Chuck Todd is joined by former North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory for a wide-ranging conversation about the state of American politics and governance. McCrory, who describes himself as a Reagan conservative, discusses how modern politics has become trapped in rigid left/right binary thinking and reflects on his experience managing civil unrest during the 2016 Charlotte riots. The conversation explores the breakdown of civil discourse, the infiltration of legitimate protests by anarchists, and the failure of political leaders to work across party lines during crises like the recent LA fires.

The discussion delves into pressing questions about federal disaster response, including whether states can manage without FEMA and how the two-party system is failing Americans. They argue that dark money has turned campaign finance into "legal corruption." He also weighs in on whether the Republican Party can be reformed or if America needs a viable third party, while addressing the political survival prospects of senators like Thom Tillis in an increasingly polarized landscape.

Timeline

00:00 Governor Pat McCrory joins the Chuck ToddCast!

01:30 Everything in modern politics is framed in left/right binary terms

03:15 What type of conservative is he?

04:15 What attracted him to Reagan conservatism?

06:00 Americans don’t always demand their leaders show empathy or grace

07:15 We used to be able to have conversations with people we disagree with

10:00 Mayors have less power than people realize

11:00 Congress has given away too much power to the executive branch

12:00 Handling the 2016 riots in Charlotte over a police shooting

12:45 A handful of anarchists have infiltrated the LA protests

15:00 Anarchists try to turn legitimate protests into riots

16:00 Is there a playbook for managing protests and civil unrest?

19:30 Trump, Newsom and Bass should be working together during protests

20:15 The Trump administration views working with Democrats as weakness

21:30 Newsom + Bass not holding joint press conferences during fires was a mistake

23:00 Leaders have to go beyond politics during disasters

24:00 Can states manage disaster relief on their own without FEMA?

26:00 Does FEMA’s need for expediency make it ripe for waste and abuse?

27:00 Disasters are a money making venture for contractors

28:45 FEMA cuts will hurt Trump’s voters the most

30:00 Bad communications after a disaster endanger the public

30:45 Certain government roles shouldn’t be politically appointed

32:30 FEMA needs to be reformed, not eliminated

33:45 Would it be better to reform the GOP, or create a viable third party?

35:15 The two party system is failing America

36:15 The two parties are acting like the mafia

37:15 There is political correctness on both sides of the aisle

39:00 The protests end up being misrepresented on television

41:15 Is the Republican party redeemable?

42:30 Dark money has corrupted our politics

44:15 Crypto has become the top spending lobbying group

48:00 Is crypto really currency if you have to cash it out to spend it?

50:30 Campaign finance has turned into legal corruption

51:45 Can Tom Thillis survive a Republican primary challenge?

55:00 Thillis holds strong convictions about the separation of powers