this network and we are glad he is. wednesday, august 22. here's what' happening. >> with friends like these -- >> paul ryan, give me a call. he advise immediate it would be good to step down. i am strong in my belief of pro-life. >> they begged and pleaded. the man just won't go away. >> it makes me uncomfortable to think the party bosses will dictate who runs. >> and america has learned just how far to the right ryan/romney are. >> you sponsored legislation that has the language forcible rape. what's forcible rape? >> rape is rape. rape is rape, period, end of story. >> forcible rape language meanting to now at the time? >> rape is rape. >> i guess you think i made the right decision, right choice. not familiar with exactly what i said but i stand by what i said, whatever it was.

♪ >> whoa is the gop hemming and hawing. dodging and deflecting with hot button social issues in the spotlight. dragged before voters to face their own retrogad policies. this afternoon, paul ryan venturing to the press section of the back of his campaign plane and trying to answer for his link to embattled missouri congressman todd cane. >> co-sponsored of the legislation. >> that bill passed by 251 votes. it was bipartisan. i think hr 3 you are talking about. 251 votes, 16 democrats. >> okay. hr 3, that's the that passed without the original forcible rape language that akin and ryan supported. anyway, ryan doesn't have any

issue with that anymore. in a sudden change of heart -- >> you sponsored legislation that has the language forcible rape. what is forcible rape? >> rape is rape. rape is rape, period. end of story. >> so that forcible rape language meant nothing to you at the time? >> rape is rape. and there's no splitting hairs over rape. >> how odd to hear paul ryan parroting the exact words of the president. of course, rhine an didn't mention hr 212. the other anti-abortion bill he co-sponsored with akin that reads like this. the life of each human being begins, fertilization at which time every human being shall be have all the legal and constitutional attributes and privileges of personhood. and it is that language that would make any abortion without exception the equivalent of murder. that's ryan's view. here he is in 2002 condemning certain exemptions for the health of the mother.

>> the health exception is a loophole wide enough to drive a mac truck through it. it would render this ban meaningless. >> now, that, save you, mr. ryan long shared with legitimate offender todd akin who just doesn't get why his misuse of words is being vilified by his former friends. >> but while i apologize for the misuse of that word, at the same time i don't apologize for the fact that i am strong and -- in my belief of pro-life. >> no, indeed. nor does paul ryan. only now he is going to try to have a different record than the one he had before i am proud of my record. the president's said policy. his policy is exceptions for rape, incest, life of the mother. good step in the right direction. >> yeah. it is a step in a backward direction anyway. but hang on, mr. ryan. what was that line you have been laying down on the campaign

trail? >> we are going to confront the tough issues of the day. we are not going to duck the tough issues. we will not duck the tough issues. we will lead. we will not duck the tough issues. we will lead. >> right. i guess he's not going to duck the tough issues. anyway, women's rights and women's health issues are not real issues are they, mr. ryan? >> i don't think they are going to take the bait of all these distractions the president is trying to throw at them. >> that's right. just control of your own bodies, ladies. nothing to see here. let's get right to our panel. joy reid here with me in new york. msnbc contributor jonathan capehart, columnist for "the washington post," who is at the white house. good afternoon to both of you. joy, isn't todd akin the only one in the situation who is being consistent? we have paul ryan running away from his original subdivision of rape from rape and forcible rape. we have mitt romney never

referring to fact he welcomed the endorsement in 2007 and john will whok fashioned the notion that the ludicrous nonscientific bogus idea that women somehow could prevent conception if they were raped. yet, todd akin is the one that's being vilified and the only individual being robust and consistent inition his position. >> absolutely. you put your finger on it. one of the biggest complaints movement conservative have had about republicans is that they talk a good game when it comes to conservative beliefs and values. when they get to govern, in a position to govern, they always shrink from actually standing behind those values and they are craving. the paul ryan was the end of that, the end -- >> you saw him just now. i will face the big issues. we will not duck anything. >> meanwhile, as you said, akin is sticking by his beliefs. he didn't stop believing what he said in that interview. still believes it. >> he apologized for his use of words. >> paul ryan does, too. just as an example, paul ryan is an evangelical catholic which is even more strict on the pro-life

issue that a lot of even gentlelady cal protestants, health of the mother, does not matter. bishops, catholic church, excommunicate ad nun, mark receipt mcbride, for allowing an abortion of a 127-year-old that would have died from a 11-week pregnancy that would have killed her. >> paul ryan as he did in relation to you mitt romney's tax returns says that the eruption over todd akin is merely a distraction. okay. but how can it be a distraction when the gop platform is calling for a constitutional amendment for protecting automatic huchl an life without any exemptions for conception caused by rape or incest? this isn't a distraction, john. this is their platform. >> right. you are exactly right. it is not a distraction. it is their platform. how ironic that yesterday when the entire republican establishment was reigning down on congressman akin, trying on push him out of the party

because of his true offensive, horrible comments, at the platform commit why you, were basically adopting exactly what akin believes. now, in all fairness, this -- platform plank has been in dash the republican party platform since '08, '04, and i'm not sure if it goes back as far as 2000, but -- so -- republican platform committee is being consistent and republican party is being consiste consistent, akin is being consistent, only people that aren't being consistent is the republican party establishment that's trying to get him out of the race. let's keep something else in mind here. we wouldn't be talking about any of this if akin had not slipped and used the wrong words. and everyone would have been fine with todd akin and even with his legislative history of supporting bills of forcible rape and -- personhood and other things that everyone would have been just fine if he had just kept his mouth shut. >> joy, is that why republicans have withdrawn all of their

funding purely because he made a slipup? >> yes. >> he said tonight a way he shouldn't have said it. if he kept quitet and hadn't used the term legitimate rape the money would have continued coming in, rove's organization would have still thrown money at him. >> again, have you this dichotomy between the republicans paid to win elections and accumulate political power for conservatives. you have actual conservatives who think that these guys are on their side. look, it isn't just the political operatives abandoned this guy. it is their -- sort of media conservative leaders like rush limbaugh and ann coulter, the ones that pretend object on the side of the right-to-life conservatives going along with the political party, based on believing their beliefs are going to be given the force of law by these people. have they not realized they have been duped? the base agrees with akin. base agree was what paul ryan used to believe. these guys are being craven by pushing him out the door. >> how does paul ryan play this no because i'm sure he was hoping to be discussing the economy rather than walking to the back of his campaign plane and being asked about whether he

still believed in when he called and wanted to call and forcible rape? >> well, look, as you showed in the clip, he's a pretty cool customer. you throw any tough question at him, particularly on this, and he's able to dodge, weave, deflect, and cue to the position that is mitt romney is the top of the ticket and this is -- where he is and where we are as a ticket and let's move -- let's move along. the good -- >> joe, not so much the same as preeb us saying yesterday that -- priebus, this is the rnc's platform. it may not be mitt romney's platform. >> right. but look, you asked me about paul ryan. >> i did. >> you know, paul ryan is doing the best he can to get through the questioning and give an answer that would at least get the press folks on that plane off his back. but as with his medicare -- medicare plan and his plans for medicare, two ryan budgets, his -- supportings things like hr 3 and personhood amendment,

personhood bills, he's going to -- going to be asked those questions and will be held accountable for those votes and for those positions by the press because, well, unlike mitt romney who has been all over the place on a whole lot of issues, paul ryan has a record as a congressman very clear lines of what he believes in and what he is for and against. what he won't support. and so that gives us a -- clue into if we don't quite know where mitt romney is going to go, let's look at paul ryan's cash paul ryan's background legislative background to see where mitt romney might go. >> indeed. >> who is at the top of the ticket? how much time you are spending talking about a guy that's number would. this proves again mitt romney is essentially a rubber stamp who is going to bring all of the people in the door and do whatever they say. >> after the break we will be talking about the new nbc/wall street jurpal poll. i want to get your quick thoughts if i might on one number. the number is zero.

goose egg for romney among african-americans. even john mccain managed 4%. you are laughing, joy. i will start with you, your reaction, zero. >> well, i mean, when i read that i thought get out of town. how's that possible? yes, even john mccain got 4%. george w. bush got 11% of the black vote in 2004. so i think there is month where to go but up for governor romney. >> joy, does that reveal the african-americans are far more insightful of our candidates. >> you know what the possibility here is the margin of error, he could have negative 2.5. >> that's shocking. thank you very much, indeed. next, the ryan vp choice. hardly a pick that's moved the needle. stay with us. >> when you plug these loopholes, that means the person making the psalm kind of income pay it is same kind of tax. period, end of story. >> fascination with taxes i paid find to be very small-minded. they have names like idle time books and smash records

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mitt romney and fellow convention may come up with less compromising than house republicans. tropical storm isaac. the storm is expected to become a hurricane tomorrow and forecasts suggests the storm may land in tampa the same day republicans begin their formal attempt to raise old memories of legitimate rape and bain capital. i ask you, which is the more daunt task? holding a convention and possible hurricane? o dealing with new poll numbers that show romney made little traction with voters despite hundreds of millions of dollars spent on his behalf. joining us now is msnbc

political analyst richard wolffe and nbc news deputy political director montenero. can you give us a broad view of what these numbers mean as far as romney is concerned and the president? >> we know head-to-head it is president obama up 48-44. we can see there is a clear advantage for president obama heading into the convention. this is just a couple of ticks up from -- in tightening from where it was last month where obama was up six points, a few -- little bit of change with the party i.d. in there. so some will talk about that. but, you know, romney still has a lot of work to do on likability. and issues like that that, you know, really set the stage for what we are seeing. >> he's not doing too well with african-americans, 94-0. latinos, 2-1. 52-41 voters under 35. 51-41.

it has not been a magnificent few months. >> well, look, i mean the fact of the matter is our pollsters tell us that romney is -- has about 13 is point edging with white voters which is about where mccain was. if romney is going to underperform john mccain with black voters, with hispanics, he has to run up the score with white voters and hasn't quite done that yet. the other problem, though, for president obama in this poll is that yes, he has huge margin was latinos but latinos, are young voters, are the least enthusiastic of any of the groups in this poll. african-americans, despite what some people talk about, disaffection, whatever, they are right there and -- with other groups being very enthusiastic and latinos and young voters, the only thing for -- latinos, though, that -- the romney campaign needs to consider, latinos make up 17% of the country according to the census. only 9% of them voted in 2008. even if they underperformed that they are going to be a

significant chunk of the electorate. >> richard are romney campaign spent hundreds of millions of dollars. and this is the result. it is not fabulous. he does have to deliver the performance of his lifetime, doesn't he, at the convention? >> remember, most of that money has not been spent. and the normal pattern you would see a lot of biographical ads coming in and the positive track. we haven't had a lot of that 37 there have been day one what would things be like under president romney. but yes, the burden is on the convention to introduce him as a likable character. you are going to have lots of warm and fuzzy stuff about what a great man he is and charitable giving and father and grandfather. you are running up against an image that's already becoming ingrained here. that bumps into the next part of it which is -- you know, we saw this with the convention in 2004. you are trying really, really hard to take on a sitting president on what you think is -- a weak spot for kerry. national security for obviously mitt romney, it is going to be the economy.

i think we are going to is hear a lot of him being a great job creator. problem kerry and romney had is that the following week, other side, comes after and you takes you down. >> yes. >> takes down. really hard on precise there job creating thing i think we are going to hear of a lot in -- next two numbers left out of t report, seem bad trailing by 12 points. second shows him trailing by 28 points on issues important to women. i mean dash he's been badly injured, isn't he, on these -- in these two sector. >> yes. he can hope that he can create a tea party 2010 feel here. drive up the base. paul ryan pick. hope the other side is depressed and don't show up. that's one strategy. problem is he may be doing well with white voters and white men. but they are white women in the mix and white seniors in that mix. and you cannot lose those two

groups. they are not just demographics. bulk of people that show up in elections. majority of women -- you cannot lose women by double digit margins and come close to winning a presidency. major problem. you can depress parts of the core democratic -- >> disenfan fries. >> you can do that, too. you know, you can try to say that the other day -- other side is so awful don't bother and try to drive up your own numbers. it is very risky when you are losing those big margins among seniors who do show up to vote and women who are often the independent gettable swing voters in the suburbs. >> indeed. i want to play you a clip. new romney ad hitting the president yet again on medicare. watch this. >> obama is raiding $716 billion from medicare and changing the program forever. taxing wheelchairs and pacemakers. >> isn't that the most ridiculous thing you have heard? taxing wheelchairs? pacemakers? >> yes. >> what's he talking about?

he did say he aproffered that message. >> this is a super selective way of saying the other guy is no bter than me. we are going to destroy medicare which in their version is protecting it, of course. and changing it to a different kind of program. but the other guy is already doing that. so -- you can see the purpose of it. but this is not a campaign that cares about factually accurate advertisements because we are talking about the welfare to work claim that comes directly out of the candidate's mouth. the facts have been thrown aside in this. and we are not talking about an equal playing field to compare the obama super pac with what's come out of the romney campaign and the romney and candidate's mouth that -- two different sets of apples and oranges. >> find a wowhat do you expect romney in the convention as you look forward n. >> say one thing about our poll. you know, we still have to remember this is still a four-point race. yes, baerm leads on a lot of the gut check questions.

you look inside of the poll and the two questions that really important for someone like romney, the economy, and changing the ways of washington, obama leads on everything else but does not lead on those questions. >> rithank you both for joining us. mitt romney, oil man. afraid to talk real policy when those pesky kids from the press are around. [ male announcer ] when a major hospital wanted to provide better employee benefits while balancing the company's bottom line, their very first word was... [ to the tune of "lullaby and good night" ] ♪ af-lac ♪ aflac [ male announcer ] find out more at... [ duck ] aflac! [ male announcer ] ...forbusiness.com. [ yawning sound ]

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rex tillison and harold hamm, billionaire pioneer in modern drilling techniques and romney energy adviser. in the evening another fossil fuels fund-raiser, this time the petroleum club in midland. we recognize fund-raising is an essential part of american politics but so is energy policy. the president has said he wants to stand up to oil companies and end the subsidies that led to record profits. mr. romney, on the other hand, he wants less regulation of the oil, gas and coal industries and promises energy independence by 2021. the only problem, well, there are a few details that are -- very few details about how mr. romney will accomplish such an incredible play. have no fear. in those quiet rooms, special interests get special attention, mitt romney is open to the solution. indeed, he told the oil men according to the pool report,

quote, i know that we have members of the media here right now so i'm not going to go through that in great detail. so i can save a bit of that until a little later in the week. your input is something i wanted to retain before we actually cross the ts and dot the is on those policies. in short, mr. romney's favorite political philosophy, just trust me. >> well, they sold a lot of tickets for the titanic, too. >> let's just hope there are no icebergs ahead. [ dog 1 ] i am not a sheep... i'm a sheep dog! i don't want to just eat plants. [ dog 2 ] what do i look like? a rabbit? yeah, maybe, but i don't want to eat like one. [ male announcer ] most dry foods add plant protein, like gluten but iams never adds gluten. iams adds 50% more animal protein, [ dog 4 ] yum! [ male announcer ] a naturally complete protein source.

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at relieving your allergy symptoms for 24 hours. you do a lot of kayakingno. whoooa i'm in a river. what are some good kayaking words? like...rapids? look, i'm going through the rapids. ok. i'll take it. new offers in new places so you can try new things. sync your american express card with facebook, foursquare, and twitter to find savings. that's the membership effect of american express. from ditch diggers and silver spoons to the paul ryan proposal. here are today's top lines. >> governor romney told a crowd of young people if you want to go to college -- >> like my folks won't have

enough money to put me through college. >> you want to start a business, then you can just borrow money from your parents. >> i need $180. >> write yourself a check. >> this is not about me. >> you sponsored legislation that has the language forcible rape. >> he advised me it would be good for me to step down. >> rape is rape, period. end of story. >> this is not about my ego. >> we will not duck the tough issues. >> anybody who is doing a lot of public speaking can make a mistake. >> if you were in romney's position why couldn't he run his race and i run mine? >> last night you sent out a tweet saying liberal media is trying to get you out of the race. >> republican leaders are trying to get akin to go. >> know when to hold them and know when to fold them. >> that's not the liberal media. >> you are right on that. >> akin was the guy to lead the republican party into the 16th century. mitt romney looks like a closer at beverly hills mercedes. paul ryan looks like the guy you see on packages of underwear. >> i present you this empty box.

it is a promise. >> i did go back and look at my taxes. >> people who use write-offs and special interest loopholes and deductions -- >> after the past ten years, i never paid less than 13%. >> means more of their income is sheltered from taxation. >> i'm street speaker at the convention. >> distractions, distortions, smear, fear, anger, frustration. >> objections when they sound -- >> basically will have a lost generation if we stay on the president's plan. >> pass some of the toughest wall street regulations in history. >> i have known joe a long time. we get along quite well. i'm looking forward to the debate. >> let's get right to our panel n republicans are really raising expectations for paul ryan's fisticuffs on joe biden on october 11. last night mitt romney himself called biden the gift that keeps on giving. i guess he would know, right?

is that just more hollowed boasting from the hollowed man? >> well, it is -- rare and almost unprecedented that you would hear the nominee of one party-going after the vice presidential nominee of the other party. clearly what romney is trying to do is to distract the tension from the little problem that the republicans are having with the missouri cincinnati candidate. they are also trying to go after the advantage that obama has on like bui likability by raising the profile of statements that biden has made. clearly neither of these are working. ryan is the first vp nominee we know in some time that has actually zero bump. even sarah palin gave mccain a bum in 2008. and the polls continue to show obama has the lead and has a pretty significant lead in the battleground states and ryan hasn't changed it. i think he's given the campaign a fair amount of baggage they have to answer for. >> is this is a fascinating matchup between two catholic men. paul ryan, his budget has been

condemned by many catholic theologians as being unbiblical and out of touch with catholic teaching how to treat the poor. joe biden that takes a pro-choice position on -- abortion and also supports gay marriage. it is going to be a fascinating, if you like theological stroke political battle, between these two men. >> the juxtaposition of the generations, differential, if you will, joe biden being the overstatesman having been in the senate -- 30 years old. right? i mean, i don't know paul ryan was born at that point. but the point is that he's far more progressive and more, frankly, in line when it comes to the church's teachings and i think the kath lib bishops and nuns will tell thaw. perhaps not on the abortion issue but certainly on how you take care of the needy and poor. whereas paul ryan and his budget, his budget is his dogma, his budget is his theology. that is his blueprint and he is young, younger than i am. he's out of touch with mainstream young people where

the vice president is not. >> interesting. paul ryan took a cue from his boss this morning in roanoke, virginia. taking shots at the vice president, just taking us into this. >> you know, there is a guy i have known a number of years and will be talking to him in october. joe biden, may may have heard of him. he said last summer would be the summer of recovery. summer later, it is still worse. >> i suppose there's plenty of time between now and october for mr. ryan to refine his act a bit. how much longer can he carry on running down the economy before someone actually points out that he, too, bears responsibility by undermining the deal on last year's debt crisis that led to the reduction in the credit rating of the united states currency? >> well, not only that. he voted for every deficit increasing measure during the bush administration. >> i was than going to go will. >> from the wars, unfinanced

medicare extension for prescription drugs and voted against the simpson/bowles deal, most important deficit reduction bipartisan package we have seen. he then tried to undermine it, when obama put much of that on the table during the debt negotiation last august he tried to undermine that as well. look, you know, jimmy is a better theologian than i am. when you look at how biden and -- ryan will match up, sure ryan is a good debater and articulate spokesman but look at what biden says. look at our record. we -- went from negative nine in gdp growth, we were in a deep recession to positive two. that's about 11 point swing. obama is for couldn'ting that recovery. obama -- the obama campaign is for reducing class size giving us the best educational system in the world. the obama presidency and -- next four years would be for energy independence. contrast that with what ryan stands for. ryan stands for ending medicare as we know it. all of the extremist positions of the republican party on

social issues like -- >> voucher system on education. >> the voucher system on edge as well as medicare. i mean, yes, he's more articulate spokesman but comes with extremist baggage when you examine his policy proposals and obama team in chicago hasn't even started on the tax proposals and how the ryan budget balances all of the cuts on the backs of poor people. i mean, this -- he is the gift that will keep on giving and has a long paper trail that is that gift. >> it sounds to me as though joe biden's hardly running scared because he's going down to tampa next week and will give a few speeches. this is a guy that's up for this, isn't he? >> i don't think once i saw joe biden walk away from a fight. he picks his battles wisely. he will have one debate. it will be a stark difference between the sitting vice president and the sitting chairman of the house budget committee. i will be very interested in seeing at how they -- i think both very good debaters. i will be frank about that.

but, you know, he picked up something you mentioned as well. voucherizing education. voucherizing medicare. let's be clear. those are coupons. mainstream americans, especially women, ages 30 to 50, who clip coupons, clip coupons to save themselves at the grocery store and don't like the theory of couponing american society. they don't want to coupon old people or their children's education. paul ryan is a perfectly nice guy. his positions are out of the mainstream and of american society. it is a fact. joe biden will point that out and ham their home in october. >> i'm looking forward to that debate. thanks so much to both of you. before we go to break, more trouble today for team romney as yet another musical agent tells the gop ticket they are just not going to take it anymore. which one? just watch as paul ryan is introduced at a campaign event tuesday in pennsylvania.

twisted sister took one look at that and fired off this statement. i emphatically denounce paul ryan's use of my band twisted sister's song in any capacity. there is almost nothing he stands for that i agree with. except the use of the p90x. mr. ryan, it is time to change your tune. stay with us, much more ahead. ♪ vehio re

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yeah, maybe not. v8 v-fusion juice gives them a full serving of vegetables plus a full serving of fruit. but it just tastes like fruit. v8. what's your number? if you are still wondering why mitt romney chose paul ryan as his running mate, we may have uncovered the answer. turns out that just like romney, mr. ryan is am bambidexterous w it comes to issues.

listen carefully. >> we passed spending cuts and other wasted parts of government to replace the irresponsible and devastating cuts of the president through his lack of leadership promising will occur. >> and just moments later in that same speech, ryan did it again. >> under president obama's failed leadership, the united states credit rating was downgraded for the first time in our history. >> good afternoon, sir. >> hello, martin. >> do i have this right? paul ryan voted for the defense cuts as part of the debt ceiling deal and a deal made necessary because ryan and republicans in congress were threatening a government shutdown and wasn't that very -- that threat which helped lead to the lowering of the united states credit rating? >> you got it exactly right. that was the -- that was the whole point when they refused to

raise the debt ceiling even though as we all know debt ceiling has been routinely raised 70 something times over the last 80 years or so. that put the credit rating of the united states in jeopardy. obviously if the united states congress threatens not to pay the debts of the united states, it is going to damage the credit rating and they precipitated the crisis. >> again, mr. ryan wants to place the sole responsibility for that on the shoulders of the president. >> yeah. you know, i think that this entire romney/ryan campaign is being based on the idea that the public will have amnesia. there is no explanation for the fact that they are brazen about the same things that -- they said differently just a few weeks ago or months ago. and, you know, the whole idea that he's talked about defenses well, and criticizing the president for cutting defense when, in fact, he voted for that same bill that imposes across-the-board 9% cut

including defense. >> here is the problem, sir. every single day ryan tells us that he will take responsibility, he won't blame others, he won't duck the difficult issues, and yet, here he is absolving himself of any responsibility for what happened last year when the credit rating was lowered. >> right. he just wasn't their casting of vote -- there casting a vote for this policy. he was orchestrate thing policy. he and the leader -- other leaders and the republican majority in the house created the crisis, came up with the crazy solution which i voted against, budget control act, that provided for what is -- across the bore cuts, and now he's blaming others for doing it. no, this is on house head. >> now, in just two weeks, ryan has run away from his own budget plan and his once enthusiastic support for stimulus money and the letters he wrote begging for that money and even the forcible rape bill he co-sponsored with todd akin, has mitt romney met his match in terms of an

etch-a-sketch candidate here? seriously. is this mitt romney's match in terms of being able to spin 100 times simultaneously? >> well, i think it is. you know, i was thrilled as -- were many democrats when paul ryan was put on the ticket because while romney can somewhat distance himself from anybody's policies, including his own, which he tried to do, ryan's are down in black and white and we have congressional candidates all over the country, republicans who voted for that budget, who cannot distance themselves from it, and we are going to be reminding the americans exactly how the ryan budget makes what i call repulsive cuts to very, very important programs. slashing medicaid by $810 billion over ten years, scenesors will not be able to get their long-term care or education, pell grants, 9 million students losing college assistance. these are the kind of cuts that the american people will

actually recoil at. and so dash again, romney may able to detach himself but paul ryan can't and we have 435 candidates around the country who will be reminding the american people of the stark choice that paul ryan and mitt romney represent. >> i'm glad, sir, you don't suffer from selective amnesia. thank you, sir. >> next, the president tries to energize the young and the restless. first, sue herera has the cnbc market wrap. >> good afternoon. a mixed day on wall street in today's trading session. lots of earnings curb pushing and pulling the market this way and that. final numbers looking like this. dow jones finishing the tradi i slightly in the red. the nasdaq composite finished up about 6.5 points on the trading session. that's it from cnbc. we are first in business. worldwide. is it done?

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if president obama is to be re-elected he will likely leave the youngest voters in america to turn out the way they did in 2008 when 66% of those under the age of 30 voted for him. the young women seen here talking with the president in ohio tuesday were not old enough to vote four years ago. in an effort to make sure they show up this time the president today continued slamming mitt romney on his lack of support for students. >> plan would cut aid to 10 million students and turn student loans back over to big banks and wasting billions of dollars of taxpayer money. and when he was asked what are you going to do about the rising cost of tuition, he just said -- well, you need to go borrow money from your parents. >> nbc's kristin welker joins us

live from las vegas. i'm delighted to say clis tin has been following the president and not prince harry. 52-4 is% with voters under the age of 35. but how confident is he and the obama team that the young people will come out and vote for him the way he did in 2008? >> good afternoon to you, martin. i think there is some concern that young voters won't turn out in the same large numbers that they did back in 2008. as you point out, president obama has a comfortable lead over mitt romney when it comes to young voters but at the same time, our nbc news "wall street journal" poll also showed that only half of voters under the age of 35 are feeling highly energized and excited about this race. that's down by about 20 points from this point in 2008. there is a little bit of concern there. another problem for the president, the unemployment rate among young people right now is much higher than the national

average. that's why to some extent you see this push and see him reaching out to young people, yesterday in ohio and today here in las vegas. making the point, as you played that sound bite from president obama, in a mitt romney and paul ryan's policies would be bad for college students, younger students you, making the point the ryan budget would slash 20% from education funding, republicans, though, martin, pushing back against that pretty hard today as well. they are say look, the president's policies have been bad for college age students and have saddled them with mountains of debt. mitt romney was ready by the way for this attack at his event in iowa and made the case of the president should have done more leading up to this point to approve education k through 12 level. the battle lines really being drawn over education today and as both sides reach out to young voters. martin? >> the president is en route here to new york. i understand he is going to be playing basketball with michael jordan. that's quite a thing to do to attract young people. that's impressive, isn't it?

>> absolutely it is. i am sure they are going to be -- there are going to be a lot of eyes on that basketball game where i think he will shoot a few hoops today. one point i want to make, martin, the crowd was pretty energized today, to your point about getting young voters excited. i have been following him the past several months really. had is one of the most energized crowds that bee have seen. a lot of people have different theories about why the room is a little bit smaller, jammed into one room. there was certainly a lot of energy today in this crowd p the question is going to be can the president translate this type of energy into actual turnout of the polls? we will have to wait and see. >> kristen welker, we rely on you throughout this campaign. we will right back to "clear the air." [ female announcer ] the power of green coffee extract is now in our new starbucks refreshers™ --

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perhaps mindful of the fact that neither he nor mitt romney have any foreign policy experience to speak of, paul ryan has made a somewhat bizarre and desperate attempt to suggest that he's better qualified than the current president was when it comes to matters overseas. here he is. making this argument to his favorite television network. >> i have had to -- sent vote to send many men and women to war on more than one occasion. i have been to many funerals. i have more experience than president obama. >> i have had to vote to send men and women to war on more than one occasion. obviously i have a lot more experience than barack obama. that wasn't the first time mr. ryan made this assertion. here he is again on his favorite television network with mr. carl cameron. >> i voted to send people to war. >> i voted to send people to

war. well, bully for you, mr. ryan. do you really expect us to believe in your foreign policy credentials because you on the basis of bogus intelligence about nonexistent weapons of mass destruction have the strength of character to send american men and women into iraq? where almost 5,000 coalition forces have lost their lives? and that makes you more qualified than the current president? you know the last time i checked, president obama actually had the wisdom to oppose the invasion of iraq. and he promised and delivered the withdrawal of troops as quickly as he could. you know, if anything, mr. roy an's comments actually prove the point -- foreign affairs is about as useful as a bow tie in a battlefield. and given his appear enlove for winston churchill he might consider some words that