do for you. ask what you can do for your country. >> even if they don't win, they're likely to be the next candidate. so we should care a lot about who this choice is. cnn's coverage of the republican national convention continues right now. >> with a deep awareness of the responsibility conferred by yur trust, i accept your nomination for the presidency of the united states. >> this is america, a brilliant diverty spread like stars, like 1,000 points of light in a broad and peaceful sky. >> i call on every american to rise above all that may divide us. >> they've had their chance. they have not led. we will. >> fight with me. fight with me. fight for what's right for our country.

>> he put new fire in mitt romney's campaign. >> it's an honor to announce my running mate and the next vice president of the united states, paul ryan. >> he gave new hope to the republican right. >> i'm a catholic deer hunter. i'm happy to be clinging to my guns and my religion. >> and he reenergized the president's liberal base. >> he's the ideological leader of the republicans in congress. but that vision is wrong. >> in tampa tonight, congressman paul ryan accepts the vice presidential nomination and helps lead the attack on the president's economic policies. >> the recovery starts november the 6th when president obama is not working in the white house any longer. >> will ryan defend his own record and his budget plan under fierce attack by democrats? >> you've heard the president has been talking about medicare a bit lately. we want this debate.

we need this debate. and we are going to win this debate. >> now, cnn turns the spotlight on one of the biggest platforms in american politics. this is the republican national convention. this is paul ryan's night. >> it's not enough to fix this country's problems. >> this is america's choice. >> we'd like to welcome our viewers in the united states and around world. we're here at the republican national conventiontampa, orida. we're expectg a lively hour. senator rand p addresses the delegas shory after a video honoring his father. the texas congressman, ron paul. also coming up this hour, tributes to a pair of former

presidents, george w. bush and his father, george h.w. bush. here inside the convention hall, anticipation is building for tonight's acceptance speech by the vice presidential nominee, paul ryan. i'm wolf blitzer. we're here on the convention floor along with cnn's erin burnett. it's going to be an exciting night for these republicans who have gathered here. >> it is. they've just begun their night as well. you just heard the pledge of alien lee jans. let's go up to john king here. let's listen first. ♪ o say, can you see by the dawn's early light ♪ ♪ what proudlye hail at the twilight's last gleaming? ♪ ♪ whose broad stripes and bright stars

through the perilous fight ♪ ♪ o'er the ramparts we watched were so gally streaming? ♪ ♪ and the rockets' reglare the bombs in air ♪ ♪ gave proof through the night that ourlag was still ther♪ ♪ oh, say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave ♪ ♪ o'er the land of the free ♪ ♪ and the home of the brave? ♪

[ applause ] >> please welcome -- >> that was a beautiful, beautiful rendition of the national anthem by ella brown, she's the daughter of senator scott brown, the republican senator from massachusetts. she did a magnificent job. >> that's right. >> singing the national anthem. >> we knew she could sing. she just proved it. everybody's getting ready for rand paul. we're told his speak is going to be designed , quote, unquote, deconstruct president obama's campaign agenda. a lot of americans are just getting to know him. a lot of people in this country aren't familiar with him at all. he is the chair of the house budget committee. our gloria borger has spoke within him in depth. gloria? >> ryan is a deficit hawk. everyone knows he's proposed these budgets that are going to drastically cut spending. they're going to reform programs

like medicare, very controversial. but ryan has a compelling personal story. and he told me about it when i spoke with him last summer. ryan is a man in a hurry. in washington, he bunks in his congressional office.it's cheap closer to the house gym, which is good, since he's a fitness buff who got some of his colleagues hooked on a grueling exercise routine called p90x. >> it's a great workout. >> reporter: in a way, he owes his devotion to fitness to his father. in particular, one day when the younger ryan was still a teen. your dad was 55 when he died and you were 16. >> 16, yeah. >> reporter: how did that affect you? you say you're more sensitive -- >> yeah. i was as a young kid working mcdonald's that summer. and my mom was visiting my sister who got a job in denver. i went to wake him up and he wasn't alive. >> reporter: you found him? >> so i basically had to learn

to sink or swim. my grandmother who had alzheimer's moved in with us at the time. and my mom and i took care of her. my mom went back to school to learn a skill. i did a lot of growing up very fa. itdee very, i'd say, initiatirone. live life to its fullest because you neveowlong it's going to last. >> reporter: but you had the opportunity to run for president at the age of 41, if you're in a hurry. >> yeah. nice boomerang on that. >> reporter: and you said, no. >> sure, because i think there are other good people who can do this job but there are other good people who can't raise my kids. >> i'm john king. we're up in the cnn sky box. gloria borger is with me. david gergen as well. the thing that fascinates me about the paul ryan choice, it's a generational play by mitt romney. it's a younger, next-generation choice. conservatives say they love this

choice because it frames the issues. can republicans and democrats both be right? >> so far, the conservatives have been right. the liberals may still accomplish this, they felt they can take his medicare proposal in particular and use it against the republicans. it's become the new third rail. so far it doesn't seem to be cutting in most states. here in florida, there's a poll out that shows that 65 and over, seniors, still prefer romney over obama. the medicare hasn't scared them yet. >> he's a member of the house of representatives, almost unprecedented to be put -- >> insider. >> a washington insider. he was a staff member. been in washington for almost all of his adult life. but for a member of the house, he has a lot of national political experience in defending the budget. he's debated president obama in a couple of public settings. is he ready to go into the

campaign of ten states and make the case? >> i think he is. he's used to being in the arena. you know that, john. he's become the poster child for the democrats. they've run an ad with somebody who looks like him pushing an elderly person off a cliff with a wheelchair. >> let's go back down to the floor to wolf. >> they have video that's coming up right now. in fact, a video on ron paul, the texas congressman, the former republican presidential candidate. in fact, the video, i think, has just started. let's watch it. >> ron paul, 22 years in congress. he's never voted for a tax increase, never voted for a debt ceiling increase, never wavered, never backed down. >> the role of government ought to be for the protection of liberty, not for the intrusion into our private lives and economic affairs. you can't keep printing money. we have to cut spending. i believe in limited government.

i believe in individual liberty. we've spent too much. it's bankrupting this country. >> i knew i did not want to be a politician all my life. as a matter of fact, i was surprised i ever won because this message i thought would not go well with the people because i'm not making wild promises. of course, my wife warned me this was a dangerous project because she said, you could end up getting elected. >> he said, no, no, ip not going to be elected. he said, you have to be like santa claus, you have to give them something. >> it's been a consistent theme since his first election that government's grown too large and as government grows larger, your freedoms grow smaller. >> when i first got to the house, i thought ron paul was nuts. he was out there talking about the federal reverse, the monetary system. more and more, i found myself voting with him. >> he's been talking about these

things since the early 1970s. he hasn't wavered, he hasn't buckled. even when he's had to stand alone. >> i always put politicians into two categories. they're here to make a point or to make a difference. ron paul is the only one i know who made a different by making a point. >> we need lower taxes, less regulations and we need to free up the market. >> he's been one of the most fiscally conservative members in the history of the congress. >> we wouldn't have a $16 trillion debt if we had 435 ron pauls in congress. >> the more i think about him over the years, the more inspiring it is of what he's done. not being afraid of anything, but willing to stand for what he thought was right. ron paul was tea party before there was a tea party. >> if you want honesty, integrity, look to ron paul. that's based on his faith and based on his beliefs in the constitution. >> he's wanted to do things other people aren't willing to do because his convictions are so deep. >> as long as we live beyond our

means, we are destined to live beneath our means. >> the lobbyists don't even come by his office. they don't even bother to come by because they know he can't be bought. >> he stands for freedom. he stands for liberty. he stands for a traditional american values that made this country great. >> the longer we go and the deeper in debt we get, the apparent it is that ron paul was right all those years. >> whether people want to admit it or not, ron paul changed the conversation. [ applause ] >> please give a warm welcome to senate republican leader, mitch mcconnell of kentucky. >> what a tribute to ron paul. it's a little surprising to see that kind of tribute here at the republican convention for ron paul. he's not speaking. the retiring united states congressman, he's not speaking

at this convention because he didn't want them to have to vet his speech. he hasn't even fully endorsed mitt romney. his son is going to be speaking later tonight. but it's a little strange, that tribute, especially yesterday, as you remember, that he didn't even announce how many votes he was getting during the roll call. >> it was very awkward. you may not like that his delegates are still here voting for him. but bringing him into the fold, saying, welcome, vote for mitt romney, might have been a nice thing to do. >> nice little tribute. the republican senator from kentucky is going to be speaking later tonight. let's go back out to the skybox. john king is standing by. >> you saw the attempt of the republican national committee and the romney campaign to essentially thread a needle. ron paul will not speak tonight. but in that video, they're trying to pay tribute to him. a lot of his supporters grumpy about the way he's been treated. and some tea party lawmakers in there. you'll hear from rand paul.

but you won't see a tea party celebration here tonight. yet the tea party was so important to the republicans in 2010. let's continue our conversation, david gergen and gloria borger, also donna brazile. is the video enough to say, we appreciate your service, we want your voters, your supporters in the fold? >> it certainly helps. but the way to ron paul supporters is through their stomachs. and their stomachs is policy. they really want good economic policy. this election is in ron paul's wheelhouse. it's about economics. and getting the government out of your pocketbook. if it were about social issues where ron paul disagrees with the republican, if it were about foreign policy where ron paul disagrees with the republicans, there wouldn't be a way to bring things together. but there is. and frankly there may have been a bump in the road here, too. but this convention, the ron paul folks are pretty united with all republicans getting rid of barack obama. >> donna, you went through this as al gore's campaign manager. it happens.

you're trying to manage a convention that's about your candidate. but there are people who ran against them or there are voices in the party that might be a little bit different. you heard senator demint say he thought ron paul was nuts and then came around to his way of thinking. bob casey often had a hard time at democratic conventions. when you know there are people on the floor who support the other guy, how do youet em into the fold without giving up too much of your convention? >> first of all, i would, i guess, believe that dissent is very important in a democracy, especially at a time like this when so many passionate supporters, they've worked hard, they tried to elect ron paul. they've been with ron paul for a number of years. they are strong believers in his flossphilosophy of limited government. all they want is a seat at the table. they want to say, i was at the convention, i heard ron paul. i'm fired up and ready to go and support mitt romney. what happened yesterday, i

thought it left a bad taste in some of the mouths of the ron paul supporters. >> i'll tell you what, you notice in that movie, there was nothing substantive. it was all about how he's independent and for small government and they can all agree on that. >> he's not a normal candidate. he's a cause. that makes a difference. >> and he gets people voting. >> the question i have in a state that al gore lost by 537 votes, there is a libertarian candidate for president, do some of these leave the republican fold. >> especially if it is as close in florida as it's likely to be. thanks very much for that. michele bachmann says the gop doesn't have a problem with women. the president does. the former presidential candidate is about to sit down with our own piers morgan. stand by for that.

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we are here at the tampa bay times forum, as you can see, late afternoon here coming into evening at the republican national convention. all the delegates are convened. one of the big themes here has been sort of the establishment versus other groups, grassroots groups, whether it's the ron paul supporters, whether it be the tea party. piers morgan is joined by mb mb on the floor. piers ? >> you're here where all the action is.

would you rather be up there on the stage. you feel a little bit left out? >> i don't feel left out. but of course i'd love to be up there. i'm enthusiastic about getting behind this ticket. >> are you a bit too dangerous, do you think, for mitt romney's administration? his team? >> i'm exactly in line with where the romney/ryan team is. they've embraced the tea party principles. we're taxed enough already. government shouldn't spend more money than what it takes in. and we believe the government should act within the limits of the constitution. that's where mainstream america is and that's where our republican party platform is. and mitt romney and paul ryan embrace that. >> what about last week with todd akin? he obviously came acrop last week. >> you're reading directly off the obama talking points because i am pro life. paul ryan is pro life and we are

a pro life party and we're not ashamed of it. but we also believe that people have freedom of opinion. that's the kind of country that we are. and we believe that we respect other people's opinions. >> you've been saying this week that barack obama is more anti-women than mitt romney. you actually pemean that? >> i think mitt romney is going to be the one who allows more financial security for more women. clearly he's a guy who knows what he's talking about. he's been very successful. ann romney gave a wonderful speech last night. i think he would do very well for all american women. >> if he's so much more popular with american women than barack obama, why do the polls say he's a lot more popular than mitt romney? >> married women tend to support mitt romney more. single women tend to support barack obama more. but, again, single women are going to do a lot better under an obama administration because they'll pay half the price for gasoline if mitt romney is president because gasoline is more than doubled under barack

obama. and we have a very aggressive energy plan from mitt romney. when women go to fill up their car and they're paying double for gasoline, that's not helping any women. the same with the skyrocketing cost of groceries and health care. mitt romney is going to make life a lot more affordable, going to bring prices down. that's good for women because women do a lot of shopping for the families. >> paul ryan has a very important speech tonight. what do you want him to say? >> i love paul ryan. he and i have worked shoulder to shoulder with each other for six years. i know him very well. what he's going to do is talk about the way forward and how we're going to make america a growth economy. that's what we need. we've been stagnant. and paul has a great plan for seeing us grow. i think his insider expertise of knowing the budget better than anyone else on capitol hill coupled with mitt romney who really knows how to be successful in private enterprise, you put that combination together, it's an undeniable winning ticket. that's why i think they're going

to be very successful in november. >> many people thought last night with chris christie that he was making a pitch to be the next republican leader, possibly the next presidential candidate, rather than supporting his man, mitt romney. what did you think? >> i was he was talking about big ideas, talking about principles of who we are in this country and who we are as conservatives. and i think obviously he was lifting up mitt romney and he fully endorses mitt romney. but with all due respect to the governor and i love him, i think the night belonged to ann romney because she warmed everyone. she won us with her smile. the second she came out, she almost did a little curtsy and i think she is who she is. she's very comfortable in her skin. i know her. we were able to do at least 15 presidential debates together. i would speak to her before and after the debates. what you see on stage is what you get. that is ann romney. she's a delightful person. >> i find myself in a very unusual position. i agree with you entirely about ann romney. >> see. >> we have agreed on something.

wolf, erin, back to you. miraculous encounter. >> what a nice picture, piers. piers morgan and michele bachmann on the same page. that's not going to happen every day. >> i love that. arm's length. it looked very nice. as we're listening to music here and the party is beginning, you have to imagine what's going on not far away in new orleans. some of the worst flooding since hurricane katrina. and the pictures there are completely different than what you're seeing here. anderson cooper is there. he's going to be with us right after this break. [ male announcer ] the perfect photo... [ man ] nice! [ male announcer ] isn't always the one you plan to take. whoa, check it out. hey baby goat... no that's not yours... [ hikers whispering ] ...that's not yours. [ goat bleats ]

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good evening. anderson cooper, we are in st. bernard parish right now. here's the late es on tropical storm isaac. a lot to tell you about. moving at only 6 miles an hour. could stay over till friday. some areas have close to two feet of rain. between that and the storm surge, parts of louisiana, mississippi are paralyzed by high water right now. rescue crews needed boats to reach people who ignored mandatory evacuation orders, trapped be rising waters. hundreds of homes damaged right now. close to 1 million people in the gulf region -- >> anderson, we're going to lose your signal here. we've had trouble now with anderson's signal since we moved his truck away from that building that he was on last night. he had a great shot last night, the truck was protected. now the truck's out in the open. let me get to this and tell you what the weather is going to be.

then we'll get back to anderson if his signal is back. weather is all the way from the carolinas back into the louisiana. the eye of the center still very prompt on radar, still a very bright storm with colors here on the radar, 70-mile-per-hour winds. it's going to stay with us for most of the night. we'll zoom into where anderson is in plaquemines parish. there's bell chase across the river, that's the east bank. every squall that comes by, winds will be 50 to 60 miles per hour. anderson, we have your signal back. so go ahead if you can hear me. >> reporter: we're in st. bernard parish right on the opposite side of this levee gate is plaquemines parish. it is under water. you've been seeing a lot of rescues all day. >> absolutely. it's amazing when you think about the power of that wall because we're standing on dry cement here. but that wall -- behind that wall is something like 16 to 20

feet of water in plaquemines parish. that's the big problem. further back are the levees. the levees have been overtopped from the gulf. that water went pouring into plaque mrins parish. that is part of the -- >> yeah. same problem again. i can see -- it breaks up and it comes and it goes, wolf. we're going to have to put that truck behind some building so that anderson's live shots can stay because this storm is simply not moving. the winds continue to blow, one squall after another. five minutes later, it's great. five minutes from now, may be blowing again at 60. this is going to be with this team, with all of our teams, with all the people of louisiana for the next 30 hours, believe it or not. wolf? >> i'm always amazed at the extreme weather we get as much on the air logistically as possible as we possibly can. behind me, senator rand paul of kentucky, the son of ron paul,

is speaking. i want to listen in. >> believes that road creates business success and not the other way around. anyone who so fundamentally misunderstands american greatness is uniquely unqualified to lead this great nation. [ applause ] the great and abiding lesson of american history, particularly the cold war, is that the engine of capitalism, the individual, is mightier than any collective. [ applause ] american inventiveness and desire to build developed

because we were guaranteed the right to own our success. for most of our history, no one dared tell americans, you didn't build that. in bowling green, kentucky, the tang family owns the great american doughnut shop. their family fled war-torn cambodia to come to this country. we go there frequently. the tang work long hours. mrs. tang told us the family works through the night to make doughnuts. the tang family have become valedictorians and national merit scholars. the tangs from cambodia are an american success story. so, mr. president, don't you go telling the tang family that they didn't build that. [ applause ]

when you say they didn't build it, you insult each and every american who ever got up at the crack of dawn. you insult any american who ever put on overalls or a suit. you insult any american who ever studied late into the night to become a doctor or a lawyer. you insult the dishwasher, the cook, the waitress. you insult anyone who's ever dragged themselves out of bed to strive for something better for themselves and their children. my great grandfather, like many, came to this country in search of the american dream. no sooner had he stepped off the boat than his father died. he arrived in pittsburgh as a teenager with nothing, not a penny. he found the american dream, not great wealth, but a bit of property in a new land that gave him hope for his children. in america, as opposed to the old country, success was based

on merit. probably america's greatest asset was that for the first time, success was not based on who you were but what you did. [ applause ] my grandfather who lived to see his children become doctors and ministers, accountants and professors, he would even live to see one of his sons, a certain congressman from texas, run for the presidency of the united states. [ applause ] immigrants have flocked to our shores seeking freedom. our forebearers came full of

hopes and dreams, so consistent and prevalent were these aspirations that they crystallized into a national yearning we call the american dream. no other country has a dream so inextricably associated with the spirit of its people. in 1982, an american sailor john mooney wrote a letter to his parent that is captures the essence of the american dream. he wrote, dear mom and dad, today we spotted a boat in the water and we rendered assistance. we picked up 65 vietnamese refugees. as they approached the ship, they were all waving and trying as best they could to say, hello, american sailor, hello freedom man. it's hard to see a boat full of people like that and not get a lump somewhere between chin and belly button and it really makes one proud and glad to be an american. it reminds us of all what america's been, a place a man or

woman can come to for freedom. friends of mine came to american on one of those leaky boats. they were attacked at by pirates. their family's wealth was stolen. twan spent a year on a south pacific island existing on rice and a cup of water until he was allowed to come to america. now both of these men and their families are proud americans. they are the american dream. so, mr. president, don't go telling the tring family you didn't build that. [ applause ] when the president says, you didn't build that, he's flat-out wrong. businessmen and women did build

that. businessmen and women did earn their success. without the success of american business, we wouldn't have any roads, bridges or schools. mr. president, you say the rich must pay their fair share. but when you seek to punish the rich, the jobs that are lost are those of the poor. and the middle class. [ applause ] exxonmobil, you punish the secretary who ownson stock. whenou block the keystone pipeline, you punish the welder who works on the pipeline. [ ap ] our nation faces a crisis. america wavers. select group of countries whose

debt now equals their gross domestic product. the republic of washington in jefferson is now in danger of becoming the democracy of debt and despair. our great nation is coming apart at the seams. and the president just seems to point fingers and blame others. president obama's administration will add nearly $6 trillion to our national debt in just one term. and i'm hoping it's just one term. [ applause ] this explosion of debt is unconscionable and unsustainable. mr. president, we will not let

you bankrupt this great nation. [ applause ] republicans and democrats alike, though, must slay their sacred cows. republicans must acknowledge that not every dollar spent on the military is necessary or well spent. [ applause ] democrats must admit that domestic welfare and entitlements must be reformed. [ applause ] republicans and democrats must replace fear with confidence. confidence that no terrorist and no country will ever conquer us

if we remain steadfast to the principles of our founding documents. [ applause ] we have nothing to fear except our own unwillingness to defend what is naturally ours, our god-given rights. [ applause ] we have nothing to fear that should cause us to forget or relinquish our rights as free men and women. [ applause ] to thrive, we must believe in ourselves again and we must never,ever trade our liberty

for any fleeting promise of security. [ applause ] author paul kinger writes of a brisk evening in a small town in illinois. returning home from a basketball game at the ymca, an 11-year-old boy is stunned by the sight of his father, sprawled out in the snow on the front porch. he was drunk, his son would later remember. dead to the world, crucified. the dad's hair was soaked with melted snow, matted against his reddened face. the boy stood over his father

for a minute or two. he simply wanted to let himself in the door and pretend his dad wasn't there. i stead he grabbed a fist full of overcoat and he heaved his dad into the bedroom away from the weather's harm and the neighbors' attention. this young boy would become the man, ronald reagan. [ applause ] the man we know as ronald reagan whose sunny optimism and charisma shined so brightly that it cured the malaise of the late '70s, a confidence that beamed so broadly that it pulled us through a serious recession, and a faith that tugged so happily at the hearts of all that a generation of democrats became republicans. [ applause ]

the american dream is that any among us could become the next thomas edison, the next henry ford, the next ronald reagan. but to lead us forward away from this looming debt crisis, it will take someone who believes in america's greatness, who believes in and can articulate the american dream, someone who has created jobs. someone who understands and appreciates what makes america great. someone who will lead our party and our nation forward. i believe that someone is our nominee, governor mitt romney. [ applause ] as reagan said, our freedom is never more than a generation

away from extinction. if our freedom is taken, the american dream will wither and die. to lead, we must transform the coldness of austerity into the warm, vibrant embrace of prosperity. to overcome the current crisis, we must appreciate and applaud american success. we must step forward, unabashedly and proclaim, you did build that. [ applause ] you earned that. you worked hard. you studied. you labored. you did build that. [ applause ] and you deserve america's undying gratitude, for you, the

individual, are the engine of america's greatness. thank you. [ applause ] >> there you have it. senator rand paul of kentucky, the son of ron paul, the presidential candidate. we're getting ready now for a tribute to both president bushs, president bush 41 and 43. here it is. >> i had a guest and that was president 41. >> i was in the bathtub at the white house residence and ramsey came in and said, your son is over in the oval office. >> i recall the conversation something like this, welcome, mr. president. it's good to see you, mr. president. and that's all we said. >> it was fun just walking in and seeing your own son be the president of the united states. >> and i remember visiting dad

in the oval office when he was president and how much reverence he treated the office. and i tried to do the same thing. the oval office is a place where you make decisions and welcome dignitaries and welcome some friends. but it's a place that always has to be treated with respect and dignity. >> the visit to the white house, we'd sort of been involved with him in poland and gotten to know him. and he came to the white house, and he really spoke no english. but he mentioned freedom and stooped down as he was getting the award you give a foreigner and kissed the ground. and i must say, that was very emotional. >> the first time vladimir putin came to visit washington and the sun was pouring through the windows -- the oval office just sparkled. and the door opened up, and in

came president putin. and his first words were, my god. when dad was president, he kindly would invite all of us up to the white house. he actually invited me to the state denner with the queen. you took a huge risk, a diplomatic gamble. but it worked out okay. >> what did s say? >> something about black sheep. of course, mother said, well, you're looking at him, that would be me. and we moved him as far away as possible for the luncheon. >> not going to do it. wouldn't be prudent. dana carvey, we were coming into the east room, he said, ladies and gentlemen, the president of the united states. and in walked dana carvey. >> first thing i notice is the podium for the other guy over there. love to be up here but i'm down here. >> we didn't really have any issues with family. but our dog did bite a reporter. but right after that, i got a big stack of correspondence to

sign and go through and in the correspondence was a letter from barney. and he wrote and said he was so embarrassed, he was really sorry, he'd made a mistake. he thought that reporter w with "the new york times." i hope people will remember george. and i think they ll, for having the determinationnd the toughness and the persistence to be a to see us throug in our untry, through such a very difficult time after the terrorist attack. i'm so proud of george. >> integrity, honesty, never a scandal around his presidency. i think we forget the importance of that. they'll remember him for being a good, honest president. got a lot of things done. but i think the thing i take pride in is integrity. >> history will remember him.

as a great president, not only was he well-prepared for the job. but when the unexpected took place, he handled it with vision, a clear strategy and calm nerves. >> he is thehe's the most decen honorable, wonderful -- nobody's ever been as lucky as i've been. i want people to remember him as courageous. i want them to remember him as he is. >> dad eni both know what it takes to be president and there's no doubt in our mind that mitt romney will be a great president. >> he's a good man. >> and i hope that all the people at the convention work reallyreally hard,usi thk the romne are prepared. i think anney wl be t, and i thk mit romney will do a fabulous job. >> this gives mea chance also to thank every gathered in

tampa and to send our very best wishes to everybody at the convention. we've been to lots of conventions in the past. we want to thank everyone there for their very, very strong report for all of our republican candidates. >> absolutely. >> your local ones to our candidate for president, mitt romney. >> touching tribute there from george h.w. bush and george w. bush. barbara bush and laura bush involved. let's continue o conversation. a fascinating moment there. mitt romney gets along well with both presidents bush. but in this hall, mostly party regulars, respect, a lot of affinity and personal

relationships with both former presidents bush. but w.h. bush, conservatives still grumble about him breaking his promise, and when george w. bush left office, part of the big obama victory in 2008 was the country's dissatisfaction, a lot of conservative dissatisfaction with president bush. you hear a lot of talk about ronaldeagan atconventns. why don't you hear more about the bushes? >> for the reason you stated. i do thi t's onef the most moving momts in the convention so far. one historian wrote that presidents' reputations rise and fall over time. among republicans, the reputation of both bushes i think has gone up over the last couple of years. george h.w. bush is now older. you can see that in the film. but there's a lot of affection for him here in the hall. and george w. bush is out on the circuit speaking. and he's very popular out on the circuit these days. >> when george h.w. bush broke

that promise, he knew what he was doing. make a deal with the republicans to bring the deficit down. if a republican national candidate says that now, if a republican candidate for congress says that now, they are reviled and pushed out of the movement. >> right. and don't forget, his son is also -- a lot of republicans complain about george w. bush because of the spending that went up under george w. bush. they say spending got out of control. prescription drug benefits, for example, when he was president. interesting thing about george w. bush is that he stayed out of politics so much. he has been so silent. you see dick cheney out there all the time. and george w. bush, not at the convention. keeping a very, very low profile. >> he likes retirement. >> he does. >> also, he learned from his dad. he said there's one president at a time and he does not believe

you should interfere with a current president. we want to remind you, though, this saturday night, you have the nomination of mitt romney moving on to the democratic convention and the renomination of barack obama. special documentary that will air, a tribute to the 41st president of the united states, george h.w. bush. wolf, back to you now on the floor. >> an excellent documentary and i recommend to our viewers. we're about to hear from the man who defeated mitt romney for the presidential nomination in 2008, senator john mccain. what will he say about mitt romney tonight? we're all going to find out. stand by.

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this is the republican national convention. this is paul ryan's night. this is america's choice. >> i'm wolf blitzer here at the republican national convention. erin burnett is here. we're about to hear a major address by the man who was the republican nominee four years ago. >> he had the choice at the time to pick mitt romney to be his

vp. didn't do it. can candy, tell us what he's going to speak about. >> well, this is going to be a very interesting speech for a couple of reasons. first, the backdrop. defense issues, national security issues, as we see john mccain coming out now, actually. used to be a huge republican advantage. it no longer is. but yet that is what john mccain will be talking about. he's been one of the creasest kr -- fiercest critics of the obama administration on this. let's take a listen. >> thank you. thank you. thank you very much. it's an honor as always my fellow republicans to join you at the national convention and add my voice to yours as we nominate the next president of

the united states, my friend, governor mitt romney. [ applause ] i had hopes once of addressing you under different circumstances but our fellow americans had another plan four years ago and i accept their decision. i have been blessed for so long to play a role in our nation's affairs that i'm conscious only of the debt i owe america, and i thank you for the honor. when we nominate mitt romney, we do so with a greater purpose than winning an advantage for our party. we charge him with the care of a higher cause. his election represents the best hopes for our country and the world. it is said that this election will turn on domestic and

economic issues, but what mitt romney knows and what we know is success at home also depends on our leadership in the world. it is our willingness to shape world events for the better that has kept us safe, increased our prosperity, preserved our liberty and transformed human history. at our best, america has led. we have led by example as our shining city onhe hill. we have led as patriots of both parties. we have led shoulder to shoulder with steadfast friends and allies. we have led by giving voice to the voiceless, insisting that every human life has dignity and aiding those brave souls who risk everything to secure the inalienable rights that are endowed to all by our creator.

>> we have led with generous hearts, moved by an abiding love of justice. to help otherings eradicate disease, lift them from poverty, live under laws of their own making and determine their own destinies. e armedightf frdom's ssa with defenders, and always we have led from thont, ner from behind.at >> 's not just a matter of who we are it's record of what we've done. it's a responsibility that generation after generations of americans has affirmed and

carried forward. it i a cause that many americans have sacrificed everything,bsoluly everything to defd. and when they've gon they do to haveone so with convictn that the country that sent them there is worth their cr that it stands for something more than th sum of our indi its. may god bless all whoave served, all who serve today,s he blsed up with their service. we are now being tesy an colex, more numerous and just as deeply and deadly as recall in my lifetime. we face a consequential choice,

and make no mistake, it's a choice. we can choose to follow a declining path towards a future that is dimmer or more dangerous than our past or reform our government, revitalize our ailing economy and renew the foundations of our power and leadership in the world. that is what's at stake in this election. unfortunately for four years, we' drifted away from our pro proudest traditions of global leadership. we've let the challenges we face both at home and abroad much harder to solve. we can't afford to stay on that course any longer. we can't afford to cause our friends and allies from latin

america to europe to asia, to the middle east, especially in israel, a nation under existential threat to doubt america's leadership. >> usa! usa! usa! >> we haven't afford to give governments in russia and china a veto over how we defend our interest and the progress of our values in the world. we can't afford to have the security of our nation. we can't afford to have the security of our nation and those who bravely defend it endangered because the government leaks the secrets of their heroic operations to the media.

cybill we can't substitute a timetable to a political strategy. the president has discouraged our friends and emboldened our enemies, which is why our commanders did not recommend these decisions and why they have said it puts our mission at much greater risk. we can't afford another $500 billion in cuts in our defense budget on top of the nearly $500 billiothe president is already making. his own secretary of defense has said that cutting our military by nearly $1 trillion would be devastating. and yet the president is playing no leadership role in preventing

this crippling blow to our military. a wise congressman from wisconsin said, our fiscal policy and our foreign policy are on a commission course, and that man is our next vice president, paul ryan. but most of all, we can't afford to abandon the cause of human freedom. when long suffering feel demand liberation from their jailers and torturers and tyrants, the leaders of the free world must stand with them. unfortunately, this is not happening. when iranians rose up by the millions against their oppressive rulers, when they beseeched our president, chanting in english, are you with us or are you with them?

when the entire world watched as a brave young woman named netta was shot and bled to death in the street in tehran, the president missed an historic opportunity to throw america's full moral support behind an iranian revolution that shared one of our highest interest -- ridding iran of a brutal dictatorship that terrorized the middle east and threatens the world. the situation is far worse in syria. what began as peaceful protests has now become 18 months later a savage and unfair fight. with the fullbacking of iran and hezbollah and russia, with tanks and helicopters and fighter jets, bashar assad is murdering men, women and children. more than 20,000 people have perished. extremists are gaining ground,

and the conflict is becoming more dangerous by the day for our allies and for us. in other times, when other courageous people fought for their freedom against sworn enemies of the united states, american presidents, both republicans and democrats have acted to help them prevail. sadly for the lonely voices of decendents, syria and iran and elsewhere in the world will feel forgotten in their darkness and sadly for us as well. our president is not being true to our values. for the sake of the cause of freedom, for the sake of people who are willing to give their lives so their fellow citizens can determine their own futures

and for the sake of our nation, the nation founded on the idea that all people everywhere have the right to freedom and justice, we must return to our best traditions of american leadership and support those who face down the brutal tyranny of their oppressors and our enemies. >> usa! usa! usa! >> friends across the world, people are seizing their own destinies, liberating themselves from oppressive rulers and they want america's support. they want america's assistance as they struggle to live in peace and security, to expand opportunity for themselves and their children, to replace the injustices of despots with the institutions of democracy and freedom, america must be on the

right side of history. [ applause ] >> the demand for our leadership in the world has never been greater. people don't want less of america. they want more. everywhere i go in the world, people tell me that they still have faith in america. what they want to know is whether we still have faith in ourselves. i trust that mitt romney has that faith and i trust him to lead us. i trust him to affirm our nation's exceptional character and responsibilities. i trust him to know that our security and economic interests are inextricably tied to the progress of our values.

i trust him to know that if america doesn't lead our adversaries will. and the world will go darker, poorer and much more dangerous. i trust him to know that an american president always, always, always stands up for the rights and freedoms and justices for all people. i trust mitt romney to know that good can triumph of over evil, that justice can vanquish tyranny, that love can conquer hate, that the desire for freedom is eternal and universal. and that america is still the best hope of mankind. and now, my fellow americans,

let's elect our next commander-in-chief and the next leader of the free world, my friend, governor mitt romney. ♪ >> so there he is, the republican presidential nominee of four years ago, warmly endorsing mitt romney, outlining what he thinks are some differences between mitt romney and president obama on national security. not sure all thoseifferences are all those real right now. we can get into that in a moment. you saw cindy mccain, by the way, watching her husband deliver that address. >> absolutely. as wolf said, are those differences real? i hear on how mitt romney would handle iran. tighten sanctions, speak on

democracy and have a military option. that's identical to president obama. >> let's go up to jn. john, you made a good point earlier, normally the republicans have an advantage. maybe not this time for one specific reason. >> i think that's right. the number one reason is that osama bin laden happened on this president's watch. and he ended the war, which was very unpopular. will national security matter in the election and will president obama's current advantage hold up through november? let's go to you. as i said earlier in the evening, i remember my first convention was 19 8. the republicans tried it then. in 1992, 1996, on and so on, they were the strong party, democrats were the weak party. harder to make that case this year and ultimately will it matter? >> i was surprised even in this hall tonight of moneys who are

foreign policy fanatics, frankly at the subdued reaction senator mccain got as he ticked through obama's failings on foreign policy. it's not going to matter at the end. both campaigns, i think, but especially the campaign wants to move on economy. and barack obama now has experience, four years as commander-in-chi commander-in-chief. so i put that as a plus for the democrats in the fall. >> so what is the test? is if the economy is going to be issue one, two, three, four and five, when it comes to national security and the conversation at this convention, is it just so the american people look at governor romney and congressman ryan and say okay, they cross the credibility threshold, they can be commander-in-chief? >> i think when it comes to foreign policy, an area where democrats have been criticized for years as being sort of the weak and wobbly, it's an area where president obama has exc excelled. he helped re-establish the united states' position in the world. the ranks of al qaeda fuelled

because of president obama's leadership. he's exercised good judgment in the middle east and other areas. he ended the war in iraq safely and in a responsible way. and the war he inherited in afghanistan has a strategy and a timetable. with. >> we'll heard from senator mccain. a bit later we'll hear from national security adviser condoleezza rice. and mitt romney left tampa for a bit to go speak to the american legion convention and he was sharply critical of the incumbent president. let's season. >> a year ago, president obama told the national convention, quote, we cannot, ewith must not, we will not balance the budget on the backs of our veterans. i thought i finally agreed with him on something. but now he's on the vernal of breaking that promise. the obama administration is set to cut defense spending by

nearly $1 trillion. my administration will not. >> strong words david gergen from mitt romney. but he left something out. those cuts are coming as part of the deal the president negotiated with congress, sequestration. we won't get into the language of washington. paul ryan, the presidential candidate who is among the republicans who voted aye. >> on sequestration. >> yes. >> be the republicans thought it would be resolved now and they're trying to lead the charge not to make those extra -- >> can't it be said, at least in paul ryan's case, he was before it before he was against it? >> yes, they have their fingerprints on it. sing president obama has earned a lot of the credit he got on foreign policy. he got bin laden, got us out of afghanistan and iraq. but the republicans are trying to neutralize his advantage on that front. that's what john mccain was doing. i think erin is right, when you

hear the language, they sound the same on iran. but the republicans have a very, very big difference with president obama on iran. they don't think he means it. >> we'll end the conversation for now and get back to wolf on the floor. i'm always wary of what candidates say about foreign policy because running and being president is very different. obama promised to close down git moe. president clinton said he wouldn't deal with the butchers in syria and beijing. >> a lot of times you make promises as commander-in-chief or president you can't deliver on. i want to go to jim accosta on the floor. she's got a special guest. jim? >> that's right, wolf. i'm joined now by cindy mccain, the wife of u.s. senator john mccain, just up on stage a few moments ago. he made that remark at the very beginning. we know senator mccain has a unique sense of humor.

he said he once had hopes of addressing this crowd under different circumstances. is this kind of after bittersweet moment to see your husband not running for reelection. >> no. well, yes, and no. he would have made a marvelous president and we would not be in the shape we're in right now if my husband had been elected. we're here for mitt romney whole heartedly. john made the clear distinction to to the night about what a mitt romney administration would look like and obama administration looks like. >> he once had tough words for mitt romney. he said he would take every position on every issue. >> campaigns are tough. mitt was the very first person to come out and campaign for us after the primary was over. we're very good friends with the romneys. >> and what did you make of mrs. romney's speech last night. everyone is calling it a blockbuster. >> she knocked it out of the park. she was just amazing.

and wouldn't she be a remarkable first laid day? she showed all this. you know, not only grace and poise but a great determination and steeled person. so -- >> thank you. good talking to you. i'm going to toss it over to candy crowley who is with your husband john mccain. hi, candy. >> thanks, jim. senator john mccain. thanks for joining us. first of all, happy birthday. >> thank you very much. >> let me ask you a personal question. you thought you might come back to a convention four years later under different circumstances. we're looking out, we're seeing ryan ia ryan, paul ryan, rand paul, a lot of the younger folks. do you see a passing of the baton? >> i think it's obvious and i think it's important to do so. the one thing i've dmited myself to for quite a while now is try to recruit and campaign for another generation of

leadership. >> tough to do? >> no, it's fun. that's the kind of next generation of republican we need. >> let me ask you when you talk about foreign policy. when you look at what most people see is the biggest foreign policy coming up, and that's iran. can you give me the major difference between mitt romney's position on how to approach iran and its need or desire to develop nuclear weaponry and president obama? because when you look at it on paper, there's not much. >> sure. one is the relationship with israel. israelis don't trust us. we all know that. the reception mitt got when he was in israel. the president sends his national security adviser and chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, not to tell the iranians -- excuse me, not to del the israelis that we're with them. to try to convince them not to attack iran. it's clear that there's no trust between the united states and israel. it's just a fact. you know, he -- it is a fact and

a reality. and so the israelis are faced with a very tough decision because they can't depend on the united states of america. >> i think that some israeli leaders have disagreed with that, but let me ask you -- >> not the prime minister. the prime minister has repeatedly said we are not going to wait for the united states of america. he repeatedly said israel is a sovereign nation and has to make its own decisions. so at least the top -- the top leader says that. >> but when you look at what the president is doing now in terms of sort of wrach chetting up sanctions, not taking an attack off the table, how is that different from mitt romney, setting aside -- i understand you think he has bad relationships with israel. but in an approach to iran, how's that different? >> it's all based on american credibility which there's none in the middle east. every place i go, america is withdrawing. when was the last time you heard the president of the united states stand up for the people of israel that are being slaughtered?

when was the last time the president talked about victory or success. all he talks about is withdrawal. where did the piston egypt just go? china and iran. not the united states. >> let me ask you about mitt romney. big night for him tomorrow night. how will you measure his speech tomorrow night. what's success? >> i think that we will know that in the ensuing days and weeks buzz many americans already looking at him for the first time. junkies like you and me will see many times. but many americans will observe him for the first time. we'll know that later on. obviously it has to do with jobs and the economy and it's also got to do with likability. it's a despicable campaign. hundreds of millions of attack ads have taken its toll. >> senator, how do you as a politician go about becoming more likable? >> i think last night was a good beginning with ann romney. and i think talking directly

with the american people is the way to do that. >> senator john mccain, again thank you and happy birthday again. >> thanks again for having me and it's always good to do battle with you. >> thanks. >> back to you all. >> of course, john mccain turns 76 years old today. >> i must just add one little point. i interviewed mitt romney. the next day, though, i interviewed the president of israel, shimon peres and ehud barack, they both said military to military, intelligence to intelligence relationship was as strong as ever, if not stronger. it's a fact the president of the united states and the prime minister netanyahu have some problems but others see the relationship very closed. i was surprised to hear those strong words coming from the

defense minister and the president. >> very interesting. in the spring, it was the other side. >> there's a split in the israeli government itself. >> condoleezza rice is going to be speaking. she's going to be speaking in just a few moments. but she also sat down with piers morgan to talk about why women and african-american voters in her view should consider mitt romney. and about her invitation to join the all-male augusta national golf club. i'm personally very curious about that. >> you might be a member of that club, too. >> no, i don't. but i was very excited when they finally pulled the trigger. great shot.

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lots happening. piers, you had a chance to speak to a headliner today. >> i did. a fascinating interview. never more fascinating than right now, wh enshe's come here like a bit of a rock star but doesn't really have a gig. i sat down with her earlier, talked about that, talked about america's place in the world that will be a fulcrum point, i think, of her speech later tonight. and also about this whole issue of augusta national club. as you know, she's become one of the two female members of the most exclusive male clubs on plan et earth. let's take a look at this. how are you? >> very well. nice to see you. >> nice to see you.

you're one of the rock stars in the party. >> oh, my goodness. >> usyou shouldn't be so modest. everyone loves you. what's you primary intention. >> to speak about a robust american voice abroad. when we're going through the many shifts and the tech tonton plate wes o're seeing internationally, we need to be clear on where we stand. i'm also going to talk about the need to rebuild here at home. if we aren't strong here at home, then we're not going to lead. education is very near and dear to my heart. i'm worried about the state of k-12 education. i'm worried about this clock behind us, which is the debt clock. because when the world looks to america these days, they see an american government that can't live within its means. >> mitt romney has two big problems according to all the

polls -- women and black voters. you are a very high profile woman and black voter. how do you feel about that? and this recent extraordinary poll it seemed to me, "the wall street journal" nbc poll that says mitt romney is basically polling zero among black voters. i found that staggering. >> it depends on how one asks the questions. i'm always a little suspicious of polls myself. what we have to do as a party is explain to people why these issues, which are so prevalent also speak to concerns of minorities and women. if you're a black person and you're not concerned about the fact that the unemployment rate among black men is more than twice the iat of the national average, you're not concerned with the issues.

if you're concenot concerned ab schools failing minority children, then you're not aware of the minoritissues. >> there's a point where mitt romney says i can't beat barack obama on the black vote. >> i shared great pride in america's first black president. everybody understands that. but ultimately, one has to ask, are these policies helping america, and in particular, are they helping some of the most vulnerable among minorities. kids in failing schools, unemployed youth. and the policies aren't helping those constituencies.

and so i do think mitt romney is speaking to black voters, speaking to women voters who hold many of the same concerns, but it has to be receptivity on the other side, too. it can't just be a one-way transmission. >> are you disit.ed george bush isn't in town doing his bit? >> i think he would be the first to tell you that he's the former president and a very, very happy and content former president. look, he is snb who led the party, led the country at the most difficult of times. but this is mitt romney's convention as well it should be. >> what do you want him to do on thursday? when he makes the big speech. he will have to debate with barack obama, who as you know is a very, very good debater and can electrify an audience. what does mitt romney got to do. at the moment, the perception about him is nice guy, smart businessman, but doesn't apparently in public at least enough passion or emotion about

him. >> he is passionate about america and who we are and what we can be and what we offer the world. and that's what has to come through, i think. it's coming through but needs to come through on thursday night in particular, because the world will be looking at that moment. americans know that we've got very hard times ahead of us if we're going to right this ship. i thought that governor christie was compelling last night when he said let's treat the american people like adults. let's not pretend these are easy choices. >> a bit of tough love is the message. >> americans know that. we can't keep spending money that we're bothering and mortgaging the future of our kids. we understand that. but somebody is going to say to us, all right, so here's how we're going to do it and is really to give that tough message. i think governor romney and paul ryan will make that the center

of the debate. >> one of the problems the matter has is thf perception because of the extreme positions as many people see them on social issues like abortion and others. that adds to the fire that somehow the party is anti-women. what did you make of the todd akin thing? you yourself, not as hard line about abortion as many in the party. >> well, first of all, the way that the party leaders, mitt romney and others responded tells the people how the party feels about that. it was a statement that really bordered on ridiculous. i think everybody said that. now women. the party and women. you saw last night a parade of women who are leading this party. what more do you want? >> probably wanted you as vp to

have a real position of power. >> first of all, nobody wanted, especially me. >> a lot of people wanted that. >> we really didn't need that. and weave got a great candidate for vice president in paul ryan. >> you said you had no desire to be in mitt romney's cabinet should he win in november. not many people believe you. >> well, they should. >> look me straight in the eye. are you 100% or 99.99? >> piers, i wrote a memoir called "no higher honor." there is no higher honor, but i've mad that honor. i'm happy to be teaching at stanford and that's where i'm going to be. he has plenty of people who can do those jobses. >> if you were asked to do a major job, can you imagine turning it down?

>> i said i don't answer hypotheticals when i first appeared on your show. >> i was hoping you may have changed your position on hypotheticals. but i'm really happy. and i got to serve at a time of consequence, that's enough. >> far more important than anything has been your appointment as one of the first two female members of the augusta national golf club. >> i'm very honor that they want me to be among their number. it's a beautiful golf course with wonderful traditions. i said the face of america, the face of golf is changing. and i'm very grateful to enter with. >> they banned women for 100 years. it's not that big an honor. it should have happened years ago. >> i am honored.

i've got to work a little on my short game. it's hard to hold the greens. >> have you chosen your first partner? >> are you ready? >> i banned myself until they allowed women. so i released my own ban. i'm available. >> i do have a long line. >> dr. rice, it's a great pleasure. >> thank you very much. >> what do you make of current claim and insistent claim she would never hold office again. i don't buy it. i just don't think it's an accurate picture, do you? >> absolutely. she's a very interesting and dynamic woman. she's a common sense conservative. she's a woman of valor, a very, very popular former public servant. she's enjoying her life back at stanford. she's enjoying traveling around

the country, speaking on college campuses. she's been in concerts with aretha frank len. i think she's having the most incredible time of her life. >> let me rephrase the question to you alex, wouldn't the party drag her literally and appoint her tomorrow to a high-powered job if she gave any indication? >> that quick. she is so impressive. and republicans understand they're running against an historic prish accomplishment. the first black president of the united states. they understand that was an advance. what if you pacify history with history? a female vice president of the united states, black president of the united states. just a wonderful choice. having her as part of this

convention does something for republicans. it says we're not the party of, you know, the country club republicans. we're a party of everybody. she's a huge plus. >> my guess is she will get very bored of golf at augusta very quickly and we're going to see her back in high office again. i would bet my life on it. actually, maybe not. i'll bet most of my life. i'll bet wolf blitzer's life. >> that's a little too much even for me. you never know. these are politicians. sometimes they change their minds. sometimes they don't change their minds. first of all, we'll see if mitt romney is elected president of the united states. that's still a big if. we have two months to go. later, piers is going to have an interview with a man who electrified a lot of these republicans here last night. but saw folks not necessarily so happy. here's his interview with chris christie, the governor of new

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>> the storm isaac still being felt in louisiana. some of the flooding has been as bad as we saw in katrina. >> it's not moving for another 24 or 36 hours. anderson cooper is on the scene.

what's going on? >> o'brien and i are right over here. on the other side of the levee is plaquemines parrish. there's at least ten feet of water or more on the other side of the levee. that's the only thing keeping the water from pouring in. >> this is part of the levee protection system that's really helping out st. bernard parrish. unfortunately for plaquemines parrish, that i don't have that right on this spot. that's a huge problem. the storm is overtopping a levee back there and it's really just poured water into plaquemines parrish. the amazing thing about this, of course, is that the 20 feet of protection on the other side, the estimates were 15 to 20 feet high. and you can see on the other side some subdivisions are submerged. >> we're seeing dramatic resc

rescues. individual citizens were going out and rescuing people from the roofs of their buildings. we have video of an elder elder. it's 16 foot at the gate. you can see a little water pouring out underneath, which is where this water is coming from. but there's just a huge amount of water on the other side of the levee. last i heard, there were still need of rescue. >> those folks ignored the mandatory evacuation order in place. what we were told by some people who had to be pulled out is that 2:00 in the morning, they got a phone call that there was a breach in the levee. we understand it as an overtopping but they were told

it was a breach. two hours later, all of a sudden, water poured in. and then people pannished, ran upstairs and some of them were lucky enough to be plucked right out of their windows. but they believe some people are still in there. unfortunately with weather like this, it's really, really hard to get rescue, not only the boats, but the coast guard can't put up any choppers. . they're having a difficult time because the weather is so awful. >> it's an err ma that did not flood during katrina. a lot of folks felt, look, katrina is a much more powerful storm. but every storm is different. even though this was a cat 1, there were gusts that were cat 2 strength gusts more than 100 miles an hour. and the storm surge for this area means this storm is even worse than katrina was just for this area in plaquemines parrish. we're going to continue to report on the ongoing rescues and the latest on this area. back to wolf. >> anderson, thanks very, very much.

erin, they're doing an excellent job there, all of our team out there in bad circumstances. but the people here, the republican organizers are having a little difficult time. how do you deal with a conventi convention like this at a time of a national emergency like this on the gulf coast. the president is having a tough time as well. he's out there campaigning. it's always a tough balancing act. >> as you know, it takes a few days after a storm hits to know how bad it's going to be. we'll stay on top of that story as well. we also assembled a glup of undecided floridians. this is a group that everyone is interested in, democrats and republicans. they're going to be listening to the vice presidential nominee speech paul ryan. they have a meterer, what they like, what they don't like. tom foreman assembled this group and will explain what's going on. i think our viewers will be interested. nah. [ dennis' voice ] i bet he's got an allstate agent.

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>> we're bhak at the republican national convention in tampa. nay ear rock and rolling right now. they're stanning by. a special group he's assembled. explain what's going on? >> wolf, what we have here you know there aren't that many undecided voters left. they're all sitting here holding

these devices. do they like what they hear or don't like what they hear. it will run into a bank of computers over here so with can process that information so we can see the reaction, whether the men liked it more or the group that did like it more. raise your hands if you are an undecided voter because that's what we're talking about tonight. look at this. both campaigns have desperately been looking for these very people. we want to see how the republicans do in trying to win some of them over. we'll be analyzing the information as it comes in. getting second by second reads on how they react to the messages tonight, wolf. we'll see those results later in the evening and talk to many of the voters why they feel the way

they do. are tu the oneshe republicans wanto win and the democrats want to win. >> we'll get e ress in the 11:00 eastern hour. i'm anxious to hearow they react. >> there are so few people, only 13% of the americans are undecided. >> some are switchable, as they say as well. most americans have made up their mind that they're all going after that 10%ecided vote. chris christie is standing by. he's going to join piers morgan live. we'll hear what the governor of new jersey had to say. he sgaif a pretty rousing speech on the floor of the convention last night. all energy development comes with some risk,

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>> with a deep awareness of the responsibility conferred by your trust, i accept your nomination for the presidency of the united states. >> this is america of brilliant diversity, spread like stars, like a thousand points of light in a broad and peaceful sky. >> i call on every american to rise above all that may divide us. >> they had their chance. they have not led. we will. >> fight with me. fight with me. fight if per what's right for our country.

>> we're getting ready for the major speakers of this night here at the republican convention. >> in tampa tonight, congressman paul ryan helps deliver tonight's message that americans need to change. >> commitment, mitt romney and i make is this -- we won't duck the tough issues, we will lead. >> will ryan defend his own record and his budget plan under fierce attacks the democrats? >> you heard the president has been talking about medicare a bit lately. >> we want this debate, we need this debate and we are going to win this debate. >> also at the podium in prime time, former secretary of state condoleezza rice lends a voice of foreign policy experience to the pitch of romney and ryan. >> the american voice abroad is really right at the core of what we have to accomplish and mitt romney and paul ryan are the

people to do that. >> now cnn turns the spotlight on one of the bi ptforms in american politics. this is the republican national convention. this is paul ryan's night. >> it's not too late to fix this country's problems! >> this is america's choice. >> we're here at the republican national convention in tampa, florida. we would like to welcome our viewers in the united states and around the world. the kmiemt tonight is about to begin. we'll hear from one of the republican party's most prominent social social conservaves,kabe mike ill address this convention. and another impoant ch

is the former secretary of state, condoleezza rice, she wille her caga president obama's global policy. here inside the convention, excitement is clearly the deles wait the acceptance speech for the vice presidtial nominee paul ryan. >> i'm wolf blitzer along with er >> excitement building, you can feels like more and more people are coming in. people are ready for this speech. during this hour, we're going to be joined by a very special guest, the keynote speaker. a speech a lot of people are torn on. answers criticism that the speech was more about himself and his state than the republ nin. >> piers morgan will be intervwing him live coming up on this hour. our correspondents are also available throughout the arena. candy crowley is on the podium

right next to tonight's speakers. jim accosta, dana bash are on the convention floor among the delegates and the vips. and dana bash joins us now. a special guest, someone who was supposed to speak at the last convention 37 hurricane gustav prevented him from speaking. a good friend of the vice presidential nominee. i'm joined by the house majority leader eric cantor. thank you very much. now, you are a fellow young gun. you and paul ryan and kevin mccarthy. you're dubbed the young guns. he's within one of your very good friends. describe paul ryan, a paul ryan we might not know. >> what i hope the american people are going to see tonight is what i know about paul ryan. he's a family man, he has a wonderful wife who is accomplished in her own right. he has three beautiful children, and he is dedicated to actually fixing the country for his kids'

future. you hear a lot politicians make promises and talk the talk. but paul ryan walks the walk. he's a genuine individual who is working to cure the ills facing this country. i know that we're going to hear a very powerful speech tonight. one that will lay out a bold choice. >> c you tell us a personal story that might allude on what you're talking about? >> he may seem distracted with different things going on. the reason is he's plugged into his ipod. he's very much focused on physical fitness. he likes good music. he can kick back and have a good time, too. a lot of folks that have been talking about paul is saying ehe's a wompg and he's into the

bean counting and numbers. which is absolutely true. he has a strong intellect and a real appetite to engross himself in the number, but he is a great guy and i think is going to make a great vice president for us and a great leader for the future. not only of our party but for the country. >> you talk about his fitness. i know he's big into p990x, which i can't even imagine doing. you did it with him for a while? >> listen, i think he throughout the years that he came up, mefs actually a fitness instructor. he's very cognizant of that. and p90x is something that kevin mccarthy brought to the house gym and there are a lot of members that actually try and stay in shape. if you've ever done those videos, that's a tough workout. it's all about the theory of muscle confusion that's a real challenge. >> confusion is the key word there. let's talk about the speech. what do you hope your friend paul ryan does in terms of the election. maybe you know what he's going

to do tonight. >> i think what you're going to hear is paul laying out the choice that the country's got to make and laying out that it is urgent the skoun tri step up and make a decision are we going to continue to be the country where sufficient big american dreams that are laid out rein people can go out there and chase them. are we going to be the country that tilts towards economic and individual freedom? or are we going to choose a path much more akin to the likes of greece and others in europe where you see a much larger presence of the government telling people a lot of things that americans aren't used to the government telling them what to do in terms of their health care, in terms of the way they run their business and the way they hire their employees. and again, i think it's a very appropriate kind of discussion that we're having tonight. this is what's facing the country. and in the end, someday that, we're going to come out of here as a party with a ticket. mitt romney-paul ryan.

republican candidates across the country that are dedicated to really making life work for people again. >> thank you so much. back to you, wolf. >> thank the majority leader for us. jim accosta has a special guest. who's with you, jim? >> i'm with one of the young guns that is to written or written by you and eric cantor and paul ryan. >> et let's talk about the strategyof having a vice presidential nominee. >> you have barack obama taking $700 billion with it.

>> the same $700 billion. >> the president took $700 billion. romney says he'll put it back. that's a fundamental difference. >> you get the honesty. democrats don't say something mean about them. you have the brain power. that's different than you found in washington in quite some time. >> why do you think he's here at this moment. why? why do you think mitt romney tapped him? is it because he makes this ticket more palatable to conservatives? >> no, no. i think he picked him for his brain power. you have to think about this. what paul has gone through in this his life. he's been in a seat that's a democrat seat. he's able to win on policy. paul never demonizes the other side. he talks about policy and the differences he solves problems. he takes a conservative principle but solves it.

i never met a more humble, a bigger heart or a bigger brain power than anybody i've seen. >> getting back to what we're going to be hearing tonight, i know we're going to be hearing some biography. he's going to talk about miss family life, the struggles he's been through, but he's also going to be talking about policy as well. you know, who -- why do you think paul ryan is on this ticket. why do you think let's the guy that mitt romney wants to put up on this stage? you only get one vice president. >> the number one issue of economics, paul ryan is driven about economics. he knows more about it. most of his plans are bipartisan. he always usually has a democrat

on him as well. erskin bowles, he'sarticulate, individual he's met. he says he runs circles around him. >> does paul ryan ever drive you crazy with the heavy metal muse snik. >> he usually puts that into his ear 230e7b phones, but we do p90 in the morning. but he's better at it than i. >> thanks, kevin mccarthy. back to you, wolf. >> thanks very, very much. we're learning a lot about paul ryan there. >> it's interesting. a lot of people in this country don't know much about him. the poll before the country, 16% of americans weren't familiar with him at all. so a lot of people are going to get to know him for the first time tonight. and dana i believe is joined by someone who knows paul ryan even better than the two people we've heard from. who do you have? >> well, who better to describe you for better or worse is your brother. and that's who i have. tobin ryan, thank you very much for joining us.

and tobin's son is, paul ryan's nephew. mack ryan. just give us first of all a glimpse into who your brother is. people are just being introduced to him really on a national stage for the first time tonight. >> yeah. i think -- first of all, he's about the noes authentic guy i know. grew up in janesville, wisconsin. his story maybe unfold a bit tonight. and i think that story, there's going to be a plot of people particularly from the midwest and communities like ours where they're going to identify with this story. >> i heard a story that you all took, i think it was the four ryan children with your father. >> it was all six of us, the whole family, and my mom, you know, she leads the charge she's the one that would take us on these backpacking trips. of course at the final time, we

didn't realize the foreshadowing, but we were summiting a mountain. we were all carrying our own packs. paul was only 7 or 8 years old. horrible day, we're in a blizza blizzard. and all of a sudden this beautiful meadow with sheep unfolds beneath us. we're all exhausted and sitting down. and paul creeps up and starts singing "america the beautiful." >> how old was he? >> i think 7 or maybe 8. i'm not sure he knew all the words at that time. and we're all watching this guy with tears in our eyes thinking what an amazing scene. perhaps there was some foreshadowing in there. >> now, your brother said he had to gro uh up fast because your father died suddenly. and he was the one that found him. he was the only one in the house. >> yes. >> describe what that was like for your family and him in particular. >> sure. it was obviously a very pivotal

time for him and our whole family. paul was home, he was alone. just about to enter high school, and he found our father. he had to grow up very fast. our 80-year-old grand mother who had alzheimer's moved in with us at that time. i was in college. all the other siblings were away and my mom decides to go back to college and get a new skill and start her own business. and so paul is the man of the house and my mom's partner, he's working a job, he's doing everybody's lawns and he's -- he becomes class president the same year. so he's a guy that may have not had the normal 16-year-old life, but it really acted as a catalyst, i think, to put focus in his life and embrace life in a way that once again i don't

think most teenagers would. >> and where does the philosophy he espouses comes from? >> i think our -- you know, dinner was at 6:00 every night, full family and i think there was encouragement of ideas in general. but we weren't a family that was espousing either republican virtues or conservative virtues or democratic virtues necessarily. there was support for many different politicians. ronald reagan did become a big influence. i think that became a topic around our dinner table. when you think about it, starting in 1980, you know, through to when paul ended up going to college, that was probably a main topic. >> before i let you go, i have to ask you, mack, i heard that you had a pretty important baby-sitter last night. who was it? >> it was my uncle paul. >> so your own family came here and he was back at the hotel with you? >> he was hanging out with me,

charlie, sam and liza watching a movie. >> what's he like as a baby-sitter? >> he's fun, energetic and a great guy to be with. >> did he let you stay up late? >> well, we knew we had to get up early in the morning. >>'ll any candy? any sweets? >> nope. they're very healthy. >> i should have known better on that ask you that question about paul ryan. he's very healthy. >> bedtime stories? >> movie. >> what did you watch? >> "lilo & stitch." >> so he didn't make you watch the convention? >> nope. we did that during the day and at night we're together as a family. >> very good. appreciate your time. thanks, mack. >> thank you for having us on. >> one quick question while you have the brother of paul ryan there. i'm curious because i read a lot about paul ryan.

why did he decide to leave wisconsin and go to miami university of ohio when he wanted to go to college. what made him go to ohio. i know he's a big green bay packer fan. >> here's a question from wolf blitzer. he wants to know why your brother left wisconsin to go to miami of ohio especially since he's such a packers fan. >> that's right. paul is a huge badger fan. his two oolder brothers went to notre dame. i think paul wanted to make his own path. and knowing my mom, she grabbed him and they went on a tour around the midwest and saw a lot of schools. and he fell in love with miami of ohio. and ohio is one of those states i think that it's almost a second home for him. >> went to college in a swing state. imagine that. >> foreshadowing once again. >> i don't think anyone has ever been elected president. >> i love his nephew saying he

wasn't allowed to have candy or soda. i have to admit, i dole it out because then you can always hand them back when they're wound up at the end of the night. >> that's your job as an aunt. we're about to be joined by one of the stars of last night's convention here. the new jersey governor chris christie, delivered the keynote address last night. he's going to be with piers morgan. >> we're giving you a chance to be a part of our cnn convention coverage. so please go to facebook.com/cnn and answer this question -- does representative paul ryan make you enthusiastic about the gop ticket. we're going to give you the results just a little later tonight. we'll be right back. [ male announcer ] does your prescription medication give you the burden of constipation?

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>> reporting live from, new orleans. now tropical storm isaac continues with winds and rain throughout the entire southern louisiana region. we're going to get a live update at the cnn weather center. the story is plaquemines parrish where we have seen a number of very dramatic rescues. dozens of people have been rescued. they've again going all day from early this morning even in high winds and heavy rain. citizens were out there trying to rescue their boats in need.

how many more people may still be trapped in their homes. people decided not to evacuate. it was a region that had not seen flooding. a lot of people thought this storm is not going to be as strong therefore they didn't need to leave. in plaquemines parish, this storm meant very high water. let's check in with john zarella in gulfport, mississippi. what's the situation there? >> i have to tell you, it's been 20 straight hours of heavy rain and wind. this is literally the first break we've gotten since midnight. when i've been all the air all through tonight and today. first break we've seen. that back there is highway 90.

the gulf of mexico at high tide today. the wind rose up. much of the roadway covered with sand, water and rising water at the time. we were told the governor had 35 boat rescues today. there's 35,000 people here without electricity. anderson? >> more than 800 krourks.

>> we go to chad myers with an overview. >> it's trned into a tornado maker and a flash flood maker tonight. our john zarella is over there. there's erosion to the barrier islands and to the shore itself. let me zoom out just a couple of spots. you can see the core of the rain from baton rouge over to mobile. the storm is not making its way over there. that means the storm is dying, literally dieing a slow death.

but in its death, it will still put down all of the rain. it will still make all of the tornadoes that we have always. expected with this storm. and now at least 20 parishes and counties with flash flootd warnings in florida to mississippi all the way over even into alabama now. and dolphin island area to the west of mobile. they have seen 20 inches of rain right across the river from where you are. 18.75 inches of rain in the rain bucket in 36 hours. anderson? >> yeah. it's so much rain. a lot of people have been surprised by it again. darkness has come southeast of here in the french quarter in new orleans. untold how many people still may be in need of rescue. how many people may still be in danger. there are high winds out there. a lot more rain out there. we were just out twl about an hour ago.

we'll continue to update you throughout the evening and into tomorrow. right now, let's go back to wolf in tampa. >> in tampa, lots of people are talking about the governor chris christie's address last night. what does the governor think about all the commotion he's generated. we're going to find out. he's standing by to speak live with our own piers morgan. ♪ ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] you've been years in the making. and there are many years ahead. join the millions of members who've chosen an aarp medicare supplement insurance plan insured by unitedhealthcare insurance company. go long.

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welcome back to the republican national convention. the crowd is still here. ann romney is here, one of her sons sitting next to her and daughter-in-law. we're getting ready to hear from contender l condoleezza rice and paul ryan. piers morgan is also down there. he's got a special guest. tell our viewers who's sitting next to you. >> the one and only chris christie. >> happy to be here. >> i've beenest estesting your speech. i went from absolutely loved it to the most selfish speech in the history of conventions. >> everyone has an opinion. that's what makes america great. >> are you surprised by the reaction? pretty extreme.

>> i'm not surprised pi bring out people's strong reactions? no. doesn't shock me in the least. but my job last night was to lay out what the difference is between republican govern ansan and republican ideals. >> but they weren't sure if you were doing it for your future presidential race or romney's current race. >> i don't know how people can be confused. i laid out the case for mitt romney as a former governor. if you do the things at the state level like we have done it in new jersey, you can do it at a national level. i don't think anybody was really confused at the end of the night. >> the confusion came because you didn't mention his name for 17 minutes. and you mentioned "i" 37 times and mi7 times. >> at the end of the day, i was building a case for mitt romney.

do you think anybody here doesn't know his name? this is silly stuff. i understand that folks in the media have nothing better to do than that kind of stuff. they want to create controversy. i understand that. these are prepackaged shows and they all want something to talk about. but if you look at the substance of the speech last night, it lays out a very cloer case that that we need to tell people the truth, make hard choices and do that now. >> the thing i was surprised about, i thought you would be like the red meat on the barbecue when it came to barack obama. i thought you would be roasting and grilling h him. you went light on barack obama. >> i went heavy on the case for republican governance. i don't think anybody in america except the most left wing partisans believes that barack obama deserves a second term. what we now need to do is say why our way would be the better way.

my jo b is not to tear down the president but to make the case for the republican brand and the republican party and that's what i did last night. >> if you were going to tear down the president, how would you do it? >> i've done that many times. in aspen last week, i said this is a guy in 3 1/2 years who is like in a dark room looking for the switch ore leadership. he hasn't found it in 3 1/2 year heshs's not going to find it in 69 days. i believe that case has already been made, piers. that case has been made against the president. we need -- there's nothing new anyone is going to figure out about the president in the next 69 days, but they need to find things about our philosophy and how our nominee reflects that philosophy. that's what we did last night. i work veried very closely with the romney campaign. they had my draft and knew what i wanted to say. they didn't change a word of my speech so i have to assume they're real happy with it. . >> when it comes to the president, do you think he's an honest man? >> yeah. >> you do? >> sure. >> you don't think he misleads the american public?

>> well, listen, i think he misleads people in political commercials but i don't think that's breaking new ground. i generally think he's an honest person. i just think he's dead wrong on policy and i think he's led this country in the wrong direction. i don't think he has the first idea about how 20 use executive power, but i don't think that means he's generally a dishonest person. >> has he been dead wrong on everything? >> i think on certain areas of education policy i agree with him, trying to empower charter schools and choice around the country. i think he's been right on that. not every bit of his education policy, but some of it. >> foreign policy. >> i'm not going to go through the checklist with you. >> given that condoleezza rice up there tonight and one of the allegations is the lack of foreign policy experience on the romney-ryan ticket. i would imagine she would be pushing that agenda as she did in my interview earlier saying it's time of the frame work of foorn policy to be determined.

are you concerned the romney-ryan ticket is lacking in experience there. >> i think that president romney will surround himself with an excellent cabinet. but also a lot of foreign policy in my view is the willingness of the president to make tough choices. and i think that, you know, mitt romney will make those tough dhoiss and not be confusing folks out there. he will stand with our friends one of the great things is he's not stuck on being the smart es person in the radio. . >> given that people have said, you know, why didn't chris christie talk more about mitt romney, given that's been the criticism and clearly you didn't intend that that from what you've told me. what else would you say ability the man. you know him better than many people now, what are some of the qualities we're not i a ware of. >> this is a man with an extraordinarily good heart. i've watched him interact with my children.

you see politicians interact with children, especially ones that don't know the first thing about it. it's an abomination, right? they're patting them on the head like this. and not knowing how to deal with them. i've seen governor romney with my children, my 8-year-old and my 11-year-old and he's incredibly engaging with them and cares about them and makes them feel special when he's with them and wants to pay attention to them. he's an engaged father and grandfather .that tells you something about his heart. i don't think that necessarily comes through. >> do you want to see more of that on his speech tomorrow? i interviewed one of his five sons. one of them said the trouble with dad is he's also a ceo in public. he can't seem to remove that shackle of corporate existence. people don't see the real mitt romney that they see behind closed doors. is thursday the time for him to sort of metaphorically rip open his jacket and say this is the real me. >> i hope he does. because if he does, the american people are going to like him and trust him and make him the next president of the united states. i'm convinced of that. >> when it comes to trust, this

election could come down to the dmi and to who believes who most about the future of solving the economy. you have an interesting experience in new jersey. you' lowered taxes and balanced the budget. unemployment has risen to the highest level since 1977. people will say look, that's a classic argument against the republican position. right? you've lowered taxes, balanced the budget but it's got you nowhere with unemployment. what do you say to that? >> the statistic that it's the highest in 35 years is wrong. it was higher in october, november, december of 2009 than it is now. so it's a bad statistic. but secondly, what we're doing in new jersey is lowing the number of people working for the government. we're making government smaller. that's part of what we're doing. that's going to help unleash the private sector and you're going to see those numbers go over during the course of time. >> who do you blame? yourself or barack obama? in new jersey. >> the national economy has a huge effect on what happens in new jersey. but i just told you, we made a

concerted effort to lower the number of public employees. the government had gotten too big and too loaded and we needed to make it smaller. it's a short-term effect, but the long-term effect is we're going to make more money out of the government into the private sector. we've grown 90,000 new private sector job ps naen the last 12 months we're the fourth highest state in america in creation of private sector jobs. it's going to take us a while, but we're going to get there. >> people heard your speech last night and have been critical said this was entirely a pitch and a play for him to be president, you. did you have literally no aspirations to be leader of the free world? >> listen, since last october, i've traveled to 15 different states for mitt romney. i sat and allowed you to harass me in my office for an hour that somehow mitt romney was not going to win and rick santorum

was going to be the nominee. and i steadfastedly stood by mitt romney because i believe he's the best person to be the president of the united states. the last year i've been working as hard as any outsider for mitt romney and for his election as president. i'm proud to have done it. >> governor, thank you for talking to me. i think you've made a few things very clear. back to wolf. >> thanks very much, piers. good interview, the former governor of arkansas, the former presidential candidate, mike huckabee. >> i heard folks say after hearing me speak, some folks said we can do better than huckabee and that's when they will unanimously nominate mitt romney to be the next president of the united states of america. i want to say tampa has been a wonderful and hospitable city and i'm grateful to all that they've done for us.

but the anl hitch in an otherwise perfect week was the awful noise coming from the hotel room next door to mine. turns out it was just debbie wasserman-shultz practicing her speech for the democratic national convention in charlotte next week. bless her heart. four years ago, mitt romney and i were opponents. we still are. but we're not opposing each other. no, we are mutual opponents of the miserably failed experiments that have put this country in a downward spiral. the united states of america was originally an experiment. but it was an experiment in recognizing god-given individual liberty and creating a government in which no one is deemed better than another and in which all of us are equal.

not equal in abilities, but equal in intrinsic worth and value. it is the essence, not just of who we are, but what we are. how once rivals can now be united. it's quite simple. we have barack obama to thank. it was barack obama who said you didn't build it. translation, it doesn't belong to you. an to uh business, reckless spending tax hiking party of barack obama, harry reid and nancy pelosi, versus an energized america who knows we can do better.

for four years we've given after chance to a man with no experience governing, no experience in business whatsoever, and since taking office, mostly interested in campaigning, blaming and aiming excuses at his predecessor, the republicans, and people in business. oar has republicans like to call them, employers. we've stagnated sba an economy that has taken all of that hope right down the slope and has left millions without jobs. forced out of their homes by foreclosure, herded into dependency upon a government that promises us candy but gives us cavities. barack obama seems intent on enrolling more people on food stamps. mitt romney's focus is going to be on generating more jobs that

will make food stamps unnecessary. we know full well we can do better. mitt romney turned around companies they were on the skids. he turned down a scandal-ridden olympics that was deep into the red into a high point of profit and patriotic pride, and he turned around a very liberal state when he erased the deficit and replaced it with a surplus. do you remember when barack obama said fa that if he couldn't turn things around in three years it would be a one-term proposition? well, it's been almost four years. i say let's make him a proposition he can't refuse. let's vote him out.

i understand that the job of president is admittedly tougher than running a company, an olympic contest or a commonwealth, but when one sees what even bill clinton noted was a sterling record of problem solving that has marked the life of mitt romney, we are confident that we will do better. i am thrilled to say that romney has been loyal to his lovely wife who knocked it out of the park last night in this arena. he's been loyal to his sons, to his country, to his employees and to his church. well, i'm sure now that the press is going to tell you he isn't perfect. but, my friends for the past four years, we tried the one the press thought was perfect and that hasn't bourqued out all

that well for us. we can do better. our founding fathers left taxation and sitirnny. what they created was a bold experiment in government believing that god gave us inalienable rights and the role of government is simply to make sure that those rights are protected. that even after crafting our magnificent constitution they said, we can do even better. they added amendments we all them the bill of the rights. those bill of rights limit what the government can do, and they guarantee what we the people

have the unimpeded right to do. whether to speak, assemble, worsh worship, pray, publish, or even refuse intrusions into our homes. many of those founders tied to pass on that heritage. they had lived under the boot of big government. and what they said was we can do better. >> as a kid growing new a household, my dad never finished high school. i grew up in a family which no male upstream of me had ever finished high school muchless gone to college. but i was staugt even though there was nothing i could do about what was behind me, i could change every about what was in front of me. my working poor parents told me i could do better.

they taught me i was as good as anybody else and it never occurred to them to tell me i could rest comfortably and wait for good old uncle sugar to lead me, feed me and then bleed me. they told me to get off my backside, work hard, take risks and treat people honestly and honorably. and look at me today. i've become as the press like to label me, a failed candidate. oh, it's true. i have fallen from the high perch of politics and now i wallow in the mud of the media. but i still know as a country we can do better. and with mitt romney and paul ryan, we will do better. i want to clear the air about

something that has been said. people wonder whether guys like me, an evangelical would only support a fellow evangelical. well, my friends, i want to tell you something, of the four people on the two tickets, the only self-professed evangelical is barack obama, and he supports changing the definition of marriage, believes that human life is disposable and expendable at anytime in the womb, even beyond the womb and he tells people of faith that they have to bow their knees to the god of government and vief late their faith and conscious in order to comply with what he calls health care. friends, i know we can do better. let me say this as clearly as possible. the attack on my catholic brothers and sisters is an attack on me. the democrats have

brought back that old dance, the lim limbo, to see how low they can go in attempting to limit our ability to practice or faith. but this isn't a battle about contraceptives and catholics, but ability conscious and the creator. let me say to you tonight, i care far less as to where mitt romney takes his family to church than i do about where he takes this country. joe biden said, show me your budget and i'll tell you what you value. well in the senate, joe's party hasn't produced a budget in three years. what does that say about their values?

and by the way, speaking of budgets, joe biden's budget shows that while he wants to be very generous with your money, for year, he gaveless than 0.2 of 1% of his own money to charity. he just wants you to give the government more so he and the democrats can feel better about themselves. mitt romney has given over 16% of his income to church and charity. and my friend, i feel a lot better about having a president who will give generously of his own money instead of mine or yours. my concern is not barack obama's past, but my concern is for the future. not his future, but for the future of my grandchildren.

little chandler and scarlett. and under this president we imburden them with debt and a system that will collapse upon itself because he thinks we can prosper by punishing productivity and rewarding irresponsibility. people say we ought to give barack obama credit for trying. that sounds like the nonses of giving every kid a trophy for showing up. we're talking about leading the country. not playing on a third grade soccer team. look, i realize this is a man who got a nobel peace prize for what he would potentially do. but in the real world you get the prize for producing

something. not just promising something. sometimes we get so close to the picture we really can't see it clearly. i've had the privilege of working with bono for the past few years in the one campaign to fight aids and hunger and disease around the world. bono is an irishman and a great humanitarian. and i remember him telling me of his admiration for america. he said america's more than just a country. we're an idea. and he reminded me that we are an exceptional nation with an extraordinary history who owes it to the generations who are coming after us to leave them with an extraordinary legacy. but if we don't change the direction of our nation now, our

bequests will be nothing but an extraordinary shame. but dear friends, we can do better. president obama is out of gas. and americans are out of patience. and our great republic is almost out of time. it's time that we no longer lead from behind, but that we get off our behinds and leave something for those after us instead of a mountain of debt and a pile of excuses. tonight not because we're republicans, it's because we are americans that we proudly stand with mitt romney and paul ryan and we say we will do better. god bless you, thank you. god bless. ♪

>> four years ago he wanted the republican presidential nomination. he didn't get it. you saw mike huckabee there the former arkansas governor giving a red meat kind of speech going after the president of the united states. but he was really enthusiastic about mitt romney. >> he had a lot of good one liners in there. but he's the warm-up for the night. condoleezza rice is going to give a speech. and paul ryan going to make his debut. that's coming up after this. everyone has goals. take the steps to reach yours, with us with real advice, for real goals. the us bank wealth management advisor can help you. every step of the way. from big steps, to little steps. since 1863 we've helped guide our clients,

so they can take the steps to help grow, preserve, and pass along their wealth. so their footsteps can help the next generation find their own path. all of us serving you. us bank in 2009, the u.s. took home over 75 medals in athletic competitions. today our students rank 25th in the world in math. there's no medal for that. let's get america back on track. the more we invest in teachers, the better our students will perform. let's solve this. former secretary of state condoleezza rice is getting a stand ovation. let's listen to her speech. >> thank you very much.

thank you. thank you. thank you. thank you so much. good evening. good evening. good evening. good evening, distinguished delegates. good evening, fellow republicans. good evening, my fellow americans. we gather here at a time of significance and challenge. this young century has been a difficult one. i can remember as if it were yesterday when my young assistant came into my office at the white house to say that a plane had hit the world trade center. and then a second plane. and then a third plane, the pentagon. and later we would learn that a plane had crashed into a field

in pennsylvania driven into the ground by brave souls who died so that others might live. from that day on, our sense of vulnerability and our concepts of security were never the same again. then in 2008 the global and economic crisis would stun us. and it still reverberates as we deal with unemployment and economic uncertainty and bad policies that cast a pole over an american economy and recovery that is desperately needed at home and abroad. and we have seen that the desire for liberty is universal as people in the middle east rise up to seize it. yet the promise of the arab

spring is ungulfed in uncertainty and hostile neighbors. are challenging the democracy of iraq. dictators in iran and syria threaten regional security, russia and china prevent a response, and everyone asks where does america stand? indeed that is the question of the hour. where does america stand? you see, when friends or foes alike don't know the answer to that question, unambiguously and clearly, the world is likely to be a more dangerous place. since world war ii, the united states has had an answer to that question. we stand for free peoples and free markets. we will defend and support them.

we will sustain a balance of power that favors freedom. now, to be sure, the burdens of leadership have been heavy. i know as you do the sacrifice of americans especially the sacrifice of many of our bravest in the ultimate sacrifice. but our armed forces are the sheer shield and foundation of liberty and we are so fortunately that we have men and women in uniform who volunteer, they volunteer to defend us at the front lines of freedom. and we owe them our eternal gratitude.

i know, too, it has not always been easy. though it has been rewarding to speak for those who would not otherwise have a voice. the democracy advocate in venezuela. the political prisoner in iran. it has been hard to muster the resources to support fledgling democracies and on behalf of the most desperate. the young woman who has been trafficked into the sex trade in southeast asia. it has been hard. yet this assistance together with the come passionate work of private charities, people of conscience and people of faith has shown the soul of our country. and i know, too -- i know, too, that there is a weariness. i know that it feels as if we have carried these burdens long enough.

but we can only know that there is no choice. because one of two things will happen if we don't lead. either no one will lead and there will be chaos, or someone will fill the vacuum who does not share our values. we do not have a choice. we cannot be reluctant to lead. and you cannot lead from behind. >> mitt romney and paul ryan understand this reality. our well being at home and leadership abroad are linked. they know what to do. they know that our friends and allies must again be able to

trust us. from israel to colombia from poland to the philippines. our allies and friends have to know that we will be reliable and consistent and determined. and our foes, our foes can have no reason to doubt our resolve because peace really does come through strength. our military capability and our technological advantage will be safe in mitt romney's hands. we must work for an open global economy and pursue free and fair trade to grow our exports and our influence abroad. if you are worried about the rise of china, just consider this. the united states has negotiated -- the united states has ratified only three trade agreements in the last few years. and those were negotiated in the bush administration.

china -- china has signed 15 free trade agreements and is in the progress of negotiating as many as 18 more. sadly, we are abandoning the field of free and fair trade and it will come back to haunt us. we must not allow the chance for energy independence to slip from our grasp. we are blessed with resources here in north america and we must develop them. we can develop them sensitively. we can develop them securing our environment. but we must develop them. and we have the ingenuity to develop alternative energy

sources too. but most importantly mitt romney and paul ryan will rebuild the foundation of our strength, the american economy. stimulating private sector growth and stimulating small business entrepreneurship. when the world looks at us today, they see an american government that cannot live within its means. they see an american government that continues to borrow money, that will mortgage the future of generations to come. the world knows that when a nation loses control of its finances, it eventually loses control of its destiny. that is not the america has inspired people to follow our lead. after all, when the world looks

to america, they look to us because we are the most successful economic and political experiment in human history. that is the true basis of american exceptionalism. you see, the essence of america, what really unites us, is not nationality or ethnicity or religion. it is an idea. and what an idea it is. that you can come from humble circumstances and you can do great things. that it does not matter where you came from, it matters where you are going.

>> my fellow americans, ours has never been a narrative of grievance and entitlement. we have never believed i am doing poorly because you are doing well. we have never been jealous of one another and never envious of each other's successes. no, ours has been a belief in opportunity. and it has been a constant struggle. long and hard, up and down, to try to extend the benefits of the american dream to all. but that american ideal is indeed in danger today. there is no country, no not even a rising china that can do more harm to us than we can do to ourselves if we do not do the

hard work before us here at home. >> more than at any other time in history, greatness is built on mobilizing human potential and ambition. we have always done that better than any country in the world. people have come here from all over because they have believed our creed of opportunity and limitless horizons. they have come here from the world's most impoverished nations just to make a decent wage. and they have come here from advanced societies as engineers and scientists and fuel the knowledge-based revolution in the silicon valley of california. in the research triangle of north carolina. along route 128 in massachusetts. in austin, texas, and across

this great land. >> we must continue to welcome the world's most ambitious people to be part of us. in that way, we stay young and optimistic and determined. we need immigration laws that protect our borders, meet our economic needs and yet show that we are a compassionate nation of immigrants. we have been successful, too, because americans have known that one status of birth is not a permanent condition. americans have believed that you might not be able to control your circumstances, but you can control your response to your

circumstances. and your greatest ally in controlling your response to your circumstances has been a quality education. but today, today when i can look at your zip code and i can tell whether you're going to get a good education, can i honestly say it doesn't matter where you came from, it matters where you're going. the crisis in k-12 education is a threat to the very fabric of who we are. my mom was a teacher. i respect the profession. we need great teachers, not poor ones, and not mediocre ones. we have to have high standards for our kids. because self-esteem comes from achievement, not from lack standards and false praise.

and we need to give parents greater choice. particularly poor parents whose kids very often minorties are trapped in failing neighborhood schools. this is the civil rights issue of our day. >> if we do anything less, we condemn to joblessness and hopelessness and life on the government dole. if we do anything less, we will endanger our global imperatives for competitiveness. and if we do anything less, we

will tear apart the fabric of who we are, and cement the turn toward entitlement and grievance. mitt romney -- mitt romney and paul ryan will rebuild us at home. and they will help us lead abroad. they will provide an answer to the request where does america stand. the challenge is real. the times are hard. but america has met and overcome hard challenges before. whenever you find yourself doubting us, just think about all those times that america made the impossible seem inevitable in retrospect. our revolutionary founding against the greatest military power of the time, a civil war, brother against brother, hundreds of thousands dead on both sides. but we emerged a more perfect union. a second founding when impatient

patriots were determined to overcome the birth defect of slavery and the scourge of segregation. a long struggle against communism with the soviet union eventually in collapse and european whole, free, and at peace. and in the aftermath of 9/11, the willingness to take really hard, hard decisions that secured us and prevented the follow on attack that everybody thought preordained. and on a personal note -- and on a personal note, a little girl rose up in birmingham, the segregated city of the south where her parents can't take her to a movie theater or to a restaurant, but they have her absolutely convinced that even if she can't have a hamburger at the lunch counter she could be president of the united states and she wanted to be. and she becomes the secretary of state.

>> yes. yes. yes. yes. yes, america has a way of making the impossible seem inevitable in retrospect. but we know it was never inevitable, it took leadership and it took courage and it took belief in our values. mitt romney and paul ryan have the integrity and the experience and the vision to lead us. they know who we are. they know who we want to be.

they know whoe are in the world and what we offer. that is why -- that is why this is a moment in an election of consequence. because it just has to be that the freest and most compassionate country on the face of the earth will continue to be the most powerful and a beacon for prosperity and liberty across te world. god bless you and god bless this extraordinary country, this exceptional country, the united states of america. >> from the state of new mexico, the first hispanic female governor in the history of the

united states. please welcome governor susannah martinez. >> so we just heard kocondoleez rice say if she could whip up this crowd. she says she has no great political ambitions down the road. she's happy in ak deem academyi. >> she added to what rand paul tried to do, i thought. which was try to portray a party that was passionate on immigration as opposed to closed minded on that topic. candy, what do you think? >> you know, for a woman who says she has no passion for politics, she's pretty darn good at it. so obviously she's here in front of a friendly crowd. just interestingly, no prompter used in that. not in the one that i can see from here or the panels in front of her. she did have a script with her, but the words changed around. i don't know if you watched her,

but she was connecting with this crowd all over the place. so i've heard a lot of these things from condi rice in other speeches. they really like her here. and i don't know. i always used to believe back when she would say i don't have the heart for politics. i don't have that fire for politics. but i don't know. i think after this speech, she has people talking. >> it certainly seems that way. what's interesting, we sit here and sometimes we have everyone precopies which we get right before the speech and we follow along. and on hers, we noticed that. there was a lot of ad libbing. the themes were the same. >> but she stuck to the speech. she knew the speech. she had written it. clearly she knew what she wanted to say. there were words here and there she deviated from. but the structure was there. >> some flowery, some passion. >> i will say this. so far the women at this republican convention have given better speeches than the men.

ann romney gave a terrific speech last night. condoleezza rice. some of the men maybe not so much. >> does this surprise you wolf? >> no. >> we'll see how paul ryan does. we're getting ready. within a few minutes we'll hear from paul ryan. ♪

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we're back at the republican national convention in tampa. the first female governor of new mexico, the first female hispanic governor of the united

states suzanna martinez introducing paul ryan. >> for those who missed the top, she began talking about carrying a gun. it's important to her. she carries a magnum .357. let's listen to the rest of her speech. >> we got in the car, i looked at chuck and said i'll be damned, we're republicans. >> this election should not be about political parties. too many americans are out of work and our debt is out of control. this election needs to be about those issues. and it is the responsibility of both parties to offer up real solutions and have an honest

debate. in new mexico, i inherited the largest structural deficit in state history. and our legislature is controlled by democrats. we don't always agree. but we came together in a bipartisan manner and turned that deficit into a surplus. and we did it without raising taxes. but that's not the kind of leadership that we're seeing from president obama. he promised to bring us all together. to cut unemployment, to pass immigration reform in his first year. and even promised to cut the deficit in half in his first term. do you remember that?

but he hasn't come close. they haven't even passed a budget in washington, d.c. in three years. if he can take credit for government building small businesses, then he can accept responsibility for breaking his promise and adding $5 trillion to the national debt. because he did build that. as the first hispanic female governor in the history, little girls, they often come up to me

in the grocery store or in the mall. they look and they point and when they get the courage to come up, they ask are you sasana? and they run up and give me a hug. and i wonder, how do you know who i am? but they do. and these are little girls. it's in moments like these when i'm reminded that we each pave a path. and for me, it's about paving a path for those little girls to follow. they need to know no more barriers. in many ways mitt romney and i are very different. different starts in life, different paths to leadership, different cultures. but we've each shared in the promise of america. and we share a core belief that

the promise of america must be kept for the next generation. [ speaking spanish ] it's success. it is success and success is the american dream. and that success is not something to be ashamed of or to demonize. there is one candidate in this election who will protect that dream. one leader who will fight hard to keep the promise of america for the next generation. and that's why we must stand up and make mitt romney the next president of the united states. thank you. >> today we take another step

forward in helping restore the promise of america. as leadership begins with character and values. he's a person of great steadiness whose integry i did is unquestioned and his word is good. he understands the fiscal challenges facing america and the fiscal catastrophe that awaits us if we don't change course. today is a good day for america and there are better days ahead. >> when i look at all he's done, his life, his wife, his family, i'm just so proud. i know his father would be as well. especially tonight. >> i'm so proud to introduce my husband, the next vice president of the united states, paul ryan. ♪ >> hello, everybody.

hello, everybody. thank you. thank you. thank you very much. thank you. hey, wisconsin. thank you. thank you. you guys are great. thank you so much. thank you. mr. chairman -- mr. chairman, delegates, and fellow citizens, i am honored by the support of

this convention for vice president of the united states. i accept the duty to help lead our nation out of a jobs crisis and back to prosperity. and i know we can do this. i accept the calling of my generation to give our children the america that was given to us with opportunity for the young and security for the old. and i know that we are ready. our nominee is sure ready. his whole life -- his whole life prepared him for this moment. to meet serious challenges in a serious way. without excuses and idle words. after four years of getting the

runaround, america needs a turnaround and the man for the job is governor mitt romney. i'm the newcomer to this campaign. so let me share a first impression. i have never seen opponents so silent about their record and so desperate to keep their power. they've run out of ideas. their moment came and went. fear and division is all they've got left. with all their attack ads, the president is just throwing away money. and he's pretty experienced at that.

you see, some people can't be dragged down by the usual cheap tactics because their character, ability, and plain decency are so obvious. and ladies and gentlemen, that is mitt romney. for my part your nomination is an unexpected turn. it certainly came as news to my family. and i'd like you to meet them. my best friend and wife jana, our daughter liza, and our boys charlie and sam.

the kids are happy to see their grandma who lives in florida. there she is. my mom betty. my dad, a small town lawyer was also named paul. until we lost him when i was 16, he was a gentle presence in my life. i'd like to think he'd be proud of me and my sister and brothers. you know what? i'm sure proud of him and where i come from, janesville, wisconsin. i live on the same block where i grew up.

we belong to the same parish where i was baptized. janesville is that kind of place. the people of wisconsin have been good to me. i've tried to live up to their trust. and now i ask those hard working men and women and millions like them across america to join our cause and get this country working again. when governor romney asked me to join the ticket, i said let's get this done. and that is exactly what we are going to do. president barack obama came to office during an economic crisis as he has reminded us a timor two.

those are very tough days. and any fair measure of his record has to take that into account. my home state voted for president obama. when he talked about change, many people like the sound of it. especially in janesville. where we were about to lose a major factory. a lot of guys i went to high school with worked at that gm plant. right there at that plant, candidate obama said i believe that if our government is there to support you, this plant will be here for another hundred years. that's what he said in 2008. well, as it turned out, that plant didn't last another year. it is locked up and empty to this day. and that's how it is in so many towns. where the recovery that was promised is nowhere in sight.

right now 23 million men and women are struggling to find work. 23 million people, unemployed or underemployed. nearly one in six americans is in poverty. millions of young americans have graduated from college during the obama presidency ready to use their gifts and get moving in life. half of them can't find the work they studied for or any work at all. so here's the question. without a change in leadership, why would the next four years be any different from the last four years? the first troubling sign came with the stimulus.

it was president obama's first and best shot at fixing the economy. at a time when he got everything he wanted under one party rule. it cost $831 billion. the largest one-time expenditure ever by our federal government. they went to companies like solyndra with your gold plated connections, subsidized jobs, and make believe markets. the stimulus was a case of political patronage, corporate welfare, and cronism at their worst. you, you the american people of this country were cut out of the deal. what did taxpayers get out of the obama stimulus? more debt. that money wasn't just spent and wasted. it was borrowed, spent, and wasted.

maybe the greatest waste of all was time. here we were faced with a massive job crisis so deep that if everyone out of work stood in single file, that unemployment line would stretch the length of the entire american continent. you would think that any president, whatever his party would make job creation and nothing else his first order of economic business. but this president didn't do that. instead, we got a long divisive all or nothing attempt to put the federal government in charge of health care. obama care comes to more than

2,000 pages of rules, mandates, taxes, fees, and fines that have no place in a free country. >> that's right. that's right. you know what? the president has declared that the debate over government-controlled health care is over. that will come as news to the millions of americans who will elect mitt romney so we can repeal obama care.

and the biggest, coldest power play of all in obama care came at the expense of the elderly. you see, even with all the hidden taxes to pay for the health care takeover, even with the new law and new taxes on nearly a million small businesses, the planners in washington still didn't have enough money. they needed more. they needed hundreds of billions more. so they just took it all away from medicare. $716 billion funneled out of medicare by president obama. an obligation we have to our

parents and grandparents is being sacrificed all to pay for a new entitlement we didn't even ask for. the greatest threat to medicare is obama care, and we're going to stop it. in congress, when they take out the heavy books and the wall charts about medicare, my thoughts go back to a street in janesville. my wonderful grandma janet had alzheimer's. she moved in with mom and me. though she felt lost at times, we did all the little things that made her feel loved. we had help from medicare.

and it was there just like it's there for my mom today. medicare is a promise, and we will honor it. a romney/ryan administration will protect and strengthen medicare for my mom's generation, for my generation, and for my kids and yours. >> so our opponents can consider themselves on notice. in this election, on this issue the usual posturing on the left isn't going to work. mitt romney and i know the difference between protecting a program and raiding it. ladies and gentlemen, our nation needs this debate. we want this debate. we will win this debate.

>> obama care, as much as anything else explains why a presidency that began with such anticipation now comes to such a disappointing close. it began with a final crisis. it ends with a job crisis. it began with a housing crisis they alone didn't cause. it ends with a housing crisis they didn't correct.

it began with a perfect aaa credit rating for the united states. it ends with a downgraded america. it all started off with stirring speeches, the thrill of something new. now all that's left is a presidency adrift surviving on slogans that already seem tired. grasping at a moment that is already passed. like a ship trying to sale on yesterday's wind. you know, president obama was asked not long ago to reflect on any mistakes he might have made. he said well, i haven't communicated enough.

he said his job is to quote, tell a story to the american people. as if that's the whole problem here? he needs to talk more? and we need to be better listeners? ladies and gentlemen, these past four years we had suffered no shortage of words in the white house. what is missing is leadership in the white house.

>> and the story -- and the story that barack obama does tell forever shifting blame to the last administration is getting old. the man assumed office almost four years ago. isn't it about time he assumed responsibility? in this generation a defined responsibility of government is to steer our nation clear of a debt crisis while there is still time. back in 2008, candidate obama called a $10 trillion national debt unpatriotic.

serious talk from what looked like a serious reformer. yet by his own decisions, president obama has added more debt than any other president before him. and more than all the troubled governments of europe combined, one president one term, $5 trillion in new debt. he created a new bipartisan debt commission. they came back with an urgent report. he thanked them, sent them on their way, and then did exactly nothing. republicans stepped up with good faith reforms and solutions equal to the problems. how did the president respond? by doing nothing. nothing except to dodge and demagogue the issue. so here we are. $16 trillion in debt and still

he does nothing. in europe massive debts have put entire governments at risk of collapse. and still he does nothing. and all we have heard from this president and his team are attacks on anyone who dares to point out the obvious. they have no answer to this simple reality. we need to stop spending money we don't have. really simple. not that hard. my dad used to say to me son, you have a choice. you can be part of the problem or you can be part of the solution.

the present administration has made its choices. and mitt romney and i have made ours. before the math and the momentum overwhelm us all, we are going to solve this nation's economic problems. and i'm going to level with you. we don't have that much time. but if we're serious and smart and we lead, we can do this. after four years of government trying to divide up the wealth, we will get america creating wealth again. with tax fairness and regulatory reform, we'll put government back on the side of men and women who create jobs. and the men and women who need

jobs. my mom started a small business, and i've seen what it takes. mom was 50 when my dad died. she got on a bus every week day for years and rode 40 miles each morning to madison. she earned a new degree and new skills to start her small business. it wasn't just a new livelihood. it was a new life. and it transformed my mom from a widow in grief to a small business woman whose happiness wasn't just in the past. her work gave her hope. it made our family proud. and to this day, my mom is my role model.

>> behind eve small business there's a story worth knowing. all the corner shops in our towns and cities, the restaurants, cleaners, gyms, hair salons, hardware stores, these didn't come out of nowhere. a lot of heart goes into each one. and if small business people say they made it on their own, all they're saying is that nobody else worked seven days a week in their place. nobody showed up in their place to open the door at 5:00 in the morning. nobody did their thinking and worrying and sweating for them. after all that work and in a bad

economy, it sure doesn't help to hear from their president that government gets the credit. what they deserve to hear is the truth. yes, you did build that. >> we have a plan for a stronger middle class with a goal of generating 12 million new jobs over the next four years. in a clean break from the obama years and frankly from the years before this president. we will keep federal spending at 20% of gdp or less because that is enough.

the choice -- the choice is whether to put hard limits on economic growth or hard limits on the size of government. and we choose to limit government. i learned a good deal about economics and america from the author of the reagan tax reforms. the great jack kemp. what gave jack that incredible enthusiasm was his belief in the possibilities of free people. in the power of free enterprise and strong communities to overcome poverty and despair. we need that same optimism right now. and in our dealings with other nations, a romney/ryan administration will speak with

confidence and clarity. whenever men and women rise up for their own freedom, they will know that the american president is on their side. instead -- instead of managing american decline, leaving allies to doubt us and adversaries to test us, we will act in the conviction that the united states is still the greatest force for peace and liberty that this world has ever known. >> president obama is the kind of politician who puts promises

on the record and then calls that the record. but we are four years into the presidency. the issue is not the economy that barack obama inherited. not the economy that he envisions. but this economy that we are living. college graduates should not have to live out our 20s in their childhood bedrooms staring up at fading obama posters and wondering when they can move out and get going with life.

>> everyone -- everyone who feels stuck in the obama economy is right to focus on the here and now. and i hope you understand this too. if you're feeling left out or passed by, you have not failed. your leaders have failed you. none of us -- none of us should have to settle for the best this administration offers. a dull, adventureless journey from one entitlement to the next. a country where everything is free but us. listen to the way we're already spoken to.

listen to the way we're spoken to already. as if everyone is stuck in some class or station in life. victims of circumstances beyond our control with the government there to help us cope with our fate. it's the exact opposite of everything i learned growing up in wisconsin or at college in ohio. when i was waiting tables, washing dishes, or mowing lawns for money, i never thought of myself as stuck in some station in life. i was on my own path. my own journey, an american journey where i could think for myself, decide for myself, define happiness for myself. that's what we do in this country. that's the american dream. that's freedom, and i'll take it any day over the supervision and

sanctimony of the central planners. by themselves -- by themselves the failures of one administration are not a mandate for a new administration. a challenger must stand on his own merits. he must be ready and worthy to serve in the office of president. we're a full generation apart. governor romney and i. and in some ways we're different. there are the songs on his ipod which i've heard on the campaign bus and i've heard it on many hotel elevators. he actually urged me to play some of these songs at campaign

rallies. i said look, i hope it's not a deal breaker mitt, but my play list starts with ac/dc and ends with zeppelin. a generation apart -- a generation apart, but that doesn't matter. it makes us different, but not in any of the things that matter. mitt romney and i both grew up in the heartland. and we know what places like wisconsin and michigan look like when times are good. we know what these communities look like when times are good, when people are working, when families are going more than just getting by. and we know it can be that way again. we've had very different careers. mine mainly in public service. his mostly in the private sector. he helped start businesses and turn around failing ones.

by the way, being successful in business, that's a good thing. >> mitt has not only succeeded, but he succeeded where others could not. he turned around the olympics at a time when a great institution was collapsing under the weight of bad management, overspending, and corruption. sounds kind of familiar, doesn't it? he was a republican governor of a state where almost nine in ten legislators are democrats. and yet he balanced the budget without raising taxes. unemployment went down, household incomes went up. and massachusetts under governor mitt romney saw its credit rating upgraded.

mitt and i also go to different churches. but in any church, the best kind of preaching is done by example. and i've been watching that example. the man who will accept your nomination tomorrow is prayerful and faithful and honorable. not only a defender of marriage, he offers an example of marriage at its best. not only a fine businessman, he's a fine man. worthy of leading this of mystic and good hearted country. our faiths come together in the same moral creed. we believe that in every life there is goodness.

for every person there is hope. each one of us was made for a reason bearing the image in likeness of the lord of life. >> we have responsibilities one to another. we do not each face the world alone. and the greatest of all responsibilities is that of the strong to protect the weak. the truest measure of any society is how it treats those who cannot defend or care for themselves. each of these moral ideas -- each of these moral ideas is essential to democratic

government, to the rule of law, to life in a humane and decent society. they are the moral creed of our country. as powerful in our time as on the day of america's founding. they are self-evident and unchanging. and sometimes even presidents need reminding that our rights come from nature and god and not from government. the founding generation secured those rights for us, and in every generation since, the best among us have defended our freedoms. they are protecting us right now. we honor them and all of our veterans and we thank them.

the right that makes all the difference now is the right to choose our own leaders. and you are entitled to the clearest possible choice. because the time for choosing is drawing near. so here is our pledge. we will not duck the tough issues. we will lead. we will not spend the next four years blaming others. we will take responsibility. we will not try to replace our founding principles. we will reapply our founding principles. the work ahead will be hard. these times demand the best of all of us. all of us. but we can do this. we can do this. together we can do this. we can get this country working again. we can get this economy growing again. we can make the safety net safe again. we can do this.

whatever your political party, let's come together for the sake of our country. join mitt romney and me. let's give this effort everything we have. let's see this thing all the way through. let's get this done! thank you and god bless you all. thank you. ♪

>> so there he is, the republican vice presidential nominee and his beautiful family there. his mom is up there. this is exactly what this crowd of republicans here certainly republicans all across the country were hoping for. he delivered a powerful speech. erin, a powerful speech. although i marked seven or eight points i'm sure the fact checkers will have some opportunities to dispute if they want to go forward, i'm sure they will. as far as mitt romney's campaign is concerned, paul ryan on this night delivered.

>> that's right. certainly so. we were jotting down points. there will be issues with some of the facts. but it motivated people. he's a man who says i care deeply about every single word. i want to do a good job. and he delivered on that. precise, clear, and passionate. >> and our coverage of this republican national convention continues right now. >> in tampa tonight, paul ryan officially claims his job as mitt romney's running mate. warming up the crowd for ryan, former secretary of state condoleezza rice. >> and we'd like to welcome our viewers in the united states and around the world. we're watching this republican convention in tampa, florida. we've heard some powerful speeches tonight including from

the vice presidential nominee. >> we certainly have. and condoleezza rice, great job too. paul ryan just wrapped up his acceptance speech. it was one of many memorable moments tonight. take a look. >> ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the third session of the 2012 republican national convention. the convention will come to order. >> our nation is in desperate need of leadership. we believe mitt romney is the man for this moment. after four long years, help is on the way. >> our great nation is coming apart at the seams and the president just seems to point fingers and blame others. president obama's administration will add nearly $6 trillion to our national debt in just one term.

and i'm hoping it's just one term. >> everywhere i go in the world, people tell me that they still have faith in america. what they want to know is whether we still have faith in ourselves. i trust that mitt romney has that faith and i trust him to lead us. i trust him to know that an american president always, always, always stands up for the rights and freedoms and justice of all people. >> where does america stand? you see, when friends or foes alike don't know the answer to that question unambiguously and

clearly, the world is likely to be a more dangerous and chaotic place. we can only know that there is no choice. because one of two things will happen if we don't lead. either no one will lead and there will be chaos, or someone will fill the vacuum who does not share our values. my fellow americans, we do not have a choice. we cannot be reluctant to lead and you cannot lead from behind. mitt romney and paul ryan understand this reality. our well being at home and our leadership abroad are inextricably linked. they know what to do. they know that our friends and allies must again be able to trust us. >> i'm the newcomer to this campaign. so let me share a first impression. i have never seen opponents so silent about their record. and so desperate to keep their power.

they've run out of ideas. their moment came and went. fear and division is all they've got left. with all their attack ads, the president is just throwing away money. and he's pretty experienced at that. so here's the question. without a change in leadership, why would the next four years be any different from the last four years? what is missing is leadership in the white house. the man assumed office almost four years ago. isn't it about time he assumed responsibility? >> and that was the highlight of this evening. paul ryan the vice presidential nominee clearly electrifying these people, these republicans here at the republican national convention in tampa. we all knew he had a lot of

substantive background as a member of congress, chairman of the house budget committee. clearly i was surprised to hear how much of a speaker he would be although a few points will be disputed by his critics. john king is standing by. several points he made will be disputed, but no doubt he delivered a powerful speech. >> a powerful speech for the first time brought real convention intensity to this hall. paul ryan had this crowd engaged. they are now ready forrer in fight and he framed it that way. he framed it as much the republican waged back in 2010. about the size, the scope, the role of government and cast president obama as somebody who four years ago had a lot of promises but a failure in the presidency. let's get a quick impression here in the box. let me start with you. we'll have a longer conversation later, but paul ryan to you the headline, the major accomplishment or lack thereof. >> start with the proposition the conservatives tonight will

think maybe they have a new reagan. he threw down the gauntlet. this audience loved ann romney and condi rice. we're going to have a great debate this fall. >> i think that paul ryan did a great job. he had to do a couple of things. he had to portray president obama as two things. divisive and a disappointment. to look at those persuadable voters and say give mitt romney a shot here and i think that's exactly what he did tonight. and he was the first person we really heard in this conntion take on president obama directly and repeatedly and say this man has failed. >> volt of adrenaline. this was optimistic adrenaline that he delivered tonight. that's something the republican party needs. the decisions to take on the future. also keep your eye on health care. if it's a romney/ryan ticket can neutralize the historic

advantage in health ca and they may do it on this obama attack. huge changing issue in this election. >> james carville, after listening to paul ryan tonight will democrats be worried about this campaign? >> he's talking to you, james. never mind. i'll talk with him. >> just your impression. will democrats be worried after hearing this from paul ryan tonight? >> well, i think that democrats are worried right now. they were worried before this convention. it's a very tight race. if you look at it, obama's probably up one to three points. so who wouldn't be worried in that circumstance? but we're excited about our own convention too. i thought tonight it was really striking how much different he was tonight than he was in norfolk when he was announced. he was measured, determined, a much slower cadence. the style was a lot different tonight than it was back in norfolk. i thought that was kind of

interesting. i'm sure that was obviously this speech was planned out and thought out to be that way. i just thought it was an interesting contrast between him and a month ago or whenever that was. >> wolf, interesting at the end. of course he's speaking in the hall here to republicans who needed a bit of red meat with the appeal at the end to all americans said at least give us a luck. i think that forbodes in an election. it needs to make sop converse in the weeks ahead. >> among those 10 percenters who are switchable. he was addressing them. let's go to the floor and switch around with the reporters. dana bash is down there. you've got a guest. >> i do. i've got the governor of wisconsin. what did you think of paul ryan's speech. >> even though he talks about

tough numbers, he talks about it. that's why he's going to get it done. thrilled. >> the paul ryan i covered z back in washington is a wonk. >> he's a wonk at home but he's a guy that got into this it came out of reagan and kemp. i'm glad people saw the paul ryan i know tonight. >> governor, thank you very much. back to you, wolf. >> let's go to candy crowley on the podium. you've watched a lot of theess conventions over the years. what did you think of this paul ryan address? >> he brought it. he really did blow the roof off this place. this was the speech they were waiting for. ann romney was great, chris christie might have got mixed reviews but they loved him here. but the spark in the air when he started to talk. and i just thought actually just in terms of words and the speech writing, anytime you've got a speech that has your mother in tears, your governor in tears,

you close to it mentions ac/dc and zeppelin then talks about the sanctimony of planners, was a speech with a lot in it. it was well crafted and certainly mostly for this audience. but at the end there was again this kind of powerful drive to push out and say come and join us no matter what party you're with. so this was the tee-up for mitt romney tomorrow. and he certainly gave him a board to jump off of for sure, wolf. >> and no doubt even though a lot of republicans are afraid of the medicare debate, what we heard from paul ryan, he said bring it on. you want to debate medicare, we want to debate medicare and we will win. >> look at the numbers. he and barack obama are not far f on medicare. but the people we want to know

what they think tonight are the independents. there aren't many that are undecided. but there are some that will decide who will win the white house in november. a gro up of undecided voters came here and watched the speech along with our tom foreman and literally it was a touch of the dial. everything they thought they rated it. what was the verdict? >> it was fascinating to watch it here. i have to say these voters, we listened to them a bit beforehand. they have a tendency to be a little bit more on the republican side in temples of their view of things. but all of them unconvinced republicans. let me start with one big question if i can first. all of you here, after paul ryan's speech tonight, do you feel more positive about leaning toward the republican side with your vote? little bit? less positive? nobody. sort of in between a bit. take a look at this bite. one of the interesting things here if you look at the lines

here. the pink represents the women, the blue represents the men. look how they reacted differently to an attack in the paul ryan speech. it's different than what you heard in the hall. take a look. >> nearly one in six americans is in poverty. millions of young americans have graduated from college during the obama presidency. ready to use their gifts and get moving in life. half of them can't find the work they studied for or any work at all. so here's the question. without a change in leadership, why would the next four years be any different from the last four years? >> a big applause line there and you may have been able to see in the lines there that the men responded to the attacks better than the women did. how did you feel about the

attacks in the speech? good thing or bad? >> any time there's any attack, i don't feel good about it. you've got to focus on the positive of stuff. but getting back to what you said about paul ryan, i really liked everything he said, but he's just going for v.p. he's not the main guy. >> what about you? did you like it when he talked tough about the economy and about the president? >> i think he spent a lot of time bashing president obama and not enough time talking about what they're going to do for this country. i really do. >> all right. let me grab a guy in the back row here. what about you? when he went after the president and pointed out what he thought was wrong with the president's programs, what did you think about that? >> i think he was spot on on what he pointed out there. i think he hasn't done enough in four years. if somebody gives him the opportunity, it's what they do with that opportunity. he was given the opportunity of being president of the united states and has not turned the country around. >> in the early parts of the speech, the women in your group here generally lagged below the men in terms of their approval

of what was being said. but when he talked about his mother, rebuilding her life after the death of his father, everything turned around and stayed that way for quite some time. watch the lines on this. >> it wasn't just a new livelihood. it was a new life. and it transformed my mom from a widow in grief to a small businesswoman whose happiness wasn't just in the past. her work gave her hope. it made our family proud. and to this day, my mom is my role model. >> let me ask you about that. when he started talking about his mother and her struggles and her family struggles to make things better, the women in this group by and large said good thing, positive thing. why do you think?

>> just because there's a lot of single moms out there that are going through that same thing, and they lead -- they give a good example and we try to instill that in our kids as we're raising them. and that he respects her so much. >> let me bring in alex here. alex, come in this way if you will. i want to ask you something about it. come over here. when you listen to and you watch what went on here tonight particularly with the response and the differences between the women in this group and the men in this group, what do you think worked and what didn't? >> i want to ask these people here if i raise my voice a bit, did you think this guy was a reasonable guy or did you guys think he was a scary too extreme guy? raise hands first for reasonable. tell me why. tell me why. >> i think he was calm, he was well spoken, and he made some

very good points. i did not know a lot about him, but he impressed me. >> he didn't scare you? >> not at all. >> who did he scare? too xtreme, cotoo conservatives? any hands? >> what does that tell you? >> that's usually one of the reasons you see a split in male/female things. we saw it on government spending and a couple of other issues where men diverge from women tonight. >> so in general by the end once the women came up and let me ask you about this. when the women came up on this thing on that issue of his mother and struggling along, they stayed up. that was interesting. did that represent a turning point for you? >> no. i like that he respected what his mother did to help set him up and what she did for her family. i felt more included when he recognized her that way. >> interesting. what about you? >>ty feel the same way.

i had a favorable response because he was giving honor and respect to his mother for the work she's done. that's one thing the politicians really need to pay attention and realize that women are -- do carry the burden in the household and they do have a big say so in politics. >> all right. we're going to be back with more from our group here and alex as we go on. an awful lot. fascinating results here, wolf, from this group and their reaction. we want to talk to more of them later on. >> we're only starting getting reaction to paul ryan's speech. we're going to speak to some family members. there you see some members of his own family. who knows paul ryan better than members of his own family? when we come back, you'll hear what they have to say. great shot.

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go to their hotels. we're out on the floor with some family members from paul ryan. jim, tell us what they're saying. let's hear from them. >> let's hear from them. i'm joined by two brothers and sister of paul ryan. and their respective wives and husbands and kids. and stan ryan, you were telling me a few moments ago. what was going through your find when you saw your brother up on stage there? >> well, it was paul, if you will. he's just so natural as what he does. he's all in committed. all in committed to the cause. all in committed to what he's doing. he believes, we believe. and he's going to follow through. >> okay. and janet let me ask you. you're the oldest. they told me that, i don't know. i didn't guess that. i'm just saying. janet, tell me was paul ryan always this way as a youngster? was he just as incorrigible as

he is now? >> he was. but he's always done what he thought needed to be done. he's kind of -- he's led by his convictions. he's continued that today. ttlerother is goto be ne day my vice president of the united stat >> no, i never did. >> this is a shocker for you? >> it was a. was hegood at ordering you around the house? what signs did you see at an early age? >> he was good at negotiating. he never orderedhe simply negotiated his way to what he thought he wanted. >> a he got on the ticket. >> he did. >> not too bad of a negotiator. toben, what is it about your moment? >> you know, paul is a guy who is an eternal optimist. there is no challenge, i think, that keeps him down that he doesn't think he can overcome.

and that kind of leadership, i think, is probably what mitt romney saw in paul. and together i think combined is the kind of leadership that i think that's really going to help this nation. >> okay. and mack ryan is with us. this is paul ryan's nephew. is this inspiring you perhaps one day to get into politics? is this what you want to do? >> you know, it really is. it's fantastic here. there's a lot of energy going around. it's a great place to be. you learn a lot of stuff. it's lots of fun being with my family having a great time. >> are you proud of your uncle? >> i'm very, very proud of my uncle. he's going to put america on the right track. >> all right. okay. this is a family, a ryan family here that is beaming with smiles and pride tonight. and for good reason. wolf? >> thanks very much, jim acosta on the floor. we'll be getting more reaction from various folks down on the floor. we'll get some reaction from democrats as well.

but john, you know, as you and i well know, the democrats and certainly the obama campaign, they were watching this speech. they were going through it line by line and you are getting and so i am, a lot of e-mail right now pointing out to what they claim are falsehoods, misleading statements, lies, if you will, that were made by paul ryan. and i guess those fact checking is just getting ready to begin. >> the fact checking is beginning. our cnn team is at it already. other news organizations will do it as well. that's how it goes in campaigns. some of it will be clear, you will say that was a stretch. other things will be debatable. one thing he talked about was the plant shut down in janesville. that was shut down under the bush administration. he spoke of president obama saying it may be reopened. but it was cloedsed under the bush administration. ere was one about obama care.

it does get savings from medicare and use them for their health care plan. there's a big debate about whether those savings come from the program, the administration says no they come from payments that would go to democracy and other things. so you're taking money, but that would be debated in the campaign. let's continue the conversation here. >> can i say to your medicare point, the ryan budget also assumed the same $716 billion in medicare savings not for, of course, the president's health care reform plan but assume those savings for something else. another thing with paul ryan and he talked about the bipartisan debt commission. he was a member of the bipartisan debt commission. he voted against the product there, yet tonight he chided the president for doing nothing about it saying they came back with an urgent report. he thanked them. well the they, part of the they

was paul ryan who didn't sign on to it. >> wouldn't sign on because they would require higher taxes. if you're watching at home and remember that debate. it's a fascinating moment. he is the vice presidential candidate. erin, you wanted to mak a point? >> i had a chance to talk to paul ryan the day his budget came out and asked him why did you vote against simpson bowles on that and his reason at the time was i didn't like how it was dealing with health care and health entitlement. it highlights the irony that gloria pointed out. that same $716 billion that the president would cut, so would paul ryan. their plans more similar in that sense than they are different. >> it highlights the choice of the next president. whether president obama is re-elected or mitt romney wins the election, you will have this debt and deficit crisis to deal with. and will we have what we've had the past four years. saying you must get some increased taxes from the wealthy and a republican party that says absolutely not. >> i think these factual checks

are important. they should be held accountable and i think there were some misstatements in the facts. but let's not forget. this was a speech about big ideas. we haven't had that very much in this campaign. that's what i thought was helpful about it. throwing down the gauntlet, he's inviting major conversation in the debates ahead about confl t conflicticonflic conflicting views. >> i want to bring ari and james in. this is the 2008 map for president right here. i want to let the camera come around. this is the 2008 map for president. look at this part of the section here. paul ryan is from wisconsin. mitt romney was the governor of massachusetts. this is 2008. this is. 2010. these are the senate races. these are the governorships. illinois has held on. what they are counting on in this pick is that this part of the country is listening to take the big issues on. about the size of government,

the role of government, whether these decisions should be made in washington or by your governor. 2010 was the midterm election, not a presidential election. they are apples and oranges, if you will. is that a safe bet or the only you can make? >> you nailed it. who's turn out to vote. a 2008 model, 2010 model or 2012 mod model. a lot of sampled on a 2008 model which boggles my mind. still a 50/50 race. if this race is between the 2004 and 2008 presidential races, which probably will be. bush won in '04 big turnout. obama wins in '08. chances are mitt romney wins and that's the big issue area. michigan is in play and wisconsin was a battle ground before paul ryan. real battle ground now. >> one thing he did make a big

point. it's an accurate statement. under the obama administration, the national debt did increase by $5 trillion over these past nearly four years. what he didn't say is the national debt doubled during the eight years of the bush administration from $5 trillion to $10 trillion. and he didn't point out he as a member of congress voted for some of the biggest expenditures, biggest expansions of the federal government over those years including a prescription drug benefit for seniors including all the trillions of dollars spent in the wars in iraq and afghanistan, all those defense department spending as well. so this debate is only just beginning right now. on all of these issues. and there's no doubt that next week at the democratic convention in charlotte, we're going to hear a fierce response going after these republicans. >> but, you know, it's interesting. one thing i didn't hear from paul ryan was a huge call for tax cuts. paul ryan is really a fiscal conservative who likes to cut taxes. but we didn't hear that a lot to

the audience tonight, wolf, because he was talking much more about his differences with president obama. but i think that's going to become a big issue. when you have somebody who says we've got to get control of that debt. you have the debt clock up there. what do you do about repealing the tax cuts for the wealthy? >> the big speech comes tomorrow night. that will be when mitt romney accepted the nomination. paul ryan setting the stage tonight. when we come back, more from those voters. you see florida, that's where we are for this convention. it's a tossup state. more on this when our coverage continues. ♪

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this place is emptying out very, very quickly. the tampa bay times forum. this is the scene of the republican national convention. tomorrow the speep speech by mitt romney. tom foreman has been with a group of undecided voters. what i really liked about the paul ryan speech tonight, at least it dealt with the most important issues of the day. the substantive economic issues, jobs, health care, medicare. he didn't skirt those issues. yes, there would be a serious debate. but at least the focus was on the number one issues facing the american voter right now. and we asked these groups ahead of time with these dial tone. they told us the economy is the big issue here. and watch how the men and women reacted to another one of the big moments in the speech

tonight. >> i was on my own path, my own journey, an american journey where i could think for myself, decide for myself, define happiness for myself. that's what we do in this country. that's the american dream. that's freedom and i'll take it any day over the supervision and sanctimony of the central planners. >> alex, one of the things that excited you about this tonight was the reaction of this crowd to the idea that was also in the speech of will you be better off in four years or is it going to be the same. why? >> it's funny. this crowd seemed to react the same way when ronald reagan did. i'm wondering what do they think when they heard paul ryan say why are the next four years going to be better than the last. >> when paul ryan asked that

question why will the next four years be any better, why would you believe that, what do you think? was that a fair question to ask? >> it was a good question to ask. i believed him. i don't think they're going to be better without a change. >> what about you? >> i have the same feelings. i think that he thought the question that he's asking us is what have we heard that will make us believe that it will be any different. so far we haven't heard anything different. >> i move to you with the last one. president obama did very well with young people. question is, you're a young person right now looking at this. do you when you hear that question from paul ryan, will you be better off in four years what would make you believe any better. is that a good question, a fair question, and how do you feel about it? >> i think it's a fair question. i didn't vote for obama last election, i don't think i'm going to vote for obama this election. >> are you ready to vote for mitt romney at this point? >> i think a lot of things i did hear tonight are swaying me that way. i like a lot of things that

getting the country back on track, shouldn't be punished for being successful. that was appealing to me. i feel like got to have jobs and can't punish those people that make jobs. especially the small business owners. >> alex, one last quick thought here. you watch this group, you saw their reaction. you're in the business of deciding speeches like this had worked. do you think it worked with these undecided voters? >> ihink b it began to plant a seed. one thing i'd love to ask these guys and we will maybe later is is he too young or did he speak about the future? did he say anything about the republican party moving forward? but i think was there optimism here? maybe in the beginning. >> i'm going to have you step this way. before we get back to you, wolf, let me ask you all. you came here undecided. how many of you feel that you're closer to a decision after hearing this speech tonight? well, a pretty good number there. some still holding out. and we'll see how it plays out,

wolf. fascinating group here from southern methodist university they put them together. but voters from here around tampa undecided voters. this is the gold in this election, wolf. whoever can win these voters can win in november. >> over at the cnn grill, thanks very much. we're going to do that next week in charlotte at the democratic national convention. we're going to do exactly the same thing. listen to the speeches. we'll hear when mitt romney speaks we'll have the focus group of undecided voters. see how they go forward as well. interesting stuff that was going on. and at least he didn't get into all the junk out there, all the stupid issues that politicians like to raise about the opposition. at least paul ryan focused in on the real meat, the real importance of this election. >> it was a substantive speech. >> jobs, jobs, jobs. has different views of course than the democrats but at least he focused on issue number one.

>> you talk about him as a person of substance and he is. and he does love policy. a lot of people may look at paul ryan and say especially with all the talk out there about his views on medicare, is he far to the right? one thing that may surprise people about his record in his willingness to go to the other side. he voted for the auto bailout. he voted for t.a.r.p. the bank bailout, everybody. and at the time he said i'm doing it to prevent a depression. so he cast both of those votes in that way. when i spoke to him this spring when he came out with his budget, he made it clear to me on repeated questions that he would allow taxes on the wealthy to go up. and their effective tax rates are going to be higher because i'm not going to allow them to shelter their income anymore. if you take those points you think is this the vice presidential nominee? but he is. this is the person who has shown the ability to compromise. >> and whether or not, john king, the critics out there will

dispute his facts in the speech, there's no doubt he delivered for the republicans. it does set a high bar for mitt romney tomorrow night. can mitt romney deliver an even more powerful speech as he accepts the republican presidential nomination? >> and that is the defining question of this nvention. governor romney comes in to win this race. it is a dead heat race. paul ryan still introducing himself to the country in many ways. he is the star attraction tonight. americans vote for presidents, not vice presidents. governor romney has the bigger challenge tomorrow night. james carville, when you worked for bill clinton and he picked al gore. that was sending a statement. that the democrats were going to be different, that they were a new generation, that this was not dukakis' party. to what degree was paul ryan -- does he help mitt romney send this signal it's a new or different republican party? >> yeah, i think he does.

and i think that what you've seen in the campaign is that the campaign is basically about activating the base. that they believe that they're sufficient as 50 plus one if they had the turnout they had in 2010. clearly that was what was at work here. different generation. he looks different. if you watch him tonight, he's very different looking than anyone we've seen run for national office before. and whether that works or not, we'll see in november. but it is a very close race. people say are you nervous? of course i'm nervous. who wouldn't be in a race where you were two points up. anybody would. >> and incredibly likable guy. it's not an endorsement. the policies will be debated. romney has embraced much of that and as the romney budget of course that matters more than the ryan budget. but your thoughts on just what was he trying to do tonight and

did he get there? >> i think he tried to set out a bolder more energetic and ari says a more optimistic vision of what the country could be. their theme as been we can do better than what we've been doing the last four years. i think he set up an indictment of president obama that is a spring board if you like for mitt romney tomorrow night. but mitt romney has got to take it. >> i also think what he did was he made this is generational argument, this issue of medicare. and he as somebody who's 42 years old said you know, i want this to be there. and i'm going to guarantee you if we win it's going to be there for my grandchildren. and i think what he did is say okay, i'm a young person and i want this to be there for my generation. and that's something we haven't heard. because it's risky. very risky. >> and wolf, we also learned tonight he listens to ac/dc to

zeppelin. and romney listens to elevator music. >> i like elevator music. sometimes that elevator music is pretty good. i will say this about the republican convention, they have a great band here that's going. the band here has been fabulous as someone who loves music and you know i do. i think this band has been terrific. >> we need music. it's very important. >> even elevator music from time to time. all right, guys. thanks to social media, we're giving you our viewers a chance to be part of cnn's convention coverage. go to facebook.com/cnn. answer. this question. does representative paul ryan make you enthusiastic about the gop ticket? we're going to give your results, that's coming up. stand by. but first, this convention flashback.

>> first and foremost -- >> what was notable about reagan's speech in 1980 was it was filled with optimism. >> an american president told the generation of the depression it had a rendezvous with destiny. i believe this generation of americans today also has a rendezvous with destiny. >> he came across, i think in a way so much less scary than he'd been projected to seeing and full of sun, humor, and strength. rick!

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than 2,000 pages of rules, mandates, taxes, fees, and fines that have no place in a free country. >> e rin, i want to get quick reactions from our reporters and analyst. let's go to candy crowley. >> well, you know, you can watch this convention as most conventions do build to the finale and that is tomorrow night and mitt romney. i mean, we really have seen two successive days of ratcheting up the excitement level on this floor. paul ryan, i mean, just talking to folks as they're going out they are ecstatic. we saw several top level romney advise advisers. i said what did you think? they said awesome, great. they are very happy. it may -- obviously if you're not inclined to like paul ryan and mitt romney, you won't find a lot to like.

in fact it had a bit of everything, but i can tell you in this hall and on this day, he really did set the table for mitt romney. and that's what all this has been building for, after all, is to get their nominee out of here and on the road to what they hope are improved chances of beating president obama. >> yeah. there's no doubt about that. i think there's also -- for those who weren't familiar with paul ryan, didn't know who this congressman is and all of us news junkies know him. now millions of people will appreciate why mitt romney selected him to be his running mate. >> that's right. i think people who are familiar with him, i've been following him for years, people are getting a sense of the other side of him. people who knew him as a wonk, seeing his family and children gives a new picture. >> he likes music though.

and he likes exercise. and has a beautiful family as you can see right there. >> i have to say i love how his daughter had that sparkly head band on. she gave a wave of her own which i thought was precious. >> i thought it was adorable, i don't know if that's the right word, how his mother was brought into this. she's on medicare herself. she's got quite a compelling story and he told it. he lost his dad when he was 16 years old. >> and he used the personal stories not only to introduce himself to the american people but to make key points for the republican argument and to rebut, if you wl, or provide some insulation against the democratic criticism. this is a guy after all, paul ryan, who is the new karl rove. when it rained in the bush administration, they blamed karl rove. if the bus was late in the bush administration, they blamed karl rove. i'm being a little bit jokey. but paul ryan has been the

synonym for scary. they say what he wants to do is scary. the challenge is we had that big debate about the ideas. wall ryan tonight as a person ari i think it's safe to say was not scary. >> that's right. that's one of his greatest strengths. that's what i love about him. they talk too often like accountants, the republicans. they need to speak like ronald reagan with a jolt of adrenaline and confidence in what they do. paul ryan exudes that. which i want to fact check the fact checkers who began this segment. this is from the milwaukee journal sentinel, the hometown paper, september 2011 for politics and paul ryan entered the national seen. the janesville plant stopped production of suvs in 2008 and was idled in 2009 after it completed production of duty trucks. paul ryan was right. the fact checkers are wrong. >> all right. >> we'll have to get on -- yeah. check it out. >> i'll just quote the milwaukee

paper. what do i know? >> it's a legitimate point. hold your breath. we'll be back with tonight's takeaways. we'll give you a chance to be part of the conversation. go to facebook.com/cnn. answer this question. does paul ryan make you enthusiastic about the gop ticket? we'll give you results coming up. one is for a clean, wedomestic energy future that puts us in control. our abundant natural gas is already saving us money, producing cleaner electricity, putting us to work here in america and supporting wind and solar. though all energy development comes with some risk, we're committed to safely and responsibly producing natural gas. it's not a dream. america's natural gas... putting us in control of our energy future, now.

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erin, you remember just a little while ago we asked our viewers to go to sour facebook page and tell us whether representative paul ryan makes