a short time after that, my wife became ill. i don't know how long she was sick and maybe she didn't say anything because she knew we couldn't afford the insurance. one day she became ill and i took her up to the jackson county hospital. they admitted her and found cancer and by then it was stage four. there was nothing they could do for her. she passed away in 22 days. i do not think mitt romney realizes what he has done to anyone. furthermore i do not think mitt romney is concerned. >> reaction from the right wing is predictable. several personalities said that democrats were accusing mitt romney of murder. >> what we are seeing is a morally bankrupt charge of murder and it couldn't be imagined or envisioned in any free state. >> they actually with a straight

face attempt to make this argument beneath contempt and does not deserve a dignified response. >> mitt romney killed that guy's wife. >> for you think this ad said mitt romney kled a woman, you are missing the point the way this is being played out. this ad is a testimonial from one individual. joe believes his life was affected negatively by mitt romney's business activities. right wingers call it slanderous. here's what we know. bain capital became the majority shareholder of gst steel and bain added $100 million in debt to the company. mitt romney left to run the olympics, but remained ceo and chairman of bain. gst steel declared bankruptcy skpet plant in kansas city was closed. bain capital made at least $9

billion in profit. bain lost nothing, but joe lost his job and insurance. joe's wife had a job, but lost it a couple of years later along with her insurance. we have no idea if joe's wife would be alive if joe kept his job, but we do know this. we know how joe feels. joe is not backing down from his opinion. despite the criticism from the right wing, he told cnn that's the way i feel. mitt romney is a very rich man and i don't think he has a concept as to when you close a big company how it affects people. how it affects families and communities. you know, it affects everyone. we are not going to deny this american worker his opinion. voters should be able to make their own decision about mitt romney's business activities and what they mean if he becomes president of the united states. i believe mitt romney's business history cuts to the heart of what he brings to the table

economically to this country if he is president. they got stuck in the back of an economic model where the rich benefit at the expense of the workers in the country and everyone else. mitt romney's campaign knows how bad this is. his spokes woman went on fox news and tried to defend romney's policies. >> to that point, if people have been in massachusetts under romney's health care plan they would have had health care. a lot of people are losing jobs and losing health care in president obama's economy. >> let's back up a second. his wife would have had health care if she lived in massachusetts thanks to mitt romney? the united states has the same health care plan as the state of massachusetts. here's what mitt romney wants to do with the u.s. health care plan. >> what the court did not do on its last day in session i will

do on my first day if elected president of the united states. i will act to repeal obama care. part true leader the party was not happy when he heard the comments from romney's spokes woman. >> there is -- that's the potential gold mine for the obamaites. they can say well yeah, romney care is the foundation for our plan. >> right wingers across the internet freaked out about the romney camp's statement, conservative blogger wrote oh, my god, this might be the moment mitt romney lost the election. wow. >> this is why the story why the conditions leading to his wife's death were brought on by a system that did not account for the most vulnerable who lose jobs and don't recycle back into

the economy at the same level. barack obama himself has told this story before from a very personal level. >> when my mom got cancer, she was no a wealthy woman and it drained her resources. >> she developed ovarian cancer and never really had good consistent insurance. >> as of 2014, all americans will have access to affordable health care in this country. mitt romney wants to get rid of that. joe's story is not about character assassination, it's a real life story. there is a lot of people out there across america like that. that's what the republicans are in denial about. this will decide whether there more stories like joe and his family or fewer. i think for media people out there across the country to get on their high horse and say the obama team needs to disavow themselves from the ad. really? they need to embrace it.

this is what's happening across america to worker who is lose their jobs thanks to the vultures at the top who want to make more profit. we have a culture in this country that we treat workers like furniture. we move them around and when we get rid of them, we get rid of it. this is what this election is all about and barack obama's presidency has been all about. to get more people covered so this story is not common place in america. what's the plan? for the republicans, you heard it today from romney's spokes woman. she said that that person would have health care if she lived in massachusetts, but mitt romney said he will repeal health care and strike it down. will the real mitt romney please stand up. this is the perfect ad at the perfect time. the haves and the have nots. who calls the shots. get your cell phones out. tonight's question. are republican economic policies dangerous for working class

americas. text a for yes and b for now. leave a comment on our blog as well. we encourage that. we will bring the results later on in the show. i am joined by leo gerard, president of the united steelworkers. great to have you with us tonight. is this story common place? does it ring true for a lot of people that work with their hands? >> for rings absolutely true. i want to try to tie the two pieces together. the business model that mitt romney promoted is when he makes a lot of wealth at the expense of all the people. as we talk about the steel, joe soptic was one of the members. they were determined that the bain model was determined to load the company with debt and poot a noose around the corporation's neck so what that when the economy goes sideways, they put the company in

bankruptcy and fired all the workers similar to what they did in florida. in america when you lose your job, you lose your health care. that's what president obama is trying to fix. >> after hearing joe's story, do you think this is below the belt? the use of this story in an ad, it's slanderous? >> absolutely not. absolutely not. this is the story that joe soptic has about what it did to him and his family and probably many, many other people like that who had their lives destroyed and had their families destroy and remove the inability to get health care and be able to send their kids to college because we outsourced and yauf shored millions of jobs. >> war what do you say to those who say she got sick three years after the plant was killed. we hoof worked there for 20 years if given the chance. >> or 35 or 40 years and had

decent health care and pensions and had a chance to send their kids to school. the bain capital and romney capital and romney economic model, they get wealthy at the expense of the everyday working folks. again, only in america is when you lose your job do you lose your health care. that's what president obama has fixed. that's what's making these guys like this. we have to understand that the bain-romney model of getting wealth, wealth accumulation destroys other people's lives and if he was so sure of what he's done, let him stand before the people. he has so many millions of dollars, why doesn't he leave the people with the health care. he was already a multimillionaire. show his taxes to show where he made the money. >> thanks so much. >> i am ticked off about them. >> a lot of americans are. turn to howard fineman, political analyst and editorial

director of the "huffington post." the politics of this, was this a big misstep by the romney camp and the comparison to health care in massachusetts, the very plan that now if he is president he wants to strike down mitt romney? >> it was a telling response and a revealing and problematic for the romney campaign. democrats and others who support president obama are asking, well, wait a minute. do you, mr. romney, believe everyone should have access and be guaranteed access to health care? you are sort of saying that this person would have had it in massachusetts. where as on the right as you pointed out a lot of commentators and people in the tea party are saying wait a minute, the romney camp sounds like it actually secretly likes romney care. which is it? i think the fact that andrea saul is high up in the hierarchy

there in bton having been up there, i know how it operates. she wasn't free lansing i don't think. i think she was giving a defense that reveals the contradictions in mitt romney's career and candidacy. >> seems like ta they were caught flatfooted and didn't have the proper response because it's such a true story. this is not a political shot. this is what happened to a guy who lost his job and what happened to his family. >> right. it was been interesting response by the romney camp because as i say, it reveals the contradictions in his candidacy and in mitt romney's career. which is he? is he the guy who at one point made a commitment to seeing that everybody in massachusetts had access to health care, or is he the guy that wants to get rid of obama care which is essentially the same thing. conservatives are upset and the

left is paying notice. >> great to have you with us and thanks so much. remember to answer the question and share your thoughts on twitter and facebook. we want to know what you think. sandra introduces the president. sandra joins us to talk about the election, women voters and rush limbaugh. stay tuned. [ feedback ] attention, well, everyone. you can now try snapshot from progressive free for 30 days.

just plug this into your car, and your good driving can save you up to 30%. you could even try it without switching your insurance. why not give it a shot? carry on. now you can test-drive snapshot before you switch. visit progressive.com today.

coming up, president obama turns the focus on women's issues. sandra flook, one of the women at the fight for women's rights was with the president and is my exclusive guest, next. mitt romney's big life at the welfare policy. i will ask how far republicans can take this latest lie. michigan is the latest state to block the vote. we will tell you what caused

voters to be turned away from the polls last night in the primary. share your thoughts on twitter and facebook using the harsh tag ed show. it's time to get going. to have the energy to keep up with your kids. to step up to a new challenge. it's time to start gellin' with dr. scholl's and feel the energy from your feet up. thanks to the energizing support and cushioning of dr. scholl's massaging gel insoles,

your feet will feel so good you'll want to get up and go. >>. >> when it comes to a woman's right to make her own health care choices, they want to take us back to the policies more suited to the 1950s than the 21st century. >> president obama on the campaign trail today in denver, colorado hitting republicans on the approach to women's health care. this comes a week after expanded coverage for women took effect on the affordable care act.

preventive care, contra acceptings, screenings and counseling are more accessible for ilmonyons of women at no cost. >> i don't think your boss should get to control the health care that you get. i don't think insurance companies should control the care that you get. i don't think politicians should control the care that you get. i think there is one person -- >> they blocked from testifying about contraception coverage early this year. after giving her and calling her a prostitute. now limbaugh wants credit for his insults. >> when i say her name, what's the first thing that pop into your mind. my name is what most people

think of. i should get a finder's fee. >> she welcomed the president's support after she was smear and had words for mitt romney. >> mr. romney could only say those weren't the words he would have chosen. mr. romney, you are not going to be the candidate we choose. because if mr. romney can't stand up to extreme voices in his own party, then we know he will never stand up for us. >> let's bring in sandra who is an attorney and women's rights activist who hit the trail earlier today with president obama. nice to have you with us tonight. you are in the mix of it right now. no doubt. the director of colorado's future project, a conservative group said president obama's approach to men voters is insulting and called your presence a side show. what's your reaction to that? >> that's completely incorrect.

president obama was in colorado today and i was there to try to talk to the women of colorado about the important choice that we have in this election. a choice between a president who helped to move us forward on women's access to preventive care and health care and making sure it's affordable to all of us versus a candidate who promised to take us backwards and kill obama care and defund planned parenthood. that's why we were there. to make sure it was clear that this affordable care act has economic consequences for women and is so vital to our health secure and economic security as well. >> there was a misconception that i believe women's health care is just about contraception and reproductive rights. how do you change that think something. >> we all have to talk to those women we know and all the voters to make sure they understand that the affordable care act has

delivered so many services. screening for justing aal diabetes when we are pregnant. cancer and hiv screenings and all of the essential affordable health care we need and it's important we talk about it not just as an issue for women, but as an issue for all of us. women's health affects the health of the children they bear and affects the economic security of the entire family when a woman is able to afford the care she needs. >> a new poll out shows president obama is trailing mitt romney in colorado, but ahead with women voters. how confident are you that the swing state women will be coming out supporting this president in november which many people, analysts say this could be a huge factor in the election. >> i have to say after today i am feeling very conphi deent. you can tell from the footage, that was a packeda auditorium and those people were fired up. the biggest applause and cheers

when when i talked about what the affordable care act does and women will not be required to pay more because they are a woman and the auditorium goes crazy, those are people who understand what a difference these policies make in their lives and they are ready to fight for a president who has fought for them. >> side show of all of this, lush limbaugh wants a finder's fee for putting you in the lime light. he is probably mixing up his fact when is it comes to just exactly how you splashed on the national scene. it was the democrats if i recall who asked you to testify in front of a committee and you were denied by darrell issa. he wants a finder's fee because his name is associated with you. what are your thoughts? >> it's an interesting request to take credit for the voice of a woman you tried to silence. i don't think that's going to work out well. the women of america are speaking out about these

policies not because of anything that mr. limbaugh has done, but because they care about access to the health care they need and they care about all of us having that health care. >> sandra fluke, good to have ow the ed show. thanks so much. coming up, this could be a new low if there is one, a new low for newt gingrich. he used to be one of romney's biggest critic and now he had his biggest fan. find out why. paul ryan and his immoral budget are at the top of romney's vp short list. democrats and republicans say go, baby, go. our panel will weigh in. stay with us.

. welcome back to the ed show. the romney campaign is standing by its welfare whopper. mitt romney is unleashing the junk yard dog to defend his latest big lie. newt gingrich has suddenly become a romney spokes person. he claims that president obama is relaxing welfare to work requirements. the romney campaign camp has started running this ad in heavy rotation nationwide. the ad which we won't show because you -- look, it's untrue. it claims that president obama is gutting welfare and handing out checks to people who don't want to work. almost every major news outlet

debunked the ad within hours of debut. here are the facts. republican governors have asked for more flexibility and power in handing out temporary assistance money in their states. romney was one of the governors who was asked for the reform. governors in utah and nevada planned to use this new waiver being offered by the obama administration. both governors poled greg sergeant that they would not reduce the welfare to work requirements in their state the republicans are left with no substance to make the argument. they are just relying on pure politics. >> unless you made it a mandatory work requirement, it would get waived to a point where it became a joke. this is a very real issue. the american people overwhelmingly believe in the work ethic. >> there you have the real argument. if republicans can give the waivers to republican governors and destroy the safety net, it's

okay. if president obama requires states to prove they are moving people from welfare to work, that's in the good enough. let's turn to msnbc contributor ej deion, author of our divided political heart. great to have you with us. i want to point out that the vast majority of states in this country are running deficits. if you turn money over to governors with a waiver, the last thing they want to do is handout to people who don't want to work. i don't understand and maybe you can shed light. >> i wish i could understand the argument. great to have you back. there were three big problems with what romney did. the ad itself is based on a lie. this does not get rid of the work requirement. ron haskins, my colleague who is

a republican architect and he said waivers have been part of what makes welfare reform work. the second is stage right. you have two republican governors out of the five who asked for this. reid and sandoval. they are not about to gut welfare rules. these are not left wing folks. the third problem with the ad is that he uses bill clinton. if you identify with a democratic president who is no longer around, you can get away with it. bill clinton happens to be around. that's inconvenient for the romney campaign. he said wait a minute, this is not true. don't try to identify yourself with me. i get what they are trying to do. they are trying to suggest that obama wants to give people away to people who don't work. that's an argument, but has nothing to do with what obama did. >> is newt gingrich the best for romney? newt is taking this on to get

back in good if somehow romney wins the white house. he was the one who trashed him the most in the primaries. what do you make of this? >> it is smart. newt can come back in because he was the speaker when welfare reform passed. that theoretically gives standing to enter into this argument. we have not heard much from newt lately. it's a natural issue for him to jump in on. he will have nothing better. he called obama the best food stamp president we ever had. this is a continuation of the last false argument. >> this plays into old racial politics about poverty. >> this is surprising. i had my own qualms about this reform bill. i would have voted against it and passed something that was more generous to the poor. one of the advantages is that it did get rid of that stigma of welfare that you are giving away

money to people who didn't work. i think for a long time welfare has really not been an issue in our politics and the republicans clearly miss it as an issue. so romney is trying to use these new hhs rules to act as if it's revived as an issue. the fact is we still have a welfare to work system and obama is not about to get rid of it. >> have we seen a campaign lie this much? >> i was thinking about this and i covered a lot of campaigns and a lot of vicious campaigns, but it does seem the way romney takes obama's statements and clips out the heart and strings together sentences -- >> they have taken it to a new level. >> this is a new level. i am not giving to saying stuff like that. >> great to have you with us. a lot more in the next half hour of the ed show. stay with us. >> for mitt romney asked to you

run as vice president, would you agree to do so? >> everyone loves paul ryan for vice president. coming up, the panel weighs in on why ryan is a good choice for republicans and democrats. >> and the goals of republicans. >> we will have to get romney in the state of pennsylvania. >> they will do whatever it takes to suppress the democratic vote. former ohio congressman on how to stop voter suppression in its

. >> welcome back to the ed show. with 90 days to go until the election, republicans and democrats are warming up to the thought of congressman paul ryan from wisconsin as the vice presidential pick. they love ryan because he is young, popular conservative and picking him shows romney is serious about making conservative choice when is he is often viewed as a moderate.

democrats are jumping on the paul ryan bandwagon for the same reasons. his budget is so controversial, the ryan plan, that the catholic bishops said it's immoral and guts medicaid and dismantles the social safety net. as we reported, americans don't like republicans gutting their social safety net. paul ryan is a good choice for republicans, but he is a great choice for the democrats. let's go to strategist keith bicycle in and great gra toit have all of you with us. susan, would this be risky business for mitt romney based on the reaction out there when the ryan plan was presented and the way it is just so out of the mainstream from what americans are used to with vouchers on health care?

>> the promo was right. there was a lot of conservatives that like paul ryan, but politically speaking he will not be on -- i can't see how he can be on the ticket. he is too divicive. this should not be an election about paul ryan or the other high profile people mentioned as a possible vp. if romney is going to be successful, had has to be a reverend um on barack obama. they should not decide how they get along or disagree. they need to unite against president obama. >> he may have a hard time. coalescing the conservative base. ryan would take care of all that. >> and also cause other issues where no one would question the credentials. >> four years ago, it was about sarah palin from september until election day. the best you can say about paul ryan is he's not a hockey mom. democrats are dying for ryan

because with his business experience which is the mantra of the romney campaign, as i understand it, it's a paper route and he worked for the family company. he always has been on the public payroll. this is not somebody who i think complements the romney theme. >> newt gingrich was the who said that paul ryan's budget was right wing social engineering. newt gingrich is one of the chief conservatives saying that. it vis rates medicare and tells senior citizens you are on your own and this is the guy republicans want to put up against barack obama and joe biden? it's a wonderful idea for democrats. >> i don't think you are seeing many republican strategists saying this is a very good idea. i will tell you this. at least we put forward a budget unlike democratic counterparts

who haven't been able to vote on a budget in over a thousand days. here's a point. this conversation. that should not be what we will talk about this in presidential race. if that's the case, romney will lose. i understand why democrats want him, but it won't happen. >> there a lot of bad ideas. one was to go to london and trash the olympics. i don't know what to expect. as i said, we are dying for ryan. >> romney's problem is bigger than any vice presidential nominee can solve. he will pick someone who is safe and boring i assume, but if he picks paul ryan it shows courage that he is willing to try to do this. the tea party groups and the people who want to move our country in this radical direction. at some point, romney has to suck up to that group and do something to give them something. whether it's at the convention or before the convention, romney is beholding to the gop right

wing. >> you have a lefty he is selling you on this. why can't you buy it? >> i just can't. the fact is some would argue that romney moved to the right to win the nomination and he is supposed to go back like democrats did. they had to go left to win the nomination and go back to the center. >> who put his list on the short list? >> i don't know. >> the hard right wing love the guy. they want to change the big three. social security, medicare and medicaid. this guy put forth a budget that would take us down that road. >> anyone out there that doesn't think we need to make reforms to those three things? >> not those reforms to privatize. >> some people don't want paul ryan's plan, but bringing it back to what we were talking about and why he doesn't belong. >> the money people supporting

romney want someone who will take him down this road some. >> romney has all the money in the world. he doesn't need the money. the bigger problem with paul ryan is that he represents everything that was bad about the bush administration. paul ryan was there when they voted for the two wars. they voted for the prescription drug program that was not funded and voted for all the different expenses that came on the bush administration and the t.a.r.p. program and voted for the auto bailout. >> that's all that barack obama has done? are you saying he hasn't achieved anything? >> he voted for 94% of the bush administration agenda. in addition his pivot to the right wing, he has this right wing agenda and this legacy in the congress as this bush administration flag. that will hurt him too. >> if i may, susan suggesting

romney portman. that's the equivalent of doll and dollar. if you want important in the ticket, chris christie. >> ann coulter said we will lose. that's what ann coulter predicted. >> say romney does pick paul ryan. say he does. do you think that could cost the republicans the house and the senate? >> it would be problematic in the house and the senate. that could be another reason why they don't choose him. >> who would be your pick? >> portman. >> bush baggage? >> the reason what romney needs now is someone who he is going to be perceived as being comfortable with. there is a stuff being said that he is not comfortable in his own skin and that's somewhat true. he wants to pick someone qualify

and who could be a good team. >> did mitt romney sign off on the ryan plan saying he would endorse it? >> if you are saying paul ryan is the best thing for the republicans, i'm saying that's probably not a good thing for republicans. >> 26 congressional district in new york he lost because of paul ryan. that was won because of paul ryan. >> she is probably going to. >> great to have you with us. thanks so much. coming up, republicans are not letting up when it comes to voter suppression. michigan is the latest state trying to block the vote. i will explain.

. >> the ed show survey. i asked are republican economic policies dangerous for the working class americas. 98% said yes and 2% said no. republicans are pulling out all the stops to block the vote. former ohio congressman weighs

in on the fight for early voting rights for all residents in his state, coming up. don't forget you can listen to my show on sirius xm radio monday through friday and on progressive talk stations across the country. follow me on twitter and like the ed show on facebook. we'll be right back.

. >> breaking news. a major leadership shake-up at the susan g. komen foundation. nancy breaker will stay with the group in another management role. the president and two board members will leave the organization. breaker found the organization after her sister susan g. komen died of breast cancer. controversy surrounded the group earlier this year after it announced it would pull funds from planned parenthood. after outrage, she e instated the funs, but the damage had been done. we will continue to follow this story and bring you the latest. coming up, the gop goes all out

to try to block the vote. i will ask former congressman what can be done to stop it. stay with us. # [ male announcer ] if you had a dollar for every dollar

car insurance companies say they'll save you by switching, you'd have like, a ton of dollars. but how are they saving you those dollars? a lot of companies might answer "um" or, "no comment." then there's esurance. born online, raised by technology, and majors in efficiency. so whatever they save, you save. hassle, time, paperwork, hair-tearing-out, and yes, especially dollars. esurance. insurance for the modern world. click or call. and the big finish, the republican effort to block the vote continues. it's their top priority. the gop legislative efforts to suppress the voting blocks in a number of states and we told you

about florida, pennsylvania and ohio. in michigan, voters are being turned away because they refused to check a box asking them about citizenship on their ballot. the republican led legislature required voters to affirm citizenship, but rick snyder vetoed it. a rare good thing for him, citing potential confusion among voters. that was everyday at the polls. as poll workers argued with voters who refused to check a box that they are not legally required to do. all these efforts are aimed at awe pressing the vote to stop the so-called voter fraught. the problem is voter fraught doesn't exist. republicans can't get elected on slashing medicare, medicate and social security and get elected on advocating for tax cuts at the expense of the middle class. what do they do?

they resort to voter suppression through the process at the state level. the romney campaign signed on to the strategy as we told you. they have been spreading the lie that the obama campaign is trying to deny the right of active military service men and women in ohio from early voting. the exact opposite is the truth. the obama campaign is trying to expand early voting for all registered voter, including military personnel. i am joined by the former ohio kkman, lieutenant colonel and instructor pilot in the air force reserve and works with the obama reelection campaign. good to have you with us. >> thanks, ed. >> you bet. i am surprised that there feign military groups intervening in the lawsuit in ohio. the obama campaign filed. they are signing with mitt romney. what is the disconnect here?

are they misguided? >> it's a shame that the republicans are using our veteran groups as cover fire for the true mission which i believe is to roll back early voting in ohio. the irony of this thing is that those same veterans, nearly a million of them and families who are currently serving on active duty will not early vote because of the efforts of the republicans in the state legislature. they rolled back what was in place in the 2008 election because of the success of the program. >> you think this is a hangover from measure two because the get out to vote measure was so strong and the legislature went to work to suppress the vote? >> no question. in fact one third of the votes cast in 2008 were in person early voting. two of the county s in ohio and the last three days of the election, nearly 20% of of all the votes that were cast were

early votes. it is very clear that this has been a coordinated precise action by the republicans as if it was a joint military effort across the country to try to roll back voting rights whether in florida or michigan or pennsylvania. we have seen this act before. in ohio, let me add this one point. they tried to pass a bill that suggested if you showed up at the wrong precinct, you couldn't be told what was the right one to vote in. >> why are republicans attacking the labor-rich states. i have a theory that the labor movement in this country has tremendous infrastructure and they can get boots on the ground and has to put strength against strength to suppress the vote where the workers are. what do you think of that? >> i think it's an outrage for someone like myself who has flown into baghdad and watched the iraqis perform their own

democracies in elections by dipping a finger in inc. and that is how they discounted fraud, they have this coordinated effort to push people away. the facts are that it was a razor-thin election and nearly 100,000 votes separated john kerry from becoming president and president bush being reelected. that's about ironically how many votes would be counted in the last three days of election if they rolled back early in person voting. we have to support the president's lawsuit that resores early voting for everybody and the million veterans in ohio and restore sanity in our election process back in the state. >> obviously there will be a court ruling probably next week, august 15th, but what can you done to stop all of this outside of that? >> if you believe in what we have been talking about is that everybody who is a registered voter in ohio and has the ability to vote early should be able to do this all the way up to the election, it worked in

2008 and no reason why the legislature took this action to roll it back other than to suppress the vote. if you can go online, go to vote vets.org and sign the petition and help us support veterans and restoring their right to exercise early voting privileges in the state and hopefully follow this and track this as the president's lawsuit is heard in the courts. >> good to have you on the ed show and keep up the fight. thank you. >> that's the ed show. the rachel maddow show starts right now. >> good evening and that story you were covering there with the former congressman, we have on that ahead this hour. important stuff. >> thank you, joining us this hour. the republican convention starts in two and a half weeks. it's already august 8th somehow today, and the convention is the last week of august. the last week of this month. that would usually mean that everybody in news would be on vacation now.

resting up before we all work 90 or so straight days without breaks, starting with that convention and running straight through november. but you may have noticed that most of the news world is not on vacation right now. . contrary to how this usually works in an election year. most of the hosts and anchors are around right now. and that is in part because of this. the mitt romney campaign last month told everybody that they were going to announce their vice presidential nominee before the republican convention. not at the convention, but before. and they haven't done it yet. and time is now running out before that convention, which means that everybody is around in the news biz because everybody is around waiting for that announcement. there are just not that many days left to do it. i mean, we know they want it to make a big impact like the sarah palin announcement made in 2008. we know the timing will likely be a sudden surprise sort of thing. but waiting for that means basically that nobody is leaving

work. nobody is leaving their desks. nbc news reported today, quote, with a high degree of confidence, that the three finalists for the republican's vice presidential pick are former minnesota governor tim pawlenty, former george w. bush budget director, rob portman, and the author of the controversial house republican kill medicare budget, paul ryan. those are the three. what happened to marco rubio? as soon as it was clear that mitt romney was going to get the presidential nomination, the whole beltway all but concluded that marco rubio was going to be mr. romney's vice presidential pick. now marco rubio isn't even on the short list? i mean, if they're trying to make an impact, i suppose it could be they're leaking short lists that don't include mr. rubio so as to fake everybody out that they're not going to