cut red tape, make energy affordable and turn around the economy. you happen to know that he also did this for business. and one of the wonderful business leaders, you are now famous throughout the country, meg whitman. she worked with mitt. [applause] i cannot see say enough about being thrilled to have paul ryan and his wife as part our team. he is so great. [applause]

and he is ringing a warning bell. we appreciate the bell he is bringing. he is making all of us aware that we are approaching a fiscal cliff, that we have economic problems in this nation that have got to be addressed and have got to be solved. we are grateful for a man who has that much courage, integrity. we love paul ryan. [applause] i am going to now have fun and tell you a story about mid. and my fun job as a wife is to

tell people about things that you might not know about. i think everyone knows he was a governor, successful businessman, that he has a big family. in the balloon drop, my grandchildren got lost. the balloons were dropping. and there were diving into the balloons. but they knew there was going to be another balloon drop and there were truly going to be buried. but they did not mind. that was their favorite part of the convention. there was a story told at the convention that i would like to retell. and have the ability to let you know what kind of a person mitt is. he is a person who cares. and having these women with us today, we know that he cares about women and making the economy good for women.

and he cares that these past four years have been the most difficult on women. do you know that more women have become unemployed than men in the last four years? do you know that more women have fallen into poverty in the last four years? i know we need to have women out there understand that mitt is someone who cares, someone who will work harder than anyone, who will be there, and he will not fail. [applause] to show you the kind of character that i have seen a dead of this man that i have been married to for 43 years, i will tell a story that has been told at the convention. was a surprise to me.

friends from our past, ted was a fireman in massachusetts. and i remember how old one of my sons was, you was just learning how to talk. it sticks in my memory because of that. my son, ban, was two. then is now a doctor. ben is now a doctor. the story is that there were just friends of ours, members of our congregation. and one of their sons became ill with leukemia. mitt continues to be friends with the family, he would visit them. but he he was in and out of the hospital for seven months before his death.

during those months, mitt would often visit with the david. it is interesting to think that mitt was very busy at that point in his life. he was also raising five little boys of his own. and it would have actually been only four if ben was two. but he was there for this family. and one of those conversations, he discovered david like firewood. some mitt made sure to tell david that he had bought him a very large box of firewood and fireworks for david when he got out of the hospital to set off. and his family remembered that so fondly. because it was relief from the

heavy heartedness that they felt. can you imagine if 14-year-old boy does not probably have many possessions. but he was -- mitt brought a yellow legal pad with him and they sat down together and they wrote out his will. in another visit, david was planning his funeral. he. to mitt, i know who i want to speak at my eulogy. i want you to speak at my funeral.

and mitt said, how amazing is that? this to me is how we measure a person. how we care for one another. [applause] i was grateful for pat and ted to come to our convention and tell that story. there were getting tired of hearing a story about a man that is heartless and only cares about profit. we know what he cares about, he cares about people. [applause]

so, here we are facing a very significant moment in our history. we have a very important election coming up. i was with barbara bush a couple months ago, and she was very outspoken and frank but she has a tendency to be. and she said something interesting. she said when she was introducing me that this is the most important election of her lifetime. and i said, is that amazing. she is 86 from 87 years old. she has been married to a president. and her son was a president. and i thought, this is the most important election of her lifetime. and it is. you did it. you did the hard work here in wisconsin. you got scott walker. [applause] and i know we can do it again. we have got to make sure that

paul ryan and mitt romney win in november. mitt is optimistic. he loves this country. he loves everything about the opportunity and promise that it has given us all. we are grateful for all of those to of sacrificed for us, who have come here for hope and opportunity, as my ancestors did. my grandfather would be stunned to know that his granddaughter would be standing here. and he came in a very bad time. 1929. with not a nickel in his pocket. but my father as a 15-year-old boy went to work during a high- school, got a good degree, worked harder. and he built his own business. [applause]

mitt is running to make sure that all of those dramas, all of those people who are working so hard will know that the next generation promises america will always be there for them. we love this country, we love what it has given for all of us. we love what it would give up for our children if we continue to fight and keep america what it has always been, the hope of the earth. god bless america. and thank you very much. ♪ i was born free ♪ born free free like a river ♪ ♪

♪ i was born free ♪ ♪ i was born free ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ i was born free ♪ i was born free ♪ i was born free ♪ born free ♪ i was born free ♪ i was born free ♪

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performed by rascal flatts] >> more coverage batonight. piquancy that about 1045 eastern here on c-span. the congressional black caucus is holding its adjusted the caucus. here is a live look for the

keynote speech will be given shortly by first lady michelle obama. we will have live on the starts in about 10 minutes. mitt romney and his wife found their 2010 tax returns yesterday. he paid a 14.1% tax rate. here is more about that. we will watch as much as we can tell our live coverage of michelle obama. >> this morning dealt with the release of tax and information from the ronnie's campaign. 13.7 coming in a combined income, giving it a 14.7 tax rate.

2.2 $5 million to charity deductions claimed it. $3.5 billion earned from warren -- it foreign countries. a $3,000 paid in foreign tax. $1.3 million paid in state income tax. if you go to politico's website, there is a story there saying that mitt romney's tax history is still fuzzy. what is fuzzy about the history? caller: one thing that is interesting is the campaign did not release tax returns before 2010, but they released a summary of the returns from 1992 through 2009. during that period mr. romney paid an average of 20%, but we do not know what he paid each

year. we still do not have any kind of tax information for the annual years before 2010. host: why is it important to have that affirmation? caller: because president obama has released tax information going back to the year 2000. there is a lot that has been made about what exactly mr. romney has paid in terms of taxes and where his wealth comes from. that always creates a little bit of, what is going on here. it raises questions when we have only seen two years of actual returns. host: as far as this year with the 2011 turns, talk about the tax rate and how that was achieved. caller: that was pretty interesting.

mitt romney over paid his taxes this year because if you remember in august, he said he has never paid a rate that was lower than 13%. he basically had to fiddle with the numbers and not take all of the deductions available to him via his charitable contributions to make the math work to keep the rate above 13%. had he taken all of the deductions available to him, his rates would have been somewhere in the 9% to 10% range. host: is that in part due to the charitable contributions, $4 million over all, $1 million to the church of latter-day saints and 2.2 $5 million to others. caller: that is right. host: there is a little on the political side reacting. harry reid said this morning that the information released reveals mitt romney manipulated

one of only two years of tax returns he saw fit to show to the american people. that raises the question, what else on the tax returns has he manipulated? we already know he has money overseas, but why does he not want to be straight with the american people about the choices he has made. does this go to the areas that senator reid was concerned about? caller: he makes these allegations that there are years in which mr. romney did not pay taxes at all. some insiders source knew that mr. romney did not pay taxes.

there has been a back and forth over the past couple of months on this issue. mitt romney has released -- he has paid taxes. he paid at the federal and state level over the past 20 years. it continues the conversation there. host: do you think the release of this will ever satisfy the desire for release of others? caller: people are still saying we need prior years and more affirmation. this is not ever going to satisfy people who want more information beyond what the campaign has already given. this is basically reinforcing what we already knew. mr. romney is very wealthy. he is textron 14%. host: steve sloan is a senior tax reporter on politico. thank you for your time. back to our calls. who do you trust when it comes

to medicare? we decided to divide the lines regionally and implied voters 55 and older. this is henderson, nevada. hello. caller: good morning. i am with romney/ryan plan. being a former insurance agent and manager, the obamacare plan is flawed in many respects. number one, it forces the states, all of them, to lose federal funding. it forces the states to put a pool up to ensure people that never possibly even paid into medicare. eventually, the serious

injuries, the serious illnesses will deplete the funds these states set up. i am not against indigence. i am not against people who did not pay into medicare. we will be financing through the state mandated obamacare. the second reason is he did in fact take out $750 billion, three-quarters of $1 trillion to fund in the states. that is not going to work. the government will never have actuaries that are as perfect as the insurance companies do. we are all at risk and the premiums rise based on risk and actual experience. host: this is shreveport, louisiana. hello, keith. caller: good morning. i have been on medicare for some time and i have no problems with it at all except the scary

thing is when they passed obamacare. i support the ryan and romney plan wholeheartedly. it will work because it brings in that free enterprise. the problem when they said we have to pass the bill before we can find out what is in it. i do not believe we have found out everything in that bill yet. i think that we need to look at free enterprise, capitalism, and we need to look a giving people freedom of choice. this is how the price will be reduced and not by cutting the price of doctors. host: what is it that you think will work in the caller: medical:it always has worked. capitalism is what has made our country so great. free enterprise. host: now that the general campaign conventions are over,

the debates are next. the first one coming up october 3 about the preparation for those debates on both sides saying the obama campaign wants to set a lobar for the president's performance, reflecting in part his debating skills are weaker than his other political assets. we want to invite you to watch and engage in the debates with c-span.

we have set up a page and information concerning all of the vice-presidential debate and debates. you can see these debates, comment on them. you can also listen to them live on c-span, c-span radio, and online at c-span.org. that is part of campaign 2012 coverage. for more information go to our web site. hello, this is maryann. caller: i want to thank c-span. i was up and watched the paul ryan speech to the aarp and i thought it was very good. i have not had an opportunity to hear that speech. i guess i was really impressed by the plan that they have. i cannot understand how people can think obamacare can work.

if you do not strengthen the economy and have people making money to invest money to give to these programs, how is it going to work? host: what is it above the/the ryan approach that is appealing when it comes to health-related matters and medicare? caller: they will let people have a choice on who they will choose for their provider. with obamacare, everybody has to have the same provider. it is like one shoe fits all. i was really impressed by what ryan proposed. you support the economy, and then the economy will feedback -- if you have more people working, you'll have more people paying taxes to help people that really need it.

>> we're going live now to hear first lady michelle obama of's obama's speech to the congressional black caucus. >> i want to thank the award winners, attorney general eric holder, congresswoman brown, and george lucas. thank you for your outstanding contributions to our nation. we look forward to hearing from you all later this evening. i also want to take a moment to note the passing of a true leader in this caucus, congressman donald payne. he was a distinguished member of congress. the visionary chairman of the cdc. his presence is sorely missed. i want to recognize all of the

cbc members who are here with us tonight. you are part of a proud tradition, one that dates back not just to the founding of this caucus, but to the beginning of some any improbable journey is of all congress. take congressman john lewis for example. he was the son of -- yes, indeed. [laughter] [applause] he was the son of sharecroppers. during to become a preacher, he gave impassioned sermons to the chickens on his family's farm. another was raised by a widowed mother in cleveland public housing. he served during the army. although he bought under the same flight, he still had to

eat, sleep, and travel separate and apart from his fellow soldiers. then there is barley he almost a not make it into this world. winner mother was in labor -- when your mother was in labor, at a hospital refused to admit her. from some in the unlikely places, member of this caucus rose up and lived out their own version of the great american dream. this is why they came here to washington. they came because they're determined to give others the same chance. they were determined to open that opportunity even wider. they believed there was no higher calling there is no more noble cause than that of our

fellow citizens. this work was not always easy, especially in the early years when members of this caucus face challenges they never could of anticipated. he had the early 70's, an african-american woman added to this committee. the chairman added just one seat to the committee room. he forced the two of them to share it. he was unfazed. he said "let's not give these guys the luxury of getting under our skin. let's share this chair as it is the most normal thing in the world." since its earliest days, at this

caucus has been taking on challenges and leading the way in the urgent work of protecting our unions, fighting for jobs and health care, working to get all our children opportunities or the of their promise. it earned in the proud distinction of the conscious of conagra's. back when our grandparents were writing that underground where railroad, when jim clyburn was sitting in an orange jail, at the injustices we face were written in big letters. while we may have had our differences over strategy, at

the battles we needed to fight were very clear. we knew that to end slavery we needed a proclamation from our president and an amendment to our constitution. it to end segregation, we needed the congress to overturn the lie of separate but equal. we need congress to pass the voting rights act. we move forward. with the progress that our parents and grandparents could never have dreamed of. today, while there are no more white only signs keeping us out, we know that our journey is far from finished. yes. [applause] in many ways, this is far less clear.

what exactly do we do about children who are languishing in crumbling schools? what about kids bring up in neighborhoods with a to not have opportunities worthy of their dreams? what about the 40's are of black children who are overweight or obese -- 40% of the black children who are overweight or obese that's what laws can be passed to ended those wrongs? today the connection between our laws and our lives is not always as obvious as it was 50 or 100 years ago. our legislators have all been one. it is tempting to turn our focus solely to what is going on in our own lives. make no mistake about it, change

absolutely starts at home. we know that. it starts with each of us taking responsibility for ourselves and family. we know our kids will not go up healthy and sell our family grows up and starts eating right and exercising. we will not close that education gap until we turn off the television unsupervised that homework. we absolutely cannot stop there. he we all know better than anyone our laws still matter. much like they did 150 years ago. our laws still shapes so many aspects of our lives. whether our kids have clean air and state streets or not, whether we truly focus on the challenge of getting folks back to work or not, whether our sons

and daughters get the benefit earned or not. not these are made by folks in our state houses and in our congress and white house. who is responsible for collecting those? who is ultimately responsible for decisions they make or do not make? we are. that is our job. s. citizens of this great country, that is our most fundamental right, our most solemn obligation. we passed on this role of a

billy clubs, risking his life so we could one day cast our ballots. as he put it, your vote is precious. it is the most powerful non- alignment tool we have to create a more perfect union. [applause] only as someone to vote, and they say i am too busy. besides, i voted last time. not like my vote is going to make a difference. after so many folks sacrificed so much so that we could make our voices heard, too many of us still choose not to participate. let us be clear. while we are turning out and staying home on election day, other folks are tuning in. other folks are taking politics

very seriously. they are engaged on every level. they are raising money. they are in constant dialogue with elected officials. understandably, it can start to feel like ordinary voices cannot be heard in like regular folks cannot get a seat at the table. we are here tonight because we know that simply is not true. time and again history has shown us that there is nothing more powerful than ordinary citizens coming together for a just cause. i'm not just talking about the big speeches and protests we remember. i am talking about everything that happened between the marches when the speeches were over in cameras were off. i'm talking about the thousands of hours that people like dr.

kean in so many of you -- like dr. king and so many of you late at night, who gave thousands of lives to perfect strangers, those who walk miles on taking seats. the volunteers to set up drinking fountains. may 80,000 that lunches for people who marched on that day. i'm talking about the thankless work and making change. you know that the door knocking the kind of work. that is the real work of democracy. what happened during those quiet moments between the marches? that is how we carry on the precious legacy we have inherited. by recommiting ourselves to that day to day work that has always paved the way for a change in

this country. that means being informed. it means following the news, of learning about who is representing us and tell our government works. it means showing up to vote. not just every four years, but every year in every election. you do not make progress by standing on the sidelines. active and passionate citizenship engagement is at the core of our democracy. that is the whole point. it is the first three words of the preamble to our constitution people." we the many of men and women sacrifice so we could be included in that

"we" and we owe it not just to ourselves but to them to exercise the right to be fought and died for. when it comes to cast our ballots, it cannot just be weak the people who had time to spare on election day -- "we the people who had time to spare on election day." it must be all of us. that is our birthright as citizens of this great nation. we all get a say in our democracy in a matter who we are or where we're from or where we look like or who we love. we cannot let anyone discourage us from casting our balance. we cannot let anyone make us feel unwelcome in the voting booth. it is us to make sure that in

every election, every voice is heard in every vote is counted. that is making sure our laws preserve that right. it been monitoring the polls to make sure every eligible voter can exercise that right. make no mistake about it. this is the march of our time. marching door-to-door, registering people to vote. marching everyone your note to the polls every single election. that is the set and of our day, sitting in a phone bank calling everyone you know, that you you haven't seen in a while. that class may you have not spoken to. making sure they all know how to register and where to vote. and every objection, this is the movement of our era, protecting

the fundamental rights for the next generation and generation to come. in the end, it is not just about who wins or who loses or who we vote for on election day. it is about who we are as americans. it is about the democracy we want to leave for our kids and grandkids. is about doing everything we can do to carry on the legacy that is our inheritance as american. as citizens of the greatest country on earth. as you know, i continue to uphold our legacy requires constant and sustained it struggle and hard work. it requires a never ending patience and determination. here is the thing. when you get tired, and you will, of when you start to get discouraged, i want you to think about the members of this

caucus. i want you to think about the congressmen sitting cheek to cheek to beijing and legislating like he owned the place. -- and debating and legislating like he owned the place. how he went from a soldier in a segregated army to a senior member of the appropriations committee. i want to think about a boat so that hangs in the west wing of the white house -- a photograph that hangs in the west wing of the white house. it is a picture of a young black family visiting the family in the oval office. the father was a member of the white house staff. he brought his family in to meet my husband. in the photo, barack obama is bent over at the waist. one of the suns, and little boy

about five years old, is reaching out his tiny hand to touch my husband's head. it turns out that upon meeting barack obama, and this little boy gazed up at him and said "i want to know if my here is just like yours -- hair is just like yours." barack replied and said "why don't you touch it and see for yourself?" barack obama bit down. the little boy explains "yes, it does feel the same." the white house photographers changed at all the photos in the west wing except for that one. that one has hung on the wall

for more than three years. if you ever wonder whether change is possible, i want you to think about that little black boy in the office of the white house touching the head of the first black president. [cheers and applause] as we mark the 150 it anniversary of the emancipation proclamation, the one you remember the house they were standing in, the house my family has the privilege of living in, that house was built in part by slaves. the beauty is children walk through that house and passed by that photo. did they think nothing of its

because that is all they have ever known. they have grown up taking for granted that an african-american can the president of the united states of america. isn't that part of the great american story of? it is the story of risk taking progress from one generation to the next, the story of unwavering hope. it is the story of men and women who said to themself "i might not the film my dream, but if i stand strong on this bridge, if i endure another night in his jail cell that may be my children will fulfil their dreams, maybe my grandchildren will." a person he purrs the says "all these people were still living by faith when they died." they did not receive the things promised. the only saw them and welcome

them in the distance. they're all the many heartbreaks and trials, you have kept the faith. you could only see the promised land from a distance. you never let it out of your sight. today if we are willing to work for it, if we are willing to sacrifice for it, then i know we can carry on that legacy. i know that we can meet our obligation to continue the struggle. i know we can finish the journey we started and felt the promise of our democracy for all of our children. thank you. god bless.

>> people watching her speak, pulling out some quptes. otes. you didn't make progress by

standing on the sidelines. "your vote is the most non- alignment tool that can change the world -- non-violent tool that can change the world."

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