joining us in the crossfire, congressman crowley and ralph reed. this is the reality in today's nbc washington post poll, the president is down 15 points from january when it comes to being a strong leader, he's down 8 points for being honest and trustworthy. most damaging though, 70% of the country believe he's on the wrong track. is 70% of the country wrong? >> i think it's also reflective of where they see their government going. it's not just the president. i think it's the entire congress as well. you have a dysfunctional congress. the republican congress has no vision. it has no agenda for 2014. and i think the president pays some of the price for that. >> these numbers are about the president, though. >> polls go up and down. >> they're not just reflective of the president. they're reflective of what's happening right now in the times. we live in a very unsettling world. and quite frankly, what my republican colleagues continue to do is create more uncertainty. more fiscal cliffs to come, unfortunately, we have a cr that will expire in mid j

ralph reed, thank you so much. it was great to have you on.e'll be right back. [ male announcer ] playing in the nfl is tough. ♪ doing it with a cold, just not going to happen. ♪ vicks dayquil powerful non-drowsy 6-symptom cold & flu relief. ♪ no matter what city you're playing tomorrow... [ coughs ] [ male announcer ] ...you can't let a cold keep you up tonight. ♪ vicks nyquil powerful nighttime 6-symptom cold & flu relief. ♪ >>> we are back. joining me now, sam seder, host of the online podcast, majority report, and investigative journalist, sara posener. she ran a story about former president's involvement with the messianic jewish group for the november issue. sara, what are you surprised when you found out he was speaking there? >> i was very surprised. bush, as you mentioned in the opening segment, is an evangelical. he was very open about that as president. and he very openly coalesced with evangelical groups when he was running for president and while he was in the white house. but this group is fundamentally different from your averag

ralph reed, thank you so much. it was great to have you on.ck. [ sniffles ] i better take something. [ male announcer ] dayquil cold and flu doesn't treat that. it doesn't? [ male announcer ] alka-seltzer plus fights your worst cold symptoms plus has a fast-acting antihistamine. oh what a relief it is! [ passenger ] airport, please. what airline? united. [ indian accent ] which airline, sir? [ passenger ] united. whoa taxi! [ british accent ] what airline, then? [ passenger ] united. all right. [ spanish ] what airline? [ passenger ] united. ♪ [ mandarin ] which airline? [ passenger ] united. [ arabic ] which airline? [ passenger ] united. [ italian ] where are we going? [ passenger ] united. [ male announcer ] more destinations than any other airline. [ thai ] which airline do you fly? [ passenger ] united. [ male announcer ] that's great, big world friendly. ♪ jbut when it comes to investing, things i prefer to do on my own. [ male announcer ] that's great, big world friendly. i just think it's better to work with someone. someone you feel y

ralph reed, thank you so much. it was great to have you on. we'll be right back. always wil. charge of your future. your retirement. ♪ ameriprise advisors can help you like they've helped millions of others. listening, planning, working one on one. to help you retire your way... with confidence. that's what ameriprise financial does. that's what they can do with you. ameriprise financial. more within reach. but with less energy, moodiness, and a low sex drive,y first. i saw my doctor. a blood test showed it was low testosterone, not age. we talked about axiron. the only underarm low t treatment that can restore t levels to normal in about 2 weeks in most men. axiron is not for use in women or anyone younger than 18 or men with prostate or breast cancer. women especially those who are or who may become pregnant and children should avoid contact where axiron is applied as unexpected signs of puberty in children or changes in body hair or increased acne in women may occur. report these symptoms to your doctor. tell your doctor about all medical conditions and medications. seriou

ralph reed mention this.what has happened because of the shutdown. i think somebody like a scott walker, you know, it has been a long time since republicans had won in that upper midwestern region of the country that they really do have to do well in. if a republican can win some of the northeast like a christie can, that's sort of gravy. the truth is you got to win some part of wisconsin, michigan, ohio, pennsylvania, iowa. and truthfully it's been since really the george w. bush's re-election in 2004. they haven't been tremendously competitive in these areas. i agree with chuck. the real big lift for chris christie politically begins after he gets re-elected and that is how does he take this image of being electable and win a primary. because it's going to be an exceedingly difficult thing to do. you know, interesting to watch ralph reed with the faith and freedom voters is, you know, can chris christie appeal to a faith and freedom voter. and can he run this gauntlet of a primary which is very difficult. >

finding a common ground, building a -- >> we had ralph reed here, a big party of your party, and he determined what a lot of that party can do. he was not as opening and welcoming. does it both you you that there are voices that sound less welcoming 1234. >> i think in america -- that's just part of the construct we are as a people. at the end of the dahl what we all wand a america to move forward together. we can do that by looking at the principles that bind you together as a country. >> so why why are republicans so concerned about every vote they make, because they're afraid they're going to get a challenge in the primary on the right? i hear what you're saying about an open party. the politics are such today in the republican party that if you stand up for what you believe in, you're challenged, your seat mate in south carolina has challenges because he's reached across party lines to work together. is that the republican party that we have today? >> i think if you look at the republican primaries, you talk about -- in the primary. >> there are many people who disagree with the policies.

. >> ralph reed wrote an editorial a couple of days ago he called it a, quote, unnecessary disruptione workplace. is it that? >> absolutely not. you know, this is about opportunity. every american wants to be judged on their skills when they seek a job or seek a promotion. we should put an end to the discrimination that has plagued our country. we've done so in other realms, in race discrimination and gender discrimination, age discrimination, religious background. it is high time and long overdue we now take the step with regard to sexual orientation and gender identity. >> give me from a personal perspective, you as the first openly gay senator in the u.s. senate, just how significant, how meaningful this moment is for you personally? >> well, it's meaningful in so many different ways. i know we have limited time. but i know from so many about the bitterness of facing discrimination. and to see our country take the step of saying this is wrong is so important symbolically but also to give people the tools to fight discrimination. i also know we've gotten to this day because so many

. >> i'm so psyched you got ralph reed on to talk sarah's story there. >> it was amazing. >> it was amazing to hear him be like, yeah, not exactly my cup of tea, but i understand why they do that. and we have some texas perspective on why george bush may not be backing out of this. thanks to you for joining us this hour. this is the website for repeal romney care! this is what you get if you go to the registered website that used to be repeal romneycare.com. look, it's in japanese! i have seen a lot of spam websites in my day, but i have seen very few spam websites that unexpectedly pop up on your computer, in japanese. i do not read japanese, so i do not know if the google translate function is just worse for japanese than it is for other languages, but i got to tell you, at least from google's perspective, the repeal romneycare.com website now offers -- i think it's like nail art, that you were supposed to use specifically in preparing for your wedding, maybe? it also says the days of the week are fire, water, tree, gold, soil, day, and month. so, there's that, grain of salt, right? whoev

and i want to play for you what conservative leader ralph reed says he thinks the republican party needs to do moving forward. >> you've got to say what you're for and not just what you're against. >> amen. >> it's not enough to be against obama care, what's your plan. secondly, you have to win some candidates who are effective messengers who can win people who even don't always agree with you on every issue. >> so how does the republican party move forward from here? what will you be looking for? what will poll numbers tell us? >> what i like is the republican establishment and republican elites kind of looking at the republican party and saying what ought to happen. but the fact is the voters -- the primary voters, the base voters of the republican party are the drivers of this. and they're the ones who give us these candidates that are elected in general elections. chris christie probably can't be nominated in the republican party -- >> you're talking probably and saying he can't be nominated? >> this is a party dominated by evangelicals, dominated by tea party. they are over 60% of t