as tropical storm isaac skirts tampa, building strength in the gulf, welcome to the site of the delayed republican national convention. the gop has reshuffled the four-day schedule into three. more changes could still be ahead. we'll look at the impact. can mitt romney catch a break? just days after enduring a political storm caused by congressman todd akin and his rape comments, the governor now has to weather an actual storm

on what is the most important week of the campaign for him today. his job to refocus the conversation on the debt and the economy and he's now got less time to do it. then there's isaac. it's barreling towards new orleans. expected to gain hurricane strength later today. if it hits there wednesday, it would be on this seven-year anniversary of katrina. a stark reminder of what's at stake. good morning from the howl at the moon bar in a rainy, tampa, florida. it is monday, august 27, 2012. this is a special edition of "the daily rundown." i'm chuck todd. oklahoma governor mary fallon, senator ron johnson of wisconsin, congressman aaron shock of illinois, republican consultant mike murphy will be here. i got a lot in less than an hour so let's get right to my first reads of the morning. mitt romney begins the most important week of his political career with one eye on his thursday acceptance speech and his other eye on tropical storm

isaac which is already made today's plans a wash. >> concerned about the people that are going to be down there. >> are you concerned about your convention? >> be a great convention. >> the specter of new orleans and hurricane katrina which proved so political damaging to george bush. wednesday will be the seventh anniversary of hurricane katrina's landfall. just the latest in a series of distractions that's jolted the romney campaign off of what was supposed to be a core economic message and really it's all been since the paul ryan selection two weeks ago. the convention will be called to order at 2:00 p.m. eastern time today, when rnc chairman reince priebus will start a national debt clock, by the way, mounted inside the convention hall, a visual reminder of the federal debt. that will immediately recess the convention until tuesday afternoon. tonight's prime time speakers were supposed to be south carolina governor nikki haley,

and florida governor jeb bush and mike huckabee. they'll now be spread out over the next three nights. with isaac expected to make landfall on the golf course some time early wednesday, will republicans have to further shrink the program? 2008 republican nominee senator john mccain whose own convention was cut short by a day thanks to at the time hurricane gustav, which was threatening new orleans, said any further delays at this convention actually could hurt the gop cause. >> i think it will be very unfortunate not just for the republican party but a long-standing tradition of three or four days of intense political campaigning so that the republican party and the nominee can make their case. >> republican officials tell me they plan to go with tuesday night forward but there might be a changen in tone of some of the speeches themselves on tuesday night. depending on sort of where and how strong isaac gets. now it just seems like mitt romney can't catch a political break lately. while an actual storm threatens

to interrupt romney's last best chance to reintroduce himself to voters who still aren't convinced he understands the problems of the average american, as we've seen in polls, last week's political storm over congressman todd akin's controversial remarks about abortion and rape remains a flash point over the weekend democrats tried to saddle the republican ticket with akin. while romney did his best to distance himself. >> obviously it is being used by democrats to try and cast a shadow on our entire party. it's not. the leaders of our party have pretty much unanimously said mr. akin, get out of the race. >> of course the akin firestorm only highlights the gop's gender gap issue. topic of discussion a few minutes ago shrinking that gap is just one of the challenges romney faces this week. there is also the empathy gap. romney trails the president by 20-plus points in our latest nbc news-"wall street journal" poll on the question of which candidates cares more about "average people."

on fox news romney did his best to talk and be the regular guy. >> i got a three-pack of shirt from costco. >> yeah. he's wearing them all the time now. i'm like, that shirt looks pretty good. i got it at costco. >> romney acknowledged to "usa today" that the obama campaign's negative ads have taken a toll on his own personal image saying i do think the president's campaign of personal vilification and demonization probably draws some people away from me. in an interview with the associated press, the president previewed that counter offensive. we'll hear from democrats all this week. >> he has signed up for positions, extreme positions, that are very consistent with positions a number of house republicans have taken. whether he actually believes in those or not, i have no doubt that he would carry forward some

of the things that he's talked about. >> we saw that messaging by the way yesterday with democrats. they want to change -- make sure paul ryan's first name is not paul anymore, that it's congressman. now a prebut ttal to romney's thursday acceptance speech also came from the president. >> they basically have one message which is basically the economy is not where it should be and it is obama's fault. there will be variations on that theme. but i think when voters step back what they're going to be looking back is who can move us forward. >> of course there's no shortage of opinions about the republican message heading into this convention. former florida governor jeb bush called it a critical week. >> governor romney has a chance at this convention and going forward to reconnect with with people to set the stage for the general election and show who he is, what's in his heart. >> romney himself underscored those stakes in that fox interview. >> i don't feel ebullient with,

oh, aren't i great for having got this. i feel like, wow, a lot of people are counting on me. they're hoping i'll be able to win and i'll be able to get america on track again. >> so where does the race stand just in time for the convention? a new "washington post"/abc poll finds the presidential race essentially even but with romney ahead 47% among registered voters, president obama sitting at 46%. in the end though this all comes down to nine battleground states and 110 electoral votes. get this -- out of the $550 million that's been spent on ads so far -- $550 million, guys -- $400 million has been spent in just five days -- florida, ohio, virginia, north carolina and colorado. let me underscore that again -- $400 million in five states. both campaigns unveiled new ads over the weekend. not on the economy but on medicare. >> mitt romney would break that promise, replace your benefits with a voucher. insurance companies could just

keep raising rates. mitt romney, an end to the medicare promise. >> in 2008, candidate barack obama attacked john mccain for proposing cuts to medicare. what would candidate obama say about president obama's medicare cuts? >> it ain't right. >> while republicans hold their convention in florida this week, the president will hold events in college towns. they've got an issue with enthusiasm, of course, with young voters -- iowa, colorado and virginia is where the president is going. part of the democrats' attempt at counter programming. but of course, now all eyes of a lot of folks here on the gulf coast are out in isaac. tampa's trouble with isaac pales in comparison to what could be waiting for the rest of the gulf coast as that powerful tropical storm could turn into a hurricane later today. the storm is predicted to grow into a hurricane some time in the next 36 hours. could make landfall late tuesday or early wednesday, which as we mentioned, is that seventh anniversary of katrina hitting new orleans itself.

whether channel meteorologist jim cantore joins me live from new orleans. jim, the nugget i heard this morning is that this storm, while not a powerful hurricane, could sit and not move for almost 12 hours while battering new orleans? is that right? >> that is exactly right. and that means two-fold threat, chuck. you're going to be pushing all that water up the mississippi. and rising the surge level, and then you're durping fresh water into the city of new orleans so it has to be an intricate dance of pumping the water out of the city while you're trying to let the water get through it with gates, like you see behind me. this is part of the $15 billion gate and levee system that surrounds new orleans. not everybody is protected. where we are in jefferson par h parish, we're not. we're outside those gates. you see how much higher those rusted areas of the gates are? if it rains like it could and we get the surge we expect, that truck and where we are would be

under water probably come wednesday morning. this will be a delicate dance certainly. if the track shifts further west that's a good thing for new orleans. if it shifts further east, that's a good thing for new orleans. but if it comes just to our west, that is potentially a worse case scenario. 80,000 people in florida without power. the hit we could take would be a storm surge in the northern gulf from louisiana on into florida. it could be far worse than any 1,000 without power. back to you. >> jim cantore, the best in the business, glad you are on our team for this. as we discussed earlier, republicans are dealing with a second storm, political fallout from congressman todd akin's controversial comments. it is not helping mitt romney appeal to women voters. the latest nbc news/"wall street journal" poll shows 52% of voters think president obama is better at handling women's issues. joining me now, republican oklahoma governor mary fallon. she's 1 of only 6 women governors serving right now. she joins me. good morning to you. >> good morning, chuck. >> i want to start -- i hear this from republicans a lot but there are a lot more republican

women in state-wide office these days and you see democrat women when you look, particularly at governorships. >> that's right. >> why hasn't that translated to convincing suburban women -- we dissect electorate. why hasn't that been enough for republicans to sort of close this historical gender gap? >> well, there are a lot of women in republican politics. you see a lot of mothers like myself who run for office. i ran for office 21 years ago because i was concerned about education, about spenng, about government interference in our businesses, how to make our business climate more friendly so entrepreneurs can invest and grow and create jobs. women are concerned about jobs. and so i think the more we get out and talk about the story about how we're concerned about where the president is taking our nation right now, you have 23 million people who are unemployed, underemployed in our nation. you see a record number of women that are unemployed. you see high growth in our food

stamps. women are concerned about debt, about the deficit, about spending, about jobs for our children. they're concerned about being able to provide for their families. >> but a barrier for some women voters has been the issue of contraception, reproductive rights, issues like that. is it not helpful that the republican platform seems to be to the right or out of where a majority of women are? >> i think women are also concerned about protecting life and about how can we have a better future for our children. of course, the moms i talked to -- i heard from one of them coming up here just yesterday and she was talking about her two young sons that are in their 20s. they've started a small business. she sent me a text, she says i'm really concerned about my sons' businesses and how are they going to be able to thrive in this type of economy that we have in the united states. young people coming out of college trying to find jobs, trying to find a decent paying job is concerns that you see women are talking about. >> one of the things i hear from

democrats on the issue though of abortion is, why aren't conservative republicans who want federal government, federal regulations out of so many other things, why do they want the federal government or government involved with regulating issues involving reproductive rights? >> i think what you find is that women care about the unborn. they care about life. they certainly care about the future of their children. so those are issues that will certainly be something that will be talked about on the republican side, on the democrat side. but once again i think it brings back around to the future of our children. what kind of future are they going to have? especially with $15 trillion in debt in our nation with a tax increases we've been seeing, with the unemployment rates being very, very high. what kind of future are our children going to have? is. >> do you think the platform though should be changed on abortion in order to reach out more to suburban women who may believe that is a barrier for them to support the republican party? >> chuck, there will always be

certain issues that are most important to someone. i think when you can find a platform that's 90%, 95%, 97% of the things that you believe, that's a party that you're going to belong to. i think you find that with republicans. there are some republicans that may have different ideas on things. but the majority of them will believe in the type of platform that we have. >> when you were running for governor, was the title congresswoman a hindrance considering the unpopularity of congress these days? is this a potential issue for the romney-ryan ticket? >> actually, i think people look at the issues of where that person is. what do they stand for. certainly, frankly, i think my experience in congress -- i was just there four years -- actually gave me an in-depth knowledge of the issues important not only to oklahoma but certainly to our nation and i think that actually helped me a little bit. certainly congress does have a low favorable rating as we all know because congress is kind of gridlock, it's frozen, it's not being productive. but i think they look at experience. they look at the issues.

i look at where that person wants to take their state or their country. i think congressman ryan who i had the opportunity to serve with is a great pick for governor romney because he understands the budget. >> you got rescheduled? >> i'm still speaking tuesday night. >> we'll be looking for that speech. thanks for coming this morning. governor mary fallin from oklahoma. up next, wisconsin senator ron johnson, illinois congressman aaron shock on the battle for the midwest. plus tropical storm isaac churning out in the gulf of mexico. watches and warnings are in effect from the florida keys where it's passed through all the way to louisiana. we're keeping a close eye on the storm track. but first a look ahead at the schedules today. president obama and mitt romney. both with some down days as all eyes are on the storm and of course, here in tampa. it is a live edition of "the daily rundown" right here on the "morning joe" set. thanks, guys. we'll be right back.

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is mitt romney leading the republican party or is it sometimes the other way around? this week's convention is a perfect opportunity to put that to rest. joining me now, wisconsin republican senator ron johnson, point man for on capitol hill and illinois republican congressman aaron shock, a close workout partner of mr. paul ryan. you've already done your workout today. right? >> that's right. >> senator johnson, start with you. i want to talk about the midwest here in a minute but also this

issue of does mitt romney represent where today's republican party is? you were thought of as a tea party victor in 2010. did you think mitt romney was tea party or is it just he's head of the party? >> i decided to endorse mr right before the wisconsin primary because i had a chance to meet with him and i had no doubt on major issues -- debt and deficit, repealing obama care, governor romney is totally knowledgeable about those issues and 100% dedicated to repealing obama care and getting our debt and deficit under control. the beauty about picking paul ryan is not only is he knowledgeable, can help craft legislation and get it passed, certainly confirms what i already knew, governor romney is serious about making this a mandate election and tackling the debt and defense dit issues. he's absolutely on the same page with everybody across the spectrum in the republican party. >> it is interesting, congressman, this is, you could

argue, the third straight republican nominee who's more moderate than the platform? >> i think you ask the question about the tea party they stand for one thing -- taxed enough already. on the issue of taxes and debt, i can't imagine a better team than and paul ryan to tackle the deficit to keep tax rates under control to do comprehensive tax reform which is what paul's been at the center of on the ways and means committee. i think at the end of the day, mitt is a great person. i wouldn't say he's moderate. i would say he is somebody who has conservative principles but has an ability to reach out to independent democrat voters like he did in massachusetts in order to get things done. i think one thing that's lacking in washington, d.c. are not people who have certain principles but people that can actually get things done, get the ball through the hoop. that's something that both mitt and paul have shown -- >> will, though, the sort of tea party wing of the party on capitol hill allow a romney-ryan administration to move, if necessary? >> what we need in washington is

leadership. that's what's been just utterly lacking under this president. the fact of the matter is president obama's proposed four budgets. never once has he proposed a solution to save social security and medicare. three votes in the united states congress -- >> those were direct mail votes. >> it is his budget. total vote tally, 0-610. so unserious when we face financial calamity -- >> look, you know those are legislative games. >> so you're saying the president's budget is not serious. that's the point i'm making. we need leadership and that's what paul ryan and governor romney bring to the table. they're actually going to lead on these issues. >> i want to ask you a specific question. something that mitt romney said yesterday on fox about this idea of how personal does he need to get. he gave an interesting answer which i think you might agree with. here's what he said. >> all i can do is be who i am. remember that popeye line, i am what i am and that's all what i

am. and i'm doing my very best to get this country back on track. >> senator, you were a first time politician when you ran. i assume you had plenty of consultants who said, hey, tell more personal stories about yourself. you didn't do that as much. you think that mitt romney's getting sort of conflicting advice here? >> listen. what governor romney needs to do on thursday is reveal who he is as an individual. a phenomenal family man, somebody who puts faith and family first. but then from a standpoint of governing, he'll put america first. i'm thoroughly convinced governor romney and paul ryan aren't running for president-vice president for the title but they're concerned about what's happening in this country. they want to become president-vice president to actually solve the problems. that's what governor romney needs to convey. >> congressman, in the midwest why is there a hesitancy for now for republicans in general -- it's been a democratic stronghold in presidential elections, much of what i could call the agricultural midwest

where you two represent. >> i'm from illinois, the president's home state. two years after the president was in power the senate seat that he held went to mark kirk, a republican. more voters in illinois voted for a republican congressman than democrat congressman, first time in 30 years we have a majority republican delegation from the president's home state. wisconsin, indiana, michigan have republican governors and republican house and senates. i think that's pretty telling. i think paul ryan's joining the ticket helps us in the midwest as well. iowa's going to be a battleground state as well. but i think what senator johnson hit on which is what's so lacking, what people say back home is washington's broken. why can't you guys go out there and get things done? why can't you get things fixed? i think what governor romney demonstrates his ability to get things done but paul ryan, you talked about a not-serious budget votes, his vote was serious. and paul's budget was so serious that -- >> he made a mistake on bowles-simpson.

>> absolutely not. it didn't deal with the major cost drivers which were health care. but look, his budget got more votes. paul ryan's budget got more votes in the affirmative in the house of representatives than any budget that's passed the house in the last 15 years. that's real leadership and he was able to bridge the gap from the most liberal to the most conservative members of his party. >> got to figure out how to get democrats to support that budget. >> the democrats haven't supported any budget budget. >> got to run. >> across the midwest people who live there are fiscally conservative. they have this funny notion the government ought to live within its means. they're watching this explosion of debt. they're appalled by it. that is why they are starting to turn to conservatives that are actually going to lead in that issue. >> thank you both for coming in. still to come here live from tampa, keeping our eyes of course on isaac as it gathers strength out in the gulf. plus, step aside, president obama. former florida governor charlie crist is public enemy number one in florida. today's trivia question --

since 1948 which city has hosted more presidential nominating conventions than any other city? tweet me the answer. the first correct answer gets a call on monday from us. the answer and more coming up. i don't know the answer yet so hurry up and tweet me before i know. join the twitter conversation about the conventions. use the hash tag msnbc2012. we'll be right back. [ male announcer ] if you stash tissues like a squirrel stashes nuts, you may be muddling through allergies. try zyrtec® liquid gels. nothing starts working faster than zyrtec® at relieving your allergy symptoms for 24 hours. zyrtec®. love the air.

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nbc's john yang. you stuck down here a little bit earlier, did a little reporting on the senior vote. >> to find out what the seniors were thinking about. medicare which is in the spotlight with paul ryan on the ticket now and all sorts of other issues. we went 90 minutes south of here to a swing county in this swing state, a county that was decided in 2008 by just 200 votes, went for mccain. a county where 1 in 3 citizens is 65 or older. >> reporter: at venice, florida's village on the isle, voter turnout is not a problem. these residents range in age from 75 to 94. do you think there's any chance that any of you just won't vote in november? >> absolutely not. >> reporter: but they're not sure who they're voting for. this is a retired episcopal priest. >> obama has disappointed me. i voted for him. i thought he had -- i don't think he's come through as i hoped he would.

>> jan martin didn't vote for president obama, but mitt romney has yet to win her over. >> no one has really pushed my button to say this is what i truly want to hear. >> reporter: 26% of current registered florida voters are 65 or older. president obama won florida by three percentage points while losing the state's seniors by eight points. he had a surge of younger voters who, polls show, are less enthusiastic this year. >> if we have a lower turnout among florida's younger voters, it will mean that florida's older voters carry a lot more weight in the election. >> reporter: after the barrage of attacks and counter attacks over medicare, polls show romney's lead among florida seniors virtually unchanged. for 2008, obama supporter garland ready, it's just sound and flurry. >> i think they're just blowing in the wind because i don't think the legislature, either side, would let them take it away. >> does this all boil down to

the economy? is that what this election is all about? >> i'm extremely concerned about the future of our grandchildren. the majority of them can't get jobs even though they're highly educated and what is their future? >> reporter: after all, many seniors struggled through the great depression and the shared sacrifices of world war ii, including combat. they see the election of 2012 as every bit as important for their children and grandchildren. >> it's a very critical point in our nation's history. we better get it right. >> do you worry that we're not going to? >> i worry that we can get it wrong. >> of course with, chuck, it's not just florida senior voters are also an important block in such battleground states as ohio and pennsylvania. if the younger vote doesn't turn out, they could be very important. >> we should remind folks, everybody used to think seniors, the old fdr coalition, think of these folks, these are old eisenhower republicans. >> that's exactly right. >> this is the eisenhower, the '50s, and now this is your senior vote which is why it's

been leaning republican three or four straight elections. >> especially here in florida. >> interesting group out there. we'll see you on the road. up next, from the howl at the moon bar -- it's supposedly raining tampa but i swear to god i see sun. mike murphy is here and a turn for the worse, tropical storm isaac now taking aim at new orleans just days ahead of that seventh anniversary of hurricane katrina. the latest storm track is next. you're watching "the daily rundown" live from tampa, florida. i swear, real sun! pan to the sun! oh, we're in the convention. can only see balloons. era laundry detergent is a black belt stain fighter. it once stomped a stain with such force,

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we just are trying to show off our shoes here. we'll pan down in a minute. but as you could see here, we're proud. i got rain boots. murphy here's got sneakers. what murphy doesn't know, i got

something to do here before we even get to you. i got to do a few headlines here. this morning, a developing storm, a quiet convention hall and a former florida governor making waves. a live look here at the very latest track of tropical storm isaac. the storm is on a familiar course for many gulf coast residents. it's strengthening as it heads towards new orleans. we're going to be spared a direct hit here in tampa as tampa always is spared by these hurricanes, but as we take a live look here inside the convention hall, it is pretty quiet in there. we can now tell you that vice presidential candidate paul ryan is scheduled to arrive here in tampa tomorrow, the day before his speech to the convention wednesday night. finally, former florida governor charlie crist says he's supporting president obama in the 2012 presidential race calling him the right leader for our times. crist first suggested he might support obama on our show back in january. >> consider? sure. i would consider that. i really think he's sincere and genuine. i think we have a lot of time, a lot of issues to talk about.

but i think in his heart he's trying to do what's right for the country overall. >> crist left the republican party in 2010 to run unsuccessfully as an independent for the u.s. in the. fun little note -- his republican consultant when he was running for the u.s. senate as a republican for a while there -- stewart stevens. the people needs to win over on thursday won't be there -- they'll be among the millions he hopes will be watching on television from places like -- florida, ohio and colorado. mike murphy, a veteran republan consultant, columnist for "time" magazine. now we can do the schtick. i got the waterproof, man. i am ready for the floods. they won't let me hang on to the

wind. i -- >> the um brella being ripped away. we were just discussing. the networks, we give you three hours, over three days. what would you prefer? three hours over three days, or one night extravaganza -- >> i'm totally for the one night. i got a piece on "time."com today about why are we really doing this? does it help the campaign? i think we do a one-night super tv show. weem would watch it, weed aide move the needle. ultimately one hour is all that really counts. that's the big deal. build out from that, have a spectacular night. >> the obama folks thought about doing a multi-city convention. you've tried a lot of -- you've had crazy ideas. you wanted in 2000, you said if mccain had been the nominee in 2000, you wanted to do something to make the convention interesting. you were going to three potential vice presidential

nominees, say, hey, delegates, you pick. >> i wouldn't try that now. it was something to attract ratings and attention. no firearms. this is going to be about romney's speech. one thing we learned about the networks and nielsen ratings and the equally scary thing about a hurricane, monday night went away and nobody misses it. you could do it in two nights but i think one night extravaganza. give us a night to talk to america. >> romney, you're him, you're in the middle of writing this speech. we know that he practiced yesterday, he and ann romney were practicing at a school. it's obviously a huge one. how much is bio, how much is agenda? >> i'm kind of an agenda guy. i think bio is important, but i think that speech has to grab the country and say i'm going to get you a job and here's how i'm going to do it. tilt the election forward. give a plan, couple of good simple arguments about changes you'll make economically and go

for it because i think the country is dying for a forward argument now. they're tired of the biography, they're tired of the negative ads. he. >> he has an empathy gap. that's the best way to describe it, caring about average people. people say if obama is losing in the economy, how is he up in these battleground states? i always point to he's winning a values economic argument. >> democrats always do well in the who cares about people like you but we got to close the gap. my argument is how to close it show people like you a benefit to having as a president economically. how you going to get a job. i look at it as two coaches. the players love obama, everybody plays, team record is 0-48. romney's the tougher coach, wins a fuel players but wins the championship. empathy i think is fine if it is about who should lead the conga line, there's the popular guy. i like results. >> tell me about the last time

the most charismatic lost. >> i'm not sure president obama is charismatic. >> but in comparison. >> i think it is still half-baked. this is the real starter gun, the convention. let this thing keep going. it is a close race. in the states it is a little less close but it can get closer. voters want a jobs election. let's give it to them. >> akin, long-term damage? >> everybody but eisenhower's come out on this guy, only because ike's not with us. i think it is a local thing and it is a local problem. it is great news for harry reid. maybe akin will get out. but he says he won't. we'll see. i don't think it plays nationally. >> the big gender gap issue? >> i'm very concerned about the gender gap. akin, the way romney and others handled it in the party, putting as much distance -- time to change the channels. >> mike murphy, if you would produce these conventions for us, it might be more interesting. >> there would be ratings, i don't know if the party would do well. can i do a charlie crist

prediction on the way out? i think he's going to run as a democrat and lose the primary. >> he says if invited he would speak next week. >> doesn't matter. he can't deliver a pizza, let alone a vote. >> oh, you're delivering pizza! it's an old one. forget votes, they can't deliver pizza. our super sized political panel is next. but first a look at what i know you all care did bsh white house soup of the day -- we love it down here in florida. let's take a paint project from "that looks hard" to "that didn't take long". let's break out behr ultra. .. ...the number one selling paint and primer in one, now with stain blocker. each coat works three times harder, priming, covering, and blocking stains.

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coast, interrupted tightly scripted republican convention plans dominating the political conversation, forcing a little bit of a change in tone perhaps for the convention speakers tomorrow night since we have no convention today. let's bring in the panel. aerol lewis, dan balls, kelly o'donnell, and bill burton. he's the former deputy white house press secretary, co-founder of the president's super pac priorities usa action. shockingly, you didn't get in. dan balls, if four nights down to three, that survivable but three nights down to 2 1/2, would that be a problem? >> this t would be a problem, though in the end there are a handful of important speeches at this and they can pack those in to two nights if they had to, two an a half nights. this may be the last four-day scheduled convention we'll see. in the future i think they'll say we can do it in three days.

they've had to redraw the script but it turned out it didn't look like it was that difficult to do. >> are republicans saying that they need to cut. so isn't this an example of that? >> there you go. >> they're cutting starts now. when you watch a three-day convention, when you're as the opponent only concern about what? the one night that romney speaks? >> no. you want to see what they're doing to tell mitt romney's story an how they're trying to paper over his policies an give his message to the american people an respond to it in real time. >> it's interesting, in a couple of interviews this weekend seemed to say the president and his team -- and it was a veiled reference also what you guys are doing on bain and the attacks on him -- that those attacks have hurt him. >> it does seem like they're taking a toll. he seems a little rattled if you look at those interviews. what i didn't understand was how he was so forward leaning on -- i don't really mind if people don't like me and if people

don't think i can relate to middle class folks, i'm just going to go out there and talk about my policies and that's what the fight's going to be about. >> rudy giuliani won new york city politics won by being the most unlikable guy the first time. >> you can absolutely do that. sometimes you get something line a mike dukakis, it doesn't work so well. we're going to see chris crist thing. >> you want the being amy award extravaganza? >> you think about reagan in and obama, you get a sneak peek of where you country might be going. you can't say on the second day in the second speech we're going to get a look at what happens next. the stars have to sort of mingle, they get a little creative. we'll see what happens. >> dan, where are you on this? one night? >> well, paul taylor who's now at the pew research center, my

old colleague at "the washington post," once said, as i israerec the two parties should be in the same city the same week alternating nights. four days, they each do two nights. >> it is like a political party event. >> but a real engaged debate. you would have everybody there. they could answer back and the speeches that they wanted to do but you would have an engagement you don't get. >> kelly, i've always wanted mid term conventions, see the two parties get together when it's not dominated by the presidential campaign so you force two parties debates an agenda rather than -- >> i love that idea. i could have quarterly conventions, we love this. >> i would like them at least twice a year. >> it's great. terrific for the communities, all the economic stimulus that places like tampa and charlotte are hoping to have which is not the main issue but part of the experience certainly for delegates. they enjoy coming to these cities and getting to see people. i agree the star is born moment is something that happens

organically and if it is too compressed we may miss that. that's a big part of the future of the party, which is also something that can lift a nominee. if there is inspiration that kicks things off, that can be helpful to a nominee. >> i want to bring up the charlie cyst thing, said invite me to speak at your convention in an interview with the "tampa bay times" but i found fascinating, this was a huge local story. >> right. >> i notice the national party is like having a little fun, oh who cares, it's charlie crist sore loser, i was stunned as i watched local tv, because my hotel doesn't have cable, sorry mr. roberts, we have no cable at our hotel, is that this does -- it could have more of an impact than people realize. >> i think americans look to independent voices to see what they're thinking about things. crist was a major figure in the party, major figures in the romney campaign used to work

for, stewart stephens, andrea saul. it's an interesting thing to do at this convention. >> i bet he does get his invite. what do you think? >> maybe. >> he's coming to our party. >> more when we come back. one final segment, about the trivia. we asked, dan better get this question, since 1948, which city has hosted more presidential nominating conventions than any other city. >> new york. >> no. your home state. >> chicago. >> chicago. ready for this. has hosted either the dnc or rnc six times since 1948. i'm just -- >> but only once since '68. >> well -- >> '68 left a bad taste in the mouth. if you have a political question, you think should be on the show, e-mail us dailyrundown at msnbc.com. i can't believe you didn't get the chicago. [ kate ] many women may not be properly absorbing the calcium they take because they don't take it with food. switch to citracal maximum plus d.

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let's bring back the panel, errol, kelly, dan, and while mike murphy are and i are trying to kill the conventions, three hours, one night, i like the idea with your different hosts you want expanded and the big star speech. errol, who do you think will be the unknown star people are buzzing about at this convention after it's over. >> chris christie. >> that's predictable. >> ted cruz. >> i've heard that. >> what do you think, kelly? shoe susana martinez. >> i like it. >> ted cruz too. >> cruz is going to be the loudest. i think it's the ron paul speech. shameless plugs, go. >> i would say make sure you read the op-ed in the tampa tribune today. >> raising money for the super pac spokesman. >> hang on our every word from the floor tonight and over the next couple days. >> tonight? >> not tonight. >> i'm by myself thinking about it tonight. >> we'll come to you live somewhere. >> yes. >> errol.

>> not only angering great stuff from new york city, but sister channel from north carolina, texas. can't see it at my hotel. >> our coverage of 2012 all in one place. >> that's it for edition. live from tampa another packed extravaganza. tim scott, both macks, congressman connie mack and his wife, mary bono mack, coming up next on msnbc, chris jansing. bye-bye. and twitter were teaming up, i was pretty interested. tus out you just sync your american express card securely to your twitter account, tweet specific hashtags, and you'll get offers on things you love. this totally changes the way i think about membership. saving money on the things you want. to me, that's the membership effect. nice boots!