tom bevin -- who was he? >> he was a businessman, very wealthy, he had a belt manufacturing business in connecticut. the mcconnell people were looking for any possible primary opponent for months. they were going to keep party meetings. they were befriending a lot of be potential folks and convincing them to get out of the race before they ran. they started to hear about -- who was this guy? they did an extensive opposition research months before he got into the campaign. months before he got into the campaign he was already a hit with negative -- there was already a hit with negative press accounts. they had already prepared an attack ad, which they showed it to bevan's top consultants. they said, if you get in this race we are going to hit him. >> bevin's business has not paid taxes, and his company was the number one tax delinquent. this company failed to pay taxes, then got a taxpayer bailout. not a kentucky conservative. >> bevin was dishonest about his resume, claiming to graduate from m.i.t. -- not tru

before we run that, though, tom bevin was -- who was he? >> he was a business man; a global business man. he actually -- a very wealthy investor. also had a family bell manufacturing business in connecticut. and bevin, you know, has never run for office before and was kind of feeling out exactly whether or not to run in this race. and the mcconnell people were looking for any possible names of primary opponents for months and months. they were going to tea party meetings. they were listening up for potential foes. they were befriending a lot of their potential foes, and they convinced some to get out of the race before they ran. then matt bevin's name started to come up, and they started to hear a bit -- "who is this guy? let's look into him, let's research him." so they did an extensive opposition research months before he got into the campaign, and months before he got into the campaign, he was already getting hit with negative press accounts about his business background. and even before he got into this campaign, they had already prepar

oklahoma city republican pollster chris wilson and from chicago, real clear politics executive editor tom bevinam i making any mistakes here mr. bevin? >> no, bill. i think you have got it right. i think it is good news for republicans that romney isn't running. it gives them a chance to go with a fresh start. i think you are right. i think a lot of republicans thought that that race against barack obama in 2012 was winnable and romney was a poor candidate and squandered opportunities to win that race. >> we have never been able, and i hate to admit this to the folks because we usually get to the bottom of it. we have never been able to find out why the romney campaign, we invited him on the factor, would have given him the whole hour the night before the vote, barack obama turned us down. i had talked to his guy, axelrod myself. and we offered the whole hour free i would go wherever he was, not only us he turned down everybody mr. bevin, all right, in the last days of the campaign. it made no sense. have you found out what happened? jooz in terms of why romney lost that race? >> why he wouldn'

tom bevin executive director of real clear politics and from washington james hampton cook.orian author of the book america's star spangled history. okay. so ms. cook, at this point more than six years in, do you believe president obama will go down in history as a success? no in that his policies aren't that successful 37% of americans approve of obamacare. that's terrible. that's his signature piece of legislation. unlike jimmy carter who couldn't get reelected. president obama was smashing success as campaigner and getting himself reelected so you have to give him credit there. >> i just wonder what history, mr. bevin is going to say about a very controversial president because yes, he was elected reelected. but his tenure has not been smooth one year. it's always been -- let's say contentious. that's the best word. now with this terrorism stuff, the new fox news poll says that majority of americans, overwhelming majority feel that he is not protecting the nation and that america is weaker under his tenure. how will he go down in history? >> well, look, i don't know that