81-year-old man on the top floor was trapped by flames, suffering from burns. but the men from the new york city firehouse rescue one came to his rescue. one of them, firefighter jim lee, repelled down the side on a 150 foot rope. and despite the rope starting to burn, grabbed the man, lowered him to the sidewalk. 15 seconds later the rope burned through and fell to the ground. it was a heroic night for the fdny, or as they call it, wednesday. tonight was another one, when the plane carrying mike pence came to a rest at the end of the runway. that's our broadcast. "hardball" begins right now. something about women. let's play "hardball."

who would you rather have in your corner, michelle obama or newt gingrich? with the first lady, you have her inspiring young people to vote with. the former speaker, you have him bashing a tv news anchor. and today, michelle obama took the stage in north carolina. to campaign with hillary clinton, she praised hillary clinton and made a case for american greatness. >> she has more experience and exposure to the presidency than any candidate in our lifetime. yes, more than barack, more than bill. she is absolutely ready to be commander in chief on day one. and yes, she happens to be a woman. we want a president who takes this job seriously. and has the temperament and

maturity to do it well. because we want to go to sleep at night knowing that our kids and our country are safe. it's a country where a girl like me from the south side of chicago, whose great, great grandfather was a slave, can go to the finest universities on earth. a country where the daughter of an orphan can break that highest and hardest glass ceiling and become president of the united states. >> talk about political ability. i've never seen it quite as good as the first lady. earlier in the week, newt gingrich went to war with fox news's megyn kelly. he was then congratulated for his performance by donald trump. let's watch that performance. >> if trump is a sexual predator, that is -- >> he's not a sexual predator -- >> okay, that's your opinion.

>> you can not defend that statement! i'm sick and tired of people like you using language that's inflammatory that's not true. can we go back to the tapes of your show, recently. you are fascinated with sex and you don't care about public policy. >> me? really? >> that's what i get out of watching you tonight. >> congratulations, newt, on last night. that was an amazing interview. we don't play games, right? we don't play games. >> oh, yeah? that was the latest example of a campaign that some republicans say is driving away women from the party. don't just limit it to women, anyway. according to the "washington post" today, a growing number of prominent republican women are worried that as members of their male-dominated party step up to defend donald trump against accusations from sexual assault, they are causing a irreparable damage to the gop's deteriorating relationship with female voters. ironically, continuing with the post, ironically, it is trump's candidacy rather than hillary clinton's that has brought sexism to the forefront of political debate. katie packer, she was on the show recently, the deputy managing campaign manager for

mitt romney's 2012 campaign told "the washington post," quote, for next-generation professional women, the party's going to have to do something very, very drastic to change the course of where this candidate has taken us. well, how much damage is it? we've watched a lot of this and shown you the exhibits on both sides. joining me right now, michael steele, the former chair of the republican national committee. he's an msnbc political analyst. author ron reagan, also an msnbc political analyst. and molly ball, staff writer for the atlantic. molly, i want to defer to the former chair of the republican party first. i know it's a women's issue, but i've got to ask michael. this is the craziest, craziest juxtaposition. there you have the most dash -- you've got to be careful how you say things, beautiful first lady, attractive, dynamite speaker, incredibly polished, ivy leaguer in every possible good sense of that word, charming, persuasive, a role model for everyone, male and female, of every background. and then you have newt gingrich duking it out in this side show

along the gangway of some circus that they're running against megyn kelly, who is one of the most popular conservative anchors we've ever seen. what is going on with your at least current or erstwhile political party, at least? i don't know where you stand. why are they such fools? >> this is a party that is actually outside of itself right now. it has no orienting moorings. it's not moored to any idea or any particular leader in the sense that you have the congressional leadership that's going in one direction, the political leadership going in another. and you have the nominee of the party that has really not laid out a direction. so you have this moment, this quintessential moment, where all the work that the party has put in over the years to captivate the imaginations of women, african-americans, hispanics, all of that's for naught. and it's all being lost, not in a matter of years, but in a matter of weeks. in the last few weeks, this sort of dumbing down of the political process by party leaders and

others, has just been stunning. and the women of the party, in this hour saying, enough. and my view, it's about time. i want more of those voices to come out to send the clarion call that this party is going to require different leadership and a different direction after this election. >> molly, i have a plan for you to get into the front pages of the newspaper, whether you want it or not. just get within four feet of donald trump. did you see dana bash the other day? he called her insulting because she asked him about why he was taking time from the campaign to go open up a hotel. it was a fair question. of course, it was a little bit provocative, but that's the idea of these questions, you provoke the candidate. and he was provoked. anyway, your thoughts? >> look, i don't speak for all women, obviously, but the women who are pronouncing themselves divorced from the republican party, prominent women, women who are republican political professionals, they're not doing this because they disagree with republican positions. they would very much like there to be a conservative party that women can be a part of.

a party that is pro-life, a party for small government. they are not becoming liberals, right? if they're voting for the democrat, it's because they feel they've been forced to by, as chairman steel was saying, a republican party that has signaled it doesn't want to respect women as human beings. so it's a tough decision for a lot of these women and i think there is potentially long-term damage without new leadership. that being said, i think there are a lot of conservative women out there who would respond very positively to future republican candidate who was able to make more polite overtures. >> what happened to the republican party that looked up, and i mean, really looked up to margaret thatcher? big-time. she was the role model for what a conservative woman would be. and now it's the party that -- i don't want to say. it just gets you in trouble saying what you think. let me go to ron on this, who has some experience. your father's best friend in politics was this very strong

leader, leader of men and women, not somebody to be treated the way anybody should be treated, but now you see these side fights. i mean, why is newt gingrich fighting with megyn kelly? just move on! dust it off. say something. >> well, let me make one point, first. and that is, that we tend to characterize these issues of sexual harassment and sexual assault, in this case, as women's issues. they're not women's issues. if anything, they're men's issues. men are the ones, generally speaking, doing these -- the harassing and the assaulting. but they're human issues. now, as far as newt gingrich goes, really, could you ask for a worse person to be discussing issues like this? this guy's been married three times, cheated on his first two wives, told up with of his wives she had a choice, a divorce or an open marriage, was impeaching bill clinton for having a consensual affair while having an affair himself. and really, worse than that, really, conflates the two issues of sexual harassment, sexual

assault, and sex, which is a mistake you see republicans making all the time when they discuss this. this, to them, is somehow sex, when you grab a woman's genitals against her will, you're having sex, as far as newt is concerned. >> we're getting into that world now, that mr. trump has dragged us into. anyway, trump's comments about women has caused trouble throughout the campaign. he's attacked hillary clinton's look and her stamina, which i've never heard that gone after. gone after the weight of a beauty queen, mocked the looks of women who have accused him of misconduct. and attacked female journalists, asking him questions. as i said. let's look at a little run-through here. a little reminder. a little recap. >> she doesn't have the looks, she doesn't have the stamina. such a nasty woman. >> she was the winner and she gained a massive amount of weight. and it was a real problem. >> take a look. you take a look, take a look, look at her, look at her words. you tell me what you think. i don't think so! i don't think -- >> i don't have a lot of respect

for megyn kelly. she's a lightweight. she starts asking me all sorts of ridiculous questions, and you know, you could see there was blood coming out of her eyes. blood coming out of her -- wherever. >> for you to ask me that question is actually very insulting. because hillary clinton does one stop and then she goes home and sleeps. i think it's a very rude question, to be honest with you. >> donald trump said the following about you, quote, look at that face, would anyone vote for that, can you imagine that, the face of our next president? >> i think women all over this country heard very clearly what mr. trump says. >> i think she's got a beautiful face and i think she's a beautiful woman. >> good for carly fiorina. anyway, trump went after hillary clinton's stamina again today. he seemed to imply that hillary clinton was so tired after their second debate, she almost collapsed. let's watch this argument. >> she's definitely a low-energy person. i said, where is hillary? i watched after the last debate. and after the second debate. she was tired. wow.

she walked off that stage, of course, she had a lot of people around, she had a lot of people around her, which was smart. >> so, michael, just to project what he's trying to say there, because it's not hard, in other words, she had a cadre of people around here, to hold her up, so she wouldn't fall to the ground after he was finished with her. i mean! everybody saw her on television. it's like the old groucho marcus. believe me or your lying eyes. we all saw her do very well in the stamina department in all three debates. it's not questionable that she was weak. >> i think the reality for trump is that hillary clinton has very effectively batted back all of that. and pushed back on it very, very clearly and effectively. and done so in a way in which she showed, actually, in my view, him to be the weaker of the two of them. and that's what's been so profoundly stark for me in the last few weeks of this, is just how utterly donald trump's campaign has moved into a space.

it's not where no campaign has ever gone before. it is a space that doesn't exist in politics. and you're seeing the results of that. women, african-americans, other groups are just saying, enough. and i don't know how you translate that into votes in 12 days. i don't know if there's a hidden vote. they're now acknowledging that there isn't this hidden trump vote, after all. but this thing is pretty much damned near toast. and it's largely not because of anything's hillary clinton has done or the democrats have done, it is what this party and this nominee has done to itself. >> i think a good part of it is hillary's restraint, too. molly, i want to talk to you about hillary, but i want to get to the larger question we tried to raise here. looking down the road, to foreign politics, the next four to eight years, of woman who are aspiring, a woman who may have missed her generational chance, because there aren't the opportunities there is today. those women, 60 and 70-year-olds and even older, looking back, a

young woman like my granddaughter is trying to make it today. this guy's not her friend. that kind of personal reaction, what do you think it's going to do to the gop, this republicans, when this is over in two weeks? >> i want to go back to what ron was saying about men and human beings. i think that's really important. what i think is really interesting is, you know, donald trump is running an us versus them campaign. and the calculation was, sure, we might anger america's women, but men will flock to this macho appeal. men will flock to this idea of sort of dominance and machismo and old school entitlement. but that's not what's happening. according to a lot of polls, donald trump is doing worse with men than mitt romney did. >> and their daughters, too. if they have sisters and daughters -- >> or they just think women are people. in the same way -- >> makes me feel better about my gender. >> he's doing worse with white people than mitt romney did. so just by alienating

african-americans, you don't win over a lot of whites who wanted to hear that. >> thank you both. up next, donald trump is at real risk of losing a deep red state that republicans haven't lost since 1964, utah. that's because independent candidate evan mcmullen is making a strong push and he's with us tonight. this is "hardball" the place for politics. ♪ honey...our tu?urn? yeah, go left rht here (womo) greatdventures are still out ther we'll fi them inur subaru outba. (avo) ve. it'shat makes subaru, a baru.

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using 60,000 pois from my chasenk card i bought all the framewo... wire... d plants need to gi my shop... face... no one will forget. see heowerf ts cado ybuness. arn more at chase.com/ink i want you to tell your republican neighbors and friends, this is not the time to make a statement. this is our chance to make a difference. there's only two names on that ballot that have a chance to be president of the united states of america. and while i'll always respect the right of any man or woman to cast their vote in the manner that may seem best, a vote for any candidate other than donald trump, bottom line, is a vote to make hillary clinton the 45th president of the united states.

it's a hard truth. so it's time to come home. >> welcome back to "hardball." that was donald trump's running mate, of course, mike pence, campaigning in the deep red state of utah, with less than two weeks to go until the election. he pleaded with republicans to come home and support the gop ticket out of concern that utah might not be as safe as it used to be for the party. utah hasn't supported a democrat for president since 1964, when they went for johnson over goldwater. but because of the entrance of independent candidate, evan mcmullen, the state's suddenly in play. the latest poll shows a three-way race out there, among trump, mcmullen, and hillary clinton. one poll has trump up three points. another has him up two points. but a third poll shows mcmullen leading trump and clinton by four. anyway, mcmullen responded to pence and twitter after the indiana governor called on utah supporters not to support his independent bid. mcmullen tweeted, a vote for pence a vote for trump, and a vote for trump is a vote for religious bigotry, misogyny, and

the expansion of government. a former officer with the central intelligence agency, he joins me now. evan, what do you think of -- if someone votes for you and you carry the electoral votes of utah, what does that do to the race for president come election night itself? what does that do? >> well, if you believe the polls, and i do believe the polls, hillary clinton has a massive lead in most electoral college projections. and so, what happens here in utah is not likely -- >> stays in utah? >> what's that? >> it stays in utah? >> well, for now, it does. but we're building a new conservative movement, because we think that's what's required. you know, mike pence said the voters should come home to donald trump, which i think is ridiculous. because conservative voters are -- can never be at home with donald trump. donald trump has invited vladimir putin into influence our elections and undermine our elections and our democratic institutions. he's attacked people for their race and religion and their

gender. this is not what real conservatives stand for. and it's not what principled conservatives in the mountain west and in utah stand for. so there's no going home to donald trump for true conservatives. >> what other state do you have a decent chance in winning? you've got a good shot in utah. we've looked at the numbers there, those electoral votes. where else can you win besides utah? >> our best chances are in the mountain west -- >> name the other state besides utah you can win? >> idaho -- >> you believe you can win idaho? >> we can. but look, chris, we've been transparent about this whole thing, the whole way through. i'm an independent candidate. i don't have the support of a party. we have a strong message and we're running on that. we have limited resources, so we have to choose very wisely about where we spend them and our time. and the reality is, we knew we would need to do that and focused on the mountain west, because that's where hillary clinton and donald trump were rejected. and we've gotten a lot of traction here in utah. i was born here -- >> i know you've got to roots

out there. let me ask you about why lds people who are members of the church of jesus christ of latter day saints, why they would like -- why wouldn't they like a guy of trump's lifestyle? what is it about his personal behavior that turns off mormon people? generally speaking? what is it? >> well, look, i'll say that mormon people -- and i can't speak for all of them -- >> just the ones you've talked to. >> i think a lot of people, not just mormons, catholics, evangelicals, hindus, jews, a lot of people expect their leaders to be decent people. to care about americans and defend americans and not attack them. these are the kinds of qualities they're looking for in our leaders, both here in the mountain west and across the country. i think donald trump's indecency and the way he treats people, the way he attacks people of different faiths, and, you know, based on their gender or skin color, it just doesn't sit well with people out here.

and they know that our leaders need to be uniting and respectful of americans. when we return, my election diary for tonight, october 27th. no surce... no oneed... no one way of drivin on each and every road. no onebut ere is one car thatan conquer them all, thmercedes-benz c-cls. fiveriving modes l youar thatstomize the steering, shift points, and suspension to. and the road you're on. the 2016 c-cla. lease the c300 for $369 nth at your local mercedes-benz dealer

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science labs, and classroom technology and relieve school overcrowding creating more opportunity . . . and better learning for students help students succeed vote yes on 51. election diary thursday. october 27th. whatever you think of donald trump, i mean, whatever you think of donald trump, you have to wonder, why isn't he doing it? why isn't he running for president? why isn't he spending every hour asking the voters again and again do you like way things are? the way they've been headed in this country? do you like the continued destruction of our manufacturing base, the jobs that went with it? do you like the uncontrolled illegal immigration? do you like the string of stupid wars from iraq, libya, syria? if you want to keep all this way it is, vote for hillary clinton. if you don't like the way things have been headed, shake the system to the roots. if you wake up the day after the election, the same it is today, four, five, eight years from now, remember you had a chance to change it but you were too

dainty to do it. if trump were to win the election, those would be the reasons listed at the top of the newspaper the day afterwards. why doesn't he say now what would win him the election? why doesn't he fight and create stupid headlines with megyn kelly and dana bash? he seems to devote day after day to fighting fights that make people forget the reasons he started running for president, reasons that continue to carry the shrinking chance he has to win this thing. i say this not because i want trump to win, but because i can't stand politics being practiced so pathetically. thanks for being with us. join me again tomorrow night at 7:00 eastern. see you then.

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