lee atwater and the immediate past republican president of the united states, ronald reagan, and theg president of the united states, george h.w. bush, they call got involved directly and personally in a state legislative race, because they thought it was so important to try to stop david duke. and it did not work. david duke won that race. and in fact, president bush that year, ended up blaming himself a little bit, for david duke winning that race. he said he was still compelled by principle to speak out against him, but he worried that maybe having done so might have ultimately helped duke. >> what does the party do next about david duke? >> well, i'll leave that to lee, but i strongly support what our national chairman lee atwater has said in this matter. and maybe there was some feeling in metery, louisiana, that the president of the united states involving himself in a state legislative election was improper or overkill. i've read that. i can't deny that. but what i can affirm is, i did what i did because of principle, and lee has done what he's done because of principle. and t

atwater,his is lee we want you to come to the white house. atwater, iuse me mr. think you have the wrong guy. he says no no, we know who you are. a braintragically of tumor, he was karl rove before there was a karl rove. and karl rove was a pale carbon copy of lee atwater. we talk about all kinds of history. at the end of the day, he looks me in the eye and we get to what he really wanted to know. he says professor lichtman, what would happen if ronald reagan did not run again in 1984? six keys and url. -- and you are out. take out ronald reagan, you will lose the incumbency key. you are now down 4. you will lose the incumbent charisma key. george bush, charismatic? forget about it. that's five down. and you have a big party contest, you will lose that key. you go from three keys down in a short -- in a sure win to six keys down and a sure loss. lee atwater says, thank you so much professor lichtman, and the rest is history. the other call was in 1991 after i published my first book from the special assistant to bill clinton. me, based on your system, king george

. >> would the think of somebody like lee atwater and so much of what goes on today is when you are talking about news who is watching morning joe today and rob reiner was on and i will tell you he was talking about news and features and how much was news and how much was show, how much was show business and for once jar scarborough could hardly get a word in edgewise. so it's hard to tell. i would say the whole thing is fun to watch except it's so scary to watch. >> it's been since 1960 cents of presidential candidate who has remained in his name escapes need that he committed political suicide by saying one word, enough. we are now almost 60 years later , you have to do something very, very bad to commit political suicide. doesn't that say something about our civilization? >> of course but it just seems that things are way out of control. i know i am the first complaint about no one having any manners and it just goes on from there i don't think the white house but close to. >> obama -- [inaudible] >> wilke can run the country. that builds on, i tried it in college but i did not inhale an

lee atwater calling, political director of the ronald reagan white house, we want you to come to the white house. i said, excuse me, i think you have the wrong guy. i'm friends with george mcgovern and he said no, we know you are. if you don't know who he is, he died young tragically of a brain tumor, he was karl rove before their was a karl rove and karl rove was a carbon copy -- pale carbon copy of lee atwater. we talk about all caps of history. -- kinds of history. he was in the eye and guess what he wanted to know. professor, what would happen if ronald reagan did not run again in 1984? six keys and you're out. right now you're are down three keys as my article pointed out. you are a sure winner. take out ronald reagan and you will lose the incumbent to keep. you will lose the incumbent charisma key. george bush charismatic, forget it. five down. big party contest, he will lose that. -- you will lose back. you'll go from three keys in a sure win to six keys in a loss and he says, thank you so much professor. and the rest is history. the other call i got was in 1991 after publishe

. >> did lee atwater play it smart, yes or no?o what he did. >> i think it was smart to the answer is, he was smart. >> the governor trying to figure out who should the his running mate? who should be dropped on this list? >> we have two guys, can't and and bradley.mp bradley played for the knicks. >> you saw the beginning, the regulars clip. they did rotate in new people but a big part of it was people use are pretty much every week who talk like you did at a bar or dinner or any newsroom, a revelation. >> the precursor to everything cable news. they did it better. on the clips, tremendous conflict but not angry. you got a since they like each other. we have straight shooting today by yelling at each other. that was animated but you got a since they like each other. >> you saw occasionally a wink and laugh. in a time when democrats and republicans hung out together. less partisanship. that level of speed and acknowledging the fourth wall and the dirty of politics and the ironies of politics, it did not exist in television before

. >> would the think of somebody like lee atwater and so much of what goes on today is when you are talking about news who is watching morning joe today and rob reiner was on and i will tell you he was talking about news and features and how much was news and how much was show, how much was show business and for once jar scarborough could hardly get a word in edgewise. so it's hard to tell. i would say the whole thing is fun to watch except it's so scary to watch. >> it's been since 1960 cents of presidential candidate who has remained in his name escapes need that he committed political suicide by saying one word, enough. we are now almost 60 years later , you have to do something very, very bad to commit political suicide. doesn't that say something about our civilization? >> of course but it just seems that things are way out of control. i know i am the first complaint about no one having any manners and it just goes on from there i don't think the white house but close to. >> obama -- [inaudible] >> wilke can run the country. that builds on, i tried it in college but i did not inhale an

's office was between lee atwater who is managing the campaign and roger ailes who was handling the publicity, head of fox news and for the next two years george learned about electoral politics from two gifted practitioners. up he ran against michael dukakis, george saw firsthand how to run a presidential campaign. when the election was over in november 1988 george declined an appointment and returned to texas, started an informal campaign to run for governor but at the same time helped organize a syndicate to buy the texas rangers baseball team, the rangers are the old washington senator expansion team that had been formed in 1961, moved to texas in 1972, they were contenders, bush sent back money for governor and the next four years was the public head of the texas rangers, only 2% of stock, build a new stadium, basked in the glow of an improving baseball franchise. bush assisted in his father's election in 1992 but from a distance state in texas and when clinton won the election set his sights on running for governor of texas. jeb decided to run for governor of florida. bush was running a

but lee atwater talked about broaden the tent. as republicans, you have to broaden the tent and get modern democrats, old reagan democrats and independents. i hope his message is doing that. again, i pivot to him and say he's found a better way to connect with voters than i did. i hope he's doing that because i want to see him as the next president but i want to make sure we're targeting folks we don't have in the party right now and we're bringing them in. >> the "cincinnati inquirer" is setting up offices across ohio. and the campaign has just opened their first three offices in pennsylvania. if they are going to be relying on trump's persona and message, how are they going to be prepared organizationally when things really start to heat up? it's 89 days. the fire is coming right now. >> absolutely. i mean, this race right now is looking like the greatest political science experiment in history. we're going to get a real laboratory view of what happens when one campaign spends hundreds of millions of dollars in ads and has a nat

presidential candidate, republican nominee that for the first time in a long time, i think, since lee atwatern the 80s ran h.w. bush's campaign, that is not going to sit back and give as much as he takes. at the end of the day, i think donald trump is going to win from this because miss hillary has kind of revealed her cards. deirdre: joe, as our democrat, i'm assuming you disagree, but i want to hear why. >> well, i think most of america who's watched donald trump for the last 15 months can make their own judgment and have, by the way, in over 66%, roughly two-thirds of the electorate view him and say they've got concerns about his bigoted and racist rhetoric. that's not me, that's not hillary clinton, that's up in over 60% of the american people have made that judgment about him. i don't think there's a whole lot he can do to unring that bell. he did that himself when he entered the race, attacking mexican immigrants, illegal or not. rapist and criminals and all of the things he said along the way. i think, look, this is unfathomable to me that trump would call hillary clinton a bigot and t

lee atwater was a close friend of mine that i was associated with. so for the folks to come to this rhetoric without knowing, without asking the question, where do you stand on these issues, simple. i can conclude that it is just the dog whistle to gather people, vote pandering, and i respect their difference of opinion. i agree with them, but we are all for the safety, for the progress, for moving forward of this country. >> mr. khan, finally, i don't know if you saw trump's comments this morning about second amendment people. many people who saw it, appeared to imply a joke or a call for violence. what was your reaction to that? >> i was saddened. i love this country, as any american does. there's no room for violence. there's room -- there should be call for unity, call for patience, call for understanding. and that had been my concern, that i implore the people that are still continuing to think that they will vote for him, that look at the candidate. candidate has time after time proven to be undeserving of their vote. so please reconsider. reco

he told lee atwater, who then told vice president bush that trump was willing to serve as vice president. the old man and his audio diary said strange, unbelievable, which is kind of the headline of the past 14, 15 month. i think in many ways, you know, george herbert asher book is the antithesis of what we are seeing right now without any argument. he was someone who spent his life in public service as you say on his 18th earth day, june 12, 1942, 3 thingse to happened. he drove to boston and took an oath this day, later becoming the youngest flying officer in the navy. numbers that can connect in four, he shot down and loses his crew made. he plunges into the ocean, the liferaft was near him. he almost was decapitated on the way out. if you bail out of a plane, the plane doesn't stop. so another six or eight inchestd would have been the end of thew, story. and the island in which he was shot down with the scene of her graphic japanese war crimes including cannibalism. so at various points and mrs. bush would be upset with george h.w. bush, he would say at least it wasn't an orator. [la

he told lee atwater who then told president -- vice president bush that trump was willing to serve ase president. [laughter] and the old man in his audio diary said, strange, unbelievable. [laughter] which is kind of the headline of the past 14, 15 months. i think in many ways, you know, bush is the antithesis -- george herbert walker bush is the antithesis of what we're seeing right now without any argument. he's someone who spent his life in public service; as you say, at the -- on his 18th birth days, june 12, 1942, three things happened. he graduated from andover, he turned 18, and he drove to boston and took an oath as a naval enlis tee, later becoming the youngest flying officer in the navy. he's shot down, he loses his two crew mates, he plunges into the ocean. blessedly, the life raft was near him. he almost was decapitated on the way out. as you bail out of a plane, the plane doesn't stop, and he gashed his head on the tail of the plane. so another 6 or 8 inches, it would have been -- that would have been the end of the story. and he, the island in which, next to which he was

he was karl rove before there was a karl rove and karl rove was a pale carbon copy of lee atwater. he didn't ask me to the white house to talk about history. he looked me in the eye and we got to what he really wanted to know. "what would happen if ronald reagan did not run again in 1984? " remember, six keys in your out. takeout ronald reagan, you lose the incumbency key. you're going to lose the incumbent charisma key. he's five down and then he is going to have a big party contest and lose that she. -- that key. you go from three keys down and a sure win and -- 26 keys down in a sure loss. says the rest is history. in 1991 after was i had published by first look. the assistant to bill clinton asked me, based on your system, can george bush be beaten? i said look at my book and it shows he is a sure loser. i set the book to clinton along with a memo and the rest is history. now, let's turn our attention to this election. the toughest election i have ever had to call. for obvious reasons. 2008, i called in 2005. i was notorious for saying the democrats could nominate someone out o

strategy was famously articulated by one of the architec architects, lee atwater, who said this. >> in say the [ bleep ] that hurts you, backfires, so you say stuff like that, forced, busing, states rights and all of those things and you're talking about are totally economic things and by products of them is blacks get hurt worse than whites. >> and after that appeal for law and order and they responded to that dog whistle by elected nixon but locking down the south for republicans and presidential elections to this very day. it is an approach that is ready for a full national rollout according to the founder of one of the oldest websites v air.com and he told the post what the gop needs to do is southernize the white vote and have everybody in the country voting the way the southern whites vote. and this week in the atlantic jones said he hears trump using that dog whistle to play a remix of the same old song. he writes he's characterized illegal migrants rather than black americans as a threat to white women's safety and exploited islam growing power against declining white christian

lee atwater looks me in the eye and says thank you, so much, professor lichtman and the rest is historythe other call i got in 1991 after he published my first vote special assistant to governor bill clinton in arkansas and she asked me based on your system, can george h.w. bush really be beaten? his approval rating was 90% said 90% said look up and go to shows he is a sure loser. if that is the men on the best is history. no matter what your partisan affiliation, you can blame me for something. let's turn your attention to this election. the toughest election i've ever had a call for obvious reasons. 2008 i called in 2005. i was notorious for saying that democrats could nominate someone out of a phone book and win in 2008. that's not exactly what they did. who had heard of barack obama back then. i called 2012 and 2010. why is this election so difficult to call? it turns on one key and one key only and it's a very difficult thing to call which is why what your help. right now the democrats have five keys to give them. obviously, to mandate key. how did they do in 2014? horribly. obviou