Skip to main content

tv   Hardball With Chris Matthews  MSNBC  April 21, 2014 11:00pm-12:01am PDT

11:00 pm
>> okay. well, i want to wish you a happy father's day. hunter walker of talking points -- of business -- wait. business insider. >> business insider. >> that's a change. welcome to business insider. you get tonight's last word. i am ari melber in for lawrence o'donnell. >> the democrats' 1% solution. let's play "hardball." >> good evening. i'm joy reid in for chris matthews. leading off tonight, democrats are co-elessing around a clear message for 2014 and a clear target audience. do you remember mitt romney's thurston howell ii i problem in 2012 followed by his musings at a republican fundraiser? democrats are encouraging candidates to hammer home that same theme of economic unfairness in 2014.
11:01 pm
the message? the top 1% is doing great, but the rest of the country is just getting by. and it's democrats who've got your back. and the target audience, the powerful coalition of young voter, minority voters and women. but who often don't show up in midterm election ps . the get out the vote effort the obama campaign used to transform electorate in 2008. the first question is whether or not this can work. the electorate in 2012 and 2008 very tough to do in a midterm.
11:02 pm
>> i would cite two examples of midterm elections that give democrats some hope. one was in 1986 when the republicans had the white house but the democrats took it whack by running against the theme of too much giveaway to the rich in the '80s. in 1998, bill clinton threatened with impeachment, you know, threatened with being convicted under assault managed to hold his own. managed to hold their own in that election. bill clinton said i want to do the work of the people. i want to help the middle class. i'm all about helping you. those people are not there to do the same. they want to screw you at every turn. now you add all the rich people who are pouring tins of million, if not thun hundreds of millions in the campaign. yes, a few democrats, mostly republicans. i think it's a strong message. >> so david, a new democracy memo put out by james carville
11:03 pm
and stan greens be burg, lays out the democrats' mid temple problem and makes it pretty stark. democratic voters are seven points less like will than republicans to say they're almost certain to vote in the off-year election in november. that same memory though prescribes the cure, and it's a laser focus on that issue of fairness. and the message it boils down to is the incomes of ceo's, the top 1% are soaring. everyone else is working harder just to get by. essentially much like the 47% message that worked in 2012. >> i'm a big fan of the 47% message, boy. but politics message and mechanics. you're talking about creating a national frame work for the election. the hard thing is taking a national frame work and really applying it. and the mechanics of getting people out to vote and people getting attached to that message at the local level. it's much easier for a national campaign.
11:04 pm
okay, this is our message and it call gets poured into one candidate. in that case, barack obama beating another canada, mitt romney. to take this message across this board and apply it to a dozen simpbt sdmat races and have people identify with the high message and the on the ground message it's really difficult. you're dealing in some ways with an abtract issue here. are the democrats better than republicans in general when it comes to issues of fairness? the polls say most americans believe they are. i9's easier to attach that to barack obama over mitt romney. how you apply that on a state by state level and get that turnout, which they need desperately is still a really heavy lift. >> you know what, david, i wonder why you might be a fan of that 47% message. it could be because mother jones is the one who discovered that video. and one of the things republicans did in 2010 was make what you just said happen by making nancy pelosi, attaching her to every democrat in the country. let's take a look at mitt romney
11:05 pm
and what he said that galvanized democrats to be able to use him in the 2012 election. take a listen real quick. >> they believe the government has a responsibility to care for them, who believe they're entitled to health care, food, housing, you name it. it's an entitlement. and the government should give it to them. and they will vote for this president no matter what. >> and david, i'm wondering if you can take that same message. maybe you don't have mitt romney to kick around anymore, but could you substitute let's say the koch brothers into that same frame work and make that stick to every republican that's running across the country. >> the 47% video was effective because people were asked to
11:06 pm
vote for mitt romney himself. the koch brothers not on the ballot. in alaska they've done a good add for mark begic who's in a tough re-election battle. they've had some layoffs. they tried to make it very particular. the white house did try to come up with a similar message. the republicans are being funded by the corporate interests. and in that case, it didn't work. so it's a start. there's still a lot of else they have to do. >> howard, the same question to you. can the democrats win by making the koch brothers the mitt romneys of the midterms. will they work across the country? or do people just not know enough about them. and if not, is it smarter for democrats to go after those issues that are very particular to voters, things like minimum wage or things like closing the gap between the 1% and the rest.
11:07 pm
>> it's complicated because mitt romney is not in the race. eem wod died what democrats couldn't stand and it brought them out in 2012. what you're saying is the republicans in congress and the republicans in general have sat on their hands, do not want to do anything to help the working peep and the middle class people in america. they voted 50 times to try to defund the affordable care act. a complete and utter waste of time. you say the ways obama and the democrats have helped people and the republicans have done nothing, proposed nothing, merely stand for no. and if they get more power, if they take the senate, then it will be allout war on working class and the middle class. barack obama can't carry it
11:08 pm
everywhere himself. he's not that popular in a lot of these state where is there are tough senate race, number one. number two, barack obama is better campaigning as a candidate of hope than he is a candidate of darkness and doom. aim it at the tradition nat voeers they have to get out in the obama coalition, which is young people and working people. >> maybe the answer is bill clinton. >> hillary isn't going to want to do it, by the way. hillary won't want to do it. she doesn't want to be associated with a potential disaster in 2014. so i have a question as to who the surrogates are? who the leaders are going to be. david mentioned bill clinton. that's one of them. if you can get them to reach younger people, the democrats are going to have to think very creatively of who's going to
11:09 pm
carry their message. people often don't think about these races at the last minute. bombarded with tens of millions of dollars. connecting to people's faces is a hard dasing. they said it really good make the difference. unmarried women respond very strongly to a broad economic agenda. but one dominated by policies explicitly to help working women. and the memo also singled out these issues that motivate the base, which is minimum wage, equal pay for ewall work. protecting medicare, protecting social security. so howard, could the single
11:10 pm
woman, is that the voter that they need to zero in on as they're looking for that right surrogate and that right message? is the single working woman really the sort of key target here? >> in an electorate always dominated by women, that's always the key. and i would add, there are certain parts of the affordable care act, even if you don't want to talk about it by name, you can mention an appeal, particularly about predpis existing conditions not being a bar to getting coverage. every poll i've seen shows that health care is often right at the top with minimum wage, with job opportunities for women. that's something the administration and the democrats have to thread the needle on. they have to say what's good about it without engaging in a big philosophical discussion in states like kentucky and georgia and so forth. >> indeed. and in kentucky, she is the candidate. >> she is. >> thanks to david corn and howard fineman. coming up, the bridgegate investigation may be about to heat up.
11:11 pm
new jersey democrats investigating the scandal are expected to issue four more subpoenas this week. plus, that delay in the decision over the keystone pipeline could be a win for democrats on both sides of the issue. supporters in red states can continue fighting for the pipeline, while opponents keep the money flowing from anti-keystone contributors. and here's some advice for anyone making a presentation on rail safety. as democratic senator richard bloomenthal tried to do. don't stand so close to the tracks that you risk getting hit by the train. and why putting off a big decision may pay off for president obama in the long run. people join angie's list for all kinds of reasons. i go to angie's list to gauge whether or not the projects will be done in a timely fashion and within budget. angie's list members can tell you which provider is the best in town.
11:12 pm
you'll find reviews on everything from home repair to healthcare. now that we're expecting, i like the fact i can go onto angie's list and look for pediatricians. the service providers that i've found on angie's list actually have blown me away. find out why more than two million members count on angie's list. angie's list -- reviews you can trust. became big business overnight? ♪ like, really big... then expanded? ♪ or their new product tanked? ♪ or not? what if they embrace new technology instead? ♪ imagine a company's future with the future of trading. company profile. a research tool on thinkorswim. from td ameritrade. >> looking ahead to november, democrats are gaining ground in the generic congressional ballot. but they have a ways to go. according to the huffington
11:13 pm
post, pollster trend line, the democrats' advantage peaked in mid october at 6.6 points, just after the government shutdown. the batched health care website rollout helped put the republicans up by 1.4 points by early december. but as of today, the democrats are back on top by less than a point. still, higher republican turnout in midterm elections means the democrats will need a much bigger lead to hold off republican house gains in the fall.
11:14 pm
11:15 pm
>> owith four investigations today hanging over his head, two of them criminal, chris christie is fighting for his political life. his re-election campaign has been saddled with more than $300,000 in legal fee, a total, as "the wall street journal" reports, is double the campaign's cash on hand. and it's likely the least of his worries. the big story today is that the
11:16 pm
new jersey committee investigating chris christie has announced it will be holding more hearings on last year's lane closures, and that means more subpoenas. >> we've gotten to that point where we've assessed enough material that we can start asking questions to witnesses. and we've lined up potentially four individuals we think we're going to bring in. so i could see there being four subpoenas going out to individuals. what you've uncovered, what we've uncovered through these interviews has opened up a whole new possibility of additional subpoenas, not only for doemts be uh for additional people that up until now we might not have thought were relevant to the investigation. >> it's been four long months since the story exploded with the release of bridget kelly's infamous time for traffic problems in ft. lee e-mail, but it's only recently we've been able to piece together the political operation. we learned that christie's campaign compiled a list of mayors which it called approved targets. ft. lee mayor mark sokolich was number two. we also learned that bill
11:17 pm
stepien was giving pay back orders to iga. these were orders meant to send a message to certain mayors. according to a recently released summary of an interview that christie administration lawyers conducted with christina rena, a staffer in that office, quote, christina renna believed christie's campaign manager bill stepien kept track of mayors who were not in favor of iga. iga staff would receive mandatory directives along the lines of do not rush to return this mayor's phone call. which was enough to send a message to the local elected official. approved targets, mandatory directives, send a message to local officials. what are we to make of all this?
11:18 pm
christie's camp has attacked the credibility of the state's investigative committee as they blow ahead. so christie and his team have done all they could to declare this saga over with. instead, it's clear this is far from over. and joining me now, the co-chair of the state's investigative committee, and brian murphy, an msnbc political analyst and former managing editor of politicsnj.com. i'll start with you. tell us what do you know as of now about the four new subpoenas? >> my understanding from conversations that i've had with other people in the legislature and with the chairman off the record, of course, is that they're going to be talking to people who have provided information in the past, but who can sort of begin to shed light on what's been going on here. and probably explain more about those mandatory directors, for example. give us a better sense of what's going on and where they sort of -- not so much where the criminal session is going to go, but i imagine the oversight functions that the legislature is supposed to do gives us a better sense of how this operation is working and how the executive has been conducting itself over the last few months.
11:19 pm
>> to the limits of what you can discuss with us, without being able to actually talk to bridget kelly or to bill stepien, those subpoenas having been quashed by the judge, how do you get behind the motivation behind the bridge closures, which we still have not been able to get to. >> these conversations, whether they're through e-mails or conversations in people's office did happen in a vacuum just between bridget kelly and bill stepien. we have seen that there was a very robust discussion both during the time the lane closures happened and afterwards by a number of key individuals in the governor's administration. you can look at those as being road signs, if you will, as to where the questions need to be asked. you have chris christie, with all this taking place in his office, saying he doesn't believe the bridge closures were meant to be for him.
11:20 pm
>> you don't think there's a single possibility that they thought in your -- in your rough and tumble style, in jersey politics style that they thought this would please you? >> no. >> that this was for you? >> no. i don't believe it was for me. >> is this personal? >> listen, i don't believe it's for me. >> brian, we have target lists of mayors with the mayor sokolich number two-on-one of those lists. we have communications between christie's office and his campaign office. we have bill stepien out there somewhere in this process. is it even conceivable that the mayor really believes that there was no chris christie in the calculation to do these lane closures? it would be difficult to believe that.
11:21 pm
it doesn't pass the common sense test. we know they were keeping track of who's endorsing them and who's playing ball with them. it sound like the political affairs office, the corollary for what would be going on in the west wing, and they kept these color-coated folders. they kept all of this information. it's possible that there was a list of people who they shouldn't be talking to. it's difficult to believe the governor, maybe he didn't -- it's possible that he doesn't know. it's possible. but the operation that he set up and that his people ran seems to have been extremely responsive and nimble in rewarding and punishing people that they were dealing with on a day to day and almost hourly basis. >> in a vin diagram of the chris christie campaign operation there is a lot of overlap in communication during this period.
11:22 pm
>> if you have that vin diagram, i would like to see it. we're really trying to understand the contradictory nature. it really shows a robust level of micromanagement. and at the same time, we have a statement saying that we're not mie tro -- micromanagerers, people are operating op their own. both can't be true. >> maybe he didn't know, but he certainly wasn't eager to find out. you still had a governor who was operating publicly as somebody who was not interested in the information. am i far afield in saying that? there were avenues for him to have found out earlier than on the dates he suggested. not necessarily before the bridge operation itself went on during the period in which they're discussing, for lack of a better word cover it up.
11:23 pm
during the planning of that and the execution of that. it seem christie was aware of it and there were more people around him than we previously knew about who were aware of how that was being planned out. >> the mastro report really leads a road map to the people who say they talked to the governor in early december about what they knew and not only that, about what other people knew. and so you have a memo about an interview in which it's related that mike duhaims interviewed the governor about wildstein's statement that he and bill stepien knew about the lane closures. yet hours after that, the governor came out and said no one in my administration knew anything about this. those two things don't match. and they both can't be accurate.
11:24 pm
so our job is to find out exactly who knew what when. i want to make it clear. this is about fixing the problem at the port authority. and fixing the abuse of power. we're following it wherever it may lead. >> thank you both for being here. >> up next, a perfect example about how not to teach people about train safety. this is "hardball." the place for politics. [ thunder crashes ]
11:25 pm
[ female announcer ] some people like to pretend a flood could never happen to them. and that their homeowners insurance protects them. [ thunder crashes ] it doesn't. stop pretending. only flood insurance covers floods. ♪ visit floodsmart.gov/pretend to learn your risk.
11:26 pm
11:27 pm
>> back time for the side show. the 136th annual easter egg roll. activities included reading with president obama himself. his box of choice "where the wild things are." and as "the washington post" pointed out on twitter, the president got into it.
11:28 pm
just look at those facial expressions. next up, it was a close call for bridgel bloomenthal on saturday. he was close to the edge of a train station when an amtrak swept by and nearly clipped him. he was making a statement on rail safety. and his brush with death is a reminder to all of us to stand safely away from the platform edge. next up, we've seen how republicans nationwide are scrambling to outdo one another in their opposition to the affordable care act. some have literally shot holes through a copy of the health care law. but if republicans think that tough guy stunts like that are the best way to get noticed in 2014, then nebraska gubernatorial candidate boy mccoy probably fell a little short with an ad he's airing in the state. it seems mccoy was trying to distinguish himself in a crowded field by facing off against a bobble head of president obama.
11:29 pm
>> more obama care in nebraska? that's the last thing we need. when barack obama tried expanding obama care, i pushed back. >> yep, this is what it's come to, folks. flicking a doll off of a fence post. oh, the humanity. finally, his political future may be uncertain, but as a father, chris christie's still got it. that's according to the national fathers and mothers day council which named the new jersey governor the father of the year today. he said to be honored with the award in early june. so he's got that going for him. up next, why even democrats who are criticized the keystone delay may be privately smiling. >> an american won the men's [ male announcer ] identity theft ... it's one of the fastest growing crimes in america. in fact, there's a new victim of identity theft
11:30 pm
every...three...seconds. so you have to ask yourself, am i next? one weak password could be all it takes. or trusting someone you shouldn't. over 100 million consumers had their personal information stolen in recent retail store and online security breaches. you think simply checking last month's credit score can stop identity thieves now? that alone just isn't enough. but lifelock offers the most comprehensive identity theft protection available. as soon as the patented lifelock identity alert system detects a threat, you'll be notified by text, phone or email. ♪ your response helps stop thieves before they do damage to your identity... helping to keep you safe... with three powerful layers of protection. detecting threats to your finances, credit, and good name 24/7. alerting you to potential danger. and if anything is found, your resolution expert will help restore your identity. so you can get back to enjoying your life. ♪ lifelock watches out for you
11:31 pm
in ways banks and credit card companies alone just can't. plus, it's backed by a $1 million service guarantee. if your identity is ever compromised, lifelock will spend up to $1 million on experts to help restore it. try lifelock membership risk free for 60 days with promo code easy. that's 2 months of proactive protection to help keep your identity safe, risk free. act now and get this multi-device charger. charge all your devices at once to save you time... a $30 value, free! call the number on your screen or go to lifelock.com/easy. try the most comprehensive identity theft protection available risk free for 60 days plus get a $30 multi-device charger, free. enrollment takes just minutes. your protection starts immediately. call the number on your screen or go to lifelock.com/easy. ♪ could mean less waiting for things like security backups and file downloads you'd take that test, right? what are you waiting for?
11:32 pm
you could literally be done with the test by now. now you could have done it twice. this is awkward. go to comcastbusiness.com/ checkyourspeed. if we can't offer faster speeds or save you money we'll give you $150. comcast business built for business.
11:33 pm
welcome back to "hardball." friday's obama administration decision is delay construction of the keystone pipeline again may turn out to be a boost for democrats who oppose the project and for those who support it. it allows vulnerable democrats room to distance themselves from president obama and oppose him. and for democratic opponents, it motivates the base to maintain
11:34 pm
pressure against the pipeline and keep the money faucet running from the more liberal and activist wing of the democratic party. for instance, louisiana senator mary landrieu called the decision irresponsible, unnecessary and unacceptable. alaska start mark begic said i am frankly appalled by the continued foot dragging on the keystone project. and arkansas's mark pryor said there's no excuse for the other delay. the president needs to approve this project now. on the other hand, billionaire environmentalist activist tom stier who pledged to spend $100 million to help democrats keep the senate called the decision rotten eggs for transcanada and good news on good friday for those who oppose keystone as not being in our best interest. yesterday on nbc's "meet the press" the chair of the democratic national committee insisted that the latest delay
11:35 pm
in approving the pipeline did not take politics into account. take a listen. >> are you worried as the party chair this shouldn't be resolved before the election because of the potential impacts it could have? >> as a member of congress, i want to make sure the right decision is arrived at and that the president makes that decision carefully and doesn't factor politics into his decision. which i don't think he is. >> but nbc's political director chuck todd had a different tennessee opinion on "morning joe." >> it is only politics that has been involved in every part of this process. it's only been the political process. >> all right, shocking that politics would play some part in the decision by a politician. by i think the real question here, is, is it smart politics for democrats and for the white house? >> abc litely. these red state democrats you
11:36 pm
listed there, they need something where they can talk to their constituents and say in these red states that they are standing up to this president. if you look at mary landrieu's first ad, it's all about her carrying the message, the louisiana message that's all about oil and gas production up to this president and standing up to them. so this will give her ammunition prks this will give begic ammunition, pryor ammunition as well. these are democrats skiddish about otherish st. louis. skiddish about obama care and skiddish about him coming to their states to campaign. there's some feelings that obama has often been a party of one. he hasn't always been so good for the pear at large and all the members of the senate and the congress. so this is definitely something that they are looking at, these democrats in tough states. they are looking at it favorably. it helps their chances. >> same question to you. win/win, right? the base of the party is happy because it isn't going to
11:37 pm
happen. and the red states democrats like mark pryor and begic can say the white house is wrong and i can run an ad on it. >> you can argue it round or square. the other side of the coin might be, to be caught in this pinser for anotheric cycle risk alienating somebody. if you think turning out the base is important to ultimately winning your election, the more you're out there railing against the administration, against the democratic president and railing for the keystone pipeline, the more you're probably alienating the environmentalists that might be a base voter that might not show off. on the other hand, if you're begic and you believe that ultimately it's not the base that's going to save you, butt's the swing voter, then you take the position is that you're for the pipeline. you risk alienating the environmentalist who's your base, but you do so because of the opportunity of picking up a swing voter.
11:38 pm
i think on balance it's probably good for democrats but i think it's a slam dunk that some have suggested. >> but steve, just to push back on that a little bit. if you're mary landrieu and you're against the administration on this particular issue, but at the same time you're defending parts of the health care, the passion on this issue, at least in the democratic party is against the pipeline. no doubt about it. is it really true thiets not 100% win for someone like mary landrieu even if the koch brothers were to spend money in the state. then she's fighting for home against outside money. >> it depends on whether you think she benefits more by positioning herself in the middle and defending some poll lays that are popular with some. i would suggest in an election
11:39 pm
that could be decided by not very many votes, every base voter matters a lot. and environmental voter is part of the core base of the democratic party. if they're not motivated to show up for somebody, that's a problem for that democrat. i think democrats are always uncomfortable standing against an administration from their own party on any issue. and pushing against the administration if you're a democrat in a democratic administration isn't a popular thing to do. i do think on balance its it's probably better for democrats but you could argue either way. >> a billionaire environmental activist and his group ran this ad before and after president obama's state of the union in january. >> it's a sucker punch to america's heartland. the deeper we dig into the keystone xl pipeline, the closer with eget to the truth.
11:40 pm
transcanada's ads say the oil will help make america energy independent. but under oath, transcanada won't commit to selling us one single barrel. the oil lobbyists and politicians, they take americans for suckers. keystone means more profit for investors like china, more power for their economy, and more carbon pollution for the world. keystone is a sucker's deal for america. just say no to keystone. >> he asks supporters to choose his next target for his anti-keystone ad blitz, providing options including louisiana democrat mary landrieu. she said it would probably help me in my state if he would run his ads. i have billionaires on both sides and i'm exactly where i should be, right in the middle. i don't think people are going to pay a lo of the attention to these billionaires on both sides. is that mary landrieu doing a little wishful thinking that she would like more of that money to pour in?
11:41 pm
>> i think so. she's running one hell of a campaign down there. she's in some ways one of the most endangered democrats. but she's running a smart campaign down there. running more as a governor than as a senate candidate in some ways. i think she would welcome this billionaire coming down there and telling her what she should do for her state and her constituents. i also think if you look at the list of issues that most democratic base voters care about, the environment is lore than the economy and they're talking about the economy, democrats are, in terms of minimum wage, in terms of equal pay. i think it's below obama care. it seems to me, democrats have sort of weighed what is the sexiest most hot button issue that's going to draw out supporters and base supporters. and judging the environment isn't really in probably the top five of those issues. >> i wonder if mary landrieu are on that site saying vote for me. vote for landrieu.
11:42 pm
up next, another plagiarism charge involving rand paul. but it's not what you think. those little things still get you. cialis tadalafil for daily use helps you be ready anytime the moment is right. cialis is also the only daily ed tablet approved to treat symptoms of bph, like needing to go frequently. tell your doctor about all your medical conditions and medicines, and ask if your heart is healthy enough for sex. do not take cialis if you take nitrates for chest pain, as it may cause an unsafe drop in blood pressure. do not drink alcohol in excess. side effects may include headache, upset stomach, delayed backache or muscle ache. to avoid long-term injury, get medical help right away for an erection lasting more than four hours. if you have any sudden decrease or loss in hearing or vision, or any allergic reactions like rash, hives, swelling of the lips, tongue or throat, or difficulty breathing or swallowing, stop taking cialis and get medical help right away. ask your doctor about cialis for daily use and a free 30-tablet trial.
11:43 pm
oh! the name your price tool! you tell them how much you want to pay, and they help you find a policy that fits your budget. i told you to wear something comfortable! this is a polyester blend! whoa! uh...little help? i got you! unh! it's so beautiful! man: should we call security? no, this is just getting good. the name your price tool, still only from progressive. it would be a scary process... truecar made it very easy... for me to negotiate, because i didn't really need to do any negotiating at all. save time, save money, and never overpay. visit truecar.com >> by want to remind you about our partnership with the group born free, work on the goal of stopping the transmission of hiv from mothers to their charn. no children born with hiv, and believe it or not, scientists
11:44 pm
say it can be done. if you want to help this very important mission, you can find out more information on our website. msnbc.com/hardball or go to born free's website at bornfreeafrica.org.
11:45 pm
11:46 pm
>> rand paul and plagiarism made it into another headline recently. but not in the way row think. it turns out the libertarian republican and the likely 2016 candidate has been a victim of plagiarism by other republicans around the country. and not just once. eight candidates, including two senate contenders who have
11:47 pm
pretty blatantly ripped off the freshman kentucky senator. for example, t.w. shannon a senate candidate in oklahoma seems to have used very similar language to paul when writing about the department of education. here's what rand paul wrote on his website. more money, more bureaucracy and more government intervention are eroding this nation's educational standards. and here's what shannon wrote. quote, more money, more bureaucracy and more government intervention have eroded educational standards. another example, here's rand paul's language on the topic of incumbency. long-term incumbency leads to politicians who seem to care more about what is best for their career than what is best for their country. and here is what was written, long-term incumbency leads to politicians caring for about their careers than what is best for the country. the list goes on and on, education, and more.
11:48 pm
at least two politicians simply copied rand paul's entire issue section from his website. so what does all of this say about paul's place in the republican party? after all, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. and you don't see too many republicans copying off jeb bush's website. i'll start with you, robert, what does it say about the republican party that people are cheating about rand paul? >> i think it says a lot about paul's uprising in the republican party. if you're in the republican senate primary and you're looking to fill up the issues page it makes sense to go to rand paul's website for information. because he has a little different tone and way of phrasing things than the usual republican position that would be on the rnc's website or john boehner's website.
11:49 pm
>> so is rand paul more in tune with the party than people like jeb bush or rick perry? >> yeah, absolutely, you see it in the type of folks copying from him. greg brannon is the tea party favorite for the gop nomination to run against kay hagan. he is running against an establishment-endorsed guy, tom tillis, who is the speaker of the house guy down there. it makes more sense for brannon to capture some of the energy that rand paul has tapped into, but not necessarily fill the legs of the stool, and rand paul has done an increasing job of doing that. also finding a way of walking the delicate tight rope where he doesn't offend too many
11:50 pm
conservatives, so this is a good blueprint to follow. >> to be honest with you, you have some on the right that have made no secret that they absolutely can't stand rand paul at least on his positions on foreign policy. i will give you a couple of examples, he will soon be running for office where your view of the world matters profoundly and his instincts sometimes seem more appropriate than a dorm room. quote, let's not mince words, this man wants to be the republican nominee for president and so he should be. because maybe what the gop needs is another humbling landslide defeat. and let's take a listen to republican peter king. >> this is an isolation swing from the 1930s. rand paul brings is to an ideological era. to me, it is feeding into
11:51 pm
paranoia. rand paul is not capable of having that debate. >> ken vogel says that rand paul has gone out of his way not to offend the old school party, but isn't it more accurate to say that rand paul has not set them aside? >> i think paul is mounting an interesting strategy. because he knows that the hawks still control the republican donor class. they're still the majority there and the hawks are still the majority when it comes to congressional leadership, however when he goes after these states that are having these primaries, especially in house races and senate races, he senses a bush fatigue, especially when it comes to george w. bush's foreign policy, he is tapping into that. >> isn't this a sign that that bush presidency really damaged
11:52 pm
that mainstream wing of the party pretty fundamentally if somebody who was considered fringe, the paul family is now in the mainstream, at least rand paul in the republican party? >> yeah, it shows the way the republican party has shifted since the bush presidency. and you're right to set that as the milestone. however, i do think that despite the fact that rand paul is in many ways fundamentally opposed to this sort of neo-con wing of the party he has at least made outreach to some of the folks. some of them will never accept it. to his credit he has not changed his views substantially. he is willing to listen with the social conservatives, deemphasized social issues and says that the gop may have to agree to disagree on the social issues. that is the worst thing that some of the social conservatives can hear. but some of them are not
11:53 pm
rejecting them outright. and that is a testament to his ability to sort of walk this tightrope. and i think it will be interesting to see whether he can make some of these folks sort of set aside their concerns as he appears to be positioning himself for the republican presidential nomination. >> i mean, robert, is there concern when you talk to republicans who work at that operative level that there really is not a clear alternative really at this point to rand paul who is to ken's point, trying to consolidate all the pieces of the republican three-legged stool, either by at least reaching out to them or at least not trying to offend them too much. >> i think there is growing anxiety on the right, especially within the establishment wing of the party. they expected governor christie to fill that slot for the establishment. to be the hawk who can win over the donors and put together a coalition. however, you see others now adjusting to the new reality in republican politics.
11:54 pm
the most recent example would be senator cruz articulating a reagan-like aspect. they have had tension on foreign policy. so you see where it is maybe christie comes back or jeb bush, they're all trying to get toward that bush model and the reagan model. >> i'll say it again, it is rand paul and it is not rand paul and that is what the republicans have to deal with. ken vogel and robert costa, thank you very much. and we'll be right back. stain remover and brightener, the average house-hold spends 47 cents a load on laundry. but with tide pods, you get all three in one easy-to-use pac. which, at 27 cents per load, makes a lot more sense. so try tide pods, and pop in savings.
11:55 pm
11:56 pm
11:57 pm
that corporate trial by fire when every slacker gets his due. and yet, there's someone around the office who hasn't had a performance review in a while. someone whose poor performance is slowing down the entire organization. i'm looking at you phone company dsl. go to comcastbusiness.com/ checkyourspeed. if we can't offer faster speeds
11:58 pm
or save you money we'll give you $150. comcast business built for business. let me finish tonight with the president's decision to hold off on making a decision on the keystone. it tracks the swath that goes solidly republican. but the grand totals are between 24 and 21 electoral vote, depending on the route, 62 if you count texas. keystone looks more like a bust than a boom. sure there are democrats elected in the state, sometimes the senate. there are unions that would like to see the jobs it brings, but with the party amazing a mid-term election that could
11:59 pm
decide whether the last two years of the presidency are spent passing immigration reform that could have generational demographic consequences or intentional his time vetoing abortion bills and ryan legislation, it seems to be straightforward legislation. contrast the pipeline jobs it would create, far less than the temporary jobs estimated by the state department for a pipeline that would carry canadian shell oil through the u.s. but not directly to american customers since it would be shipped around the world. and it is pretty clear the white house is right to make the calculation. that that particular heaven can wait, there are simply not enough votes in that state to off set the base. democrats need every one of those voters to turn out in november in unusually high numbers and keystone is not a fight worth picking for those who care about the environment.
12:00 am
and at the same time by not killing the pipeline outright he leaves that much hope for red state dems, it is not hard to figure out, not even close, it is "hardball" for now. and that is it. "all in" with chris hayes starts now. good evening, the standoff is not over yet, bundy still refuses to pay the million in grazing fees he owes the federal government, and now after an aborted attempt by the land management he says he is not in a negotiating mood. >> we're not going to negotiate with big government. we're not going to negotiate with blm. we're onlyng