trent lot when he made that remark about strom thurmond that the country would have been better off had he been re-elected president. he did have to resign his leadership post. did you get the sense that harry reid may have to leave the leadership. >> these things are always a summation of something else that is going on. trent lott had stepped down in part because his own party had grown disenchanted with him for a lot of different reasons. the white house didn't step in to support him. the question is are there enough reasons for the democrats to be unhappy with harry reid for other reasons that could undermine the support in a moment like this when he's in trouble. no sign that president obama would abandon him at this point. i think president obama needs him to focus on health care and get it through in this next month. >> i think the much bigger question is more broadly what does this mean in the midterm and for the democrats more specifically in the midterm. this on very well make the base much less enthusiastic to come out to vote. midterms are much more about the base anyway. th

. >> michael steele,ack in 2002 trent lott was ousted for insensitive remarks he said that strom thurmond, had he been elected president would have had some of the problems over all of those years, then state senator obama said at that point that lott ought to be ousted as majority leader. you see a difference between then and now? >> oh, yeah, there is a dig double standard here. the thing about it that's interesting is that when democrats get caught saying rast things you know, an apology is enough. if that had been mitch mcconnell saying that about an african-american candidate for president of the united states, trust me, this chairman and the dnc would be screaming for his head very much as they were with trent lott. and the reality of it is racism, and racist conversations have no place today in america. this term, this you know, like he's going to pass, for example, for white america because he's you know, got this negro die alikt, that's language that harken back to the 1950s and 60s and confirms to me a mind-set out of step with where america is. but i can assure you if i had as

trent lot said at the hundredth birthday party for strom thurmond. it would not have had a problem if on the pro regular degree gaks campaign would have been successful. the mississippi republican was forced from this host in 2007. and the senate campaign committee jumping on the "washington post". for those that hope one day to live in a color blind society. it appears terry reid is more than a few steps behind them. we called civil rights leaders and african-american congressman to apologize for the comments. again your reaction? was it racist, a poor choice of word? first abdul from north carolina. good morning. caller: how you doing this morning. you in this - i think it was a poor choice of words. you can just about know what's in a man's heart. only god knows what's really in his heart but senator reid is trying do the right thing and he just made mistakes. steve, i want to say one last thing. the lady that called you last sunday. her name was patty. i think she really disrespected the program when she came in and she got about 3-5 minutes. i t

former majority leader expressing his support for the defeat of harry truman in 1948 so that strom thurmond would be president running on a states rights ticket. i don't see how that is analogous to what senator reid was saying. i think, i mean i understand what people have to say on tv or to get themselves on tv i would suggest they spend about 20 seconds reading a little history and figuring out that, to draw that analogy strains, any intellectual enterprise or, any real reality in all sense of the word. >> on politics there are indications that massachusetts senate race is tightening up. dnc sent a top staffer there today. does the president have any intention to travel to massachusetts to campaign for martha coakley. >> the president doesn't have any travel plans to campaign in massachusetts. >> do you think the president has done right by a movement that was so much a part of his victory in november, the labor movement, that if he, has he done right by them? has he advanced their agenda the way he should? >> i think the president has represented working men and women in this country. i