we talk with former senate majority leader trent lott, a republican from mississippi. he's now a senior fellow with the bipartisan policy center and a senior counsel at the law firm patton boggs. i spoke with him a short time ago. politics and the fallout of the 16 day government shutdown. >> woodruff: form ter senator trent lott welcome to the newshour. >> glad to be back, judy. >> woodruff: so conservative activist richard vigry reported over the booknd say wag is going on in your party right now is a civil war. how do you see? >> well, we don't need a civil war. we need to focus on what is a good agenda for growth in america. and we need to focus on how we can add some more republicans to the house, but particularly in the senate so we would control both bodies. so i think what we need to do is focus on the positive and quit attacking each other. >> woodruff: but right now you have facs in your party, all the way from the tea party to folks who sympathize to with the tea party all the way to a few moderates. >> it is tougher now than it used to be. but if leadership

i spoke last night with former senate majority leader trent lott, who said his party took a political hit from the fight. a new poll from "usa today" and princeton survey research found 47% think congress would work better if nearly every seat changed hands next year. and a "washington post"/abc news poll showed eight in ten people disapproved of the shutdown, with most blaming the republicans in congress more than president obama. the house returned to work today for the first time since lawmakers voted to reopen the government. republican congressman tim heulskamp from kansas opposed the funding compromise to end the shutdown. he joins me now. welcome. >> good evening. >> woodruff: how would you describe the health of the republican party in the wake of the shutdown and the showdown over the debt kreiling? >> i presume there are a lot of polls out there, i have been not been watching those. i do look at them occasionally but the other day -- at the end of the day americans don't like what's happening in washington and they would like change and the agreement, the deal last week was

compare the rhetoric of mississippi's trent lott, a former mississippi leader with kansas' current tea party house member. they both appeared on "the newshour." >> we don't need civil war. we need to focus on what is a good agenda for growth in america. i think what we need to do is focus on the positive and quit attacking each other. >> i know there are folks currently in the u.s. senate that said hey, that's not a good strategy but they had no strategy other than giving the president everything he wanted and that's a losing strategy as well. gwen: that tea party caucus is giving mainstream republicans hoping to get re-elected heartburn these days. beth reinhard are saying they're preparing to fight back. are they? >> they are. they've been talking about this really since november. when mitt romney, the republican nominee, lost and it exposed really how republican parties reach has gotten very narrow, so there's a lot of talk about expanding the reach of the party beyond conservative. then comes the republican party's poll numbers that get to the lowest record lows. so now you're havi

trent lott, your predecessor, the very conservative republican from mississippi, was asked by the "washington post," and he said, "you gotta roll him. he said we've got to have more pushback against these people who come to washington and suddenly announce thaif all the answers. when senator cruz does this again, how will you respond to that? >> look, we've got a big conference with 45. i'd like to have 51. that would make me the majority leader instead of the minority leader. we have a lot of people with different points of view. we had tactical differences about how to get at the repeal of obamacare. the fact that we have some tactical differences doesn't mean we don't all share the same goal. obamacare is the worst piece of legislation passed in the last half century. the single biggest step in the direction of europeanizing our country. we need to get rid of it. if the american people will give us a majority in the senate and new president, that's exactly what we're going to do. >> schieffer: i have to tell you the white house as late as last night was telling me that one of the reasons f

are inescapable who they are bad harry reid comes to mind as part of a sympathetic character and trent lott also who makes no bones about it. >> harry reid has an anecdote that the as a fly on the wall if on the election night if he becomes a senate majority leader and chuck schumer his right-hand man trying to win the majority with him. as the democratic candidates kept winning fair elections elections, senator reid kept calling on the phone these cursory 302nd congratulations calls he would punctuate all of them with either of you, hilary. either of you, claire. i love you whoever. then he met my glance and he knew i was wondering i said what is with the i love you? he said they are politicians. they need to hear that. [laughter] i love that total transparency he was being completely cynical and completely honest at the same vein as senator lott went up to be, a lobbyist like 50 percent do now compared to 3% in 74. he sits there in his lobbying office and talks about how much she hates washington. he hates and all the time and the politicians are very ostentatious when they run for reelec

that's why, hastert said, trent lott our republican mississippi friend said i couldn't work with theseuys. long term, they have hourt themselves. >> thank you both for joining me tonight. >> thank you, lawrence. >> coming up -- threatening default has already cost the government millions. we'll explain how. in the rewrite tonight, one of our greatest and most experienced actors, sir anthony hopkins, rewrites the history of acting and crowns a new king of acting. and he did it -- immediately after marathon viewing every episode of breaking bad. and later, the screen writer of the new movie about wikileaks, the fifth estate will join me. if we have time i will show you a clip of some of his writing for "the west wing" that's coming up. versations than i'm equipped for, because i'm raising two girls on my own. i'll worry about the economy more than a few times before they're grown. but it's for them, so i've found a way. who matters most to you says the most about you. at massmutual we're owned by our policyowners, and they matter most to us. ready to plan for your future? we'll help you

that's why, hastert said, trent lott our republican mississippi friend said i couldn't work with theseuys. long term, they have hurt themselves. >> thank you both for joining me tonight. >> thank you, lawrence. >> coming up -- threatening default has already cost the government millions. we'll explain how. in the rewrite tonight, one of our greatest and most experienced actors, sir anthony hopkins, rewrites the history of acting and crowns a new king of acting. and he did it -- immediately after marathon viewing every episode of breaking bad. and later, the screen writer of the new movie about wikileaks, the fifth estate will join me. if we have time i will show you a clip of some of his writing for "the west wing" that's coming up. that's why you take 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. >> the campaign for s

we've spoken with former senate majority leader trent lott and kansas congressman and tea party stalwart huelskamp. tonight, we hear from former republican party chairman ed gillespie. i spoke with him a short time ago. gillespie worked in the bush white house and advised presidential nominee mitt romney last year. he is now chairman of the republican state leadership committee, which works on elections and policy at the state level. thanks for joining us. >> thanks for having me. if. >> ifill: are we talking about divided government fallout here that affects one party more than the other? >> i think both parties took a hit in the shutdown and debt ceiling debate but the republican party-- according to all of the data-- took a bigger hit. down to 28% favorability rating in one survey i saw. and, you know, we have to restore that and get our numbers back up again. i think we have an opportunity to do that between now and certainly midterm and even more so between now and 2016. >> ifill: let's look backward and forward on that. looking back, should the shutdown have been taken off the tabl

year was 1995 and trent lott, john ashcroft, larry craig and jimevers did what all young men dream ofand complete with matching outfits. >> our role was to sing together and see if we could vote togeth together. >> there will be two shutdowns in two years as bill clinton and the republicans clashed over the budget they devised ways to bring people together, from sear suckers on capitol hill to barber shop quartets. >> part of the purpose was to show the outside world senators want old men in blue suits and red ties. >> senator lott was the leader in matters both musical and political in there one of the first things i had to do within i became leader was to figure a way to untangle the senate and get it up and moving again. >> soon, they were criss-crossing the country at political and charity fund raisers, serenadeing libby dole at the national convention and despite growing turmoil they managed to compromised from welfare reform to balancing the budget. but from the beginning, senator jeffer, a moderate from vermont, had trouble staying in tune with the rest of the group and his par

. >> and encourage those people like trent lott to have influencing the fact that they're out there criticizingocrats now is abraham lincoln. with malice for none and charity for all, let us go forward. the thing is to concentrate on how to get this stuff done. nobody was helped by this. the approval rating for the republican party is lower than it has ever been. the president's approval rating is under 50%. nobody gaining from this thing but i tlink was something to learn and my hope is the people who count around here did count. >> yes. there was a lesson for everybody to learn in this. >> you know what i've learned? there's nothing to learn in the second kick of a mule. >> that's what mitch mcconnell said. >> thank you so much. and this sunday mitch mcconnell is bob schieffer's guest. he'll join in the interview there. it's an interview from fa"face e nation." >>> queen elizabeth welcomed malala yousafzai at buckingham palace and malala gave her her new beam. this is after recovering from last year's attack. every time i see that little girl, my heart opens >>> the con man known as clark roc

i am sure they have some trent lott footage.o-ahead. >> the second piece you read, where is it from? >> from hill william. i didn't really follow directions. it was supposed to be about "crapalachia" but neither of those pieces are from "crapalachia" but "crapalachia" is a good book. you should buy one. i will sign it for you. >> thank you for the dance. >> thank you. it comes out at the end, the beginning of november, november 5th is the new release, the new york tyrant books. if you are in new york at the end of the month i will be kgb on october 30th at 7:00 for the book release party. there is free booze too. anyone have questions? >> i am interested in the fractured place from which you come in terms of where you live and how your peers and colleagues respond to your greetings and perspective about life? >> i teach at a local community college, a lot of students transferring from nursing. they have a book club there. they read the book in the book club. my parents always read my stuff but it has been about it. i have tried

the correct answer trent lott. that's the end of the 200 point round. the score basil 500.gh score -- this is an offensive game and anything could happen as we go to the 300 point round t. game will be decided here. i'm just reshuffling the cards, please bear with me. i am now ready for the 300 point round. we will pick a winner, crown a championship here him time on the clock, on friday, president obama nominated this former top -- brian. >> jay johnson. >> jay johnson is the new nominee for the department of homeland security. correct. an instant bonus question. johnson will replace janell napolitano who before becoming head of what office. a dramatic turn. d.c. area congress woman donna edwards co-sponsored legislation this week that would strip the trademark from this controversially named organizati organization. time. a little late. washington redskins. 300 point question question. name a finalist this week. jill la more's book of ages, sister of which declaration of independent seener and favorite philadelphia sun. brian. >> ben frank len. >> 300 more points for brea

i picked up "the washington post" this morning and i see a quote from trent lott retired republican formerd to him, what do you do now with the tea party types? and he said you roll them. he said i think there has to be some pushback against these people who arrive in washington and think they've got all the answers. he can be talking about nobody but republican senator ted cruz. now, this is not harry reid or the democrats talking about these. these are republicans and you're hearing the same kind of talk coming from former chairman of the republican committee haley barbour. so i think the two sides are going to work together. it's going to take some doing. it's going to have to be done behind the scenes. i think the democrats have to be very careful not to rub the republicans' noses in this. but i think we're in a different place today than we were at the start of this week. >> bob, is the president going to be part of this? i mean he has this practice of leaving it up to congress to do the negotiating. and this has taken place in the congress, but will he have a role and influence? >> y

. >> some like trent lott's lobbying partner from louisiana once famously said my vote can't be bought but it can be rented and someone was appalled by that and said you are just a cheap hole or, he took great -- i am not that cheap. he is a southern conservative democrat but he might be an out liars. as an author i admire the transparency in some warped way. >> thank you all very much. [applause] >> that was mark leibovich talking about his book "this town: 2 parties and a funeral--plus, plenty of valet parking!--in america's gilded capital" which takes a critical look at the inner workings of washington d.c.. we will be back with the next panel in 15 minutes or so when it begins and it is a panel on the kennedy assassination, the 50th anniversary. the tv celebrating its fifteenth anniversary this year. we want to show you the past coverage of the texas book festival. back to live coverage in 15 minutes. >> leadership is at the they are leadership. happy there are in power and that is it. i suspect they wake up screaming from time to time, because they don't have control over the cauc

i am sure they have some trent lott footage.the second piece you read, where is it from? >> from hill william. i didn't really follow directions. it was supposed to be about "crapalachia" but neither of those pieces are from "crapalachia" but "crapalachia" is a good book. you should buy one. i will sign it for you. >> thank you for the dance. >> thank you. it comes out at the end, the beginning of november, november 5th is the new release, the new york tyrant books. if you are in new york at the end of the month i will be kgb on october 30th at 7:00 for the book release party. there is free booze too. anyone have questions? >> i am interested in the fractured place from which you come in terms of where you live and how your peers and colleagues respond to your greetings and perspective about life? >> i teach at a local community college, a lot of students transferring from nursing. they have a book club there. they read the book in the book club. my parents always read my stuff but it has been about it. i have tried to keep it a