Where the story would be hey, look whos not with mitt romney today. Either a staffer, we saw that yesterday, jeb bush signed up his iowa director from the last two cycles or major donor, or frankly his lead in the polls. He looks good in the polls now, but as the campaign would have heated up his numbers would have only gone down simply as other candidates started getting attention. He was going to have to deal with this fact alex. In the next six months he was going to be doing nothing but sort of fading and eroding. Think john mccain, 2007. The question is do you have the constitution, governor romney to deal with the fact that you would be battered in six months then say to yourself do you have it to come back do you think there would be a way back from that abyss, or the perception of an abyss. So i think it does sound like they had a real sort of sober conversation of what the next six months would look like and i get why he said no. And Steve Kornacki have been breaking apart what was sent out, a transcript of what we expect to have on that call. Lets break that down. You and i were reading this as we were getting miked up. The first three or four paragraphs were about nothing but why he should be running for president , why he would win, until a pivotal point. It looked ahead. Yeah. This is the statement emailed to hugh hewitt, conservative radio host a staunch ally of mitt romney. The first, he lays out all the ground work why he should be a candidate for president. What he ends up saying is that he thinks somebody else might might emerge. What i see in this statement, i think there was a personal element to this in the last few months. A lot of people are saying why would mitt romney after running in 2008 running in 2012 and losing, why would he think about running again. I think theres a personal element between mitt romney and jeb bush. He saw all the attention jeb bush was getting in december, all of the talk about jeb bush will unify the Republican Party, maybe the best bet, maybe the only bet. All that talk. Seems here two things were on mitt romneys mind when he saw that. First, he looked at poll numbers the last few months. He said all that talk about jeb bush being a strong unifying candidate. Yet as well known in name as romney. Every time you polled mitt romney and jeb bush mitt romney was beating jeb bush not impressively. You would think based on hype jeb bush would be running ahead. When you looked closer you saw specific problems with jeb bush among tea party republicans, the most conservative hardcore element of the Republican Party. A lot has to do with the history of george w. Bush and how the tea party sprung up in part in reaction to george w. Bush and what they saw as his selling out of conservatism. It showed vulnerability for jeb. Theres a personal thing here that has nothing to do with the numbers, bush family and mitt romney were very close for a long time. Mitt romney gave a speech in the 2008 campaign about mormonism. Some said this is his john f. Kennedy speech like when john talked about roman catholicism. He was introduced by george bush senior had a close relationship with george bush senior. In the 2012 Campaign Mitt Romney was basically left hanging by jeb bush. The fate of the candidacy was on the line. Newt gingrich crushed him in south carolina. Romney had to bounce back win florida. Who do you want on your side in a must win situation, you want jeb bush. What did he say to mitt romney no i am not going to do anything for you. Didnt lift a finger. Theres resentment there, also after the election in 2012. After the election in 2012 jeb bush more than other republicans, there were plenty of republicans that piled on mitt romney after that more than other republicans jeb bush was specifically critical of the Romney Campaign privately and in some cases publicly. Certainly private stuff worked back to mitt romney public stuff was impossible to ignore. When you take that personal element and youre mitt romney watching jeb bush make his move for 2016 then saying wait a minute, i dont think this guy is more popular among republicans than i am at least right now, i think that starts to give you motivation to give him a hard time. One quick thing here. This statement, this jumps out at me. This romney statement. He says i believe one of the next generation of republican leaders, one not as well known as i am one that hasnt yet taken a message across the country may well emerge as being better able to be the republican nominee. I expect and hope that to be the case. Jeb bush is 63 years old, he is not the next generation of republican leaders. Mitt romney is taking a shot at jeb bush there. Absolutely. And youre out doing double duty youre coming from glendale, arizona, you were speaking with people that were on that call. What was their expectation going in . Did you get a sense of that . Did they think he would say im all in . Lets be clear, there were two Conference Calls, the second one taking place now with a larger cast of romney supporters. First began at 10 45 a. M. Eastern time. Spoke to close aides of the governor shortly before that call began. Two said they believed he was going to say yes, he would likely form a pac. Two said theyre hearing it is likely a no. This is how it was for many on the inner circle even up to the last minute. Lets pull back the curtain, at the present you about the phone call that took place at 10 45. Governor romney spoke to individuals that gathered on that call before the end of the call his wife ann got on thanked supporters said they believe they have the money, they believe they have the support, and yet they for all reasons you and steve and chuck discussed ultimately decided they thought it would be best to hand over the reigns to somebody else in the Republican Party. There are consequences to this that are important to keep an eye on what it does on the establishment lane for the Republican Party looking at 2016. Seemed like it would be difficult for jeb bush mitt romney and Chris Christie to run effectively side by side for establishment label among republicans competing for the same type of donor money and ultimately support. This now gives governor Chris Christie if he chooses, better rationale to decide he wants to compete with governor jeb bush for that spot. You make a good point there. We were saying back in news areas that were mitt romney to run, that might very much deflate Chris Christies chances of getting into it. Chuck, i am curious your thoughts on the personal aspect here. How much do you think what this would have done and expose the Romney Family to weigh in on mitt romney and we all remember ann romney not long ago saying no no, no, it is not going to happen. Look, i think this has been a personal i am with steve on this. I think some of the interest in the race was personal. Yes, some driven by look jeb has had problems with romney going back to 07 romney was jebs candidate in early 07, and romney flipped on immigration and jeb never forgave him. He thought the way he used immigration as a wedge against mccain, he never forgave him. He wouldnt be shy about criticizing romney. He thought he is pandering too much. And that continued through 2012. And thats really what drove jeb from romney it is the way romney ran against immigration reform. But i think when it came to romney, if i thought one of the reasons he wanted to run is this is a man who hadnt failed at anything else in life before successful businessman, when he lost in massachusetts, got up off the mat eight years later, won a rasce in massachusetts. He eventually succeeded. That personal ambition and drive to prove that he could do this is what sort of i think look it is clear he wants to be the nominee. It is clear he didnt see a path to get the nomination. Thats what i think happened here. Do you see a political future for him in any way . You can never rule anything out. Obviously mitt romney is going to be i think the way i look at it is this. If for some reason it is total chaos in the Republican Party and they cant settle on anybody, he is going to be the sort of generic backup. But lets be realistic, the likelihood of that is one in a million chance. I think effectively mitt romneys political career is now in the rearview mirror. You agree with that. Who do you think is backing out of potential nominee helps the most . In terms of political career one interesting thing, he told an audience recently he is registered to vote in utah. He had property in new hampshire, massachusetts there was a point in his political career he had to decide between waiting in utah couple years after the olympics and trying to run for governor in 2004 or returning to massachusetts and running there in 2002. It was a somewhat difficult decision, he made some moves in utah back then. Ultimately opted for massachusetts, now back in utah. Maybe a few years down the line governorship may open he may run, but determining where the race goes from here this is it. For jeb bush this is a big, happy day for jeb bush what he is trying to do is coalesce the party around him as much as possible the next few months. Line up people behind the scenes donors behind the scenes, Political Support behind the scenes to assemble something, roll out something that will intimidate a lot of other people out of the race send a message to the rest of the party that the train is leaving the station, you better get on board. In that sense this can be seen as a big victory for jeb bush. Thats what happened here. Mitt romney saw what was already happening in terms of defections, jeb people are cracking the whip behind the scenes. This is the model. This is what george w. Bush did. How did he become president in 2000 . Because in 1999 what began as the at the time seemed like the most wide open republican field in history, sound familiar, what we are seeing now, First Six Months of 1999 george w. Bush quietly and persistently raised an astronomical sum of money. When they reported numbers for Second Quarter of 1999 he raised ten or 15 times more than the nearest kpelt tore. In sex months six republican candidates dropped out. George w. Bush had mccain gave him a scare, had an easy path to nomination. Jeb is trying to replicate that. We will see if he can raise that money, make that statement the next few months. In terms of finances commonplace that the only two guys that can raise the volumous amounts of money to pull off a president ial run are jeb bush and mitt romney. Pete alexander, are you still with me . I wanted to get a sense from peter, having been on the campaign trail what this feels like for mitt romney right now. Chuck, i know you covered him for years and years, and interviewed him certainly. What is he feeling now . Is there a sense do you think of relief . Of great loss . I think the only sense of relief is probably with ann. Look i think mitt romney wanted this. I think he wanted this so you know look i assume hes going to i think this is going to be a hard decision to live with for quite some time particularly as he watches the campaign go on as he watches issues he believes he knows in hindsight he should have prosecuted better perhaps on foreign policy. I dont think this is an easy decision for him. He go back to something, he is a very personally driven man. And i think this was an easier would have been easier in some ways for him to run. I think it was a hard decision for him to look here and admit that he couldnt do it or wasnt worth the toll that it may take to do it. I go back to john mccain. I still think one of the more stunning moments of president ial Campaign History is the fact you had a guy like john mccain who started high went to the depths stared into the abyss. One man candidate, carrying his own luggage in new hampshire, clawed his way back to the nomination. That doesnt happen all the time. Did he have the stomach for that. John mccain had the stomach for something that to this day i think is remarkable when you think back on it. And romney was probably going to have to risk going down that route in some form or another. Fact of the matter is everybody likes a new car smell. And romney was not going to be the new car and there was going to be excitement around him. Well see. Chuck, has he done a better job of shaping his legacy . The fact is had he gone down he would have gone down three times a loser. The number of statements could be made about that. In this case people will look at him now after they have adjusted this as having stepped aside. Thats right. Theres a fine line being between being thought of as bob dole and harold stas in. I basically said that for steve. But my point is harold stas in was a legitimate candidate for president first couple times he ran. Then ran every year until he was 80 then it became a running joke. And bob dole here is a guy that ran three times for president and after he got his nomination didnt run again. After he got his nomination theres a positive legacy there for bob dole and youre not going to say three time losing president ial candidate with bob dole. I think his stay in the history books is there. So i think theres something to that. But i want to go back to something about jeb, this is sort of this gives christie a narrow opening to be relevant. I think thats a longer shot than others do. He had no shot at financial path if both jeb and romney were competing for big donors. It gives christie an opening. I am curious to see how many big donors go with walker. I think walker to lesser extent paul. But this big where you raise your billion dollars from a small group of people, the assumption is theyre mostly with jeb. I will be curious. If theyre not be jeb, then who . Who wins the second sort of second amount of big donors. Walker christie . I dont think it is a rand paul. I think he has to go another route in order to do this. I think he is a major player but needs to go another route on the money front. And thats something i will be watching the next six months. How can walker make end roads in the financial establishment wing of the party. Now that romney is out. Joining me shawn mccoy former Iowa Communications director and spokesman for romneys 2012 campaign now publisher of inside sources. And columnist for daily beast and frequent krit i i can of mitt romney. Shawn, how much do you think the defection if you will of david koch he will goings to Jeb Bush Team how much did that influence, was that a final straw . I think that mitt made a thoughtful decision this morning and knew that it was time for a fresh face to lead the party. It had to be difficult looking at the polls and seeing that he was leading across the board to then make that decision and say it is time to let a new face lead the party. But he did so. And i think overall this is going to be extremely important for the money primary, and giving especially jeb bush an opportunity to raise money that he needs to run for president. Michael, i am curious how surprised you are at this. You are not a fan of mitt romney, you called him a women p after a speech he made in israel. If you look at poll numbers, a bunch of americans, the majority who had a favorable opinion of him. So where do you come down on this . You know i mean i think that he was a plausible candidate, as plausible as any of the rest of them. He had the retread factor but had a couple things going for him. The main one being that all his dirty laundry has already been out there. Bain capital was not going to be an issue this time around unless somebody unearthed some new thing, and i dont think that was likely to happen. And you know he has been through it. And he had as good claim on this as anyone. I think his biggest disadvantage if he had done this was going to be that it apparently looks like all of the dire things that he said about the economy back in 2012 during that campaign arent looking very smart now. Of course the president has weighed in on all of the rumors. There was the House Democrats annual retreat in philadelphia last night during which time the president took some calling it jabs against the opponent there. Listen to what the president said. Weve got a former president ial candidate on the other side who suddenly is just deeply concerned about poverty. Thats great lets go come on lets do something about it. Mitt romney was very quick to respond on twitter. He wrote mr. Obama, wonder why my concern about poverty . The Record Number of poor in your term and your record at failure to remedy. Chuck, do you think this is the kind of thing we can expect from mitt romney in the next less than two years, i guess 21 months trying to do math next 21 months is this what we are going to see from mitt romney or do you think he will go quiet . I think he goes quiet. Now that he is the role of statesman, could be a king maker. Look, i think mitt romney can carry, it is interesting. And i say this when people asked me about Elizabeth Warren can she be more influential running or not running. Sometimes you can be more influential when you dont run. I think Elizabeth Warren is more influential on Hillary Clinton not running as candidate than she would be the second she got in type thing. Sometimes when youre a candidate, your influence can weirdly shrink for awhile. I think romney has an opportunity to be sort of the statesman of the party, elder statesman, big guy of the party, perhaps where his endorsement becomes more meaningful and things like that. I dont expect him to continue to have tit for tat like last night on twitter. What about the prospect of becoming an adviser of sorts to a Jeb Bush Campaign notwithstanding what you said theres a little bad blood there, overall, bush family Romney Family held tight through the years. Would that be possible . The Bush Campaign very unlikely. Again, i am struck by that statement that romney statement where he talks about finding somebody from the younger generation, somebody whos not that well known now who might catch on. He hopes thats the case. Chuck is talking scott walker and thats right. We are entering what the walker people hope will be A Scott Walker moment. If you look at the polls, he is down 3, 4 among republicans nationally, does not have a lot of name rec