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. chevron's putting more than $8 billion dollars back in the u.s. economy this year. in pipes, cement, steel, jobs, energy. we need to get the wheels turning. i'm proud of that. making real things... for real. ...that make a real difference. ♪ almost seven months after the first votes were cast. mitt romney with the biggest speech of his political life today. for all the speeches that have come before it's his remarks that will have the most impact on voters. we'll preview the night and all that's at stake. tough act to follow. paul ryan accepts the presidential nomination and leads the assault on the

president's record. his speech rallied the crowd with tough talk and sharp lines. this morning it's keeping fact checkers busy. we'll look at the strengths and weaknesses of romney's warm-up act. isaac overtopping levees, flooding communities, trapping residents. the heartbreaking storm isn't over yet. good morning from tampa, florida, site of the last night of the republican national conveco conventi convention. it's thursday, august 30. i i'm chuck todd. let's get to first reads of the morning. political conventions have become defined by the presidential acceptance speech. conventions launch personalities, put the party on display but ultimately are about presidential biography and the acceptance speech is everything. the stage has been reset for mitt romney's critically important speech, his opportunity to persuade voters, he is likable enough and that he understands the problems of

average americans. last night romney watched from his hotel room as paul ryan accepted the vice presidentle yal nomination. it had all the hallmarks of the traditional vice presidential speech. one part attack the incumbent, one part red meat, one part personal biography and one part defend the top of the ticket. romney offered a stinging indictment of the president. >> these past four years we have suffered no shortage of words in the white house. what is missing is leadership in the white house! [ cheers and applause ] >> it was also about talking to the base, firing up the conservative crowd with a bunch of red meat applause lines. >> that's freedom and i'll take it any day over the supervision and sanctimony of the central planners. [ applause ] >> there were cameras capturing

governor scott walker tearing up as ryan talked about his roots in wisconsin. he defended the ticket on medicare by talking about his grandmother and mother who was in the audience. >> my thoughts go back to a house on garfield street in janesville. my wonderful grandma janet had alzheimer's. we had help from medicare. it was there just like it's there for my mom today. medicare is a promise. we will honor it. >> ryan's job was also to try to inoculate romney against perceived political weaknesses, including his personal wealth. >> he helped start businesses and turn around failing ones. by the way, being successful in business, that's a good thing! >> with the obama campaign focused this morning trying to call attention on perceived inaccuracies in ryan's speech. they are already up with a new video highlighting what they say are inconsistencies in ryan's

speech and charging in a statement, quote, paul ryan offered americans 40 minutes of vitriol but not one tangible idea to move the country forward. he blamed the president for an auto plant that closed urntd the previous administration and not advancing a deficit reduction plan that he voted against and for cutting medicare even though he used those same savings in his budget. let's not get carried away with a strong or weak vp speech. out typically doesn't have a long shelf life. think about 1984, 88, lieberman and dick cheney in 2000. edwards in 2004. frankly the exception was sarah palin in 2008. but she isn't the rule when it comes to vp speeches because conventions are about two other speeches. the nominees and even usually his spouses or keynote. two other speeches did create buzz. in a rare national political speech from condi rice,

secretary of state stirred the crowd with a message about american exceptionalism. >> a little girl grows up in birmingham. the segregated city of the south where her parents can't take her to a movie theater or a restaurant, but they have her absolutely convinced that even if she can't have a hamburger at the woolworth's lunch counter she could be president of the united states and she becomes the secretary of state. [ cheers and applause ] >> by the way, ever the college professor, if you will, rice has been the only speaker so far to go without a teleprompter. republican rising star and the country's first latina governor, new mexico's susanna martinez reached out to latinas. she described the lunch with her husband and republican officials that caused her to leave the

democratic party when mounting a bid for district attorney. >> i was a democrat for years. so were my parents. when we left that lunch we got in the car and i looked over at chuck and said, i'll be damned, we're republicans! [ applause ] >> in the end though mitt romney himself has to make the final sale with voters if tonight's speech is to be successful he has to meet four objectives. one, he has to better introduce himself to the american public. he'll highlight parts of his biography. former olympians will speak. lieutenant governor kerry healey will testify to his record as massachusetts governor. and the question of whether or not to address his faith has been a source of disagreement inside the romney campaign for months tonight two members of the church of jesus christ of latter day saints will deliver the invocation.

grant bennett who served in mormon leadership roles with romney will speak. the second though, romney needs to convince the public that while he looks the part, he's the man americans can be comfortable seeing on tv for the next four years. we'll hear from romney's son craig who will try to humanize his dad. three, he has to close the empathy gap. a poll found president obama holding a 22-point advantage on the question of who cares more about average people. don stenberg who helped to found staples will try again to persuade voters that romney's resumé demonstrates his business experience and helps him connect with average americans. finally, he needs to put meat on the policy bone to make the case of how his plans could work better than the president's and how they are different from the past republican administration of four years ago. now four hours will decide this presidential election. three hours of debates, one of the four hours is tonight for

mitt romney. no relief from isaac as the storm continues to dump torrential rains on louisiana and mississippi. the president declared federal emergencies in both states and we now have word at least one death in mississippi is being tributed to the storm. mike seidel from the weather channel is live for us in baton rouge, louisiana. it's clean up day today. how bad is it? >> reporter: still looking pretty precarious in parts of louisiana and mississippi. this morning if we can show you the radar we have a lot of heavy rain in jackson. many flash flood warnings. they have extended the tornado watch as far east as montgomery, alabama. we had a tornado touchdown in pascagoula. no reports of damage. still the threat of tornadoes and a lot of rainfall. audubon park in new orleans picked up 19 inches of rain. power outages here in louisiana, about 680,000.

we have three-quarters of a million customers without power. some may be without power for five or six days. the winds have died down. getting gusts of 40, 45 miles per hour and the water is up there because the wind is blowing on shore, rotating oornd the center which is a hundred miles northwest of new orleans. the silver lining now, as the rain ends here it moves up into where we have been talking about for months now, the serious drought cutting into the corn crop. heavy rains in arkansas, st. louis and along the i-70 corridor for labor day weekend. a silver lining but a lot of issues today. basically everything is still shut here in louisiana as far as schools and state offices. chuck, back to you. >> mike seidel in louisiana. that's the one silver lining. no people in arkansas have been looking for rain. hopefully this provides a little bit. back in tampa, mitt romney may

be preparing to discuss his faith as a way to give voters a window into his soul. his running mate said while they don't share the same faith they share the same moral creed. >> mitt and i also go to different churches. but in any church the best kind of preaching the done by example. i have been watching that example. [ applause ] the man who will accept your nomination tomorrow is prayerful, faithful, honorable. >> david gregory, moderator of meet the press. i have not heard a romney surrogate better defend mitt romney's faith than that one. >> you have to talk about relij i don't say ti and not theology. that's something mitt romney can do. it's a huge part of his life. they give so much money to the church. being a lay pastor in the church.

it's an important theme. >> when thinking about tonight uh i keep going back to a campaign you're familiar with. that's bush and gore in 2000. i feel like romney has challenges that both bush and kbo gore had to deal with. bush had to be a different type of republican. gore had the same personality issues, like iblt factors. both were successful. how does romney do it? >> he has to talk about who he is. he's got to open up a little bit. he's got to relate why his business biography and his personal biography relates to the problems the country faces and a road map on how to get there. part of the republican attack on president obama is that it's leadership that matter. it has to offer something through the american people that makes them think, okay, he's a viable alternative. you know, putting a thumb on the scale of incumbency is tough.

even in these economic times the incumbent has the advantage. >> when it comes to the issue of separating -- being a different type of republican, i keep going back to this. the republican party brand has been under water. >> yeah. >> i wondered how much of romney's personal problems are a republican drag on him. >> you know we have seen it. that's why his negatives are up. president obama is trying to take the negatives and wrap it around mitt romney's neck. you can't see mitt romney in there. all you see is the republican party. >> he's a generic r. >> exactly. part of what tonight is about is asserting leadership over the party. it is striking. we have been talking about the yufl energy of the party. the physical conservativism that paul ryan represents. >> diverse leadership wise. they have an issue of the support groups but visually a

diverse group. >> he has to connect to it and be the leader of it who can translate that into actual governing. that's much more about the poetry and above all else i say coming into the convention it's all about biography. that's what he's got to emphasize tonight. >> quickly, paul ryan, he accomplished the goals of the campaign. >> it's firing up the hall. that was a speech for the base of the -- >> not the swing voters. >> not in message but to the extent he's seen as a serious guy who wants to solve some big problem that's a down payment on reaching independent voter. >> david gregory, see you tonight. thank you, sir. we are just getting started in tampa. up next ahead of mitt romney's big speech tonight we have romney's senior adviser kevin madden with us. still to come, united against citizens united. how far is president obama prepared to go to stop the flood of campaign cash from super

pacs. first a look ahead at the president's schedule and the speaker's schedule. you're watching "the daily rundown" on msnbc. the president back after his tour of college campuses. [ "human" by the human league playing ] humans. we mean well, but we're imperfect creatures living in a beautifully imperfect world. it's amazing we've made it this far. maybe it's because when one of us messes up, someone else comes along to help out. that's the thing about humans. when things are at their worst, we're at our best. see how at libertymutual.com. liberty mutual insurance -- responsibility. what's your policy?

president supporters were quick to criticize paul ryan after his speech accusing him of lying about the president's record. deputy campaign manager stephanie cutter said ryan was resurrecting debunked talking

points like this one on medicare. >> you see, even with all the hidden taxes to pay for the health care takeover, even with the new law and new taxes on nearly a million small businesses, the planners in washington still didn't have enough money. they just took it away from medicare. $716 billion funneled out of medicare by president obama. >> with me now senior adviser for the romney campaign kevin madden. let's start with medicare. paul ryan's original budget wanted to use the same savings. obviously you made a decision. no, it's romney's budget you guys are going with. isn't there an ideological inconsisncy to attack the president for something you may not agree with where he used the money but the concept. >> that's very important, i think, for the american public. >> why not make it clear? >> we are making it very clear.

what we have now is a debate about the role of government and how to bring back the economy, how to get people care, access, bring down costs. what the p did was take the $716 billion, raided the medicare trust fund and spent it on a new entitlement. paul ryan put it back into strengthening it. >> -- the growth of medicare -- >> the way they took the money. >> that's where the money -- >> the way they spent it hurts the way people get their care. it hurts the profit margins for nursing homes that rely on medicare disbursements. when uh yyou do it people get l care. the strains on the system become greater. what governor romney did and this is where they have a shared vision, shared value. that's a clear contrast. it's a clear choice for the american public. it's the best for the campaign.

the debate we want, the debate we need. >> looking at the polls i want to play another shot from paul ryan's speech last night on deficit reduction. >> he created a new bipartisan debt commission. they came back with an urgent report. he thanked them, sent them on their way and did exactly nothing. >> disingenuous attack since he voted against the simpson bowles plan? on the commission. voted against it even as other senate republicans voted for it. >> the shared vision and principles governor romney has with paul ryan are that we need to make sure we have the principles contained in bowles simpson. that's something we need to embrace. how it is that is an important part of bringing back the

economy. on a saturday that paul ryan walked out and joined governor romney on the ticket, this became a shared platform we have for reducing the way the government spends money. reforming the way the government spends money in order to bring back the economy. >> would governor romney have endorsed bowles simpson. >> the broad principles -- >> no, no. broad principles and the bowles simpson plan are two stories. the president embraced the large principles but isn't prepared to endorse that. >> how he would approach things like spending in order to get the economy back. >> backup the bowles simpson plan as written? >> i'm not going into specifics line by line. there is a lot to discuss on which would be there and which wouldn't. governor romney has been clear about reforming spending. >> one more from ryan's speech

and then i want to preview about the auto bailout. >> right there at the plant, candidate obama said i believe that if our government is there to support you this plant will be here for another hundred years. that's what he said in 2008. well, as it turned out that plant didn't last another year. >> fair hit since the plant shut down during the bush administration? >> it is. it is a question of how to bring back the economy overall so plants like that one can see the economic growth in the community so they can thrive and grow. that's, again, another important distinction we'll have. >> do you worry about adding to the cynicism in politics where politicians will say half of the full fact but not the full fact. is this all's fair -- >> no, look. a lot of the arguments we have in 30-second sound bites are

difficult. when governor romney and paul ryan go out and talk in broader terms about what it is about how to bring back the economy, what they would do to help a plant like that in janesville, wisconsin, actually come back, start hiring and growing again. that's what the american public will watch closely. versus looking at the 30-second sound bite wars we have. >> there is a lot of reporting tha. the governor romney speech will be auto biographical. is that fair? >> it's part of it. voting for president is a personal decision by many voters. i think this is an extraordinary opportunity now to reach voters. i don't know much about them. how did that arrive and why does he think he has the best vision for the country? seeing him through the lens will help people. we have to seize the opportunity

and the governor will do it. >> in two weeks how do we measure if the convention is a success or not? >> i think whether or not we are talking big issues. this is a campaign. our campaign is focused on two things. making this a campaign about the big choices we have in this country, the big challenges we have whether on the economy, just on the direction of the country, whether it's national security, foreign policy. and this is an election about the future. it's always that. the debate is on big things and we are talking about the future we'll be in a good place. >> kevin madden, senior adviser. will mitt romney be on the road a lot? >> a lot. jet fumes and caffeine. >> thank you, sir. up next, what's on paul ryan's play list. may have been the funniest line last night. plus, look out claire mchaskill, todd aakin's apology to her is

over. and the gop godfather of wisconsin makes a bold prediction for wisconsin and who will be responsible for carrying whether the state goes red or blue. first, the trivia question. since 1901 how many vice presidential candidates have been younger than paul ryan? tweet me the question and the first correct answer gets a follow -- thursday from us. on every one of our cards there's a date. a reminder... that before this date, we have to exceed expectations. we have to find new ways to help make life easier, more convenient and more rewarding. it's the reason why we don't have costumers. we have members. american express. welcome in.

there's natural gas under my town. it's a game changer. ♪ it means cleaner, cheaper american-made energy. but we've got to be careful how we get it. design the wells to be safe. thousands of jobs. use the most advanced technology to protect our water. billions in the economy. at chevron, if we can't do it right, we won't do it at all. we've got to think long term. we've got to think long term. ♪ there are the songs on his ipod which i have heard on the campaign bus -- [ laughter ] -- and i have heard it on many hotel elevators. i said, look, uh i hope it's not a dealbreaker, mitt. but my play list starts with ac a ac/dc and ends with zeppelin. >> hey, hey, hey, parade

magazine mitt romney said he liked the killers. so take that, paul ryan. on the radar this morning president obama suggests he wants to overturn the landmark supreme court ruling. first missouri congressman todd akin is trying to refocus campaign attacks on senator claire mchaskill. he has a new ad called six seconds, six years. it tries to shift the focus to mchaskill's record. he says my six-second mistake is well known. her six-year record is something you should know. president obama embraced a constitutional amendment to over turn the supreme court's citizens united decision which freed big business and labor to pour unlimited money into elections yesterday while answering questions on the web forum readit he was asked about money in politics and he said, quote, over the longer term, i

think we need to seriously consider mobilizing a constitutional amendment process to overturn citizens united even if the amendment process falls short it can shine a spotlight on the super pac and apply pressure for change. finally wisconsin senate candidate tommy thompson could be important in the election. he told me he thinks having his name on the ticket will help republicans take the badger state for the top of the ticket in november. >> wisconsin is very much in uh play. scott walker, paul ryan and romney, very close. i think the fact that i'm on the ticket is going to help the republicans carry the state of wisconsin. uh i think we are going to have a tremendous concerted, unified effort and i think we'll carry wisconsin. for the first time since the second term of ronald reagan. >> by the way, governor thompson said he thought the place he

could win over obama voters, if you will, for the romney folks was on the western part of the state. for those of you geographic nuts about the electorate. up next live from tampa, it's msnbc's own chris matthews. he's here with his take on the rnc and a preview of his upcoming special on president obama which airs tomorrow night. plus, tropical storm isaac is still dumping water across the gulf coast. you're watching a special edition live from tampa, florida. we'll be right back. look, it's no-tie matthews. you do this every morning? it's the only way to get fresh coffee. not in my house! this new flavor lock pack from maxwell house helps seal in freshness. wow! that is fresh! am i still yelling? [ male announcer ] maxwell house flavor lock. always good to the last drop. like a squirrel stashes nuts, you may be muddling through allergies.

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lost power. when it's all said and done the storm could drop two feet of rain in louisiana and mississippi as well as parts of alabama and arkansas. the good news for arkansas is, boy, do they need the rain. of course the drought has been hurting the mid section of the country. mitt romney will make history tonight h. e's the first mormon to accept the nomination for president. this four years and two days after barack obama became the first african-american to accept a major party nomination for president. in a new u.s. msnbc documentary chris matthews looks at prident obama's campaign and his first years in the white house. here's a clip. >> despite personal attacks from the far right, obama was more widely seen as an american success story. >> ready? [ blows whistle ] >> the sight of the first family in the white house partly built with the work and sweat of slaves is a reminder of what the presidency means to history.

>> you see the shot of the president, the first lady and the two first daughters walking across the white house lawn, a scene you have seen a thousand times before but now you are seeing it with an african-american family. it expands our library, our mental library of what's possible. >> it will be his record in office that ultimately defines barack obama's historic rank. >> joining me now condoleezza rice matthews, host of "hardball" and he'll be the host of the documentary. the special barack obama making history which will re-mipremier tomorrow night. let's talk about that and then get to the convex. how much is the president's run going to be? you do this nos tall tick jer sus his record. >> i think it is about the future ultimately. it's about the next four years. people are rational. especially in the middle. this convention, just to jump

awe hea ahead. there are two ways to look at american history. the one that looks back to jefferson and madison. we heard that last night, for example. where the best days were the early days. where the original founders had it right. we have to keep up with where they started. then there is the progressive view which is that it gets better all the time. suffrage, ending slavery, civil rights, gay rights. >> which is what condoleezza rice was -- >> she's more in that tradition. >> she was trying to draw the thread of saying, hey, we were trying to get it a little bit more right. >> the idea of the american revolution continuing up to today and all the time more progressive, more freedom, more tolerance. less prejudice. even last night with the lds church you saw it for political reasons but all the evangelicals or catholics saying what church you go to isn't important. the progressive look is we are getting better. the other one is to restore,

restore, go back to where we were. to a lot of americans, there were slaves, women weren't voting. the idea of nostalgia is okay for movies and music, but if you get into it -- and i think the parties reflect the difference. condi reflected the progressive view. >> we get caught up in the moments each day and then you look back and say, yeah, there is the part of the convention that rallies the base. that felt like last night. and then the part that has impact. we haven't had that yet. that's mitt romney. >> it's hard. the idea that 6 or 7% are out there and you asked me what it is. they are so resistant to almost any message, they are not paying much attention. what's going to grab them? probably facts at the end. the unemployment rate the last weekend. perhaps a good performance in the debates where somebody

stands out and reaches through the tv screen and gets to somebody's heart and mind. if either one of the canada datas can do it. it will be drama to cut through the last 6 or 7%. although the two parties are going for the base there are people at the edge. maybe up to 15, 20% who are movable. i have seen it with the case of dukakis and george, sr. 25% of the country changed its mind during the general election. >> yterday somebody said, romney has the opposite problem that reagan had. reagan had likability but hadn't made the case he was up to the job or that you trusted him in the job. uh look at mitt romney and, for instance, where al gore was at this point where people thought, well, they are qualified but i don't know them. >> yeah. i think there's one thing going for romney if you're machiavellian about it. paul ryan says, i give you the next president of the united

states. i don't believe it's a gaffe. it's freudian. >> oh, come on. >> he was saying, this is the republican future, the person we are headed toward. he relieves his own requirements. all he has to say is, look, i'm here for a while. i know e which way the party is going. i'm a transitional figure. it makes him less important as a person. i will get you there. not as grover nor quist says, i want a signature machine. but he's saying i know the projectile is toward ryan. i will be the steward while we get there. >> tell me about the one hour with the president. you had a sit-down with vice president biden. >> biden is emotional about this guy. as you know he spends five hours a day with him. it's the closest relationship. >> very close. >> i was interviewing him and he gets a call, he wants you. he does rely on him in a way i don't think we see publically. the vice presidency is important and that's why ryan was

trusted his judgment. i think vice president has been hurt by the "saturday night live" riff on him. it's unfair to make him seem goofy. he was right about afghanistan. >> one of the sidebars is how do they repair joe biden. >> they have to show his policy chops. >> thanks, chris. chris matthews special, barack obama making history premieres monday, september 3 at 10:00 p.m. eastern on msnbc on the eve of the start of the democratic convention. well, what makes a successful presidential acceptance speech? our political panel is next. susan ferrucio, ron mott, megan mccain and chris eliza. they are all here. i take insulin,

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all the warm-up acts are over and the main event starts tonight when mitt romney gives the biggest speech of his political life. here's a look at memorable acceptance speeches. >> we stand today on the edge of a new frontier, the frontier of the 1960s. >> i would remind you that extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice. >> i end tonight where it all began for me. i still believe in a place called hope. >> let's bring in the panel. susan ferriccio, megan mccain, msnbc contributor chris eli za

and of course my colleague msnbc's ron mott who is our man on the trail of mr. paul ryan. welcome. >> thank you, sir. >> chris, i want to start with you. we heard three examples of what could be an acceptance speech. looking ahead, optimism, biography, partisanship. what will be the pieces of the recipe tonight? >> it's interesting. i think that the the least piece of that mix will be partisanship would be my guess. solely because mitt romney is not a red meat conservative. it's remarkable that he got to this point in the race. it will be relatively heavy on biography and uh think one thing interesting about that is this is not someone in mitt romney who has ever been comfortable talking about himself. you know, the idea that mitt romney could do the "i still remember a place called hope" it is harder to imagine that. but i think he has to find a way

to tell the story. his wife did it well. turned over the sawhorse as a desk, eating tuna fish. can he humanize himself in the way he's struggle to so far? >> outit's interesting to see a that time bill clinton needed a good speech and it worked. these things can turn things around and help a lot. >> you can only go so far with mitt romney. we all know his personality. >> do we? >> uh i think we do. >> he was governor of massachusetts. he's been in the public eye for years. i don't think we'll get much more biography tonight than we have already. that's a risky opinion to have now. but i think paul ryan did a lot of biography last night when he talked about religion and readiness for being the president. he's not good at talking about himself. even one on one with the press without cameras around.

it will be about his vision moving forward, more than biography. >> your father didn't like talking about himself, megan. he was getting a lot of advice going up to the acceptance speech about those things. >> talking about himself? >> doing more in the acceptance speech to weave a narrative about himself. >> i agree with you. i think tonight -- [ inaudible ] -- policy, red meat, about what to do in separating ourselves. the obama administration -- i don't see it being auto biographical. >> interesting. paul ryan last night was a very red meat -- how much of that was new to you in what he said? >> not a lot. a lot of what we heard last night is in the standard speech. we were talking about how he came out and tried to soak up the energy in the crowd. it was a little nervous at first. his body language to me was

fine. it took him a few minutes to get into the rhythm of the speech. once he did, he had the crowd. that was electric for him. romney needs to stay within the bounds of the field for himself. don't try to recreate yourself in a big moment like tonight. >> like chris christie came out like a statesman, not a jersey boy. >> although not many statesman come out with -- [ laughter ] >> we're going to take a quick break. when we come back, more on the acceptance speech. more on michelle obama on letterman last night. we asked since 1901 how many vice presidential candidates have been younger than paul ryan? the answer was three. fdr was 38 when he ran on the ticket. richard nixon was 39 when he ran with eisenhower in 52 and dan quayle was 41. if you have a trivia question

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i, as the wife of the guy they are returning against, i tend not to watch it, but i think it's important for everyone to watch these conventions. >> michelle obama telling other people to watch the republican convention, but her saying, last night on "letterman" she wasn't watching herself. back the panel. susan, chris, ron, meghan, apparently lip-synching. that's all right. a tide slide. got the cruise ship in the background. >> over there. right. whatever. >> giving us trouble there. go back to, i asked you, what do you expect to hear out of this acceptance speech? >> i was saying romney will do a policy speech, somewhat of his narrative of his biography but

not concentrate -- >> you don't think -- >> i don't think he's comfortable speaking about himself. we've seen that in the past. honestly, paul ryan did a great job of it explaining. i love the connection between his mormon faith, we haven't heard them talk about and paul ryan talking about his own faith. end of the day, morality and praying to the same thing is all that really matters. >> versus theology. swing voter. did paul ryan talk to any of them last night? >> yes, he did. he talked about the middle class helping middle class. he talked about mom. women. women swing voters to have swing this election and he talked about his mom going back to school. getting 0en a bus every day and going 40 miles. starting her own career after his father died. he talked about, you know, join us. at the end of the speech. join our team. no 345matter who you're thinkin nab this election, join our team and get this election going. >> did you hear swing voters?

>> i don't disagree with susan in terms of messaging. it was more for the crowd in the room. he focused on why paul ryan was the pick. i think it's a gamble on swing voters in picking, but it's a gamble broadly on picking ryan, made clear last night. which is, do you believe that people say they want to hear hard truths and you ready to make hard decisions? are they really, or not? we're going to find out. >> how did the ryan campaign handle the pushback from the obama campaign? >> so far letting it soak in. they expected the obama campaign. they came out this morning and line by line saying, that's not true. that's false. that's a lie. and so i think they anticipated some of that, and the devil's always in the details. for the next 9 1/2 weeks it's going to be getting into those details. >> shameless plug? >> susan? >> great team coverage. we'll be in charlotte.

>> it's okay. just okay. always said that. >> excellent. there, too. >> meghan? >> the daily beast. my home. that's all i got. go to the daily beast. >> not your book. how about that? >> chris. >> waiting for my chris button. >> you know what? a guy making them. we'll see. >> my mom could make one. a lot of good pictures. >> mine is common. >> yours had value. >> yours? >> i'm going to plug, you can't find the ron mott buttons. >> again. ours are somewhere. i don't where. >> thank you for joining us. for this edition of "the daily rundown." stick with misnbc all day for coverage of the republican national convention. coming up next, chris jansing. bye-bye. muddling through allergies. try zyrtec® liquid gels. nothing starts working faster than zyrtec® at relieving your allergy symptoms for 24 hours.

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check out the latest collection of snacks from lean cuisine. creamy spinach artichoke dip, crispy garlic chicken spring rolls. they're this season's must-have accessory. lean cuisine. be culinary chic. 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. good morning. i'm chris jansing. tonight mitt romney will give