we have charlie cook and michael sheer.charlie cook, your column today you basically pinpointed republicans as political losers on this even regardless of whether a deal is reached. explain. >> i sort of started talking about the pnch line what's mine is mine what's yours is negotiatable. we don't know whether president obama could have made stick with democrats on capitol hill, entitlement cuts, domestic spending cuts. we don't know if they have been willing to compromise or do the right thing or not. republicans are coming across so inflexible, so playing to their base as opposed to independent voters that i think they're losing this fight and because i think this is a fight for independence because there's 95% of the people in each party vote for candidates of its party. the thing is turnout does not vary that much from year to year. it's about independents. what republicans are doing is playing a losing hand toward independent voters. >> michael, the president almost cloaked himself today in polling numbers. here's what

charlie cook is an msnbc political analyst and editor of the cook report.ichael scherer covers reports for the old gray lady, "the new york times." my apology to "the new york times" for referring to "usa today" as america's newspaper. but you get one thing, they get the other. charlie, your column today, you basically pinpointed republicans as political losers on this regardless of whether a deal is reached. explain. >> i think republicans right now -- i mean, i sort of start off talking about the punch line of the old joke, what's mine is mine, what's yours is negotiable. what's happening is we don't know whether president obama could have made stick with democrats on capitol hill. entitlement cuts, domestic spending cuts. we don't know whether they would have been able to compromise and do the right thing or not. the way republicans are coming across is so enflixible, so indoctrineaire, to over to their bases, they're losing this fight. i think this is a fight for independence. 90%, 95% of the people in each party vote for candidates in its party, and tu

charlie cook, publish of the cook report and stu, editor of the rot then berg political report. >> he's> by the way, it's louisiana week. i had john brill here yesterday and i get charlie today. we can look at where we are, busting out the ipad. i know that you guys love this. it's a 53/47 majority. they have to net four or three if republicans get the presidency. so let's look at the best opportunity for stu for the republican. we put up, you seem to collectively agree, six states that are already leaning republican or pure toss ups. >> north dakota was in the bank already. it's a good, open seat. and then after that you go to three or four races and i think even money for the republicans and you have to like how they started. that would be nebraska, montana, or missouri in difficult states fundamentally leaning states. >> look, charlie cook, you take those four, pure toss ups all the way to election day, take those other four. of those four, which ones should democrats feel as if they have the best chance of stopping the republicans? >> well, i think florida is the toughest. >> we'll

. >> charlie cook said many house and senate members in the 2012, 2014, 2016 are going to lose their seats because congress has become a laughingstock over this. >> to pick up on what marks -- what mark said, john boehner -- the blandishments that worked in the past do not work anymore. you cannot do earmarks. what they worry about, some of these younger members, is a primary on their way. they are happy to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory because for them, it i ia personal victory. >> who is in trouble? orrin hatch maybe? >> absolutely. >> that is the hornets' nest of john boehner's existence. freshman of south carolina who went into the house chappell and came out and said they had collectively agreed after seeking higher power and instructions, to oppose john boehner. >> south carolina has been here before. [inaudible] they are prepared to do it again. >> that was 1861. >> do you have a statute of limitations on south carolina? >> but it is not just republicans. sanders, the independent senator, liberal. he is suggesting a primary challenge to the president. >> not going to

charlie sheen. [oinking] [hissing] [ding] announcer: cook foods to the right temperature using a food thermometer. 3,000 americans will die from food poisoning this year. check your steps at foodsafety.gov. >>> that was arnold. you've been sober for more than two decades and more than that, you've become an activist for other hollywood types who have fallen off the rail, including charlie sheen. >> it just so happens i work with hollywood. people have reached out to me. obviously i wouldn't be soeb fer it wasn't for the friends i had. in the beginning and even now. hol swood a bad place for drugs and alcohol but it is also a great place for recovery. there's a lot of recovery here, a lot of meetings an a lot of help. it feels good to help people. obviously ss a selfish thing, i help them, i feel good about myself. it always comes back, when you need it the most, down on yourself -- you say wait a minute, i actually do some nice things, okay, i may be okay. >> what was the best advice you got in terms of cleaning yourself up? who gave it to you in. >> the best advice was to make it the priority of my day

contributing writer for "roll call" and david wasserman is the house editor at the "cook political reporter." we love to have charlieon, now we've got the brains on. will i get in trouble with our friends there. gentlemen, welcome. we'll try to break it down and make it tv friendly, we'll focus on four states up on the map, north carolina, illinois, california, and florida, as we know, we lay it out, republicans have a 24-seat advantage right now and the question is what will their advantage be after redistricting is done. david wasserman, let me start with what's going on in north carolina. this is a state where republicans are dominating the process. >> absolutely. and, you know, republicans like to accuse democrats of chicago-style politics in illinois, and we'll get to that in a second. but in north carolina they're taking a machete, not just a knife, to the current map and reorganizing the political maps to their advantage. we see this from time to time when republicans gain a new majority or when democrats gain a new majority, they reorganize the map. after 2010, there are only six white conservative democrats

cook a pretty good meal, too, or serve one up, susan said i should say. at least to judge by one story i have heard, it's from the time her husband decided to challenge charlie halak for minority leader, and it was an intense con test, and bright and intense young men working around the clock in gerald ford's behalf scheduled a 6:00 p.m. meeting. but congressman fordree fused to stay for it. nope, he said, i am going home. betty has made a pot roast. she had the domestic arts in hand, and she was fierce about their importance. she knew how hard women work in the home and how important that work is, but in a way that many of us can relate to, there were times when she wondered what else she could contribute. she had danced at carnegie hall, sat for photographers before she was a congressman's wife. she had dreams of her own, talents of her own that went beyond being beautiful, though she was certainly that. blunt as always, she said that sometimes, and i quote, i felt like a nobody, like i was being left behind. as it turned out, betty ford had so much to give the world, so many contributions to make, so many lives that she has changed for the better and even

cook a pretty good meal, too, or serve one up, susan said i should say. at least to judge by one story i have heard, it's from the time her husband decided to challenge charliein gerald ford's behalf scheduled a 6:00 p.m. meeting. but congressman fordree fused to stay for it. nope, he said, i am going home. betty has made a pot roast. she had the domestic arts in hand, and she was fierce about their importance. she knew how hard women work in the home and how important that work is, but in a way that many of us can relate to, there were times when she wondered what else she could contribute. she had danced at carnegie hall, sat for photographers before she was a congressman's wife. she had dreams of her own, talents of her own that went beyond being beautiful, though she was certainly that. blunt as always, she said that sometimes, and i quote, i felt like a nobody, like i was being left behind. as it turned out, betty ford had so much to give the world, so many contributions to make, so many lives that she has changed for the better and even saved by her example and efforts. she not only became her own woman, she showed a lot of others how to do the same. w