MSNBC’s Alex Witt talks to host of Hardball Chris Matthews

>>> in today's office politics , alex has a conversation with the host of "hardball" msnbc's chris matthews . they talk about his new book, legacy of ronald reagan and tip o'neill and why congress could take a lesson about the way they did business together. and how long he has to get anything done.

>> if he could agree to get background checks for gun sale shows, that's what he has to go for. i'm fully aware of the country's cowboy culture. it's going to be difficult to imagine harry reid as the democratic leader in the senate, majority leader to bring up a bill calling for some kind of banning of semiautomatic rifles at a time where he has no belief that the house republicans will do the same. why would he want to do that? why would he want to expose his soldiers to a charge of anti-gun. he will have to wait to for the house to do something f. the house doesn't do anything, nothing will get done. but background checks might work but restriction on guns yo that obama can get it through.

>> regardless of what happens in the next four years, do you think this president, given his re-election is a force in american history ?

>> i would say -- he wants to be more than a maintenance president a caretaker. clearly he sees himself as ronald reagan . reagan coming in and making conservativism main stream. he wants to make his progressive attitudes main stream and change the way we look at government and he probably feels that people would fwhut to him. i'm in the sure they have. i think they are on a narrow margin center left , but very narrow margin . it is fragile.

>> you think he can do it. as reagan did?

>> reagan had a good first term. his second term was all compromise. i think he will have to get compromise on immigration, on tax reform and guns. so i think the second term will be about compromise and trying to find peace abroad.

>> how much time does he have to get it done.

>> four years because i think the republicans want it. the same way the republicans wanted to get rid of social security . they lose on immigration.

>> four years. what about the rest?

>> i think he might be able to win that argument at anytime. this gun thing he better hit it hard in the next, no later than the spring.

>> your jack kennedy book is awesome.

>> thank you.

>> rose to the top of the "new york times," and amazon best seller. what about the new one coming, which might be my favorite.

>> if i get it right, i'm beginning to work with it full time pretty much. it's due in june.

>> this is a book that maybe everybody on capitol hill could pick up and read.

>> it is not a story about two old irish guys drinking and passing bills. but two guys who both recognize that elections matter, that their offices matter that we have to keep the government going and keep making compromise because it's the only way to keep it going . there are all kinds of issues and they found a way to keep it going . there's a social security , tax reform , immigration, the ending of the cold air. a lot of wonderful moments in which they avoided trouble because they both wanted the system to work. which is why the system has to work. it has to be capable of working with strangers. we're not going to have cope settic guys and women. you have to have a system regardless of who is appointed or elected that works. i think there were real fights and real tough hostility there at times, especially from tip toward reagan . i mean, they disagreed. reagan thought less government was better. and tip thought government was necessary for a lot of people. real philosophical role. i have to tell the truth. there's a lot to tell. it went on six years and i was there.

>>> alex will be her most memorable moments from office politics .