>> WELCOME BACK TO OUR PROGRAM.

HE WE ARE IN WASHINGTON, D.C. AMIDST ANOTHER MALFUNCTION.

THE WHOLE WORLD IS LOOKING AT WHAT IS HAPPENING IN THE HOUSE AND THE HISTORIC OUSTER OF THE SPEAKER.

AS AMERICAN DEMOCRACY IN TROUBLE?

>> YES, ABSOLUTELY IT IS IN TROUBLE.

IT WAS IN TROUBLE BEFORE THIS LATEST INCIDENT.

THIS JUST MAKES IT ABUNDANTLY CLEAR TO ANYONE PAYING ATTENTION, THAT WE HAVE ONE POLITICAL PARTY, THAT UNFORTUNATELY, IS IN ABSOLUTE HOSTAGE SITUATION WITH ITS MOST EXTREME MEMBERS.

AND KEVIN McCARTHY, HOPE, I HAVE NO RELATIONSHIP WITH OF ANY KIND, BUT WHEN HE ACTUALLY DID THE RIGHT THING FOR THE COUNTRY AND KEPT US FROM GOING INTO A GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN, HE WAS PUNISHED.

HE WAS PUNISHED BECAUSE HE WORKED WITH DEMOCRATS, HE WORKED FOR THE GOOD OF THE COUNTRY AND HE WAS NOT CONTINUING TO BE CAPTIVE TO THE FAR RIGHT EXTREMISTS.

SO THEY TOPPLED HIM.

IT WAS A VERY SMALL NUMBER AS YOU LOOK AT THE VOTE.

BUT NOW WE ARE REAPING THE CONSEQUENCES OF THEIR MISBEHAVIOR.

>> IT SAID THAT THE MAIN CONTENDERS FOR HIS POSITION ARE JIM JORDAN WHO YOU KNEW VERY WELL.

>> I DON'T KNOW HIM WELL, I WATCHED HIM AND STARED AT HIM FOR 11 HOURS WHILE HE MADE STUFF UP ABOUT ME.

I DON'T KNOW HIM BUT I'VE SEEN HIM IN ACTION.

>> WHAT WILL IT MEAN IF HE GETS THE SPEAKERSHIP?

>> HE IS ONE OF THE PRINCIPAL RINGLEADERS OF THE CIRCUS THAT HAVE BEEN CREATED IN THE REPUBLICAN PARTY FOR THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS.

I HAVE NO INSIDE KNOWLEDGE ABOUT WHAT THE REPUBLICANS WILL DO OR WHO THEY WILL END UP VOTING FOR.

WHEN DO THEY PUT THE COUNTRY FIRST?

THEY DO NOT REPRESENT A MAJORITY OF EVEN THE REPUBLICAN PARTY, WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE EXTREMISTS IN THE HOUSE.

THEY CERTAINLY DON'T REPRESENT A MAJORITY OF THE COUNTRY.

SOMEBODY HAS TO STAND UP AND SAY COMING UP.

WE CAN HAVE DISAGREEMENTS, I'M ALL FOR THAT.

I WAS IN THE SENATE FOR EIGHT YEARS I WORKED WITH A LOT OF REPUBLICANS AND OPPOSED THEM WHEN I DIDN'T AGREE.

BUT AT SOME POINT THERE NEEDS TO BE A BACKLASH AGAINST THE CONTROL THAT THIS IS A GROUP OF EXTREMISTS HAVE AND I DON'T KNOW WHO WILL LEAD THAT, BUT LET'S HOPE THAT WHOEVER BECOMES THE NEW SPEAKER WILL.

>> FOR THOSE OUTSIDE THE COUNTRY WHO MAY NOT KNOW, IT IS NOT SO MUCH A FIGHT BETWEEN TWO DIFFERENT PARTIES, IT IS A WARFARE WITHIN ONE PARTY, THE GOP.

SO WHEN YOU LOOK AT HOW TO GO FORWARD FOR THE COUNTRY, AS YOU SAY, IS THERE ANY AREA OF COALITION BUILDING THAT COULD HAPPEN?

THERE ARE PRAGMATIC REPUBLICANS, AS YOU SAY.

COULD THERE BE A WHOLE NEW WAVE OF TRYING TO GET LEGISLATION GOING AND CROSS PARTY GOVERNANCE GOING BY DEMOCRATS AND CERTAIN REPUBLICANS FORMING A COALITION?

>> YOU SAW THE NUMBER OF REPUBLICANS WHO VOTED WITH A NUMBER OF DEMOCRATS TO KEEP THAT GOVERNMENT OPEN.

THERE IS CLEARLY A COMMON SENSE AND SANE PART OF THE REPUBLICAN CAUCUS IN THE HOUSE.

BUT I THINK THEY ARE INTIMIDATED , THEY OFTENTIMES SAY AND DO THINGS WHICH THEY KNOW BETTER THAN TO SAY OR DO.

AND IT WILL REQUIRE US DEFEATING THOSE MOST EXTREME MEASURES AND THE PEOPLE WHO PROMOTE THEM IN ORDER TO TRY TO GET TO SOME COMMON GROUND WHERE PEOPLE CAN, AGAIN, WORK TOGETHER.

THAT IS THE WAY IT USED TO BE.

WE HAD VERY STRONG PARTISANS IN BOTH PARTIES IN THE PAST AND WE HAD VERY BITTER BATTLES OVER ALL KINDS OF THINGS.

GUN CONTROL, CLIMATE CHANGE, THE ECONOMY AND TAXES.

BUT THERE WASN'T THIS LITTLE TALE OF EXTREMISM WAGGING THE DOG OF THE REPUBLICAN PARTY AS IT IS TODAY.

AND SADLY, SO MANY OF THOSE EXTREMISTS, MEGA EXTREMISTS, TAKE THEIR MARCHING ORDERS FROM DONALD TRUMP, WHO HAS NO CREDIBILITY LEFT, BY ANY MEASURE.

HE IS ONLY IN IT FOR HIMSELF, NOT DEFENDING HIMSELF CIVIL ACTIONS AND CRIMINAL ACTIONS, AND WHEN DO THEY BREAK WITH HIM?

BECAUSE, AT SOME POINT, MAYBE THERE NEEDS TO BE A FORMAL DEPROGRAMMING OF THE CULT MEMBERS.

SOMETHING NEEDS TO HAPPEN.

>> HAD YOU DO THAT?

HOW DO YOU DEFEAT THEM, BY DEFEATING THEIR LEADER WHO IS DONALD TRUMP.

HOW DOES THIS CHANGE AT ALL?

>> AT THIS POINT I THINK SADLY HE WILL STILL BE THE NOMINEE AND WE HAVE TO DEFEAT HIM.

AND WE HAVE TO DEFEAT THOSE WHO ARE THE ELECTION DENIERS AS WE DID IN 2020 AND 2022.

AND WE HAVE TO, JUST BE SMARTER ABOUT HOW WE ARE TRYING TO EMPOWER THE RIGHT PEOPLE INSIDE THE REPUBLICAN PARTY.

NANCY PELOSI HAD A MAJORITY OF FIVE VOTES WHEN SHE WAS THE SPEAKER.

KEVIN McCARTHY HAD A MAJORITY OF FIVE VOTES.

NANCY PELOSI PAST CONSEQUENTIAL LEGISLATION AND SHE CLEARLY HAD MEMBERS WITHIN THE CAUCUS WHO RANGED ACROSS A SPECTRUM OF POLITICAL BELIEFS AND IDEOLOGY, AND SHE KEPT EVERYBODY TOGETHER .

SHE KEPT EVERYBODY FOCUSED ON THE FUTURE.

HE COULD NOT DO THAT.

SO HE PAID A PRICE, THE MORE PARTLY THE COUNTRY PAID A PRICE.