mathews, msnbc political analyst and former dnc communications director karen finney and political analyst and executive director of msnbc.com richard wolf. the clock has nearly run out for the next several hours the last ballots are being cast as america chooses its next president. governor mitt romney has been running for this job for five years, ten months and three days but today, he's trying to buy more time. romney was supposed to end his campaign last night with a rally in new hampshire, but perhaps in a bid to turn back the clock the campaign scheduled an event in ohio that is about to get under way and another to come this afternoon in pennsylvania. romney is trying to make sure that this is not his last campaign that politically he has a tomorrow. >> tomorrow. >> tomorrow. >> tomorrow we begin a new tomorrow. >> for the president, win or lose, this is his last campaign. >> this is a pretty emotional

time for us because this is the final event of my husband's final campaign. >> in iowa last night, the place where it all began, the first couple held an extended embrace at the end of a day that saw president obama on the stump with jay-z and bruce springsteen, he seemed at peace, closing one chapter of his political life. >> it all comes down to you. it's out of my hands now. it's in yours. >> now, of course it is just down to the ballots. chris, let's talk about the mood. i mean we are going to prognosticate, we have been prognosticating about how tight this thing is. >> never made a prediction the whole year and i have no idea. >> some people have. we don't know what's going to happen. judging by the behavior of both candidates on the stump yesterday, you know how do you think each campaign really truly is feeling. i will read an excerpt from john heilemann following romney and has been on the trail with him,

writes when romney took to the podium he didn't seem jazzed off pumped or juiced instead he came across as subdued low of voice and out of puff. here was a candidate losing and who knows it who is watching as his long held dream is slipping through his fingers. pretty strong assessment of where romney stands at this moment, given how tight the race is. >> yeah. he may be pessimistic and wrong in his pessimism, we don't know. go three or four levels to find the truth here. one is probably to wait until around 10:00 tonight. anybody watching this show by the way who hasn't voted or don't have direct plans to vote is an idiot. >> this is also true. >> i don't know why anyone would watch this show or any others. go vote and then watch this all night tonight on ms. if you don't vote you're an ed yot. >> people watching the show -- >> yeah. >> drives me crazy. that there are people out there we're going to hear about it tomorrow. the haters always vote. the haters will show up. it's the lovers, i had to check my e-mail or text something. i thought workout or meet

somebody for a drink. drop it. vote. >> drop it. >> don't watch this stuff until you've voted. i'm dead serious. look at the ratings tonight, watch us all night long but if you don't vote i don't want to talk to you. if you vote for one of the third or fourth party candidates like gary johnson, and say i was surprised at what happened you shouldn't be ed yots like you voted for third and fourth party candidates and don't know how the system works. you have two choices. >> chris mathews. >> there it is! >> i know you know this as well as i do. we're going to be talking about this tomorrow. >> we are. >> about turnout. turnout is what everybody watching can control. they can't control who's going to win. >> you're right. >> want to participate go vote. want to watch, go to another country. this is the country you're allowed to vote in. i am bothered by people. i thought i would vote for john henderson. or i really like ralph nader and what he stands for. nothing to do with the presidency. nothing to do with it.

screwed up so many of our elections, being so npr, pbs, hoity-toity. don't do that. >> don't play referee. you know it's true. >> i'm not -- >> you try to play referee. >> time out, coach. i'm trying to say maybe npi -- >> the people that think about democracy are really -- really a joke on themselves. >> rick hertzberg -- >> by the way, don't watch rick unless you vote. he's a good friend of mine. >> go in about 55 minutes. >> dvr this. >> i can't stand nonvoters. >> must see television. >> richard became an american to vote. >> that's totally true. i think it's important if you are a member of a community you need to vote. you know there's -- it's incredibly hard to be a full member of the community, the place you live to have that sense of belonging unless you vote and so i'm with you. i think people -- they're reckless, not just idiots

they're reckless. they are not taking care of their families or their community. actually i don't mind. i disagree. don't mind what they vote for whether they spoil a ballot or -- you've got to show up, though. you have to show up. if you want to take part in the services that we all care for, street lighting schools, hospitals, go vote. absolutely. but they can also watch this show. >> you can do both. >> buy a pizza and stick with us all night. maybe miss your show but watch the other shows. >> i like how others are turning off the television. everyone should go vote. >> i know we'll talk about it all day tomorrow. you'll talk about it all day tomorrow. the turnout was -- >> it's going to be a high turnout. >> rick rick -- dana milbank in today's "washington post" writing in the waning days of campaign mitt romney was uplifting, optimistic and inspirational. in other words almost entirely different from the man we saw and heard these past many months. i couldn't had help but wonder whether he would be in a better

position if he had taken the high road months ago. your magazine had a very powerful i thought endorsement of barack obama and did a masterful assessment of romney and his weaknesses. do you think that is true? >>. >> we've got two different reports now on how romney -- on the one hand he's depressed and other hand he's up. we don't know. let me second the point about voting. voting is the sacrament of our democracy and that's why i vote. because i'm a new yorker so everybody knows which way new york is going, but i just persistently and stubbornly vote every time because it's like the altar of democracy. >> do you think the fact that this is tight is going to be -- to chris's point we don't know what's going to happen until it happens. do you think the tightness of this race will encourage people to go out there and vote. >> i think it already has frankly. a lot of the reports if you talk to the obama campaign that we've been hearing is all of the

suppressive efforts have actually made people angry and actually made people more motivated to go and stand in line. i mean this weekend, eight hours, nine hours, people standing in line this morning in virginia lines were already two hours, several hours. >> standing in line. >> you know why. >> but they're committed to -- hey. >> voter suppression efforts. >> but the thing is i give people credit, god bless them if they're going to stand in the line going to be a five hour day to exercise your right to vote go for it. >> if you get out of the line the guys like donald trump will be high fiving it and sununus and reince priebus did the 30 some republican states that plan to do voter suppression so minorities wouldn't vote. did it on purpose, got caught many times but a lot of times got away with it. an undemocratic effort on the other side. it's systemic. you're in the going to tell me pennsylvania just thought of this or florida. you know better than i, from the dnc, this was put together reince priebus, i gave him a hard time deserves a much harder time.

engages in undemocratic practices in a democracy is bad. all romney had to do was blow the whistle. something nice about this campaign nobody has used his religion against him, it's never come up. it should never come up. harry reid is a mormon my wife works for mormons, they're good people. why the other side bring up the ethnic stuff all the time. he's from kenya, blah-blah-blah. he's not really an american. they never stop. >> isn't that part of a strategy -- >> the american candidate, notice that. we're the american candidate. >> isn't that part of a strategy that -- >> oh, yeah. called evil. >> waitp. which is -- >> it is evil. >> but the strategy has an expiration date. this is a party that is doubling down on a part of the electorate shrinking. undereducated white working-class voters, divide and conquer tactics, the republican party if it's going to exist beyond 2016 is going to have to understand -- >> there was a great movie called "custard the west" the great british actor that played

custard saying before the battle of big horn the whites will dominant this country and you'll be out of luck but he says yeah but not today. >> that's what we're going to find out tonight. a big question in this election is you know if minorities come out and vote to the numbers that i believe they will and if those votes are counted and i think that's a very important point because i think people will show up, whether or not those votes will be counted, i think the republican party is in for a big freakout tomorrow when they realize there are not enough white men left in this country to win the presidency. >> if you hear -- >> i love white men. don't get me wrong, by the way. >> you heard the romney team say the obama team is too rely yonts on the polls. pretty rapid or a 180 degree turn from the guy all about number crunching and data driven politics. >> right. >> they think they have their own data but there are two theories here. one is you can turn out people who are less enthusiastic having a great machine, by having -- by

being able to contact the right people and the other side is saying we don't need it. that great a machine, because we have enthusiasm and the motive is there. i don't don't that the motive is there. people who hate this president, there are many of them they are very fired up and they will vote in states where it's not even close, right. actually we're seeing these long lines from democrats in states where they're not close. the real answer for republicans is not to try to restrict voting. it's to try to turn out more voters in early voting and on the day. it's not to say, there are minorities and then there are real americans. they're all americans, right? the way to do it to build the lasting majority for republicans you is with latino voters. they've done such a terrible job. they have to revisit probably in the next few months their position on immigration policy. otherwise, in five ten years time we will be talking about texas as a battleground state. they have to look at their whole strategy and say we need to expand this map. that's what democrats did after 2004. they expanded it didn't try to

contract. >> we're going to have to leave it there. everybody should turn off their television sets now and go vote. thank you as always to chris mathews. chris will have a special edition of "hardball" at 5:00 p.m. eastern leading into election coverage where i will join him after i vote along with rachel the rev, lawrence and ed. >> hope everybody votes before 5:00. >> that is right here on msnbc. at 6:00 p.m. >> the party can't fix itself because it's made up of so many tea party people they will not vote in those open immigration policies. >> both sides say things look good whether based on feeling or fact we could be in for a long night. which indicators do you buy. we'll go shopping live to democracy plaza next on "now."

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n,nd ilways my tells me tha t a reporon't t. o:xths " board. ther republic breaking for romney and the thing about the yard weeksro signs not obaer happening ar ir the they citsh,000 in ohio, 28,000 in pe[ we have the beatles here or thing to have brought you. just appreciatepaign andck toch lead a ago has shrivelled to 1%. the lasrag2# t showto 50%, his best since july following tampaign is playing up itsemains mostly within the error to say embarrassment for nate silver if tsident doesn't n. certaiat of the most popular election

predh show obama . that seems like a high number to me math ahis chips ins2 easoblechance. >> yes. it is. we talk a lot about of this and the the swagger metrics which is an oh, yeah. >>things that the obama campaign, we know that the presidenty' is a omeone who there's the trash ta therer, and that filters mustache bet, little talking about his mustache this mornin >> we have wor d beli¡et our vote out e good day.say, ilf a new4h mustach comb because i'm going to be neegd it ased to do sports in college and whenpolitics it's got t feeling, the endnint you have to con trus going to versus at least i'm go pull end and i thoseo as chris talking about maybe it 1c if you build it they will qá e presiden ofto axelrod mustachehinks lock it up in pennsylvania andchigan. but instillinence thing goingo this. >>ate is giving the 9g.wñr the the case may be99.9 90.1. and should not>> i think it's arats are

going to this one. talking today about why win, o horizon. talking about they're going to win the math is there. how democrats are feeling, i think they certainly want anothea n't have stars in moment. >> another reason that's l we're terms of the voter suppression. it is important talking about the numbers and not just, you know the problemtomorrowd those out what is reallyng on. both sides are doing it. this we'up but i think -- for the o of is is a very scientific formula. ks thei them out and trust me those people have been called over anddid you vote yet.they're going to turn their people out. >> but letmount of confidenc nding of gameí?e behind-the-scenes sniping happocus the last week a lot of analysis bear hug between the president ane surrogates and we get news from the huffington post in a piece, you can't -- christie invited to a romneyom the statepital, christie did not attend campaign source tells huff post you can't tell me he couldn't have gone over there for a night rally. why are you telling had "the huffington post," romney campaign but know you're not seeing thatkind of breakage on the left.

>> yeah. i think something ragged here go the or the candidate trying to add stops on the you know at this they should be concentrating on turnout, deployihe candidate in the most efficient way. to have a candidate on a plane is a waste of time because while he's on b doing radio or interviews. lock him in a hotel room and hit as man critical districts. i think this is a campaign that has beenopportunistic, that have done it with a message, did try to turn it around with governor christie. on the other si not just about theidence. obama people have planned for this day for three and if the plan doesn't workit's not becausenghe last minute. it'secause it w they aeplan. it has shown it will turn out people in the early vote. going to hit their mark when it comes to today. is it enough? folks going to do? we don't know. they're not trying to change their plan at the last minute and says sometqng about the effort they've put in over the last three or four years. you're on tcmhe candidate's you're in a consciousness before the elecplane. we thought we were going to win practically

the polls open ay,t least we i'll tell you crowds and enthusiasm and spirit right before the election michael dukakis. walter m john kerry. >> yeah. >> it's always that wa >> but can i just say one thing in terms of the long-term prospects for both parties. i think the thing that disturbs me with the christiesc piece andf the reliance on is at the end of the day, i think if i were a republican i would want a wholesale circling of the wagons assessment of where the party is and where the party stands and whathe storm -- what the excuse making at this point seems to is a to say, oh, well not becausetal our message is. it's because of the storm.>> or because of chris christie the blame gameoes not serve the gop in the long term. >> i r the gop, president obama is victorious tonight or tomorrow or whenever in the next fewh. >> they will have to g a version of what democrats 2004 election and i have to say,e took it like big boys girls. i hope they will be able to as well. there was some finger pointing but at the end of the day we

came back and said campaign like democrats, better =k we are, values are, what our ideas are. what you're going to see with theparty, it'sre we conservative that was the problem. it wasn't our ideas. it was had this guy and we tried to make him into a realoí conservative. i think that's a because that's not where the country is. that's not going t ow you expand the map going more craz going to get you there. part of what you're seeing is we've talked about this over the ig weeken cya, it's the i asked you for that $10 million check and i told you i was going to b to write that $10 million check next time and believe that's part of what's here. >> if you're going to to, be you better bring your brass knuckles. >> you in danger. >> we may have underestimated how much chris christie loves bruce springsteen. >> i think. and marine one apparently. >> just -- you'll get a ride on marin i'll go republican -- no. regardless of who wins the white house, the nation's future may depend on what happens in some of the down ballot races. will congress continue to go to

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