but what does paul ryan bring to the ticket when it comes to attracting swing voters? >> well, what paul brings to the tickets, as does mitt romney, is a seriousness of purpose this is an excellent, an outstanding choice, a confident choice, it definitely guarantees that this election will be about big issues, it will be about the serious problems facing this nation and two individuals that have serious solutions and real proposals to fix the problems. let face it president obama, he has proposed four sboinlgts far, candy. not once has he laid out a proposal to save either social security or medicare. his last two budgets were so unserious, they have had three votes in congress, the total vote tally, 0-610. they have been so unserious, not a member of president obama's own party have given them their vote. i tell people that in wisconsin, it doesn't get enough play nationally, they are astonished by the fact that we are the largest financial entity in the world and we are operating

without a budget. the senate, controlled by democrats, haven't passed a budge net three years. so, paul ryan, mitt romney will bring leadership to the table where this president and the democrats and the senate have totally abdicated their responsibility shown leadership. >> early in our 9 a.m. hour, we talked to david axelrod, i think you can imagine, obviously, that the obama people are saying this is a radical choice here. this is a ticket out of step with the mainstream america. i want too show our viewing audience a pilot poll we did a -- sorry, a poll we did on tea party support. the question was do you consider yourself a supporter of the tea party movement? yes, 25%. no, 65%. so, the question here is where is the appeal for someone like paul ryan, very popular with the tea party, to those voters still

trying to make up their minds? >> candy, what is radical is president obama's policies. remember this is a man who five days before his election said that in five days, we will fundamentally transform united states of america. i really don't believe most americans want america to be fundamentally transformed. they want our problems addressed. and again -- >> how come he said dfrnlt the problem with this president, he is simply not addressing those problems. >> sure. and yet, he leads -- the latest polls we saw, he was anywhere from seven to nine points up. so, doesn't that tell you something about how america now views this race? >> so many of those polls are registered voters versus likely voters. and i really do believe that americans are hungering for leadership. i think americans are ready to be treated as adults and told the truth and, again, that is what governor romney and paul ryan bring to the table here, people that are actually willing to tell americans the truth, lay

out real proposals, be held accountable. why hasn't the senate passed a bunnell net over three years? it's because democrats refuse to put their finger present on any kind of game plan that the american people can actually take a look at and hold them accountable. paul ryan is willing to do that mitt romney is willing to do that. i think in the end, they will be rewarded with that seriousness of purpose by the american public because we are looking for leadership. we need to solve these problems. we don't have a whole lot of time, candy. >> don't you see any risk at all in places like florida, where there is a huge senior population and elsewhere, where seniors drive the vote, to putting on your ticket and having on a ticket two men who want to change one of the most popular government programs in the country, medicare? >> candy, the risk is in not doing anything. i mean, the way we end medicare as we do it is to do nothing because it will go bankrupt in 12 years it will actually go bankrupt far sooner -- >> you can make that argument -- >> pardon? >> i was going to say even if you can make that argument, is

the campaign trail, which tends to be about bumper stickers and quick campaign speeches, a time to have a real policy debate? i mean, it would be lovely to think that but you know what the campaign trail is like. >> well, candy, a lot of that has to do with news media in terms of what you are willing to cover. what governor romney has done in picking paul ryan, he is telling the news media, let's have that debate, let's talk about issues. let's not pay attention to president obama's distractions, all the diversions he is putting out there because he simply can't run on his record of $5.3 trillion worth of debt, unemployment above 8% for more than 42 months. remember president obama promised to cut the deficit in half in his first term. he hasn't done that he said woe lower family premiums by $2500 a year. they are up by almost $2500. if we can actually talk about the issues, if we can talk about the failed record, the failed policies, the lack of leadership from president obama, i think that will bode very well for our president, mitt romney.

>> senator johnson, thank you so much for joining us today. we appreciate your insight. >> have a great day. >> you, too. romney's campaign is hoping that paul ryan will bring with him a much-needed advantage in the midwest and does include his state of wisconsin, we just discussed. up next, a different kind of view from ron kind on whether the democrats can hold onto the state they grabbed in 2008. the all-new cadillac atsng to test the 2.0-liter turbo engine. [ engine revs ] ♪ [ derek ] 272 horsepower. the lightest in its class. the cadillac ats outmatches the bmw 3 series. i cannot believe i have ended the day not scraping some red paint off on these barriers. [ male announcer ] the all-new cadillac ats. in that time there've been some good days. and some difficult ones. but, through it all, we've persevered, supporting some of the biggest ideas in modern history.

so why should our anniversary matter to you? because for 200 years, we've been helping ideas move from ambition to achievement. and the next great idea could be yours. ♪ but they haven't experienced extra strength bayer advanced aspirin. in fact, in a recent survey, 95% of people who tried it agreed that it relieved their headache fast. visit fastreliefchallenge.com today for a special trial offer. want my recipe for healthier hair color? natural instincts! formulated with aloe, vitamin and antioxidants natural instincts has a system that's a healthier way to radiant color. indulge... with natural instincts. less guilt, more gorgeous. a living, breathing intelligence helping business, do more business. in here, opportunities are created and protected. gonna need more wool! demand is instantly recognized

and securely acted on across the company. around the world. turning a new trend, into a global phenomenon. it's the at&t network -- securing a world of new opportunities. ♪

i tell mike what i can spend. i do my best to make that work. we're driving safely. and sue saved money on brakes.

now that's personal pricing. joining us now by phone is wisconsin democrat congressman ryan kind. you are a democrat but also from wisconsin so there has to be some part of you that thinks this is very cool. there's a wisconsin congressman now in the republican ticket. >> well, good morning, candy, and first off, congratulations to paul ryan. we have been friends for a long time, although we have had some serious policy differences i and disagreements and that, but you know, it is neat to see that he is there. but this is going to be now an election about a choice, which is what our country needs. and quite frankly, i was shocked that governor romney did decide to pick paul as his running mate h i mean, paul was there as one of the architects during the bush administration that put our nation deep into debt and

jeopardize our economic future as a country. so, i was surprised with that pick. >> you know, this is now a ticket that's going to say we have some problems in this country, we have to be serious. enough of all this silly campaign talk. medicare is in serious trouble and here is our offer on how we should do that. does that not in some way elevate both this ticket and the campaign? >> well, i don't know. you take a look at the romney/ryan budget right now that is a blueprint, their vision for our country and it is really a case of "back to the future." let be honest, paul ryan was there and cast votes for two large tax cuts that benefited the most wealthy without paying for any of it, two wars that went unpaid for, supported the largest expansion from entitlement spending since medicare was first created in 1965 with a new prescription drug and large taxpayer subsidies going to insurance medicare advantage plans without

paying a nickel for any of it and then we wonder why we are facing huge budget deficits today and prescription for the future is exactly the same thing, if you take a look what the they are proposing. >> congressman, you may call it back to the future but we are looking at present-day polls which tell us that americans more and more think the economy is doing badly. why would they want to stay with the present? >> well, i know we do suffer from short-term memory in this nation but the moment president obama was sworn into office, he inherited a mess. >> but he has had three and a half years. -- >> he inherited a $1.5 trillion budget deficit, over $17 trillion of wealth already destroyed in the stock market and since that time, we have had 28 consecutive months of private sector job growth, wealth has been returned to the stock market, there's still a lot more work that needs to be done, but the budget deficit this year will be one-third less than what president obama inherited, but clearly, more work needs to be

done and i think the american understand this choice, that president obama and the vision and the agenda that he is offering will not only strengthen the middle class but keep places likewise which is and the rest of our nation more competitive globally and have a more serious and balanced approach to a long-term deficit reduction deal, which is exactly what our nation needs right now. >> congressman, final question here, so you have a hometown boy now on the republican ticket. does that put wisconsin more in play, particularly given the recall election where your governor, a republican, was triumphant? >> no, i don't think it does, because i think the people in wisconsin will understand what the clear choice confronting them is. again, you look at president obama. and his policies, his ideas would strengthen the middle class, which is very important to wisconsin, including manufacturing sector in our state. and most importantly, i mean, our chief economic challenge today, candy, is increased global competition, yet everything that romney and ryan

is proposing would take the tools away to enable our nation to compete globally in a more successful basis, from huge cuts to education to job training program, cuts to infrastructure and broadband deployment, large cuts to basic and applied research, the research that the private sector is loathe to do because the return isn't quick enough. yet, those are the tools we need to remain the most competitive and creative nation in the world. and their vision takes us backwards and would set us up for, i think, economic decline. >> democratic congressman ron kind talking to us today from la crosse, wisconsin. >> thank you, my pleasure. we are awaiting the first romney/ryan rally of the day. that's moresville -- i'm sorry, yes, moresville, north carolina, a nascar tech industry of some sort. they are a little behind.

but we are monitoring it and we will get it to you as we see the republican ticket. next up, president obama's top strategist tells us that romney's choice of paul ryan won't change the presidential race as much as it will further define t o define it. our own strategists weigh in next. ttd#: 1-800-345-2550 ttd#: 1-800-345-2550 you know what? ttd#: 1-800-345-2550 you can't create a retirement plan based on ttd#: 1-800-345-2550 a predetermined script. ttd#: 1-800-345-2550 to understand you and your goals... ttd#: 1-800-345-2550 ...so together we can find real-life answers for your ttd#: 1-800-345-2550 real-life retirement. ttd#: 1-800-345-2550 talk to chuck ttd#: 1-800-345-2550 and let's write a script based on your life story. ttd#: 1-800-345-2550 i'll give you money for gas. [ laughing ] not necessary. take the money. i'm not taking your money. besides i get great gas mileage. what's that? it's eassist. helps the engine run really efficiently. it captures energy that assists the engine... so i'm never guzzling gas. oh -- that's hippie talk. it's called technology dad...

here take two dollars. take the money. [ male announcer ] the all new 37 mpg highway chevy malibu eco. from conserving fuel, to the technology that makes it happen. chevy runs deep.

we asked total strangers to watch it for us. thank you so much, i appreciate it, i'll be right back. they didn't take a dime. how much in fees does your bank take to watch your money ? if your bank takes more money than a stranger, you need an ally. ally bank. no nonsense. just people sense.

so right now you you are looking at mooresville, north carolina. that is the nascar tech institute. it's going to be the site -- it is the site of the first rally of the day for the newly minted romney/ryan ticket. we have not seen them yet but we know they are there and we are watching it. in the meantime, i want to bring in democratic strategist and cnn contributor donna brazile, along with republican consultant and cnn contributor, alex castellan castellanos. both wrote opinion pieces for cnn.com on paul ryan, the topic du jour. let me start out, alex, with something you wrote and i want to ask you on the other side, you said "until this moment, mitt romney, like president obama, has been playing small

ball. the optimistic entrepreneur with the reputation for bringing disruptive, transformative change to the business world had not been leading, only playing it safe." so in the end, this attempt kind of shake up his campaign, you read as an admission that thus far sitting around saying the economy's bad, you need someone else at the helm, has not been working? >> you know, i really don't look at this as a political decision. i think mitt romney is a business guy and he looked and he saw a business that he wanted to fix. that business wasn't his campaign, interestingly enough, it was the business of the country, the economy. and looked at paul ryan and said, hey this guy knows the books, he understands where the money is in this business and how it works. that's what i need to fix this business. so i think actually, he didn't pick someone to help him make the sale. i think he picked someone here to help him fix the problem. i think it's a courageous move, a bold move, with a lot of

political risk. >> so, before i get to donna, can you define the risk to me? what do you think the risk is of paul ryan? if it is such a great pick and everybody says it is bold it is decisive, it's great exit's risk. how? >> well, because it hand also the democrats a weapon and that is medicare cuts, you negotiate the missile is headed for grandma's house. grand embassy wheelchair is headed over the cliff again, like it's been so many democratic ads before. republicans are going to be accused of wanting to end medicare as we know it, which i think politifact rated the number one lie of 2011. you don't want to start a campaign in the fall on defense. want to start it on offense. you don't want this campaign to be about entitlement reform, if you are a republican, you want it to be about jobs and growth and has obama failed the last four years? >> yet, donna, with the pick, almost guaranteed that this fall we are going to be talking about entitlement reform? >> absolutely.

we should talk about entitlement reform. we should talk about tax reform. we should talk about the budget. but i want to disagree with my friend alex castellanos in terms of mitt romney and whether this was a political pick. days before the republican convention, mitt romney found himself with an unhappy base, without a defining issue, with a campaign that really didn't excite people, so mitt romney did what he often do, he outsources himself to paul richbl the problem with mitt romney, of course is that people are going to still focus on the top of the ticket and paul ryan's budget will nationalize the conversation about the budget and how we intend to fix t do we have a balanced approach or do we go back to just tax cuts for the wealthy that will continue to raise the national deficit? >> these are live pictures, by the way, just as donna and alex and i continue to talk, i think you probably recognize those folks, mitt romney, paul ryan. they are in north carolina, which by the way, the president won last time around. this time around, it is still very much looking as though the

republicans can take it back. obviously, this bus trip they are on part of that effort to win back north carolina. so it looks like paul ryan is about to talk so, we are going to -- i'm going interrupt my two guys and let you-all listen. >> man, thank you! thank you, north carolina! this is awesome. it's great to see you all. hey, are we gonna win north carolina? that's right we are. it is such a pleasure to be here with you. it is great to see some of my good friends, my gid you robin hayes is here, i just love him dearly. my partner, a guy i worked with so many years on key projects, you're awe srm, united states senator richard burr is here. great to sigh. i see my pal in the house,

patrick mchenry is here as well. patrick, it's great to see you. and we got two new members of congress that you're going to send to washington next year. we got richard hudson and robert pettinger here, great to see you guys here also. >> audience: we love you! >> i love you, too. and you are going to send to the state house, a great new governor in pat mccrory, aren't you? [ applause ] i just had a great experience. i got meet darryl waltrip. that was pretty cool. you know what we make five-star nascar bodies in twin lakes, wisconsin. we are real proud of that. and i don't mean to offend, but a lot of us where we come from, are big matt kenseth people,

because he is a wisconsin boy, too. i know every answers got thebod ga favorites. here's the deal, the economy is not working like it should. president obama four years ago came with so much prom mir, so much hope and so much change and then when he got elected, he swept in his party as well. they were able to pass their entire legislative agenda virtually. and so, what we got was stimulus, obama care -- [ crowd booing ] a budget that doubled the debt in two -- five years and tripled it in ten, takeovers all various industries. and you know what happened after that? north carolina unemployment, 9.4% today. [ crowd booing ] since president obama took

office, 71,000 jobs lost in north carolina. [ crowd booing ] 435,000 people out of work in north carolina. you know what, north carolina? we can do better than this. help is on the way. [ applause ] we feel, as your fellow citizens that we owe you a choice, a choice of two futures. we can either stay on the current path that we are on, a nation in debt, a nation in doubt, a nation in despair, a nation with high unemployment, where we are giving our children a diminished future or we can change this thing and get this country back on the right track. now, historians often point to

the key characteristics of a great leader, of a statesman, of the kind of leaders that have changed things around. a person must have a bedrock of principles a moral compass, a vision for their country and an ability to put that vision into place. the man who best embodies those things, the man who has the experience to be that kind of leader we need at this moment is the man standing next to me, his name is mitt romney, and he is going to be the next president of the united states. [ cheers and applause ] you know why? we know who we are. we know what we believe in. we know the principles that

built this country and we are going to reapply those principles and get this country back on the right track and leave our kids a better future. [ applause ] when you look at the life this man has led, a life of raising a wonderful family, a life of being successful in business, starting new businesses, turning around troubled businesses, knowing with real experience that if you have a small business, you did build that. [ applause ] someone who knows firsthand that all these tax increases coming at our small business, all the band aids from obama care and dodd-frank, someone knowing the red tape struggling and strangling and suffocating our

successful small businesses is what's keeping us from creating jobs, is what is keeping us from creating prosperity. this is a man who understands these things. this is a man who in when his country needed him, to save the u.s. olympics, there was a moment where the olympics were in doubt. it was bloated. it was wasteful. it was corrupted. does that sound familiar by the way? his country asked him to move to salt lake to turn it around and save the olympics. he did it and we are so proud of that moment. [ applause ] the contrast could not be more clear. when he was governor of massachusetts, he balanced the budget without raising taxes. president obama has given us budgets with no balance ever and a lot of new taxes.

if president obama's economic policies of borrowing, taxing and spending worked, we would be entering a golden age along with greece. it doesn't work because it's never worked. the engine of opportunity you the nucleus of our society, is the small business, the family, the entrepreneur, not the government. >> that's paul ryan, obviously mitt romney's number two pick, doing exactly what number twos do, which is praise number one. they are in moorsville, north carolina, at the beginning of a busy day, which actually will end in wisconsin, paul ryan's state. so we will continue to monitor that. we are going to come back and see a little bit more of it, also standing by, our donna brazile and alex castellanos. stick with us. has helped fund economic and environmental recovery. long-term, bp's made a five hundred million dollar commitment to support scientists studying the environment.

and the gulf is open for business - the beaches are beautiful, the seafood is delicious. last year, many areas even reported record tourism seasons. the progress continues... but that doesn't mean our job is done. we're still committed to seeing this through.

mooresville, north carolina, talking, of course is ann romney. we are going to continue to monitor this. and when we get to mitt romney, we will give you a little of that. if we have some time, i want to get took our donna brazile here. and something that you said in our op ed, which i want to pick up on and alex wants to jump in

as well, the embrace of an i had yes low log like paul ryan might appeal to the republican party's tea party base but it will completely alienate independent voters, especially in battleground states left. me just pref nas by saying if you are talking about ryan's approach to the budget, including his medicare approach, this was signed on to by a democrat, ron widen, who i'm sure you know as well. so, why is this not appealing in some way, shape or form to some of those swing voters in. >> first of all, i believe it will galvanize economic conservatives in much the same way sarah palin galvanized social conservatives. but when you look at the entire ryan budget, which decimate medicaid, changes the medicare to a voucher system that forces seniors to opt-out of the system and get private help insurance at a cut and they may not be able to get that, it destroys public education.

it kur tails our ability to fix our infrastructure. the ryan budget is a disaster. if you think tax cuts for the rich right now is the solution to our growth problem, then look at the ryan budget, because it basically trims tax cuts up until 2040, creating almost, you know, $9 trillion worth of deficits. i think this is the wrong approach to getting our economy moving faster and i believe it is a recipe for disaster for the rest of the country. >> donna, i know alex is going to want to respond to that, but right now, mitt romney is at the microphone in mooresville, north carolina, we want to take a little bit of that. >> even a lot by democrats. we spent too much money. we spent money we didn't v i think it's not just bad economics to do that, i think it's immoral for us to pass on burdens to the next generation. [ applause ] and in this critical time, one

of the few that stood up and fought for principle and said i have ideas to get america back on track is this person i've chosen to be my running mate. his career ambition was not go to washington. that is not what he wanted to do. but he became concerned about what was happening in the country. and wanted to get america back on track and so he put aside the plans he had for his career and said i'm going to go andself. he put the poll cities to get america right again ahead of ambition. this is a person of character t is a man of leadership h he became a leader and a man of sound character very early in his life. his dad passed away when he was in high school and the family rallied together as mom and siblings and the community support him and support that family. it created a man who loves this

country, loves his community and understands that time is short. and that this nation must be kept strong. so he went to washington answered weand he went and fought for ideal and principles, not just partisanship but his view of america. he was able to work across the ayes. instead of throwing brick bats, attacking and demonizing other percentage he recognized that honest people can have honest differences. and so he worked with them and convinced them and has created change in washington at a critical time and so i have selected this man to be my running mate because i want to change washington and get america back on track. [ applause ] now, i have a get good news for you, that is that this nation is going to come roaring back.

[ applause ] there some who are fearful that if we stay on the track we are on, we are going to end up like greece. and we are going to have like europe, what the chronic high unemployment and the low wage growth and fiscal calamity right at the door. that is not the path i will take us down i see our president making us more and more like europe. i don't want to be like europe. i want to be like america. [ applause ] the other day in virginia, the president said something. i just couldn't believe he said it. it was so counter to the culture and character of the american spirit that i just couldn't imagine he said it. he said if you have a business, you didn't do that, someone else did. [ crowd booing ]

and he said you well, you took me out of con techblgs look at the context. it is on youtube, you can see the whole speech. the context is worse than the quote. he says, if you're successful, if you think it's because you're smart, well, a lot of people are smart. if it is because you think you are working hard, a lot of people work hard. i was thinking where is he going with this? you see in this country what has distinguished us from so many other nations is that we have people who strive to fulfill their dreams, who have big dreams and reach for the stars and as they do so, and as they are successful, it does not make us worse off. it makes us more successful as a nation. and that might be the person who, in a place like this, this is a place that trains people with the skills that they need to work in nascar and other

parts of the automobile -- automobile industry. and people get more skills and as they get more skills, they get promotions and as they get promotions, they are able to help themselves and their families and by the way, lift the economy. people -- people striving. they built their career, they built that promotion, they deserve the credit. if a young person works hard to make the honor roll, they study and study and prepare for the exams and take those exams and tests and do well, they make the honor roll, now i know that to get to school, they had to go on a bus and they had to have a bus driver, but if they get the honor roll, i don't give the credit to the bus driver, i give it to the kid. [ applause ]

that's what -- that's one of the things that makes america what it is. it is individuals with initiative and risk taking and hard work and smarts who reach, who dream. we are a nation of big sterns, we have much to accomplish, much to achieves with dough that in our homes and our churches and our communities and our states w dough it as a nation, with dough it in our businesses that's what makes america leader of the world. went founders, when the founders helped craft this country by writing the declaration of independence, they chose their words carefully. they said our rights came not from government but from our creator. and among them -- [ applause ] and among them -- among them are life and liberty and the pursuit of happiness. that last little phrase, by the way, the pursuit of happiness that says that in this country, each person is free to pursue

happiness as she or he wishes and that means the circumstance of birth will not prevent you from reaching. it means that whatever your station in life, you can work harder for you and people that come behind you and your success lifts the entire nation that's what makes america go, individuals pursuing their dreams it is not government that makes us great, it is the people of america. >> that is mitt romney, of course. seems he is newly energized by what's been a big weekend for him. we will have more, right after this. you do what you do... because it matters. at hp we don't just believe in the power of technology. we believe in the power of people when technology works for you. to dream. to create. to work. if you're going to do something.

make it matter. begins with back pain and a choice. take advil, and maybe have to take up to four in a day. or take aleve, which can relieve pain all day with just two pills. good eye.

which can relieve pain all day with just two pills. you see us, at the start of the day. on the company phone list that's a few names longer. you see us bank on busier highways. on once empty fields. everyday you see all the ways all of us at us bank are helping grow our economy. lending more so companies and communities can expand, grow stronger and get back to work. everyday you see all of us serving you, around the country, around the corner. us bank.

with his vice presidential choice on the podium with him, this of course is mitt romney in mooresville, north carolina. >> it is instead to restore the principles of america that made us the hope of the earth.

we love this country. we love this country. we love america. we are going to do everything in our power to keep america strong with strong families and strong values, a strong economy, the strongest military in the world, we will restore american strength. we love this country. we love you! thank you, north carolina! let's win this in november! thank you! >> my goodness, a raucous sunday morning in mooresville, north carolina. i want to bring in alex castellanos who is here with me still, as well as donna brazile. alex, i have a question for you, but first there is nothing like a new guy on the campaign trail with you to rev up a campaign. that is just a slightly different mitt romney there we are seeing. >> you know, it's a much more energetic mitt romney. this is the first generation ex-candidate on a presidential

and vice presidential candidate. so, he is there a lot of youth and energy and i think that's the republican opportunity. can they turn youth into energy and into something new, a new direction? >> and let me ask you, as we were talking with donna before we went down there to pick up the candidate, about paul ryan and who he attracts and she has britain her op ed on cnn.com, which yourses is as well, that this pick may well energize the tea party and conservatives but it is going to turn off basically swing voters. and when i look at where the soft spots are, and that's putting it graciously, in mitt romney's support it is with minorities and it's with women. does paul ryan bring anything to the table that would help mitt romney there? >> well, i know that's certainly not his hope, that ryan alienates seniors, for example, and alienates women and

independents, but of course, that's the frame that republicans can't accept. barack obama and biden are framing this race as a few vote for us, you're going to get more from government. if you vote for them, you're going to get less and republicans can't accept that the ryan challenge, and i think what he can bring to the ticket is no, no if you vote for us, you're going to get more from the economy. if you vote for them, you're going to get less from the economy. if republicans accepted this, the democratic concept of this race, that this is about you're going to get less, an austerity referendum, we are going to lose. but if republicans, especially ryan can say, look, no, this is about -- is our economy going to give you more, we know how to do that, we can help you get there, do you want more jobs, more paychecks, because in the end, unless we grow that economy, we can't even pay for the government programs that you depend on. so it needs to be more versus less on the republican side, not more versus less from the

democrats. >> so donna, as alex describes it, it is a pretty classic democrat versus republican fight, the size of government s that how you see it? >> no i believe it is the vision of government t is not just the size, because republicans will continue to grow the government in some areas and some other areas, it will cut the government back. for example, they want to continue to increase the military spending in our country, which, of course, that's important to maintain a very strong and capable defense, but how do we pay for it? the republicans' approach tax cuts for the super rich that will continue to produce deficits as far as we can see. no democrats want the american people to look at this as do you want to continue to go forward, we are creating jobs, we are building the economy, we are investing in infrastructure and investing in education versus going back to the same failed economic policies that caused the economy to crash in the first place. >> donna brazile and alex castellanos, thank you very much for being with me this morning and for hanging in while we went

to north carolina for a while. appreciate it. he listens to led zeppelin and has ripped abs. after this break, we get to know the new vp candidate. hi, i'm phil mickelson. i've been fortunate to win on golf's biggest stages. but when joint pain and stiffness from psoriatic arthritis hit, even the smallest things became difficult. i finally understood what serious joint pain is like. i talked to my rheumatologist and he prescribed enbrel. enbrel can help relieve pain, stiffness, and stop joint damage. because enbrel, etanercept, suppresses your immune system, it may lower your ability to fight infections.

serious, sometimes fatal events including infections, tuberculosis, lymphoma, other cancers, and nervous system and blood disorders have occurred. before starting enbrel, your doctor should test you for tuberculosis and discuss whether you've been to a region where certain fungal infections are common. don't start enbrel if you have an infection like the flu. tell your doctor if you're prone to infections, have cuts or sores, have had hepatitis b, have been treated for heart failure, or if, while on enbrel, you experience persistent fever, bruising, bleeding, or paleness. [ phil ] get back to the things that matter most. ask your rheumatologist if enbrel is right for you. [ doctor ] enbrel, the number one biolog medicine prescribed by rheumatologists. a living, breathing intelligence helping business, do more business. in here, opportunities are created and protected. gonna need more wool! demand is instantly recognized and securely acted on across the company. around the world. turning a new trend, into a global phenomenon. it's the at&t network --

securing a world of new opportunities. ♪

as promised, we now bring you more of "state of the union's" getting to know with paul ryan t is our online segment, we ask policymaker those questions you really want to know or at least amuse you, their favorite food, their hobbies what did they do in high school? we talked to paul ryan last year and found out underneath that midwestern veneer is a rocker who is a bit of a gym rat. your staff calls you a workout freak. and we want to show something to our viewer ares, which we will tell you is a picture of aaron shock on "men's health" magazine. so what we would like to know, who is better shape, you or shock? >> we work out every morning together, actually, aaron and i do a workout called p 90 x. he has 12 years on me, he is 12

years younger than me, you can do the math. >> oh, he wins on that? >> oh, yeah, necessary great shape. look, i'm 41, he is 29, i think. so, yes work out together, we are both in good shape, but i'm gonna let him take these prizes. i'm not interested in any of that. >> he gets the title? >> he can have that. >> the other thing we are told is that you're rarely without your ipod. so, i want to know what your favorite song is on your ipod. do not tell me john tesh, because i know you pulled that before. >> yeah, got me there. >> that's not true. so tell us for real. >> nothing but gregorian chant. i'm kidding. >> very zen of you. >> i'm a big led zeppelin fan. i grew up listening to led zeppelin. so you know, i would say "out on the gallows poll," there's a lot of good zeppelin tunes, i shuffle around zeppelin fairly often. i'm a product of my times. zepp slin a little bit before my timesism grew up listening to

hard rock, classic rock, a lot of zeppelin that kind of stuff. >> if you like zeppelin -- >> i got johnny cash, hank williams, grateful dead, metallica, led zeppelin, a lot of grunge, you name it, it is kind of an eclectic -- >> i was going to say eclectic, have to give you some pink floyd to add to your collection. >> i have beethoven and tchaikovsky as well. >> a little something as well there we will have the rest of getting to know paul ryan when i return in one hour for a special 12 p.m. edition of "state of the union." i'm candy crowley in washington. "reliable sources" with howard kurtz starts right now. good morning from los angeles, where the sun was barely up yesterday morning as mitt romney rolled out paul ryan as his running mate. we will look at how the story broke, how the media are framing the choice and what journalists and pundits are saying about the wisconsin congressman and his

budget-slashing plan. >> we find ourselves in a nation facing debt, doubt and despair. this is the worst economic recovery in 70 years. >> is this a game changer? no question about that it does put both sides' vision for the future front and center in this campaign. >> and was romney trying to please conservative media outlets in picking ryan? >> this is what "the wall street journal" was urging. this is what the weekly standard, bill crystal, the strong voice of conservatism, both were saying this week, this is the guy. >> plus, lolo jones lashes out at the press after failing to win an olympic medal. >> the fact that they just tore me apart, it was just heart breaking. >> is the sports press building up female athletes just to tear them down? i'm how wa i'm howard kurtz and this is

"reliable sources." the tsunami of speculation known as the veepstakes was still going strong in the world as late as friday. >> rob portman. >> mcdonald. >> tim pawlenty. >> paul ryan. ment >> and then there's florida u.s. senator, marco rubio. >> i think he will opt to take a safe choice, like a portman or he will take pawlenty. >> that came to a screeching halt friday night when fox's carl cameron reported that mitt romney would announce his running mate the next morning and that all signs reported to the likelihood of paul ryan that remained unconfirmed until nbc's chuck todd weighed in with this report shortly after midnight. >> nbc hours in has three sources, all telling us that paul ryan is mitt romney's choice for the pick, but what we also can tell you is the campaign itself will not confirm that it ise