host: brendan buck our guest, longtime capitol hill worker, working with john boehner and paul ryan. taking your phone calls. democrats, (202) 748-8000. republicans, (202) 748-8001. independents, (202) 748-8002. they are also seeing your partner at seven letter. what is that? guest: the lobbying we provide the communication device to nonprofit programs. host: what kind of contact do you have with members there still? guest: i keep in touch, particularly on a staff level. i have a good sense of what folks are thinking and doing, a lot of friends who still work there. i wouldn't say that i miss it up there, but it is good for me to stay in touch and get my advice and hear what they are thinking. host: explain what it is. guest: anybody who works for john boehner is forever a part of a boehnerland, a community of staff that worked with them. john boehner really respected staff and understood the value they bring, and always made his -- us feel like home. whether you worked for him, whether he was chairman, or work for him at the end of the speakership, there is forever some paternity of

back to the broadcast, michael steel, who is former press secretary for former house speaker john boehner and a guy who knows the hill very well. also with us, another returning guest, glen kirshner, former federal prosecutor and msnbc

some of them work unhappy with kevin mccarthy as well as speaker john boehner, and there were enough of them to make it difficult for mccarthy, even if the parties in the minority can get enough votes to demonstrate party unity and support party leadership. but over the last several years, for a number of reasons, those no longer feel strongly about opposing mccarthy, at least not publicly, so he has been able to cement support behind him. now, again, he is in the majority, so it is not likely for him to be elected speaker, even with the narrow majority the democrats have, but it serves some important, symbolic purposes, to show that your party is behind you completely, it gives you greater authority in your party, makes it easier to lead to might help fill morale, and it also cannot demonstrate, hey, we are a large majority that can work together as a bloc, so the democrats ave to stay united greta: mack green with us, professor at catholic university and co-author of the book "house leadership elections. we're talking to him and as we're doing this you're seeing on the floor a quor

you're a member of boehner land which is the circle of aides and advisers that worked for boehner when he was speaker and we have reported he sent an e-mail out saying this is a moment to stand up. we need to do our part. we can still do good in this country. if you're a republican, someone who worked through all of this and everything we have seen through the last four years supposedly through the times. what are you thinking right now today after not just what happened on wednesday but everything we learned about how bad this could have been. how dangerous to people like yourself and others you have known and worked with for many years think about what needs to happen next? >> icalled for a lot of self-reflection. i think that's something missing. the president demonstrated for four years he cannot be trusted. he's a liar. some of us thought the best way to handle him was to try to put up some guardrails. to a certain degree were successful in that. at the end of the day, you have to stop and look at what matters. what is important? why are you there? i've come on this show and yours

of ways what's going on in the republican party reminds me much more of what former speaker john boehner and eric cantor dealt with when the tea party came in. didn't know how to deal with the base, didn't know how to deal with independent actors doing whatever they wanted and ended up losing their seats or walking "way from the game altogether. i see what's going on in the senate particularly, people like josh hawley or tom cotton. we have rand paul and ted cruz, marco rubio. i don't see a path for mitch mcconnell to keep control of his caucus going forward. he'll have the same challenges with all of these people jockeying to become the heir apparent to become nominee in 2024. everyone looking out for their own political interests and this is such a different time than we had in 2009. there is no chris dodd or ted kennedy, john mccain, john kerry. those who cared about the senate. those people are gone. left behind, began with the tea party. now morphed into a trumpism we're in right now. there's no controlling it. it's a runaway train, and they're only going to be happy if they burn th

the record good worker why are the ones who are not from known boehner want to see him bring as we go. but i thought i'd want to. follow the law by saying but of bullets and went on thought only you know what i have on the us in the months ago in cincy gas i mostly . remember. that you'll have things here almost him but he says i most recently got out of despair yet i mostly use him also knowing my you know some of them off the ice you'll get on us and he said oh but i must. be. there for some for i. reckon. they're going to hold on to someone after the monologue and i'm sure but i thought i saw no sympathy when i got out i have an anonymous or darkly among those who are classical. for for i already. sat almost in the den more sunday going there but oh so you see him but i've been the most want to have said that they are in the gym on all i hear. when i. know you like that. language. yeah yeah it's a shared project it's not about me it's about us it's about this group of people and how we're all learning from each other that and having basically the most wonderful time with mozart and

he served as a top aide for former house speaker john boehner. thanks for getting up early with us this morning. you and i have worked together for many, many years, since you were working on the hill for john boehner. you've worked on campaigns that i have covered. we have tussled over language in stories or how things were covered, but i know that after more than a decade of covering the hill, i certainly never expected to see what we saw play out yesterday, and i'm, you know, grappling with the sadness of it, because i love covering the capitol, and i know that you have also devoted much of your life to trying to make our government better and to make it work. so, what did we see yesterday from your perspective? and republican leaders, honestly -- you know, we've taken them on "morning joe" and elsewhere, critics have taken them to task for not saying enough in the face of donald trump's actions. they always seem to think, well, the system will hold, i'll just keep my head down and get through this. and this is where it's led. what responsibil

you know, the dynamics at play right now, it reminds me so much of what former house speaker john boehnernd majority leader eric cantor had to go through a few years ago ago and it was that fracture between the base and the so-called establishment that ultimately led to eric kanter being primaried and losing his seat and john boehner packing up and leaving because he didn't want to deal with it anymore. in 2009 when we had an opposition president come into office, it was a different senate. you had people whether it was john kerry and ted kennedy on the left, you had the lions of the senate who cared more about the institution and the establishment than their own partisanship. well, that's not the case now. gone are those types of people and instead we have josh hawley, ted cruz, marco rubio, tommy tuberville. in the house we have qanon people that infiltrated the house of representatives. it is such a different dynamic at play, and i think what we're seeing right now is the opening stages of what's going to be an all-out civil war between the republican party wean those who still support

host: brendan buck our guest, longtime capitol hill worker, working with john boehner and paul ryan.g your phone calls. democrats, (202) 748-8000. republicans, (202) 748-8001. independents, (202) 748-8002. they are also seeing your partner at seven letter. what is that? guest: the lobbying we provide the communication device to nonprofit programs. host: what kind of contact do you have with members there still? guest: i keep in touch, particularly on a staff level. i have a good sense of what folks are thinking and doing, a lot of friends who still work there. i wouldn't say that i miss it up there, but it is good for me to stay in touch and get my advice and hear what they are thinking. host: explain what it is. guest: anybody who works for john boehner is forever a part of a boehnerland, a community of staff that worked with them. john boehner really respected staff and understood the value they bring, and always made his -- us feel like home. whether you worked for him, whether he was chairman, or work for him at the end of the speakership, there is forever some paternity of forme

it isn't about can she go get a drink with john boehner, can she go schmooze with mitch mcconnell. she's not about a politician like chuck schumer, the democratic leader in the senate, is more about that sort of schmoozing relationship and the affection between human beings, at a think that's not the way our politics works. she's much more about counting votes and doing the deal. >> what is your sense of what she cares about right now in the sort of ongoing stimulus negotiations? it strikes me that democrats are talking all the time about vote by mail, about elections, protections, to sort of making sure that whatever happens in november is safe, on the level and so forth. and yet you don't see these things, you don't see the leverage nancy pelosi now has ever come out of those. what is your sense of how those next round of negotiations might go especially given how important this issue seemed to be with democrats? >> it's been interesting to watch. she always is sort of on the tight rope i guess you could say but it is a a high wire act for her where you have the left saying she's

meetings over the course of a week or 2 weeks to get this declaration but if you think about the boehner outbreak for example that was almost 8 months after the 1st case that we had the public health budget see of international concern declaration so i think they have to take quite quite quickly and they have been nothing but consistent in providing the best evidence and the best guidance to countries across the world i think the reason we're in this that there's a situation i don't think it's. sorry china w.h.o. i think it's that countries didn't listen to the b.h.a. right countries didn't respond quick enough when they said this is an imagine say path countries are complacent particularly countries in europe north america who would never really experienced a major pandemic or epidemic before just sort of waited and didn't really do anything and the only things they did do was stopping travel from china which we've seen and it's been widely shown to be effective you have the report says that the doubler throws a lot of response system is archaic and court needs to be brought into the di

ourselves the media itself the so horrible bit that i would say get rid of it except for zach and ask boehner i'm direction right so i don't know what to do i'm a little lost it's a great point to dig deeper into but i kind of want to switch gears here for a 2nd because you're calling a top in the bond market this has been a widow maker for years and years and years everyone has called the top of the bond market as gonna see the bond the straight a lot higher why what has brought you to this conclusion dave are you the next generation of those who are going to lose money on this bet or what's going on dave tell us why is the bond market over extended i'm not going to lose money because i'm not betting against it i am staying up way out of the splash now and saddam are not to short any such hassle it's a ponzi scheme to me i don't short that's well known in their right mind that at this point. the bond market may not be near it's how we got a negative tempered cent interest rates of course the bond market go anywhere wants where the bond market currently exists is that you can't own bonds and

regardless we have another video from someone in our community this is paul austin and he is the i think boehner is c.e.o. of 3rd wave took this out. my readers in silicon valley are becoming involved in the decriminalization and legalization of movement of source i've been in 3 ways one is by donating to non-profits and particularly the psychedelic science funders collaborative who donates money to maps after. us the 2nd way is by starting for profit ventures there's tons of companies that are popping up in the for profit space for psychedelics who are raising investment to get so as i've been approved as a medicine for depression addiction various number of other condition there are ways of storytelling people telling their personal stories of how my producer has helped them the time is now to d.c. with ties these substances and storytelling is a critical element of that process. then you'll continue to talk about i know michael dawson kind of has this bit of a bad rep or being a silicon bro thing but it goes way beyond that right can you talk a bit about micro dose of. yeah a little bit i wou

neighborhood where i am is a victim you know he's sending letters from heaven with the end of all of the boehner plan way around oh it was just kind of that that motto of the show. and. they said say it inexhaustibly had. to get to it's the old me of so walla best local level i might add the moderation and. what i don't have. the info from handwritten man did for. you and him and the date of that are 71 of the day one of the volga. the talk. about. percent same that i am headed to father. has a. massage. do well the i'm in the bath been to laid out a montage of santa for haeckelii and to discipline him to put her sweetness to predict a tussle subtract last subject out of him in 3. and. get him a question that beat all lead but can't put the fire out in the american hold her she. gave her i don't know i said. who had been more went through your head remember well. it must drop. after having. been there you can as hell allie and michael gambon so janelle i felt a many a little fantasy about and so was it chemically. said who as you are good to her don't want to or ought to be liable to her duty i

over where i am he's a victim you know he's ending up the same type of i'm at the end of all of the boehner plan way around oh that was just kind of that motto of the show all the time over. and over this it's a it inexhaustibly had. to get to it's the old me of so walla best local level i might add the moderation of. what i don't have. to the food from hand which many men did for. young women today to that are 71 of today one of the front of a lot of the talk. about those you have recently had to say that i am headed to father got out and. saw. what of. where do well d.m. in the bath been to a montage of center for haeckelii and to discipline him to put her sweetness to predict a tussle subtract last subject out of him in 3. and. get him a question that bit all lead but can't put the fire out in the america and hold her she. just had oh i think. i said who every moment you know i have a memorial. it must drop. after having. been with a can as hell alley and muck with the enemy so janelle to many a little fantasy about an alleged chemical. who as you are good to her don't want to or ought t

never know where i am he's a victim you know he's anything but a sham have i'm a lover and all of the boehner plan way around oh no that was just kind of that that motto of a short. order i'm sorry also this it's a linux also i mean i had. to get to it selamat and it had the old me up so walla best local level i might add the moderation of. what i don't have. the info from handwritten man did for. me and him and the date of that awesome and one of the day one of the vault of what an adult talk. about on a recent law had to say that i am headed to father mad to. me and i quote a. do well d.m. in the bath been to a montage of center for had kelly and me to give us a clue interviewed her sweetness the predicted hustle subtract last subject out of him into. a question that bit all lead but can't put the fire out in the american hold her she . gave her i don't know i said. who every moment you know i have a memorial. it must drop. after having. been with a can as hell ali and michael gambon so janelle i fell to many elephants about and so was it chemically. who as you are so hard on one or 2 ought

kill so many more people like it would if it was it going or if the boehner was in his interactions this coach and so we really do need to rethink our relationship with the natural one of which we are caught and on which we depend and our relationship with the animals with whom we should share this planet. do you have thoughts on this time on covert in what kind of red warning lights are going off that were you. well that one in light of simply that as i say we disrespect animals we're treating them in ways that i mean you know the golden rule of every single major religion around the world is do to others as he would have them do to you and animals ascend in being good not just things and way treating them as though that commodities and this if you care about animals the way i do if you understand their sentience then this is it's a black mark against our humanity actually and we really do need to change that now is mahatma gandhi who sent you can tell me something about the nation by the way it treats its animals we're not treating animals. correctly and it's not just the wildlife in t

describe who we are or what we might be once you get to governing dealing with mitch mcconnell and john boehnernd ben nelson sometimes progresses in particular overestimate the degree to which high rhetoric will actually move votes. >> so what i wanted to ask and go from there you said you are writing this book explicitly for younger people so what is your diagnostic for the unfinished business they have to take up as they move alongside us and as they complete us? >> i am so excited to see this generation coming up if they would get out of the way that is true culturally in terms of politics i think their instincts that it is second nature for them to believe that all people have truth and dignity and it second nature for them to not with gender identity or who they pray to. they are sophisticated and smart taking in culture not just all across the country but all around the world and they are highly idealistic. the question for them will be how do we build institutions that will work in the modern era to reflect those impulses? so the big work of the next generation is to channel the natural

know where i am he's a victim you know he's anything at the time have i not the end of all of the boehner plan a round oh no that was just kind of that that motto was sure of the come over. and over this it's a linux also i mean i had. it's the old me of so walla best local level i might add the moderation of. what i don't have. the info from handwritten man did for. you and him and the date of that awesome and one of the day one of the volga. the talk. about those you have recently had to say that i am headed to father got another. soft. do well d.m. in the bath been to a montage of center for hack alley and to discipline him to please her sweetness the predicted hustle subtract last subject out of him in 3. and. get him a question that beat all lead but can put the fire out in the america and all the others she. have had oh i said. who every moment you know i have a memory i. must drop. after having. been with a can as hell ally and mark with the enemy so janelle i fell to many a little fantasy about an alleged chemical. who as you are good to her don't want to or ought to be liable to

so that you're all right theo was married to you and of boehner and the young couple of. son and this little baby is my grandfather. and grandfather inherited from his parents a collection of 200 paintings by fits and 500 drawings and for instance letters to his brother and here we see in the sixty's in the sixty's we see here the living room of grandfather and i remember the element was from hanging in the. living room the element blossomed a beautiful one of the most beautiful paintings ever made dedicated by finn sent to the birth of his little nephew it's not a family you holds the rights that were licenses it's the museum and my grandfather was the owner of this amazing credible collection but in order to afford to it it would be defied it is 3 parts after his that he had 3 children and his dream worse to keep the collection together and to share the collection rid everybody for always so he brought the entire collection everything effort by fence and there theo brought out of the hands of the family and transferred it to a specially established fence and franco fron

tom: is she as fragile as john boehner? not a question of fragility.ongmore a question of how does the speakership tenor frequently last. this is someone who has beat the political odds and reclaimed the gavel, which is historic in and of itself. that perspective she is a bit of a political anomaly. , the question of how many years her speakership the last and which incoming generation, not even necessarily from an age perspective, but from a factions perspective is being now openly discussed. take if the democrats do the senate, what are the likelihoods that you see the chances of an infrastructure bill getting past? next round of stimulus, if it was juxtaposed with a national security element pertaining to 5g technology as well as talking about the stimulus checks, i think they could be able, the democrats could be able to find a sympathetic ear and some of the more moderate members of the republican party, like senator susan collins and those type of lawmakers. senator josh hawley raised the prospects of being able to checkt a $2000 stimulus and he

brendan buc is a former top aid to john boehner. and anna in a vor row is here. brendan, you first, the gop you guys lost the senate and lost the white house. and yet a lot of republicans are sticking with trumpism even after the pro trump mob stormed the capitol. how does that make any sense? >> well, it makes sense because each one of these members is only concerned about their primary. the republican primary. and there is such a market for what donald trump is selling that it's really the only box you have to check. look, usually after an election there's -- that you lose -- like we did. the white house and the senate after losing the house, there's a period of self-reflection, some grappling with what happened. that is just not happening, because there is no other side of the party right now. and you've got mitt romney. you have maybe a ben sass, but nobody is really arguing the other side of the case that what dump stands for is bad or wrong or an electoral disaster. no one is willing to say that because it's in their own political self-interest to keep doin

he was going to suffer the same fate as the previous speaker of the house, john boehner, and so yes,talk to, to change the conversation, not from what republicans are going to do in the party now but what everyone else is going to do and you saw a germ of some of this emerging approach, i think, after the insurrection when corporate america said, you know what? those 47 house lawmakers who voted to overturn a democratic election, we're not going to give you money anymore. so, what will happen in this new post-trump era where trump is still throwing grenades from the sidelines and members like mccarthy are feeling that they need to go and bow before him. how is corporate america going to respond? because nicole, you were in this town for a long time. i've been in this town for a long time. we know how this operates. we know how those tax cuts got through. it is the thing that corporate america wants, and the money that comes from the donors and when the donors start speaking, that's when things start moving and that's when things start changing. secondly, how are democrats going to re

john boehner was a good friend of mine. they had other things on their mind that night beside sandy. my concern was, this thing will get buried in less we keep it alive. getting the money for the families was pretty good. and obviously, getting funding to fight ms-13. all in all, it has been a good run. i was very involved in the irish peace process. for anyone who is catholic or christian, that was supposed to be the holy thursday agreements. it became the good friday agreement. that was like an 800-year struggle. 300 years depending on how you want to -- being on the phone that night with my -- that night in my apartment in washington, with the white house, belfast, all different parties. i went to sleep around 2:30 and definite. then i got a call from the white house about 6:00. first i was annoyed they woke me up, but it was good news the agreement had been signed. host: as an amateur pugilist, have you used those skills in congress? rep. king: it gives you a certain bit of confidence. i know what to do. i'm like a week

. >> you're reminding me of what former speaker boehner just tweeted, the party of lincoln and reagan is taking a nap the nap has become a nightmare for our nation the gop must awaken. the invasion of our capitol was a zbra a disgrace once trump is skiesremoved frome party, you they we can move on >> that's what i believe i think he is the cause of this and the solution is the party has to take back the -- they're goal and what it really means. and i don't think trump represented those goals. >> we also want to bring in kenneth jacobs, lazar chairman and ceo. we've been talking about the business community's response to yesterday's events i wonder about the ones that we haven't heard from, some big names in technology like jeff bezos and youtube's ceo. do they need to respond? >> we're a country of laws and institutions these laws and institutions they underpin civil society and they are the pillar our economy. and the events of last night and the events leading up to last night really is a fundamental attack on the rule of law and civil society. i think in ordinary times business is

what we might be but once you get to governing and then i'm dealing with mitch mcconnell and john boehnernett nelson and robert berg and sometimes progresses in particular overestimate the degree to which high rhetoric is going to actually move votes because the country -- >> what i wanted to ask about and where i wanted to go from there is young people, you said you are writing this book explicitly to younger people so what is your diagnostic for the unfinished business that they have to take up as they move along side and as they come to lead us. >> i am so excited to see this generation coming up if us old folks will get out of the way ass that is true culturally and in terms of our politics and i think their instincts are really good and they are second nature for them to believe that all people have intrinsic worth and dignity and it is second nature for them cannot discover nate against people because they are differences and raise or gender identity or who they pray to and they are sophisticated and smart and taking in culture from not just all across the country but all around the

we were suddenly involved in what was better solved by others they said i want to hear what john boehnerhas to say. you want to get some kind of idea of what he would ask bush and the democrats for that he could deliver and that's why he sort of acted that way in that meeting but it was a mistake we should have seen coming. it was a loss. when you are struggling to get onto the yaron to the yard liney you are knocked back or very late in the race to the 1 yard line. we've heard it realistically that it was very unlikely. >> how long did it take to recover wax. he is a man with enthusiasm. he threw himself into anything he could find and he had expressed particular interest before and he would get involved to stay busy. i remember on election night he was very stoic. if there was a speech that would stand the test of time for graciousness and spirit of patriotism and love of country he turned to the secret service detail and said you've been great it's been wonderful to get to know you. thank you very much. >> and then i don't ever want to see you again. the next morning he responded they

animal who is desperate to become speaker of the house and wounded from not becoming speaker when john boehnernitially, he suffered the blowback as cheney and mcconnell did. as a test of leadership, cheney and mcconnell stuck to their position. kevin mccarthy is backpedaling. he wants to be speaker. but it's also an indication of this previous topic, alex, which is donald trump still controls the party. this is a marriage of necessity. kevin mccarthy is a perfect reflection of the fact that this party remains shaped in donald trump's image. cheney and mcconnell are the last gasps of the old republican party. >> a new poll shows that 57% of americans, they're confident in joe biden's ability to unify the country. do you share the same optimism? >> absolutely. and that's why it was very clear early on, it was clear that joe biden was probably the only person that could beat trump and i think that sentiment is seen now in the idea that 57% of voters think he's the one who can bring us back. but we were dragged down during the trump years and a significant part of joe biden's task is just getting

that was newt gingrich and john boehner. they had larger majorities and faced more defections. the clerk of the house: the house will be in order. the house will be in order. the honorable nancy pelosiate o -- ornia has received 216 the honorable kevin mccarthy of the state of california has received 209. the honorable tammy duckworth of the state of illinois has received one vote. the honorable that keem jeffries of the state of new york has received one vote. therefore, the honorable nancy pelosi of the state of california having received a majority of the votes cast is dual elected speaker of the house of representatives for the 117th congress. the clerk of the house: the clerk follows the following committee to escort the speaker-elect to the chair. the gentleman from maryland, mr. hoyer, the gentleman from california, mr. mccarthy, the gentleman from south carolina, mr. clyburn, the gentleman from louisiana, mr. scalise, the gentlewoman from massachusetts, ms. clark, the gentlewoman from wyoming, ms. cheney, the gentleman from new york, mr. jeffies, the gentleman from minn

john boehner is supporting this. this is the real fight within the republican party now. and you know this, don, most americans don't really care about the heart and soul of the political party. but this is not just about a political party. it's about the heart and soul of the country. and that's why these fights are so important right now. >> doug, thank you. abby, congratulations. abby has a new show. well, she is the new host of our show inside politics on sunday morning. make sure you tune in. abby, did a great job as usual and i will be watching again, this sunday. >> getting up early for me? >> getting up early. and -- and dvr. thank you. good to see both of you. be safe and warm. it's cold up here in the northeast. thank you. >>> outrageous conspiracy theories from marjorie taylor green. reopening tragic wounds, especially over the parkland shooting. the mother of a teacher and the coach who -- who was killed trying to save his students joins me with her message to green, next. carvana's had a lot. 100% online car buying. car vending machines. and now, putting you

back to the broadcast, michael steel, who is former press secretary for former house speaker john boehner and a guy who knows the hill very well. also with us, another returning guest, glen kirshner, former federal prosecutor and msnbc legal analyst and counselor, let me begin with you. tell the good folks watching why it is that you are the guy to talk to when we are discussing what could be a huge investigation into not only what happened in the district today, but how it was allowed to happen. what was your prior role there? >> so, brian, i was a federal prosecutor for 30 years, almost 25 of those years i was a prosecutor in the washington, d.c. u.s. attorney's office. so we would routinely see between 75 and 125 lockups every day. now that i'm retired from the department of justice, i don't mind saying that one of my least favorite duties was reporting to the basement of the courthouse at 7:00 a.m. to begin to go through that lockup list and what it entailed was interviewing every single officer or agent who made an arrest the day before and trying to decide whether we had enough evid

buck, the chief communications adviser from former speaker paul ryan, the press secretary for john boehnert saying are you old. i am saying you have been around this building for a long time. what are you hearing from folks on the senate side about mcconnell's role here and what that whip count may look like at this point? >> yeah. that's the question everybody is asking. what is mitch mcconnell up to? he has clearly signaled that he is opened to impeachment. which is a remarkable place for him to be. i think what he's doing right now and the purpose of sort of floating this is to encourage his members to actually think about this. and giving them the permission to take a yes position on it. i think what he's probably doing behind the scenes right now is feeling out where his senators are. and what he is going to do i expect is make his position based on the feedback. i think there are two options, you get up to 67, 68 votes and really go for it or you kind of retreat and don't really make the effort and vote no i think the most likely vote ranges that you are looking at are somewhere betw

>> it was not the kind of thing you'd hear a speaker john boehner or senate leader mitch mcconnell voicedidn't push back vociferously against it. >> how do you think it comes to be that this kind of misinformation gets spread around and prevails? >> i have no idea but i take the president at his word. >> they won't endorse it but they won't repudiate. they won't say it's wrong. they'll say something like, i take him at his word. >> the state of hawaii has said that he was born there. that's good enough for me. the president says he's a christian. i accept him at his word. >> obama would say to me, not so much surprised as in kind of dark humor, like they can't even condemn the birther movement? >> it really is not our job to tell the american people what to believe. >> they were okay with this. right? the energy that this was generating. the energy in their base was more valuable to them than the idea that it's wrong to say that the first black president was born in africa. >> if i were advising then-president obama, i would have said to him, hell, no, don't show them nothing. you go out

joining me now, brendan buck, former adviser to former republican house speakers paul ryan and john boehnernna edwards. brendan buck, karl rove said yesterday that the republican party is engaged in a civil war. do you concur? >> yeah, it's obvious that we're falling apart in front of our eyes. what i'm worried about is the other side of the civil war, the side against donald trump, is still vanishingly small. and i'm hoping that what happened yesterday is going to change that and that you're going to start finally seeing a few more republicans who realize that trumpism has been a cancer on the republican party. what we saw yesterday was the natural evolution of where this has been going. you had obviously a president who has been lying to people for months, for years, but you also had republican senators who were engaging it, who were perpetuating that lie, and this is what happened. and i'm hoping that what happened yesterday will open people's eyes and tell them that we can't keep doing this. look, we had a complicated history with the president, when i was working for speaker ryan. it's

in response to the announcement a former top aide to speakers john boehner and paul ryan tweeted, congress a sensible republican anymore. ohio republican senator rob portman joins me now. thank you so much for joining me. i know you heard my interview with brian dees, the president's top economic adviser. i talked to him about the letter that you and nine other republicans send this morning. what do you think about that and what is your reaction to what he said? >> first, thank you for the interview. it is the first time i've heard the administration say they actually want to make good on the promises made in the inaugural address with regard to covid-19 so you made progress. thank you. i mean, seriously. it is extraordinary to me that you have a great speech which i said at the time i said at the inaugural talking about the need to heal and work together as a country, republican and democrat alike, and a pledge to do more outreach to republicans. and then the next day landing on our desks a $1.9 trillion covid-19 package when only a month ago we passed a $900 billion covid-19 package that

. >> brandon buck, former senior adviser to house speaker john boehner, former maryland congresswom congresswoman donna edwards. stacey abrams was on last night saying she thinks they have done this, that they're highly motivated. we're seeing from what blayne is reporting from part of atlanta, a drop-off, not as many day-off voters. what do you think in terms of getting enough voters out today to overcome the traditional day-of republican vote? >> happy new year to you, andrea. i must say that i -- >> happy new year. >> absolutely. this election music or steve kornacki here at the beginning of january but here we are and all eyes are focused on my home state. what's interesting in that report from blayne other than the soundtrack that accompanied it, which i appreciate being a georgia native, she's in atlanta where we know a lot of black voters voted early in this runoff election and voted mail-in in this election because of concerns around coronavirus and because of concerns around election integrity, wanting to make sure they weighed in in these very conventional runoffs and that they weren't

adviser for jeb bush's presidential campaign in 2016, and former press secretary for house speaker john boehner. good to have the three of you with us. let me start with you juanita. what do you think is the democrats' best strategy going forward right now? >> i think schumer already laid it out. do it all and do it all quickly. the american public went into the 2020 election with an explicit mandate. we need immediate relief and help in this pandemic. trump needs to be held accountable. there is, not doing it is not an option at this phase. i think an old colleague of mine would always say there is a lot to be done and undone. that is a tone and tenor we're seeing from this senate under schumer's leadership as well as under biden's leadership. the senate absolutely has to do it all and do it quickly. >> before i come to you, michael, juanita, let me get your reaction to this cut from senator mitt romney, republican from utah. here is part of what he said on "fox news sunday" with regard to president biden's call for unity. watch. >> do you see an inherent conflict between calling for unity and