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you are all accesseñ2( pass to e convention extends beyond our newshour skybox to the floor. to the back rooms and on-line where you can find our 24-hour live stream coverage of events inside and outside the hall. >> down on the floor tonight is jeffrey brown. jeff? >> brown: hello things are just getting going here. we have the guard coming out now. and it's all talk about the maintaining the momentum from yesterday. i talked to a lot of people down here and they are talking about picking up on things they heard from ann romney last night and chris christie and buildup and kep it going and build it up to tonight and to paul ryan's speech. that is what is going on down here. >> it's interest, jeff that we are watching disabled veterans there on the floor bringing in the color guard tonight. it is not an accident that this

is the way they are doing this. i'm joined by mark shields and david brooks who will join us in your skybox tonight. give me a sense with what you think they are trying to accomplish here tonight, mark? >> both parties try and preempt and identify with american patriotism. support and love the country and this is natural and especially the recognition of the veterans who have, in fact, endured the pain and the wounding in battle. it is as straightforward and simple as that. but at the same time not unadmirable. >> david? and the larger goal for tonight, i guess, would be paul ryan, the star. and we'll see how he can communicate something about mitt romney. i would say the consensus is they have fledin the blanks. light night was a missed opportunity to fill in the banks by mitt romney. they did not do enough to tell stories of what mitt romney

does, what he is like in business, church member and a community member. and there was some descriptions what sort of person he was but not a lot of memorable anecdotes and there are those blanks to be filled in and tonight is shot number two at that. >> how much do -- we are working this out. how much do they have to do that, though? this is the conversatione have eenhavi about how much do they need to make sure we understand who this man is, and how much is it ok to say he ran a great business. >> they have a shot of winning without it but the number one reason he is not winning he is so far behind president obama in personal likability and this is a chance to do that. and not to do that is weird. >> got the national anthem being sung by ayla brown, the daughter of senator scott brown.

♪ o, say can you see by the dawn's early light ♪ what so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming ♪ whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight ♪ o'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming ♪ and the rockets' red glare the bombs bursting in air ♪ gave proof through the night that our flag was still there ♪ oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave ♪ o'er the land of the free and the home of the brave. ♪

( cheers and applause ) >> ayla brown the daughter from the senator of the state of massachusetts, scott brown, republican. let's pick with up david's point about this ongoing debate discussion about how much does mitt romney need to show us who he is. what is in his heart, what is really in his heart or is it just enough to say i am a good leader. >> judy, the failed presidents of the past half century have been failures of personality or character. richard nixon, jimmy carter's personality and linden johnson's character and the reality is that americans know there is a certain level of intelligence. richard nixon was smart and so was johnson and carter, but they know the personal qualities do matter. they have chosen in every

election in the past 12, the candidate they liked more they felt more comfortable because they know that does matter in a president. and the one exception was richard nixon in 1968 not as liked as humphrey and did not turnout well. they liked george bush better than al gore and john kerry and they liked barak obama more than john mccain. it is not unimportant for mitt romney at least to reach some level of like -- as long as he is short of the cloistered secret person that you don't know at all and i think david is right that we don't know him. we know chris christie better after half an hour speech last night than we know mitt romney after two presidential campaigns. >> is that fair, david is that true? maybe mitt romney is what we see. i am who i am. maybe we keep waiting for some great revealing that doesn't

exist? >> yeah, well, all i can say is all of us met people that worked with him democrats and republicans and they all describe somebody different and there are stories that come out the rescue of the daughter from the colleague, family nixon that with two disabled sons and romney shows up on christmas morning with a sound system. and the guy who left one of his son's wedding receptions early to take food to a breast cancer victim. so these stories bubble out. and why they are not telling the stories, is a little weird. >> here is a story they told that got overlooked it was ann romney saying my husband is very privileged he is privileged but he is also very generous but he doesn't like to talk about it. and no matter what you do i will not talk about it. and we assume she was talk being the decision not to release the tax returns because so much of the money goes to charity. that is perhaps a way of taking a negative and turning it into a

positive. >> well, i would say. the most remarkable thing is the higher up he got in his business career the more time he spent with his># u-ch and family. and he was spending 20 hours a week on church business. let alone the family business. and why they don't talk about that. he was doing a lot of ministering and administrative work and that is weird for a work aoholic guy. >>et's watch the color guard exiting tonight. left, right, left, right, left. left, right, left, right. >> and we are joined here in addition mark and david by

christina our political editor who is patrolling the back halls and the floors to give us a sense of what delegates they are talk being. what are you hearing? >> one of the things we forget sometimes because they are on the floor they spend their day at events. they are hob-nobbing with members from their states and raising money for races they might have back home. they are also getting a sense from the campaigns of what they need to do to win back home. these are very important battleground states to the romney campaign. so they have deployed ann romney to go out and really get the troops excited. she is going to different delegations and talking to women. and the campaign message that she can take back home and getting their face out to those on november 6th. >> we are going to break in here this is a video about ron paul. he is not speaking but this is a story the republican party is showing. >> not for the intrusion in our private lives not for the

intrusion in economic affairs. >> you cannot keep printing money we have to cut spending. i believe inlimited government and individual liberty. we have spent too much and we tax too much and we borrow too much. >> it's bankrupting this country. i knew i did not want to be a politician all my life. matter of fact i was surprised i won because this message, i thought, would not go well with the people. because i'm not making wild promises. my wife warned me this was a dangerous project because she said you could end up getting elected. >> no, no i'm not going to be elected you have to be like santa clause and give them something. i don't want to give them something or bring home the bacon. i want to give them freedom. >> it's been a consistent theme that government's grown too large and the government grows larger your freedoms grow smaller and he has fought this through the year. >> when i first got to the house, i thought ron paul was nuts. he was out there talking about the federal reserve, the the

monetary system and i found myself voting with him. >> he has been talking about the things since the early 1970s and he has not waivered or buckled even wen he ha ha to stand alone. i put politicians into 2 categories; they are here to make a point or a difference. ron paul is the only one i know who made a difference by making a point. >> we need lower taxes and less regulations and to free up the market. >> he has been a absolute hawk one of the most fiscally conservative members in the history of the congress. >> i guarantee you we would not have a $16 trillion debt if we had 435 ron pauls in1f >> the more inspiring it is of what he has done and not being afraid of anything but willing to stand fo what he thought was right. ron paul was tea party before there was a tea party. >> if you won't honestly look to ron paul and based on his faith and the belief in the

constitution. >> he is willing to do things that others are not willing to do because his convictions are deep. >> as long as we live beyond our means we are destined to live beneath our means. >> one of the extraordinary things by my father is the lobbyists do not come by because they know he cannot be bought. >> and that is a deep and abiding conviction. >> he stands for freedom. he stands for liberty. he stands for the traditional american values that made this country great. the longer we go and the deeper in debt we get, the more apparent it is that ron paul was right all those years. >> whether people want to admit it or not, ron paul changed the conversation. >> please give a warm welcome to senate republican leader mitch mcconnell of kentucky. >> mitch mcconnell is the

senate republican leader. ron paul was in the crowd being cheered during that video of him. and now we'll hear from the senate republican leader. the cheers for ron paul continue as you can hear. >> and we believe mitt romney is the man for this moment. that's the hopeful message coming from tampa tis week after four long years, help is on the way. [cheers and applause] america is about to turn the page on barak obama's four-year experiment in big government. and it starts by renewing our belief that we are called to do something better. over the past fourears,

americans have been led believe we are just like everybody else. that america really isn't unique. but it's not true. we are, we are different. not because of where we were born, but because of who we are as a people. because of what we have in here. the president stops at this idea. to him this kind of thinking is the problem, not the solution. that's why he spent the last four years lowering americans' expectations instead of raising them. that's why he has been missing in action on the greatest challenges of our day.

what this administration has in mind for america isn't a renewal,it a great leveling out. it wants the kind of government-imposed equality that in a single generation transformed western europe from a place where for centuries, for centuries, high achievement and discovery and innovation were celebrated and prized to a place where they have elections about whether people should have to work, where they make pmises they can't keep, and write checks they can't cash. but that is not who we are. it doesn't even occur to an american that someone else will solve their problems. americans take pride in solving

problems for themselves. and if we fail, we get backup and try again. it's what we do. pplause] it's who we are. now, the president may want to give up on the problems we face. and simply manage the decline. but the american people don't. and that's why this election is so very important. it's a choice about who we are. are we still a country that takes risks that innovates, that believes anything is possible? or are we a country that is resigned to whatever liberty the government decides to dish out? i tell students all the time the

only way to fail in america is to quit. and i truly believe that that is the case. and i know mitt romney does, too. for four years, four long years, barak obama has been running from the the nation's problems. he hasn't been working to earn reelection. he has been working to earn a spot on the pga tour. mitt romney has spent his entire life finding ways to solve problems. mitt romney has never been resigned to what somebody else said was possible. he cut his own path. that's why he believes in his heart that america has a future full of opportunity and hope.

and that's why when mitt romney looks down the road, he sees a country that is ready for a comeback. and i believe termly that he is the man to lead that comeback. [cheers and applause] as we meet here tonight, america is suffing tough an economic calamity of truly historic dimensions. some are calling it the slowest recovery in our nation's entire 236-year history. my friends, to call this a recovery, is an insult to recoveries. now, this is not the result of forces that are beyond our control. it is not the result of some

sinister political plot. as some of the more paranoid inhabitants of the left wing fever swamps would have you believe, it is the result of the policies that barak obama and his democratic allies in congress spent two full years carefully putting into place and which they are determined to continue if they win again. these are policies that are meant to gently, gently lull us into a state of lower expectations and diminished dreams. we've gotten a preview of this future over the past few years. we hear the stories. everyday now. the father who puts on a suit÷ every morning and leaves the house so his daughter doesn't know he lost his job.

the recent college grad facing up to the painful reality that the only dor th i open to her after four yearsbdng of stu3 and a pile of debt is her parents' door. these are the faces of the obama economy. and this is america's future if we don't do something to change the course this president seems perfectly content to leave us on. so think about it. on the same day we learned that unemployment went upin 44ut of 50 states last month, the president of the united states took the airwaves to tell the people of albuquerque that he enjoys green chile but prefers red. we know what the president's got on his ipod.

but we don't know what he plans to do about the looming tax hike that could trigger yet another serious recession that would result in even more americans losing their jobs. so, ladies and gentlemen, america cannot afford another four years of this. [cheers and applause] for four years americans have waited for the faintest lights to flicker at the end of the tunnel. and this president has let them down again and again and again. its time to move on. it's time for a leader who will lead.ñh(s that leader is mitt romney. thank you very much. [cheers and applause]

>> senate republican leader mitch mcconnell who interestingly in that video we saw that ron paul video we saw before we went to the floor, he said that ron paul made a difference by making a point. but there are a lot of points left out of that video including the fact that ron paul never endorsed mitt romney. jeff brown is on the floor in the texas delegation there was some support for ron paul. jeff, what did you pick up? >> there was a spontaneous explosion here. not spontaneous because they expected it. this was the one moment, really in the convention for ron paul. and he wasn't going to speak and there was a lot of to do as we reported on this yesterday, so this was their real moment and they rose to it. i shouted out to this some members of the delegation, "is this enough?" and one guy said it's never enough time for the prophet.

this guy says many of the people is a folk hero and more. that is what they were looking for. >> ok. thank you, jeff. interesting down there. and we looked out over the hall we saw a sheet with someone handwritten i love you ron paul. not like the sea of signs for people they are trying to promote. >> exactly. and what i found extraordinary about the video you got not only the base footage and that was the same debate going after mitt romney multiple times but it sounded like a retirement video and they are honoring him and rand paul who we will hear from tonight looked prominent talking about all the values his dad had and assume that he has similar values and maybe getting the torch passed on to him. >> and david, what role is there for ron paul in the republican party or outside of the republican party? >> well, he certainly changed the debate when mitch mcconnell praising ron paul. that is the starting the

revolution. >> orón and that revolution is out there. the party has moved significantly since 2000 is a much more libertarian direction and why do we think it should not stop? ron paul is defining the libertarian edge of the party right now. >> or is rand paul doing that. there were cheers when he showed up. >> there is a certain irony that mitch mcconnell is there praising ron paul when mitch mcconnell backed grayson in kentucky against rand paul. his home state of kentucky. and tray grayson, the secretary of state established choice and who comes along but this doctor who is the son of ron paul, rand paul and upsets it and now will be speaking at the convention as well. he is not inherited his father's mantra. he endorsed mitt romney in june. and has a certain restlessness in the ranks of thedi

movement and the loyal ron paul followers that maybe rand paul capitulated a little soon to join the establishment. >> i think everybody should know that the music we are competing with in the background is jack blade back in the game. absolutely difficult for the republican convention. >> the heavy metal music always at the republican convention. >> deaf metal. not quite. on the ron paul question, is you say the party is moving in a libertarian who carries that banner that torch? >> partly it's ron paul and partly it's the young gunite. eric cantor was on the show and mccarthy and paul ryan and these were the next generation. we have the bush generation of republicans and reagan and the bush people and the beginning

given people and they don't represent something new intellectually but the purification of the old reagan style. it is not a shift to the center but a more libertarian limited government definition of a republican including a rebellion against the cronyism of the program. >> there is a little line in the platform of the republican convention that passed that talks about looking at the gold standard an issue that ron paul brought forward. >> there are limits on libertarianism. let's understand that. ron paul's libertarianism is personal. that is part of the legalization of drugs and that is part of government not intruding and whether it's sexual behavior even same sex marriage. this party is not libertarian in that sense.h" i mean smaller government but not for a less interventionist

government in personal behavior. >> is it me or does it seem they have diluted the tea party out over several nights. we saw somebody said in the ron paul video he was tea party before the tea party and we are not going to see -- jim was in the video and we don't see a lot of the biggest changes happen in the party in the last four years. >> sarah pay lynn. and -- palin. >> kicked off fox. paul ryan looked at the republican party and looked at what they were proposing to go back to the constitutional government. and get rid of every government agency that did not exhibit and paul ryan said no that is not going to work. his agenda is a tea party movement into a much more mainstream establish: so the key thing he did was take that energy and direct it in a much more responsible direction. and it was a very savvy and

politically realistic thing to do so he coopted the tea party and while winning the support with a fiscally tough message. >> what is the difference between the two? >> remember when you look at what dick armey was proposing getting rid of the department of education and commerce cutting back radically. and ryan wants to cut. but it's nothing like what they would call the constitutional government. the primary motive behind the tea party. >> and has the establishment if you are a delegate to the republican convention have they managed to take the passion away from the tea party? or is it still rumbling out there? >> it is a tea party platform. i mean it really is. you look at the platform it is far more conservative. the platform could have been written by pat buchanan. it is a very, very conservative document. i think it is an accommodation that the energy of this tea party and the real conservative movement with libertarians say

they have accepted mitt romney. mitt romney is not the darling of this group. >> but it shows the input of mitt romney and the language was softened in order to satisfy make sure that the nominee would be comfortable with it. and the video about ron paul here comes his son rand paul. senator from the state of kentucky. [cheers and applause] >> thank you. thank you. thank you. thank you. thank you. thank you, kentucky. thank you. thank you. thank you. you know when the supreme court upheld obama-care, the first words out of my mouth were "i

still think it's unconstitutional." [cheers and applause] the left wing blogs were mercyless. even my wife said can't you please just count to 10 before you speak? so i've had time to count to 10y and you know what? i still think it's unconstitutional. [cheers and applause] do you think justice scalia and justice thomas have changed their mind? i think if jamesmadison, himself, the father of the constitution, were here today he would agree with me. the whole damn thing is still unconstitutional.

this debate is not new and not over. hamilton and madison fought from the beginning about how the government would be limited by the enumerated powers. madison was unequivocal. the powers of the federal government are few and defined. the power restricted by the enumerated powers. so how do we fix this travesty of justice? there's only one option left. we have to have a new president. [cheers and applause] when i heard the current president say "you didn't build

that?" i was first insulted. then i was angered. and then i was saddened that anyone in the president of the united states believes that roads create business success and not the other way around. [cheers and applause] anyone who is so fundamentally misunderstands american greatness is uniquely unqualified to lead this great nation. [cheers and applause] the great and abiding lesson of american history, particularly the cold war, is that the engine of capitalism, the individual, is mightier than any collective.

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

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

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

shores seeking freedom. our forebearers came full of hopes and dreams. so consistent and privilege length were these aspirations that they cryóllized into a national yearning we call the american dream. no other country has a dream so inextrictably associated with its people. in 1982, an american sailor john mooney wrote a letter to his parents that captures the essence of the american dream. he wrote "dear mom and dad, today we spotted a boat in the water and rendered assistance. we picked up 65 vietnamese refugees as they approached the ship, they were all waving and trying as best that was could to say hello american sailor, hello freeman, it's hard to see a boat full of people like that and not get a lump between chin and belly button. and it really makes one proud and glad to be an american.

it reminds us of all what america's been. a place a man or a woman can come to for freedom. "hung and trin are friends and brothers of mine. they came to america on one of the leaky boats. they were attacked at seay pirates their family's wealth was stolen. hung was on an island existing on a cup of rice and water until he was allowed to come to america. now both men and families are proud americans. hung owns his own business and trin manages a large company. they are the american dream. so, mr. president, don't go telling the trin family you didn't build that. [cheers and applause]

when the president says you didn't build that, he is flat out wrong. businessmen and women did build that. businessmen and women did earn their success. without the success of american business we wouldn't have any roads, bridges or schools. mr. president, you say the rich must pay their fair share. but when you seek to punish the rich, the jobs that are lost e those of the poor. and t middle class. [cheers and applause] when you seek to punish mr. exxon mobile, you punish the secretary who owns exxon mobile stock. when you block the keystone pipeline, you punish the welder who works on the pipeline. [cheers and applause]

our nation faces a crisis. america waivers. unfortunately, we are one of a select group of countries whose debt now equals their gross domestic product. the republic of washington and jefferson is now in danger of becoming the democracy of+u and despair. our great nation is coming apart at the seams andthe president just seems to point fingers and blame others. president obama's administration will add nearly $6 trillion to our national debt in just one term. and i'm hoping it's just one term. [cheers and applause] this explosion of debt is

unconscionable and unsustainable. mr. president, we will not let you bankrupt this great nation. republicans and democrats alike, though, must slay their sacred cows. republicans must acknowledge that not every dollar spent on the military is necessary or well-spent. [cheers and applause]dñ2v democrats must admit that domestic welfare and entitlements must be reformed. [cheers and applause] republicans and democrats must

replace fear with confidence. confidence that no terrorist and no country will ever conquer us if we remain steadfast to the principles of our founding documents. [cheers and applause] we have nothing to fear except our own unwillingness to defend what is naturally ours. our god-given rights. [cheers and applause] we have nothing to fear that should cause us to foret or relinquish our right as free men and women. [cheers and applause]

to thrive, we must believe in ourselves again and we must never, never trade our liberty for any fleeting promise of security. [cheers and applause] author paul kinger writes of a brifng evening in a small town in illinois. returning home from a basketball game at the ymca, an 11-year-old boy is stunned by the side of his father. sprawled out in the snow on the front porch. he was drunk, his son would lar remember. dead to the world.

crucified. the dad's hair was soaked with melted snow matted against his red ended face. the boy stood over his father for a minute or two. he simply wanted to let himself in the door and pretend his dad wasn't there. and instead he grabbed a fist full of overcoat and heaved his dad into the bedroom away from the weather's harm and the neighbor's attention. this boy would become the man, ronald reagan. [cheers and applause] the man we know as ronald reagan whose sunny optimism shined so brightly that it cured the malaise of the late 70s. a confidence that beamed so broadly that it pulled us through a serious recession and a faith that tugged so happily at the hearts of all that a generation of democrats became republicans.

[cheers and applause] the american dream is that any among us could become the next thomas edison and the next henry ford and the next ronald reagan. but to lead us forward away from this looming debt-crisis it will take someone who believes in america's greatness. who believes in and can articulate the american dream. someone who has created jobs. someone who understands and appreciates what makes america great. someone who will lead our party and our nation forward, i believe that someone is our nominee, governor mitt romney. [cheers and applause]

asuñ never ñqj away from extinction. if our freedom is taken the american dream will wither and die. to lead we must transform the coldness of austerity into the warm, vibrant embrace of prosperity. to overcome the current crisis, we must appreciate and applaud american success. we must step forward, unabashedly and proclaim you did build that. you earned that. you worked hard, you studied, you labored, you did build that. [cheers and applause] and you deserve america's

individual, are the engine of america's greatness. thank you. [cheers and applause] >> and senator rand paul first term 49-year-old senator from kentucky. -- they put out a statement of in advance text of the speech which they called him by his father's name. it's rand paul. he is a big tea party and now he moved to bush. and a special deal. >> and that was president 41. i was in the bath tub at the white house residence and ramsey, a guy said, get out of the bath tub your son is in the oval office. as i recall theonversation went like this. welcome mr. president. it's good to see you mr. president. and that is all we said. and. >> it was fun walking in and

seeing your own son be the president of the united states. >> and i remember visiting dad in the oval office when he was president and how much reference he treated the office. and i tried to do the same thing. the oval office is a place where you make decisions and welcomed dignitaries and welcomed some friends. but it is a place that always has to be treated with respect and dignity. >> wa lens sa's visit to the white house we have been involved with him in poland and gotten to know him. and he came to the white house and he really spoke no english but he mentioned freedom and stooped down as he was getting award a president can give a foreigner. and kissed the ground. and i must say, that was very emotional. >> the first time vladimir putin came to visit washington, and the sun was pouring through the

windows i mean the oval office sparkled. and the door opened up. and in came president putin and his first words were, my god, when dad was president he kindly would invite all of us up to the white house. actually invited me to the state dinner with the queen. he took a huge risk a diplomatic gamble but it worked out ok. >> what did she say? that is a black sheep. >> something about black sheep. of course mother said well you are looking at him and that would be me and we moved him as far away as possible for the luncheon. >> wouldn't be prudent. dana carvey. we were coming into the room and said ladies and gentlemen the president of the united states. and in walked dana carvey. >> the first thing i notice is podiums for the other guy over there. would love to be up here but i'm down here. >> we didn't really have any issues with family. but our dog did bite a reporter.

but right after that, i got a big stack of correspondence to sign and go through and in that was a letter from barney. and he wrote and said he was so embarrassed he was really sorry he made a mistake. he thought that reporter was with "the new york times". i hope people will remember george and i think they will for having the determination and the toughness and the persistence to be able to see us through in our country. through such a very difficult time after the terrorist attack. i'm so proud of george. >> integrity, honesty, never faint a candle around his presidency and i think we forget that the importance of that they will remember him for being a good, honest president who may got a lot of things done but i

think the thing i take pride in is integrity. history will remember him as a great president. not only was he well prepared for the jobutwhen you unexpected took place he handled it with vision, a clear strategy and calm nerves. >> he is the most decent, honorable, wonderful nobody has ever been as lucky as i've been. i want people to remember him as occur ray just and remember him as he is. >> we know what it takes to be president. and there's no doubt in our mind that mitt romney wille a great president. >> he is a good man. and i hope that all the people at the convention work really, really hard, because i think the romneys are prepared. i think ann romney will be great. and i think mitt romney will do

a fabulous job. >> this gives me a chance also to thank everybody gathered in tampa and send our very best wishes to everybody at the convention. we have been to lots of conventions in the past and we thank everyone there for their very, very stron support for l of our repuican candidates. >> absolutely e your local ones to our candidate for president, mitt romney. [cheers and applause] >> well, with the combination of humor in that video and i have to say a little it ha h to bring a tear to the eye to hear george bush 41, george h. w. bush and was president for four years before bill clinton and his son became predent it was a effecting and funny video. when laura bush talked about the dog bit the reporter because he was from "the new york times".

did you take it personal? >> it wasn't me. if they told me the name of the reporter i might agree. but you know, 41, the youngest flyer in ww2, really decent man. i think a vastly underrated president for the budget deal and the iraq war. vastly, vastly underrated and bush w a great guy to be around. >> i have to say that even though that is the single most charming moment of the convention watching the father and son sit side-by-side with obvious affection. but it's been striking. it's been like george w. bush is the invisible man. there's so little. >> two things; that was more revealing and personal than anything we've seen about mitt romney. that really was touching. it was affecting. it was open and those are very, very protestant people wasp people opened up. barbara bsh said she is the

luckiest person in the world. and george w. bush has been the exemplary e. president. uncritical in public of president obama. he has not -- he has been above it. he robbed the democrats of a punching bag politically by his own discreetness and discipline. george h. w. bush in addition to being one of the most thoughtful persons i've met in public life one that first and only clear-cut american military victory since 1945 in the persian gulf and did it in a way with enlisting the country. passing the congress. the united nation support. with 31 nations supporting him. it was model with him and jim baker it was the model of how it ought to be done and a country ought to go to war with an objective. and i do think in that sense that budget deal david mentioned is unfortunately, since that moment, that has been the third rail of politics to any

republican. cannot go nearrt]ñ taxes. >> an important moment at this convention to remember the two former presidents. right now, we just heard from a handful of republicans each with a dividology. and the newshour partnered with pew research center for a quiz to look at that issue. and here is more on that. >> i'm with andy of the pew research center to create a political quiz as we cover the national conventions you might be wondering where do i stand on the issues within the party and so with this is a quiz that you can take on our site andours why t qui at all? >> well, polarization is not an empty catch phrase. we have the biggest gap between republicans and democrats in terms of basic beliefs. what we have done the two organizations have come together and taken a sample of the questions we asked the people on surveys to allow people to answer the questions and see where they fit are they closest

to tea party republicans or moderate represents or solid liberals or whatever. >> on the quiz which is fairly simple. this is the where do you fit quiz there is a dozen questions. m scrollg through and there need to be stricter lawyers and regulations to help the environment. is that a good enough snapshot for you to get an idea where someone stands? statistically it's enough questions to replicate what we see with a larger set of questions from what we are trying to do here. which is basically, place people in space relative to a number of markers from our surveys. be they political party or demographics. >> and let's say once i finish taking the qu i ends up stacking that individual on a continuum. so what is interesting to meñr s that you can see where someone stacks up on economic issues, versus social issues. perhaps they are socially liberal and economically more

conservative. and is that how the rest of the country actually is. >> it's the way it is. people the rare individual who is conservative all across the board or liberal across the board. on social issues it's one way and economic issues it's another to some degree at least. and this gives the quiz taker an opportunity to place himself in the context of the public opinion surveys that we do. >> and what is also interesting compare yourself to other demographic groups. down here you have i can compare these answers i say to age or i could see how these answers stack up against gender, race, how come? >> well, it allows you to see, well, do i respond the way of the typical 25-year-olds or am i like a 65-yeaold or do have a typical male point of view or female point of view when it comes to values. >> ok. you can take this quiz on the

newshour's website or the pew research center's website. the pew research center political quiz where do you fit and the best part is as soon as you finish the quiz you can share it with your friends. andy thank you for joining us. >> happy to be here. and we have gotten reaction people are interested to see where they fit on that spectrum. social conservative, economic conservative, and it's -- we are just about to har from senator john mccain and we will take you back to the floor and listen to wounded warrior and paraolympian christopher devlin-young iraq war veteran jeanine mcdonnell as they introduce the senator. >> and that is why that we need leaders who don't play chicken with our nation's defense. we need leaders who will invest in defense. not abandon it.

and that is why we need mitt romney and paul ryan. [cheers and applause] now, it is my distinct honor to introduce christopher devlin-young, a hero in his own right, a former coast guardsman and a two-time paraolympic gold medalist in alpine skiing. chris? >> thank you. it is wonderful to be here with you tonight. in 1982, while flying in heavy fog during a coast guard mission our plane crashed. leaving me paralyzed from the waist down. while my career as a coast guardsman ended, a new world of service began for me. seven years ago this calf daf

boy was introduced to ski racing at the first veterans administration winterports clinic. i decided then and there to dedicate my life to rating -- racing and coaching other injured veterans. being a gold medal paralympian gives me a way to honor and serve my country. being the coach -- [cheers and applause] being the coach of paralympic medalists gives me a way to honor and serve others. and i believe that we can all serve no matter what our challenges, because it's not about what you lost in life, but rather, what you are able to give. [cheers and applause] now, it is my honor to introduce a hero who has given of himself

regardless of the price. he is the son and grandson of admirals, the decorated naval pilot, a war hero, and the senior senator of the great state of arizona, senator john mccain. [cheers and applause] >> john mccain, the 2008 nominee for the republican nominee for president who was defeated by barak obama. we are looking at his wife cindy former labor secretary elaine chow and john mccain is 76 years old today. happy birthday, senator. >> thank you. thank thank you very much. it is an honor as always, my fellow republicans, to join you at our national convention and

add my voice to yours as we nominate the next president of the united states, my friend, governor mitt romney. [cheers and applause] you know i had hopes once of addressing you underiffent circumstances. but our fellow americans had another plan four years ago and i accept their decision. i've been blessed. for so long to play a role in our nation's affairs and i'm conscious only of the debt i owe america and i thank you for the honor. [cheers and applause] when we nominate mitt romney, we do so with a greater purpose than winning an advantage for our par. we chge m withhe care of a higher cause. his election represents the best hopes for our country and the

world. it is said that this election will turn on domestic and economic issues. but what mitt romney knows and what we know is that the success at home also depends on our leadership in the world. it is our willingness to shape world events for the better that has kept us safe. increased our prosperity, preserveouribernd transformed human history. at our best, america has led. we have led by our example as a shining cityc÷s@d=9 a hill. we have led at the direction of patriots from both parties. we have led shoulder to shoulder with steadfast friends and allies. we have led by living voice to the voiceless insisting that every human life has dignity and aiding those brave soulsho rk everytng t secure the

rights that are endowed to all by our creator. we have -- [cheers and applause] we have led with generous hearts move bad an abiding justify of justice. to help others irradicate disease, lift themselves from poverty, live under laws of their own making and determine their own destinies. we have led when necessary with the armed might of freedoms defenders and always we have led from the front never from behind. [cheers and applause] this is what makes america an exceptional nation. it's not just a matter of who we are. it's the record of what we have done. it is the responsibility that

generation after generations of americans has affirmed and carried forward. it ishe cause that many americans have sacrificed everything, absolutely everything to defend and when they have gone into battle as they do today, they have done so with the conviction that the country that sent them there is worth their sacrifice that it stands for something more than the sum of our individual interests. may god bless all who have served all who serve today as he has blessed us with their service. [cheers and applause] we are now being tested by an array of threats more complex, more numerous and just as deeply and deadly as i can recall in my

lifetime. we face a consequential choice and make no mistake, it is a choice, we can choose to follow a de that is dimmer and more dangerous than our past. or we can choose to reform our failing government, revitalize our ailing economy and renew the foundations of our power and leadership in the world. that is what is at stake in this election. [cheers and applause] unfortunately, for four years, for four years, we've drifted way from our proudest traditions of gbal learship. traditions that are truly bipartisan. we let the challenges we face both at home and abroad become much harder to solve. we can't afford to stay on that course any longer.

we can't afford to cause our friend and allies from latin america to europe to asia to the middle east and especially in israel, a nation under threat to doubt america's leadership. [cheers and applause] we can't afford to give governments in russia and china a veto over how we defend our interests in the progress of our values in the world. we can't afford to have the security of our nation, we can't afford to have the security of our nation and those who bravely defend it in dangered because their government leaks the secrets of their heroic operations to the media. [cheers and applause]

i believe we can't afford to substitute a political timetable for a military strategy. by committing to withdraw from afghanistan before peace can be achieved and sustained, the president has discouraged our friends and embold ended our enemies which is why our commanders did not recommend these desions and why they have said it puts our mission at much greater risk. we can't afford another $500 billion in cutsgdtj in our defee budget on top of the nearly $500 billion in cuts that the president is already making. [cheers and applause] his own secretary of defense has said that cutting our military by nearly a trillion dollars would be devastating. and yet, the president is

playing no leadership role in preventing this crippling blow to our military. a wise congressman from wisconsin has said our fiscal policy and our foreign policy are on a collision course. and that man is our next vice-president, paul ryan. [cheers and applause] but most of all, wean't aaffordo abandon the cause of human freedom. when long-suffering peoples demand liberation from their jailers and torturers and tyrants, the leader of the free world must stand with them. unfortunately, this is not happening. when iranians rose up by the millions against their oppressor rulers and besearched our

president chanting in english "are you with us or are you wh them?" when the eire world watched as a brave young woman named netta was shot and bled to death in a street in tehran, the president missed an historic opportunity to throw america's full moral support behind an iranian revolution that shared one of our highest interests, ridding iran of a brutal dictatorship that terrorized the middle east and threatens the world. [cheers and applause] the situation is far worse in syria. what began as peaceful protests has now become 18 months later, a savage and unfair fight. with the fullbacking of iran and hezbollah and russia with tanks and helicopters and fighter jets, bashar al-assad is

murdering men, women and children more than 20,000 people have perished, extremists are gaining ground and the conflict is becoming more dangerous by the day for our allies and for us. in other times, when other courageous people fought for their freedom against sworn enemies of the united states, american presidents both republicans and democrats have acted to help them prevail. sadly, sadly for the lonely voices of dissent in syria and iran andw÷) elsewhere in the w, who feel forgotten in their darkness, and sadly for us as wel,ur president is not being true to our values. [cheers and applause] for the sake of the cause of freedom, for the sake of people

who are willing to give their lives so their fellow citizens can determine their own futures and for the sake of our nation, the nation founded on the idea that all people everywhere have the right to freedom and justice, we must return to our best traditions of american leadehip and support those who facedown the brutal tyranny of their oppressors and our enemies. my friends, across the world, people are seizing control of their own destinies. they are liberating themselves from oppressive rulers and they want america's support. they want america's assistance as they struggle to live in peace and security to expand opportunity for themselves a their children, to replace the injustices of desparates with

the institutions of democracy and freedom. america must be on the right side of history. [cheers and applause] the demand for our leadership in the world has never been greater. people don't want less of america. they want more. everywhere i go in theorl peopleell me that they still have faith in america. what they want to know is whether we still have faith in ourselves? i trust that mitt romney has that faith and i trust him to lead us. [cheers and applause]ñiñr i trust him to affirm ourñi nation's exceptional character and responsibilities. i trust him to know that our security andconomic interests

are tied to the progress of our values. i trust him to know that if america doesn't lead, our adversaries will. and the world will go darker, poorer, and much more dangerous. i trust him to know that an american president always, always, always stands up for the rights and freedoms and justice of all people. [cheers and applause] i trust mitt romney to know that good can triumph over evil, that justice can vague wish tyranny, that love can conquer hate. that the desire for freedom is eterm and universe tall --

eternalçó and universal and america is still the best hope of mankind. and now my fellow americans let's elect our ne commander in chief and the next leader of the free world, my friend, governor mitt romney. [cheers and applause]t, >> that is john mccain. iubih a subject that as you as we were discussing not long ago was just notñi surced notñi justuring the convention but during the campaign. >> let's go to jeff brown on the floor and see what he is picking up down there.+ jeff?ñi >> welcome. it occursñiñi to me weñi have br hearing so muchçó about economiñ isçu s and not thatçó much abouó

social issues. doñ more? >> i think rick santorum$ú hin the issues and paul ryan will talk about those tonight and mitt romney will be talking about the inner 2009ed nature of the social issues with the economic issues. >> the issues did getñi a lot of attention recently with the remarksçóçó of congressmanñr ai. do youñi think that hurt yourçó party? >> no. iñi don't think so. in fact, a recent poll that was done last night in the todd aiken race shows that he has rebounded ahead ofçó claire mismccassle. i don't think thatñrçó was a prm andñrñi rick santorum said i'm d to be a party of a party that recognizes the sanctity life. >>ou are not mentioning mitt romney did that hurt the partyñi never mind aiken himself? does it hurt mitt romney?çó >> i don't think so iñi anticipe him when heñi speaks tomorrow night that he is going to say

that he is a candidate that understands the importance of the sanctity of human life. >> is mitt romneyñi connecting with eadva >> i think çwiñi evangelicals? >> i thinkñr he is. the picking of paul ryan sends a strong message and paul ryan has a solid voting record on the social issues as well. >> what about mitt romney's own religion? there's beenñr talk aboutçó wher he speaks about it orñi not. whether he lets americans know more about that religion. which a lot of people don't know much about. what do you think he should do? >> we talked about that and you cannot b the theological differences that exist between the mormon faith and the evangelical faith but there are shared values and that is where we buildñ forward is on the shared values. and that is where i expect him to continue to talk about are the shared values. >> you want to see him talk about it in the speech and beyond the convention?xd

>> well it is a part of the mix. certainly, the economy and jobs are at the forefront of this discussion because that is what americans are concerned about and they understand that we'll never shrink the size of government until we strengthen the american family and that is something that mitt romney understands and has been talking about. >> tony perkins thank you. jeff good to be with you. and jeff was talking with tony perkins the head of the president of the family research council. mitt romney beca the nomineeñi after a prolonged primary season. his chief opponent of the man who won 11 primaries and caucuses and galvanize the social conservatives is joining us and we welcome rick santorum. thank you for being here. we heard you speak last night speak from the heart. are social issues getting enough attention at this convention and in this campaign? >> well, i would say this, that the big issues of the day that i talked about on the campaign

trail, had to do with the state of the economy and the fiscal concerns that people have and the whole relationship between government and people in their lives. i think that is the overriding issue in this election. what i tried to do in the campaign is really what tony mentioned. which is toñi understand that ts doesn't happen in a vacuum. america isñi more than just industry and business. it's also family. and then when families breakdown, government needs to get bigger to pick upç?$u$e pieces. and that if we are going to make governmentsmalr, that is the message. and we have to make individuals and families bigger. and stronger. and that was really, i think what galvanized and it was not a soci interesting and i'm going long and iñi apologize. but i don't know if you remember on election night we did better thanñi what the exit polls saide were going to do. every night. remember mississippi and alabama

santorum romney wins by 12 inçó mississippi. seven in alabama. we won both states. after the campaign, romney campaign said this phenomenon we've never seen the exit polls being wrong. something is going on. so they started asked two questions who are you for andñr when are you planning to vote? and they showed me a poll before i got out. if you voted before noon i was up four. between noon and 5:00 i was down 5. if you voted after 5, i was up 21. >> so you got working people on your side? >> itñr wasn't social issues it was talking their language about what they are living in their lives as people punching the clock everyday anlbo: that is t connected the people and that is what hopefully the guy from wisconsin, the guy who grew up in the working class background that is what he is going to do tonight. >> maybe that is why you got a speaking role at the convention and the people on the debate stages did not. i was interesting tony perkins

say he talked to mitt romneyñi about the thing that governor romney will talk about his own faith and his mormon background. have you had that conversation with him? >> the only adviceñi that i've given the romney campai over the last few days about this convention is that paul ryan needs to layout the vision. and the way that i described for those voters who i think are in the mix to win this election. and mitt romney has to tell people or open up a window as to who he is. >> why can't mitt romney layout the vision? >> i think that that is what ryan is good at and i think he is the idea guy. when mitt romney put paul ryan on theñi ticket mitt romney said we areñi going to make thisçó campaign about ideas and vision. and paul ryanñi canñi do that. mitt romney has to do that too i'm not saying that he worries

about going up as a kid and having a dog. he need talk about but in a way that opens up a door so people can see whoñi how this guy tick. that he is not just this c.e.o. and that i've hire and fire and i can run things and make things work. >> well,ou spent months running against him. can you give us an episode where you saw that seymour than a c.e.o.? >> well, you know, i will be honest with you, other than the formalñr debates, you know thisi mean youñi don't see each other. wqi are off doing our own thing. the debates are the only time the little banter as we stand there wait andñr youñi know, mitt cameçó as as açó normal guy when talked about a variety of differenti3 things. everything from what was going on in the news to sports to family and i just found him to be normal.

>> you did meet with him after certain you dropped out of the race. what was that meeting like? did it feel natural? it had to be hard for you?ñi >> no, not at all. it wasn't. look, i got in the race for one reason. i think barak obama is a great threat to the future of our country. and i think he is destroying it on multiple levels. and when i got out that did noti change. and my conviction is to do what i can. and we didn't talk at all about the race. we didn't talk about the campaign. we talkedñr about what my recommendation was that how i thought heñi could attract folks that maybe i was connecting with. and talked about different issues but it was all how do we do this? and that's what it's been sense. >> mark?ñi senator, you're describing a candidate who has beenñi quite effective and efficient. but at the same time we are talking about somebody that we don'tñi know.t@e!

you oke more open andñr movingly on the night of the io about the wake of your grandfather and his hands. when do we get that fromçó mittc mitt romney? >> look, i hear you. and you know,ñr i look back and presidential politics you guys have been coming for a few years. and look at the guys who don't win.ç$@&c @&c john kerry,çóxd michaelñi dukak. all the sort of you know, techno contracts, machine stiff eopl and it's not that theyñi don't have accomplishments. all of them had accomplishments that they could point to. but they could not get past the idea that they were something deeper than that. >> are you describing a missyndrome, dukakis,ñr rememberry,ñmó romney? >> you have to lend him the sweater vest. >> it's on backñr order.

do you think his campaign, does he understand that he needs to get that across? what is your sense? what is your advice? other than putting paul ryan in. >> i did offer that as advice when i talked to him. and this is so i believe i want to like you. people will vote for someone they, i think people want to like you. and i say that from my example. you remember early in the campaign when i was sitting on the end and i was this sort of you know,pieing vinegar angry no one was asking questions and when theydid it was about gay rights. stop it. talk to me what you talk to everybody else about. and i think i came across as a bit pet length. and one of the debates i finished one of those pet use length remarks and walked to my

wife who is the salt and light forñr me. and tells me exactly what i don't want t and but theñiñi t) and iñi walked overñi to2hgr wia big smile=c:h like a puppy dog i and she looked at me and said chill. said happy warrior. and it took me a while. it's not easy to sort of you know, feel like well, they are being unfair and beating me up and say it doesn't matter. show people who you are. >> does this election runñi on that? we all read the polls and know that the president and mitt romney are neck-and-neck except for this likabilityñi issue. seems to keep it tight. does this election turn on that his abilitéi toñ+w chill? >> americans you know, theñ in the middle are in e ddle because they don't feel strongly about the issues. they are not ideologically driven. they vote on a feel. and people say well that is badó

well, i don't think that is necessarily bad. iiñrçó mean, getting açó feel oe kind of character andñpi qualitf the leader of oubr country, may3 it's bad if you areñi voting for congress that way because it doesn't matter if your congressman is but it does matter as a leader. the higher the office, the more that% and so i thi it is important. it's not something that i know a lot of them the political pros dismiss that. but don't dismiss how important it is for people to feel good about their leaders. they /5reñ to? feel good. they want to be connected to them in some way. >> so you are saying we are almost halfway through the convention now. this is halfway through the second of three nights. are you saying they areçó goingo miss a big opportunity if they don't do it here? or does he have time to do it after tampa? >> it's never too late but the later theñi hour fhgñr steeper ó mountain because not everybody

is going to be watching tonight. and you have at least found. you think you a) same thing for a year and that everybody inñr the world knows what you are saying and knowsñi who you are andñiñrñr i go to le italy in cleveland and iñrñi doe feast of the assumption mass and pa politics in cleveland and i e know what i'mñi italian. i didn'tñr know youñiñrñi are i. what do you mean? how can that is what you have to understand is that not everybody is payingçó attention all theñi time. >> actually you are on the road wearing the sweater vest and mistaken forñr a greek or whatever. >> that might have helped me in some areas. >> would you do it again? i don't know if you got this last night.ñi what a amazing experience it was. you know this. it's great. this is a great country.

>> would you do it again? i am not announcing anything. just if mitt doesn't chill and barak obama is elected for a second term, the a great congressman from arizona said the only known cure for thea3 presidential virus isñi añr embalming areñi youçó telling us that virs in your system and it doesn't go away? >> i can say i didn't have a virus. i really never sat around and dreamed to be president. i did i because of the situation in front of us. and what i thought the field was that we were and içó thought i brought something different to the table. we'll waitñr and see. >> senator we are going to follow-up with you another time. thank you for joining us here. thank you tonight. >> good to see you. thanks forñiñi chipping in ther, david. >> now, we willñiñiñi go to ther with two states attorneyñpi genl

who challenged obama's healthcare formñi speaking now m bondi ofñr floridañr and sam ols of georgia. >>funnels your tax dollars into campaign donors' pockets. he promised to have the most transparent administration in history. but now, refuses to come clean with congress and the american people about fast and furious. >> he sure does. he talks about giving us more control over healthcare decisions but instead grants that power to government bureaucrats. he claims that government is responsible for private sector success but the only thing he is building is bigger government. andñr obama-care is exhibit a. >> içó. distorts our constitutin andçóñi endangers our fragile

economy. we did everything in our power to stop it. taking the fight all the way toc we prevailed on our two mainñiñr arguments. >> the court agreed that the commerce clause of the constitution does not allow theó federal government to purchase a product to force you to purchase something that you do not want. the courtñi agreedñi that the constitution does not allow the federal governmentçóñr to force expansion of medicaid. >> then came the shocker. the supreme court upheld the individual insurance mandate by calling itçó something the president swore it never was. a tax.'úat everyñi stage of the, president obama and congressional democratsçó promid us that the mandate was not a tax. >> because they knew americans were hurting.

and the lastñi thing we needed s another tax. because they knew ifñi the americanñi public were told thai obama-care was just añrñi massie tax hike, they wouldn't haveñi a prayer of passing it. >> instead, president obama and the democrats called it a mandate. then they turned around and without a shred of shame asked the courtñr to call the mandatea tax. yet, the president cannot bring himself to acknowledge publicly that the only reason this unaffordable care act still stands is because it is a tax. this is what happens when a president hasñi such total disregq-" forñiñr our individual liberty that he knowinglyçó andi purposelyñrñrñiñiñi imposes unwd restrictions against the will of

the people. this is not why our founding fathers risked their livesñr ant a nation.çó this isñiñi notñi why young amen men and women today risk their lives in defense of freedom. so tonight, we ask you: do you want skyrocketing health insurance premiums? >> do you want enormous new financial burdens on young peop who already shoulder our nation's crushing debt? >> do you want the government to force individuals and religious3 tenants of theirçó faith? >> do youñr want over $1 trillin in new tax increases? >> do youçó want a job destroyig insurance mandate thatçó strangs our businesses? >> no. do youñrv government that tells you what

to do, what to think or what to buy wheñi iñi ces to your healthcare? >> no. do you want theñi federal government to steal hundreds of billions of dollars from medicare to hide the true cost ofñi obama-care? >> no. do you want more of this for four more years? >> no. the healthcare lawsuit hasj>tñ reminded all of usñi that the constitution limits the power of government. it has reminded us of theñrñiñi precious relationship between federalism and individualñiçó liberties.ñiçó and though we fundamentally disagree chief justice roberts did observe that it is notçó the supreme court's job to protect the people from the consequences of their political choices. >> that's right. it is our job to makeñi a new

choice. it is time to stand up and say in a loud, clear voice, enough. it is time to repeal obama-care. it is time to stop those who ignore theñiñi constitution when it's expedient. it is time to remember that our rights, are not a gift from government, but from god. and that by his grace, we will defend them. it is time for mitt romney and paul ryan. thank you. have a great night. [cheers and applause]ñi >> two attorneys general who are part of a lawsuit unsuccessfully trying to overturn the president's healthcare reform plan. part of a series ofñi refrains highlighting what they consider

the failures!mf the obama administration. here comes senator john thune. >> thank you. thank you, south dakota and good evening my fellow republicans. it's no secret that i am a sports fan. in fact, i get asked all the time if i've ever played basketball with president obama. the answer is no. i'm still waiting for that invitation. the next question is, do you think you could take him one-on-one? and i say really don't know i've never seen him pay but i can tellyou this: president obama would be easy to defend, because you know he is always going to go to his left.

[cheers and applause] like many americans, i've been blessed by the hard work and sacrifice of those who have come before. you see, it was back in 1906 that two norweigan brothers came to this count in sear of the american dream. when they reached the shores of america, the only english wordsr they knew were the words apple pie and coffee. which evidently they had plenty on the trip over. the immigration officials at ellis island7oo determined their name which was spelled gjelsvik was too difficult to spell and pronounce. so they asked them to change it. the two brothers pinged the name of the farm where they worked in norway which was calle the thuarm. and so nick lie became nick

thune. my grandfather. with their new country -- cheer dhary with their new country and name the two brothers began their new life by work on the railroad. they learned english and saved enough money to start a small hardware store. and yes, mr. president, they did build it. [cheers and applause] my grandfather raid three sons. the middle son, my father, joined the navy in world war two broke out. he became a naval aviator flying combat missions offmñ0é the airt carrier intrepid. on one mission he shot down four enemy aircraft for which he received the distinguished flying cross.çó after the war, my dad quietly returned to south dakota to his hardware store and his family.

you know many versions of that story are told a acrossxd this country. the details may be different. but the dream is the same. i hate to say it. but that dream is in serious jeopardy. we have a sluggish economy, burdened by obama administration policies that are weighing down our jobñi creators. middle class americans in cities and on our farms are bearing the brunt. the big gornment bureaucrats of t obama administration have set their sights on our way of life. instead, of preserving family farms and ranches, president obama's policies are effectively regulating them out of business. his administration even proposed banning farm kids from doing basic chores.

since president obama took office we have had 42 consecutive months of unemployment above 8%. the longest streak on record. the cost of family health insurance premiums hasry inby nearly 19%. college tuition increased by 25%. and fuel costs haveñiçó doubled. the number of people on food stamps increased by 45%. and the debt that we are piling on the backs of our children and grandchildren has gone up byçó 50%. yet for all of president obama's talk about the middle class, middle class incomes are down. folks, we won't be in this situation with mitt romney in the white house. he understands. he understands what it takes for businesses large and small to grow and to create jobs.

this knowledge doesn't come from a textbook. although he has read plenty of those. it comes from decades of rolling up his sleeves and getting the job done. [cheers and applause] it ces from recognizing the strengths and contributions of every individual. his experience tells him that the most valuable insight can be gained not by lecturing but by listening. and when he does use his presidential bully pull put it will be to champion the cause of small business and make it clear to companies that it's safe to hire again. [cheers and applause] on day one of mtt romney's presidency, the transformation of washington will begin. gone will be the arrogance of a

president whose first instinct is to condemn achievement. gone will be the attitude that government knows best. and solves all. what you will see and:÷oñ hear a president who will do everything in his power to make sure government is a catalyst for growth not an obstacle to success. hee and applause] and you will have a president with a plan to strengthen the middle class. my friends, may it never be said of us that when confronted with the economic peril before us that we averted our eyes, turned away and did nothing. our children's fuure depends on our willingnes to act and our

decision to elect mitt romney president of the united states. [cheers and applause] thank you, ladies and gentlemen. may god continue toym bless the united states of america. >> south dakota senator john thune we will talk about what he had to say and first, a short break now. we will be back with our live broadcast in a few minutes. you can continue watching tonight's proceedings on our live stream. hf

>> welcome back to the coverage of the 2012 republican nation convention i'm judy woodruff along with quen ifill. we listened to south contact dabbing senator john thune talk about the president's failure in his term to lift up and help small businesses. before we talk about that, david, you have been watching listening to the speeches and been watching twitter picking up information about what happened amok the ron paul -- among the ron paul delegates. >> the mainelegation walked out. and they are walking around the corridors outside chanting as maine goes so goes the country. and i saw a video shot by my 13-year-old son down there,. >> good for him he is a

reporter. >> and a fair chunk and what this symbolizes is you know we are in a moment of occupy of tea party of the paulites these are not naturally organization people. and we will see in the party and probably in the democratic party people who are not going to get in line. >> it did not sound like rick santorum when he was talking to us is exactly in line, either. >> rick santorum was open, spontaneous and authentic and remarkably candid about what he feels mitt romney's problem is. and that it goes basically unaddressed. he did repeat not to -- what we were talk being earlier, that americans do vote for the candidate whom they like more. and he cited the cases of michael dukakis and john kerry and al gre three talented people who did not make that emotional personal connection with the american electorate. >> and himself. he said his wife thought he was

petulent. and she walked up to him after the debate. >> he lost a giant reelection by 18 points. obsessed with the political inquirer. and he learned that lesson happy warrior. >> once again, ron paul although he is not mr. warm and fuzzy either. it's interesting. but justice brown is on the floor talking to the paul delegates. give us a sense of what is happening there. >> i'm here with evan of virginia. the youngest delegate here. you are getting a lot of attention for that. are you glad to be here? >> i'm glad to be here. i think the media attention focused on me is i'm the youngest delegate representing my peers back home, the teenagers who could not come to the convention. i'm trying to represent their voice and concerns to the media here and it's saying something

that the media cares about what young voters are feeling ahead of 2012. >> what are those concerns? what is the most important for you? >> i think young voters want to feel their government is giving them the same freedom and individuality that they are expecting from their parents and authority figures at this age. a lot of the representation and the voice of younger americans has been stifled by a growing federal bureaucracy. a lot of the power and autonomy once reserved for local governments where student respectable to have a voice in local county board meetings and school board meetings has been shifted to washinoton d.c. and students cannot afford to fly to washington everytime we want to voice a concern or issue. so it's important to bring government back to a local level and enfranchise students like myself. >> i'm curious i know that alexandria is a suburb of washington d.c.. when you talk about washington d.c., it's right next door. where did you develop these

feelings about the size of government? where does this come from? >> you know, i have grandparents who immigrated to the country. i believe they came here to win for me the economic freedom and individual liberty that they lacked in their homelands and i feel that a larger government fundamental principlesallying that my grandparents came for. >> what about mitt romney does he connect with young people? one of the issues he has had is connecting with people. getting them to like him as well as support him. >> i think that mitt romney will be able to connect to young voters because he is talking specifically to the issues that impact my generation. mitt romney is[ñ obviously very experienced with economic policy and fiscal conservativism as a private sector businessman and paul ryan as a fiscal conservative and champion of fiscal responsibility into the mix as well and the debt is obviously a big problem for members of the younger generation. >> all right.

evan drain the younget delegate this will be your first vote? >> my first vote and i'm glad to cast it for mitt romney and paul ryan and our republican candidates in virginia. >> thank you. for having me. i got that wrong. he was not a ron paul delegate but he is 17 years old so that is interesting. joining us is the president of the pew research center. tell us about younger voters. it's nice to see a 17-year-old on the floor but will they make a difference? >> they made a big difference in 2008 but they are not energized in 2012. they look like young voters in presidential elections which is i'm sort of paying attention but they don't have the push that they had. and they really had a lot o push. >> ey helped make the difference for obama. >> they helped make the difference. they voted at higher rates than typical. now it could be that we will see them come back but they are a long way from coming back. many say they don't use the

positive words about obama who is so got them going in 2010 and even recently surveys we have done more recently. >> and a lot has to do with the economy and the jobs something the republicans keep talking about that the younger generation may have been enchanted by barak obama but now facing the reality. >> and there is another factor jobs specifically. but their expectations were so high for obama and it was going to be difficult for the president to meet those. he was idolized and idealized is what i meant to say in a way that is hard for anyone to measure up. and a lot of them have the highest rate of being out of the workforce for any young generation in quite a longtime. >> one of the issues that comes up tonight during the convention is talking about foreign policy and national security. in the pew polling where does that fall and rate in terms of people's concerns certainly not

as high as it was four years ago? >> not as high as it was four years ago and it was not particularly high four years ago compared to 2004 a few years after the 9/11 attacks. it's low in terms of priorities. but you have to remember that commander in chief is one of big jobs of the president of the united states. it may become a basis of the way that people make the comparisons between mitt romney and barak obama. even though thinking about syria or thinking about afghanistan which are on the way out of, doesn't have the kind of resonance that those sorts of issues had in the past election. >> and you at pew have done looking at the last few days what voters think about paul ryan now that he has been introduced to the american people. what are you finding out? >> we asked probing questions. what words come to mind? and the positive words for ryan suggest the positive energ

he's seen as energetic. honest. a driver and a pusher. on the other hand, the negative words are he's extremist, he's phony, he's scary. is one of the words that came up. and this is really a high-risk choice on the upside it can take the momentum or the enthusiasm that the republicans have and turn it from negative enthusiasm that is against obama and make it for the ticket. on the downside, it can energize certain elements of the democratic party to say, wow this is is a really big risk and older people, the republicans could lose the headlock they have on older voters if this ryan proposal becomes an issue. >> hold that thought we wanted to go to the floor. jeff brown is down there with john mccain. >> and the man next to me is

familiar here at republican vehicleses and the country at large. arizona senator john mccain. >> i heard you talked about foreign policy. we are not hearing a lot about foreign policy in this campaign. do you think that mitt romney should be stressing it more? >> i think to some degree. but he understands and i understand as i said, this election will be about jobs and the economy. but we don't live in an isolated world. and we have to understand that events that are taking place around the world affect our economy and jobs. >> do you have a clear sense of romney's foreign policy? you talk about syria, the major crisis in the world. you clled for more action. do you -- how far would he go? >> i know he has wanted to supply arms to the rebels so they can defend themselves from the slaughter that going on. i know he is considering many options. such as the president of france socialist said we have to have a sanctuary and a no-fly zone.

mitt romney understands america's role in the world. he understands american exceptionalism. and president obama believes we should lead from behind. there is a clear difference of view of america's role in the world. >> all right. senator john mccain. thank you so much. >> thanks for having me on. back to you. thank you, jeff. and we are going to go right backup to the podium because we believe that senator rob portman is due to come out but he is not speaking yet. >> the question about paul ryan every presidential candidate up to now has not been a generation xer that is somebody who has been born after 1965. is there a generationalivide here? will he emerge as a potential leader? this is the first of his generation to run for national office? >> the republican party has an age problem. they are much more appealing to

older people in relative terms) so he does have the potential should he succeed to be the new generation of republicans. and that would be a very significant thing for them. they have a lot of demographic barriers to overcome. this is one of them. >> you know i talked yesterday to theead college republicans and he talked about how they are organized on 1800 campuses around the country. and how they are working hard. i mean he points out that young people are signing on to the republican party. it's not just they are disenchanted with president obama but they are actively now more interested, he said, because he that is his job, to and attracted to the argument that government has gotten too big that young people are hearing that. and resonating. >> i have to saye1 we don't see that. this generation we call them

generation x at one point they are very, very when it -- they come as packaged liberals in many respects. not saying there aren't conservative young people but they are disproportionately liberal and they lead democrats. they have not signed on with the democratic party but the inclination is democratic. >> they are not political. 2008 was an aberration. i was in journal school and the dean said why do you cover politics because none of my students want to cover politics they want to cover work in africa they don't see the point of politics. is that fair to say?uñt0 unless it's jon stewart's politics? >> there's no sustain coming out of 2008. which means this is is not 1968. >> well, and this younger generation we know is defined by exactly what david said, they view politics as a way to make change.

and they areimpatient they see the way politics has gotten tied up in knots in washington and the corrupt things that people do crazy things and it's turned them off. >> and one thing that gets to the core of this convention a lot is about success and how you achieve success. and the republicans have talked a lot about individuals create success. not government, not groups. and andy's polling suggests the republicans are more likely than they were a few years ago to think you are individually responsible for success and particularly more likely to think that poor people become poor because they don't work hard rather than because of things outside their control. >> that is right. and the percentage of people who think republicans who think the government has a responsibility to help people that are not making it has dropped 30 percentage points in 20 years. incredible difference. >> you know in a few minutes we will hear from rob portman senator from ohio i think a month ago they assumed he was

going to be here making the vice-presidential speech. >> i thought so. he thought so. >> off the record. on this program. not so much. but how important is it that he bring a message coming from ohio, ohio, ohio that captures what mitt romney needs to do in this battleground year? >> he will bring a message but not at the caffeine level that the governor brought it. he is a decafinateed. >> or paul ryan might. but he is -- he is a logical choice. just one question for andy, every single speaker the formula is my grandparents came here. i mean i'm waiting for one native american to say my grands were pushed off their land by the people who came here. what is that? what is that appeal? what are they trying to get? >> it speaks to what david was mentioning there is a notion of

individualallism building success and not inheriting it. >> and romney is a story of strivers coming from nothing and getting to something. >> he did that. and struggling hard and romney that is my point. romney does that fit the profile. and rob portman talks about coming from nothing. we know that mitt romney and ann romney had tuna fish casserole as a young couple right after they were married. >> and they ate off an ironing board. >> and rob portman was head of the budget office under second president bush and house for many years. and always focusing on trade and budgety issues. can talk beautifully about the congressional budget office studies. but not so much the music and the poetry and if rick santorum is concerned about getting that humanity probably not rob portman. >> and when we hear rob portman

speak we may get a sense of why mitt romney did not choose him and why he chose paul ryan we'll see. >> maybe he should have chosen rob portman. >> we will go to the floor to hear from u.s. senator from rob portman from the key state of ohio. >> thank you. thank you. good evening, america. and hello to the fired up delegation from the buckeye state in front of me. my name is rob portmannl say i was on governor romy namey say i was on governor romney's short list of vice presidential candidates. apparently it wasn't short enough. what a great convention, and i'm

delighted to be here tonight to talk about the fundamental differences between mitt romney and barack obama when it comes to understanding our economy. let's begin by talking about something the democrats love to demonize, mitt romney's success in the private sector. he built a company from the ground up, created lots of jobs, and, yes, he made money. [applause] he made it the old-fashioned way, folks, he earned it. then you have barack obama, who never started a business, never even worked in business and yet he claims those who have should give credit to the government or someone else for their success. [audience booing] so you have one candidate who understands that success comes from working hard, competing and

taking risks. an you have another candidate who believes that success comes from government. let me ask you this: which one do you think knows how the turn around this economy? >> right answer. let me ask you this, which one would you choose to invest your life savings? >> crowd: romney, romney! >> should it be any different for safeguarding our nation's economy? let's say you don't have any savings. let's say you're worried about how the pay september's rent or mortgage. let's say you're one of the millions of americans out of work or millions more who have given up looking for work. you've got to be running out of patience and hope. you've got to be tired, looking for a new start. well, you don't have to be

patient any longer. through your vote this fall, you can change the leadership of this country and the opportunities for you and your family. [applause] america, it's been nearly four years of eight-digit unemployment. four years. fdr and truman won an entire war in four years. in business, if you don't move raply, what happens? you're out business. you're finished. we want a president that operates at business speed, not government speed. president obama says that he deserves reelection because his economic policies have worked.

not in this universe they haven't. in fact, the experts tell us that if we don't change our policies, we're going back into recession next year. folks, tens of millions of americans are not out of the last ressio governor romney had a plan to build his business. he now has a detailed plan to restore our economy and strengthen the middle class. [cheering and applause] i ask you: where's the president's economic plan? blaming others does not qualify as a plan. now, the president did submit a budget. it was so bad, folks, that not a single republican or a single democrat in the entire united states congress would vote for it. he got zero votes. that is a failure of leadership.

[applause] president obama has been right about at least one prediction he's made about the economy. he said, "if i don't have this done in three years, then there's going to be a one-term proposition." [cheering and applause] i think you're right about that, mr. president. it hasn't worked because you cannot spend your way, regulate your way, tax your way or blame your way out of the economic mess that we're in. you have to liberate the productive power of the american people through policies that encourage innovation, risk taking, investment and jobs. and you have to compete and win in the global economy.

governor romney understands this. in contrast, president obama is the first president in 75 years, democrat or republican, who hasn't even sought the ability to negotiate export agreements and open markets overseas. now, why is this important? because 95% of the world's consumers live outside of our borders, and to create jobs, our workers and our farmers need to sell more of what we make to those people. while this administration has been dragging its feet, other countries have been busy negotiating hundreds of new trade agreements to benefit their workers, their farmers, taking away our opportunity. president obama has been so driven to advance his big government ideology that he's abandoned the daily work that a government must do to open

markets, reorebusiness confidencend cree the climate for job growth. this is the work president romney would begin on day one. [cheering and applause] take trade with china. china manipulates its currency, giving it an unfair trade advantage. so why doesn't the president do something about it? i'll tell you one reason: president obama could not run up his record trillion dollar decit if the chine didn't buy our bonds to finance them. folks, we are as beholden to china for bonds as we are to the middle east for oil. this will end under mitt romney. [cheering and applause]

we need to knock down these barriers to trade abroad, but we also need to knock down self-imposed barriers to success right here at home. we need to reform our outdated and complicated tax code. we need to fix our burdensome regulatory system. an we need an energy policy that encourages the development of our resources right here in the ground in the america. [applause] america has a choice between mitt romney, who seeks to grow the economy, and barack obama, who seeks to redistribute it. which one do you think will liberate america's entrepreneurial spirit? >>[crowd chanting "romney." ] at the other party's convention you'll hear a chant.

their chant will be "four more years, four more years." folks, we cannot afford four more years. [cheering and applause] how about no more years. [cheering and applause] [crowd chanting "no more years"] governor romney chose a terrific partner in paul ryan of wisconsin. paul's a close friend, a great family man and he's got a reformer's heart. contrast this to joe biden. vice president bien has told people out ofork to "just hang in there." so much for hope and change. paul ryan is not asking america to continue to hang in there. he's proposing new policies that

will give poor and middle-class families opportunities and hope for the future. [applause] mitt romney made his park turns around businesses, solving problems. paul ryan made his mark as a respected reformer, focused on resultsful together they will do what president obama has not done. they will lead in breaking through the partisan gridlock in washington, d.c. america, give them the chance to restore america's economy and restore the american dream. i've seen that dream up close. when i was a kid, my dad left his job as a salesman for a big company. he tartd his own business, taking a risk. he sold forklift trucks. my mom was the bookkeeper. she had to borrow money. they had to borrow money from

her uncle because the bank wouldn't give him a loan. he lost money the first few years, but he never lost his dream. by the time he retired and my brother took over, the business had 200 employees, 200 families in southwest ohio were supported by that business. this is the classic american story, not of government telling us what to do, but of free men and free women willing to work hard and take a risk to build something of value for themselves, their families and their community. [cheering and applause] about a year into the obama administration, i asked my dad whether he would do it again. he said, "rob, with all the uncertainty out there today, i don't know if i would take the risk." in that one sentence, folks, he summed up what i've heard from

hundreds of small business owners all across ohio and around this great country. they're afraid to make the investment and jobs are the casualty. ladies and gentlemen, we need new leadership and new policies to bring back the dream and renew america's promise. [cheering and applause] no more executions, no more blaming others, no more waiting. we need romney-ryan, and we need them now. [cheering and alause] and with your help, it's going to happen. thank you and god bless our great country. [cheering and applause] >> ifill: that was rob portman, the senator from ohio. interestingly enough, we're going to go to steve cohen from

ohio, who has a machine company outside of columbus. ohio night. >> good evening. my name is steven cohen, and i am president of screen machine industries. a family owned manufacturer of construction and mining equipment located in the great buckeye state of ohio. [cheering and applause] and, yes, we did build this company. our country's nearly 30 million small businesses serve as the american backbone for job creation and product innovation, the opportunity to create new products and open new markets is the american dream. this capitalistic spirit has supported our economy since its

founding. as a manufacturer, our products are the heartbeat of our business. we can't tolerate other companies stealing hard work without compensation. it can take several years and tens of thousands of dollars to achieve patent status. once granted, we expect it to be protected. our products are often stolen and copied overseas for a mere fraction of the price. all too often tariffs and unfair trade practices make it difficult for american businesses to export. we need a president that will protect america's patented invention, guard the value of our currency and open up new markets for american products. american sml businesses face a mountain of regulations and taxes. in addition, our international competitors do not have to face the upcoming costs associated

with funding a multibillion dollar health care plan, overreaching emissions standards and the unnecessary war on coal. these factors create a tremendous disadvantage in the global marketplace. we need an administration that will lessen tax burdens and government regulations that strangle sll businesses. while we face higher government-imposed costs, cheaper imports from overseas companies flood our markets. unnecessary regulations and mandates imposed on business make our products more expensive to make and less competitive to sell. we need a romney administration to ensure our country's competitivenes and give our companies the opportunity to expand and hire again. let's bring back that original american will to invent, ploy

and prosper. thank you. [applause] >> ifill: steven cohen of ohio, one of a succession of small business people we've heard telling their own stories with the theme "we did build it." we're joined by senator ron johnson, elected in wisconsin during the republican wave of 2010, ousting democrat russ finegold. so you can maybe perhaps give us some understanding, senator, of how mitt romney i going to win wisconsin and win this election. barack obama won in wisconsin by 14 points in 2008. you ousted an incumbent, a long-time incumbent two years later. what's the secret? >> i think it's pretty simple. the citizens of wisconsin are fiscally conservative. they have this common sense notion that government really ought to live within its means. they have to do that with their own household budgets. they expect that out of government. when you take a look at what happened in november 2010 where we turned a blue state pretty

red, my platform certain certnly was repling the unpopular and partisan health care law and getting our debt and deficit under control. what's really changed since that point in time? our debt has grown by 2.5 trillion dollars, and we're that much closer to implementing that very unpopular law. so i'm very optimistic or cautiously optimistic about our chances of delivering those ten electoral votes to the next president, mitt romney. >> i can hear what the democrats are going to say after this convention, they're going to say your party is good for business owners and small business owners, but say you're a waitress making $22,000 a year, trying to get your kid through college, trying to get health care, those people want to leave you on your own. what's the answer? >> well, certainly the answer is that republicans care about every american. we want every american to have the opportunity to build a good life for themselves and their family, but the way you do that is you make america an attractive place for business investment, business expansion

and job creation. i mean, america is based on the premise of individual freedom and the opportunity to aspire to build things. that's what governor romney and paul ryan understand i'm afraid. it's very unfortunate president obama doesn't understand it. his belief is that you grow government. we have this elite group of people in washington that know how to control our lives, and, of course, we've seen the result of that. by growing government we are growing debt to unsustainable levels. 5.3 trillion dollars added to our nation's debt during his administration. we can't keep going down this path. >> woodruff: senator, we heard from senator rob portman from ohio a few minutes ago. he made the reference that we've been hearing from a number in the republican party that business people around this country are reluctant to hire because they are uncertain. and they want... they expect that if governor romney becomes president, that things will change. what exactly could a president romney do that would quickly make business owners start hiring again?

what changes would take place? >> first of all, you could put a moratorium on all new regulations. we are overregulating our businesses. a study came out, $1.75 trillion is the cost to comply with federal regulations. that's a number that's greater than a but eight nis in -- economies in the world. that's what we're burdening our economy with. plus business owners don't know their level of taxation. you have to stabilize the situation and you have to return certainty to the economy by putting in plan to stabilize our debt and deficit. come up with pro-growth tax policy. >> woodruff: so no new regulations of any kind? >> not until we get our economy moving. then we need to modernize regulations and make them effective. republicans, conservatives aren't against regulations, but we need to have them be ffective and they c't be onerous. they can't be costing us jobs. >> ifill: mark? >> senator, the paul ryan budget that passed the house that came to a vote in the senate, do you

think that's the remedy? >> it certainly moves in the right direction. paul's budget, the house budget basically takes a look at our debt-to-gdp ratio as the one metric we need to be concerned about. our total debt now exceeds the size of our economy. take a look at economic history, that's a dangerous point because we'll have a very difficult time with wealth. really the number-one component, the solution mark is economic growth. we're not going to solve all our problems with that. by the way, i agree we need more revenue, but we need to increase revenue the old-fashioned way, by growing our economy. that's what paul ryan's budget does. it recognizes that. >> the ron paul folks, including rand paul himself, it takes 28 years under the paul ryan budget to balance the budget. is that too long to wait? >> it is, but paul was constrained. he had to use thebo baseline for growth, which assumed tax rates would increase, but he

doesn't use the tax revenue. so paul is confident. i'm confident. republicans are confident by enacting that budget, we will see economic growth because we're not going to increase taxes. >> ifill: you know, senator, the democrats would love to take the ryan budget and, t the wonkishness and all, and hang it. i notice the nominee sd, i'll have my own plan. i'm the guy. >> i think republicans are proud that we were actually being willing to be held accountable, that we put a plan on the table for the american people to evaluate, whereas the body i serve controlled by the democrats can not passes the budget in over three years. president obama has put forward four budgets. he has yet to propose a solution to save social security or medicare. his last two budgets, gwen, were so unserious. they've had three votes in the united states congress. the final vote tally, 0-610.

now, reallyhink about that. we're facing a financial crisis, and our president, the person should be leading at this point, is putting plan on the table that is so unserious, members of his own party won't vote for it. i really do believe when the american people come to understand that, they will come to the conclusion that we simply can't afford four more years of president obama's failed leadership. >> senator, one of the things we've been discussing tonight is whether or not, in fact, for the last several night, is whether or not governor romney needs to open up more about who he is. just a short time ago former senator rick santorum joined us. he sat right where you sat, and he said governor romney really does need to tell the american people more about who he is and about his life story so that there's more of a connection. do you think that's important, or do you think the economy is such an overriding issue that it really doesn't matter whether people feel more of a connection with him? >> the wonderful thing about these convention, and this is my first one, but i've been

watching, it gives the nominees a chance to speak to tens of millions of americans without any filter directly to them. just like ann romney spoke to the american people and showed the confidence she had in her husband to fix the proem, his skill set, his dedication to doing it, her love for governor romney. governor romney will have that exact same chance, and i've met him. i was not planning on endorsing a presidential candidate until i met him. i was quickly convinced that here is a man that is serious about fixing our problems. that's why i endorsed him. my belief is that governor romney will be able to look in the camera and speak not only to the americans, engage their minds and speak to their hearts. as i think americans are going to like what they see. >>. >> ifill: you're a businessman. you spend millions of dollars to win an election. this is your first convention. >> right. >> ifill: what does it tell you? what does it show you? what are you picking up? >> it's pretty exciting being from wisconsin. when i make speeches around town, all i have to say is i'm the senator from wisconsin...

>> and people think you're the other guy. >> it's my best applause line. it goes downhill after that. it's a great opportunity, not only for our candidates and our party, but for the american people to see what we offer in terms of solutions, and it is a path that understands that this is the land of unlimited opportunity. you know, that is really what i believe americans are looking for. they are looking for leadership. that's what's lacking in washington. >> a lot of people come to the senate from the governor's office and get incredibly frustrated because they're used to doing stuff. what's it been like for you? >> it's been frustrating because i serve under harry reid's do-nothing senate. we have not done anything for 19 months. >> senator, one quick question. that is: paul ryan is noted for candor. he says the reasons were turned out after eight years of running everything in the first eight years of this decade is they had party that had become corrupt and economically hypocritical. the debt had been run up under

them. you take any responsibility or is this all on barack obama's shoulders? >> well, first of all, i wasn't here. i certainly was not happy as republicans were mounting debt, as well. but, yeah, president obama definitely came into a tough economic situation, but, mark, he promised he would reduce the deficit in half by the end of his first term. the deficit back then was projected to be $1 trism instead he passed a $800 billion a year stimulus that failed and we've had now budget deficits that have exceeded a trillion dollars for over four years. he chose the path of growing government when what he should have done was taken the path of growing the private sector. >> woodruff: senator ron johnson, first-term senator from the state of wisconsin. thank you very much for being with us. >> thanks for having me. >> woodruff: great to see you. right now let's take a few minutes to go back to our own jeffrey brown. he's on the floor and i think he's with the missouri delegation? >> brown: i'm here in the

missouri delegation. joining us now is becky davidson. welcome to you. >> thank you. >> brown: your state was getting a lot of attention recently after the remarks of congressman todd akin about rape. has that hurt the state? has that hurt the party's standing in the state? >> it certainly made it very challenging. it's been a challenge within the state to a certain degree there's a separation, because there are people that are very passionately for congressman akin, and there are people that really believe he should get out right now and why isn't he out. >> brown: are you worried that he may not win? >> there's always that possibility. >> brown: what about mitt romney? he called on the congressman to step aside. does it hurt the party's chances and mitt romney's chances in the fall? >> it certainly impacts them. >> brown: in what way? >> well, it has brought up a question we really shouldn't be talking about. with everything that's going on

in this country, with with the economy having so many problems, with so many other problems that we have in the country, the fact that this has gotten as much publicity as it has is not good. >> brown: so you wish that it was not getting this much attention, this kind of social issue? >> i wouldn't exactly put it that way. i would say that it's certainly important, i mean, rape is a terrible thing, so it's certainly something that should be talked about, but i don't think it should be this central issue of everything that's going on in politics, especially not in missouri. >> brown: what do you think mitt romney has to do to connect with women? >> i think ann romney did a great start last night. she was really definitely very approachable and she really spoke to the challenges that women are facing, whether we're married or single, we're feeling it in the grocery storement we're trying to figure out how the make ends meet and figure out how to do these things. i think ann romney really touched on that.

>> brown: all right. becky davidson of missouri, thank you so much. >> thank you. >> woodruff: so jeffrey brown with becky davidson who is clely saying the episode involving congressman todd akin running for the senate, nominated to be the senate candidate in missouri, is hurting the party, hurting governor romney in his efforts to get this... win this election. >> ifill: he certainly was persona non grata at the convention this week. >> i'm not sure it puts missouri in play. i don't think president obama's campaign all of a sudden thinks that people... limited resources. >> woodruff: at the presidential level. i think senator claire mccaskill has a new leaf on life very much. >> there has been polling done on the presidential level, and there has been no effect. >> ifill: i suppose you

wouldn't hear more from the podium about todd akin, but i wonder if you've picked up any other murmurings. >> they came out, the entire party establishment, the whole fox news crew and everybody, they want him to get out. he's a party of one staying in right now. >> and i think they thought further callsor his leaving would, in fact, make him into a martyr. >> ifill: this is the night of the also-rans because now we're about the hear from former minnesota governor tim pawlenty. he is here to speak on mitt romney's record and experience. >> thank you. thank you very much. good evening, everyone. and welcome to barack obama's retirement party. [cheering and applause] four years ago we came together

for this convention back in my home state of minnesota. and a lot has happened since then. we've had four years of barack obama in the white house. ah, the obama white house, one bad decision follows another. it's hard to say exactly just what his wst mistake has been. there's so many to choose from. the stimulus, his energy policy, obamacare, taxes, joe biden. [laughter] now, i hear joe's particularly interested in tonight's proceedings. he even thought about coming here to tampa, and he's taking notes because when paul ryan speak joe will finally get to

hear what a real vice president sounds like. [cheering and applause] but, you know, president obama isn't as bad as people say. he's actually worse. the president takes more vacations than the guy on the bizarre food sho and i'll give barack obama credit for creating jobs these last four years, for golf caddies. actually, barack obama is the first president to create more executions -- excuses than jobs.

in his view, it's george's fault, it's the bank's fawrlt, it's europe's fault, it's the weather's fault, it's congress's fault. mr. president, if you want to find fault, i suggest you look in the mirror. [cheering and applause] i've come the realize that barack obama is the tattoo president, like a big tattoo, it seemed cool when we were young, but later on that decision doesn't look so good. and you wonder: what was i thinking? but the worst part is you're going to have to explain it to

your kids. next week barack obama will plead with america toive his failed policies and idea another chance. he's asking americans to give him more time and more money. well, sorry, mr. president, but you're out of time and we're out of money. [applause] barack obama's failed us. but look, it's understandable. a lot of people fail at their firstob. [applause]

now, our opponents claim to be the party of the middle class, but democrats don't understand this fundamental point: it's really hard for people to be part of the middle class if they don't have job. now, i know a bit about these things. i grew up in a meat packing town. for much of his life, my dad was a truck driver. my mom was a homemaker. she died when i was 16 years old. and my dad lost his job not long after that. i was the only one of five kids in our family who had a chance to go to college. when i traveled the country these past few years, i met americans from all different walks of life. ifou ask middle-class americans about their hopes and their dreams, they'll share their heart, but also their

concerns. can they pay the mortgage? will they have enough money to buy groceries or put gas in the car? will they be able to get their kids into college or pay the tuition? but jobs don't come from politicians. they come from the entrepreneurs, the inventors, the innovators and the risk takers. [applause] america's entrepreneurs know taxes are too high and regulations are too costly and complex. obamacare frightens them, and they want more american energy. and they're collectively making one common plea. they're saying: i want to grow my business and employ people, but they're also saying this: just get the government off my back. [cheering and applause]

we need to let them know that help's on the way. and help's name is mitt romney. ladies and gentlemen, we have the best candidate. this isn't his first job or the first time he's been a leader who has produced results. he's made a success of failin compaes. he made a success of the olympics. he even made government in massachusetts more effective and efficient. and now he's ready to help get america back on track and americans back to work. [applause] he has a plan to strengthen and grow america's middle class with lower taxes, a government that works for the american people

instead of dashing their hopes and dreams, lowering energy prices and gater access to quality education for all. but there's one other thing that i want the leave you with tonight. it's important for america to know that mitt romney is not only a great leader, he's also a remarkable person. [applause] he's smart, gracious and wise. and he has this infectious good cheer about him, something i aprecie and something america needs. mitt romney never quits moving. when he sees a problem, he goes after it and finds the solution. it's that can-do spirit combined with a life-time of service and success that convinced me to support him. and it's that can-do spirit that

we need in the white house leading america now. as a former governor, i know that leadership takes optimism, but mott blind optimism. we need a leer who understands the depth of our challenges. but who also doesn't shy away from them. mitt romney knows what our problems are and he has the tools and the experience and the energy and the right policies to fix them. [cheering and applause] after four years of this president, we need mitt romney now more than ever. i'm proud to be supporting him for president of the united states, and i know you are, too. and with any luck in a few months barack obama will at last

get some experience in the private sector. [cheering and applause] thank you. god bless you and god bless the united states of america. good night. >> ifill: former minnesota governor tim pawlenty coining a new label for the president. he said he's the tattoo president. you had to hear the explanation to get it. we can talk about that later. right now mike huckabee, former governor of the state of arkansas, 57 years old, hosts his own show on fox news and also a rid -- radio host, mike huckabee. >> i was backstage. i heard some folks say, we sure can do better tan mike huckabee, and that's when they will nominate mitt romney to be the next president of the united states of america. i want to say that tampa has

been a wonderful and hospitable city, and i'm grateful for all that they've done for us. but the only hitch in an otherwise perfect week was the awful noise coming from the hotel room next door to mine. turns out it was jt debby wasserman schultz practicing her speech for the democratic national convention in charlotte next week, bless her heart. four years ago, mitt romney and i were opponents. we still are. but we're not opposing each other. no, we are mutual opponents of the miserably failed experiment that has put this country in a downward spiral. the united states of america was originally an experiment. but it was an experiment in recognizing god-given individual liberty and creating a government in which no one is

deemed better than another. and in which all of us are equal. not equal in abilities, but equal in intrinsic worth and value. it is the essence, not just of who we are, but what we are. now, let me just say to those who question how once rivals can be now united, it's quite simple. we have barack obama to thank. it was barack obama who said, "you didn't build it." translation: it doesn't belong to you. well, no small differences among us in our party approximate the vast differences between the liberty limiting radical left wing antibusiness reckless spending tack-hiking party of barack obama, harry reid and nancy pelosi versus an energized

america who knows we can do better. [cheering and applause] for four years we've given a chance to man with very limited experience in governing, no experience in business whatsoever, and since taking office, mostly an interest in campaigning, blaming and aiming executions at his predecessor, the republicans, and people in business. or as republicans like to call them, employers. we've stagnated into an eonomy thatas tak all this hope right down the slope and has left millions without jobs, forced at of their homes by foreclosure, herded into dependency upon a government that promises us candy but gives us cavities. barack obama seems intent on enrolling more people on food

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

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

years, we've tried to one that the press thought was perfect, and that hasn't worked out all that well for us. that's why tonight i tell you, we can do better. our founding fathers left taxation and tierny, seeking religious liberty and a society of meritocracy rather than aristracy. what they created was a bold experiment in government, believing that god gave us unailennable rights and that the role of government is simply to make sure that those rights are protected. so fearful were they that the government would grow beyond their intention that even after crafting our magnificent constitution, they said, "we can do even better." they added amendments. we call them the bill of rights.

those bill of rights limit what the government can do and they guarantee what we, the people, have the unimpeded right to do. whether to speak, assemble, worship, pray, publish or even refuse intrusions into our homes. many of those founders died to pass on that heritage. they had lived under the boot of big government, and what they said was "we can do better." [applause] as a kid growing up in a household, my dad never finished high school. i grew up in a family in which no male upstream from me had never finished high school, much less gone to college, but i was taught that even though there was nothing i could do about what was behind me, i could change everything about what was in front of me.

my working-poor parents told me that i could do better. they taught me i was as good as anybody else. and it never occurd to them to tell me that i could just rest comfortably and wait for good old uncle sugar to feed me, lead me and then bleed me. they told me to get off my back side, work hard, take risks and treat people honestly and honorably. and look at me today. i have become, as the press like to label me, a failed candidate. oh, it's true, i have fallen from the hi perch of politics and now i wallow in the mud of the media. but i still know that as a country, we can do better. and with mitt romney and paul ryan, we will do better. [cheering and applause]

i'm going to clear the air about something that has been said. people wonder whether guys like me, an evangelical, would only support a fellow evangelical. well, my friends, i want to tell you something, of the four people on the two tickets, the only self-professed evangelical is barack obama, and he supports changing the definition of marriage, believes that human life is disposable and expendable at any time in the womb, even beyond the womb, and he tells people of faith that they have to bow their knees to the god of government and violate their faith and conscience in order to comply with what he calls health care. friends, i know we can do better. [cheering and applause] let me say it as clearly as

possible, that the attack on my catholic brothers and sisters is an attack on me. the democrats have brought back that old dance, the limbo to, see how low they can go in attempting to limit our ability to practice our faith. but this isn't a battle about contra accepttivities and catholics, but about conscience and the creator. let me say to you tonight, i care far less as to where mitt romney takes his family to church than i do about where he takes this country. [cheering and applause] joe biden, joe biden said, show me your budget. and i'll tell you whatou vue. well, in the senate, joe's party hasn't produced a budget in

three years, what does that say about their values? and by the way, speaking of budgets, joe biden's budget shows that while he wants to be very generous with your money through higher taxes and government spending, for years he gave less than two-tenths of 1% of his own money to charity. he just wants you to give the government more so he and the democrats can feel better about emsees. mitt romney has given over 16% of his income to church and charity, and my friends, i feel a lot better about having a president who will give generally is of his own money instead of mine or yours. [cheering and applause] my concern is not barack obama's past, but my concern is for the

future, not his future, by for the future of my grandchildren, little chandler and scarlet. and under this president, we have burdened each of them with tens of thousands of dollars of debt and a system that will collapse upon itself because he thinks that we can prosper by punishing productivity and rewarding reckless irresponsibility. the democrats say we ought to give barack obama credit for trying. folks, that sounds like the monosense of giving every kid a trophy for showing up. [applause] let's be clear, we're talking about leading the country, not playing in a third-grade soccer team. look, i realize this is man who got a nobel peace prize for what he would potentially do. but in the real world, you get

the prize for producing something, not just promising something. [cheering and applause] sometimes, sometimes we get so close to the picture we really can't see it clearly. i've had the privilege of working with bono for the past few years in the one campaign to fight aids and hunger and disease around the world. bono is an irishman and a great humanitarian, and i remember him telling me of his admiration for america. he said, "america's mo than just a couny. we are an idea." and rehoboth minded me that we are an exceptional nation with an extraordinary history, who owes it to the generations who are coming after us to lead them with an extraordinary legacy.

but if we don't change the direction of our nation now, our bequest will be nothing but an extraordinary shame. but dear friends, we can do better. [applause] president obama is out of gas. and americans are out of patience. and our great republic is almost out of time. it's time that we no longer lead from behind but that we get off our behinds and leave something lasting for those who came after us instead of a mountain of debt and a pile of executions. -- excuses. tonight it's mott because we're republicans, it's because we are americans. we proudly stand with mitt romney and paul ryan and say we will do better. god bless you. thank you god bless.

>> ifill: former arkansas governor mike huckabee demonstrating he is the practiced media speaker that we know him to be. >> woodruff: he has a program on fox television and a host of a radio show. he's making a defense, gwen, of governor romney and i thought an interesting reference to his faith. he said at one point, i care less about the chump that mitt romney goes to than where he's going to take the country. >> ifill: i thought that was very interesting. he got elected governor of arkansas by being a folksy guy. he wrote a book about weight loss which was very folksiment but he made a very targeted appeal, not just about defending mitt romney on religion but a targeted appeal to catholic voters, which is turning out to be quite a battleground, david, among both democrats and republicans. i should be asking mark this question, but i'll start with you. >> get the jwish perspective. well, i've actually never been a

big believer in the idea of a catholic vote. catholics are pretty divided, not necessarily on religious lines, but he did explicitly check the evangelicals that were going to vote for a mormon. >> >> ifill: what do you think in >> theologically speaking, catholics are ohio. they vote for the winner every time. barack obama carried catholics in 2008 and he won. i think they are up for grabs this time. >> ifill: back to the podium now because the room is welcoming quite raucously former secretary of state condoleezza rice, who, among other things, became first woman welcomed to the columbia national golf club. >> woodruff: she learned golf in matter of a few years and already is a good golfer. she's very popular giving speeches in front of republican audiences, and look at that now. >> thank you. thank you.

[cheering and applause] thank you. thank you very much. thank you. thank you. thank you. thank you so much. good evening. good evening. good evening. good evening distinguished delegates, good evening fellow republicans, good evening my fellow americans. [cheering and applause] we gear here at a time of significce and cllenge. this young century has been a difficult one. i can remember as if it were yesterday when my young assistant came into my office at the white house to say that a plane had hit the world trade center and then a second plane and then a third plane the pentagon.

and later we would learn that a plane had crashed into a field in pennsylvania, driven into the grou by brave soul who died so that others might live. [applause] from that day on, our sense of vulnerability and our concept of security were never the same again. then in 2008 the global financial and economic crisis would stun us. and it still reverb rates as we deal with unemployment and economic uncertainty and bad policieshat cas a pall over an american economy and a recovery that is desperately needed at home and abroad. and we have seen, we have seen ha the desire for liberty and freedom is indeed universal, as men and women in the middle east

rise up to seize it. yet the promise of the arab spring is engulfed in uncertainty, internal strife and hostile neighbors. they're challenging the young, fragile democracy of iraq. dictators in iran and syria butcher their people and threaten regional security. russia and china prevent a response and everyone asks, where does america stand? indeed, indeed that is the question of the hour. where does america stand? you see, when friends or foes alike don't know the answer to that question unambiguously and clearly, the world is lily to be aore dangerous and caotic place. since world war ii, the united states has had an answer to that question. we stand for free peoples and free markets.

we will defend and support them. applause we will sustain a balance of power that favors freedom. now to be sure, the burdens of leadership have been heavy. i know the sacrifice amerans, especially the sacrifices of many of our bravest and the ultimate sacrifice, but our armed forces are the sure shield and foundation of liberty, and we are so fortunate that we have men and women in uniform who volunteer. they volunteer to defend us at the front lines of freedom, and we owe them our eternal gratitude. [cheering and applause]