begin. is the republican party fired up and ready to go? kind of. it's tuesday, august 28th and this is "now." joing me today, nbc news political analyst, former pennsylvania governor, ed rendell. and co-host of the msnbc "the cycle" steve kornacki of salon.com. after one delayed start, one hurricane scare and multiple theories about whether party conventions are even necessary anymore, this afternoon, the republican national convention is expected to finally get under way. last hour, governor romney arrived in tampa and in about two hours, delegates will convene to vote on the nominations of romney and congressman paul ryan. while today officially kicks off get to know mitt romney week, questions remain as to whether such a thing is even possible. the "new york times" david brooks has his own take on the

real romney, writing quote, mitt romney was born on march 12th, 1947 in ohio, florida, michigan, virginia and several other swing states. he emerged hair first, believing in america and especially its national parks. he was given the name mitt after the roman god of mutual funds and launched into the world with the lofty expectation that he would some day become the arrow shirt man. it's unlikely romney and the gop can answer the identity question in just three days. romney started his political career 18 years ago and has spent much of the campaign cycle trying to avoid talking about it at all. nonetheless, team romney today begins its process of revealing the mitt-stry man with two big speeches, one from his wife, ann, his chief personality surrogate. the other from new jersey governor chris christie, his principal funny man and the guy who knows what might go down if romney is elected. >> you going to entertain or inform or both? >> you know, i think probably more inform than entertain.

i think, you know, my style can be entertaining at times. >> really? >> yeah. i think it's my job to set out the vision for the party for the next four years. >> the question of identity is also one republicans themselves are trying to answer. these days, they face literal head winds in the form of hurricane isaac and figurative ones from a fractured party that is no longer like the one once led by conservative hero, ronald reagan. even the "wall street journal" worries that the party's shelf life may be at risk of expiring, quote, the real threat to a gop return to power is its failure to reach out to minority voters, especially hispanics. even if they win 60% of white voters this year, republicans won't retain a governing majority for long unless they find a way to appeal to minority voters who are growing as a share of the electorate. it's mitt romney week. it's gop week. but does anybody know who they are and what they're celebrating? joining us now from tampa, former governor of new york, george pataki.

and "time" magazine msnbc senior political analyst, mark halperin. governor pataki, i would like to go to you first. there are two big prime time speeches tonight, one from chris christie, one from mitt romney's wife ann. what are the things they need to drive home on behalf of mitt romney? >> i think there are two things mitt will get across this week and i'm very optimistic because i think the convention serves an important purpose and it's going to be a success. one is people have to understand him as a person. i've sat down with him in small meetings and others and he is a very likeable guy. he cares about people. that hasn't come across yet but i think it will today and i think it will during this convention. i think the american people will leave after this convention with a better sense that mitt romney is one of them, cares about them and is the right person for the job. the second thing i think he has to do and he's taken a long step towards it by picking paul ryan, is convince the american people that he means what he says.

when you look at politicians, in particular barack obama, when he was talking about how he's not going to raise taxes on the middle class and rams through obama care, that not only was a huge tax increase but changes everybody's health care, they need to believe that mitt romney, when he talks about getting rid of the deficit while saving medicare, and improving our entitlements by getting rid of the unsustainable nature, that he means it. he does mean it, i think he can accomplish both those things and if he does, i'm very optimistic about november 6. >> those were a lot of if-then statements, governor. i do want to ask about chris christie and that little sound bite we played. he said i will lay out the vision of the party for the next four years which are big shoes to fill given that he's not even on the ticket or the nominee. what did you make of that? >> he's the keynote speaker and that's what the keynote speaker does, he lays out a vision for the party. it shouldn't be his vision. it's his vision but it reflects governor romney's vision and i'm sure it will. i think it will be something that again, lets the american

people not just republicans but independents and democrats who are disappointed in obama understand that we are a party that is going to do what is right for the middle class, for the american people, and it gives me great cause for optimism. >> mark, you were on the convention floor. we know ann romney was on the stage moments ago. do you have any intel to share with us in terms of how ann romney is preparing for this probably biggest night of her life, if not her political career or her surrogate, her political career as a surrogate? >> i unplugged and got a nice smile from ann romney and a kiss from diane sawyer. >> that's always good. >> she's up there with stuart stephens, the central media advisor for the campaign. she has never given anything close to a speech like this. i'm not a huge believer in overreading body language but i think she seemed a little bit

nervous, but not overly so. i have talked to a couple of her sons in the last few days and they say they think she's pretty calm about it. she's rehearsed some. her speech was written and completed first so i suspect she started practicing first, and she did what most people do during the run-through. came out, read a little dummy text, not very much, and then sort of walked around the hall and talked to them i think about camera angles and all the normal things you have to do to prepare for a speech like this >> governor rendell, we are pontificating about what mitt romney needs to do. e.j. dionne had an interesting op-ed in the "the washington post" where he talked about romney's father who was unafraid to buck the party, and he writes a romney who badly needs to reintroduce himself to voters has a lot of work to do this week. it will be difficult work in an era when party conclaves do not draw the audiences they once did. partisan polarization and the multiplication of programming options sharply limited convention audiences, tilting them toward the already decided. he goes on to make the point that george romney had no

problem standing up to his party. can mitt romney make a big statement that will change sort of broader perceptions about him being someone that just wants to win this thing at whatever -- by any means necessary? >> i think you hit on an interesting point. i don't think mitt romney can change his personality and he shouldn't. when i ran for governor, some of my advisors, people i paid a lot of money to, wanted me to don overalls and milk a cow. i was a big city mayor. >> we still kind of want you to do that. >> that would have looked absurd. he can't come off as warm and fuzzy. his message to the american people has got to be look, this isn't a popularity contest, you know. i know i'm not the most charming guy in the world. but i know how to fix things and you don't care who gets you a job as long as you get a job, and i can do that. that's number one. number two, he does have to show some of that independence and he should do something, carve out some area where he makes it clear to the american people that number one, he's not locked

in with the republican crazies. not locked in with the republican crazies and number two, he's willing to stake out his own ground. i had a friend of mine who is disappointed in obama and he came up to me after akin and said you win. he said i don't like what the president's done but i'm voting for him. the other side is just full of crazy people. >> governor pataki, does mitt romney need to don overalls and milk a cow? >> well, i wish ed rendell had. it would have been a great picture. but no, i think ed is right, that he has to be himself and he is going to be himself. but i think he's wrong, ed is wrong in the sense that when you get to know governor romney as a person, yes, he's a very competent person who can fix a broken government and get our economy moving again but he's also someone who cares about people, who can relate to people on a one-on-one basis or in small groups. i think people are going to come away not just with the understanding that this is a capable visionary leader for our country, but also someone that they can like.

i think that's important. >> the likability factor is certainly something we will be examining. steve kornacki, i also want to talk to you about this sort of optical pressure that is on not only mitt romney but the gop. we talked a lot about hurricane isaac. it's not due to make landfall in tampa but is headed straight towards new orleans. there has been a lot of dissection and discussion regarding the optics of the split screen of the republican convention on one side, hurricane katrina part two on the right-hand side. we of course don't know the severity of the storm. but that this comes at a time when the two nominees, vice presidential and presidential nominee for the republican party, are looking to gut federal emergency assistance. it is not -- it is awkward, to say the least. >> it's awkward and it's awkward that it's new orleans and that conjures all the memories of bush and of course you have this phenomenon in this campaign where one of the things that's been keeping obama float that has kept his approval rating maybe higher than it should be normally, given the economic circumstances, that's had him running neck and neck, ahead even of romney when he probably shouldn't be given the economic circumstances, is that there's a

sort of broad recognition of what he inherited. that he inherited in january 2009 an economy that was in a free-fall and that free-fall had been triggered a few months early other on a republican president's watch. you poll that question now, you still get who do you blame for the current economic conditions in this country. bush still out-polls obama on that. so that's really to me the wild card in this election. it's always been. we had this sort of historical model, the economy's down, economic anxiety's high, people just want to vote the incumbent president out and that's what romney for so long has been banking on, and i think what the romney campaign and others have kind of realized in the last month or so is that alone, probably not going to do it this year even though unemployment will be above 8%. bush has a lot to do with that. >> mark, you have a great analysis today talking about how team obama remains confident about november and we will talk about that after the break, but i did want to ask you, you know, i thought it was interesting that the president made a point of having a televised address to talk about a preemptive state of emergency that he's declaring for some of the gulf states. i guess if we're cynics, milking

this moment that republicans are dealing with for every last drop. >> i would never say this white house would do anything against the public interest in order to gain political advantage. i would say that david plouffe will do everything he possibly could consistent with the public interest to milk it for political advantage and there's no reason a president, it's common for a president to come out and talk on an occasion like this. they're well aware of what's going on here. they're well aware their bracketing effort of having the vice president here was thrown off by the storm. as i said, they will take every advantage they can consistent with doing what they think is the right thing to do for the people in the case of the storm and anything else that comes up between now and election day. >> interesting to see what kind of televised addresses mitt romney has in store during the democratic national convention. thank you to george pataki, always great to see you. coming up, in the red. from the get-go, governor romney has wanted to make this election about president obama and the economy. last saturday in ohio, romney claimed the president's record has not matched his rhetoric.

>> tell you how much better things are now, but you know, this time, we have more than just the words. we have the record. and we understand the big gap there is between what he promises and what he hopes, what he actually delivers. >> but are mitt's economic promises real or is this just a lot of funny money? we will ask lawrence o'donnell when he joins us live, next. [ male announcer ] this is sheldon, whose long dy setting up the news starts with arthritis pain and a choice. take tylenol or take aleve, the #1 recommended pain reliever by orthopedic doctors. just two aleve can keep pain away all day. back to the news.

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i'm an independent. i voted for him, i contributed to him. governor romney promised that he would bring jobs to this state. by the time governor romney left office, we had fallen to 47th in the nation in terms of job growth. governor romney cares about big business. he cares about tax cuts for

wealthy people and i certainly do not believe that he cares about my hard-working employees. >> i feel like i was duped by mitt romney. i'm going to vote for president obama. >> that was a new ad from the pro-obama super pac, priorities usa action, criticizing mitt romney's record as massachusetts governor. it aims to counter the claim that a president romney would be able to turn the economy around. the main theme of the gop convention will be president obama's economic record and yesterday, republicans unveiled a debt clock which they promptly turned on and walked away from. the irony was lost on no one. under president george w. bush, the republicans were the worst offenders, adding $5 trillion to the national debt with two wars and tax cuts. despite the current economic situation, president obama's approval rating has remained steady even as job gains have fluctuated. why haven't republicans been able to drive the debate on the economy? joining us now from tampa is the man who always, always, always has the last word, lawrence o'donnell.

lawrence, great to see you. >> no chance of that today, alex. >> lawrence, why hasn't mitt romney been able to drive the national dialogue towards the economy and can a debt clock hanging on the floor of the rnc change things for him? >> well, the debt clock is really one of the funniest jokes here. they mean it as a joke. they're not serious. they know that everybody looks at it and they say okay, half of that came from bush and even before bush, and so and republicans here voted for most of what's up there on the debt clock. they mean it as a complete joke and expect to get real laughs from that. on the economy, i think romney has actually done a very good job of campaigning on the economy because if he had not done a good job of campaigning on the economy, president obama would be leading by ten points now. when you look at that "the washington post" poll and you see this gigantic gap, the likes of which we have never seen in

the likability of one candidate over the other, the likability of the democrat over the likability of the republican, it is a huge gap, and the only way mitt romney has been able to close that is profiting politically on the fact that we have high unemployment in this country and the economy is not going as well as people hoped. >> governor rendell, i want to follow on the likability question. we're talking about it during the break. i'll read to you some words from "the washington post." it's very plausible that in spite of their own disappointment, voters have adjusted their expectations downward as to what presidents can do for this economy as they came to appreciate the magnitude of the crisis. these voters are unhappy with obama but have not yet decided his approach is discredited. their declining expectations have left them open to the argument that even if they disapprove of the current economy under obama, romney doesn't have the answer either, and that obama's approach still has a better chance of bearing fruit over time. >> there's no question about that. one of the earlier nbc polls

from two months ago, 82% of americans said what they were looking for in a president on the economy was someone who would be fair, who would help the middle class and who would make investments to get the economy going. well, that's barack obama's plan. it's not mitt romney's plan. it's simple as that. so the american people want that type of action. they want job creation in the short run and the president has done a pretty good job talking about that. now, i slightly disagree with lawrence and you disagree with lawrence at your own peril, but i slightly disagree with lawrence. i think he's done an okay job on this overall i'm a fixer and i know how to do the economy, but he would have done a much better job if he had been specific about his plans to fix the economy and to get rid of the debt and how he's going to get people back working. if i ask the average american citizen, even someone who has been watching how does mitt romney intend to get you back to work, i don't think they could say anything other than he wants to cut taxes and get rid of a few regulations.

do you believe that will work? no, not really. >> but there is polling that shows that americans also don't think the president necessarily has a prescription for creating jobs. >> right. because the president hasn't connected in terms of communication. but what i read, 82% of the american people want that type of program. that is in essence that program. >> i sort of teased this in the last block as we were talking about your moment with diane sawyer which is something probably worth getting into in another show. you have a great analysis today talking about why team obama remains confident about their prospects in november, and you outline a couple points which i will highlight. the electoral college favors obama, romney, very, very unlikely to gain with hispanics. single women or young voters. the medicare and tax cuts debates favor obama. we look like we're going into those in september, october, november. romney is a weak candidate with a resume that leaves him open to attack and obama's too likeable to derail. >> to be clear, that's the list i got from talking to senior

officials at the white house and in chicago. i think most of it is pretty strong and valid. the electoral college thing is really tough. in talking to republican strategists here both inside and outside the campaign, that is the nut they have to crack. they either have to cherry pick and win just enough states to get to 270, which means winning states like florida and ohio, where right now, they're not in a commanding position, to say the least, or they've got to get a national tie and more republicans i'm talking to, mike murphy, for instance, used to work with governor romney, very smart guy, of course, agreed with me that that seems to be right now the more likely thing. it's an overwhelming national tide where these battleground states go almost all to governor romney rather than trying to figure out how can he win some of these individual states. >> lawrence, i wanted to go back to the governor's point about specifics. one of the things i see standing in the way of mitt romney getting specific about anything is his record and the fact that even on basic economics and economic policy, he's pivoted back and forth.

you go back and look at his record when he was governor of massachusetts and beyond, at one point he supported expanded regulations, he argued that government spending could stimulate the economy, he supported tax policies to change people's behavior, and he remains supportive of the minimum wage increase. that's one of the reasons it's hard for mitt romney to get specific about anything, is it not? >> it is, but you know, one of the jokes about this whole thing is that american governors have next to no impact on the economy within their states. it's the most marginal influence you could possibly imagine, but the politics game is they get to take credit for whatever happens statistically -- >> you do have a former governor on set right now, lawrence. >> let's hear him spin this. go ahead. >> i'll give you an example. pennsylvania, when i left office, had a 7.4% unemployment rate. two points below the national average and by far the lowest of the industrial states. it was because we invested a ton

of money in fixing up our infrastructure, we invested a lot of money in economic development and growth. i think targeted investments make a difference in generating economic growth. you know that -- i've heard you say it, every american, the last three republicans presidents all did stimulus plans. they all did, reagan and both bushes did stimulus plans which helped them get out of the temporary recessions they were faced with. so investments, wise targeted investments do make a difference and we governors have the ability if we're not so afraid of raising revenue, we have the ability to make those targeted investments. >> lawrence o'donnell, governor ed rendell making the case for gubernatorial power. we have to unfortunately leave it there. i will preempt you from having the last word this time but of course, lawrence o'donnell will be on our prime time coverage tonight. joining us live from tampa. be sure to watch that as part of msnbc's prime time coverage. thank you always to mark halperin for his time, expertise

and stories. we have breaking news just in. hurricane isaac has now been upgraded to a hurricane. earlier this morning, president obama warned gulf coast residents about the threat of the coming storm. >> we're dealing with a big storm and there could be significant flooding and other damage across a large area. now is not the time to tempt fate. now is not the time to dismiss official warnings. you need to take this seriously. >> is the region prepared for isaac as it heads towards new orleans? we will get a live report with the latest, next. we're sitting on a bunch of shale gas.

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their tree had given its last. but with their raymond james financial advisor, they had prepared for even the unthinkable. and they danced. see what a raymond james advisor can do for you. t dog. every bite goes above and beyond the call of deliciousness. that's a big 10-4 kosher. with no fillers, by-products, artificial flavors or colors. hebrew national. the better-than-a-hot dog- hot dog. we are keeping an eye on isaac which has just been upgraded to a hurricane. the weather channel's reynolds wolf is live in new orleans. what is the latest? >> reporter: the latest we now have a hurricane. it has gone from a very strong tropical storm to a minimal hurricane but there is always the possibility we may see more intensification. most models still show it making landfall somewhere south of here, possibly as a category 1

or category 2. still minimal but what it means, plain and simple, for this area, especially along canal street, the heart of new orleans, two things. means a lot of rain, also means very strong wind and with that, the true risk of flooding. that's the latest from new orleans. let's pitch it back to you. >> thanks to the weather channel's reynolds wolf. coming up, governor romney says his views on abortion are clear even though they seem to be anything but consistent. ann romney's 1994 gift to planned parenthood perhaps mirrors her husband's quote evolution on the issue, as does her most recent explanation of that donation. >> you've got serious health problems. back in the '90s you gave some money to planned parenthood. what do you think of your husband's policy to cut off federal funding for planned parenthood? >> i think it's important that distinction is made that it's federal funding. doesn't mean that there's not going to be a planned parenthood. he and paul are going to get to washington and they are going to balance this budget. >> are the romneys and the

republicans headed in reverse when it comes to reproductive freedom? we will ask cecile richards and sandra fluke when they join us, next on "now." look! she wears the scarlet markings! out! your kind is not welcome here! nor your odd predilections! miracle whip is tangy and sweet, not odd. [ villager 1 ] it's evil! if you'd try it, you'd know. she speaketh the truth! [ villagers gasping ] reverend? ♪ can i have some? ♪

it's a phony war on women. there is no war on women. this is a fiction of their imagination. they want women to think that but the fact is women are very capable, competent, intellectual beings. what they know more than anything is they want security for their family and especially for their children. >> that was minnesota congresswoman and former presidential candidate, michele bachmann last night waving away talk of any so-called war on women. meanwhile, senate candidate elizabeth warren is out with a new tv ad arguing that there is, in fact, a war and it's being fought on multiple fronts. >> women still don't get equal pay for equal work. republicans blocked that. and even pushed a law that could have denied insurance coverage for birth control.

we're still fighting to protect a woman's right to choose nearly 40 years after roe versus wade. we could be just one supreme court justice away from losing it. how can this be happening in 2012? >> and the newly approved republican party platform would seem to point squarely in the direction of a battle against reproductive freedoms. the gop's platform opposes abortion in all cases, including rape and incest, stating quote, we assert the sanctity of human life and affirm that the unborn child has a fundamental individual right to life which cannot be infringed. we support a human life amendment to the constitution. the platform also gives a nod to informed consent, laws that require mandatory ultrasounds and waiting periods for women seeking an abortion. we also salute the many states that have passed laws for informed consent, mandatory waiting periods prior to an abortion and health protective clinic regulation. currently eight statesman date that a woman must undergo an ultrasound if she is seeking an abortion. in texas and louisiana, doctors must show and describe that

image to the woman. 26 states require a woman to wait a specified amount of time following a mandatory counseling session before having the procedure. earlier this year, a law backed by virginia governor bob mcdonnell would have forced women to undergo a transvaginal ultrasound if it was early enough in the pregnancy. if it's a war or not, there are many top republican women that share the view that ancient hard-won battles are being refought today. republican senator from maine susan collins told kathleen parker this week it seems like we've been thrown back decades into debates most every day people think were settled years ago. this doesn't mean we're disrespectful to people who hold a different point of view, but the platform seems designed to alienate a lot of moderate women. i don't get it. olympia snowe, also a republican senator from maine, said this is not where i hoped my party would be in 2012. today the republican party faces a clear challenge, will we rebuild our relationship with women, thereby placing us on the road to success in november, or will we continue to isolate them

and certainly lose this election. and on sunday, texas republican senator kay bailey hutchison said abortion cannot be a central part of the republican party. >> mothers and daughters can disagree on abortion. we shouldn't put a party around an issue that is so personal and also religious based. >> as republicans try to make the case that their party is not hostile to women, a conservative group is honoring the wife of sheldon adelson with a women's pavilion in tampa. according to salon.com, the pavilion includes salon services, complimentary women's products in bathrooms and a woman's suffrage museum. never mind the women got the right to vote 92 years ago. perhaps sometime in the year 2065, 92 years after roe versus wade, the republican party will finally celebrate a woman's right to make decisions regarding her own body. joining the panel here in new york is the president of planned parenthood, cecile richards.

always, always great to see you. >> great to be here. thanks. >> let's start first with michele bachmann's contention that there is no war on women. you have that and then you have leading republican women saying actually, there's a problem in the republican party. can they will this away? >> i think women are very concerned, i just got back off the road from ohio and virginia and republican women, independent women, are very worried about these attacks on women's health care. they are certainly concerned about the romney/ryan ticket, because i think not only has mr. romney said that he wants to overturn roe but even more fundamentally, they are saying he wants to end -- get rid of planned parenthood, in his words, and repeal access to birth control through insurance coverage. i think women aren't paranoid. it's actually going on. >> governor, the thing i don't understand is demographically speaking, this is a no-brainer. 77% of voters believe abortion should be legal in all circumstances or at least under some circumstances. that's 77% of voters. why are they allowing the todd

akins of the party or folks at the state level to dictate this conversation? why does no one at the national level which is to say mitt romney or paul ryan, sort of come back to earth and realize where the country's at? >> i've heard steve talk about this and i talk about it. it's because they're still captives to their base. if mitt romney loses this election it will be because he was captive to the base and never broke out. what he should do in that speech, he should say look, i respect all of you who wrote this platform, but i want the american people to understand that when it comes to abortion, if someone is the victim of rape and incest, i will support their right to get an abortion under those limited circumstances. he might even get booed in the hall. but it's not the hall that counts, it's the viewers that count. don't you agree? >> i agree. i'm struck, though, you put those statistics up, you look within the republican party, you'll find i think 66% of women and 62% of men say that abortion should be illegal in most or all circumstances. what's striking really to me is when you look back historically, it's hard to believe now, but as

recently as the late 1970s, pro choice on abortion was a common position in the republican part. gerald ford, republican president, pro-choice. gerald ford issued a proclamation saying put the equal rights amendment into the constitution. the turning point came in 1980 when the republicans nominated ronald reagan, who made an alliance with the religious right and that's when you got the human rights amendment into the platform and that was the first time since 1940 the equal rights amendment was not part of the republican platform. it's never come back since. that's when the gender gap in modern american politics was born. >> how insane is it to make personhood which was rejected overwhelmingly in mississippi, to make that part of your platform? >> cecile, the thing, it's a smoke and mirrors game. ann romney will go up there, this is a big night for her, she will be humanizing her husband, but then you have the record. we pointed it out, going into this block, and gave $150 to

planned parenthood in 1994 and doesn't really have an explanation for that. paul ryan's wife is a democrat. the women in their lives theoretically don't agree with them on some of these major planks. >> and women across america don't agree with them. that's the point that mitt romney and paul ryan are running for president and mitt romney has made his positions very clear. honestly, i think for women who are looking to see where is mitt romney going to come down on basic health care issues for women, he chose paul ryan, who has been a leader in the house of representatives to get rid of planned parenthood, end the national family planning program that was signed into law by richard nixon. this is a bipartisan program, provides five million women with cancer screenings and birth control. get rid of that, redefine rape. this is a very extreme ticket when it comes to women's health issues and women, republican women in particular, are very concerned. >> i have to ask you before we go, has planned parenthood seen an uptick in interest or donations since the paul ryan choice was announced? >> that's what i'm seeing on the

road. republicans for planned parenthood is growing by leaps and bounds. folks feel like the republican party historically had a very conservative position about government, that it doesn't belong in people's personal lives, and i think a lot of planned parenthoods were started by republicans. the goldwaters back in arizona. i think this republican ticket and frankly this republican congress does not look like what we think of as traditional republicans. >> well, it will be interesting to see what happens with republicans and women on the road to november. cecile richards, thank you for joining us. it is a pleasure and honor. after the break, as the gop tries to distance itself from the views of congressman todd akin, paul ryan struggles to explain a bill he once co-sfon sored that included language limited federally funded abortions to cases of quote, forcible rape. >> this is language that was stock language used for lots of different bills, bills i didn't author, and that language was removed to be very clear and i agree with that, removing that language so we are very clear.

rape is rape, period, end of story. >> we will discuss ryan's stock language and whether the republican ticket is a bad choice for women, next. i'm ly 6..i' alo bis. i'm ly 6..i' alo heun't e i eden msuntn..i' alo

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and we give you a discount on both. sort of like two in one. how did you guys think of that? it just came to us. what? bundling and saving made easy. now, that's progressive. call or click today. just a word to the women entrepreneurs out there. if we become president and vice president, we want to speak to you. we want to help you. women in this country are more likely to start businesses than men. women need our help. >> we want upward mobility. we want every american to be able to achieve her potential. >> that was the romney/ryan ticket on saturday in ohio with each candidate modifying his stump speech to focus on women. why? possibly because of polls like this. president obama has a 12 point advantage among women in the latest cnn/orc poll. governor romney's position on abortion runs in contention with the republican platform which opposes it in all cases.

romney was asked about it last night. >> my position has been clear throughout this campaign. i'm in favor of abortion being legal in the case of rape and incest and the health and life of the mother. but recognize this is the decision that will be made by the supreme court. >> it is unclear if that distinction will be mentioned at the convention and given romney's evolution on reproductive rights, it's unlikely he will take a stand now. when romney challenged ted kennedy's massachusetts senate seat, he made it clear he had been a supporter of a woman's right to choose for over two decades. >> i believe that abortion should be safe and legal in this country. i have since the time that my mom took that position when she ran in 1970 as a u.s. senate candidate. i believe that since roe v wade has been the law for 20 years, we should sustain and support it and i sustain and support that law and the right of a woman to make that choice. >> my mother and my family have been committed to the belief that we can believe as we want, but we will not force our beliefs on others on that matter. you will not see me wavering on

that or be a multiple choice. thank you very much. >> while running for governor in 2002, he reiterated that defense of abortion. >> i will preserve and protect a woman's right to choose and have devoted and dedicated to honoring my word in that regard. >> but when he first ran for president in 2007, that view had drastically changed. >> i would welcome a circumstance where there was such a consensus in this country that we said we don't want to have abortion in this country at all, period. that would be wonderful. i would be delighted. >> would you sign that bill? >> let me say i would be delighted to sign that bill. >> finally this year, he spoke about the steps he would take to get rid of roe v wade. >> in my view if we had justices like thomas, alito, and scalia, they might well decide to return this issue to states as opposed to saying it's in the constitution. do i believe we should overturn roe v wade? yes, i do. >> evolution complete. joining us now, women's health

advocate, sandra fluke. great to have you on the program. >> hi. thanks for having me. >> i want to talk a little bit about mitt romney, we have called many things he's done in this campaign cycle a delicate dance but certainly his position on women's rights has been an extraordinary ballet. i wonder if you think there's anything -- first, is there anything that he can do to convince women at this point that he has integrity on the issue of reproductive freedoms? >> well, i can speak for myself personally and say that no, because i view something as absolute as a decision about a constitutional right to a safe and legal abortion to be a very fundamental moral issue and i don't understand a leader who is all over the map on this and who even when he's making statements about supporting exceptions for victims of rape or incest, continues to support a party platform that doesn't have those exceptions, and continues to do things like choose a vice

presidential pick who has consistently stated that he doesn't have that position. so for me, he's already not someone that i'm able to trust on these types of questions. >> sandra, the other thing i wanted to talk to you about is the tenor and the language regarding women's choice issues and women's health. paul ryan talked about forcible rape and used the phrase "stock language." anything relating to rape i think is far from stock. but pennsylvania gop senate candidate tom smith had some very interesting comments on abortion. he was asked about an abortion decision following a rape and said i lived something similar to that with my own family. she chose life, speaking of his daughter, and i commend her for that. don't get me wrong, it wasn't rape. he was asked a follow-up question to that and said she was having a baby out of wedlock. that's similar to rape, a reporter asked. no, no, no, said smith but well, put yourself in a father's position. yes, i mean, it is similar. having a baby out of wedlock, being similar to being raped. but really, what that comment i

think reveals is a general insensitivity towards what happens to women, what these choices mean and fundamentally the idea that women are out there seeking abortion loopholes so they can have abortions. >> i think what's really revealing about his language is that he says put yourself in a father's position. that's the way he's looking at it. he's not looking at it from the point of view of a victim of rape, a victim of incest, a woman who needs access to abortion care. i would like to see my elected officials looking at it from the point of view of the person most directly affected by these policies and that's the woman. that's why we need more women in office and that's why we need leaders like president obama who has made clear that he really does understand a woman's point of view on these questions. >> steve kornacki, it is not surprising to me that team obama has wasted no time in making new ads relating to mitt romney's position on women's health issues. we don't actually have time to play the entire video that's out

today, but social wedge issues in the past seem to be sort of part of the arsenal of the right. it's really interesting to see how the social wedge issues, whether don't ask, don't tell, gay marriage, women's reproductive freedom issues, they are now as potent for the left as for the right. >> that reflects the demographics of the country are changing so the groups that you can rely on if you're a democrat today, potentially at least to win an election are different than the groups you could rely on a generation or two ago. the republican party is stuck where they made this decision in 1980 where they're going to be the culturally conservative, religious conservative party when it comes to social issues and issues like abortion. that makes it increasingly easy for democrats to do what obama is doing now. >> we have to leave it there. thank you to sandra fluke for your time. great to see you. we will have you back soon. when we come back, we will wrap it up for you. coming up next on "andrea mitchell reports," live from the republican national convention in tampa, we are tracking isaac. it is now a hurricane.

category 1. senator mary landrieu joins us from new orleans and hurricane expert bryan norcross will have the latest storm track also. the romneys are here, the ryans are here. we will talk about ann romney's big speech, chris christie's keynote address. all that and more. join us in 15 minutes. you know what i love about this country? trick question. i love everything about this country! including prilosec otc. you know one pill each morning treats your frequent heartburn

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thanks again to governor ed rendell and steve kornacki. that is all for now. i will see you back here tomorrow at noon eastern, 9:00 a.m. pacific when i am joined by glenn thrush, michael duffy, hugo lindgren, eric bates, sam stein and ezra klein. until then, follow us on twitter. catch a little more of me this evening when our prime time coverage of romney-palooza begins at 7:00 p.m. on msnbc. "andrea mitchell reports" is next. good afternoon to you, andrea, live in tampa.

hi, there. thanks so much. right now on "andrea mitchell reports" we will have a lot coming up on the storm. isaac is now a hurricane. we'll have reports coming up from new orleans. we will also hear from the republican convention floor correspondents and also, governor rick snyder from michigan. t dog. every bite goes above and beyond the call of deliciousness. that's a big 10-4 kosher. with no fillers, by-products, artificial flavors or colors. hebrew national. the better-than-a-hot dog- hot dog.

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right now on "andrea mitchell reports" live from tampa, bracing for isaac. as residents on the gulf coast board up homes and businesses, president obama says it is time to get ready. >> now is not the time to tempt fate. now is not the time to dismiss official warnings. you need to take this seriously. >> just upgraded to a category 1 hurricane, isaac is expected to bring high winds, heavy rain and

a powerful storm surge to mississippi and louisiana, with the potential direct hit to new orleans tonight. the romneys arrive in tampa. ann romney told reporters she has never delivered a speech like this before. in the hall about an hour ago, she checked out the stage and the teleprompters. >> you know, i think you will see that my speech is heartfelt and i think a lot of you have been covering me long enough and know that i've never gone off of a written text so this is a unique experience for me. >> and sharing the spotlight, keynoter chris christie who said mitt romney might want a do-over for that birth certificate remark. >> i think if he had to do it over again, he wouldn't make the joke but you know what, when you're on camera 12, 14 hours a day and out at big rallies and just going off the cuff, there are going to be times you will say stuff you wish you could take back. i could put together a catalog