trying to mobilize allies. and people who hatch got the checkbooks to make an impression on members of congress. doesn't make an impression on rank-and-file members. they're in, two to one, republican districts. you know, barack obama, got a third of the vote in the districts. they may not respond to wall street. leadership responds to business donors and the president is trying to get them to cut off the renegade members who won the go along. >> in short, money talks. >> the does talk.

>> john harwood. thank you again. congratulations on the interview, john. >> thank you, alex. joining me former congressman from ohio, steve latourette, president of main street partnership and msnbc executive editor richard wolf author of "the message, the reselling of president obama." steve, i want to go to you. new reporting from national reviews, robert costa. the headline is, boehner to gop. grand bargain is in the works. news that john boehner has been talking to his caucus about a "grand bargain" that may include, cpi, delay in obama care. bigger, reforms around earned benefit, entitlement programs. is this, to your mind, does this seem feasible? can john boehner sell anything to his party at this point? >> well, i think wittingly, unwittingly, this shutdown is going to take at least two weeks to sort out. that puts it right up against the debt limit. the middle of october. and so as a result, i do know,

and it's not just john boehner and the republicans. there are negotiations going on at all levels of government where people would prefer to do this once. rather than doing it twice. once on the government shutdown. once on the -- the other. and, you know -- the president says he is not going to negotiate. both sides painted themselves into a corner. a way forward without the violation of obama care that the president could throw up the keystone pipeline, changed, cpi, medical device tax, and other things that would not violate his pledge not to negotiate on obama care. could get us out of it. if that was the case, john boehner would muster votes to gem hit out. >> i want to follow, there are things the president can give republicans, keystone, medical device tax. he thinks of this moechlt in the grand, sort of arc history bending towards or or away from justice as it were. if he does anything.

concedes anything. keefe stone pich line a lot think he will approve anyway. it would set a precedent for other presidents, republican, democart, and by virtue that he must not diet. do, i mean, how firm does he stay here? >> i think he has learned ape lot from the last experience. you have to understand the last defendant ceiling crisis was the lowest point of his presidency. more angry according to aide he had ever been at any other time. they could see it in the polls. more importantly he felt it himself. he looked weak. he didn't get anything out of it. all looked bad. republicans looked worse. but he stewed over this. he has learned those painful lessons. so, this isn't just about -- his ego. i think he is looking at them, republicans, saying i am not going to rescue you from yourselves any more. you have done this. you have got to get yourselves out. and then, and then, listen to what he said, john harwood.

we can discuss all those things. but if he offers up, this has been his problem with negotiations. offering up concessions before a negotiation has gotten him precisely nothing. they have to come to the table. in a rationale way. a whole bunch of stuff on the able. obama care all they're asking for right now. they're not saying go for c pi, not talking deficits right now. they're saying obama care. that doesn't hold credibility. >> steve, i want to ask you -- so much has been made of obama care. and it is clear the republicans really don't like obama care. the affordable care act. at the end of the day, it -- it is now, it is, it is enacted. exchanges are up. it is law of the land. there steams to be. day two of the shutdown. republicans are backing away, a little bit from this idea of repeal. and trying to replace that indignation with talk of a grand bargain. chain cpi. keystone.

whatever it is. perhaps not a winning strategy to talk about the repeal of obama care anymore. >> couple things. to richard's observation. the reason we find ourselves here, partially its that in august 2011 trust was destroyed between the president and john boehner. they beth accused each other of walking away from the grand bargain. i know which side i pick in that. i know the president was mad. this obama care business has become a lightning rod. it was in the 2010 elections. the tea party backed candidates hope to catch light anyone in a bottle going into 2014 i think john harwood made an excellent point. the audience some are talking to. 70%, republican districts. they're not trying to reach you on msnbc. not trying to reach in penned it -- independent voters. >> they're trying to reach their electorate. >> that's right. i was chairman of the squish caucus in the republican party. 18 years. they're not trying to communicate with me.

they belief that by holding their ground they can be re-elected in the 70% districts. republicans maintain the majority in the house of representatives. that's the end game. >> richard. i've want to ask you, you wrote a book about obama white house. nancy pelosi was asked if the president would raise a debt ceiling and backed away from answering fully. do you think he is prepared to risk impeachment or threat of impeachment and raise the debt ceiling. do you think he's that convicted about this? >> no. i've don't think he will. i think they have a clear legal reading on this. he does not currently have the power to do that. change the law. place it. congress has budget setting power. but the idea that they have both budget setting power and debt ceiling power is going to have to be revisited at some stage. i think to pick up point. they have power. tea party republicans. their leadership gives them the power.

not enough of them without the complicity of the leadership. >> 15% of the party which wretch -- which represents 2% of the public. thank you both for joining me tonight. >> good to be with you. >> rush limbaugh woke up to the government shutdown and "felt such relief." why rush and other conservatives think the effects of the shutdown are no bfd. coming up. and rick perry thinks obama care is a criminal act. an oops moment. once got a medal of honor from president obama for heroism. now he has one more mission. our dysfunctional kong regs. [ female announcer ] pop in a whole new kind of clean with tide pods. three chambers. three times the stain removal power. pop in. stand out. ♪

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view, it's this one right here. >> if you believe the democrats there is time to been the meat, tang and get in your survival bunker. >> i think at the end of the day. >> ha-ha, ha-ha, ha-ha, ha-ha, [ bleep ] you! >> up next, what happened to compassionate conservatism? thank you orville and wilbur... ...amelia... neil and buzz: for teaching us that you can't create the future... by clinging to the past. and with that: you're history. instead of looking behind... delta is looking beyond.

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>> the gop was about compassionate conservatism. today compassion or really the basic notion of empathy seems to have no place in the grand old party. case in point, spend even ape little time in the conservative media world where the shutdown is -- eh, no big deal. >> so i got out of bed and i was, i was, i -- i have to admit i got out of bed and i was -- i was a little worried. >> surely you can't be serious. >> so i went to the wall plate and i hit the button for the blackout shades. and they begin to open. >> i am serious. >> and then i hit the button for the solar shade. and they begin to open. >> don't call me shirley. >> then i got the courage to actually walk to the window. >> i feel strangely calm. >> i looked out there, you know what i saw? >> yes? >> i saw blue sky. >> meh. >> i felt such relief. i can't tell you my friend, yes,

i saw a blue sky. >> but the tv gave me the impression. >> we said, meh. meh. meh. >> schoolkid i found out still going to get breakfast, lunch, snack, ecstasy, whatever else they get. now all of the welfare checks, and all of the food stamp cards, are still usable. ♪ >> failure, yes, ma'am, that's an easy one. >> another thing gop leadership need to do remind the public this is not armageddon. >> failure, f-a-i-l-u-r-e, failure. >> this is a pinprick. >> who cares? >> one of the few people, not this doesn't impact me mentally. >> and my pinot grigio, so what. >> i'm not afraid of a couple of weeks of government being shutdown.

>> although for most people it might be inconvenience. you are not really going to see a lot of the stuff happening. >> yes, ma'am, the word is insecure. yes, the word i am well acquainted with. >> if it has to do with the national parks and stuff look that. >> i can't -- show is over. nothing to see. show. oh, my god. a horrible plane crash. hey, everybody get aload of this. flaming wreckage. >> joining me last word, why the shutdown sucks for america correspondent. the huffington post political leader, sam stein. you grabbed the golden chalice this morning. you did something that we call owning the day. you had a great back and fort. with bill crystal on morning joe. not morning joe, the conservative editor of the weekly standard. i would like to play for america and our audience what transpired this morning. >> shouldn't we republicans know

going into a fight like this we are running of a hill. we are not going to, sadly, we are just not going to within that national debate on the government shutdown. >> look, yes, if i were the republican party. i would have said a little too steep a hill. maybe imprudent. don't think it is the end of the world. >> i just, idea this is not the end of the world. they're finding the three most important agencies. maybe in your world. it's not the end of the world. for the people who are affected by the cuts. it is, sort of compraable to theened -- sort of comparable to end of the world. it surprises me how crass they have been over the shutdown? does it surprise you? >> no, in effect, from a political perspective they don't want shutdown seem like a big deal. they're in favor of smaller government. if there is smaller government they want to show it works and doesn't matter. it's not crass, unimaginative, uninformed.

rush limbaugh said, kids will still get to go to school. still get their meals. literally hours after he said that, tilt was reported -- it doesn't take a big search to find the news. right there. you can google it. you can do what we do, basically scour the local newspapers. we did this for all 50 states. scour the local newspapers, to steep what was happening. google the state name, and government shutdown. you get a sense the impact is far more, you are listening to conservative media, national media. we just don't get the totality of this, inside washington, d.c. >> i guess, i use the word crass. i think on some level, you would expect, politicians of either stripe, to be at least presume, the mantle of concern for the poor and working class or the fact that women who need to feed their children are not getting some subsidies to help with

food. children are going to be kicked off head start. there is not the pretention of caring about the people. >> yeah, they had that. they do have that when it is in their political -- self interest. so for instance today -- there was a mad rush among politicians to say -- we need to fund the national institutes of health because stories emerged yesterday that 200 -- people were, not going to be -- accepted to clinical trials including 30 kids with cancer. so, every politician ran to, to embrace the nih and restore its funding. for the past eight months, the nih has been gutted by sequestration, 700 grants have been denied for projects that include cancer research. we could be developing great cancer therapies. not funding it. it is, it was in this moment. when the politics lined up that suddenly people found the empathy for this institution that has been struggling for almost a year now. >> to that point i think we should show a graphic that appeared on other hours of this channel today. but is an important one. that shows just how far we have moved.

i mean the senate, the senate continues resolution to fund the government is a massive compromise. look at that. at the top, the original budget from president obama. and down at the bottom, is 986 billion, the senate version of the continuing resolution. the goal posts have been moved far right ward. nobody -- is really even talking about that. >> i know. it's sort of the lost story here which its that -- obviously -- the president has compromised, a funding level in the short term that would prove in many respects crippling his domestic agenda. if that is not a compromise, i need to be told again what the definition of a compromise. >> the senate's budget continuing resolution is lower than the original paul ryan budget. something worth remarking on. sam stein, thank you for joining us. >> rick perry makes yet another oops statement.

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>> in the spotlight tonight, the insatiable republican appetite to repeople the affordable care act. it is nearly 4 hours since the nation's health insurance exchanges went on line and the u.s. government shut down began. but a faction of the republican party is continuing the fight against providing americans

access to health care. texas governor rick perry added his own two cents during a campaign event in new jersey yesterday. saying "if this health care law its forced upon this country, the young men and women in this audience are the one whose are really going to pay the price. and that i suggest to you reaches the point of being a felony toward them and their future. that is a criminal act from my perspective to put that type of burden on them." a felony, a criminal act, and a burden. perhaps rick perry has a different understanding of what the word mean as is usually the case with rick perry. some of the burdens, these criminal acts, include, the 3.4 young adults insured under their parents' plans. the 36% of young adults eligible to receive subsidies. the nearly 30 million women who can now receive free preventative care and contraceptives. indeed the actual benefits of obama care continue to be revealed as millions of

americans get better acquainted with the new law. making facing a legislative agenda seem not the savviest strategy. grover norquist, a critic, denounced the guy who led the republican party into this fight to begin with. ted cruz said he would deliver the votes on defunding the aca and he didn't deliver any democratic votes. he pushed house republicans into traffic and wandered away. joining me now, the university of pennsylvania's dr. zeke emanuel, served for health policy in the obama administration. and msnbc contributor. zeke, good to see you. >> great to be on the show. thank you. >> zeke, there were nearly 5 million unique visitors to the website healthcare.gov in 24 hours. we talked about glitches. what does the traffic tell you about the program?

>> there its a lot of curiosity. a lot of people want to find out what it is about. what it means to them. and so i think that's all good news. i think it exceeds everyone's expectations within the first -- 24/4 hours. it is -- slow and it's very difficult and frustrating and i hope that doesn't turn off people. and that things can be fixed over the next few days. but it does tell you that the underlying interest of people is quite high. let me say, in response to that -- that comment by governor perry. you know, i want out to california to -- to shop on their website and see what kind of rates young adults could get. the 30-year-old who makes, 17,000 or 18,000 dollars a year, can get insurance the silver plan for a moderate amount of interaction with doctors, five, six prescriptions a year. $39 per month.

it's just amazing amount of -- of coverage. and if he thinks that is a burden. he really does need to go back to kindergarten. >> rick perry should probably go back regardless. zeke in terms of the fixes. you brought up fact that some web sites are slow, cumbersome. on some level to be expected. if anybody has seen a website launch these things happen. other bigger ticket, use in congress. medical device tax is one. folks talking various delays. i asked you as some one that played a role in drafting of legislation. how easy is the to make fixes to living legislation. that's to say, programs that are already in, in effect in place, or, or live as it were. how hard is it to make amendments? >> well, we should distinguish two kinds of amendments. repealing the device tax is simply tossing a favor to a particular interest group.

we should remember that the drug companies for example, have way more, have put in way more in terms of taxes than the device people. and you don't hear any complaints from pfizer or merck or lily. their duty they will make more money more people are insured. the device people never played ball. never supported health care reform. shouldn't get any special treatment for whining it seems to me. then there are other fixes which is -- in the drafting of a 900-page bill there are going to be problems in it. some inconsistencies. that's the first part. second part is there are things that now four years later everyone agrees, while we should do it a little differently. we should make some changes to say, improve the -- rapidity with which we transform the delivery system. change how we pay doctors. those things are usual in legislation. they're very common. and i think -- fixing up the bill, the mistakes in the bill, and saying, well, you know we should have gone further here.

are things that we should do. and the funny thing is, behind the scenes when you talk to legislative aide and senators they all agreen with it. they say, yeah, we really need to do that. politics is preventing us from doing it. >> dr. zeke emanuel, some times america need a doctor to tell them a tickle in the throat its not going to put them in the grave. thank you as always for joining me. >> thank you, alex. take care. >> "the new york daily news" asks the gop what did you do for our country. coming up first veteran elected to congress talks about growing frustration with dysfunctional congress, congressional dysfunction and making room for a new generation of leaders.

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>> i've told you chris matthews was once a police officer, would you believe it? believe it. part of the story in "tip and the gipper." in this the second part of lawrence' interview with chris, we find out what makes him tick. >> chris, i want to talk about this guy right here. >> cool guy. >> in swaziland, peace corps volunteer you. say in the book the experience changed your life. >> i had a good full ride. 1 a status. i want to montreal with a friend. i made a list of stuff.

thought teaching high school. vista. all the things i could do. i could become public information officer in the army, sign up. and different options i could go become a finance officer in the army. i didn't like the war. i didn't want to take a job that wasn't risky to say i was in the army. i'm not holding it against anybody. i didn't want to pretend i was in the military not have a fighting role. i said, i finally got this option to go in the peace corps in swaziland. i turned down options. i am not going to venezuela. not going there, not going to afghanistan. i'm going to africa. always wanted to go. sigh got this job. i had a 120 suzuki, heavy motorbike, i would ride around middle of nowhere, speaking zulu teaching business to small traders, african guys, 50 years old. some fought in the war, world war ii for the brits. established a father/son relationship with guys. i had gone in villages, never seen some body look like me. i would walk in.

all speaking zulu. i would say, look i am here, your government sent me. i work for your government. coming here to teach you business. sit down. open cash books. try to get the guys set of in business. an amazing experience. after that. very easy to knock on doors on capitol hill. a lot easier to ask for a job if you had done that thing. >> you go to washington. you start off. >> hitchhiked through africa. did crazy stuff you wouldn't normally do. >> you have been back. >> a lot. >> africa changes you. not a place you can walk away. >> if you go to africa, you go back. i think of a book, born in africa. went from, my four brothers stayed in philadelphia. i broke out went to washington started knocking on doors. i want to be ted sorenson, a writer. i ended up writing speeches for the president. it took a while. and i think, it really got me

out of my -- my grandmother, with an irish accent, the protestant in the family, presbyterian, like mrs. doubtfire. grew up with that. she came up. used to stare men the eye. it was africa wasn't it. eerie old world thing. the great thing about the peace corps like being an immigrant. the immigrant experience. go to a different culture. have to live and fit in two years. you get a sense of what it is look to come here from europe. interesting. from anywhere. >> when you got to washington, your first job is a cop? >> fits us doesn't it? don't know whether a classic. >> look step with this. >> right into this thing. i want to see this young guy. kennedy guy. top aide. times have changed. wonderful guy. bobby kennedy guy. ted kennedy guy. and maybe do, tricky staff work. figuring out tax law. helping out with an important person. he said i got a job for you. capital cop. what you do work in the office in the daytime. work as a cop at night.

a lot of people did. harry reid. reid of course the leader, capital cop. and 38 special. you had training. and -- you ended up, you ended up doing. hiding in the capital building all night. reading a lot. a good job. you would look. also nice to, to tourists and all. i loved that job. i met a lot of southern guys, west virginia guys you normally wouldn't meet in the north. real guys talked, taught me a lot about life. >> you have a great passage in the book here. on page 225 about working on capitol hill. and i think anyone who has didn't, this, this passage speaks to us. so perfectly. time zips by on capitol hill. looking back, i think it must be because i never escaped from the intensity of what i was engaged in for long enough off to actually feel the passage of time. >> you know what that is like? >> yeah. my wife kathleen read that, got mad. you weren't thinking about us, the family? you are so night.

more than now. into the boss. making him look good. working what reagan is doing. what tip need to do the next second. you are on watch. you are on watch 24/7. chief counselor, the great man dedicated the become to. >> beautiful. >> we would be talking back and forth. what did you see in the times? what did he write? did you hear reagan said on radio? constantly on watch. monday morning when he showed up. what did you hear? anything special. anything i need to know. some times, didn't know something. a mutiny at work or something. didn't catch sometimes. but that, that thing about losing time. tell you. it's a dangerous thing. the older people work on the capitol. say i'm working at 5:30. leaving not sticking around. i have to find a life some where. i am going home. >> one of the things that makes us always understand. why people leave. i have never said to somebody why are you leaving a job in the house or in the senate.

it's this kind of a burn out quality to it. and you probably won't easily establish a life as long as you are working. >> it hurts your family. you become -- >> that line, they left because of family reasons. turns out to be true. minimum of half the time. >> yeah. >> cover. >> you know what somebody doesn't understand. somebody was making fun of "newsroom" and "west wing" you are ernest, everybody was real, no cynics around. sure there is a hokie congressman some where, where the people work for him for the money. we don't work for the money. dedicated and respectful. guys working for reagan. we looked up to them. duberstein, baker, some were our friends. we were friend with the guys. we look up to them. as we argued with them. like, like david gergen. we respect them. some times friend with them. all the common commitment to making government work. people outside washington. think it is leviathan.

a lot of people doing they jobs. >> watch more of lawrence's interview. find out if chris matthews misses working on capitol hill, i have a hint, i have an idea. just go to the last word face book page. coming up -- could the worst congress ever give us better, smarter candidates capable of governance, patrick murphy jinz me. -- joins me. on december 17, , the wright brothers became the first in flight. [ goodall ] i think the most amazing thing is how like us these chimpanzees are. [ laughing ] [ woman ] can you hear me? and you hear your voice? oh, it's exciting! [ man ] touchdown confirmed. we're safe on mars. [ cheers and applause ] ♪ hi. [ baby fussing ] ♪

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president obama gave the medal of honor to dakota meier for risking his life to rescue american and afghan soldiers during an ambush in 2009. at 23, meier one of the youngest recipients of the honor and first living marine to receive the medal since the vietnam war. two years later it looks like government chaos may inspire a generation of leaders. one minute after the government shut down early tuesday morning, dakota meier tweeted this. congress, 2016, potus, 2024. later that day he tweeted, i want to thank everyone for the overwhelming support and encouragement about my decision to pursue elected office to. day dakota meier officially confirmed to a local kentucky newspaper that he is considering

a congressional run in 2016. saying -- it is something i have always been interested in. it was my dream to serve this country in the military. and now it is my dream to serve this country in politics. joining me now, the first iraq war veteran to serve in congress, former pennsylvania congressman patrick murphy. thank you, as always, congressman for joining us. i want to talk to you first about the news of date here. veterans seem to have become pawns in all of this, shutdown talk and debate. rnc chair offered to pay for security guards to keep the world war ii memorial open. members from both sides of the aisle have greeted the world war ii vets decrying the shutdown, but while all this is happening, va facilities are going to reman -- remain open but a shut down could slow down veterans claims. a lot is pomp and circumstance. when it comes to caring about the veterans, there is no "there" there.

>> you are right. i wish that he would pay the salaries of the 20,000 va claims adjudicators working overtime that cut down the backlog, 30% this last six months. instead of cutting the backlog because of all the knuckle heads in congress who shut down the government the backlog will go up, 2,000 claims every day that they're out, that they're furloughed, laid off. it's a disgrace how they're treating our veterans. and, and over 800,000 families that are going to -- aren't going to have a paycheck right now. >> congressman. i have got to ask you about dakota myers' announcement. and we talk a lot about the -- the way the republicans have villified public service. i think there is something distinctly honorable. let's set aside all politics and partisan questions here. but the idea of serving your country in the military and serving your country in the halls of congress do you think

the dysfunction in washington encourages people to go in and fix things. specifically, answer that question from the veteran perspective. >> absolutely, alex. i believe public service is a noble calling. and whether that public service is through the military or whether it is through a political public service i will fell you that one of my best friends in congress was a republican. we served in the army together. tom rooney from florida. i love that guy like a brother. and we didn't vote, every, he was a conservative republican. and listen, i was a democrat. but the fact is this, we always tried to put our country first. that pure public service is what we need in washington. because -- down in washington as you know, alex, there are far too many that are completely, all about them. it's selfish, not selfless. >> and before we let you go, we have written about you lost your

seat because of your vote on obama care. what do you make abut the argument in congress, the thing we must do to fund the government is defund the health care law? >> interesting. decade after decade, there were tens of thousand of americans that died prematurely because they didn't have access off to health insurance. in 2010, alone, alex when we passed the health care law bill 20,100 americans died prematurely. that is immoral. how could i, as a catholic, as an american, look the other way. listen i had blue cross & blue shield, before i was in congress, while in congress, it wasn't gold plated look they say. i have blue cross & blue shield now. i was one of the lucky ones. how about the 30 million americans that don't have it. you saw people, through the millions. all over the country, enter the exchange and have health insurance and not precluded will boehner budge?

let's play "hardball." good evening. i'm chris matthews in new york. let me start tonight with this. it's interesting that the more this government shut down hurts and is seen hurting, the more you see john boehner out there on the media skillet the less you see of ted cruz. this is a pathetic example of a politician who's never gotten a positive piece of legislation passed but spends his time sabotaging government.