Stay updated with breaking news from Mclane virginia. Get real-time updates on events, politics, business, and more. Visit us for reliable news and exclusive interviews.
Post shredded wheat is made with only one ingredient: one hundred percent whole grain wheat, with no added sugar or salt. try adding fruit for more health benefits and more taste in your bowl. it s the ideal way to start your heart healthy day. try post shredded wheat. this has been medifacts for post shredded wheat. it s time to talk big picture. new jersey and virginia residents are voting right now. their decisions could mean a lot more, though, for both political parties than who has control of two state houses. so joining us now is former virginia congressman com davis and michael steele msnbc analyst and former rnc chairman. thanks to both of you for being here. thanks. good to see you. tom, i want to start with you, tea party favorite ken cuccinelli trailing in the polls, governor chris christie ran as a moderate. he s poised to win potentially by large margins. ....
Measure it over time how this plays out, how christie translates the success in a broader republican primary as a lesson for how to win. tom, michael says we need to be measured, careful not to draw too much from these results. still i want to point out something that our colleagues from first read raise, the center for americans politics or changing demographics like virginia. what are the lessons for the republican party on this election day, do you think? are there broader implications for 2016? i would say to my friend michael steele i don t want to read too much into it. the reason he didn t have stronger opposition is democrats didn t think they could win. he has a good governance model. you take that and compare it to the governance modelled in virginia at least in this election, it s very clear which one is going to be likely to triumph in a state with changing demographics in a swing state. in a red state may be a ....
Are these two races in total sending a broader message that voters could be rejecting the tea party? i think certainly in the purple states, in these swing states being a tea party conservative is not enough to win on its own. you have to forge coalitions. in virginia they have had difficulty doing that. when christie is winning in very dark blue new jersey by double digits and you re losing in virginia, you have to say maybe something is wrong with the model and we need to look at a different coalition. michael, i want to turn to you and talk about chris christie, obviously hoping to run up the margins tonight, hoping to send a broader message nationally. the question is always can he win in iowa, can he win in south carolina? is christie a strong candidate in a primary? i think he is for a whole lot of reasons given what he s been able to accomplish and the relationships he has forged across the aisle in a state like new jersey. i want to be i think folks ....
Is this a messaging problem for the white house? they got busted, i think deservedly so for leaving out that qualifier. it is important to it a step back. president obama said if you like your insurance you can coop it. that does apply to the majority of the people with health insurance, whether from your employer or people who don t have health insurance at all. where he was wrong and the qualification he left out was regarding that 5 to 6% in the private health insurance market. a lot of the good reporting pointed out, some people worse off, some better off. president obama has really tried to go back at that qualification issue. it s really dogged him. i m not sure this goes up to the level of president clinton, i did not have sex with that women or bush s weapons of mass destruction in iraq. they have to get to the bottom of it and fix it fast. they don t have just the website to fix but the messaging problem as well. mark, chris, luke, thank you so much for being here this aft ....
Concerns. this is not a valid concern. senator, i know this is going to take up much of your attention today. as you know, there s also a big election in your state today. governor chris christie gearing up to try to run up the percentage he s going to get. how much of a percentage do you think he could actually walk away with and what do you think the election says about christie as a potential candidate for 2016. i don t know. we ll see what the turnout is. by the same token, there s a ballot question about raising the minimum wage in the state that has overwhelming support the governor opposes. i m not sure we ll tell by the election. what this does exhibit is the fight for the soul of republican party, between someone conservative with chris christie but not tea party oriented. those tea party oriented will see him as not conservative enough. that s ultimately the difference in what you ll see in new jersey and virginia. all right. senator bob menendez, thank you ....