Does Donald Trump Scare GOP Senators? | The Last Word

>>> PRESIDENT TRUMP HASN'T BEEN ABLE TO CONVINCE SENATE
REPUBLICANS TO SUPPORT THE REPUBLICAN HICAN HEALTH CARE BI
TWO REASONS. ONE, IT IS A VERY BAD BILL.
TWO, BECAUSE ACCORDING TO "THE WASHINGTON POST," QUOTE, IN
PRIVATE CONVERSATIONS ON CAPITOL HILL, TRUMP IS OFTEN NOT TAKEN
SERIOUSLY. JOHN WEAVER, FORMER CHIEF
STRATEGIST FOR JOHN KASICH TELLS "THE WASHINGTON POST," WHEN YOU
HAVE A 35% APPROVAL RATING AND YOU'RE UNDER FBI INVESTIGATION,
YOU DON'T HAVE A HAMMER. PULLING SUPPORT FOR WHAT IS NOW
THE MITCH McCONNELL HEALTH CARE BILL RANGES -- AND THIS IS
RECENT POLLING TAKEN THIS WEEK, RANGES FROM A HIGH OF 27% FROM A
FOX NEWS POLL TO A LOW OF 12% IN A SUFFOLK UNIVERSITY POLL.
JOINING US NOW, LIZ MAYER AND JOHN HOL IMAN.
LIZ, IT DOESN'T SEEM AS THOUGH THE PRESIDENT HAS A HAMMER.
I DON'T KNOW WHAT ELSE HE HAS, AND I JUST DON'T SEE WHY ANY
REPUBLICAN SENATOR WOULD TAKE HIM SERIOUSLY IN ANY
CONVERSATION. AM I MISSING SOMETHING?
>> I DON'T THINK YOU'RE ENTIRELY MISSING THINGS, NO.
MY PERCEPTION OF THIS IS, YOU KNOW, FIRST OF ALL, I THINK JOHN
WEAVER HAS A FEW POINTS THAT ARE VERY WELL TAKEN HERE.
I DON'T THINK HE REALLY DOES HAVE A HAMMER.
BUT IN ADDITION TO THAT, TRUMP IS, TO BE QUITE BLUNT ABOUT IT,
HE IS NOT REGARDED AS SOMEBODY WHO IS IN ANY WAY SHAPE, CARE,
OR FORM, A HEALTH CARE POLICY WONK OR A POLICY WONK AT ALL.
ABOUT ALL HE SEEMS TO KNOW ABOUT HEALTH CARE IS LIKE MANY BIG
EMPLOYERS, I THINK HE WOULD RATHER NOT HAVE TO PERSONALLY
DEAL WITH THE HASSLE OF GETTING INSURANCE, AND FOR THAT REASONS
HE SEEMS TO HAVE DEFAULTED TO SINGLE PAYER HEALTH CARE OR
SOCIALIZED MEDICINE. AND I THINK THAT'S PROBABLY
ABOUT AS MUCH AS HE REALLY KNOWS ABOUT HEALTH CARE POLICY.
YOU KNOW, I ALSO THINK CANDIDLY HE DOESN'T HAVE THE HAMMER, BUT
ALSO HE HASN'T REALLY BEEN THAT ENGAGED IN HEALTH CARE POLICY IN
THE FORMULATION OF THIS OBAMACARE REPEAL PACKAGE.
SO IT'S KIND OF HARD TO EVEN MEASURE WHETHER HE'S PROVING TO
BE A TOTAL SUCCESS, A TOTAL FAILURE, OR JUST A GIGANTIC
NOTHING BURGER. HE JUST KIND OF ISN'T REALLY
THERE TO THE DEGREE THAT I THINK A LOT OF PEOPLE WOULD TYPICALLY
EXPECT A PRESIDENT TO BE. >> JOHN, I FOR ONE THINK
PRESIDENTIAL LEADERSHIP IN LEGISLATIVE AFFAIRS IS THE
EASIEST THING IN THE WORLD TO EXAGGERATE.
>> OVERRATED. >> MEANING THAT, YOU KNOW, YOU
CAN BE A MASTER OF THE POLICY. AND IF THIS ISN'T GOOD FOR ME AS
A HOUSE MEMBER, I'M NOT GOING TO VOTE FOR IT.
IF IT ISN'T GOING FOR ME AS A SENATOR, I'M NOT GOING TO VOTE
FOR IT. YOU DON'T FIND BRAVERY IN THE
CASTING OF THESE VOTES AND THEY ARE NOT CAST FOR INDIVIDUALS.
ONCE IN A GREAT WHILE, THERE'S A HANDFUL OF VOTES THAT CAN BE
PERSUADED ON A PERSONAL BASIS. I THINK PRESIDENT TRUMP HAD
THAT. BILL CAN'T -- I'M SORRY.
PRESIDENT OBAMA HAD THAT. BUT NOT IN BIG NUMBERS.
>> NO. >> AND THIS PRESIDENT --
>> IT'S ON THE MARGINS. I'M NOT A MATHEMATICIAN, BUT THE
MATH IS NOT HARD TO DO HERE. YOU'VE GOT A PRESIDENT IN THE
MID-TO HIGH 30s. YOU KNOW.
WHAT AM I DOING? IF I'M DOING THE ARITHMETIC ON
CAPITOL HILL, THAT'S NOT A THING FOR WHICH -- YOU'RE LOOKING AT
THOSE NUMBERS AND SAYING THIS IS NOT -- I DON'T SEE HOW THIS ADDS
UP. THE OTHER THING THAT'S THE
REALITY IS THE ONE PLACE T THEY REALLY INTERSEEDED IN THIS WHOLE
FIASCO SO FAR WAS THE DEAN HEALER THING.
AS SOON AS HELLER COMES OUT AND SAYS I'M NOT FOR THE BILL, IT'S
UNHELPFUL. BUT HE DIDN'T SAY I CAN'T BE
BROUGHT AROUND. THEY SAID WE'RE GOING TO RUN ADS
AGAINST YOU. THEY DROP AN AD ON HIM AND START
TALKING ABOUT HOW THEY'RE GOING TO PRIMARY.
AND McCONNELL RIGHTLY CALLS UP REINCE PRIEBUS AND SAYS, THIS IS
THE DUMBEST THING YOU'VE EVER DONE.
SO TO THE EXTENT THEY HAD ANY KIND OF LEVERAGE, THAT KIND OF
BEHAVIOR IS THE KIND OF BEHAVIOR THAT IS LIKE ANTI-LEVERAGE.
IT'S NOT JUST NOT HAVING A HAMMER.
WHATEVER THE METAPHORICAL OPPOSITE OF A HAMMER IS, THAT'S
THE THING THAT MAKES PEOPLE SAY, THAT'S NOT GOING TO GET IT DONE.
>> THAT IS BECAUSE OF COURSE MITCH McCONNELL BELIEVES THAT IF
WE ARE GOING TO HAVE A REPUBLICAN SENATOR ELECTED IN
NEVADA NEXT YEAR, THAT PERSON'S GOING TO BE NAMED DEAN HELLER.
HE'S THE GUY WHO CAN WIN THE STATE FOR US.
YOU KNOW, DON'T FOOL AROUND WITH HIM.
>> NO. I THINK THAT'S CORRECT, AND I
THINK THAT, YOU KNOW E BEYOND WHAT JOHN DISCUSSED, IT'S WORTH
NOTING THAT THAT OUTSIDE TRUMP GROUP WAS ACTUALLY PLANNING ON
RUNNING ADS NOT TARGETING REPUBLICAN SENATORS PER SE BUT
RUNNING ADS SUPPOSEDLY TARGETING LIKE DEMOCRATIC SENATORS IN A
BUNCH OF THE STATES OF REPUBLICAN SENATOR WHO'S ARE
WAVERING ON THE BILL. SO IT'S NOT JUST THAT I THINK
TRUMP HAS LILLY PISSED OFF DEAN HELLER, THAT'S PISSED OF THE
SENATORIAL.
I THINK WITH REGARD TO THE HELLER AD, THERE WAS SO MUCH
PUBLICITY. WITHIN THE NEVADA LOCAL MEDIA
MARKET, THERE WAS SO MUCH COVERAGE OF THAT THAT THE DAMAGE
WAS REALLY DONE WHETHER OR NOT THEY DECIDED TO ACTUALLY GO
AHEAD AND DROP THEIR SEVEN FIGURES RUNNING THE AD ATTACKING
HIM. SO THE WHOLE THING IS REALLY AN
EXAMPLE OF THEM HAVING SEVERELY MISPLAYED THEIR HAND.
I NOTICE ONE STRATEGIST WAS QUOTED IN ONE OF THE AXIOS
MORNING NEWSLETTERS SAYING THEY THINK ATTACKING DEAN HELLER AND
THREATENING TO DROP SEVEN FIGURES AGAINST DEAN HELLER WAS
PROBABLY THE STUPIDEST MISTAKE THE TRUMP TEAM HAD MADE SECOND
TO FIRING JAMES COMEY. I THINK THAT SPEAKS VOLUMES.
>> QUICK LAST WORD. >> THE OTHER THING OF COURSE IS
THE NOTION THAT TRUMP HOLDS A VICTORY CELEBRATION FOR THE
PASSAGE OF THE HOUSE BILL AND THEN LATER CALLS IT MEAN.
OBVIOUSLY IT'S INCONSISTENT BUT THE POINT IS IF YOU'RE A
SENATOR -- >> THAT'S ANTI-LEADERSHIP.
>> IF YOU'RE GOING TO EXERCISE LEVERAGE, PEOPLE HAVE NO KNOW
YOU'RE GOING TO BE CONSISTENT AND RELIABLE.
ONCE YOU THINK THE GUY COULD DO ANYTHING AT ANY POINT, HE COMES
TO YOU AND BEGS YOU TO VOTE FOR SOMETHING AND THEN HE'S GOING TO
SCREW YOU LATER,

Does Donald Trump Scare GOP Senators? | The Last Word | MSNBC

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