On his show today, Ed Schultz says the Republican Party is at an ideological crossroads, and he asks Nation Editor and Publisher Katrina vanden Heuvel whether the Republican Party will embrace or run away from Rand Paul. Vanden Heuvel says there are people in the Republican Party and the Tea Party who share Paul’s views, and though it isn’t clear yet which direction the party will go, it has a tricky decision to make. “When Mr. Rove sticks his head into it you know they are anxious about a candidate like Rand Paul imploding,” Vanden Heuvel says.

Vanden Heuvel also agrees with Schultz when he admits that he doesn’t see Republicans scoring big pick-ups in the mid-term elections. However, Vanden Heuvel believes both organizing on the ground and enthusiasm from the White House will be critical for Democrats going forward. “I think this White House needs to show that maybe they can’t produce the jobs by November, but they are on the road showing the political will that they understand they need to put millions of people back to work.”

—Morgan Ashenfelter