kill one of the delegates. but then he said, all of a sudden, something gaudy happened, something spectacular happens and it's almost like you're living a year in one glorious day. and i think that's not true. >> there is not a black america and a white america and latino america and asian america. there's the united states of america. >> and cnn's coverage of the republican national convention continues right now. 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, a brilliant diversity 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 had their chance.

they have not led. we will. >> fight with me, fight with me, fight for what's right for our country. >> tampa, florida, is ready to party and the republican national convention is officially open for business. >> but new orleans is hunkering down right now. a big storm is heading our way. >> the gulf coast on alert for a new hurricane disaster. isaac churns toward the shores of louisiana, alabama and mississippi. >> we all understand how important preparation is. >> threatening the same spots where katrina hit exactly seven years ago. >> we have seen the results of people thinking that they somehow are stronger than storms. >> in florida -- >> republican national convention in session and called to order.

>> republicans officially open their convention but delay the speakers and festivities for 24 hours. >> stands in recess. >> even though tampa dodged the worst of the storm. >> the convention made the same decision i made. the most important thing we can be doing in the state is keep everybody safe. >> tonight, cnn is live in new orleans and at the convention center in tampa. preparations in the danger zone and any political fallout. >> our thoughts are with the people in the storm's path and hope they're spared. >> will it overshadow mitt romney's crowning moment now that the focus is shifted to isaac? plus, the private side of romney as he prepares for the most important speech of his life, his sons open up to cnn about their dad. now, our republican convention coverage. the players, the issues, the

stakes and the storm. the road to the white house leads through tampa right now. and welcome to tampa, florida. it's wet, it's a little wind blown but not as bad as it certainly could have been. only 19 hours from now, the republican national convention will reconvene and thousands of delegates will formally begin the process of making mitt romney their nominee for president of the united stat. inside the hall, the final preparations are being made for the first of three star-studded nights. we want to welcome our viewers in the united states and around the world. i'm wolf blitzer here in tampa. joining us throughout all of our coverage, cnn's erin burnett. >> today we had a moment, the convention formally convened. only for a short time.

reince priebus gaveled the convention to order. and the republicans started a second national debt clock to measure how much further in the red this country is going to go just during the few days of this convention. the real action, though, starts tomorrow. new jersey governor chris christie is going to be delivering the convention's keynote address. and another highlight of tuesday night is going to be the speech by mitt romney's wife, ann. everybody wants to see that. but while all that's going on, new orleans could be facing the wrath of what will be hurricane isaac on exactly the seventh-year anniversary of hurricane katrina. >> can you imagine how eerie that is? almost exactly seven years to the day, another hurricane, not katrina, isaac, about to hit that gulf coast. >> identical storm path. unbelievable. >> can't make this kind of stuff up. let's go to cnn's anderson cooper who's on the san for us in new orleans. he's one of the city's main lines of defense. set the scene for us. what's going on over there? >> i'm at the 17th street canal, the water is held back by one of

the levees that broke back in 2005 when hurricane katrina hit the city. that levee failed. they have poured billions of dollars into this, some $10 billion have been spent on repairing and strengthening new orleans' levees over the last seven years. now after katrina, it looks like they are going to be tested. here is the very latest. isaac is getting stronger, we know that. its maximum sustained winds are at 70 miles an hour. just 4 miles an hour under hurricane strength. new orleans begin feeling tropical storm force winds tonight. but the center of the storm is not forecast to make landfall until wednesday. mandatory evacuations have been ordered along the coast of alabama, mississippi and louisiana, all in the track of this storm. thousands of people have been heading inland, particularly those who are in low-lying areas outside the levee protection zones. louisiana governor bobby jindal, one of the republican party's rising stars, tells a reporter

today that he is staying home. >> i will not be speaking or attending the republican convention in florida. certainly party conventions are interesting but there's no time for politics here in louisiana along our coast. >> reporter: cnn meteorologist rob marciano is here with me. and chad myers is in the cnn severe weather center. let's start with chad. what's the latest on where isaac is heading? >> a little bit of good news in the past hour and a half because we had an eyewall trying to form and that could have really made the storm much bigger very quickly. that eyewall fell apart. it did not make it all the way around. so we are not going to see that rapid intensification tonight that we could have. not saying that another eyewall is not going to try to generate. i'm sure it probably will. but at least the first one didn't make it. that means the development will be a little bit delayed. delay it all you want because the longer it's delayed, the shorter amount of time it has in the water. the official forecast, though,

anderson, somewhere about 2:00 a.m. wednesday night, a little after midnight tomorrow, all the way here, 100 miles to the left or the right of this line and that line goes right through new orleans proper, that is a category 2 hurricane at 100 miles per hour. it can still turn right, it can still turn left. most of the surge with this track would be on this side of the storm. back into bay st. louis, back into lake pontchartrain and certainly into new orleans proper. hopefully all of those things that they put together to stop this surge, another surge coming into new orleans, hope it all goes well. it's only as strong as the weakest link. we'll have to see if there is a weak link. >> reporter: want to bring in rob marciano who's been here all day. water is the biggest concern, where the storm surge could go and the amount of rain, right? >> exactly. you've got water coming in on one side and you have the rainfall that's going to be piling up on the other side. what you've been talking about behind you, this is one of many structures that have been built since 2005. >> reporter: it's a huge

structure. >> and there's more than this. there's so much more. $11 billion spent on this. i got the opportunity earlier today to go up with the u.s. coast guard helicopter to get an aerial view and the video is striking. what you see behind us is certainly big and impressive up close. but when you see it from the air, the enormity of the project is really impressive. you're looking at flood walls, some of which stretch two miles long with piles and structures and piers that are driven 200 feet deep. this is a seawall designed to protect against the surge of a category 2 or category 3 hurricane. >> reporter: there's a report that says the army corps of engineers hadn't dug the pie pi pylons deep enough. >> the water went underneath and then kind of kicked out the legs of those walls. now instead of them being only

15 or 16 feet deep, those are 40 feet deep. the seawall on the east side, those walls are down 150 to 200 feet deep. incredible engineering. >> reporter: but in an area like this, we were outside the levee protection zone right now. an area like this is going to flood. >> yes, this will likely flood. you have lake pontchartrain right there. once we get any sort of north wind, which will likely happen when the storm exits, depending on which side it comes in from, you'll get flooding here like we saw during katrina. but with this structure now, you won't get on the other side of this. and these pipes are amazing. each one of these pipes can pump out over 8,000 gallons of water per second. >> reporter: it's pumping water that's in the city out. >> i want to highlight the chopper pilots from the coast guard drove us around. you know the heroic work they gave us during katrina. that work likely won't be

replicated, thankfully again. but i asked the pilot that flew us around as far as what it's like to mentally prepare as a coast guard pilot when a hurricane comes through. >> you don't want to just go plowing head long into this thing. mother nature does not care what you're flying. she does not care how many hours you have as a pilot. she doesn't care who you're flying for, the coast guard or not. we have very deep respect for the weather and the adverse conditions. we're going to do what we can within our limits to save what lives we can. that's why we as coast guardsmen train the way we do. we encourage people to evacuate before the storm hits. by the time we're out there plucking you off a roof or wherever it is that you're stuck, something went wrong along the way. >> clearly they have a message for the public as well, which is listen to your city officials and evacuate when you have to. as a category 1 storm they're not going to evacuate in new orleans proper but they may have to make rescues outside the city. >> reporter: but this is a weaker storm than hurricane katrina was at this point.

>> much, much weaker. but it's also a storm with large circulation. that means the surge is going to be probably greater than a category 1 storm. we have to be wary of that and the surrounding areas outside of these levee walls are going to be impacted. those people have been evacuated. >> reporter: and it could even be a weak category 2 when it comes -- we'll continue to check in with rob and chad. back in tampa today, ron paul supporters kicked up a short ruckus on the convention floor. we'll see what that was about. and piers morgan is standing by with all five of mitt and ann romney's grown sons. that's next. ♪

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the storm that changed everything here in tampa now is threatening new orleans and the gulf coast. the big question right now is just where it's going to hit in that band, right around new orleans. >> really worried about what's going on over there. convention officials and

delegates know they'll be competing with a potential, potential disaster. for more on how they're coping, let's go down to our team of convention floor correspondents. what's the latest as far as the storm and this convention, john? >> reporter: republican officials just wrapped up a briefing about an hour ago. they did stress this convention will go on with it current shortened schedule. three nights, tuesday, wednesday, thursday. but i caught up with the chairman of the republican party, reince priebus, who stressed that republicans will have to be, in his words, be nimble as they have to roll through the punches with this storm approaching the gulf coast. here's what he had to say. >> that's the plan right now. but i will tell you that we're going to be nimble and that if we have to do anything to incorporate some of the occurrences around us into our schedule and program and what that means, i don't know.

but i can assure you, we're moving on tomorrow. we're planning on having all three days. but we will be nimble if he need to be. >> reporter: and so if that means if events start unfolding badly in new orleans and reflections on what's happening in new orleans are needed, reince priebus says that's what will happen to the schedule. but as you heard in his comments, he doesn't know what the future will hold so he can't fully explain how they will deal with all of that. but obviously this is a big concern to people in louisiana. i know that my colleague, dana bash, has been keeping an eye on the louisiana delegation. and she joins us on the other side of the convention floor. >> reporter: that's right. we're over where the louisiana delegation will be when the convention gets under way. there are still many delegates here in town despite the fact that hurricane -- looks like hurricane isaac is headed straight for their state. it is, as you can imagine, very, very difficult emotionally for a lot of the delegates that we talked to. some of them actually did go

home. but many of them actually stayed. one reason is because they would probably be evacuated anyway. but the other reason they say is because they have a job to do here. listen to one delegate i spoke with. >> i think for louisiana people, we know the political part of it's important, what we're here for. but it is hard to celebrate n some way, when you have your heart in a different place. >> reporter: your stomach must be in knots right now? >> absolutely. i'm a mom of four small kids. my husband and my kids are home. >> reporter: the most of the louisiana delegates i spoke to said the show must go on, that they really think it's important to stay here and to get their message out about mitt romney. they also said that depending on how isaac goes, they really hope that republican officials who are running this convention tone down the tenor, tone down the intensity of perhaps the attacks, if in fact the weather makes it so, makes the need for it. and i talked about the fact that there is nothing going on here today. it's pretty clear behind me.

but there was one bit of drama here today. i want to turn it over to my colleague, john berman, to talk to us a little bit about that. >> reporter: thank you very much. the convention barely did any business today. but there is still enough time for a little bit of trouble. it happened back here in the back corner of the convention right by this sign which says "we can do better." now, it's a message clearly meant for president obama. but today here in the back of the convention, we saw ron paul supporters. they were holding up their signs here. a couple dozens staging something of a little tiny demonstration here. the clear message, perhaps ron paul could do better than the ultimate republican nominee, mitt romney. the paul supporters, they don't have nearly enough delegates to cause any real trouble here, any kind of serious floor fight. ron paul's name won't even go into nomination. but still they can cause trouble like we saw today. i was speaking a little bit earlier with people close to rand paul, the senator from kentucky. they tell us, they don't want to

see any trouble at all from the paul supporters and they'd like the message to get out to all of them to behave when they're standing here in the convention hall. we'll see if that happens. candy? are standing up here at the podium thinking about this sort of collision course of a campaign and a convention and tropical storm -- hurricane isaac coming. one of the speeches we'll hear tomorrow night, ann romney from this podium right behind me, talking about the tone. this is a woman obviously who will come up and talk a lot about her husband. but the keynote speaker is also on tomorrow night. and that is the very in-your-face new jersey governor, chris christie. i spoke to a couple of people about his speech, about what they were expecting from him tomorrow night. and the fact is that while we think of him as a very in-your inform face guy and a guy that really will take it to them, meaning take it to the democrats, and has become a favorite of the conservative side of this party, there is the

other side of chris christie. and that is the new jersey governor who is a republican in a very democratic state. he has had to work with democrats. he has gotten some things done. and so they say both those chris christies will be on display tomorrow night. wolf, back up to you. >> candy, thanks very, very much. we're looking forward to all of that. we're also looking forward to piers morgan. he's getting ready to speak to mitt romney and ann romney's five sons. there they are. they're at the cnn grill. we're getting excited. we're going to hear from the romne romneys' sons and piers coming up next. [ male announcer ] now you can swipe... scroll... tap...

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you can get a one-time rate increase if our two-year rate goes up. if your bank makes you miss out, you need an ally. ally bank. no nonsense. just people sense. joining me in the cnn grill, this is very exciting. i have all five romney sons. i'm now going to try and pass a test i failed a moment ago. ben, craig, tag, josh, matt. >> got it. >> very good.

>> can you do it without the earpiece in? >> no one was giving me any information. chaps, we're at a crucial stage of the campaign. your father is within breathing distance of the white house, big pressure. how are you guys coping as his sons with all the negativity that begins to pour down on what is your dad's head? what do you think? >> you don't worry about the negativity. i comes with the territory. you knew it was coming before we got in. you just roll with it and keep moving and try to get your own message out there, which is a positive vision for what my dad believes america can get back to, try to get those 23 million people out of work back to work. he and paul ryan will do everything they can to break through out negative stuff out there and deliver that message to the american people. >> when you see an attack ad like the obama super pac ad that accused your father of being responsible for a woman's death, what do you really feel?

>> some of these go too far. the ones that are untruthful are hard to watch. we don't like it. it's not fun. but the realityis the people who know my dad best, the people who have spent their lives with him or worked with him at some point, the people who know him the least are the ones who have the bad things the say. at the end of the day, we know who he is. we know what he stands for. we let it roll off our back. but some of those ads take it too far. >> your dad seems a very laid-back individual. what is the biggest anger moment you've seen from him throughout this whole campaign? what's the moment when he's really gotten upset? >> you say he seems laid back? >> yeah. >> he can be very intense. and he can also be laid back when the time's right. we were talking earlier. he was a ceo and he was a governor. that's really part of who he is. but he's also a grandfather. and when we see him in those moments, he really is laid back.

and he really is a terrific grandfather. but we've seen him intense as well. out on the campaign trail, you encounter a lot of scenarios and you encounter hecklers and different things. he's -- i think he's handled it all very well. but when he needs to be intense, we've all seen it. >> what is the biggest misconception about your father? what's something you keep reading and you think, you know what, he's just not like that? >> well, i'm not going to get into the media misconceptions of my father. i'll say what i think my father is. he's a great dad, a great grandfather. i think he's a phenomenal leader. he's a turnaround guy. he's come into situation time and again and turned around difficult situations. and he's caring and he's doing this for the right reason. >> don't make him perfect. you're making him out to be a saint. when you're criticizing him, where would you be critical? come on.

>> he just cares too much. >> his hair is too much. >> he cares too much. >> my god, you're going to make me cry. craig, you're the youngest. my youngest -- if he was doing an interview, he'd give it to me straight. come on, i want to find a chink in the armor. >> about my dad? >> yeah. >> nobody wants mr. perfect. >> he does have chinks in the armor but i'm not going to tell you. but he's a role model to all of us, i think. we have tremendous respect for him. for me, it's a great privilege to travel the country on his behalf and hear the issues that are important to people. >> your mother got very emotional in a series of interviews. your father did, too. two great pivotal moments in both their lives. one when he nearly died in a car crash and secondly when your mother became first ill with

m.s. when you watch that, were you surprised by the fact they were so emotional on camera? >> no. that's the mom and dad that we know. my dad is a very emotional guy. he cares very deeply for his family and for those that he loves around him. and the people that he comes across in his life, he cares very deeply. when he's in front of the camera and on the stage, i think he has his guard up because when he doesn't, i think he gets assailed a little bit for saying the wrong phrase out of turn. >> sometimes he just metaphorically ripped his jacket off and said, this is what i'm really like -- >> that's all the time. i think people who see him at work, as governor and running the olympics tell you of a man that cares deeply, is passionate, will run through brick walls to make things happen. he's flawed. all of us are flawed. >> what are the flaws? >> the democrats are doing their

best to tell -- we're going to tell the other side of the story. >> let me give you some allegations. one is that he's boring. >> i wouldn't say that. he's a pretty interesting guy. i can't imagine anyone i will rather spend an hour talking to about you name the subjects. he's a lot of fun to listen to and talk to and argue with. >> josh, the other allegation, he's a flip-flopper. doesn't stand for anything. one minute he believes this, the next minute he believes that. is he a man of principle? >> he is. if you look at his career and what he's done in the public sector, he has the same goals from the beginning. he loves to help people. you look at what he did as governor, he did things to help people. this is not an ego thing for him. it's not going to make him feel better as a person. but he's in a position to help people and help turn the economy around. the one thing steady, consistent thing about my dad, in my opinion, is his principles, what he stands for and what he wants to do for this country. >> when you take an issue like abortion, for example, where he's gone from one pretty

extreme position to the opposite, people say that's an illustration of where he's not principled. what would you say it is? >> there's evolutions that everybody has in life. i don't think you could find a single person who hasn't changed their position on any issue in a lifetime. for him to change positions and explain why he changed positions and circumstances changed, i think that's a good thing. someone who's opened to learning different things on different issues, it's a good thing in a leader, i think. >> lots of issues around the republican issues this year, a lot of the conservative social issues came to the fore. you guys are all mormans, obviously. we all know about that faith. when you meet young people, they say the problem with the republican party today, if they don't like the apparent intolerance over gay rights, over abortion, over these kind of issues. you're young guys, how do you feel? are you completely wedded and fined up to these positions that

the party takes? >> you know, obviously we're not running for president so our positions don't really matter. but our dad is. and one thing ki tell you about him and about us is our faith teaches us to love everybody regardless of what their situation is, what their orientation is. that's first and foremost. you love everybody. but as far as policies are concerned, we all believe that family is important. and my dad does as well. that's something worth fighting for. how that exactly shakes out in the issues, that's up to him to decide. but we all believe the same things. >> some of the language used by some of the republicans -- not leveling this at your father. but some of the language can be very, almost bordering on bigoted. you're younger guys. it tends to be a bit generational. do you wish sometimes the language used by the republicans was less a motive? >> i think my dad's been very compassionate in his views. he believes that marriage should be between a man and a woman.

but he's also compassionate and understanding that people have other opinions. and i think he's been respectful of those sides in that argument. this race, i don't think, is going to come down to social issues. we have 23 million americans out of work, an economy that's stalling and we've added $5 trillion in debt in the last 3 1/2 years -- or $7 trillion in debt. it's going to come down to who can turn the economy around, get things moving again. people trust my dad on that a lot more than they do barack obama. >> the mormon faith, we touched on it earlier. in the documentary last night, your parents expounded more on this. we've hard a lot of the negatives about mormonism. what are the positives, from your point of view? what are the great assets of being a mormon, that you would advocate? >> well, in a view brief sentences, i guess, for me, at least, it's taught me great values in my life, how to live my life, how to treat other people, just like a lot of faiths that are out there that

are a lot of great things about mormoni mormonism. how to live your life. >> you don't drink, smoke, take drug, you don't womanize. you're strapping young guys. do you ever feel like, i wish we hadn't been mormons? >> living by that code has been wonderful for me. >> do you think the e ththos of family values is an asset? >> i hope so. it's very important to us, the values we've been taught from a young age. and they're core principles of our faith and we're very proud of that. >> we're going to stay with you guys. apparently so many women are tuning in to watch these handsome guy, we'll come back after the break. great shot.

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back live at the cnn grill with the romney five, as i've now dubbed them. josh, let's talk taxation. i know you've been champing at the bit to get to this. >> fantastic. >> a lot of people say, come on, the old man should just release more of his financial records to just clear up once and for all how much tax he's paid. >> he's paid his taxes. and this is a gimmick by the obama campaign to take the message off the economy and on to my dad's personal taxes. at the end of the day, we have $16 trillion in debt, 23 million americans out of work. and obama continues to talk about my dad's personal taxes. these are not things that really matter in the grand scheme of things. they want to use the taxes as a gimmick to hit him to focus on

my dad's taxes. but the big issue is the economy. the economy's faltering, sputtering along. obama's had 3 1/2 years to get it turned around. he hasn't done it. that's the real issue. >> how hard is it to be the son of a guy running for president with all the scrutiny and he's stinking rich. you're very rich people. how hard is that. when you get people attacking him for his success and his wealth? >> as tag pointed out earlier, this is the game of politics and we're prepared for that. but it is tough. it's tough to see that. we know he did a great job of making that money. he worked very, very hard to do that. and nothing really -- we don't take anything for granted. we know there are a lot of people out there really strug zmrlg one of the great ironies in this election is that president obama is straight make it a disqualifier to be success. if you've had a successful career in the private sshector, that disqualifies you from be. g

>> knowing your father as you do, can you guarantee to the american people he's got nothing to hide about his finances? >> yeah. i know my dad and what he stands for. i know his value system. he is the most honest guy i know, complete integrity. so he's got nothing to hide. he just really wants this to be about the economy, to focus on the economy. let's not distract ourselves with all these peripheral issues. let's get down to the real issues. his vice presidential pick spent time in congress tackling the issues. whether or not you agree or disagree with him on the issues, at least he's trying to make a difference. and my dad is doing the same thing. he really wants to make a difference. >> were you concerned when your dad picked a running mate who looks like one of his sons? >> you know what, i think paul ryan was a brilliant pick. there are a lot of political reasons to pick other people. my dad picked the person he thought would do the best job with him to tackle the debt and get the economy moving again and to pick up the nomination for

the republican party eight years from now when he's out of office. >> what a bold move. i think people were taken aback by the fact that it was quite awe dishes. >> you look at what he'll do in office. he's not going to worry about the day-to-day back and forth and what's this or that person going to think. he's going to do what he thinks is the right thing to do and bring the american people along and get them behind him and go forward and fix the problems we're facing right now. >> craig, your dad has a big speech coming up on thursday, huge speech. what do you want him to say? when you talk privately, do you say, dad, come out and do this? >> say how great his sons are. >> you know, i think it's a great opportunity for people to get to see him in a very unfiltered way, to get to hear his story and his vision for this country. i think in large parts, he's

been defined by the opposition up to this point. it's a chance for him -- for the voters to get to know what kind of candidate he really is. >> what's funny is we keep getting e-mailed speeches from friends that want -- this is exactly what he needs to say. >> but you want him collectively to be a little bit more passionate and emotional than he's been so far. is it a good chance for -- >> have you listened to the last couple -- since he picked paul ryan especially. you've seen a lot of passion and emotion. >> it's bubbling over. and in the documentary, again, great insight into -- he's got it there, you can tell. he's like a caged lion. is this the moment, this is the speech that could win you the election? do you say that to him? >> he's very capable. if i had half the intelligence he did, i'd be thrilled. so i really trust him. he knows what he's doing. he's very capable. and he'll give a great speech. i think there are going to be a lot of big ideas. i think he's going to get down

to how to fix the economy. that's really -- >> you're a doctor. and your mother's making a huge speech tomorrow. she's been through an extraordinary ordeal with her health. and yet when i've interviewed her, you would never imagine it for a moment. and she's brought you five guys up, she's been attacked for i. people assume with all your money she had all this back-up and help. but that wasn't true, right? >> no. she's been really a role model for me in this regard as well. she faced a really difficult situation and attacked it head-on. she said, okay, what are we going to do about this, how am i going to get better? and she and my dad worked together and said, let's tackle this, we can overcome this. and she worked really hard to get to where she is right now. and i just have nothing but pride and admiration for them. >> all of you, give me one word, which is a great description of your dad. if the one who's gone before you has said it, you can't use the same word. >> frugal.

>> qualified. >> generous. >> father. >> i said integrity on an earlier episode. but i'll say loving as well. >> that's a nice way to end. >> father first. >> father can often be the one thing that is a great vote-winner. chap, a great pleasure to meet you. josh, matt, good to see you, tag. craig, ben. got you all right again. fascinating interview with the romneys' sons. i'm going to turn it over to wolf and erin. >> it was really terrific. great work, piers. whatever you want to say about the romneys, they are blessed with five terrific sons. >> yes. >> great daughters-in-law. >> a perfect-looking family. >> piers, very important, at the top of the hour, an encore presentation of gloria borger's "romney revealed" the documentary. if you didn't see it, even if you did, you might want to see it again. we are about to get an updated forecast and storm track

for you on exactly whether tropical storm isaac will be a category 1 or category 2. we'll go live to the national hurricane center. that's next. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] at&t. the nation's largest 4g network. covering 2,000 more 4g cities and towns than verizon. at&t. rethink possible. covering 2,000 more 4g cities and towns than verizon.

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and welcome back. you're looking at some of the new levees that have been built in new orleans, around new orleans over the last seven years, since hurricane katrina. $10 billion spent on that levee system. joining us is the deputy director of the national hurricane center, ed rappaport. what's the latest on this storm, ed? >> what we need to know about isaac is that it's approaching the gulf coast. it will be making landfall probably in southeastern louisiana 24 hours from now. while it's now a tropical storm, it has a chance to go to category 1, perhaps category 2. everybody thinks about the wind. that's not the main risk from

isaac. the main risk from isaac is flooding, it's water. in fact, 90% of the lives lost in the united states due to hurricanes are drowning. >> reporter: in terms of the length of time that folks in this area along the gulf coast are going to be feeling the effects of this, what are we looking at? i've heard this is a slow-moving storm once it gets over land. >> that's part of the problem. we have a risk, first of all, from storm surge as the system comes ashore. on this map, you can see an area of green here. that's an area where six to 12 feet is possible, if the storm gets to category 2. that's southeastern louisiana, including near new orleans all the way over to biloxi. but the storm is forecast to slow down. that means we also have a risk of flooding from rainfall, perhaps moving annual 5 miles per hour. means the storm is going to take a long time to clear any particular area. and 6 to 12 inches of rain, locally 18 inches of rain is possible. >> reporter: i want to bring in our meteorologist, chad myers.

what at this point do you want to ne about the storm that we don't yet know? >> ed, i know you've had a lot of planes through this thing and thank you for that. the american people don't realize how much energy goes into sending those planes in and getting those crews. but i know that they tried or almost found an eyewall about an hour and a half ago. it appears now that that eyewall may have failed. due any kind of update on that that i don't have? >> that's our interpretation as well. the satellite imagery suggests that what -- it looked more intense about an hour ago. doesn't now. still think there will be some intensification. it is running out of time. that's why we don't think it will be more than category 1 or category 2. but there will be flooding from rainfall over several days inland. >> some of the models i'm looking at, 20 inches of rainfall potential, even in new orleans, which is a bowl, they have to pump all that water out. what can happen with that? that freshwater flooding is a real danger. >> it's a danger either way from

the saltater or the fresh water. most lives lost are due to drowning in this country. in this case, both storm surge and rainfall flooding are in play. >> reporter: and we're in one of those canals -- we're at one of those levees that failed seven years ago. the 17th street canal. it is a very different system here in place. we're going to be in place. we'll watch it closely in the 24 hours ahead and more. we'll check in with chad throughout this evening. ed rapaport, appreciate your time. the storm is forcing changes to the gop schedule. will it have an impact on the so-called convention bounce? [ male announcer ] this is anna, her long day teaching the perfect swing

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conventions, i assume mitt romney's expecting to get one, but let's look at the history and what we might anticipate. >> it's always the question coming in, how much of a bounce, if any, will you get. it's a bigger question for mitt romney because of isaac and the potential impact of the storm on the coverage of the convention. we'll use tampa as our guide. let's look at the convention bounce in time. if you notice this recently the bounces have been relatively small. president obama plus two. on the left side by the way, this is the party that went first in this year. this is the party that went second in that year. president obama got a two point bounce. john mccain, nothing. his convention was second in 2008. he got nothing. in 2004, it was john kerry. this is the convention that made barack obama a household name nationally. he did well. john kerry, the nominee, got nothing of a bounce from 2004. that was in boston. george w. bush only got a couple points from his. 2000 this is perhaps appropri e appropriate, the closest election of our lifetime, george w. bush gets eight, al gore gets eight. even in the bounces right there. bob dole got 11 in 1986 but he

was in the 40s. didn't make him very competitive. bill clinton won the election with 43% of the vote. why 16? you remember new york city, ross perot dropped out while clinton was accepting the nomination. in that same week, that race went up, ross perot got in. this was my first presidential campaign. michael dukakis. he left with a seven point bounce. he was plus-17 points in the immediate post convention polls. george h.w. bush got some of that back a couple weeks later. remember, the lesson, the history of bounces, yes, they matter, yes, they help. michael dukakis was up 17 points right after his atlanta convention. up 17 leaving the convention. he lost, lost big, lost 40 states. >> think it made any difference to mccain that his convention was only three days? >> the conventions are closer together. number one. this one was shortened. if you think about this, not a

lot of cable chatter back in the day. the campaigns are longer. they're more expensive. the tv ads are run nonstop. in the cable world, in the blogosphere world, there's less time to think and reflect. the number of undecideds has shrunk. there's not a big slice of the american people out there who don't know what they're going to do this time. so a number of factors, including the modern media. >> erin's got a question. >> john goes through this every year, it sees less and less. but so i guess the question is do conventions matter? do you bother with this whole song and dance for four days? >> sure they do. yeah, you do, you absolutely do, because the contenti ten chuns the indiluted chance, a shot to speak to the american people directly. important for every candidate. with someone like bob dole who got an 11-point bounce, as john points out, is that he was

probably a candidate performing a little bit below expectations. now, if you look at the candidates, we're polling them all the time. we -- we know where the voters are a lot of the time. so they're probably both performing at about where we anticipate they are. so the bounces might be -- might be less. >> and don't overestimate the importance of these bounces. i think michael beron did a look back to 1964 and said in almost half of the races since 1964, the guy with the biggest bounce lost. so -- >> it's a curse. >> so you don't want the bounce now, right? so you have that. but it also matters to these folks. because, remember, these are the activity ones. these are the ones you really need to keep pumped up through november. so it obviously matters to not just those here that are activists but that are out there. and it is your way to -- in an indiluted way, to reach the

shrinking group of swing voters. >> these are national bounces. one of the things we learn more and more, as you get closer to current time, fewer and fewer states are in play. there were more states in play in '08. even in the dukakis/george h.w. bush race. much of the midwest was in play. there are fewer battleground states. eight or nine this year. even fuper probably last time around. because the mccain/obama race really wasn't close in the end. the national poll is what gave you the bounce. you apply that state by state -- >> conventions are selectively located in charlotte, north carolina, and tampa, florida, two key battleground states. and that's what our new poll shows. both of these states are in play. >> they're very much in play. so that's important for mitt romney this week. it's also important for mitt romney, don't forget, he's been under an assault, a barrage of negative advertising that is trying to define who he is over the summer. and has been quite successful. this is his moment to try and

step out and say this is who i am, not who other people define me as, and he's got to do that well here. you can't really -- you can't emphasize enough the importance of that for him. >> and it will be. it's the question we can't answer and he can't answer, is how much will this storm take away from his audience with the american people. it's a critical audience. we can look at the bounces. there's no question he needs this audience, with the american people, to change some of the undercurrents of the race what people think of him as a person. does he have empathy for the middle class. you talk to any senior romney adviser and they're frustrated by the possibility of losing some of that one-on-one chance with the american people. >> that speech is going to be critically important. assuming it's thursday night. i believe it will. the romney speech. >> this is his biggest audience ever. so it is his biggest chance ever. to reach as many people as he can. john's exactly right. they have to see romney as romney sees romney.

because they've really been seeing him as president obama and his team see him. >> has to be praying there is no disruption from the storm that would cause that speech to be delayed, put off, not happen. >> who knows what's going to happen -- what we do know, something huge is going to happen right after we say good-bye. gloria borger has done an outstanding documentary -- >> thank you, wolf. >> on mitt romney. that's about to begin, isn't it? >> it's about to begin. we'll be back at 9:30 as soon as this documentary again. up next, "romney revealed" with gloria borger. a man important to wealth, privilege and politics. >> i'm mitt romney and i'm running for president of the united states. >> i think my dad has always felt like he wanted to be true to his dad's name and legacy. >> a savvy business man who made a fortune at bain capital and turned around the 2002 winter olympics. >> he has two speeches, asleep

or wide awake and fixing things. he is a mr. fix it. >> a man driven by himself, his family and his mormon religion. >> you try your very best to know what god might say and of course you look to get correction from the church as well. >> a warm caring man. >> he was going to do anything he could to just say i'm here, stay right there and we'll be okay. >> or a cold, calculating politician? >> he's made decisions knowing they can resurface under the glare of a political campaign. >> plaa political opportunist. >> he changed his position on a broad range of issues for a simple reason, he wanted to run for president of the united states. >> or a true believer. >> i know his core. honesty. conviction to doing the right thing. >> we're going to bring back america. thank you so much. >> now, romney revealed. family, faith and the road to power.

ann and mitt romney's winter home sit on the lake in new hampshire. a private, large and lived in family retreat for the entire clan. all 28 of them. >> they all just left. i ran through 12 loads this morning. a lot of towels. a lot of sheets. but it's a joyous thing. it's a joyous thing to have them all here. >> even in the midst of a presidential campaign. tell me a bit about the mitt romney that's here at the lake. >> nonstop. nonstop. he is going every minute. he's loving it. he pops out of bed the first thing in the morning and he's just going. >> here, inside the lake house, romney is more camp counselor than candidate. >> fun loving.

warm, spontaneous. get him out of the public eye, put him in here, he is as loose and funny and spontaneous as you'd ever want to see. and just so much fun to be with. >> so what happened when you get in the public eye? >> you have to be more circumspect. you have to be more careful with your words. it's unfortunate i think that even, you know, people i think only think of mitt maybe through his business lens. and for me, you know, that is just 1% of who he is. >> and who is he really? first and foremost, a romney. a family of great wealth and business achievement. political success as well as failures. mitt was the last and fourth child for george and lenore

romney. some recall him as the favorite. george wrote to the family in september 1956. mitt is growing like a weed. is full of ideas and energy as ever. tom mccaffrey grew up with romney. >> mitt as a child was extremely energetic. the kind of kid that could never sit down. his mind was going 100 miles an hour. >> george was much the same way. you know, he's got that energy. >> phillip maxwell lived down the street from the romneys in a wealthy detroit suburb. >> george would go out on the golf course. he would hit the ball and he would run after the ball. that was his exercise. >> young mitt not only had his father's energy -- >> there seemed to be a special

bond. >> this author co-wrote the book "the real romney." >> mitt absolutely idolized his father in a way you can see drawn out in the way he's run his life. following the same foot steps of the career. >> george romney was the ceo who saved american motors by betting on smaller cars. it gave his son a first look at business. >> george was a turnaround artist at american motors. taking a company that had lost focus for whatever reason and fixing it. >> once george made his mark in the auto world, he switched gears to politics. he was the republican governor of michigan for three terms. schooled in the possibility of losing. >> dad's pollster said, george, you can't possibly win. i was a kid in high school. i thought, oh, no, you know, we're going to lose, i'm going to be embarrassed at school,

these little things that a kid thinks. and my dad said -- it was clear, he said, i'm not in this because i'm worried about winning or losing, i'm here to make a difference. he's been defined as a man of character throughout his life. >> then there was mitt's mother lenore. >> my mom had a softer side. she used to read to me when i was a boy and gave me a love of culture and literature. >> once a screen actress, lenore met george in 1924. their courtship became an often told part of the family story. >> he left what he was doing, traveled west to hollywood to convince her to marry him as opposed to the movie business. he knew what he wanted and was not going to stop till he got it. >> mitt's courtship of ann was in its own way no less intense. they were teenagers at neighboring elite private

schools in detroit. it was mitt's senior year when he spotted the 16-year-old ann davies at a dance. >> i did fall madly in love with him very quickly. i was very aloof, very cool. >> she went on a date with someone else while i was pursuing her. made me just crazy. >> he was so much fun. captivating. it was just fun, fun, fun to be with him. >> there are lots of stories of good natured practical jokes. >> he was kind of swimming around, try to find his place. one of the consequences was he would get involved in these pranks. which were really attention getting devices. >> but maxwell remembers one incident he says crossed the line. a younger classmate returned from break with long bleach blond hair, and a group of guys, including romney, confronted him. >> he was taken down and mitt had scissors and he cut his

hair. it was an ugly scene and it was a long time ago. but i'll never forget it because of the look on this boy's face. he was absolutely terrified when they took him down. >> others, as you know, who went to cranbrick with you remember different stories that they say were mayover the top and maybe n cruel to some students. do you remember it that way? >> no, i don't. i know that comes up during the campaign season. but it's the first time i've heard that. >> the hair cutting story. >> i think that's the only story i've heard of that nature. the pranks that we pulled were designed to be funny and to have fun. i can imagine that now and then things i did in high school are not things that i'd want to become part of a presidential campaign. >> that was decades ago.

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it was fall 1965. stanford university. the counterculture movement was growing. a different world for freshman mitt romney, straight from a michigan boarding school and his conservative roots. >> he has this exposure, i think, to all these new ideas, all these new people, these new experiences. >> but all romney could think about at first was ann, back in michigan. mark marcus was romney's roommate. >> a lot of guys come to college and have high school girlfriends. you could tell for mitt it was different. he could not stop talking about ann. >> we were so much in love. i went off to college and got a job there to earn a little money so i could pay for an airplane ticket to go home and see her. >> this was at stanford. >> while i was at stanford. we didn't tell my parents about

this. >> you snuck home? >> i flew home, snuck home, would take her on a date. her parents knew about it. they were on the inside. my parents, i knew they'd never go along with it so i didn't tell them. >> did they catch you? >> oh, no, they never caught us. >> as the year wore on, the politics on campus became inescapable. >> he's very affected by this world in which he sees an anti-establishment strain growing. >> as the protest at stanford grew, romney stood with the establishment and for the war. >> his father at that time was strongly for the vietnam war, and he was finding his political footing. really, the first time we see mitt romney emerge as his own man in a political sense is when he does lead this protest against the anti-war protesters on the campus of stanford. he's standing up with a sign saying speak out, don't sit in. >> but romney never went to vietnam himself, exempt as a student and with a high draft

lottery number. >> he's protesting the anti-war protesters but he does not volunteer to go serve in vietnam. he would have been eligible to serve, certainly. >> at the end of his freshman year, romney would be called to serve, not his country but his faith. as a mormon missionary in france. it was a tradition he considered breaking. >> he was concerned, according to his friends, that he might lose ann. he talked to ann about this and she told him, you know, if you don't go, you'll always regret it. i'll be here. >> when he left, i had a very brave face, went to the airport with his entire family. we all said good-bye. i was driven home with his family, and then i walked into my home, opened the door, my mother was there. i fell flat on the ground and just dissolved in tears. she could not console me.

>> for 2 1/2 years in the turbulent '60s, romney was living abroad, working every day to convert the skeptical french to his mormon faith. so this is this kind of neighborhood that you used to knock on doors in, all day? >> this -- yes, 45 years ago. this is fairly typical. >> mike bush took us back to the streets of bordeaux, where he and romney spent 60 hours a week spreading their faith in french. >> did you have a specific message? >> we would talk to them about our believes. we would talk about jesus christ, the book of mormon. >> you're out talking to people about your faith and your religion and differences between it and other faiths. >> getting doors slammed in your face. >> most of the time. this was a time when a lot of people were not happy about america in france. it was a time of a great deal of rejection. >> but romney kept at it.

in a rare conversation about his faith, he reveals how the constant rejection led to some surprising soul searching. >> but you say, okay, wait a second. what's important here? what do i believe? what's truth? is there a god? is jesus christ the son of god? these are questions that are no longer academic, they're critical because you're talking about that day in and day out. >> as mitt questioned everything he was raised to believe in, his father tried to get his son back on track. >> your father sent you this letter when you were in france. he quoted robert lewis stevenson to you in trying to sort of get you to not feel discouraged. he said, despair not but if you despair, work on in your despair. then he wrote, so persist. >> my dad, what a guy. what a guy. he's always been there for me. look, i remember my dad's advice

throughout my life. every time i had challenges of one kind or another, he was there with counsel. an extraordinary man. >> who happened to be running for president while mitt was a world away, isolated, depending largely on newspaper accounts of his father's fight for the republican nomination. >> i have decided to fight for and win the republican nomination and elections of the presidency of the united states. >> the war in vietnam was issue number one. george romney had been a hawk but turned against the war and said so. >> when i came back from vietnam, i just had the greatest brainwashing that anybody can get. >> by the general? >> when you go over to vietnam. not only by the generals but also by the diplomatic corps over there. >> months after george romney's now infamous brainwashing comment, his campaign collapsed. an early political lesson mitt romney would never forget.

>> mitt's sister, jane, has said for example this really deeply affected mitt. and that he's more careful in what he says. more scripted in what he says because he saw how one phrase could torpedo a presidential campaign. >> thank you, governor romney. >> thank you very much. >> if george's failure turned romney into the cautious candidate he is today, he won't admit it. >> some people say you've learned from or overlearned from mistakes. >> i do that, too. i tell the truth, too. he used to say -- one of his favorite sayings was being right too early is devastating in politics. but, still, it's being right, and you tell people what you believe. >> what romney believes has become an issue throughout his political career. and while the message was clearer in france, his mission would almost cost him his life. >> i was at home and i had word

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in 1968, france was a dangerous place to be for a 21-year-old american. but mitt romney was right in the middle of it. >> there were protests and there were blockades and there were marches all over the country. >> the streets of france were in chaos. >> there was no train service, there were no buses, no newspapers. the electricity would go off from time to time. there were no letters from home. the money at the time came via check. that was our lifeline was getting letters from home. >> you were totally isolated? >> totally isolated. >> they were out of touch pretty much with 200 missionaries they were responsible for. >> andy anderson's father was leading the mormon mission in france. by the time the riots ended, romney had been promoted to become president anderson's

assistant and they had an urgent assignment. >> they had got word there was some little dispute in this southern city in this mormon congregation so they decided to drive down to try to resolve it in person and mitt was driving. >> it was a warm summer day in june when they began a six-hour drive between paris and the south of france. romney was driving anderson and his wife leola. >> they, i believe, were in the town of beaulac. as they come north at the top of the hill and in their ways a mercedes. they had no time to react. the car was on the wrong side of the road. >> the mercedes driver apparently drunk, slammed into them at full speed. both cars crushed and mangled. mitt romney and leola anderson, unconscious. >> george called me on the phone

and said "we have some bad news about mitt," but he didn't tell me what and he came and picked me up and took me to his home. i had word that he was killed. >> the policeman on the scene apparently thought i was in worse condition than i was and wrote in french "he is dead" on my passport. >> we waited for hours and hours, most of the night, to get word from france he was actually alive. >> i was knocked unconscious and only recall waking up for a brief moment in the ambulance, going to the hospital. >> it turns out that romney had a severe concussion and broken bones, but leola, the mom away from home to 200 young missionaries, was dead. >> this was a huge deal. this rocked the mormon community not just in france but all over the world and in salt lake city. >> it was a great time of challenge and soul searching for all of us. >> romney, anderson's assistant, was now left to lead a struggling mission. >> the person who had been leading our mission there, a

wonderful man, was so injured that he had to return to the united states for surgeries. and during that time, i and one other fellow took responsibility for overseeing the affairs of the 200 or so men and women -- or boys and girls that were serving there as missionaries. >> this was a critical moment. >> it was. >> morale must have been -- >> morale was low. by september, we were only halfway toward our yearly goals. >> romney kept the mission going and set an ambitious new goal. more than doubling the target for conversions. >> mitt said, we need to raise the bar, raise the expectation. if we want to really change behavior, we have to have people do things different from how they've been doing them. >> so they did just that. >> we were dressed up in vaudeville outfits we had found in the basement of the mission

home there. it brought the house down and lifted people's spirits and they were laughing again. >> spirits were high and so were the number of converts. >> we were at 80. >> you were at 80. >> doubling it in the last four months. come december 31st, we had 204 or 205 new converts that had happened. the goal was accomplished. >> by the end of his mission, romney had cemented his faith. >> these things drew me closer to the eternal and convinced me that in fact there is a god, that jesus christ is the son of god and my savior. these are features that continue to be important in my life. >> he was a young boy when he left, prankster and liked to play jokes and probably didn't take life too seriously. being in france and having to stand up for what you believe in taught him a lot about himself. he came back much more studious, much more serious. i think discovered a little bit about who he was and what was important to him. >> mitt romney was ready to return home, but an unexpected

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it might be called "the city of lights" but mitt romney's last months in paris felt pretty dark. he had gotten word from his girlfriend, ann davies, that she was dating another man. but mitt had to wait until the end of his mission to see her. >> he walked off that airplane and we only had eyes for each other. >> christmas eve 1968. >> he walked right by his mother, his father, right to me. it was as though time had stood still. it was an amazing moment where nothing -- just dissolved, those 2 1/2 years dissolved and we were right back to where we were exactly when he left. >> and he proposed.

>> on the car ride home, he was, oh, my gosh, i've waited so long for you. let's just get married now. why not? let's do that. of course, that was not good news to either set of parents. >> ann was 19, mitt, 21. their parents wanted them to wait. but they wanted a valentine's day wedding. >> what did you guys do when you got this? >> yeah. all right! >> close friend, dane mcbride, remembers the telegram he received with the news. >> boom, february 14. and you knew exactly what he was talking about? >> absolutely. >> at lenore romney's request, they waited a month. >> it was beautiful. >> you were in the wedding? >> i was. there was the civil wedding that was performed by the bishop of our church in bloomfield hills, michigan, at the davies home, ann's parents' home. >> the next morning, they flew to utah for a second ceremony in salt lake city's mormon temple, where they were sealed for eternity, as the church calls it.

ann's parents couldn't attend because they weren't mormon. ann herself was a relatively new convert. romney biographer scott helman and michael kranish. >> when ann davies meets mitt, she's searching a little bit for a religious home, the way a teenager does. what does this mean and what do i believe. this was a big hurdle they would have to get over if they were going to be serious. >> did mitt romney spend a lot of time talking about faith to ann, or was it george? >> early on when mitt was going out with ann, he did give her some lessons in what was the mormon faith all about. >> but ultimately ann's conversion was overseen by george romney while mitt was in france. >> he would pick me up every sunday for church. the reason i think it was so easy for me to talk to him on a spiritual level like that is because he respected me as his complete equal.

>> ann and mitt settled in provo, utah, in this $75 a month basement apartment. starting a family and getting serious about school. the mission experience in france had clearly refocused romney. >> life was very different in america than life for the french. and i thought, boy, i've got to work hard in school, i need to be responsible, i need to get back and work. i began to long for the chance to go back to school and prepare for my life going forward. >> brigham young university was as far from stanford as romney could get. he seemed at home in this conservative environment, yet in the midst of his new life, mitt took off again on the campaign trail in 1970. >> she isn't sold a lie to a political ideology. >> this time, for his mother. >> lenore romney, candidate for the united states senate. >> lenore, the dutiful candidate's wife, was now the candidate, running for the u.s. senate seat in michigan. >> i became so concerned about

the direction our country has been going. >> her youngest son, mitt, was by her side. childhood friend, phillip maxwell. >> they visited every county in the state, i think, in the course of that campaign. and by that time, he was very engaged in politics. >> romney crossed the entire state with lenore. >> he was getting a high level senator in politics. >> they thought there was a need for the moms and dads to have a community center. >> her style, a cautious, elegant diplomat, distinctly different from her husband's bull in a china shop approach. >> she was a very gracious woman, but nuanced, careful. and i see that in mitt. >> i think he had a very advanced and mature understanding of politics at a pretty young age. lenore romney ended up getting

killed in that senate race. you know, you take away lessons from victories and from defeat. >> from both parents, george thrives on candor. >> there's a growing aimlessness and flabbiness in our american society. >> lenore, more cautious. their son looked for a path somewhere in between. but george romney steered his son away from politics and toward business first. and two graduate degrees in both business and law at harvard. >> by now, george romney had seen what it took to succeed and what kind of skills you needed and what kind of credentials you needed. he was encouraging his son to go beyond where he had been. >> so in 1972, mitt, ann and their two baby boys moved to massachusetts. but their move from utah would not be easy. >> it was destroyed by fire in august of 1984. the fire department indicated it

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patty cake, patty cake, baker's man, bake me a cake as fast as you can. >> it was a full house for the romneys throughout the '70s here in belmont, massachusetts. >> it was a lot of fun. i was the oldest of five boys so there was a lot of chaos. >> your mother once said that your father was kind of like having another teenager in the house. >> yeah. we thought of him as a really big older brother for a long time. he was a lot of fun to be around. >> life was also busy. romney was starting a lucrative and intense financial consulting job in boston. ann was running things at home. >> people describe him as the energizer bunny. >> my kids joke and say that i'm the mitt stabilizer because

whenever mitt might start winding up and getting really highly energetic, they know i have a very calming influence. >> in the '70s and '80s, romney was also spending a lot of time with his church, which saw him as a rising star. energetic, devoted, generous with both time and money. >> everybody was well aware of mitt romney. there was some star power even when he wasn't running for office. >> phil barlow first met mitt romney at church in 1979. like most in the church, he already knew the romney name but not the romney work ethic. >> a person that busy and successful might tend to pull out their pocketbook rather than take their time and he did both. >> for more than a decade, romney was part of the leadership of the mormon church in his hometown. the church has no paid clergy, so at the age of 34, romney was asked to lead his congregation. >> talk about a growing up experience and a learning

experience. >> it is a time he rarely talks about but was surprisingly open with us. >> i was like the pastor. that meant if someone was in the hospital, i needed to see them. if someone lost their job and couldn't afford to meet their rent payments, i was responsible for helping get them the financial aid they needed. if there was someone contemplating a divorce and they wanted counseling, they'd come to me. >> mitt romney was literally hands on. >> one woman in the ward might have storm damage and there might be leakage and he turned to us and said, i haven't got anything better to do that's more important than that after this meeting, how about you, brothers? >> one of the toughest times for the church came in 1984, led by romney, the congregation was building a new meeting house in belmont. for years, there was a good deal of local opposition.

you got a call in the middle of the night? >> yes, yes. this building was under construction. >> grant bennett, romney's right-hand man in the church, remembers the call from the fire department. the building had burned to the ground. they suspected arson. >> the clergy in the town of belmont, the catholics, the episcopalians, the jewish temple, came out in force and essentially everyone offered for our congregation to meet in their building. >> instead of picking one congregation, romney picked all of them. >> i think he very much saw this as a bridge building opportunity to get to know our neighbors. >> romney was less successful bridging another divide. >> the mormon church is the arch enemy of women's rights in this country. >> the '70s was the decade when the e.r.a. was being pushed and

the mormon church came out in the early '70s and took a very active position against the e.r.a. >> judy dushku was a member of romney's congregation and a feminist fighting for women's rights in the mormon church like having more of leadership role or being able to deliver a sermon. >> there we were, suddenly faced with a church we all loved and grown up in. suddenly, it was taking this unusual and we thought strange position. >> so what about when mitt romney became bishop? >> i expected a comforter, somebody who would protect women and have an inclusive attitude and be equally interested in the peace of mind of all of us. i did not feel that in his congregation. >> i'm sure we all have differing memories. >> romney recalls a meeting he led with more than 300 mormon women. >> i adopted many of the recommendations they offered. >> not all. >> not at all. because the

doctrine of my church is not something i'm in a position to change. >> i look at that as a time i saw mitt soften and change. it was a learning experience for all of us. and, you know, but i saw a person that was respectful and listening and caring. >> but dushku didn't think he was sympathetic at all. and believes he bears a grudge against her to this day. >> i think it's indicative of the way mitt sees the world. there are certain people who matter and certain people who he approves of and other people he doesn't approve of. if he doesn't approve of them, he thinks they don't have the same kind of standing, they don't have the same kind of merit, they don't have the same kind of right to function and to hold opinions and to participate. >> something others around him at the time fiercely deny. >> i would call him open and welcome to new ideas. if there's a better way, absolutely, let's do it the

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it was the heady '80s, big money, corporate buyouts and dramatic takeovers. mitt romney was knee-deep in it. a rising star at a boston consulting group, bain & company, which had a great pitch, help businesses make money by cutting costs. >> by all accounts, mitt romney was very successful in advising companies how to improve their business operations. >> but soon romney's boss had a better idea, instead of just advising companies, why not buy them with investor money to generate huge profits. and bain capital was born. early partner jeffrey rennart. >> it was a lot of long hours, a lot of late nights and a lot of

learning but a lot of success. >> so what kind of a leader was mitt romney during those early years? >> i would say in the early years, mitt was a lead by example kind of leader. he -- you know, he dug in, did, you know, did analysis side by side with us. >> and it paid off. bain capital invested in more than 100 companies, nearly doubling its returns for clients annually. >> how you doing? >> romney made a lot of money. he would later claim, created a lot of jobs. but a former bank colleague, who talked off camera about whether the company's emphasis was on job creation told cnn, quote, we were in the business of creating value for investors. >> was job creation or making money the goal? >> well, every business is organized to create a return for the people who invest in the business.

and as businesses are successful and profitable, they're able to hire people. they can hire more people the more successful they are. businesses are created to provide a return to the owners or the investors. and it has a wonderful byproduct. it employs more and more people. that's the nature of american enterprise. >> ten years into bain capital, romney decided it was time to leave business for politics, just as his father had done. >> i will work very hard to make sure everybody gets a good job. >> how are you feeling? >> energized and enthusiastic. >> romney's target, senator ted kennedy. not exactly starting at the bottom of the ladder there. >> i told my colleagues at work, don't clean up my desk or move into my office. i will be spending time away from work and it will be a leave of absence. i really believed someone needed to run against ted kennedy. >> kennedy was vulnerable. his personal life seemed out of control. as his son patrick remembers it, the contrast with romney was glaring.

>> and opposite my dad was this really great looking guy who was a whiz at business, beautiful family, kind of the picture of self-discipline. next to my dad, he was like the perfect polar opposite. >> how are you? yes! >> except during that race on social issues -- >> let me ask you a question -- >> mitt romney sounded an awful lot like ted kennedy. >> i'm absolutely committed to achieving universal coverage and doing so for our children. >> were you a liberal? were you a moderate? >> you know, anyone can call me whatever they like but people can look at my policies and make their own determination. >> ted divine worked for the kennedy campaign. >> mitt romney ran as a strongly pro-choice candidate. he told the newspaper in boston, the gay newspaper in boston,

that he'd be better at gay rights than kennedy. >> are you saying romney is an opportunist? >> i think he looks at politics the way he does business deals. that this doesn't represent an ideological path for him. anyone who looks at his position on issues has to come to that judgment. for romney, politics is a means of obtaining power to do things that he wants to do. >> by the fall of 1994, it was a dead heat. the kennedy campaign was looking for a silver bullet. they found it in bain capital. >> i don't like romney's creating jobs because he took every one of them away. >> the ad featured workers for a paper company in indiana. after a bain-owned company took it over, many of its workers lost their jobs. romney says he wasn't at bain at the time. his opponents say his actions led to the job cuts. >> if you think you'd make such a good senator, come out here to marion, indiana, and see what your company has done to these people.

>> it worked so well the obama campaign is using the same indiana company, even the same people again. >> he doesn't care anything about the middle class or the lower class people. >> if we are successful -- >> romney's religious beliefs played a part as well. senator kennedy's nephew, joe, at one point, attacked the mormon church for not allowing blacks to join the priesthood, a policy that had changed 16 years earlier. romney went on the offensive, citing the speech john f. kennedy gave addressing his roman catholic faith. >> in my view, the victory that john kennedy won was not just for 40 million americans who are born catholics, it was for all americans of all faiths. and i am sad to see that ted kennedy is trying to take away his brother's victory. >> my son's position is the same as jack kennedy's position. >> even romney's father, george, entered the fray.

>> i think it's absolutely wrong to keep hammering on the religious issue. >> mr. romney -- >> then in october, a critical debate. >> senator kennedy and his family have a multiple real estate empire across this country. >> romney accused the kennedy family of financially benefiting from real estate deals. >> senator, 15 seconds. >> mr. romney, the kennedys are not in public service to make money. we have paid too high a price in our commitment to the public service. >> ted kennedy began pulling away and mitt romney lost. >> he was back at work the next day. the election was tuesday night. wednesday morning, he was back at his desk. >> we kind of expected it. it's interesting. ann was more upset by it than i. losing put me back into business and i was more successful than i had been before. >> not long after, something that would make political defeat seem trivial. >> i think my diagnosis was probably the roughest thing we

had to go through as a couple.

it was just before thanksgiving 1998. >> she began to see some numbness on her right side. it began spreading larger and larger. she was having more difficulty getting up stairs. we went to a neurologist. >> romney's life was about to take an unexpected and unhappy turn. >> we went into his office. he performed an examination. it was very clear she was flunking the examination. she couldn't stand on her right foot without falling over and so forth. he stepped out and she began to cry and i welled up tears as well. we hugged each other. and she said, something's terribly wrong. >> at age 49, ann romney was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, an incurable disease that can shut down the central nervous system. >> you don't know how much is it going to chew me up and spit me out.

where and when is it going to spit me out? how sick am i going to get? is this going to be progressive? am i going to be in a wheelchair? it's a very, very frightening place to be. >> ann was really distraught and distressed with the diagnosis, particularly as time went on, because she was really ill for quite a while. >> i really just was having a very, very hard time and was very depressed, had kind of given up a little bit. >> it was a tough moment for both of them. it was interesting to see the way he treated her as they went through that. very caring, very loving. very frustrating for him not to be able to step in and fix it, but it was -- you know, they drew even closer. >> even when i was as sick as that, he would curl up in the bed with me. >> take a minute.

>> so you just knew that that's where he was. it was like he was going to do anything he could to just say, i'm here, you're okay, just stay right there, and we'll be okay. >> as the romneys were struggling to get ann's m.s. under control, they were about to face a challenge of an entirely different sort. >> could the scandal over salt lake's olympic bid shatter the hopes of the olympic games? >> the 2002 olympics were in trouble. salt lake city was embroiled in a bribery scandal that threatened to bring down the games. so the search was on for someone to repair the damage. >> the list of people who could have come in and saved the 2002 olympics began and ended with mitt romney. >> romney knew finance, politics and was a mormon. that made him the top choice. >> they called me instead of mitt because they knew mitt would turn them down flat.

>> she called me at work and said, i want you to -- don't say, no, mitt. i think you ought to go run the olympics. don't be ridiculous. that's absolutely crazy. i'd never do that. but over time she convinced me. >> despite ann's health issues, the romneys left bain and moved to utah in 1999. when romney really left bain capital is now controversial. on paper, he remained chief executive officer, raising the question of his responsibility for companies that laid off workers when he was in utah. he says that he was gone from the company completely, that the olympics were all-consuming. >> when he got there, it was a disaster. he was panicked. he really seriously considered saying, it's not going to work here, there's just too many problems. >> romney needed help, so he rallied an old friend from bain capital, frazier bullock, to be

the games chief operating officer. >> mitt did describe it as stepping into an empty elevator shaft. you're falling and you're not sure when you will hit ground. >> bullock joined the team that tried to do damage control. they created an operating plan and tried to convince sponsors to stay on board and took a critical look at the nearly $400 million budget deficit staring them in the face. and even got rid of the usual catering at olympic board meetings. >> we had domino's pizza. and it was a dollar a slice. because he knew he could buy a pizza for five bucks, cut it into eight slices, sell them for a dollar a slice, get $8 of revenue for every pizza at a cost of $5. he turned the lunches from a cost center into a profit center. >> the olympics is like putting on seven super bowls a day for 17 days straight. >> and he became the public face of the games, even becoming and amateur participant, seen here on the skeleton. so, did he say one day, i think i'm going to try the skeleton? >> yeah.

he said, i'm going to go try this. he got better and better and better so he could get going 70 miles an hour, which is crazy. >> but hidden from the public was the continuing personal struggle. >> mitt was always just constantly worried about ann. she was really deteriorating. >> she battled through it. she got good help from wonderful physicians. >> by august of 2001, it looked like they had ann's m.s. and the olympics under control. but then -- 9/11. >> -- billowing into the sky -- >> there's smoke everywhere. >> unspeakable sorrow and a very real fear of terrorism at the olympics. >> it's a time for us to make sure that everyone in the world

recognizes that we don't stop as a nation, that the characteristics of honor and courage, sacrifice and devotion, which is represented by the olympic athletes, is a message more important today than perhaps ever before. >> over the next five months and with the help of some money from the federal government, security was beefed up. and the games began. >> we had about 2,500 athletes that came in, did the parade of nations, walked all the way around. >> it was a great moment for him i think. as one political pollster in utah said at the time, mitt romney could walk on water at that point. >> but not everyone agreed. >> mitt and i often had disagreements about how or what we thought the games were about. and i wasn't on his team, so to speak. >> it's a gold medal day for

utah. >> ken bullock, no relation to frazier bullock, was on the organizing committee of the salt lake city olympics before and after romney was brought on board. he was a sort of my way or the highway kind of guy? >> absolutely, no question. to me, the games were about utah. it wasn't about mitt. >> bullock claims romney made the problems look worse than they really were. a calculated political move to ensure public success. >> if we need to raise revenue, were we short? yes. were we three years out? yes. big difference of the games being around the corner. >> you think he overstated the problems? >> dramatically. dramatically. >> it's a charge the romney camp scoffs at. and in the end, the 2002 olympics were profitable and one of the most successful winter games in history. >> he had pulled off this big success. he had rescued these games and now it was a question of what he would parlay that into. >> it wouldn't take long for that question to be answered.

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the opening ceremonies for the 2002 winter olympics were still more than a month away but mitt romney already had other plans. beth myers remembers getting a call from romney in january. >> i'm thinking about running for governor and would you have any interest in helping me run my campaign? >> massachusetts had a republican governor, jane swift, but party leaders saw her as weak, so they came to romney in a panic. >> jane swift gets wind of this and two days later she bows out. she's out and mitt romney is in. he flies back to belmont with his wife, ann, they're both wearing olympic jackets and give

a press conference and the campaign's begun. ? . >> campaign spokesperson. >> it was like being launched out of a rocket. >> how you doing? >> as you know, this is a very democratic state. the legislature is 85% democrat, very few republicans make it into statewide office. so we had a fight on our hands. >> he ran as a moderate on social issues, vowing to clean up state government. >> would you raise your right hand, please? >> it worked. >> congratulations, governor. >> thank you. >> from the beginning, romney relied on a small set of advisors, beth myers, who has never spoken on camera before, was chief of staff. >> people call you romney's romney. >> for four years, we sat in offices that had a door between us and we popped back and forth between each other's offices all day long. we talked about faith. we talked about the issues of the day.

>> first order of business, treat government like a business. >> we had a huge budget deficit. so every morning, we'd come in and we'd have stacks and stacks of budget books and line by line and mitt would meet in his staff office every morning with the cabinet secretaries. >> it was the way he had always done it. at bain, at the olympics. but here, not everyone was on romney's team. >> i will agree he was a different cat than what people on beacon hill were used to. i think that's probably a pretty good thing. >> i got better over time. i know i made mistakes in how i dealt with others in the legislature but we started off pretty well. >> then, two years into his term, he set his sights on something bigger, something that would mean a legacy, health care. >> he had not had a major achievement that he could point to as some big political success

in a future campaign. he needed something to say, i had done this and it was a big deal. >> romney decided to push for health care to cover everyone in the state. but that meant mandating most residents to buy health insurance. >> the governor felt that it would be wrong for the economy and wrong for our business sector to impose a mandate on employers, to require them to provide insurance to their employees. but he felt it very important that people take responsibility for their own health care. >> it was romney's big moment. but now, a liability. republicans bitterly oppose any kind of mandate in today's presidential race. >> i think the politics of it have been so complicated, it's ironic the biggest thing he achieved as governor is something he almost never talks about. >> no less complicated, the politics of abortion. while romney was personally opposed to abortion, he ran for

governor supporting abortion rights. but once in office and presented with stem cell legislation that would, in romney's view, have the potential of destroying embryos, he changed his mind. >> i realized that what sounded good in a campaign, when i actually became the governor and was going to be the person who would sign a piece of legislation which could take human life, i simply couldn't do that. >> democrats say it was about ambition. >> he wanted to run for president of the united states. and he understood that within the republican nominating process, somebody that was pro choice or pro gay rights or anything in terms of a progressive stance would lose. >> i didn't see it as a flip-flop. i think that what you saw was the tension between personal beliefs and public persona. >> none of this would slow romney down. his sights were already set on the white house in 2000. there were doubts about his

convictions and questions about his mormon faith, a religion some evangelicals call a cult. >> mormonism is the most colorful and controversial, politically toxic and dangerous because people pull out strands and skewer them. >> there was no avoiding it, though, so romney decided to give a crucial speech on his faith early in the primaries. >> he wrote it. he really wrote every word. >> he wrote every word of it. you rarely hear that about a politician. >> he did. >> i am an american running for president. i do not define my candidacy by my religion. a person should not be elected because of his faith, nor should he be rejected because of his faith. >> ultimately, 2008 was not mitt romney's year. it was john mccain's.

a brutal loss for romney and his family. >> i feel i have to now stand aside. >> for me, i was like, that's it. okay, we did that. that's fine. never again. i was teaching a martial arts class and having a heart attack.

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you guys are great. almost but not quite. >> i will never do this again. and i just made sure it was very emphatic. >> the romney family seemed done with politics and didn't keep it a secret. >> it was again a very bruising thing. i think people forget these are real families with people they love that are going through these hard times. >> when you lose, there's a period of intense disappointment. >> alex castellanos was a senior romney adviser during the 2008 campaign. >> he's not a wallow in defeat kind of guy. he's an okay, that's done, stand up, let's see where we go from here. >> the reasons for the loss were in plain sight. the campaign was a muddle.

the staff divided and the candidate struggled to connect. >> mitt's a man who likes to talk more about what he does than who he is. so it's hard to get beneath the shell sometimes. he's a private guy. >> and back in his private life, romney kept his options open, writing a book, raising money for other republicans, and waiting for the right opportunity and the go ahead. >> ann is the one that then came to mitt and said, i'm ready. let's do this again. >> so why the change of heart? >> it was a change of heart. what this m.s. disease has taught me is to learn how to be self-contained and how to not absorb some of the negative things and to recognize it was an endeavor worth doing and worth pursuing. >> i'm mitt romney. i believe in america and i'm running for president of the united states. >> but it was a different environment this time around. very anti-establishment.

so romney was reborn as an outsider. >> i served in government but i didn't inhale. i'm still a business guy. >> fixing his 2008 mistake, romney had one driving message. >> and have the experience to get our economy back on track. that's the kind of leader i aspire to be. >> it became his mantra. but the tea party, full of contempt for health care reform, never trusted romney, the man who reformed health care in massachusetts. erick erickson is the editor of redstate.com, a conservative website. >> you sit in the room with conservatives behind the scenes without cameras on and ask them how many really believe mitt romney will repeal obama-care, i don't think a hand will go up in the room. >> when romney calls himself this -- >> i was a severely conservative republican governor. >> he gets this -- >> that's not a line you hear conservatives say about themselves. that's something you hear democrats say about conservatives. >> this is not the time to be doubting people's words.

>> one by one, the old demons reappeared. >> romney care. pro abortion. bain capital. >> handing the democrats a primer on romney's vulnerabilities. >> i will release multiple years. i don't know how many years. >> on bain, flip-flops, taxes, secrecy, his wealth. but romney finally crawled across the finish line. his new junior partner, paul ryan, has given reluctant conservatives some hope. >> i want to hear what he has to say on this topic. >> presidential politics is more than just piecing together coalitions, it's also about telling a story of who you are, what you believe and why you can be trusted. >> he's very professional. he's got a bit of new england in him when he's out doing a job, he's going to do it professionally. but he's not the caricature the media or democrats want to portray. he's a very warm caring guy. >> good morning.

>> romney is trying to let people in, like wading into scripture as he speaks after the aurora, colorado, shootings. >> blessed be god who comforteth us in all our tribulations. >> that's, to me, about 90% of who he is. that's the -- that's the mitt i wish people would see all the time because that's how i know him and that's how i think of him. there are moments like that you can see that and really get a lens into his soul. >> but it can be fuzzy much of the time, leaving an opening for the opposition. >> people say you're secretive, you're out of touch. you play by a different set of rules. >> well, i know that the obama campaign is going to do everything they can to try and deflect from the economic record of the president and his failure to come up with a plan to get the economy going in the future. >> no doubt romney is on message this time. he wants us to believe he can fix things, like the economy, and won't give up until he does. but that's the easy part of his story. the rest is harder to tell.

he's a devout mormon who still worries it will be held against him. he's more pragmatist than ideologue, more private than public. in the end, more cautious than candid. perhaps the ultimate lesson mitt romney learned from his father's life. >> he cared about passion for the mission that he was in this middle of fighting for and winning or losing didn't change his perspective at all about who he was. he's been defined as a man of character throughout his life and elections don't change that. >> do you feel that way, as you look at this election, win or lose? >> absolutely. this is a choice that's up to the american people. and who i am has been long ago decided by my wife, by my five sons, by my grandkids, daughters-in-law and the people who know me best.

we've just gotten a rare glimpse into mitt and ann romney's personal live. there's certainly a lot to discuss. i'm wolf blitzer at the republican national convention in tampa. >> and good evening, i'm anderson cooper in new orleans. where politics is taking a back seat to personal safety. a big storm is on the way. want to give you the latest here from the ground in new orleans. the latest on hurricane isaac, what will be hurricane isaac. right now it's a tropical storm. the hurricane center says it will be a hurricane very soon. storm's maximum sustained winds are 70 miles an hour. just 4 miles an hour under hurricane strength. hurricane warning stretches from east of morgan city, louisiana,

right now, to the alabama/florida border. isaac's forward speed is only about 10 miles an hour and is expected to slow down even more over the next day or so. that bean means a lot of rain n new orleans. because of that and the normal high tide a significant storm surge is expected along the northern gulf coast. mandatory evacuations ordered along the coast of alabama, mississippi and louisiana. thousands of people headed inland today. a lot to talk about. we'll cover it all over the next hour and a half. let's go back to you right now in tampa. >> anderson, thanks very much. we also got a remarkable look at mitt and ann romney's faith, their struggles, their triumphs, and gloria borger's excellent documentary. gloria is here. you also in that sit-down interview you had with romney, you got into some other sensitive political issues. >> we're going to show you some outtakes tonight. one the questions i asked him about is one that really has been dogging him his entire political career, and that is

this question of flip-flopping on issues like abortion. take a look. one of people's big concerns about you overall is that they take a look at massachusetts. they take a look at health care reform in massachusetts. you were pro-abortion rights when you were in massachusetts, for example. you are not now. and they look at how you've changed over the years on issues it and they say what do you stand for, what is mitt romney's -- what is at mitt romney's political core. >> at my core is keeping america the strongest nation on earth. with the best homes in values, the best schools, the economy second to none, and the capacity to defend liberty with the military that's also second to none. i want to keep america strong. i love this country. i love the principles this country was based upon. those principles applied honestly and consistently will help families, will help working

people, will grow a permanent middle class with better wage, and better prospects. i want to do that for the american people and for this country which i happen to believe is an exceptional nation, unlike any other on earth. it was founded on the principle that our rights come from the creator and that we can pursue happiness as we choose. this exceptional beginning leads to an exceptional role and mission. >> so the people who say you've been on both sides of issues or you've changed too much, what do you say to that charge? >> look, the president just changed his position on gay marriage. no one has any comment on that. oh, that's fine, because that's president obama. we all say that's fine. he changed his position. oh, that's fine. he changed his position on a lot of things. a lot of things he said he was going to do he decided not to do. when i ran for office, i said, i'm not going to change the laws as they exist on abortion. i'm going to keep them the same it then a bill came to my desk which would have expanded dramatically the capacity of

individuals to create embryos and then destroy them, and this was for scientific purposes. i said, i can't sign it. i realized that what soundeded good in a campaign when i actually became the governor and was going to be the person who would sign a piece of legislation which could take human life, i simply couldn't do that. i wrote an op-ed in the boston paper. this was i think seven or eight years ago. and said, look, i'm pro-life. i understand that. i'm going to be consistently pro-life. and i have been in the seven or eight years that have passed since then. >> people say you're kind of too secretive. you're out of touch. you play by a different set of rules. >> well, i know the obama campaign is going to do everything they can to try and deflect from the economic record of the president. and his failure to come up with a plan to get the economy going in the future. so they try to attack me on a personal basis. and, frankly, distort my policies in remarkable ways.

saying things that i do not believe. nonetheless, one of the things they've come up with is to say, oh, he won't release more of his tax returns. they didn't have that problem when john mccain was running. that wasn't an issue. but, boy, they're making it an issue now. why? only one thing's changed. president obama's now president and his record is not good and he's looking for something else to try and make it the issue. you know what, the american people care about good jobs and good schools and they know that's what i can deliver. >> gloria's here. gloria, this whole issue of flip-flopping. that's hurt him so far. >> well, i think it goes to the question of what's in his core. can mitt romney be trusted. and i think it comes at him from both sides. it comes at him from the conservatives in his own party. who were looking for anybody but romney during the primary race. and i think it comes from democrats and from women who

are -- who are pro-abortion rights. and i think -- as erick erickson pointed out in the documentary, if you've got a bunch of conservatives together in a room, you know, they would not trust him to repeal obama care for example, as he called it. so i think it does go to this question of what does mitt romney believe. >> david gergen is here. david what can he do, if anything, in the speech he will deliver here, the acceptance speech thursday night, to deal with this problem? >> i think the most important thing he's done so far, wolf, is to pick ryan as the vice presidential candidate. he really doubled down. i think that was the most important signal he can send to conservatives. he has to decide in the speech, does he play to the base, in which case that reinforces their belief, their conviction, or does he broaden his message, and does he try to reach for some of these independents who is still out there? some people are still wavering. >> because the president's most vulnerable on the economy, john

king, and any day that they're not talking about the economy is a wasted day as far as the romney campaign is concerned. >> it is. however, who you are as a person is critical to how the american people pick a president. in every election there may be a different number one issue. in this issue, without a doubt, it is overwhelmingly the economy. governor romney has an advantage on the economy right now but it's a pretty narrow advantage. if you look at our national poll, it's about five points. that's not good enough if you're look at this race from an idea that the american people for a couple of years now have had serious, profound questions about the president's economic stewardship. they are looking to see if there's an alternative out there. to be ahead is not a surprise. to be ahead by only five points think is a bit of a disapintment from a romney perspective. why isn't he ahead more? because people aren't sure he understands their struggles. does he understand the middle class? will he fight for them? as bill clinton used to put it, i'm on your side. is governor romney on your side? that's his big challenge. if they trust him as a person, then his gap on the issues where he has the advantage.

his business experience is more of an asset. if they don't think, as the obama campaign, and they've spent millions of dollar convincing american people he'ses this cold-hearted guy who cares more about money than your community. so he has to get at the empathy gap. if he can close it, it will help him enormously on the issues portfolio. >> easier said than done. donna brazile is here, ari fleisher is here at well. do you accept the notion that his position on abortion changed as a result of moral factors as opposed to strictly political considerations? >> no, of course not, wolf. you know, we've seen on a host of issues. not just abortion. but, you know, gay marriage and you can look at taxes. mitt romney health care is on -- you know, supporting individual mandate, not supporting individual mandate. i think this week the challenge is for mitt romney to demonstrate not just to those in the audience, his base, but also to those undecided voters that, as john said, he's on your side,

that he cares about issues you care about. the positions he's espousing now are the positions he will espouse if he's trusted with the presidency. he faces an authenticity gap. people don't know if he's for real. >> ari, the obama team, they've done a pretty good job in defining romney the way they want him defined. >> well, they've thrown a lot of flak out there. sometimes it gets through. i don't know i'd say they've done a good job. if they've done a good job, why is the race so close? >> looking at the polls -- on the personal issues -- >> -- further head. >> flip it around. if i'm barack obama, i look at the polls. people think i'm popular. they done like romney that much. so why is he so close to me? the biggest dynamic in this race is barack obama has very little room to go up or go down. everybody knows him, known quantity. the economy is not going to change and get better for barack obama. the one big var rabl that can change is whether people like

mitt romney. he has room to grow. i think if he grows on the popular front, which happens as the result the convention and debates, barack obama is dead in the water. that's why it's so close right now. >> guys, stand by. we have more to discuss. next monday, 8:00 p.m. eastern, cnn brill bring you "obama revealed." that's the documentary jessica yellin has been working on that you're going to want to see. it debuted next monday, 8:00 p.m. eastern, right here on cnn. the louisiana governor bobby jindal has decided to skip this republican convention and stay back home in louisiana to cope with the storm. coming up, we'll be joined by another one of the republican parties truly rising stars. u.s. senator marco rubio of florida. he's next. there are a lot of warning lights

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republican national convention. only ten minute minutes. the real thing begins tomorrow night. senator rubio talking to us in a moment. john king first. john is standing by. he has new poll numbers. >> he knows how complicated the state is. let's look at our new poll numbers. this is the '08 map. president obama won florida 51% of the vote. mccain was competitive in florida but did not win it in the end. our latest polls. likely voters. not just registered voters. 50 to 46. within the margin of error. slight advantage to the president right now. in a state the romney campaign will tell you, i know senator rubio will tell you, romney has to win. to win the presidency, governor romney almost certainly needs to win the state of florida. let's look at what's at play right here. we see this in many other states. among men, governor romney has the lead. about a four point lead there.

a much bigger lead for the incumbent president of the united states among women. a 12 point gap now. that is one of governor romney's challenges at this convention. needs to keep his standing. republicans typically win among men. he needs to narrow this gap here. if you look at the state of florida, i'll show you more closely in a moment but among independents now the two campaigns are tied. you have rough parity in terms of registered voters here. here's another challenge. a conservative convention. a conservative party. a lot of moderate voters in the state of florida. at the moment the president has a big edge among moderates. before you get to your guest, you know this state very well, as the old saying go, the further south you go in florida, the further north you get. a lot of northern transplants down here. the blue counties around miami. democratic counties. senator rubio lives in one of those counties. the top part of the state, much more conservative voters here. you're in the more southern part of the state. bordering georgia and alabama. where we are for this convention is right here.

right here in this corridor in the middle. a lot of independents live in the i-4 corridor. you see the split here between senator obama winning the big areas near orlando, especially the suburbs and tampa. when george w. bush won the state, those areas were red. when president obama won it, they were blue. that's your battleground within the battleground. >> no one knows the state better than the current senator from florida, marco rubio. >> got to get me one of those screen, play around with it. change the results. >> go to cnn.com, you can do it over there as well. 50-46. obama's doing well. if he gets 50%, he's going to win 51%. >> i recall in 2008 where for a period of time senator mccain was in a significant lead in florida. florida's going to tighten up. again, these polls -- will have a different poll tomorrow that says something else. i'm not going to feel bad about it if we're four points down. i think that's what this convention's about at the end of

the day is explaining to people here what's at stake in this election. it is not just a choice between a democrat and a republican. this is a referendum. it's what role we want government to play. that's what we need to accomplish this week. >> how much of a complicating factor is this hurricane, isaac, that tomorrow night, when -- mrs. romney is speaking, there could be a disaster along the gulf coast, whether in new orleans or elsewhere. >> well, you know, complicating -- the bottom line is that's more important, you know, the lives, the safety, the welfare of people. we can always have a convention at some other point. we have many weeks to run this campaign. >> if there's a disaster, would you recommend postponing -- >> i don't want to speculate about the decision. i don't make that decision. the most important thing of all, the safety and well being of these folks. you pray things will work out for them. we know they're better prepared than they were seven years ago for example when katrina hit that region of the country. let's just hope we don't have to face that. moving forward, we're going to

have a convention and an election. that's going to be a very clear choice between two very different views of america. >> you're speaking thursday night. by thursday night, we'll know what will have happened. if you were speaking tomorrow night and had to make a decision, do i speak at a time when a hurricane is hitting the gulf coast, maybe on the seventh anniversary of katrina or do i say, you know what, maybe it's not the best time for me to speak, what would you do? because there are plenty of speaks lined up for tomorrow night. >> we wait and see what the intensity of the storm becomes. or whether the current path continues to be the path. let me say this, the convention's not just a big party. it's a working session. there's business to be transis acted here. part of it is the important business of electing the next president. it's one of the unique and rare opportunities that the people of this country are going to get to see. hopefully the next president of the united states, talk about his story. >> i think it's one thing to do a roll call which is obviously critically important. that's the legal, the technical things. it's another thing for people to

go up there and start bashing let's say president obama at a time when there's a national crisis. >> well, again, i think this convention's going to be a lot more about the choice the american people face. i hate to get into the speculation. what i'm hoping for is at this time tomorrow, the storm is significantly weakened. >> here are some other poll numbers. let's take a look at why mitt romney may be in trouble in florida and elsewhere. we asked in our cnn/rnc poll likely voters, who's more in touch with women. obama had 60%, romney had 31%. who cares more about people, obama, 53%, romney, 39%. who's more in touch with the middle class? obama, 53%, romney, 39%. those are pretty startling differences. >> look, i'm not a political analyst. i'm not going to go through this poll and analyze it. what i am going to tell you is what this election is about. when this campaign is concluded and we are done putting out our case of why mitt romney should

be the next president -- >> what does he need to to show the voters he's more in touch -- >> be mitt romney. mitt romney's an extraordinary person. this is a person that is a father and is a husband and is a grandfather and is a member of his church, is a member of his community, has done extraordinarily special things, i mean, really important things. i said it the other day. the man and the way he's lived his life is a role model for younger men like myself. so i think irrespective of how you may feel about him on the issues, that's an important thing to tell people, who he is as a person. it's important for people to understand the choice. it's a pretty big difference. between president obama who believes the way the economy grows is when the government spends money. and mitt romney who knows the way the economy grows is when people take their own money and have the confidence to invest it in starting new businesses or growing existing businesses. when that choice becomes clear

to the american people -- >> quick question. your former governor charlie crist has just not only endorsed president obama, he's a former republican, as you well know, but he's now going to speak at the democratic convention. >> he has the right to change parties and do anything he wants to do. he's running out of parties to run under. i think at the has any choice t he needs to make, that's fine. i think at the end of this week what's going to be clear to the american people is that we off a vision that will turn us back to the -- >> are you finished with your speech you're going to be delivering, introducing it -- >> sure, actually, what i'm nervous about is i hardly ever write my speeches. but this is important that it be written. i'm very confident about the man i'm introducing. i'm very honored to be able to do it in my home state in front of so many friends. >> give us a line or two -- >> i'm not going to give away my

lines. you've got to come thursday. >> we'll be here. >> nice try. that's a veteran move wolf blitzer pulled on me. >> a little flavor what do you have -- >> a little journalistic jujitsu. i'm not going to give away my lines. it's about 15 minutes long. >> 15 minutes, that's pretty long. >> well, there's a lot to say about mitt romney. >> it's all done, you're ready to go? >> yep, i'm not going to give it tonight though. >> have you practiced yet? >> i need to. >> you got a teleprompter? >> i've never used a teleprompter. >> you want to stick around after the show? >> use yours, maybe. >> if you want to use the teleprompter for the next little plug. >> depends what it is, yeah. >> how's your eyesight over there? >> it's getting worse. >> it's not that hard to do. you can do that. all right, never mind. we're moving into some serious stuff. later if you stick around, we'll let you practice. it's not as easy as it looks. >> i know it isn't, i know. >> senator, thank you.

>> thank you for having me. >> a serious subject indeed, new orleans. parts of the mississippi literally were washed away by the storm surge but residents say they'll be ready this time. we're going to show you what's going on in new orleans. anderson cooper is standing by 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.

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. more from the republican national convention shortly, but we want to give you an update on the gulf coast and new orleans. i am at the 17th street canal where seven years ago in hurricane katrina the levies failed that allowed water to pour into the city of new orleans. they spent billions of dollars to shore up the levies to build

floodgates around this area and all-around new orleans. this may be the first test of those floodgates and the system that is in place. there is a lot to tell you over the next hour. i want to show you the current track of the storm. anticipate feeling the effects of the storm in less than 24 hours here in new orleans. it is a slow-moving storm and expect it to be very wet conditions and a lot of rainfall and storm surge. for even a 24-hour period or so in this area, but also along mississippi gulf coast there, bracing for the storm, i top the go to david matingly in gulf post. what are you seeing in terms of preparations there? >> people here have been through the storms many times before. when they look back seven years at the lessons learned from katrina, it pays to be prepared

bay st. louis today is still rebuilding. ocean front destroyed. sea side lots still vacant and for sale. the stars of katrina are subtle, but plentiful. isaac bears down the same path due to hit the same day. mississippi ans acting on tough lessons of seven years ago stand ready. >> look at what's happened the last 200 years, this house should be high enough to sustain. >> corky had the home on bay st. louis was stripped down to the foundation by katrina. like others, he rebuilt stronger and higher. >> 24 feet? >> it's 24 feet above sea level. >> more than enough it is believed to handle isaac. nowhere are the changes to bay st. louis more obvious than right here on the waterfront. when katrina hit, the sea wall stood at about eight feet high. that wasn't nearly enough to stop the storm surge. when they rebuilt, this is what

they put in its place. in some places a pile of cement and steel more than double what it used to be. the u.s. 90 bridge on the mississippi gulf coast, broken into pieces by katrina, also restored stronger and higher. gulfport's $42 million harbor now bracing for the first test. >> the one that was here before katrina was built out of wood. this was concrete. built like a fortress. >> that are confidence was everywhere. that stone when all his neighbors did not. a chance he is willing to take for beachfront living. >> it gets angry from downtown, but the most beautiful sight i can see. >> this is what happened to the house in katrina. a new one built with the next big in mind. windows that can with stand 200 mile per hour winds and cement walls, six inches thick. >> could this house stand up to katrina?

>> not with me in it. >> he is making a bit of a joke. there is wisdom because people know that there is no such thing as a truly hurricane-proof building when you live here on the gulf coast. anderson? >> we will be talking about the preparations. mitt romney's grown sons and you will hear what they have to say about their dad's permanent life as well as his politics. stay with us.

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with a deep awareness of the responsibility with your trust, i accept your nomination for the presidency of the united states. >> this is america, a 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 the men who divide us. >> they have their chance. they have not led. we will. >> fight with me. fight with me. fight for what's right for our country. >> the republican national convention is officially open for business and mitt romney arrives here in tampa on tuesday. >> new orleans is hunkering down. a big storm is heading our way. >> the gulf coast on alert for a new hurricane disaster. alabama and mississippi. >> we're understand how important preparation is. >> threatening the same spots where katrina hit seven years ago. >> we have seen the results of people thinking they somehow are stronger than storms. >> in florida.

>> republican national convention in session and called to order. >> republicans officially open their convention, but delay the speakers and festivities for 24 hours. >> they stand in recess. >> even though tampa dodged the worst of the storm. >> they made the same division i made and the most important thing we can do is keep everyone safe. >> cnn life in new orleans at the convention site. we are tracking the power and preparations in the danger zone and any political fallout. >> our people are with the people in the storm's path. >> will this storm overshadow mitt romney's crowning moment now that voters are shifting focus to isaac? plus, the private side of romney as he prepares for the most important speech of his life. his sons open up about their dad. now our republican convention

coverage, the players, the issues, the stakes and the storm. the road to the white house leads through tampa right now. . >> welcome to tampa, florida, the site of the republican national convention. about 16 hours from now, the thousands of delegates will reconvene to make the process of making mitt romney president of the united states. final preparations are now being made for the first of three star-studded nights. we want to welcome our viewers in the united states and around the world. i'm wolf blitzner tampa with erin burnett. we have a lot of politics to cover. >> we sure do. the convention is formally convened today, but for a few minutes. you saw him a moment ago

bringing it to order and the republicans started a second. they have one up there. the $16 trillion debt and another 1 to count how much is racked up in the gop convention. the real action will start tomorrow. chris christie is going to be delivering the key note address and all eyes will be on that. whether it is calm or a combination of the two. another highlight will be the speech by his wife, ann. while all that is going on, they could be facing the wrath of hurricane isaac at that moment. anderson cooper is there back in 2005. >> they are joining with the latest waiting for isaac along the gulf coast. >> wolf and erin, i am at the 17th street canal. when hurricane katrina hit the city, since then, $10 billion has been spent on repairing and

strengthening new orleans levies. you can see when the floodgates that are behind me and been rebuilt, seven years ago, they are going to be tested possibly. isaac is getting stronger. new orleans could be feeling tropical storm force winds tonight. the wind is blowing more than it was two hours ago. the storm is moving slowly and not expected to make landfall until wednesday. mandatory evacuations are ordered for mississippi and louisiana along low-lying areas and thousands are heading inland. a lot more will be hunkering down for the storm. bobby jindal will be on the republican party's rising stars. he is staying home and not going to the convention. >> i will not be speaking or attending the convention in florida. party conventions are interesting, but no time for politics here in louisiana along

our coast. >> our meteorologists chad meyers is joining us in the severe weather center. what is the latest on where isaac is heading. give us the most up to date info. >> right to the west of new orleans and west of new orleans proper. about three hours ago, it tried to get an eye and an eyewall. this will not have rapid intensification. it failed to make that eye. great news. right now it would be a significantly bigger storm with an eye already. because it failed once, it's trying again right now trying to make another eye. 70 miles per hour, it never did make it to the hurricane. it did try during that first eyewall. right there, the storm is moving up the mississippi river. about a 100 mile per hour storm, not that far from new orleans. about 100 miles in error, left and right of new orleans by 2:00 a.m. tomorrow morning. this is about 30 hours away

right now. anderson? >> also stay with us because i want to bring in rob marciano. he is not ordering an evacuation with a network of levies. he got a bird's-eye view of the levies. a different system than seven years ago. >> incredible. when you see it up close, it's awe-inspiring, but to get a look at the project is impressive. you want to share that with the viewers. >> shortly after taking off is the biggest pumping station in the world part of a $14 billion plan to protect new orleans from hurricane floodwaters. gates to keep the seawater from coming in and pumps to let the rain water out. there is 73 pumping stations

across five parishes and some are able to move water at 150,000 gallons per second. they are miles and miles. >> if this storm strengthens to a category two storm tonight, will you sleep well? >> this is the best system that the greater new orleans area has seen. >> dug deeper, built stronger and standing higher than seven years ago, there 133 miles of levy wall around the city. new orleans's most exposed is here on the eastern side. this sea wall nearly two miles long, according to the army core of nrengineers, this is ready. >> sitting in the rescue

aircraft reminds me that if the walls don't hold, the men providing this may be the same guys that are saving lives down below. >> we are ready. we have crews ready and available to respond. . >> during and after hurricane katrina 2005, he was credited with restoring order here and it was a welcome sight when he arrived here. he is retired here. what concerns you most over the next 24 hours? >> people in flood-prone areas that will try to stick it out. parts of the gulf coast will flood. all outside of the levy system. >> where we are which is 17th street canal is outside the protection.

>> the lower parishes have a significant amount of parishes and towns that are ready. they are ready for the perspective and i hope the people are ready, mentally prepared and have done the preparation we have been preaching about at home and prepared to live three or four days without electricity. the storm even though it's a category one has the capacity to turn the lights out. be prepared. >> the leadership at the state and local level is a different story. >> different story. infrastructure is different. on any given day. >> it is a slow-moving storm, people may say this is a low cat 2, we are looking at a lot of storm surge and rain over a 24-hour period. >> if you were in this area, new

orleans, st. bernard parish, you cannot live a few days without electricity meaning air conditioning and all the ameniti amenities, you need to leave. i know they tried to paint this, but if you have problems, you need to leave. if you know anyone with special needs, you can't live without the air conditioning, they need to leave and leave now. >> all five of ann and mitt romney's grown kids stopped by and you will hear part of that conversation. they were trying to reveal family secrets. >> i want to find a chink in the armor. >> about my dad? >> yeah. he was mr. perfect. >> he does, but i won't tell

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. >> i'm here with piers morgan and he had a chance to sit down with all five romney sons. it was a beautiful sight. >> to put it into perspective, this is the vip box in the gop convention. when ann romney speaks, the five boys will be sitting here cheering on mom and dad. it's a fascinating interview. >> a great interview. >> it was full of stuff about their love and faith and dad's

tax plans. it was all there. the most important challenge is how the hell do you remember five brothers's names when they all look pretty much alike. that was the first test. watch what follows. >> ben, craig, tag, josh, matt. >> very good. >> can you do it without the earpiece? >> no, no, no one was giving me information. we are at the crucial stage of the campaign. your father is within breathing distance of the white house. big pressure. how are you coping as his sons with the negativity that begins to pour down on your dad's head? >> that comes with the territory. you knew about it before we came in. you try to get your own message out there. a positive vision for what my dad believes america can get back to. trying to get the 23 million people out of work back to work.

he and paul ryan will breakthrough the stuff out there and deliver that message in their people. >> josh, when you see an attack ad like the obama super pac and accusing your father for being responsible for a woman's death. how do you feel? >> some of these go too far clearly. the ones that are untruthful are hard to watch, but at the end of the day when people who know my dad best, the people who spent their lives with him and people who support him and the ones know him the least have the worst things to say. we know who he is and when r what kind of a person he s. we t let it roll off our backs. >> here seems a very laid back individual. what is the biggest anger moment you have seen throughout this

whole campaign. >> he seems laid back? is that what you said? he can be very intense. he can also be laid back when the time is right. we were talking earlier and he was a ceo and a govern nor. that's really part of who he is, but also a grandfather whch. he is a terrific grandfather. we have seen him intense as well on the campaign trail. you encounter a lot of scenarios and hecklers and different things. i think he handled it all very well. when he needs to be intense, we have all seen it. >> what is the biggest misconception about your father? you keep reading and you say you know what, he's not like that. >> i will not get into the misconceptions, but what i think my father is and he's a great dad and grandfather. he's a phenomenal leader and

he's a turn around guy who has come into situations and turned around difficult situations. he is caring and doing it in the right situation. >> you make him out to be a saint. when you are criticizing him, where would you be critical? come on. >> he cares too much. >> his hair is too perfect. >> he cares too much? >> exactly. >> you are going to make me cry. seriously. you are the youngest. the youngest always tells the truth. i have three sons and my youngest would give it to me straight. i want to find a chink in the armor. >> about my dad? >> yeah. he's mr. perfect? >> he does have chinks in the armor, but i won't tell them to you. he is a role model to all ofs and you we have tremendous respect for him and it's a great privilege to travel the country on his behalf and hear about the

issues important to them. >> let's turn to the documentary and a fascinating series of interviews. your mother got emotional and your father got emotional too. two pivotal moments. one died in a car crash and second when your mother was ill with ms. were you surprised by the fact that they were so emotional? >> no. that's my mom and dad that we know. my dad is a very emotional guy and cares deeply for his family and for those that he loves around him. the people that he comes across in his life. he cares very deeply. when he is in front of the camera and on the stage, he has his guard up because when he doesn't, he gets assailed for saying the wrong phrase. >> he ripped his jacket off. >> all the time. >> this is what i'm really like. >> all the time.

people who see him at work as governor running the olympics tell you a man that cares deeply and is passionate and runs through brick walls. >> people say we are going to try the other side of the story. >> let me give you allegations. one is that he is boring. >> i wouldn't say that. he is a pretty interesting guy. i can't imagine anything i would rather spend an hour talking to about you name the subject. he's a lot of fun to listen to and talk to and argue with. >> the other is a flip flopper. doesn't stand for anything. one minute he believe this is and is he a man of principal? >> if you look at his career in the public sector, he has the same goals and he loves to help people. if you look at what he did as governor, he was doing things to help people. he is running for president. this is not an ego thing.

he doesn't need this that makes him feel better about who he is, but he is ni in a position to help people and turn the economy around. the thing about my dad in my opinion is principals and what he stands for and what he wants to do for the country. >> when you take an issue like abortion when he goes from one extreme to the opposite, people say that's where he is not principaled. what would you say? >> there is evolutions everybody has in life. i don't think you can find a person whos has not changed positions on something in a lifetime. circumstances change. i have good things. someone was able to do that and open to learning good things. i think someone has an open mind and willing to look at things is a good thing in a leader. >> lots of issues around the republican race. the conservative social issues. you guys are all mormons

obviously and we know about that faith. when you meet young people, they say they don't like the apparent intolerance over gay rights. over abortion and these kinds of issues. you are young guys. how do you feel? are you on the positions the party takes. >> we are not running for president and our dad is. the one thing i can tell you about him and us, our faith teaches us to love everybody regardless of their situation and orientation is. that's first and foremost. you love everybody. as far as policies are concerned, we all believe that family is important. my dad does as well. that is worth fighting for. how that shakes out, that's up to him to decide. >> some of the language used by them, some of the language can

be very bordering on bigoted. as the younger guys, it is generational. do you wish sometimes the language used by the republicans was less immotive? >> my dad is very compassionate in his views and he believes that marriage should be between a man and a woman, but he is also very understanding that people have other opinions. i think he has been respectful of both sides. this race i don't think is going to come down to social issues. we have 23 million americans out of work and economy that is stalling. $5 trillion in debt. $7 trillion of debt. this is going to come down to who can turn the economy prnd and people trust my dad on that a lot more than barack obama. >> the mormon faith, we touched on that and there was a documentary last night with parents expanded more on this. we heard the negatives about mormonism.

what are the positives. what are the great assets are being a mormon? >> in a few brief sentences, i guess, for me it's great values and how to live my life. how to treat other people. just like a lot of faiths that are out there, there a lot of great thing about mormonism. how to live your and treat your neighbor and love others. >> you don't drink or smoke or take drugs or womanize. >> these are all things -- >> you are strapping young guys. don't you ever wish you were not mormons? >> these are blessings in my life. this code has been wonderful per for me. >> do you think it's really important? do you think it's a great asset? >> i hope so. it's something that is important to us and the values we have been taught from a young age. they are core principals and we are proud of that.

>> stay with us. so many women are tuning in to watch these six handsome guys, we will come back after the break.

with the romney five as i dubbed them. josh, let's talk taxation. i know you have been champing at the bit to get to this. a lot of people say come on, the old man should release more of his fay national records. just clear up once and for all how much tax he's paid. >> he's paid his taxes and this is a gimmick by the obama campaign to take the message off the economy and on his taxes. we have $16 trillion of debt and 23 million americans out of work and obama talks about my dad's personal taxes. these are not things that

matter. they want to use it as a gimmick to hit him over the next few weeks to focus on my dad's taxes. really the big issue is the economy. it's faltering and sputtering along. obama had 3 1/2 years and he hasn't done it. that's the real issue. >> matt, how hard is it to be the son of a man that think you are very, very rich people. you get people attacking him for his success and wealth. >> as tagg pointed out, this is a game of politics. we are prepared. it's tough to see. he did a great job of making that money. he worked very, very hard to do that. we don't take anything for granted. a lot of people are struggling. >> i think that's one of the ironies. president obama is trying to make it a disqualifier to be successful. if you had a successful career, that disqualifies you from being

a good period. he had not had that opportunity, but wants to point to my dad as being disqualifying. >> knowing your father as you do, you can guarantee to the american people he has nothing to hide? >> yeah. i know my dad and what he stands for and his value system. he is the most honest guy i know and complete integrity. nothing to hide and he wants to focus on the economy. let's not distract ourselves with the issues. let's get down to the issues. you look at the pick and this is a guy who spend his time tackling the issues. whether or not you agree or disagree, he is trying to make a difference and my dad is doing the same thing. he wants to make a difference and talk about the issues. >> were you considered when your dad picked a running mate who lock looks like his sons. >> he picked the person he

thought would do the best job to tackle the debt and get the economy booming. when he is out of office. he didn't pick paul ryan for political reasons, but he was the right person to pick. he will pay less attention -- >> what a bold move. it was quite audacious. >> you look at what he will do in office. he won't worry about the day to day back and forth and what is that person going to think? he does what he thinks will be the right thing to do. weave forward and fix the problems we are facing right now. >> your dad has a huge speech. what do you want him to say? you talk privately and say dad, come out and do this. >> i think it's a great

opportunity and hear his story and vision for the country. i think in large parts he has been defined by the opposition up until this point. it's a chance for the voters. >> we get e-mailed speeches from friends. this is what he needs to say. >> do you you want him to be passionate and emotional? >> since he picked paul ryan. >> he has it there. he has been a bit like a caged lion. i wonder if you say dad, this is the moment. this speech could win you the election. do you say that too? >> he's very, very capable. if i had half the intelligence he had, i trust him. he knows what he's doing and he

is capable and will give a great speech. it will be a lot of great inside and how to fix the economy. >> you are a doctor and your mother is making a huge speech tomorrow. she has been through an ordeal with her health and you would never imagine for a moment and brought you five guys up and she had all this back up and that wasn't true. >> she has been really a role model for me as well. she faced a difficult situation and attacked head on. what are we going to do and how am i going to get better? we can overcome this. she worked really hard to get to where she is right now. i just have nothing but pride and admiration for that. >> what w all of you giving me one word which is a great

description for your dad, you can't use the same word. >> frugal. >> qualified. >> generous. >> integrity earlier, but i will say loving as well. >> father first. >> father can be the one thing. it's a pleasure to meet you. great to see you. that was a fascinating interview with the romney sons. i will turn back to wolf and erin. . >> it's amazing. whatever you want to see about mitt and ann romney, they have a great family. those five boys are impressive. >> really, really impressive. i like a lot of things, but the words to describe, i like how the first word was frugal. >> funny they didn't say was cheap. >> the flip side is cheap. >> in the story they did with

gloria boringer, he buys kirkland shirts. >> those are good shirts. >> whatever it costs. >> we have the latest on tropical storm isaac as we track it. >> we have an updated projection on the powerful storm's path. stay with us. ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] its lightweight construction makes it nimble... ♪ its road gripping performance makes it a cadillac. introducing the all-new cadillac xts. available with advanced haldex all-wheel drive.

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. here's the latest on isaac. forecasters expect it to be a hurricane soon and could have 100 mile an hour sustained winds. it is moving around 10 miles per hour and forecasters expect a decrease in the forward speed. the slow movement could produce long laughing rainfall. southern mississippi and alabama as well as the extreme western

florida panhandle. the combination of a storm surge will cause the dry areas to be flooded and the major threat from isaac will not be wind, but flooding. that's the most important thing to remember. let's check in with chad meyers. >> you about summed it up. not much more to say than that. she had rainfall and some spots 13 inches of rain. they are continuing to try to increase and find a new center. a new eye and 70 miles per hour is the latest update we heard. into louisiana and it's going to stop. we have all these to keep the seawater out of new orleans.

we have rain coming in and rain coming out and wind speeds will be coming up. the advisory comes in on my deck. >> for it's moving at 10 miles an hour, when it goes over land moving slower than that, how long are folks going to be feeling the effects? >> we could have 45 to 55 mile per hour winds for no less than 48 hours. that will shut down airports and put power lines down and people without power, sometimes they will have a hard time keeping up. >> we will continue to check in with you. let's go back to wolf in tampa. wolf? thank you very much. i'm worried about the elderly people. if they lose power, that could be a big deal.

>> last time with katrina and the elderly in new orleans. tomorrow on tuesday, mitt romney will be arriving and his five sons are here and his wife will be here. the speeches are getting under way. there will be a lot of them. they start early. >> a roll call as well. that includes the wife of the nominee. she is speaking tomorrow night and candy crow liley near the podium. >> two big speakers tomorrow night. ann romney will kickoff the high profile speeches to try to refrain, if you will, the mitt romney that voters have gotten to know through various ads and they have seen them on the air as well as mistakes that romney made along the way. she will play what has become a traditional wife role or spouse role not in the sense of sitting by and not saying anything, but in the sense that wives can not

only humanize their husbands, but a lot of folks can relate to. ann romney is a likeable person and comes across that way and plays the camera well and the fact is that they are banking on people warming up to ann romney. she is married to him therefore he must be a good guy kind of connection. a really interesting kind of contrast in that 10:00 p.m. eastern hour. you will also hear from the new jersey governor chris christie who is delivering the key note speech. as you know this is a guy who doesn't pull many punches. it will be an exciting hour tomorrow night. >> i'm looking forward to it. she does have an inspiring story. other correspondents have been gathering information about the action tomorrow. they will be on duty for us.

let's begin with details on the key note speaker. what do you hear? >> it's interesting. candy was talking about the fact that new jersey governor chris christie doesn't pull any punches, but sources who know well that he is the same in private with governor mitt romney. the two of them met officially when the governor came to new jersey to ask for his endorsement which he got. they became close enough that governor christi can say in private that a lot of people say to mitt romney. they established a bond between the two. unclear if that's one of the reasons. the other is likely as candy was

talking about that he doesn't pull any punches. our understanding is that he is going to talk positively about the republican party and his vision for it. i want to push it over to jim who will talk about who what he is hearing and what they think will happen tomorrow. >> noort. one thing we should point out, they put out new guidance. that is that they will be having another briefing tomorrow morning. officials have been saying they will be doing this quite often. frankly they have to stay on top of the storm and they have to change in light of what happens with that storm. they want to avoid anything about mitt romney. he is say long time friend of mitt romney and why this is.

he drew a parallel that had to do with a sales job of his own. ronald reagan. >> it's kind of like 1980. when people were tired of carter and his policies. still liked him, but there is this old guy, ronald reagan from california and weren't sure about him. they took the convention and i think it's the exact same situation. >> and earlier today, i had a chance to catch up with the gop chairman. wolf, he said here in tampa, they have to be nimble. i heard that he him in named him. >> he has a tough job. i don't envy him at all. thanks very much. we will take a quick break. some of the louisiana delegates

are suffering about deja vu like in 2008. they are at a party convention as a big storm is headed towards their home state and we'll hear from some of them. thanks for babysitting the kids, brittany.

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with two louisiana delegates, they are talking to two members of the delegation about isaac. >> they were kind enough to come here to talk about what's going through your skmd the delegation. this has got to be tough. >> we did and we are hoping that the city fares better than it did during katrina. with the levee breakage, from the last i heard before i arrived, there will be 20 to 30 hours of rain in the city of new orleans. >> we talked about the show must

go on. >> they have a job to do. we have an election coming up in november. it's an important decision on where americans will go and they have an opportunity to make their case of american public. >> for both of i it must be incredibly difficult. it's r it's fair to say you got emotional believing that is an important business. knowing what's happening back home. >> if we could do something about it, it would be great. there is nothing to do about it. the hurricane will go in where it chooses. it's just hideous that it comes on the an verse with new orleans. seven years ago with katrina. >> neither of you considered going back home. >> we would have had to evacuate it anyway. we are hoping that the levees are strong and say they are

confident. >> hopefully they will hold. >> we're don't know it will happen. hopefully everything will be okay. do we hope that the fellow republicans tone thigs down? >> no and i think we are here to do the business of his country and to elect mitt romney. new orleans is part of this great country, but it's a part of it. everyone is concern and we need to go on with our convention. >> thank you very much for coming in. >> everybody wishes you all the best with your family back home. >> thanks very much. >> let's talk about isaac and the politics of the storm. let me start with you first of all. this is an awkward moment for the convention. they are still speaking, that raises a lot. >> there is a lot of convention

today, but it's always easy to make that call in hindsight. what the delegates feel like they need is say good speech from mitt romney and ann romney and chris christie and if they need to trunkate events, they will do it. >> do they have that powerful speech that can give them the boost out of this? >> i think so. a lot of his speefs are falling short and president obama is obviously a better speaker, but i saw a lot of growth in the primaries. the big issue is there is an issue. this is approaching and there is a sense they will be under siege. it's hard to see how you go on the attack. >> how do they do that? how awkward would it be in. >> i'm not sure it's that

walkard. a lot of people watching and more than we would otherwise. this is not something to serve republicans. this is for the people of the us. this is a responsibility that republicans have this week and democrats have next week to pick a nominee and introduce him to the american people. this is not a self-serving person does. they can meet that and be respectful. >> you have republican governors of floater, alabama, mississippi, louisiana, mex as. chris christie, governor of new jersey. you have an opportunity for leadership. then senator obama does not. when you woman president, things change. things happen. i think how they handle it is

saying this is simply a microcosm of what will happen when you become president. you have to handle the natural disaster and things changing and you have to change course. you get the full benefit as a result of what's happening with isaac. >> we don't know the answer, but i think to alex's point, more people will be watching in the daytime and pieces of that. more of the daytime proceedings. the biggest frustration is they don't know if they have to tell them you can't say this. they don't know if they have to -- what do they do with wednesday and thursday if there is a crisis. they have to be nimble which is one of the reasons governor romney is coming in tomorrow. he will get more on the front end.

>> we are getting a new update in. let's take a break and go and update ow what's going on after this. clamp pliers. you know what's complicated? shipping. shipping's complicated. not really. with priority mail flat rate boxes from the postal service shipping's easy. if it fits, it ships anywhere in the country for a low flat rate. that's not complicated. no. come on. how about... a handshake. alright. priority mail flat rate boxes. starting at just $5.15. only from the postal service. perform, compete and grow. and people are driving this change. that's the power of human resources. the society... for human resource management and its members know... how to harness that power, because we help develop it. from the next economy, to the next generation, we help get... the most out of business, by getting the best out of people. shrm. leading people, leading organizations.

>> we have a new advisory with tropical storm isaac and checked in with chad meyers. what have we learned? >> still reading it, anderson. not muchs o has changed. they have not found wind increase. it is significant and the pressure getting lower. that means the storm is technically getting stronger. category one is the forecast. not a category two anymore. a 90 mile per hour storm as it rolls up the mississippi river close to new orleans. notice the cone is getting smaller. as the storm gets closer, the storm's error is smaller. so the cone and the error difference is getting smaller as well. this will be a rainmaker. this will be a flood maker. i have maps earlier that i showed you. we could get 20 inches of rainfall from the storm in new orleans proper. right in the city. because new orleans is lower than the ocean level, all that

water has to get pumped out. let's hope it goes flawlessly. >> we will continue to watch it and check in with chad meyers on twitter. stay with us for the latest on the storm and the republican convention. i'm anderson cooper in new orleans. coming up next, romney revealed. take a look. >> a man born to wealth, privilege, and politics. >> mire dad always felt like he wanted to be true to his dad's name and begacy. >> a savvy businessman who made a fortune at bain capital and turned around the 2002 winter

olympi olympics. >> he has two speeds. asleep or wide awake and fixing things. >> driven by his faith, family and mormon religion. >> you try your best to know what god might say and love to get direction from the church as well. >> a warm caring man. >> he was going to do anything he could to say i'm here. stay right there and we will be okay. >> a cold calculating politician. >> he made decisions knowing that they could resurface under the glare of a political campaign. >> sheer not pro choice, but multiple choice. >> you want to run for the president of the united states. >> we will bring back america. thank you so much. >> now romney revealed. family, faith, and the road to power.

. >> ann and mitt romney's summer home. a private, large, and lived in family retreat for the entire clan. all 28 of them. >> they all left last night. i ran through 12 loads this morning. a lost towels and sheets, but it's a joy us thing to have them all here. >> even in the midst of a pattial campaign. >> me about the mitt romney that's here? >> nonstop. nonstop. he is going every minute. he is loving it. he pops out of bed the first thing in the morning and he is going. >> here inside the lake house, romney is more camp counsellor than candidate. >> fun loving, warm, spontaneous. get him out of the public eye

and put him in here. he is as loose and funny and spontaneous as you would want to see and so much fun to be with. >> what happens when you get in the public eye? >> you have to be more circumspect and careful with your words. you have to be very, very careful. it's unfortunate that even people i think probably only think of mitt through his business lens. for me, that is just 1% of who he is. >> who is he really? first and foremost, a romney. the romney name has been in the public eye for the last half century. a family of great wealth and business achievement. political success as well as failures. mitt was the fourth and last child for george and le nor, born march 12th, 1947. some recall him as the favorite.

george wrote to the family in september of 1956. mitt is growing like a weed and full of inside and energy as ever. tom mccaffrey grew up with romney. >> mitt as a child was extremely energetic kid that could never sit down. his mind was going 100 miles an hour. >> george was much the same way. he's got that energy. >> phillip mac well lived down the street in a wealthy detroit suburb. >> george would go out on the golf course with fluorescent golf balls. he would hit the ball and run after the ball. hit the ball again and that was his exercise. >> young mitt not only had his father's energy -- >> there seems to be a special bond between george and mitt. >> michael and scott cowrote the

book, the real romney. >> mitt idolized his father in a way you can see in the way he has run his life in the footsteps of the career. >> george romney was a ceo who saved american motors by betting on smaller cars it. gave his son a first look at business. >> george was a turn around artist in american moteors, taking a company that lost focus for whatever reason and fixing it. >> once george made his mark in the auto world, he switched gears to politics. he was the republican governor of michigan for three terms and young mitt was a fixture on the campaign trail. schooled early in issues, strategies and the possibility of losing. >> dad's pollster said george, you can't possibly win. i was a kid in high school and thought oh, no. we are going to lose. i will be embarrassed at school. the little things that kids

think. my dad said i'm not in this because i worry about winning or losing. i'm here to make a difference. he is not defined by elections. he is defined as a man of character throughout his life. >> then there was mitt's mother, le nor. >> my mom had a softer side. she used to read to me when i was a boy and gave me a love of culture and literature. >> once a screen actress, le nor met george in 1924. their courtship was an often told part of the family story. >> he left what he was doing and traveled west and convinced him to marry him as opposed to going into the movie business. he knew what he want and it was not going to stop until he got it. >> mitt's courtship was in his own way no less intense. they were just teenagers at neighboring elite private schools in detroit. it was mitt's senior year when he spotted the 16-year-old ann

dav davies at a dance. >> i was in love very quickly. >> she was smart. she set hook deep. i call and she was too busy. she went on a date with someone else while i was pursuing her. it made me crazy. >> he was so much fun. captivating. it was fun to be with him. >> he was swinging around trying to find his place. one of the consequences is that he would get involved in pranks. that was attention-getting. >> maxwell remembers one incident he said crossed the line. a younger classmate returned from break with long bleach blond hair and a group of guys including romney confronted him. >> he was taken bound. mitt said he cut his hair.

it was an ugly scene and it was a long time ago. i will never forget it because of the look on this boy's face. he was absolutely terrified when he took him down. >> other who is went, do you remember different stories that they say were over the top and maybe even cruel to some students? do you remember it that way? >> no, i don't. i know that comes up in the campaign season, but it's the first time i have heard that. >> the haircutting story? >> that's the only story i have heard of that nature. the pranks that we pulled were designed to be funny and have fun. i can imagine that now and then, things i did in high school were not things i wanted to be part of a presidential campaign. >> one incident without focus and direction.

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. >> stanford university. the counter culture movement was growing. a different world for the freshman, straight from a boarding school and conservative roots. >> he has this exposure to all these new ideas and people. new experiences. >> all romney could think about was ann in michigan. >> marmar mark marcus was romneyee roommate. >> a lot have high school girlfriends, but for mitt it was different. he could not stop talking about ann. paper. >> we were so much in love. i went to college and got a job there to earn a little money to pay for an airplane ticket to go home and see her. this was at stanford. we didn't tell my parents about

this. >> you smuk home? >> her parents knew about it. they were on the inside. my parents, they would never go along with it. they never caught us. >> the politics on campus were inescapable. you see an anti-establishment strain growing. >> as the protest at stanford grew, romney stood with the establishment and for the war. >> his father was strong strongly for the war and fining his political footing. the first time we see mitt romney emerge as his own man is when he leads the protest against the protesters on the campus of stanford. he is standing up saying speak out, don't sit in. >> romney never and with a high

draft number. he would have been eligible to serve certainly. >> at end of his freshman year, romney would be called to serve. noshad the country, but his faith. as a mormon missionary in france. it was a tradition he considered breaking. >> he was concerned he would lose ann. she told him if you don't go, you will regret it. i will be here. >> when are he left, i had a very brave face and went to the airport with his entire family and we said goodbye. i was driven home with his family and i walked into my home and opened the door and my mother was there and i fell flat on the ground and dissolved in tears and she could not console me.

>> for 2 1/2 years in the 60s, romney lived abroad working every day to convert the skeptical french to his mormon faith. >> this is the neighborhood that you used to knock on doors. all day. >> 45 years ago. this is fairly typical. >> mike bush took us back to the streets where he and romney spent 60 our hours a week spreading faith in french. >> did you have a specific message? >> we would talk to them about our beliefs and jesus christ and the book of mormon. >> you are out speaking with people day in and day out about your faith and religion and difference between it and other faiths. >> getting doors slammed in your face. >> it was a time of a great deal of rejection. >> romney kept at it in a rare

conversation about his faith, he reveals how the constant rejection led to surprising soul searching. >> what do i believe? what's truth? is there a god? is jesus christ the son of god? these are questions that are no longer academic, but critical. >> as mitt questioned everything, his father tried to get his son back on track. >> your father sent you this letter and tried to get you not to feel discouraged. he said despair not, but if you despair, work on in your despair. then he wrote, so persist. >> my dad, what a guy. he always has been there for me.

i remember my dad's advice. every time i had challenges of one kind or another. he was there with council. isolated and depending on accounts of his father's fight for the republican nomination. >> i have decided to fight for and win the republican nomination and election of the presidency of the united states. >> the war in nam was iss"issue #1." he turned away from the war and said so. >> i had the brightest brain washing. not only by the generals, but the diplomatic. >> months after the now infamous comment, his campaign collapsed.

>> sister jane said, for example, this affected mitt and he is more careful in what he said and more scripted. he saw how one phrase could torpedo a periodial campaign. >> if george's failure turned him into the cautious he is today, he won't admit it. >> i tell the truth too. one of his favorite sayings was being right too early is devastating in politics. but still it's being right. you tell people what you believe. >> what romney believes is an issue throughout his political career. while the message was clearner france, his mission would almost cost him his life. >> i had word that he was

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in 1968, france was a dangerous place to be for a 21-year-old american. mitt romney was right in the middle of it. >> there were protests and blockades and marches all over the country. >> the streets of france were in chaos. >> there was no train service. no buses. no newspapers. the electricity would go off from time to time. no letters from home and the money at the time came have a check. that was our lifeline. getting the letters from home. >> you are totally isolated? >> totally isolated. >> they were out of touch with 200 missionaries they were responsible for. >> ander anderson's father was leading the mormon mission in france. by the time the riots ended, romney was promoted to be

president anderson's assistant and they had an urgent assignment. >> there was little dispute in the congregation and they decided to drive down to resolve it in person. mitt was driving. >> it was a warm summer day in june between paris and the south of france. romney was driving anderson and his wife. >> i believe we are in the town of beaulac. they were at the top of the hill and there was a mercedes. they had no time to react. the car was on the wrong side of the road. >> the driver apparently drunk slammed into them at full speed. both cars crushed and mangled. mitt romney and leola anderson unconscious. >> george said we have bad news

about mitt. he didn't tell me what. he came and picked me up and took me to his home. i had word that he was killed. >> the policeman on the scene apparently thought i was in worse condition than it was and wrote he is dead-on my passport. >> we waited for hours and hours to get word from france that he was actually alive. >> i was knocked unconscious and only recall waking up for a brief moment in the ambulance going to the hospital. >> romney had a concussion and broken bones. the mom away from home to 200 young missionaries was dead. >> this was a huge deal. this rocked the mormon community not just in france, but all over the world. >> it was a great time of challenge and soul searching for all of us. >> romney, anderson's assistant was left to lead a struggling

mission. he was so injured he had to return to the united states for surgeries and during that time, i and one fellow took responsibility for overseeing the affairs for the 200 or so men and women, boys and girls that were serving there as missionaries. >> this was a critical moment. morale -- >> morale was low. by september we were only halfway towards our yearly goals. park woman me in set a goal, more than doubling the target for conversions. if we want to change behavior, we have to have things different from how they have been doing them. >> they did just that. >> we were dressed up in outfits we found in the basement and it brought the house down. lifted people's spirits and they

were laughing again. >> spirits were high and so were the number of converts. >> we were at 80. doubling it in the last four months. december 31st, we had i forgot. 204 or 205. the goal was accomplished. >> bi >> by the end of the mission, these things cemented his faith. >> for convinced me that there is a god and jesus christ is the son of god and my savior and these are features that continue to be important in my life. >> he was a young boy when he left. a prankster and liked to play jokes and probably didn't take life too seriously. being in france and having to stand up for what you believe in taught him a lot. he came back much more studious and serious. i think discovered a little bit about who he was. what was important to him. >> mitt romney was ready to return home, but an unexpected

letter sent him reeling. >> i was saying before he came home, i haven't seen you for 2 1/2 years and i'm dating other people. . and zoom... in your car. introducing the all-new cadillac xts with cue. ♪ don't worry. we haven't forgotten, you still like things to push. [ engine revs ] the all-new cadillac xts has arrived, and it's bringing the future forward.

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it might be called the city of lights, but mitt romney's last months in paris felt pretty dark. he had gotten word from his girlfriend, ann davies she was dating another man, but mitt had to wait until the end of his mission to see her. >> he walked off that airplane and we only had eyes for each other. >> christmas eve, 1968. >> here walked by his mother and father right to me. it was as though time had stood still. it was an amazing moment where it just dissolved. the 2 1/2 years dissolved and we were back to where we were. >> here proposed? >> on the car ride home he was like oh, my gosh. i've waited so long for you. let's get married now. >> i'm like why not.

let's do that. that was not good news to either set of parents. >> ann was 19 and mitt 21. their parents wanted them to wait and they wanted a valentine's day wedding. >> what are did do you what you got this? >> yea! all right! >> this close friend remembers the telegram he received with the news. boom, february 14. you knew what he was talking about? >> absolutely. >> at le nor romney's request, they waited a month. >> it was beautiful. >> you were in the wedding? >> i was. >> the civil wedding was performed by a bishop of our church in bloomfield church, michigan at the davies home, ann's parents. >> the next morning they flew to utah for a second ceremony in salt lake city's mormon temple where they were sealed for eternity as the church calls it. ann's parents could not attend

because they were not relative and herself was a relatively new convert. the biographers. >> ann davies meets mitt, she is searching a little bit for a religious home in the way a teenager does. what does it mean and what do i believe? this was a hurdle they would have to get over. >> dear mitt romney himself spend a lot of time talking about faith to ann or was it george? >> early on when mitt was going out with ann, he did give her lessons in what was the mormon faith all about. >> ultimately ann's conversion was overseen by george romney while mitt was in france. >> he would pick me up every sunday for church. it was easy for me to talk to him because he respected me as his complete equal. >> ann and mitt settled in provo, utah in this $75 a month

basement apartment. starting a family and getting serious about school. the mission experience refocused romney. >> life was very different in america than for the french. i have to work hard in school and need to be responsible and get back and work. i began to long for the chance to go back to school and prepare for my life going forward. >> brigham young university was as far from stanford as romney could get. he seemed at home in this conservative environment, but in the midst of this life, mitt took off on the campaign trail in 1970. >> she is not so -- >> this time for his mother. >> lenore romney, candidate for the united states senate. >> lenore, the dutiful wife was the candidate, running for the senate seat in michigan. >> i became so concerned about the direction our country has been going.

>> her youngest son mitt was by her side. childhood friend, phillip maxwell. >> they visited every county in the state in the course of that campaign. by that time he was very engaged in politics. >> romney crossed the entire state with lenore. >> he was getting a high level person in politics. >> we wanted to have a community center. >> her style was diplomat. different from her husband's bull in a china shop approach. >> she was just very gracious woman. nuanced. careful. and i have seen that in mitt. >> he had a very advanced and mature understanding of politics at a young age. lenore romney ended up getting

killed in the senate race. you take the lessons from defeat. >> from both parents, george on candor. >> there was a growing aimlessness in our american society. >> lenore more cautious. their son looked for a path somewhere in between. george romney steered his son away from politics and towards business first. two graduate degrees in both business and law at harvard. >> george romney had seen what it took to succeed. what skills and credential he's needed. he was encouraging his son go to go beyond where he had been. >> in 1912350, mitt and ann and two baby boys moved to massachusetts. their move from utah would not be easy. >> destroyed by fire and the fire department indicated it was most likely set that they

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. patty cake, patty cake, baker's man. bake me a cake as fast as you can. >> it was a full house for the romneys in the 70s here in belmont, massachusetts. >> it was a lot of fun. i was the oldest of five boys and there was a lot of chaos. >> your mother once said your father was having another teenager in the house? >> we thought of him as a big older brother for a while. he was a lot of fun to be around. >> life was also busy. romney was starting a lucrative and intense consuling job in boston and ann was running things at home. >> people describe him as the energizer bunny. >> my kids joke and say i'm the mitt stabilizer. whenever mitt might start winding up and getting really

highly energetic, they know i have a calm influence. >> in the 70s and 80s, romney was also spending a lot of time with his church which saw him as a rising star. energetic, devoted, generous with both time and money. >> everybody was well aware of mitt romney. there was star power even when he was not running for office. >> phil barlow first met him in church in 1979. like most in the church, he already knew the romney name, but not the romney work eggic. >> a person might tend to pull out their pocket book rather than take their time. he did both. >> for more than a decade, romney was part of the leadership of the church in hometown. he was asked to lead the congregation. >> talk about a growing up and a learning experience. >> it is a time he rarely talks

about, but was surprisingly open with us. >> i was like the pastor. that meant if someone was in the hospital, i need to see them. if someone lost their job and couldn't afford to meet their rent payments, i was responsible for helping get them the financial aid they needed. if someone was contemplating a divorce and wanted counseling, they would come to me. >> romney was literally hands on. >> a single woman had storm damage and there might be leakage and he said i haven't got anything better to do that is more important than that after this meeting. how about you brothers? >> one of the toughest times came in 1984. led by romney, they were building a new meeting house and there was a good deal of local opposition. >> you got a call in the middle of the night?

>> this building was under construction. >> grant bennett, the right hand man remembers the call from the fire department. the building had burned to the ground. they suspected arson. >> the catholics and the congregationalists and the jewish temple came out in force and everyone offered for the congregation to meet in their building. >> instead of picking one congregation, romney picked all of them. >> he very much saw this as a bridge building opportunity to get to know our neighbors. >> romney was less successful bridging another divide. >> the form on church is the arch enemy of women's rights in the country. >> the 70s was a decade when the era was being push and the

mormon church came out and took an active position against the era. >> judy was a member of the congressigation and a feminist fighting for women's rights in the mormon church or being able to deliver a sermon. >> we were faced with a church we all love and grown up in and suddenly it was taking this unusual and we thought strange position. >> what about mitt romney? >> i expected a comforter and someone who would have an exclusive attitude and in the peace of mind of all of us. i did not feel that in his congressigation. >> we're all have different memories. >> romney recalls a meeting he led with more than 300 mormon women. >> i adopted the recommendations. not all. it's not something i am in a position of change. >> i saw mitt soften.

and change. it was a learning experience for all of us. i saw a person that was respectful and listening and caring. >> he didn't think he was sympathetic at all and believes he bears a grudge against her to this day. >> it's indicative of the way mitt sees the world. certain people matter and some people he approves of and others he doesn't. if if he doesn't approve, he thinks they don't have the same standing or merit and they don't have the same kind of right to function and hold opinions and to participate. >> something others around him at the time fiercely deny. >> i would call him open and welcome to new ideas and if there is a better way, absolutely let's do it the better way. >> in business, romney would

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. it was the 80s. big money, corporate buy outs and dramatic takeovers. mitt romney was knee deep in it. a rising star at a boston consulting group, bain and company had a great pitch. help businesses make money by cutting costs. >> he was very successful in advising companies how to improve their business operations. >> soon romney's boss had a better idea. instead of just advising companies, why not buy them with investor money to generate huge profits. bain capital was born. early partner, jeffrey riners. >> a lot of long hours and late nights and a lot of learning, but a lot of success. >> so what kind of a leader was

mitt romney during those early years? >> i would say in the early years mitt was a lead by example kind of leader. he dug in and did analysis side by side with us. >> for paid off. bain capital invested in more than 100 companies, nearly doubling returns for clients annually. romney made a lot of money and he would later claim created a lot of jobs. but a former bain colleague talking about whether it was on job creation told cnn we were in the business of creating value for investors. was job creation or making money the goal? >> every business is organized to create a return for the people who invest in the business. they are able to hire people and

hire more people the more successful they are. businesses are created to provide a return to the owners of the investors. it has a wonderful by product. it employs more and more people and that's the nature of the american enterprise. >> ten years into his run, romney decided it was time to leave business for politics as his father had done. >> i will work hard to make sure everyone gets a good job. >> how are you nealing? >> energized. >> his target was ted kennedy. >> not exactly starting at the bottom of the ladder. >> i told my colleagues at work, don't clean out my desk because i will be spending a little time away from work. it will be a leave of absence. i really believe that someone needs to run against ted kennedy. >> kennedy was vulnerable. his personal life seemed out of control and his son patrick remembers it, the contrast with

romney was glaring. >> opposite my dad was this really great looking guy who was a wiz in business, beautiful family, kind of the picture of self discipline and next to my dad he was the polar opposite. >> on social issues, mitt romney sounded an awful lot like ted kennedy. >> i am committed to achieving universal coverage and doing to for our children. >> were you a liberal or a moderate? >> anyone can call me what they like, but look at my policies and make their determination. >> ted worked for the kennedy campaign. >> here ran as strongly pro choice. he told the gay newspaper in boston he would be on gay rights than ted kennedy. >> sheer just an opportunist? >> he is a guy who looks at

politics the way he looks at business deals. this doesn't represent an ideological path for him. anyone who looks at his position has to come to that judgment. for romney, politics is say means of attaining power to do things he wants to do. . >> by the fall of 1994, it was a dead heat and the kennedy campaign was looking for a silver bullet. they found it in bain capital. >> i don't like romney's creating jobs because he took hem away. >> he featured papers for indian a. after the bay area took it over, many workers lost their jobs. romney said he was not at bain at the time. his actions led to the job cuts. >> if you would make such a good senator, come out here to indiana and see what your company has done to these people. >> for worked so well, the obama campaign is using the same

indiana company and even the same people again. >> here doesn't care anything about the middle or lower class people. >> for we are successful -- >> his religious beliefs played a part as well. joe kennedy attacked the church for not allowing blacks for joining the priesthood. a policy that changed. romney cited the speech jfk gave addressing his roman catholic faith. >> in my view, the victory won was not for 40 million americans who were born catholic, but all americans of all faiths. i am sad to see that ted kennedy is trying to take away his brother's victory. >> my son's position is the same as jack kennedy's position. >> even romney's father entered the fray. >> it's absolutely wrong to hammer on the religious issue.

>> in october, a critical debate. >> they're have a multireal estate empire across the country. >> romney accused of kennedy family from benefiting from real estate deals. >> mr. romney, the kennedys are not in public service to make money. we have paid too high of a price in our commitment to the public service. ked kennedy began pulling away and mitt romney lost. >> he was back at work the next day. election was tuesday and wednesday morning he was back at his desk. >> we're expected it. ann was more upset by it than i, but losing put me back into business and i was more successful than before. >> not long after, something would make political defeat seem trivial. >> my diagnosis was probably the

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>> it was just before thanksgiving, 1998. >> she began to see numbness on her right side. it began spreading larger and larger. she was having more difficulty getting up stairs. we went to a neurologist. >> romney's life was about to take an unexpect and unhappy turn. >> we're went into his office and he performed an examination and she was flunking the examination. she couldn't stand on her right foot without falling and he stepped out and she began to cry and we welled up tears and hugged each other. she said something is terribly wrong. >> at age 49, ann romney was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, an incurable disease that can shut down the central nervous system. >> you don't know how much is it going to chew me up and spit me out.

when and where, how sick am i going to get. is it progressive and am i going to be in a wheel chair. it's a frightening place to be. >> i know ann was really distraught and distressed with the diagnosis, particularly as time went on. she was really ill for quite a while. >> i really just was having a very, very hard time and was very depressed. i had kind of given up a little bit. >> it was a tough moment for both of them. it was interesting to see the way he treated her, very caring and loving and frustrating to not step in and fix it. they drew even closer. >> even as sick as that, he would curl up in a bed with me. >> take a minute. >> so you just knew that's where he was. he was going