we could have a republican party that looks complicit with donald trump. s to put country above party. >> there are folks who are saying, the next 48 hours critical for this president. he is faced with his first natural disaster, how he and his government responds is going to go a long way to how a lot of people may feel. because, obviously, this is a crisis that's going to affect millions of people. do you think this is a test or is that overstated? >> no, it's a test. but there will be many tests for this president. you know, one thing we've learned is that 48 hour periods do not define who a president is. there's no question about it, hurricane katrina, superstorm sandy were, you know, major events that had political fallout and this could as well. >> thanks to all of you, appreciate it. >> thank you. >>> and let's take a live look at galveston, texas. that's where hurricane harvey's outer bands are already beginning to hit the area with rainfall. you see the water is very choppy there. we'll be live next. this is "andrea mitchell reports," only on msnbc

that party is reagan's new republican party. that party is a combination of republicans and conservatives of all faiths and backgrounds, one that has an ability to speak to people of all creeds, classes and genders, one which gives people a hand up in american life while still continuing to the task of reducing taxes where necessary, giving deregulation an added spur and restoring competition to america's public services. it's one that interprets franklin roosevelt's new deal rather than opposing it, one that legitimately turns america on the path which it's been on for well over a century, one that allows to us accommodate the vicissitudes of economic combination of modern life and maintaining the enduring truths of american freedom. a very hard road to hoe. one that will be difficult for republicans to adopt but i believe that we can do it. i believe we can do it because in our hearts, that's right where most of us already are. where the voters are, certainly what they said in the 2016 primary and rejected the reaganisms high p

that party is ronald reagan's new republican party. that party is a combination of republicans and conservatives of all face and backgrounds, one that has an ability to speak to people of all creeds, classes engenders. one which gives people a hand up in american life while still containing the task of producing taxes were necessary -- reducing -- and added. >> restoring competition to america's sclerotic public service. it's one that interprets franklin roosevelt new deal rather than opposes it. it's one that legitimately returns america on the path which it's been on for well over a century, one that allows us to accommodate the vicissitudes of economic competition in modern life while enduring, maintain the enduring truths of american freedom. it's a very hard row to hoe. it's one that will be difficult for republicans to adopt. but i believe we can do it. i believe we can do because in our hearts that's what most of us already are. it's where the voters are. it's what they said in the 19, in thin the 2016 primary win overwhelmingly

republican leadership. and i am just curious, did you think about leaving the party? >> no. no. not at all. i'm a proud republican, lifelong republican. and i'm from arizona. arizona tends to elect independent-minded people and people who stand on principle. so i'm doing what i think my voters expect of me. but i think, for example, in 2006 when the party in particular had given way to inappropriate spending, earmark spending, couple of our colleagues ended up in jail, if you remember, the mantra "drain the swamp" was employed very effectively by the democrats in tribing the republican party at that time. i think had we stood up at that time when he wouldn't have lost those majorities in the house and the senate and i fear that we might do the same again. >> you had strong words in this book, and yet we looked at your voting record an at this point you vote more with the president than even some others in the senate who have taken the president on. according to our account, here 93.5% of the time you have voted with the president. is there a point where you're now -- you will vote potentiall

republican base is secure. it is not a weakness. what you see is the national democratic party saying that they are vulnerable. it is the exact opposite, in my opinion. point,, here is another that was the first presidential year since 2000 were no republican members of congress in california lost of their seats. at a time when their candidate did worse than any time since roosevelt ran for his last election. what it tells us is the republican base is very, very secure. even if it is not like donald trump, it is not going anywhere. they are showing up and they are voting for their party because of their fear of what the alternative is. so when you look at it from that perspective and understand that turnout will be lower, considerably lower in the off cycle, most republicans are in for good shape. there are two of them that i am not saying that they will not hold, i think they will, but if republicans lose seats the two that gave me concern are issa and knight, which we are not even on the radar for 2016. this is important. the reason why, those districts have the highest level

up next is president trump filing for divorce from the republican party? and if so, who gets custody of the party? we'll be right back. you don't let anything lkeep you sidelined. come on! that's why you drink ensure. with 9 grams of protein, and 26 vitamins and minerals... for the strength and energy, to get back to doing what you love. ensure, always be you. it's our back to school beeone cent evente. at office depot office max. 10 pack pens, one cent. composition notebooks,scissors, and plastic folders all one cent each! hurry to office depot office max. ♪taking care of business. >>> welcome back. some potentially blockbuster news out of the white house this afternoon. nbc news is reporting according to several government officials that president trump appears likely to pull the plug on what's known as dak a. that is the obama era program that allows young people who were brought to the united states illegally as children to remain in the united states. as many as 1 million of these immigrants could be impacted by this decision. administration officials

the republican party is. people largely see a separation, accurately, between donald trump and the republican party. just because voters disapproving of the president doesn't necessarily mean they're going to vote against their local republican senator or member of congress. and so you have the democrats repeatedly, and they faulted hillary for not doing enough of this during the campaign, repeatedly trying to tie the republican party to what they see as the sins of trump. repeat lid trying to implicate the republican party -- repeatedly trying toism kate the republican party. they realize the not going to be enough for them to just put the congressman neck to trump in an ad or to decry him, not denouncing. you've got to have more than that. robert: unfortunately we have to leave you at home and thanks, everybody, tonight for watching. our conversation will continue online on the washington week extra. where we'll talk about a senate race that's testing red state republican loyalties in the age of president t

that is not the base of the republican party. we don't want those people in the republican party because they're not going to make america great again. they're just going to want to turn this country into a racist, all white dominated regime. and that's not what the republican party is employ. this is a party of abraham lincoln and so i do notment people describing steve bannon, breitbart news and their supporters as the base of the republican matter. >> and yet they've chosen -- they are attached to the party now, notice el. >> well, you know, every cooky group looks for, you know, an attachment to a party. but what the surprising thing for me was the fact that i really believe that donald trump was a moderate. i really kind of believe that he was socially liberal and economically fit on the republican math form conservative. i was very shocked to see about the lgbtq man. >> the transgender ban. >> that's one thing that to me i don't know why, but i really was like what? i mean, i came away wearing the suit of the rid her. this

the best or nothing. >>> in a tweet today, they later deleted and apologized for the virginia republican partyis back on his own family's heritage calling for the removal of confederate monuments. amazingly that was arguably not the most offensive move by the party today. the national republican senatorial committee attacked senator joe donnelly. the video made up of being serenaded by a mariachi band, you know, mexico. trying to brand him as mexico joe for allegedly profiting from outsourcing. joining me, jenna johnson, and "huffington post" michelle bernard. jenna, you were in the rally last night. i think there is a kind of attitudal nature against somebody like kelly ward or roy moore but the kind of reveling in behavior that you shouldn't revel in seems to be something that the base really, really likes. the folks in that rally room seemed to like it. >> yeah. there's a lot of questions about what the republican base is right now. but for the people who showed up to the rally last night, these were donald trump's most devoted supporters. the people who were willing to wait outside, it was

of the hearts and minds of the republican party is the republican party donald trump? or is the republican party speaker ryan? right? and right now it's -- when you look at the core base of the republican party it's kind of hard to argue that speaker ryan and mitch mcconnell are winning. >> so congressman, if you were still of an incumbent at the tail end of the summer recess preparing to go back to washington and i told you you can't run on gorsuch and you certainly can't go home and brag to the folks that you led to at least a government shutdown. what are you going to run on? >> well, so that's why they're going to reset the debate through whatever poll tested means they can. that is where bannon advised trump on the wall. let's be honest i was part what i called the governing caucus in the republican party it was a minority compared to the shutdown caucus within the republican parties. we once took two votes in the same months once to repeal the death tax and a second vote to counts the rove knew towards balancing the budget in the death tax. i voted no on both and

they have driven respectable people out of the republican party. ing the party of abraham lincoln and teddy roosevelt who did a lot to protect the environment, and we could be a constructive party, and we're going to do that. these people are out the door, and this is only the beginning. they are out the door. >> i salute richard's optimism there. i hope he's right. >> i want to give chris the last word. is it possible to do? >> it is possible to do. but here's the thing. what's happening is that we have allowed the party to be hijacked by this kind of nonsense, and if we don't move away from that as a party we can forget it. >> christopher, sara, david, thank you guys so much for being here. richard will be back later in the show. coming up donald trump's evangelical board is standing by him except for one member who is joining me next to explain why. >>> we are watching the protest in boston as thousands of anti-racism protesters march. a free speech rally is expected to saw what was on display in charlottesville last week. up next, the evangelica

estate of the republican party between the president and republicans is -- guest: uncharted. we have never been here before. we have never elected a president with such shallow roots. maybe jimmy carter was similar, but he had been elected governor of georgia. an interesting relationship when congress and the president do not see eye to eye. host: why is he going against the very people he needs the most? or does he need them? guest: he needs them, but they also need the president. if you look at every one of these senators who have had a skirmish with the president, the president is responding to something they have said. senators are not used to that, steve. they are used to playing at -- , and thisous role president does not play the game that way. host: let me share with you some news this morning from "the washington post." president trump distancing himself from the gop. they write that he is strategically separating himself from republicans in congress, an extraordinary move to deflect if the gop agenda continues to flounder. president trump d -- deepened after accusin

the only way forward for the republican party was to make that coalition in solid. and to bring back those that the negative aspect pushed away but that party is a combination of republicans and conservatives of all make san backgrounds of all creeds and classism in genders with reducing taxes where necessary giving the regulation the al ginsberg. so that interprets roosevelt's new deal rather than oppose is set and put america on the path will over a century to accommodate competition of modern life while maintaining american freedom. but i believe we can do it because in our hearts they said in the 2016 primary with debris ejected the high priest and the candidates on the platform that was adopted. i just want to ask you a question so what they continue to do what has been doing. if it continues for the next tenures then we will be better off. will that be lower and regulations smaller? do you think traditional values would be more respected? do you think we would be more respected? do you thing we will have attracted the first time since 1932 more people will tell

in the highest echelons of the republican party, speculation was rising that the laconic new englander would not be renominated. many republican progressives in the west wanted him replaced on the ticket with theodore roosevelt junior. just four months later, before the "dump coolidge" sentiment could crystallize, the president died. coolidge felt morally bound to carry on harding's policies until the next election. this meant the new president would keep his predecessor's cabinet intact. among those he retained was secretary of commerce herbert hoover. since entering the cabinet in 1921, hoover had rapidly established himself as one of the most able and energetic of harding's advisors. hoover is the smartest gink i know, harding had remarked once. only charles evans hughes had wielded comparable influence. if the hard-driving hoover and genial harding have been unlikely twosome, hoover and coolidge would be stranger still. in 1895, each man had graduated from college. coolidge from amherst in massachusetts. hoover from stanford university in california. from that point on, their caree

the base of the republican party is not read breitbart news which is an a a fascist a sympathising organization a republican conservative b.d.'s the wall street journal the dallas morning news we've got plenty of conservative media outlets there we do not need to hear constantly from an extreme right that is amply nothing to do with the traditional values of the republican party of the united states and the president is not showing good judgment at ole when he appeals to the fascist and the racist elements of our society rather than to at a minimum the traditional base of the republican party of conservative voters and he certainly really should be appealing to all americans lenny is resident for everyone lenny has reported that mitch mcconnell has expressed concern the president won't be able to salvage the administration you think you could get that bad. i do senator bob corker is a conservative republican. there are many conservative republicans with whom i disagree who share my concern about the stability and that's the word that senator corker a very cautious man republican fr

getting lonelier because the president keeps pushing himself into the the the institutional republican party though is largely a wholly owned subsidiary of you know. a couple of dozen major polluting corporations and a couple of billionaires i mean you know democratic party on hollywood said well you know i won't dispute that the democratic party has its problems but we're talking about the republicans right now and i mean do the proof of that is that most republicans are willing to lie about science you know in order to satisfy the billionaires who fund them and and i'm just wondering at what point do the billionaires who really control the republican party i mean you know if the koch network twitches and you know republicans all over the country sir get shivers at what point do they say to the billionaire and say we're we're pulling the plug on this guy because it isn't pulling the plug and pulling the trigger pulling a plug would mean. removing and removing all support president poor david what i'm saying is removing support is different than actually trying to impeach somebody for a big

for the hearts and minds of the republican party. the right now, brian, i would argue when you look at mitch mcconnell and speaker ryan that they need him more than trump needs them. you look at polling of republicans that no of the conventional republicans can beat him in a republican primary. and the core, the base of the republican party right now they are a lot more in line in rallying around trump than they are with mitch mcconnell or speaker ryan right now. and that is really the problem for the republican party but also the problem for our nation right now. because you know republicans do control both the house and the senate. and in sort of dysfunction alts that you see happening within the republican party, this civil war of of the hearts and minds of the republican party is the republican party donald trump? or is the republican party speaker ryan? right? and right now it's -- when you look at the core base of the republican party it's kind of hard to argue that speaker ryan and mitch mcconnell are winning. >> so congressman

he is out there begging the country and the republican party to come to daddy's aid. ut whiney and weaky. >> trump said, i carried all the republicans on my back. baunlt last week? and they are not defending me. a lot of the senators. so i think that's not a new idea. the fact people are surprise that had president trump is not in line with the republican party is not a surprise, if we remember the campaign. we saw all the clips. and he wouldn't spore it. it is not new news. >> here's why it is important. it is news because it is unlikely that he will have that personal rapport or question, the republican rank and file. i don't think he did badly getting 48 out of 50 on the health care. it is a tricky issue. it doesn't surprise me. how do you get a united party on that one? it is impossible to say we'll repeal and replace. that was squaring a circle. i think he is complaining too much. i think the party has been very loyal to him. i think he's had very good votes. he got gorsuch in there. he got them to get rid of their filibuster rule just for him. that's bowing to hi

run in the republican party. donald trump knew something about the gop base that the rest of the party did not. he defeated 16 other people who are establishment types. is the base of the party more bannonite than republicans want to admit? >> they might be. i think there are a lot of people in the republican party, especially those who are from areas that have been hard hit economically, who are just desperate. they are looking for something different. i will tell you, i mean, i'm concerned by the number of people who remained silent, not only as we talked about, both mitch mcconnell and paul ryan. let me add, there are people within the republican party, in the leadership and in the mix who are speaking out not supporting bigotry. big deal. it is not about that. that's easy to say. what you need to do is call out the president. these people voted for him. they put him in office. he didn't just parachute in. they have a great responsibility now. i, personally think those members of congress, republican or democr

the republican party has areas and different opinions in it, they lost party. of the republican steve bannon and donald trump are not political savvy, they smart, not the great inds he wants to portray them as and -- guest: they beat everybody in your republican party, i mean, republican party is in chaos because they lost to a politicalbsolutely no experience, who is considered a joke and a punch line by in thedy in politics and popular culture and together, trump and bannon and this is a book, turnedin the out to be better analysts of both democratic and republican anybody in n washington. the absolutely destroyed republican party's preferred candidate en route to winning the white house. think anybody can argue with any real sense they were influential, or maybe not in the white house in legislative sense, but certainly were in the election. was, i believe, the greatest upset in u.s. political history. to understand and give credit to people that pulled it off. host: at the white house now, traditional republicans as reince the inner circle, priebus's last bo

everybody who continues to be a part of this party, i have not seen one republican member of congress or the senate leave the party. i have not seen them switch parties. what we've seen is mealymouthed denunciations of racism, which every single american is on paper. but it's been a lot of cheap talk, and very little, joy, by way of real action. i have to say, i was really disappointed by former president bushs today, who have shown tremendous willingness to criticize many of the policies of president trump. but even in their statement today, appropriately denounced the racism, and they denounced the hate that donald trump's comments assuredly brought about to this country. they didn't call him out by name. and if they as former ex-presidents, proud republicans, are unwilling to do it, who is unwilling to do it next? >> that is the question. can you remain in the party of donald trump as a person of color? >> first and foremost, i reject the comments of the other guest, i believe they were intellectually dishonest. there have been republicans all over who have condemned the comments o

he controls the republican party and the person who controls the republican party is in a really strong position because pennsylvania has the second-highest number of tollbooths in the united states. so to be the guy that controls the state in an enviable position.an national co when they go to the national convention they are in a strong position not so much to get the nomination but to ensure we forget the nomination goes helpi big-time saying if we get the nomination and then when wele promise you a cabinet seat so that is exactly what happened. they threw the candidates support behind lincoln which he succeeds in doing. they conspire to work against cameroon but ultimately succeeds and is taken into the cabinet where he has a rocky tenure. at relatively vague. he was a businessman with years of experience. when they decide which seek cameron is going to get, the only seat is left is the secretary of war and he says to lincoln you should pick someone else there is a war coming. pick someone who wants to make e reputation. lincoln says i won't do for this office. he declines but the d

but this is a republican party that is not completely unified, particularly in the wake of the failure to repeal and replace obamacare and any major legislative achievement and you see a lot of different republicans eyeing the possibility of what they might do in 2020, andrea. >> kristen welker in new jersey, take that bost"boston globe," y know who you are, we all love new jersey. and joining us now is the form chief of staff during the obama administration, and also an nbc national security analyst and significantly at this period of time someone who looked closi e with leon panetta. >> i think we're at a very delicate and dangerous moment. in july, north korea conducted two missile tests that could possibly hit the united states. and this caused a moment in the white house, oh, my goodness, where are we to deter and conduct diplomacy. some people in the white house had concluded that deterrence had failed that kim jong-un was going to pursue their nuclear weapons and the president said thanks china for trying but you did not make it happen. and last week in the white house, there we

the conservative base of the republican party has looked at the republican leader approach to shutdowns and they understand their desire to not indiscriminately shut down government, they believe that if you do not fight on the basic questions of spending and the size and scope of government on these must pass measures it means you never get the fight. the government grows in the debt increases. we're getting to the point of no return quickly. host: i think you know this columnist, with the debt limit and reform, andre, tax the return of health care debate -- what do republicans need to do? guest: they need to work together. realizeident needs to he needs his republican allies in congress and they need to stop shooting spitballs over the other end of pennsylvania avenue. they need to come up with a strategy and plan. figuring out budget and debt limit. it has to involve taxes. it seems like they're coming together, at least the republicans, quickly on -- i am hopeful we will get democrats on that as well. out, whatve to figure do we do in terms of health care before they get out of here

base of your party better than the e heat lites do. >> it's not my party. >> the elites of the republican party thinks that the base agrees on eviscerating medicaid. donald trump understands the base of the party is fine with big government, as long as they're the beneficiaries. [ overlapping speakers ] donald trump gets them and the elites of the republican party don't. >> this makes very clear that jeff flake does not agree with donald trump that donald trump is someone to be feared in 2018. >> all right. we'll pause the conversation. coming up, can john kelly bring some much-needed direction to the white house? i'll talk to someone who has been in kelly's shoes. former clinton chief of staff william panetta joins me just ahead. only had me by one grade. we bought our first home together in 2010. his family had used another insurance product but i was like well i've had usaa for a while, why don't we call and check the rates? it was an instant savings and i should've changed a long time ago. there's no point in looking elsewhere really. we're the tenneys and we're usaa members for life. usaa.

if it's wednesday, the republican party has a choice to make. tonight, the search for moral authority. after the president's two sides conflagration, will republicans continue to allow the president to define their party? >> i stand with the president, and i stand by those words. >> plus, going out of business. the president zols his business advisory councils after an exoh did you say of ceos. is president trump too toxic for corporate america? >> and confronting the challenges of dealing with hundreds of confederate monuments still standing in public spaces throughout the country. this is "mtp daily" and it starts right now. >>> well, good evening. i'm chuck todd here at headquarters in new york city. folks, for all the republicans who criticize the president for missing the moment on charltszville, this is arguably their moment and frankly the rest of the republican party seems paralyzed by it. they are coming to grips that mr. trump and his nationalist views aren't just a stain on the party. they're becoming a tattoo. white supremacists and n

another question i would argue is how united is the republican party? party,ow, we see a trump a president willing to take shot at his own party in congress and has maintained high favorability within his own party, but that cuts both ways. to the extent he fits lights -- picks fights with paul ryan or mitch mcconnell, does that impress trompe l'oeil list -- trump loyalists to show up at the polls? this is music to democrat's ears because there are a lot of trump voters, particularly whites without a college degree that formed his base, who simply are not accustomed to voting in midterm elections. midterms tend to draw a much toter educated electorate the polls, so if a lot of those ofers do not feel fond congressional republicans, can they be counted on to show up? i can backfire on republicans as it did with democrats when obama's name was not on the ballot. from mark is calling alabama on a republican line. mark, are you there? ok, we will move on to bernie from maryland on our democratic line. caller: hi, how are you? host: good, you are online david

force in the republican party ever since. h that conservative movement. and it represented, i think, the death knell of liberal republicanism. you don't hear people call themselves liberal republicans anymore. >> [ chanting "can you hear us now!" ] >> buchanan: one of the driving issues of conservatism was the size and power and growth of government, and that is certainly the big issue today. tea party folks, they would've been with us in the cow palace. >> [ chanting ] >> gold: the business of goldwater being the godfather of the tea party and the republican party now, i'll just say it flat-out, as a goldwater republican -- they're political nihilists. >> [ chanting ] >> gold: goldwater didn't say we shouldn't have any government. goldwater didn't say every part of government should be rejected. goldwater believed in states' rights with a little "s" and a little "r." he wasn't talking this talk you hear now of practically john c. calhoun secessionist talk. >> califano: i think the legacy on the democratic side really started

that's not what the republican party is all about. this is the party of lincoln.t people describing steve bannon, breitbart as the base of the republican party. >> they are attached to the party now, noel. >> well, every kooky group looks for attachment to a party. the surprising thing for me was the fact that i really believe that donald trump was a moderate. i kind of believed he was socially liberal. and economically fit on the republican plat for conservative. i was shocked to see about the lgbtq ban in the military. >> transgender. >> that's one thing to me i don't know why, but i really was like what? i came away wearing the suit of the riddler. this is not the donald trump that a lot of new yorkers knew as somebody that was supremely tolerant especially with ivanka. >> except on housing where he didn't want the blacks to move into his building. >> you know what i mean? this was very surprising to me. i actually thought because of hip being more identified to me with the moderate side of our party, that he would -- that we had a chance to kind of pull more o

the fact that trump is in arizona today, this is where the republican party is going to decide where it's going. this is the state where you have john mccain, jeff flake, doug ducey, the governor. and republicans have to decide, are you going to go with principled conservatives in the barry goldwater mold or trump and donald trumpism. >> they'll go with donald trump. >> do you find yourself in a weird position of rooting for conservative republicans like jeff flake and john mccain if for no other reason that they represent a more principled stand on some of these questions in american lives? >> i feel it's a ferrer fight when you're fighting real conservativism. what we have with donald trump is not that. i think tonight in phoenix will be like the church revival only not with the offering plate. the president will show up, and he feeds off of the crowd. and it is going to take him into another zone. i appreciate the distinction of the teleprompter trump versus the one that we get in realtime. i think that's the real donald trump. >> you get the back lash, when he is controlled and sa