lee knew that it fit a liberal stereotype that would make a larger point about dukakis. >> atwater wants horton front of stage, but he knows he's playing with fire. >> lee also knew that it could be radioactive with bush, that if it weren't handled right, bush wouldn't use it. bush would declare it off-limits. >> atwater and ailes take a different tack. casting a shadow over dukakis' prison weekend furlough program by making a spector of willie horton. >> we felt that the furlough too lenienlenient. and so did we push it? yes, we did. >> as governor michael dukakis vetoed mandatory sentences for drug dealers -- >> we went to a prison site in utah, we created and built a set, the revolving prison door? >> his revolving door prison policy gave weekend furloughs to first-degree murderers not eligible for parole and many are still at large. now michael dukakis says he wants to do for america what he's done for massachusetts. >> the revolving door ad accomplished what lee atwater said was his goal, which was to make willie horton into dukakis' running mate. >> we like mike. >> the dukakis tea

lee knew that it fit a liberal stereotype that would make a larger point about dukakis. >> atwater wantsie horton front of stage, but he knows he's playing with fire. >> lee also knew that it could be radioactive with bush, that if it weren't handled right, bush wouldn't use it. bush would declare it off-limits. >> atwater and ailes take a different tack. casting a shadow over dukakis' prison weekend furlough program by making a spector of willie horton. >> we felt that the furlough policy in massachusetts was too lenient. and so did we push it? yes, we did. >> as governor michael dukakis vetoed mandatory sentences for drug dealers -- >> we went to a prison site in utah, we created and built a set, the revolving prison door? >> his revolving door prison policy gave weekend furloughs to first-degree murderers not eligible for parole and many are still at large. now michael dukakis says he wants to do for america what he's done for massachusetts. >> the revolving door ad accomplished what lee atwater said was his goal, which was to make willie horton into dukakis' running mate. >> we like

heavyweight james baker, veteran strategist roger ailes, and his campaign manager, political bruiser, lee atwateras south carolina, lee was a rabble-rousing visceral, loud, street-level politician. >> bush is on the stump, dogged by questions about his role in the iran-contra scandal. he can run for president but he can't hide. >> it was by no means a certainty that george bush was going to be the nominee. >> please go to the caucuses and vote. let me get out of the way so you can make a buck here. >> he had the residual and the cancerous debilitating effect of the iran-contra affair. >> what we decided to do is i would become the most knowledgeable person possible about his involvement, and i would be the only person to talk about it. the campaign wouldlk an'taut it, only i would talk about . and that's the way we operated. >> just weeks before the iowa caucus, bush gets a phone call from cbs news anchor dan rather. >> george bush announced to us he agreed to do this interview. we begin to get calls that rather's operation has shut down everything except his preparation for the interview with ge

lee knew that it fit a liberal stereotype that would make a larger point about dukakis. >> atwater wants to put willie horton front of stage, but he knows he's playing with fire. >> lee also knew that it could be radioactive with bush, that if it weren't handled right, bush wouldn't use it. bush would declare it off-limits. >> atwater and ailes take a different tack. casting a shadow over dukakis' prison weekend furlough program by making a spector of willie horton. >> we felt that the furlough policy in massachusetts was too lenient. and so did we push it? yes, we did. >> as governor michael dukakis vetoed mandatory sentences for drug dealers -- >> we went to a prison site in utah, we created and built a set, the revolving prison door? >> his revolving door prison policy gave weekend furloughs to first-degree murderers not eligible for parole and many are still at large. now michael dukakis says he wants to do for america what he's done for massachusetts. >> the revolving door ad accomplished what lee atwater said was his goal, which was to make willie horton into dukakis' running mate.

. >> an ecstatic lee atwater meets the press. >> dukakis was so squeamish tonight about being a liberal. i mean, i think that was the most interesting thing, he stayed on the defensive all evening long. >> i saw him coming off the stage, and he said, "i'm sorry. i blew it. i'm sorry." i said, "we're all just doing the best we can." and, you know, we just cratered in the polls. >> three weeks later, george h.w. bush thunders home with almost 80% of the electoral college votes. >> the people have spoken. and with -- [ cheers and applause ] >> there's no question that the attacks hurt, and my failure to anticipate them and be ready for them from the beginning was a huge mistake on my part. >> i, george herbert walker bush, do solemnly swear that i will faithfully execute the office of president of the united states. >> my father went back to work the next morning. he walked to the subway, went back to the statehouse to go do his job. and that was unsurprising to most of us. >> congratulations. >> thank you. ♪ >> lee atwater used to say -- and he was right about this -- that there's a littl

he was lee atwaters business partner, she probably should have been onboard a long time ago.: what about the ground game? i would have thoht that trump learned his lesson watching what happened to him in iowa without a ground game. it you comprehend why he does not want a ground operation. >> that is going to be key for general election, there are two weaknesses, hisis strength is message of bringing jobs back home. lou: he backed away from this for two weeks. >> that got him to being front-runner his weakness has been two. i think had he addressed tried early on he coulhave sealed deal. number one, lack of a campaign infrastructurere. to capture people who want to get involved that includes delegate selection process, no senator, septembe sinister motive afoot, they have been in place for year, and second, data analytics, technology, he had the kind of technology that cruz or kasich had, he would have won state like new york by 10 point points. lou: and you know, the support he has got, so many millions of voters, they have to be pulling their hair out, he refused to go ther

this guy counted delegates for gerald ford, for reagan in '80 and he was lee atwater's business partner. probably should have been brought on board a long time ago. >> what about the ground game? you would have thought trump had learned his lesson seeing what happened to him in iowa without a ground game. can you comprehend why he does not want to have a ground operation? >> i can't. let me tell you, that will be key for the general election if he's the nominee. there are two weaknesses trump has had. first of all, is the strength of his message, bringing jobs back home -- >> by the way, that message he backed away from for two weeks. >> that's what got him to the point of being the front-runner. two weak answers, i think had he addressed these early on, he could have already sealed the deal. number one, the lack of a campaign infrastructure to capture people who want to get involved, and that includes the delegate selection process. there's no senator -- sinister motive afoot. they've been in place for years and years. secondly, the data analytics, the technology. had he had the kind o

bush however admired by president obama employed lee atwater to use racist means in his political campaignsally across the spectrum opens a campaign in mississippi and talks about the greatness of state's rights. now you have a different kind of demagogue. he's talented. >>> we have got to take a break. we will be right back. i'll ask david recommeis trump america's putin. it needs to be earned every day. using wellness to keep away illness. and believing a single life can be made better by millions of others. as a health services and innovation company optum powers modern healthcare by connecting every part of it. so while the world keeps searching for healthier we're here to make healthier happen. it takes a lot of work... but i really love it.s. i'm on the move all day long... and sometimes, i just don't eat the way i should. so i drink boost® to get the nutrition that i'm missing. boost complete nutritional drink has 26 essential vitamins and minerals, including calcium and vitamin d to support strong bones and 10 grams of protein to help maintain muscle. all with a great taste. i don't

>> lee atwater used to say -- and he was right about this -- that there's a little boat and on this little boat are the people the american people can imagine being president. they are the kind of people who have the stature or experience. george bush is in the boat. dukakis never made it in. >>> you are the president nobody wanted. in office by default. now you're the candidate no body believes in. in a race you're expected to lose. do you have the guts? the political cunning? the sheer determination to prove your enemies wrong? ♪ ♪ ♪ >>> the hearse bearing the body of franklin delano roosevelt rolls past on his last journey to the nation's capitol. >> april 20th, 1945, president franklin d. roosevelt is dead. for millions of americans, it's like losing a father. >> oh, fdr had been our leader for so long. he was such an effective leader. that it was a terrible blow to the country at large. >> 11-car presidential train departs from the warm springs railroad station. sorrowing throngs line the tracks. >> those of us close to him in the white house could not conceive of the country without

counted delegates for ford and reagan in 80 and lee atwater's business partner. probably should have been brought on a long time ago. >> what about the ground game? you would have thought trump would have learned his lesson watching what happened to him without a ground game. can you comprehend why he does not want to have a ground operation? >> i can't. that's going to be key for the general election. there are two weaknesses, first of all his strength has been his message, bringing jobs back home. >> that message he backed away from for two weeks. >> that's what got him to the point to being the front-runner. but what his weakness has been, two things, i think had he addressed these early on he could have sealed the deal. number one, the lack of a campaign infrastructure to capture people who want to get involved and that includes the delegate selection process. no sinster method involved. the analytics and technology. had he had the technology that cruz or kasich had, he would have won new york by ten points instead of three and got more delegates. i think he'

of the people overwhelmingly is totally destructive of the republican party, and it's against lee atwater'stheory. we want to bring new people in. donald trump wants to bring new people in. >> republicans have suppressed the vote and gone through this -- >> well -- >> now it's just so ironic to watch republicans talk about being disenfranchised. >> why are we lowering the bar so much for donald trump is my question? >> he's winning. >> yeah. the popular vote, but why does he not have the organizational structure in place? listen, this guy wants to be president? >>le cokol -- >> how come you can't reach out to the delegates and organize in all 50 states? he's trying to win by an air war. >> colorado. >> but colorado -- >> this is a test of how someone would govern as president. >> go ahead. >> no -- i mean, it's not lowering the standards. it is right, people over the party, and we keep talking about what's best for the party, the party, the party. well, the people are tired of this. >> absolutely. >> they want somebody to pay attention to them for a change. and the more they learn about wha

he came up in the '60s and '70s in the lee atwater crew of hard knuckle politics. charlie black. they found a firm that did some republican politics, but he branched out and spent a lot more time doing international clients. he's been someone who is well known in republican politics who is certainly, i would say, liked by an older establishment crew of republicans, which is obviously different than most of everyone else that trump has put in his upper echelon. but ultimately, isn't someone who has been on the scene in the heart and center of modern republican politics in the last couple cycles. you have to go back to '76 when he was active. >> ari melber, you are a look at me tv type. and so am i. >> sometimes. >> always good to see you. much more ahead on msnbc. but first, a look at where the candidates will be spending today after spending the morning at 30 rock, bernie sanders trafls to his home borough of brooklyn for a pair of rallies. hillary clinton travels to upstate new york for events in buffalo and rochester. >> john kasich starts the day in connecticut

his work dates back to 1976 and he was a close friend and ally of lee atwater back in the george h.w.hat was a long time ago. manafort has little history with the current leadership group. as he tries to make new friends, it won't be forgotten that his candidate, mr. trump, has spent the last week-plus calling the committee members dirty trickster, running a rigged system. that will be fun. that's it for "inside politics." thanks for sharing your sunday. we'll see you soon including tuesday night's primary coverage. up next, "state of the union." >>> democratic dogfight. >> she didn't answer the question. >> i did. >> no, you didn't. >> yes, i did. >> they did answer the -- well, don't put words into my mouth. >> who landed the toughest punches at the brawl in brooklyn? >>> plus, is the pope feeling the bern? bernie sanders ditches the campaign trail for the vatican. he's just back from rome, a

you said south carolina, lee atwater, the shift in the republican party in '88 moved that way.y for people in new york and in the northeast and across new england have been lee atwater, karl rove, newt gingrich, tom delay. >> and now ted cruz. >> that's why i'm saying, somebody like ted cruz comes up here, that's why people say "you know what? donald trump would be the worst thing that ever happened to kelly ayotte." no, no, no. ted cruz would be the worst thing that ever happened to kelly ayotte in a general election because there's a reason why in 2008 there was not a single republican representing anybody in all of new england in congress and that's -- >> but ted cruz means kelly ayotte is a former united states senator? >> exactly. ted cruz means bad news there, bad news in ohio for portman, bad news in wisconsin. ted cruz at the top of the ticket means ron johnson is looking far new job. >> and chuck schumer is majority leader. >> i can't say this enough. it's just a reality. you probably agree, or maybe you don't. ted cruz is the worst-case scenario for senate candidates,

lee atwater looked at that and said, we got him. >> bouncing from 1988 to 2016.are going to the poll. and donald trump is facing the prospect of possibly being shut out in today's delegate contest, which is winner take all by state and district votes. >> while a loss for ted cruz would likely be considered a devastating blow to his campaign, the final poll from emerson college shows cruz with a narrow lead over trump, 40-35 percent. a five-point distance. john kasich holding fast at 21%. cruz making retail stops alongside governor scott walker in a cheese shop with trump holding three rallies, hoping to send the senator down for the count, comparing walker's support for cruz with nikki haley's support for marco rubio in south carolina. >> the governor is against me. and i remember with nikki haley when she came out, and it was over, and then i won in a landslide, south carolina. it was over. and i have a feeling the same thing is going to happen here. because walker has not done a great job. he has not done a good job. he is -- by the way, he's been okay. you're