man tour. we are sponsored by a jewish partnership for justice. we've been traveling around. we've been in california and texas. we're heading all the way to the dnc. and we really believe that the bush tax cuts need to be subsidi subsidized. >> you're all jewish? >> we are. >> i am too. >> anyway, last question here. same deal? >> same tour. >> who's side here? one last word. >> i'm here for obama because i have a pre-existing condition and i need obama care. otherwise i may as well shoot myself. >> rachel maddow and myself and all the other folks will be back at 7:00 throughout the evening. paul ryan's the big speaker tonight. up next "politicsnation" with al sharpton. thanks, chris. and thanks to you for tuning in.

tonight's lead, it's paul ryan's party. and yes, moderate republicans can cry if they want to. the vice presidential nominee will give the biggest speech of his life tonight on the biggest stage in republican politics. the gop convention. it's perhaps the most critical moment of the event so far. also speaking tonight, mike huckabee. he broke with much of the rest of his party to support todd akin after his comments about women and rape. will he double down tonight on live tv? we'll also hear from bush secretary of state condoleezza rice. and the budget director of the bush administration rob portman. the convention theme today is quote, we can change it. judging from tonight's lineup, sure we can change it. right back to the way it was under bush 43.

we'll talk about that later on and show you some truly amazing bush tribute video being shown to delegates tonight. >> i'm so proud of george. >> they'll remember him for being a good, honest president who got a lot of things done. >> dad and i both know what it takes to be president. and there's no doubt in our mind that mitt romney will be a great president. >> but tonight is congressman paul ryan's night. in fact, it's basically paul ryan's convention on the delegate floor. the buzz is all about ryan, not governor romney. some headlines. romney is the big draw. he's the standard bearer. romney's just a place holder. paul ryan was attracting those big crowds after joining the ticket, not mitt romney. it was paul ryan who got those crowds juiced up. >> we have got to cut this deficit. we've got to balance this budget

and we have to leave our children a debt-free nation. >> in fact, scott walker says quote, win or lose paul ryan's ideas will lead the party. right now paul ryan, not mr. romney, looks like the future of the republican party. so what are these ideas of his? ryan wants to ban most abortions. even in cases of rape and incest. he wants to turn medicare into a private voucher program. and he wants to cut taxes for millionaires. starve the government and shrink the safety net. all that is profoundly out of step with how the majority of americans feel on those issues. which is why tonight you won't hear ryan talk much about them. the associated press says tonight's speech will be quote, heavy on personality and lighter on policy. romney's advisers have made him

shift focus from ryan's policies positions specifically his controversial budget proposals have caused some headaches for romney. ryan is on the ticket because of ideas. but his ideas are broadly unpopular. and republicans are afraid for him to talk about them at this convention. but today president obama was talking about those ideas. campaigning in virginia and drawing a sharp contrast between the two parties. >> in november your voice will matter more than ever. and, listen, if you doubt that, then pay a little attention to what's happening in tampa this week. don't boo. vote. vote. you know, my opponents are down there. they're offering their agenda.

it's a pretty entertaining show. they've got wonderful things to say about me. but, you know what's interesting is you can listen very carefully, very hard and you won't hear them offer a clear, serious path forward. our economic strength does not come from the top down. it comes from students and workers and small business owners. and a growing, thriving middle class. that's who we're fighting for. >> tonight americans should watch what these republicans say. and remember well what they're afraid to talk about. joining me now is ezra klein msnbc policy analyst. and crystal ball. cohost of "the cycle" here on msnbc. thank you both for joining me. >> thanks, reverend. >> crystal, do you agree in some ways this is paul ryan's

convention? >> i do think that's true. and i'm reminded of something grover norquist said which is pick a republican with enough working digits to handle a pen. that's all they see mitt romney as. they never thought of him as the ideas guy, the one to push the party forward and lead them in terms of policy. they always thought he would be the one to sign the ryan budget and the other ideas into law. clearly also paul ryan is the one who generates the most enthusiasm amongst the base. he's the one they're psyched to see and hear what he has to say. in that way, i think it is paul ryan's convention. >> now, we're told if associated press is correct, we're told by them that he's going to be short on policy, long on personality. but his policy that made paul ryan the nominee. and firing up the base that crystal's talking about. help fact check me on this. you're the policy man. let's look at his budget cuts, for example.

$3.3 trillion in cuts to low income programs. >> yep. >> 62% of total cuts is where he wants to go. $3.3 trillion in programs for low income people. then let's go to medicare. he wants to turn medicare into a voucher program. >> yes. although one thing that should be said. there are two versions of the ryan medicare plan. one from a year ago and this year. the one a year ago would have eliminated medicare entirely. your voucher would essentially in 20 years be worth nothing. you'd pay the 6,000 bucks out of cket. this is a much more moderate plan. they moved a bunch of cuts into programs for the poor. now medicaid takes a bigger whack. >> medicaid takes a bigger whack. >> if you look at what this budget does the next ten years who's really getting cut, it's health care for poor people. >> how much is that cut? >> it is to medicaid alone $1.4 trillion. that would throw -- which is a

third of the program. medicaid alone. that would throw 30 million people. that includes the affordable care act medicaid expansion. about 30 million people off of health care insurance. it also takes out the affordable care act private insurance subsidies. >> so i want to get this really, really -- because we can have different opinions and different candidates, but these are facts. according to the present ryan plan, the present plan of the man who will stand there tonight and accept the vice presidential nomination, you're saying he would take this amount of money out of medicaid. >> yes, medicaid. and one thing that frustrates me about the ryan budget conversation is the republicans like to go around saying they're making the tough choices and doing the hard work of cutting the budget. they're cutting over $5 trillion from the budget in the ryan plan. but they don't like to face up to the consequences. when you cut $1.5 trillion from

a program like medicaid, it does less. it covers children, the elderly disabled poor, and the poor. >> we're not talking about people just sitting around abusing the system. >> no. >> we're talking about seniors and children. >> people don't know this. the bulk of medicaid spending, the most costly group are the poor elderly disabled. then the largest number of people on medicaid are children. when you're talking about cutting medicaid, you're talking about cutting for the sickest and poorest seniors and for children. that's really who medicaid serves. >> and i think people need to understand that when they have these little ugly commercials. but crystal, 71 days to the election. how do they avoid talking about it? he may get around it tonight and do his bio and his story. which is good if that's what he does. but you've got to deal with these are the policies he's running on. how do they avoid talking about this where people understand they're talking about doing this to children and to seniors.

he's even talking about raising the age to 67 to qualify for medicare. >> and massive cuts to pell grants. there's a reason they don't want to talk about the ryan budget. it's because the propositions are hugely unpopular. and to your point, i don't think they can avoid a conversation about it. particularly when mitt romney has not laid out his own plans. so paul ryan keeps trying to defer by saying i'm on the romney/ryan ticket. let's talk about those policies. we don't know what those policies are. so we can only assume that mitt romney since he said he would sign the ryan budget into law that mitt romney is supporting paul ryan's budget and the ideas that are contained therein. >> and i think also we've got to emphasize this, ezra, and you can say what you're going to say but i want you to answer this. we're talking about doing all of this with continuing the tax cuts to the rich. we're not talking about shared here. we're talking about medicaid being cut for children, seniors,

working class people. medicare change for seniors while the rich absolutely give up nothing. >> more so than that, actually. so you keep the bush tax cuts, make them permanent. then ryan adds $4.5 trillion more in tax cuts. he hasn't said how he'll pay for them. just told the budget office assume i'll pay for this. i'll clean the tax code, kill the home mortgage interest deduction and pay for all of this. if he doesn't do that, his budget is a huge deficit buster. one point to crystal who's correct, romney's plan is much vaguer. what he has offered is his overall targets. romney's plan is much more aggressive even than ryan's plan. ryan is cutting $3.5 trillion from the deficit from the budget over ten years. romney needs to cut $7 trillion. he's not keeping the medicare savings. now he needs to cut $8 trillion and increasing the defense budget. the kind of cuts would be 57% to

every single program in the federal budget that is not medicare, defense, or social security. it is a complete fantasy. when it's not a fantasy, it is drastic and destructive. >> yeah. i mean, it's -- if you actually implemented that plan, it would not be small government. it would be anarchy. it's a ludicrous proposal. also to ezra's point, paul ryan likes to talk about his brand as the truth teller and as the policy guy and the details guy. but there are, in fact, a lot of details that are left out of his budget including as ezra said which loopholes they're going to close. since he won't spell that out, he actually isn't willing to tell the hard truths about closing the deductions which benefit large class people. >> christie were saying they're not telling hard truths about their own policy plans. i thank you very much for being here to both of you. crystal as well as ezra. i notice you quoting ezra. isn't he the kind of guy you wish you had sitting next to you

in school? let me say this, though, before i go. >> at least i can follow him on twitter now. >> let me say this. aside from the politics, i'm watching ryan tonight because i've been there where you had to walk on that big stage. and all your handlers, all your advisers, all your friends don't matter. you've got to walk out there alone. and he's tonight going to go somewhere he's never been. and i know one thing. he's sitting somewhere with his stomach in knots. because i don't care how long you've been in public, when you walk on that stage everyone will see you as champ or chump when you get finished. that's what mr. ryan is doing right now. coming up, will paul ryan talk about his plan to end medicare as we know it tonight? is it a political death wish or an opportunity? steve smidt takes us in.

and the theme we are change it. oh, yeah right back to the failed bush policies. if you love soaring deficit and war, you'll love this team. and what will governor huckabee say tonight? a week ago he blasted mr. romney and the party for leaving todd akin quote, wounded and bleeding. tonight he speaks in tampa. get out the popcorn. you're watching "politicsnation" as we get ready for the republican convention right here on the place for politics. msnbc. all energy development comes with some risk, but proven technologies allow natural gas producers to supply affordable, cleaner energy,

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going after medicare? it used to be the third rail in american politics. has something changed? if it did, i didn't get the memo. the fight to end medicare with

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we're back on "politicsnation" with a live look at the floor of the republican national convention in tampa. and the headliner tonight is paul ryan. governor romney's pick for vice president. earlier today ryan did a walk through on stage along with his wife and three children. it's a huge night for him and his party. joining me now is steve schmidt a republican political strategist, senior strategist for the mccain/palin campaign in 2008. it is great to have you with us tonight.

really. thanks for being here. >> good to be with you. >> let's start with paul ryan. all eyes on him tonight. now, if you're backstage with him, what do you tell him? >> you're telling him to breathe out there, to get his equilibrium. he's going to walk out on that stage, it's going to be a deafenen roar. the lights are going to be up. it's going to be hard for him to see people in the audience. it's going to be disorienting as he goes out there. you want him to bask in the applause, get focused and centered and ready to give the speech. he's no doubt rehearsed this many, many times. but to get out there, get your equilibrium, to stay calm and start hitting it. >> now, i was saying earlier, 2004 i spoke at the democratic convention during the primaries. i can't explain to people around you how that feels. you can't see a face, can't see the cameras, it's all lights. but your whole career could be made or broke tonight. and ryan has got to be going

through that right now. >> yeah. absolutely. i'm sure he's focused on it, nervous about it. a lot of people down on chris christie today. i remember in 1988 bill clinton gave the keynote speech. at the end of it, he said in conclusion, the whole audience goes crazy. of course years later the acceptance speech was one of the greatest. these are the biggest moments. >> let's get to policy. you're the strategist for mccain and palin. say you brought in medicare. is it still a third rail issue? do they have to be worried about this? >> well, most republicans genetically and certainly republicans in congress over the last decade have gotten into a fetal position when democrats have gone after them on the issue of medicare. trained to avoid it, trained to look at it as a third rail issue. paul ryan's an entirely

different cat. he's out there talking about this issue. he's talking about an offensive issue. talking about it in the context of the country's debt challenges. the difficult decisions that are going to have to be made in terms of an out of control $16 trillion national debt. and so i think that this is one of the great unanswered questions of the campaign. you're going to see a very different type of republican reaction to these issues. you're going to see paul ryan going out there talking to me american people about this and talking about it as a issue through a moral prism that we have to get the fiscal house of the country in order. >> but how do you do that when polling shows that the overwhelming majority of people including republicans still want to see medicare as it is? >> well, medicare's not going to be as it is over the long-term. i mean, part of what paul ryan's talking about is the trillions of dollars of promises that have

been made to the american people that everybody in washington, republicans and democrats understand that there's not the money to pay for them. so the paul ryan plan keeps medicare as it is for everybody who's 55 and older. but there's going to be changes for medicare if that program is going to survive. it's important that it survives for people that are 55 and younger. so paul ryan's going to have to make a case. he's going to have to convince people and obviously the democrats are going to say to 65, 70-year-olds in florida that he's going to take away medicare. it's not true. but he's going to have to deal with that. it's a political challenge. >> how do you do that and still maintain tax cuts for the wealthy and call it shared? >> i think the reality of the country's fiscal condition, and you're not going to hear republicans say this in the campaign, but the reality is that programs are going to get cut. and taxes are going to go up.

and it's necessary to do in order to get the country back on track. >> so taxes will have to go up, but they can't say it through the campaign? >> you can't say it during the campaign because the base would be in revolt. but you came i think very, very close to what was described as the grand bargain agreement between boehner, between the president that would have done exactly that. >> well, you're an honest man. i don't see how you do it without dealing with the rich and the taxes. this weekend the new york times report that changing the strategy to win over voters. the quote was the moves reflects a campaign infused with a sharper edge and overtones of class and race. mr. romney's chances hinge to a large degree on running up his advantage among white voters in swing states who show deep strains of opposition to mr. obama but do not trust mr. romney to look out for their

interests. do you believe that's true? >> living in a certain precinct in north carolina. so when you look at the electorate right now and you look at the white vote at its total, mitt romney is roughly where john mccain was four years ago when we lost that race by six, seven points. working white male voter in southern ohio, different than a suburban white mom outside of philadelphia. so, you know, mitt romney's going to have to make an economic argument that is able to tie all of it together. also going to have to get his hispanic numbers up. george bush 40% of the hispanic vote in 2004. after that election, republicans were talking about how you grow that number. >> well, one way you know is with self-deportation. we'll talk about that later. steve schmidt, thank you for joining us.

see you later for the special coverage. >> you got it. coming up, governor huckabee hammered his party for feeding todd legitimate rape akin to the quote, liberal wolves. tonight governor huckabee speaks at the convention. will the gop problem with women get worse? and they're not in tampa tonight, but don't be fooled. the republicans just can't quit george w. bush. i'll explain ahead. you're watching "politicsnation" as we get ready for the republican convention right here on the place for politics, msnbc. look at those toys. insurance must be expensive.

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have you checked us out on facebook yet? the "politicsnation" conversation is going strong all day long. today the anti-choice republican party had everyone talking. shirley says republicans must not be in their right minds if they think women will fall for this. and brenda says this is 2012. we're going forward, not backward. not just women, but all of us. coming up next, we've got more on how this policy could be the republican party's achilles heel. but first, we want to hear what you think. head over to facebook and search "politicsnation" and like us to

join the conversation that keeps going long after the show ends. 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?

♪ welcome back to "politicsnation." they won't talk much about it, but the republicans' problem with women voters will be very much in evidence tonight. todd forced rape akin has close ties to the gop ticket. he and paul ryan teamed up on nine anti-choice bills just this year. including one they cosponsored that tried to redefine rape. see their names right there? ryan's distanced himself from akin. but tonight, here comes former arkansas governor mike huckabee. six days ago he unleashed an e-mail to supporters defending akin and blasting gop leaders for quote, feeding his body to the liberal wolves.

that gop gender gap is just not going away. tonight it will be right on stage. join k me now from tampa is joan wal ch editor at large with salon.com and an msnbc political analyst and nia-malika henderson, national political reporter for "the washington post." thank you both for being here. >> great to be here. >> thank you. >> joan, let's start with you. can the gop dodge these issues all the way to november? >> no. this is going to be the big culture war night here in tampa, reverend al. i think that mike huckabee, i just ran into one of his advisers, he said it's going to be a positive honest speech. i said is he going to talk about todd akin, he smiled and shrugged. this is going to be a night where the cultural right makes its stand. todd akin feeled betrayed, and mike huckabee feels betrayed.

todd akin is in the mainstream of this party and this party's platform and the idea these people are making a big deal about his stupid language about rape doesn't hide the fact the he basically doesn't think there should be any funding or availability of abortion even in cases of rape, incest, or the life of the mother. so they feel like they'd want all these battles in the party. when it comes to the time of the convention and comes to the nominee, they don't get the real recognition they deserve. so i think mike huckabee is looking for a lot of love and validation tonight. it's going to be interesting. >> nia-malika, the polling is already showing that the republican ticket has a problem with women. romney trails president obama by 22 points with women voters at a rient poll. this is a real problem for them. >> it is. and you saw last night that in some ways it was ladies night. they had ann romney out there. they had nicki hailey the governor of south carolina.

nia love who's running in utah. they're trying to address it this way. interestingly enough, they'll have condi rice on stage who is pro-choice. and mike huckabee will get a rousing ovation tonight as will condi rice. i think his position on the stage as well as condi rice does speak to the split in the party. that mitt romney has tried to sort of mepd these fences between the social evangelicals and the fiscal conservatives in this party. we'll see if he's able to do a. paul ryan won't touch much on social issues. try to speak to the budget. but i think they have tried to really try to etch-a-sketch his sort of stance on some of these issues, abortion and these social conservatives issues and try to put him forward as more of a budget guy, as a fiscal conservative. but i think tonight we'll see in

some ways two different parties on stage. >> but joan, jane romney which is governor romney's sister, she says he won't ban abortion. when questioned she says he's not going to be touching any of that. it's not his fake. mitt is much more in the middle when it comes to abortion. if his sister is saying that, that is a very different position than the ryan co-author of forcible rape kind of bills and what huckabee and akin and others want to hear from their nominee. >> well, again, you know, it's another shake of the etch-a-sketch, reverend al. i think the romney family has had an interesting position on abortion. back when he was pro-choice, he said it was because they had a young relative to died of a botched illegal abortion. his mother was pro-choice for the same reason. there was a real heart felt reason for that and he's never adequately explained why after that tragedy he decided that he

was anti-choice. so i'm sure there are people in his family who remain somewhat pro-choice and believe that he is not a culture warrior. but he's spent a lot of time this year convincing people he is. >> he did. but then nia-malika, he started softening that a little when he was asked about his position on abortion. watch this. >> 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. >> and the health and life of the mother. we haven't heard that one before in the primaries, but now he adds that which in the past some of the hard liners have said that's too wide open. >> that's right. and it is pretty wide open. the health and life of a mother. you imagine people could interpret that in all sorts of

ways. i think from romney you'll see a pivotal attempt away from a flip-flop record in abortion. it was brought out for instance that his wife ann romney donated to planned parenthood. they want to strip the funding, at least the federal funding from planned parenthood. but they seem to also acknowledge that planned parenthood should be around. it should get at least some private funding. so it is a bit of -- you know, it's very fuzzy. i think it goes back to this etch-a-sketch moment that they're really undergoing in this general election. >> now, joan, it was interesting when he was questioned i believe yesterday, governor romney said i'll just be president, that would be up to the supreme court. and obviously whoever's the president after january may appoint one or two more justices. the supreme court will be a very important factor in the minds of voters this november. >> well, yeah. and, you know, i don't trust him as a pro-choice person i don't trust him. if i were anti-choice i would be

grilling him right now. i would be very interested in tampa in getting him to explain exactly what he meant by that and whether he attends to appoint pro-choice or anti-choice justices. he's leaving that wide open and acting like he doesn't -- he's leading from behind again. and acting like he doesn't have any power when in fact given the age of some of our justices, he's likely to have a lot of power. is he saying he's going to leave roe v. wade alone? it's terrific news to me, but i don't believe it. if i were an anti-choice activist, i would be all over mitt romney this week trying to get some clarity on that answer. >> i've got to leave it there. thanks. and joan has a new book out. "what's the matter with white people." thank you both for being here tonight. >> thank you. coming up, george w. bush might not be in tampa, but he's at the convention. why the party can't quit him. plus some disturbing numbers show the voter suppression

effort in florida may be working. we won't let them get away with it. stay with us. what's with you?

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welcome back to "politicsnation." you're looking live at the floor of the republican national convention in tampa where they're gearing up for a big night. paul ryan is set -- wait a second. did you see that? is that an elephant in the room? he's right there. see him? i mean, there's a massive elephant standing in the room. that's him right there. okay, fine. president bush isn't an actual elephant, and we all know hs not actually in any room in tampa, but he is the thing that the romney campaign doesn't want to talk about. after all, two wars and the crippling debt he left us aren't exactly popular. but here's the thing. the romney campaign just can't quit him. and tonight the bush presidency will take center stage. did you like bush's foreign

policy? then you'll love hearing former secretary of state condoleezza rice. are you a fan of the massive debt clock they keep showing? then stay tuned for rob portman, bush's former budget director. he's responsible for a whole lot of that debt. even paul ryan is in on the act. he's getting speech pointers from former bush adviser dan senor. bush really is there in spirit. and get this. he'll be there on the big screen too. in this video. >> integrity, honesty. there was never a tainted scandal around his presidency. and i think we forget the importance of that. they'll remember him for being a good, honest president who maybe got a lot of things done. but i think the thing i take pride in is the integrity.

>> history will remember him as a great president. >> just two great presidents talking about their legacy. and here's what they think about romney. >> dad and i both know what it takes to be president. and there's no doubt in our mind that mitt romney will be a great president. >> governor romney, a president that left with 22% approval rating says you'll be great. you got to get 'em. joining me now is msnbc political analyst richard wolffe. also the author of "revival: the struggle for survival inside the obama white house" and ana marie cox. thank you both for your time this evening. >> good to be here. >> richard, let me start with you. is it smart for the romney campaign to be bringing out so many reminders of the bush presidency tonight? >> i don't know that they're doing a whole lot.

this is far as they're prepared to go. but if they want to cut off from the bush past, there is a path for them to say we're going to be the honest party. we're going to fix all the problems especially when it comes to debt. they don't want to talk about foreign policy the way it did in previous elections saying we are the party of national security. they really ought to be breaking. because this is minimal stuff. this is the bare bones of acknowledging that president obama was one of them. but otherwise you don't hear his name. think back to how clinton played a role in 2000, 2004, 2008. and now that's not the role they're giving president obama at all, is it? >> no. but they're bringing him up. and is it too early to bring him up? i mean, we're still dealing with some of the aftermath of the war. we're dealing with the anniversary of katrina with another hurricane in the gulf. is it too early to do this? >> well, i think it's -- you know, this is a party that

doesn't even want to remember who its actual nominee is. i'm not surprised they don't want to bring up bush. but yes, we have all these reminders. it's impossible not to acknowledge that he's here if only because of the debt clock. but it is unusual. the degree to which he is not talked about, the degree he is not president of this convention. i've only seen one picture of george bush and it's outside reminding us that they covered him too. >> wow. >> other than that, i haven't seen anything else. and also we're not being reminded of his legacy either. you're right. no one last night mentioned the afghanistan war. no one last night mentioned the war on terror. these huge things that are a big part of the problem that they say they want to solve just aren't being brought up. it would have to be a shift to say we realize these happened and we want to fix it. they don't want to acknowledge them. they want to talk about obama. that's really all they want to

do. >> ana marie is right. just a few weeks ago when a local reporter had confronted governor romney about bush, watch how he responded. kind of seemed like he was running away from it. >> uh-huh. >> give me one specific example about how your administration would be different than a george w. bush administration. >> well, there's a very different time than the time that president bush was president of the united states. my plan for economic recovery and creating jobs for the middle class and more take home pay is quite different than anything that's ever been seen in this country before. >> so not exactly a resounding, even though two of his economic advisers served under bush, let's keep in mind our rnc officials said his economic policies are just bush plans just updated. in addition 17 of his 24 foreign

policy advisers are former members of the bush administration. even though he's distancing himself and not doing the embrace clinton has, he's got bush people around him. he's using bush policy. bush video tonight. >> bush ideas. one of the big things they want to go to the mat on is the bush tax cuts. they're not just called the bush tax cuts because they were under bush. they were a big part of the economic policy. to pick up what he said in that clip, it wasn't that long ago bush was presiding. four years. believe democrats cannot only talk about bush. and that's true. but four years to deal with two wars and an economy which collapsed under in the last months and arguably the last years of the bush presidency. that is what bush left this president. and that is -- that wasn't that long ago. the bush ideas and the bush problems are still there and

frankly if president romney was sworn in in january, he'd be dealing with it too. >> and you brought up that ana marie. that debt clock. it went up substantially under bush. come on. you can't give that debt clock up there and then show a video of george bush and people don't turn around and remember that that clock was run up in large measure by george bush. >> yeah. it's true. i mean, he's sort of the ghost of presidencies past here. he's this invisible man but who's part of everything. who touches everything. that's for sure. and i think it's also interesting. the only time you hear his name invoked is bush tax cuts. which i guess they treat like one word. bush tax cuts so you forget there was an actual president that was behind that. and that reminds me that clip where romney says basically the world has never seen economic policies like i'm going to have. actually, we just saw them. you know? >> and to show there's an actual

person, and actual things that occurred. we looked into the whole bush policy. the debt exploded by $5 trillion, richard. stock index collapsed 40%. 4.4 million jobs were lost during the bush last year. just the last year, 4.4 million jobs. i mean, we felt ambushed, pun intended. >> you know, republicans hate it when i point this out, but bush's jobs record over eight years was a net gain of 1 million jobs. jimmy carter created ten times more jobs than that in four years. so the jobs report of this kind of economic policy isn't great, but look. he left them a legacy. the policy on afghanistan, for instance, mitt romney says no date certain for withdrawal. that's george bush's. tax cuts is a way to drive the economy and drive the debt beyond that is also george bush's approach.

it's not just him, it's the whole team. they need to embrace that or reject it. this sort of middle ground is not what chris christie would say courageous. >> ana marie, you're on the floor. what do you think -- is there excitement or is it like a wait and see attitude? what's the feeling? >> you know what? i guess it's a surprise. we're hearing the paul ryan speech is zbieng to be a retread of his stump speech which shows you how few new ideas they have here really. >> wow. so we shouldn't be looking for anything new. >> i'm sorry, i can't hear you. there's also a lot of music. >> well, i'll leave it be. we'll watch and see what happens. richard wolffe and ana marie cox, thank you for your time tonight. we'll be right back. this country was built by working people. the economy needs manufacturing. machines, tools, people making stuff. companies have to invest in making things. infrastructure, construction, production. we need it now more than ever.

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tonight's theme at the rnc is we can change it. and there's no doubt about it. right here in florida there's been a big change. and a disturbing one in voter registration. look at this chart. in the run-up to the 2004 and 2008 elections, democrats signed up thousands of new voters. but this year, democratic voter registration has fallen off a cliff. why? it's because of the new limits

on voter registration groups. meantime, republican registration has remained basically the same. these numbers are stunning. and it's the clearest picture yet on what's going on in this election. a massive gop effort to suppress the vote. there was some good news today in florida. a federal judge said enough is enough. he removed all the new republican restrictions on voter registration. this is a big victory. but did it come too late? october 9th is the voter registration deadline for florida. that's just six weeks away. democrats a very short window to make up lost ground. remember, these voter limits in florida were just part of a national plan to suppress the vote. here's what florida's former republican party chairman told me on the show earlier this month. >> i sat in on many meetings

where it was discussed of how to make sure that what happened in 2008 when president obama brought out the college age voters, the minority voters never happened again. make sure that the republican party has an advantage in this upcoming election by reducing early voting, putting road blocks up for potential voters, latinos, african-americans to register and then to exercise their right to vote. >> this is the gop political strategy in 2012. an attack on voter rights. that's national in scope. but nowhere worse than right in florida. which just means we're all going to have to work that much harder. the time that's left to protect the vote. we all must do what is right. whether we're republican or democrat to protect every right for every voter in this country. thank you for