mark: i assumed your list of people who could run the list are jeb bush, scott walker, rand paul, christie, yes or no, rubio, yes or no? guest: christie, rubio, yeah, if he gets in i would put that. -- casing in that. mark: the traditional dynamic is somebody's' ahead. is there way for somebody to pull ahead in a meaningful way or are we going to be like this all the way through? guest: i think we'll stay in this -- certainly through the fall. unless something major happens where someone, you know, a portion of the field collapses leaving in that bracket just one or two people. i think as long as -- we're like in the field of 64. there's too many things that can happen still. mark: one of my takeaways was about marco rubio. as good a speaker as he is, the speech he gave up in new hampshire, he did the friday night dinner speech. was actually better, even according to some of his supporters, than his announcement speech, which was pretty well received. let's listen to a little bit of that. >> the 21st century can be an american century if we want it to be. now it is up to you and i to go ou

mark: today includes once from scott walker, ted cruz, and rick perry, and none of them much like the current federal tax code. is the issue of taxes a winning issue for republicans in 2016? john: it really depends on which republican becomes the nominee and what their tax plans are. there will be a big debate about tax reform in the republican party. we don't know what their tax plan will be. marco rubio's tax plan will not be rand paul's tax plan. if there is a tax plan at the republicans can get behind that looks family-friendly, that isn't just a big tax cut, that is a different calculus that the old school, we will cut rates on the rich. mark: everybody wants simpler, fairer, flatter. it is easier within the republican nomination fight to do that but they have yet to talk about deductions. in the general election, if you are for a flat tax against hillary clinton, you will be creamed. john: marco rubio doesn't want to cut rates and other reform conservatives want to keep the top rates high stop mark: it to come out for a flat tax without making it revenue neutral or progressive y

scott walker has taken a fuse steps back. >> ted cruz did as well or better. so you have a couple guys who can play on the big stage. he did well. it is a good -- not a misstep. there is no big gap or mistake or disappointment. i really want to see what happens before we measure this. the start of a great rollout. if not, it could be forgotten. >> he could give this speech at the convention or give it as inaugural address or in lots of different venues. and it will continue. >> we can only assume that at the celebration tonight involves a whole lot of mixed adult beverages. that is the reference. marco rubio: i live in the exceptional country where the son of a bartender and made it can have the same privilege as another person. he used to tell me, he used to tell us -- [speaking spanish] in this country -- [applause] marco rubio: it means in this country you will achieve all of the things you never covered. >> i love the biography, huge part of marco rubio's appeal. a big part of the speech tonight. how far can that carry him? >> he needs to do more to burn i

jeb bush and scott walker have been over scrutinized at this point. that, if income is a huge issue for some you almost passed -- have to have had more scrutiny than he has had. mark: both jeb bush and scott walker have had bad days this year, in part because they have gotten scrutiny. it will be interesting to see of the bush operation which is the most aggressive in terms of research, let's see if jeff authorizes people going after his close friend. mark group -- marco rubio has done a good job of being in a lesser but finding the path to the nomination is like playing marco polo with your eyes closed and pumping into the wall. -- bumping into the wall. john: this is the $64,000 question and one that you and i agreed upon with our scatter report. he doesn't have a path when you think about geography. he is not an obvious i was player will stop there is no place -- he is not an obvious iowa player. there is no place that is obvious for him. what he has to hope for is that he never just gets behind jeb bush. and walker, maybe is too much in the conser

i thought scott walker did a good job. mark: he is probably the strongest of the people that spoke today in terms of audience reaction in terms of weaving the message. he is very comfortable giving that kind of speech to that audience. the fact is as we try to figure out where scott walker is going to play in this notion of is he going to play in the establishment bracket, the social conservative bracket -- he is going to play where the most votes are. he has great support amongst gun rights advocates. john: that is why he is dangerous to a guy like jeb bush. the wisconsin thing -- that seems credible. mark: as comfortable as scott walker was, today was another opportunity to see if jeb bush could figure out how to do q&a but to give a prepared speech. today, the results were at best mixed. jeb bush: it is the liberal, progressive worldview of barack obama and hillary clinton and eric holder and all that other people who want to take the guns out of the hands of the good guys and the hands of the law-abiding citizens. the