• Listen to this segment

We spend the rest of the hour today looking at the future of the Republican party based on what has happened so far at the Republican National Convention. The GOP is at a major crossroads with its incumbent president having the lowest popularity rating of all time, based on an unpopular war and plummeting economy. It faces challenges not only from the Democratic Party but from the Libertarian party which could end up being a spoiler factor. The party’s nominee lags in the polls, albeit by a small amount. While hurricanes hit harder and more Americans become aware of the dangers of global warming and the need for energy conservation, the party has adopted a chorus for offshore drilling. While more Americans are fed up with the war in Iraq, John McCain supports continuing and expanding it. While more Americans are suffering from poverty, the Republicans are pushing for greater tax cuts to enrich the already rich. Yesterday’s convention speeches provoked ominous group chants of “USA, USA.”

GUEST: John Nichols, political writer for the Nation, co-founder of Free Press

With the major speech by Governor Sarah Palin at the Republican National Convention scheduled for last night, I ran into former Senate Majority Leader and Mississippi Senator Trent Lott earlier yesterday on the floor of the convention. He was being interviewed by an ABC News camera who asked him about VP pick, Governor Sarah Palin when I inserted my recorder in the mix and followed up with some questions of my own.

GUEST: former Senate Majority Leader and Mississippi Senator Trent Lott