bill clinton last night. >> i want to nominate a man who's cool on the outside. but who burns for america on the inside. >> in 48 minutes, clinton did a better job of explaining why obama deserves four more years than the president has. >> president obama started with a much weaker economy than i did. listen to me now. no president, no president, not me, not any of my predecessors, no one could have fully repaired all the damage that he found in just four years. >> clinton rebutted republican attacks on welfare and medicare, ab libbing a swipe at paul ryan. >> you got to get one thing, it takes some brass to attack a guy

for doing what you did. >> reaching out to independents, obama for embracing his rivals. >> heck, he even appointed hillary. >> and on the other side of the world, the traveling secretary of state watched a replay of her husband's speech at the u.s. embassy in east timor. >> my husband read parts of his speech to me over the last few days. i received the as prepared version, which i'm anxious when i can to compare with the as delivered version. so it's -- it's a great honor for him to be nominating the president. >> bill clinton's primetime speech bumped joe biden on to tonight's schedule. the vice president checked out the stage late last night after weather forced officials to move tonight's finale indoors from

the stadium. and first lady michelle obama gave dave letterman her top ten reasons you should watch tonight. >> there will be no kiss cam. >> oh, no, no. come on. why not? >> it's got to be better than what you're watching now. joe biden says it will be a big you know what deal. >> and the number one reason to watch the democratic national convention -- >> at long last, i'll reveal who i'm voting for. >> no doubt about that. good day, i'm andrea mitchell on the final day of the democratic national convention. where tonight vice president joe biden is going to have a starring role introducing the president, placing biden's name in the nomination will be his son, beau. the attorney general of delaware and beau biden joins me now. welcome. >> great to be with you, andrea. >> great to be with you. tell me about the excitement for the biden family, joe biden's big speech tonight, the move. his anticipation. >> i'm excited to see my mom

introduce my dad. i'm going to nominate him. shortly thereafter my mom will introduce my father. we're all ready for a big night, most importantly to make sure what the president articulates the message, why this president deserves re-election, why he's been an exceptional commander in chief. >> why was it left to bill clinton to explain the obama record better than the president or his surrogates have? >> well, look, the president is an incredible spokesperson for this administration and can articulate the message as a former president in the way you saw last night. look, everyone in this administration has done a great job articulating the message of this. you saw the president last night in 45 minutes explain the stark contrast we face as a nation as well as anybody has in the last 3 1/2 years. that's what you're going to see from all of us over the next 60 days. >> was there any frustration in the biden household about joe biden coming on tonight instead of last night? >> oh, not at all. look, no. this has been great. this has been a phenomenal

convention. hillary on the first night, bill clinton on the second night, my dad and barack on the third night. >> you mean michelle -- >> michelle. michelle. my gosh. the first ladies i'm mixing up. michelle did an incredible job. the president last night. and my dad and most importantly the president are going to really knock it out of the park tonight. >> how does your father feel when he gets criticism? you know, there's a pew poll which showed that there's a lot of positives about him. but there's also some negatives. the words that come to mind. you know, they talk about, well, whatever. >> yeah. well, look, you covered him since philadelphia days. for a while. my dad's traveled to 37 countries. over 500,000 miles on air force two. he's respected interfacialinter by every international leader and has the respect of his nation. you know, the attacks he gets are from the far right. they wouldn't be attacking him if he wasn't landing punches. we're used to the punches he's getting back. he's landing punches.

he's the most effective spokesperson for the middle class in this administration. that's why he's getting so attacked. you'll see him talk about it tonight. and speak directly to the middle class about why we need to re-elect barack obama. >> now, you, yourself, had a zinger against paul ryan. paul ryan bragged and exaggerated his record as a marathoner. this is what you had to say about that. >> romney/ryan budget means what it says. i believe his math as it relates to his budget. i'm not sure if i believe his math as it relates to his marathon times. he said it was under three. now up to around four. close getting near to where my mom who ran a marathon, about 4 1/2 hours. so i guess he can compete with my mom. maybe not. i think my mom could take him. well, you know, paul ryan, you know, what offends me about what paul ryan's done is his budget. he cuts $11 billion to the veterans administration in year one.

$11 billion as we come home from two long wars. one of them being our longest war in afghanistan. >> you served in iraq. >> i served in iraq. we have 50,000 people return with ptsd, amputees, traumatic brain injuries. we have soldiers returning home, fallen angels. making sure that .75% of the population get a tax break -- the $1 trillion tax break, doubled down in the bush tax cut. versus giving the veterans what they deserve, the .75% of our population, that have served this nation. so at a time when we're returning from war, it's the .75% that's put on the uniform over the last ten years that we should be focused on, not making sure we continue to bust our budgets and get people who don't need it a tax cut. >> now, tonight also kicks off the unofficial primary race for 2016. we've seen a lot of potential candidates and wannabes going to the iowa, new hampshire breakfasts here and there's a lot of talk about hillary clinton. obviously with bill clinton yesterday.

what about joe biden in 2016? >> joe biden november 6th. my mom, my entire family, making sure we re-elect the president. look, we have a team we're running against. mitt romney, he said his foreign policy expense -- give me a break. you've been following international relations for a long time. you have mitt romney who in 24 hours visiting our closest ally offends not only the prime minister but all brits. so, i mean, we have important issues about foreign policy, both domestically to discuss in 60 days. you're going to see the vice president and president do that. >> beau biden, good luck to your dad today. >> thank, andrea. women are center stage as republicans attack abortion and reproductive rights especially pl funding for planned parenthood. >> this past year women learned when we're not at the table we're on the menu.

so why are we having to fight in 2012 against politicians who want to end access to birth control? it's like we woke up on a bad episode of "mad men." >> your new president could be a man who stands by when a public figure tries to silence a private citizen. with hateful slurs. a man who won't stand up to those slurs or to any of the extreme bigoted voices in his own party. >> senator barbara boxer after california. of course, last night, putting the california -- calling the roll of california last night. >> yes. 600 votes for barack obama and joe biden. >> there was a lot of excitement with all of the women senators on stage. what is the message coming out of here about women's issues,

abortion, reproductive rights? >> oh, my goodness, andrea, if there ever was a black and white situation here, it is the way the republican ticket looks at women versus the way the democratic ticket does. you know, barack obama and joe biden in all of their policies show their respect for the choices that women make. and if you look at paul ryan who is the one hand picked by mitt romney, he stood hand in hand with todd akin trying to redefine rape, trying to criminalize abortion and, you know, for me to see the younger generation of women at this convention speak out so eloquently, it does my heart good because i'm one of those that remembers the days of the back alley abortions and women died. >> now, there is a flap that has developed today about nazi references by leaders of various delegations. it started with, you know, john burton -- >> who apologized. he apologized, yes.

>> manow you have harpootlian fm south carolina talking about eva braun, comparing nikki haley the governor to eva braun. there was another reference by someone from kansas. what about the nastiness of three democratic leaders? >> well, let me say, we see a lot of nastiness on the republican side. we've seen some here. there's no room for that. we've got issues, andrea. so i'm not going to spend my time talking about, you know, the nastiness. i want to spend my time talking about the policies. we cannot go back to the days when women were considered criminals if they exercised their right to choose. we an not turn to the romney/ryan ticket at this stage in our history when they have said they want to repeal roe v. wade and wouldn't even make an exception. paul ryan has said that. for rape or incest. now, they try -- they said they couldn't fix the platform and

they didn't fix the platform. the republican platform says, you know, exercising a woman's right to choose, it's criminal, no exceptions. >> speaking of platforms, there was the big flap here about both mention of god in the platform, not having it, and also jerusalem as the capital of israel. you know, the president we're told directly intervened to get -- >> absolutely. >> -- jerusalem put back in. this is gail collins' bit from her column today in "the new york times." she said that the republicans left tampa, florida, wondering who had invited clint eastwood. the democrats are now wondering what disinvited the lord. >> well, that's ridiculous on its face because every one of our speakers practically has shown that they are motivated a lot by faith. they're quoting the bible. that's ridiculous. let's just say what dick durbin said. i think he was on a different station, called fox. and he said, let's just agree that democrats and republicans

are god fearing. now let's get on with what the issues are. here's the difference -- >> stipulated. >> stipulated. here's the difference between mitt romney and barack obama. we had a problem in our platform. barack obama came in with courage and fixed it. mitt romney, when he had a platform that said, no exception for abortion, it's all criminal, i said, you know, i really can't do anything about it. so i think at the end of the day, it shows the kind of leader that we have in barack obama. >> thank you so much. >> thank you. >> barbara boxer from california. and up next, we'll talk about expectations for tonight, with white house senior adviser valerie jarrett. still ahead, tom daschle, actress and tennessee delegate here, ashley judd. in our tailly fix, chris cillizza, eugene robinson and michael steele. first, flashback, 2004. the full salute. >> i'm john kerry, and i'm reporting for duty.

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tonight, president obama makes his case to be rehired by the american people. joining me now, a woman described as the other power in the west wing. valerie jarrett. thank you so much for being here. >> my pleasure. good afternoon, andrea. >> good afternoon. >> we're hanging in there. day three. >> one more day. this is the biggest day. what is the president going to say today that is different about why he deserves another term? >> well, you know, i'm not going to get out ahead of him, but what he will do is make a very concrete and specific case for

his vision for the future. he'll talk a little bit about where we've come, what we've accomplished and then set forth the roadmap for the future of our country and how he wants to build a strong middle class, provide a ladder of opportunity for those who work hard and want to get into the middle class, and it will contrast pretty dramatically with what we've seen from the other side which is this theory of trickle down, or as president clinton said last night, double down on trickle down that we know just doesn't work. >> now, what specifics might he offer? could he be more specific, for instance, about simpson/bowles, reaching out to others who want him to be more proactive about deficit reduction and showing leadership on that? >> he's been proactive. he appointed the bowles/simpson -- >> i've heard this, you've heard this from some of your close allies that he patted them on the back and said, job well

done. but he was waiting for congressional buy-in and didn't lead the way. didn't say, i'm willing to take the first step. >> he did take the first step. he put simpson/bowles in place. he said the framework of simpson/bowles is extraordinary. congressman ryan didn't vote for it when hifs he was on the deficit commission. the president last summer made a very bold effort working with speaker boehner to try to come up with a grand bargain. he pushed it very hard. he was very disappointed that he wasn't able to get the republicans to agree to even a penny of revenue. simpson/bowles has even more revenue than the president was proposing. we couldn't get them to go along with the grand bargain. how are we going to get them to go along with simpson/bowles? the president, of course, is willing to work with the republicans. this is an issue that's very important for our generation, our children's generation, our grandchildren's generation. we have got to get our fiscal house in order. the president is absolutely committed to doing that. >> your reaction to bill clinton's speech? >> oh, my gosh.

it was extraordinary. president clinton, his ability, his oratory ability really making a very strong case for the president. and putting the facts on the table in great specificity. one of the advantages of convention is it really gives us a chance to speak directly to the american people. it's not a sound bite. everybody tunes in. the watching, viewing audience as you know, is tremendous, and so for over 45 minutes president clinton was able to outline all of the reasons why president obama should be re-elected. he put it in the context of our track record of democratic presidents and republican presidents and how job creation has really taken off over democrats. here he inherited a testidefici president clinton, turned over a huge surplus. the same policies -- let me finish this out, andrea. the very same policies president clinton advocating that were so successful, again, with republican opposition, are the same ones the president is

putting in place. we expect as the economy turns around and took off under president clinton, it will do that for president obama. >> i apologize, but my thought is a lot of people are suggesting bill clinton in 48 minutes did a better job of rebutting the republican attack lines on welfare and medicare and the other attack ads than anyone from the administration including the president has. >> well, let's see how you think the president does tonight. my guess is that when the president finishes tonight, what will be crystalized for the american people is exactly why he should be re-elected and he'll do that in the context of the choice that's before the american people. and i have no doubt in his ability to make a very compelling case. president clinton was extraordinarily helpful and now tonight president obama is going to finish it off. >> and when we look at some of the confusion over the platform and now some of the three different delegation leaders in california, kansas, and south carolina, have gone really off

the reservation, talking, you know, with nazi analogies. the campaign has spoken out against it. how concerned are you about these issues coming up in this convention? >> well, the president has absolutely no tolerance for this. absolutely. and ben speaks on his behalf. obviously this is a country that believes in free speech, but there are limits. and they went over the limit. and the president doesn't support that and the platform now reflects his priorities and his principles and his beliefs. >> going into this tonight, what is the mood inside? >> it's electric. it's electric. the last three days have been tremendous. it began, of course, with our first night, and i thought mayor castro just made a compelling case as our keynote speaker. the first lady was amazing. she was able to speak about the president as no one else can from her vantage point. sharing his values. understanding how he makes decisions. last night was terrific. we're building up the momentum. elizabeth warren was amazing. talking about the importance of

a consumer financial protection bureau that she fought so hard for against huge opposition. president clinton we've already spoken about. tonight is going to be tremendous as well. >> how disappointed are you that you don't have the stadium, you don't have the ability to organize by having 65,000 people? i know the president is going to be doing a call-out to those people. >> he did phone calls. >> how disappointed are you that you're in here and how are you going to match what you did in denver, by the way, they're rehearsing behind us, i should tell our viewers. >> that's the noise. we're getting ready for a great night. are we disappointed? we're not outside? of course, we are. safety is the most important thing. the president wasn't going to do anything to put our supporters or anyone in harm's way. and with thunderstorms predicted yesterday, we did the best thing which was to cancel it. we're going to make the best of it. the president as you mentioned is going to do a phone call with all the folks who came to town. who are going to organize whether they watch him inside with us our outside. it doesn't matter. the enthusiasm that is

permeating this city, and i believe the country, is something that will only grow and we're looking forward to this evening, i think regardless of whether you're in this beautiful area or watching it on television. president's message is going to hit home. and i think resonate broadly across our country tonight. it's a very exciting night. we're all looking forward to. >> i know what this means for you. i can only imagine really what this means for you. congratulations. he's officially nominated. no dispute there. good luck tonight. >> thank you. thank you. appreciate if. up next, our daily fix, chris cillizza, eugene robinson, michael steele. still ahead, is ashley judd throwing her hat into the political ring? she'll join us live here in charlotte. and president obama delivers his acceptance speech continue in primetime. don't miss our special coverage kicking off at 7:00 eastern right here on msnbc. you're watching "andrea mitchell reports" live from charlotte. qu? anyone have occasional constipation,

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the republican argument against the president's re-election was actually pretty simple. pretty snappy. it went something like this. we left him a total mess. he hadn't cleaned it up fast enough so far, put us back in. >> bill clinton went on offense against the republicans for president obama. and swrojoining me now, chris cillizza, msnbc contributor, managing editor of postpolitics.com. eugene robinson, msnbc political analyst, and michael steele, msnbc analyst and former republican chairman. welcome, all. how do you like our perch here? >> i know. >> it's cool. >> without a safety net. >> it's high up. >> don't look over. >> we're in a little different place today. >> some of us aren't wild about heights but that's okay. >> i don't know whom you could be talking about. >> i'm talking about me. >> talking about me. we may have a little concert --

we may have james taylor -- no, it's not james taylor. it's the band starting. i know you guys can all hear us. so, welcome all. >> good to be here. >> michael steele. >> yeah. >> what do republicans do to counteract the big dog? >> you know, look, you take bill clinton in context and he was talking about a time long gone. we live in a new reality. i think that's something that certainly a lot of folks out here, certainly around the country know to be true. >> what's long gone about his rebuttal on welfare and medicare? >> well, i think that the reality of it for him is he's talking about a period where, you know, balanced budgets and the economy was growing. that's not the situation today. and i think he kind of really contrasts it then under his term with with the present. and he, you know, again, it comes back to obama's the one who has to make the case, andrea. bill clinton can give a great

speech. obama has to come out here and make the case to american people about the next four years and put it in the context of the present. not just what he inherited but what he's done and how it's going to be different. i think republicans, you know, while we, you know, enjoyed the speech, let's get to the real matchup between romney and obama on the substance of the argument. >> chris cillizza, give us your daily fix on bill clinton's performance and what it means for tonight. >> well, look, i think chairman steele is right. this is -- it is important to remember this is ultimately a contest between barack obama and mitt romney. now, that said, bill clinton is a very uniquely gifted and talented person at doing what he did last night. he went on almost double the prepared speech length. he, you know, i think for most people -- >> and we're shocked. we're shocked. >> it was 11:18 p.m. on the east coast. most people as far as i could tell were sitting in their seats riveted. he spoke for 45 minutes. he's very, very good at framing an argument and disarming his

opponent's argument. he does the great -- republicans are going to say, fill in the blank, and disarm it. he is -- i always say this -- whether you like lebron james or not, you have to acknowledge that watching lebron james, you're watching a genius at work in the frame of basketball. whether you agree with bill clinton or not, the man is a genius at simplifying complex things and trying to make an argument. whether you agree or disagree on how much impact it has is debatable. you're watching a master at work last night. >> that was very clear. eugene, i was on the floor in 1988 and last night's speech was shorter -- actually longer, 11 minutes than that speech. it felt shorter because it was brilliant. >> yeah, i never -- until i saw that figure, i never would have thought that 1988 speech was actually shorter. it seemed to go on for days and days and days because it was boring, frankly. >> this speech last night was anything but boring. >> no, it was not boring. and he -- he so systemically and

in that part bubba, part elvis, part statesman way of his laid out the case, laid out the case for president obama, laid out the case against the republicans. who, by the way, should make up their mind when they think about bill clinton. this was such a wonderful time. why did they impeach him? because i seem to recall they did. so they need to get that message straight. that either we like bill clinton or we don't. but i thought it was an amazingly effective speech. >> what is the bar now for president obama tonight? >> i think it's pretty high, personally. i think, again, going back to the substance of the argument, i think it's a pretty high bar. simply because while he spent the last few weeks and certainly last week -- the republicans for not putting out the substance and just kind of doing the show boat theatrics of a convention, tonight, your turn, lay it out. what are the specifics you're going to lay on the table for us

to chew on as we begin this final argument before the american people? so i think it's going to be a high bar. look, the big rhetoric is going to be there. these gentlemen will write about the great prose. they'll also want to write about the keep arguments he's laying out about the next four years. and republicans, mitt romney, will have to be prepared to respond to that i think effectively and immediately. can't let it sink in. this is where the two arguments are going to have to hit head to head so people can actually decide which one is a better argument. he's got to start it tonight. >> what about joe biden, chris cillizza? >> i mean, my guess would be we see him, and this is a role paul ryan played at the republican convention. the vice president typically takes a lot of the heat off of the presidential nominee by attacking. my guess is that joe biden, this is someone who is not unfamiliar with politics at this level. he's run for president twice in his own race, been in the senate since he was 30 years old. he knows what he has to do. my guess is joe biden's speech will probably have more applause

lines as anti-mitt romney. my guess is that president obama will broadly talk about sort of his vision for the country and probably not spend all that much time attacking mitt romney. but there will be plenty of attacking mitt romney. my bet is joe biden bears the burden of that. >> and michael steele, looking forward to 2016, because this is the unofficial kickoff this week. assu assuming, no matter what happens. but if barack obama is re-elected, you know, he's term limited and the next democratic class is lining up. >> right. >> is hillary clinton the preemptive favorite for the nomination? should she choose to run? >> i think, you know, at this stage, hillary could pretty much mark whatever territory she wants. i think t-- >> i think the territory for hillary may have been marked last night. >> that's what i was going to say. i think her husband did the leadoff shot. now it's up to her to bring it home. how do you guys see it? >> come on. you love it. you know you love us.

we'll be back. >> it wasn't remarkable testament to that bill clinton this guy who has been up and down and up and down and after the south carolina primary in 2008, his image, he and barack obama and their staffs and then you see this guy get up there and just do what he -- i mean, this is what bill clinton was born to do. i tweeted last night, no one, literally no one in politics loves politics more than bill clinton. and it showed. >> he never had a day when he didn't think tomorrow would be better. >> right. >> never. >> thank you so much. enjoy the concert. we'll be right back. and up next, it's complicated. the barack obama/bill clinton relationship. we'll have former senate majority leader tom daschle who's worked with both men. and don't miss "nbc nightly news" tonight with brian williams. he'll be interviewing first lady michelle obama. but first, 1984, fritz mondale throws down the gauntlet. >> mr. reagan will raise taxes.

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oronearonoth yor.boovnchainmybdomen..itwo. it is so clear that folks are fired up. that's for sure. and i think president clinton did a phenomenal job last night. didn't he? i think that he and the other speakers once again reminded us of the values and vision we all share. >> the first lady at a women's caucus event today. i have the foo fighters behind me for your pleasure. before bill clinton took the stage to make his case for president obama last night, he talked to brian williams in an exclusive interview when brian asked about the sometimes frosty relationship between the two men. >> i think it's quite good,

actually. it's candid. it's open. we haven't been close friends a long time or anything like that, but he knows i support him. >> tom daschle is the former senate majority leader and a senior adviser at piper law firm and joins me now. and, of course, you've worked with both men. they've had an awkward relationship in the past, but it was a really full embrace last night. >> it was, andrea. this is really, i think, an evolution that has taken several years to get to. but you saw that hug last night. there's a genuine respect, a genuine friendship that probably isn't personal, but certainly from every other perspective, it's getting closer by the year. >> watching him last night, did it make you wonder why al gore did not utilize president clinton back in 2000? >> well, the times were

different, of course. but you're right. bill clinton is a special person. he is probably the best articulator the democratic party has had maybe in history. and so to have him on your side, as a surrogate, as a spokesperson, as the visionary that he can be, is just a remarkable asset. and we saw it last night. >> why is it for bill clinton to articulate what president obama has done from his perspective and to rebut the republican charges? why hasn't the president been able to do that? and does he have to do it tonight? >> well, i think the president has done it but i think last night the whole country was watching. and it was bill clinton's moment to do it in his way. barack obama will do it tonight in his way. but i think the two of them together will provide the kind of message and the extraordinary able to articulate in a way that only a convention can showcase. and that's what we're seeing this week. >> now, one of the issues that has been fully embraced by the democrats this week is health

care and the president's record on health care. no longer defensive about it at all. being proactive. bringing forth testimonies from people who say they have benefited already. this is your special passion. >> well, you know, i think from the very beginning a lot of us realize that we're going to talk about health care, we're either going to be on the offensive or the defensive and to be on the offensive was really critical. last night president clinton put us on the offense. you're going to see that happen tonight again with president obama. >> you're a pretty good -- pretty good judge of political talent. there's a lot of talk about 2016. who, other than hillary clinton, can make that race? >> oh, i think you've seen a lineup this week. patrick, martin o'malley, you know, mayor castro. i mean, you have some people there that really have great potential. there are a number of women as well. what we saw, the next generation coming up, they've got the early speaking slots this year. they're going to have much more

pronouncements next time. >> is it, when you look at this younger generation, has the time passed for hillary clinton? >> i don't think so. you know, she has so much standing. she's earned her stripes. she has an amazing capacity to energize our party just as her husband did last night. so if she wants it, it's certainly something i think that effect the rest of the field. >> tim daschle. coming up next, actress, tennessee delegate to the convention, ashley judd, joining us in charlotte. first, 1960, it was a new frontier. >> the new frontier of which i speak is not a set of promises. it is a set of challenges. it sums up not what i intend to offer to the american people, but what i intend to ask of them. maouer san ncalett t

oh, hey alex. just picking up some, brochures, posters copies of my acceptance speech. great! it's always good to have a backup plan, in case i get hit by a meteor. wow, your hair looks great. didn't realize they did photoshop here. hey, good call on those mugs. can't let 'em see what you're drinking. you know, i'm glad we're both running a nice, clean race. no need to get nasty. here's your "honk if you had an affair with taylor" yard sign. looks good. [ male announcer ] fedex office. now save 50% on banners.

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hello, everyone, i'm tamron hall. coming up in 15 minutes on "news nation" it's the final night of the dnc. we're hours away from the president's big speech. joining me live tonight "hardball's" chris matthews. ed rendell. emanuel cleaver. and douglas brinkley. plus two of tonight's big speakers, tammy baldwin and philadelphia mayor michael nutter. we'll see you up in 15 minutes. the most diverse delegation in tennessee's history. joyfully and unanimously knows that we are in this together and joyfully casts its 90 votes for barack obama, the 44th president -- >> thank you, tennessee. >> the roll call, tennessee, last night, and the actress and tennessee delegate, ashley judd, better known here for her

activism than her celebrity. welcome, thanks very much. how exciting was it for you to put the tennessee votes in play last night? >> it was so exciting that i had dry mouth. >> you, the actress. >> i was thinking, i didn't have dry mouth before starting that extraordinary dialogue that's the first act of "cat on a hot tin roof" when i was on broadway. it was honoring and humbling and an absolute thrill, particularly because it is the most delegation in tennessee's history. that part to me is what made it extra special. >> tell me about your political activism, because you're even thinking about running for office. >> everybody's thinking about it for me. this is not an original idea. and i'm at the point that so many people have asked that i feel it is honorable to at least talk about it because when the party calls, it's responsible to say, i'm not sure what you see in me about this, but i'll listen. however, andrea, what i'm really clear about it that i love what i'm currently doing.

i love operating in the space of international development. poverty alleviation. i love using the narrative of traumatized yet resilient people and sharing that in an emphatic way with americans. i loved going to graduate school. obviously i do a lot in the u.s. with the democratic party at the county and national level. that may be the best use of me. it's just really about how can i be helpful, how can i serve my fellows? that's what i'm ultimately interested in. >> when you talk about your foreign interests, would that experience inform you to want to do something in terms of foreign policy, in terms of being abroad? or does domestic politics answer that call? >> well, i'm interested in a series of very specific things and yet i believe that how we do one thing is how we do everything. so, for example, i'm really interested in diversifying the economies in eastern kentucky and west virginia and stopping the obscene practice of mountaintop removal coal mining.

people of appalachian deserve jobs and preserve the appalachian mountains and not blow them to smithereens. gender equality cuts across all issues, whether education empowerment, land tenure, access to agricultural inputs and, of course, sexual exploitation which is a massive modern scorge. so i'm going to listen to what people have to say and should i keep operating in the space i'm in, or should i, you know, take the show to washington? i don't know. i don't know. >> one of the things that has happened in this recent weeks and months in this campaign is that there's a lack of enthusiasm among young women, suburban moms, who are not as energized as they were four years ago and other young people as well. how do you speak to that? >> it's all to me about personal narrative and that's what was so exceptional and breathtaking about the first lady's speech. three generations of her

family's story which absolutely in the american dream and so specifically salient to the precise choice that we face in this election. and i work in a similar way. i've campaigned on behalf of the president and vice president so far in north carolina and iowa and they were speaking very threatening tones of where they're sending me next. i asked women about what is most important to you?women, what's important to you? women have eight times less capital with which to start a small biusiness, yet women who own small businesses are the fastest growing sector. >> yet polls show people trust mitt romney to fix the economy more than president obama. >> i was going to say that's a delusion, which is not very kind. i love the way president clinton put it last night. the ryan/romney ticket will double down on trickle down. that's what got us into the mess in the first place. i appreciated his stress on deregulating the financial markets again. all of that, in my opinion, was very abusive, and i enjoy and

appreciate president obama's clarity that wall street has to play by the same rules as main street. i'm a lifelong democrat. i come from generations of democrats. we believe it's about growing the middle class from the inside out and allowing poor people the safety net so that they can work their way into our economy. and that doesn't happen with tax cuts for the rich. >> ashley judd, good luck on your political career. we know about your success in the world of theater. congratulations on your emmy nomination. good luck on that. >> thank you. the day before i'm going to an amazing conference on the brewing crisis with one of my mentors. so it will be a nice balance. it will be a typical a.j. weekend. >> that's terrific. thank you. >> thank you so much, andrea. pleasure. >> and what political story will be making headlines in the next 24 hours? we think it will be happening here. that's next on "andrea mitchell reports" live from the democratic national convention in charlotte.

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while we may not be able to be together in person, i hope you're still going to gather together a community watch party, you're doing unbelievable work that's making a difference in this close race. and you've also shown that there's plenty of enthusiasm out there. the issue in this election is not going to be enthusiasm. >> that, of course, president obama in a call to thousands and thousands of supporters who had hoped to be in the stadium tonight. we're here instead. clearly, they're going to try to generate as much slenthusiasm a they can. >> they say they can do all that, but the optics are going to look a little different. i still say the speech is what matters. he spoke in denver in '08. the field was wonderful. the speech is what made it.

the speech will make it or break it tonight. >> that will be the issue. thank you so much. see you later. that does it for us for this edition of "andrea mitchell reports." tamron hall has a look at what's next. >> hey, there. a big line up of people in just a few hours. we know the president's big speech -- i think i'm in the dark here. nonetheless, we won't leave you in the dark with our lineup of guests. chris matthews, ed rendell, chairman of the congressional black caucus, douglas brinkley, plus two of tonight's speakers. the opening acts, in you will. tammy baldwin and philadelphia mayor michael nutter. we're up in three. [ male announcer ] you've reached the age where you don't back down from a challenge. this is the age of knowing how to make things happen. so, why let erectile dysfunction get in your way? talk to your doctor about viagra. 20 million men already have. ask your doctor if your heart is healthy enough for sex.

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