>> it was a rerun, it could have been on nick at nite. we've seen it before. you mice as well watched it on a black-and-white tv with rabbit ears. >> the republicans have tried to push the narrative that people are disappointed in this president after the hope and change he promised four years ago and there is a central question. >> but yes, sir or no, are americans better off today than they were four years ago? >> listen, george, they did a good job of reciting the statistics. >> you still can't say yes. >> well, we've clearly improved, george. >> david, can you honestly say that the average american is better off today than four years ago? >> here's what i can say, chris. i can say we're in a better position than we were four years ago. >> can you honestly say that people are better off today than they were four years ago? >> no, but that's not the

question of this election. >> ryan grimm is the washington bureau dheef of "the washington post." and good to see both of you. april, it seemed like some of those folks were having trouble answering the question. is that the central question the president will be facing as he heads down south? you know, that is the question. that platform committee works on agenda items, issues for this convention. he said definitely issues of poverty will play into this convention speech from the president. he said not only the issues of poverty, but specifics and distinct specifics about how to move forward. this issue, the economy, recession, and trying to help the middle class, which the president's poll numbers are directly linked to are really

crucial as the numbers are so, so tight between president obama and mitt romney, ryan, do you think it's a different question? romney had to essential introduce himself. the president says there will be nor policy. does he have to do that? >> sure. the entire question is tough to answer, because of course most people are not better off, but it's also a partly silly question, because it's like saying, hey, were you better off at the peak of the housing bubble than you were after it crashed? it's like telling somebody with a terrible hangover, hey, you were way better off last night when you were at the bar. i saw you there. you were great. so the guy thinks, yeah you're right, maybe i should just go back to the bar. that's sort of what they're trying to tell voters, hey, you were great when this bubble was going on, so let's get another

bubble and everything will be okay. let me show a bit of mitt romney from his convention speech. >> for the first time, the majority of americans now doubt that our children will have a better future. >> well, roger i'm is not kind of debuvgs that in his column saying actually people have been pessimistic about the economy all the way back to reagan and the first bush. if you look at polls, it proves that. april, how do the democrats point that out, or do they have to keep using the line, remember president bush. >> well, they can use that line only so much. at a certain point this president has to own his responsibility with this economy, but you have to remember that this campaign will say if -- and we're going back to what happened this weekend, what a lot of -- were saying, if we had not done the things we complemented like, what is it, the auto bailout, things of that

nation, they helped the state of michigan, the auto dealers, the manufacturers domestically. they've done so much extending unemployment, things of that nature. they said if we had not done the things we had done, this economy would have been worse than what it is. that's what we're trying to point out. that goes back to the speech and trying to deal with issues of those having a hard time with this economy, still falling through the cracks. >> i also want to play for you an obama campaign ad that speaks to the middle class. take a look. >> the middle classes carrying a heavy load in america, but mitt romney doesn't see it. under the romney plan, a middle-class family will pay up toage average -- while at the same time giving multimillionaires like himself a $250,000 tax cut. i wonder, ryan, how much of that stuff beal hear and will we hear it from the president?

will he say mitt romney in his speech? if so, how much? >> i think that he'll take about mitt romney. you know, how should we put this? the more that the president has gotten to know mitt romney, the less he has liked him. so there's certainly going to be an impulse he'll want to talk about mitt romney. now, you know, the political fathers may say it's not worth going there and we should talk about our forward-looking agenda, but when it comes to stuff like that, he'll certainly want to bring it up, as a tax policy, the center has said in order to give the tax cut to the wealthy that mitt romney wants to, you have to raise taxes on the middle class. if he can make that idea pen trade with people, look, this guy is going to raise your taxes in order to give a break to the wealthy, people will say, well, you know what? the economy is not so great, but i don't exactly want a friend of the rich to raise my taxes. i think that's the best the

president can do this week. >> april, do you agree? >> one thing this president is good about is not necessarily always mentioning the name of his opponent, and this president has tried before to take the high road. again, i think the specifics and details will outweigh more so mitt rom, mitt romney. like in tampa, all we kept hearing, and it was shocking to me all we were hearing was barack obama, barack obama, barack obama. we heard a bit of information, but it was clear you wanted to make sure barack obama, barack obama, barack obama was the problem. i think going into this speech and all of these speeches, it's more so about moving forward and helping people than focusing in on the opponent and using his name, so they can keep their little bit of edge in some states that he has. >> ron and april, stay with me. i want to bring in governor jack

markle. are people better off? >> of course we were. people were losing hundreds of jobs every single month. now we're gaining 29 straight months. we need to do better. the first is the first person to say we need to do better. b, make sure people understand there's an incredible difference in approach. >> does that by its very nature make it sound like a very qualified left, and why somebody like martin o'malley set no. >> the fact is 29 straight months of job growth, over 4 million jobs created. that being said, at the end of the bush administration, the first few months, 700,000 jobs a month we were sing, that's obviously stemming from what happened before. we have lots of progress to make. my view is the president, as long as there are people who

want to work who are not working, has more to do. he's also the first one to understand government doesn't create the jobs. what government can do and must do is create a nurturing environment where private-sector employers want to put more people to work. i think that's the real opportunity for this week for the president and for our party is to make sure people understand the specifics. >> one of the big issues they have, frank, is health care. yesterday the president in colorado said health care is here to say. >> you know, obama care, i like the name. i do care. i don't know exactly what the other side is proposing. i guess you could call it romney doesn't care. >> you're a former businessman. i talked to a couple over the weekend and they say what they called obama care was an

absolute killer. how worried are you that the perception is getting through and is it true? >> when i was campaigning for governor four years ago, the number one issue i heard about was health care and how the status quo was unacceptable, small businesses having difficulty paying for their increasing health care rates. the president is tackling this head-on, and so i think this is going to be very good, because -- >> but to the small business owner who says this is something that my business cannot tolerate, i cannot afford this health care law, what do you say to them? >> i will say to them remember four years ago when you were saying you could not afford the status quo? that's the key difference. the president, unlike the other side, the president has introduced a number of proposals that will tackle the issue of cost. we've got to continue to move away from what has become a sick

care system where providers get paid based on how many procedures they do to a health care system where providers get paid based on keeping people healthy. >> governor markell, have ra good convention. >> thank you. there was a lot of conversation about how clint eastwood dominated so much of the post-rep convention, but listen to what newt gingrich had to say. >> i think the biggest event won't be thursday, it will be the friday morning jobs report. if that report is bad it will drown his speech. friday morning jobs report is a lot bigger event this week than clint eastwood last week.

>> is he right? or maybe good luck, we'll see what the numbers say? >> i think he's exactly right. we spend an awful amount of time and energy coverings this election, campaigns raised millions in order to wage this fight, but i think gingrich is basically right. it's ultimately going to come down to jobs. if the economy cakizes or improves, obama wins. if it tanks obama loses, and everything else, welfare ads, todd akin, none of it will matter in the face of the economy. >> april, he's going to have to deal with it again, four days ago before the election, ultimately for all the of the conversations we've had in between, are we really at in november where we were when we were first talking about this in january, even last year that ultimately it's going to be about the numbers, it's going to be about the unemployment rate and how people feel about the economy?

>> you know, we're at a crush step at a crush time. everybody counts between now and election day. and the economy is major. at newt gingrich said, friday is the day that the new jobs numbers come out. every time we hear the jobs numbers, there's a big hullabaloo about it, because this economy is in the grips of trying to come out of a recession. for those still jobless, they are concerned about this. this president talked about hope and change. that's what people remember. the question is mitt romney -- yes, he ran a company, a business owner, but at the same time you still need government to do regulation and policy, so it kind of works hand in hand, but which one will you pick? it's all about the reg activity of politics. how is it affecting me? am i doing better? am i doing worse? am i okay? can i survive? it's what affects a person personally, i think that's what

will happen. again we have a long way to go between now and november. anything can happen, anything can happen. >> including those two jobs reports. april ryan and ryan grim, thanks to both of you. two california delegates were sent home over before it started. state party officials noticed that hotel staffed, one appeared to pass out. paramedics were called. the other delegate got into a confrontation with the paramedics. both were told to leave as of this morning. [ female announcer ] e-trade was founded on the simple belief

that bringing you better technology helps make you a better investor. with our revolutionary e-trade 360 dashboard you see exactly where your money is and what it's doing live. our e-trade pro platform offers powerful functionality that's still so usable you'll actually use it.

and our mobile apps are the ultimate in wherever whenever investing. no matter what kind of investor you are, you'll find the technology to help you become a better one at e-trade. constipated? yeah. mm. some laxatives like dulcolax can cause cramps. but phillips' caplets don't. they have magnesium. for effective relief of occasional constipation. thanks. [ phillips' lady ] live the regular life. phillips'.

president obama heads to louisiana today for his first look at the aftermath of hurricane isaac. mitt romney was there friday, though the white house says the president's trip was planned first. labor day is the traditional start of the presidential

campaign, and every decision that's made now -- where they go, what they say, when they add a new line to the stump speech -- it's all carefully planned. the decisions are not always easy. i'm joined by bill richardson. always good to see you. good morning. >> nice to be with you, chris. >> take us in the room. how difficult are the decisions? today the president canceled a planned trip to cleveland after toledo. he's going to louisiana instead. in some ways that might be an easier one, but the closer we get to election day how touch are the decisions? >> as you said everything focuses, right after labor day, that 10% that's undecided that will settle this election, this is when they start focusing. decisions are made, yes, polls in terms of the battleground stays, hawaii, colorado, never

never, those states will guess enormous attention, but obviously with what happened in new orleans, the president can't repeat the error made in the old bush administration when they were a little slow moving with the katrina. i think this president has been effective getting out there in all kinds of disasters, not just showing compassion, but the president actually has resources to put forth, and he wants to show not just a personal concern, but that we're actively moving to deal with some of the damage and the suffering of all of this is people. >> it's always interesting to me, is it so much about what he says or just that he's there, it's a photo op? what's important in these kinds of situations? >> well, what's important is both, chris -- that he is there, that he didn't hesitate at being there, that it was planned, that he has resources.

he's going to talk to not just the officials there, but he's going to talk to some of the residence that have suffer, but also i believe a case -- when i was running four years ago there was maybe one or two news cycles a day, now there's five or six, so you have to get ahead of these news cycles that now include enormous social media, tweeting, all kinds of facebook, and regular networks, cable. so you have to really be ahead of the news, otherwise if you get behind and you can't knock down a story, you're going to be hurt, that is in the last 60 days in a very close race crucially important. i also want to ask about your old boss, bill clinton. he's been written about so much in recent days. the front page of the post, i think this is the second day they've had a front page story, saying there was a slur involving barack obama, there

are other articles saying everything from barack obama and -- they have a very contentious relationship, whether he'll be an asset or loose cannon at the convention. what's his role in all of this? could he be, as some people would loon to suggest, the clint east within of the dnc, in that everybody it is talking about him, not the candidate? >> well, no, i think what you want to show with president clinton, a president that balanced the budget, and he's basically going to say that president obama has similar policies, pro-jobs, that congress is hurting him, and like with president clinton, he was able to get a number of things through congress at a time when the divisions weren't as sour as they are now. so i think president clinton remains very popular with not just the democratic base, but

the average voter that 10% independent voter. i think, chris, what president obama is looking at is repeating what happened four years ago. he's got to appeal to young voters. he's got to appeal to independents. you've got to appeal to women and increase thattend are gap, and then minorities, especially the hispanic vote. that's would you're seeing him go to nevada, colorado, new mexico, florida, why that hispanic vote is key, not just getting the 65% that a democrat needs, but also turnout, mac mizing that turnout. i think he has a big asset that republicans and mitt romney have been bush jobs, education policy, so these last 60 days are critical. >> governor bill richardson, always good to have you on the program. thank you so much. >> thank you. the powerful founder of the

controversial unification church has sigh. sun myung moon, his holding had vast tracts of land, a ballet company, a gun manufacturer, and the "washington times" newspaper. for a golf getaway. double miles you can actually use... but mr. single miles can't join his friends because he's getting hit with blackouts. shame on you. now he's stuck in a miniature nightmare. oh, thank you. but, with the capital one venture card... you can fly any airline, any flight, any time. double miles you can actually use. what's in your wallet? alec jr? it was a gift. stop! stop! stop! come back here! humans -- we are beautifully imperfect creatures living in an imperfect world. that's why liberty mutual insurance has your back

with great ideas like our optional better car replacement. if your car is totaled, we give you the money to buy one a model year newer. call... and ask one of our insurance experts about it today. hello?! we believe our customers do their best out there in the world, and we do everything we can to be there for them when they need us. [car alarm blaring] call now and also ask about our 24/7 support and service. call... and lock in your rate for 12 months today. liberty mutual insurance. responsibility. what's your policy?

i've been fortunate to win on golf's biggest stages. but when joint pain and stiffness from psoriatic arthritis hit, even the smallest things became difficult. i finally understood what serious joint pain is like. i talked to my rheumatologist and he prescribed enbrel. enbrel can help relieve pain, stiffness, and stop joint damage. because enbrel, etanercept, suppresses your immune system, it may lower your ability to fight infections. serious, sometimes fatal events including infections, tuberculosis, lymphoma, other cancers, and nervous system and blood disorders have occurred. before starting enbrel, your doctor should test you for tuberculosis and discuss whether you've been to a region where certain fungal infections are common. don't start enbrel if you have an infection like the flu. tell your doctor if you're prone to infections,

have cuts or sores, have had hepatitis b, have been treated for heart failure, or if, while on enbrel, you experience persistent fever, bruising, bleeding, or paleness. [ phil ] get back to the things that matter most. ask your rheumatologist if enbrel is right for you. [ doctor ] enbrel, the number one biolog medicine prescribed by rheumatologists. both campaigns this weekend appealed to college football fans. here's the president in iowa. >> we've got a spectacular day. college football is in the air. [ cheers and applause ] >> we will try to get you home in time to see the hawkeyes and the cyclones. paul ryan really got into it playing corn hole with the fans. he did joke at one point that he

was angry that they beat his badgest last year. in a different sports, he's catching flack, now he says he's been reminded he was off by about an hour. reminded by his brother who ran the boston mar athought. if i were to do any rounding, it would certainly be to four hours not three. he gave me a good ribbing about this at dinner tonight. a $15,000 dinner in london, and. and tracking who is selling more books. it turns out redbooks are outselling blue books even in blue states. and speaking of selling, if you read only one thing this morning, my must-read is about the avalanche of specialized pillows out there, designed to cure everything from insomnia to

face wrirkles, acid reflux to snoring, which work? which are just hype? its up on our facebook page. [ male announcer ] if you stash tissues like a squirrel stashes nuts, you may be muddling through allergies. try zyrtec® liquid gels. nothing starts working faster than zyrtec® at relieving your allergy symptoms for 24 hours. zyrtec®. love the air.

the president will be in toledo, ohio, leading up to his big primetime peeve thursday. joining me from charlotte, ted strickland and john seary. governor, let me start with you. the president has to reach undecided voters in key states. in your view, what's the main thing the president needs to accomplish in. >> he needs to talk about the situation we face, a choice between mitt romney and paul ryan, who basically want to take care of the wealthy, and the fact that the president and his team are concerned about the working middle class. i'm glad he's in ohio, because

in ohio we know this is the president who saved the auto industry and the many thousands of jobs related to it. i think he'll do well in ohio, but i think as he comes out of this convention, there will be a clear difference between the fighting working class, and that's how i see this choice. >> you know, i also want to talk about vice president biden's role. yesterday in paul ryan's home state, he went after the gop ticket's medicare plan. >> my mom was a smart worm, but my mom, i can't picture handing her a voucher at age 80, and say you go out in the insurance market and you figure out what's best for you. ladies and gentlemen, it's just that simple. we are for medicare. they are for voucher care. it's basic. >> it's obviously a new line, john, for the democrats, but is that the kind of thing we'll

here from the vice president, very much like paul ryan, very much more on the attack than mitt romney was. >> sure, that's what you have with the vice president. they are supposed to play the role of attack dog. from my perspective, i like forward to a debate between paul ryan, which offers a new vision, new leadership, and the 08d visions of joe biden. this will be a great debate between the republican party that's looking to kind of reinvigorate this country and getting it moving forward, and joe biden who's looking in the past. this is the role of joe biden, though, he's also played the role of court jester, someone who has been very gaff-prone throughout his tenure. >> you're laughing, governor. >> well, i was with joe biden in youngstown just a few days ago. ohioans love joe biden. you know, he may be old school, but even the tea party folks

like medication and social security, and the ryan budget would decimate in my judgment actually kill medicare as we know it, begin the privatization of social security, cut pell grants for our students, raise taxes on the middle class, give tax toss wealthy people. we can debate the paul ryan/mitt romney budget. i hope we do during the next 65 days, because that is is draconian extreme budget, and mitt romney called it a marvelous budget, but a budget that would be devastating to the programs that working middle-class ohioans and americans care about. >> i have no doubt we will do that. john, let me go back to the convention, do you think you're at a disadvantage? do you think there's an advantage in going second, that you can answer the things that were said at the previous convention? >> not this time, because i do think the president will spend the majority of his time trying

to explain himself, what happened, why his presidency has been a failure. something quickly about ohio. the reason ohio has had a comeback is because of john kasich. the biggest part of the job growth is the leadership of john kasich, and you should know that, because he beat you in. >> you can personalize this -- this debate will be continued, for sure. trying to steal some of the democrats' thunder by launching a response. they're opening a obama isn't working response center. good morning, congressman. interesting name for the center. most americans think it's the

congress that isn't working. is this a case of people in glass houses shouldn't throw stones? >> no, i think this is about president obama and the lack of leadership you can't -- that 70% of america thinks we're offtrack, that the economy is not better. the president takes a responsibility -- unique responsibility in our country, and hasn't lived up to all the hype and rhetoric. this idea of we're not red states or blue states, we're the united states. everybody got excited about that. the problem is that's not the way he's acted. the results have decimated the economy, and consequently we're not producing the way we could and should. >> one of the specifics of the speech waufle it was short on details. you have to really lay out how your program will be different. here's some of the reaction over the weekend. >> when governor romney finally

had a chance to reveal the secret sauce, he did not offer a single new idea. >> what he missed was the opportunity to talk about not how much he loves his family, but what he will do for the american people and their families. >> their platform was locked up in the same vault as mitt romney's tax returns. >> by contrast, romney campai-- romney miss an important opportunity to say exactly what he will do to jump-start 9 economy? >> no, i thought whenned country got to see ann romney, it was absolutely wonderful. ann, mitt romney and paul ryan, they laid out who he is and the vision for the country. he's been specific through the campaign. you can't become the gnomee having gone through 19 debates without a lot of specificity, talking about approving the keystone pipeline, and repealing

obama care and making sure that each of the states get a waiver. going through tax reform so that we can get rid of these loop holes and get our country more competitive. you make $200,000 or less as your adjusted gross income, we want to make sure -- >> with all due respect, congressman -- >> there are a lot of specifics in those types of details. >> but those details were not talked about mitt romney. a question was raced, i don't think -- >> absolutely, they've been talking about these for months, absolutely. >> ann romney did a great job of talking about why she thinks he's a good person, and mitt romney talked about his personal life and experience that is we hadn't heard before, but he's been on the national stage for many, many years, running for president for 5 1/2 years, why did he have to spend that time sort of introducing himself,

somebody who's been out there for such a long time? could he have given more of the details you're just talking about right now? >> well, i think he has throughout the totality of the campaign. you can't tail a 20 or 30-minute segment and say that's the only thing he wanted to do. he has a 59-point plan, ran an ad campaign about what he wants to do on day one. what's interesting to me is we read the president and vice president here in charlotte, are they going to talk about their record? because the record is now something they can run on. they'll try to distract and do other things, but i think the challenge for the president in this election, and certainly this campaign is, are you better off? three top advisers could not answer that question on the sunday talk shows. it was kind of an embarrassment. as you move forward, as they get the platform, what are they going to talk about? because most every economic indicator shows the country is not living up to its

expectations. >> congressman, thank you so much for coming. like the republicans last week democrats are trying to generate convention buzz, including a special outreach to latino voters. richard lui has been checking it out. what's the plan? >> new democratic campaign details have digital and -- we'll have live streaming video of the convention in spanish from beginning to end. the countdown clock puts it just a day away. it has mayor villaraigosa action and also video from marc anthony. >> the president has our back. so it's time to let him know we've got his. >> anthony will also be part of a dnc panel discussion, he'll also belt out the national anthem the night the president

speaks. another prominent latina, eva longoria, longoria's social media footprint is also brought to bear here. she's tweet consistently about the election. now, the dnc's digital mix-up, welcoming, 13 puff 5 million latinos use facebook. over 8 million of them use twitter. more than any other group when it comes to nielsen. aid have i don't 68% likely to watch it online, which fits perfectly into what the dnc is calling unprecedented online plans. >> 941 texts a month. fascinating. >> a lot. richard, thank you so much. two americans were hurt

earlier today in pakistan when a u.s. embassy vehicle was rammed by a car filled with explosives. it happened in peshawar. sheriff's deputies are escorts residents and big owners back to plaquemines parish, but for just a short time. in new orleans, 129,000 people still have no power. a rude awake innocence in the los angeles area thork, a magnitude 3.3 earthquake. there are no reports of damage or injuries. back to charlotte now, where the democrats have some big-name performers coming to the convention this week. among them the foo fighters, mare,j. blige,ered, wind & fire,

and as we just reported marc anthony will be singing the national anthem. with the spark cash card from capital one, olaf's pizza palace gets the most rewards of any small business credit card! pizza!!!!! [ garth ] olaf's small business earns 2% cash back on every purchase, every day! put it on my spark card! [ high-pitched ] nice doin' business with you! [ garth ] why settle for less? great businesses deserve the most rewards! awesome!!! [ male announcer ] the spark business card from capital one. choose unlimited rewards with 2% cash back or double miles on every purchase, every day! what's in your wallet? have given way to sleeping. where sleepless nights yield to restful sleep. and lunesta can help you get there, like it has for so many people before. when taking lunesta, don't drive or operate machinery until you feel fully awake. walking, eating, driving, or engaging in other activities while asleep, without remembering it the next day, have been reported.

abnormal behaviors may include aggressiveness, agitation, hallucinations or confusion. in depressed patients, worsening of depression, including risk of suicide, may occur. alcohol may increase these risks. allergic reactions, such as tongue or throat swelling, occur rarely and may be fatal. side effects may include unpleasant taste, headache, dizziness and morning drowsiness. ask your doctor if lunesta is right for you. then find out how to get lunesta for as low as $15 at lunesta.com. there's a land of restful sleep. we can help you go there on the wings of lunesta.

dnnks i hamybdomen..itwo g watiicov mth..t rlrnofec meoron i hamybdomen..itwo g

r.bohiov mth..t rlrnofec chris matthews takes a closer look in a new documentary. don't miss the premiere hosted by chris matthews tonight at 10:00 on msnbc. a new movie about failing inner city schools is getting a lot of attention for the controversial portrayals of teachers and their unions. >> you're like the only person who does what she says she's going to do around here. >> i'm sorry. >> you want to start a school with me? >> what? >> because i'm sick of this. i can't take this anymore, and somebody told me that if you -- if you find a teacher and stick

with it long enough, you can turn a school around. >> the film westbound screened this week at the national convention. it was screened at the rnc last week, where education has been a hot topic. it resonating with voters? i'm jody by michelle reed, former chancellor of the washington, d.c. public schools. always great touz you, your organization students first is co-sponsoring the movie, but the movie has its critics and it's been slammed, saying it's dividesive. what do you think about the criticism? >> well, i think it's clear when you watch the film, it is a pro-teacher movie. it's about a parent whose child is trapped in a failing school, looking for a solution. what she ends up doing is partnering with one teacher

initially and subsequently a group of teachers to turn that school around, so i think it sends the message when parents and teachers in a community can work together, we can see dramatic reform. >> it's also being criticizing for over-inflating the effectiveness of laws. you have been in favor of such laws, but opponents say they're dangerous, because they circumvent elected school boards and invite abuse by charter school members. >> if you listen to the debate, you'll hear a lot of people saying we need parents to be more involved and engaged. at the end of the day, that's exactly what the laws try to do, ensure the parents are invested in the children's success. if the parents are in a situation where their child is trapped in a failing school, there are some alternatives. so we can't on the one hand tell parents we want them more

involved, but on the other hand when they gets more engaged and want to see a turnaround, they say we don't want your involve there. we have to consist president, and i think the message we want to send is you have to be integrally involved in your child's education, jeb bush made it the centerpiece of his speech. chris christie talked about education. in an article just out about the president, getting out and campaigning more, a number of adeck dots he's talked about are meeting with teachers. they're frustrated about class size, about old textbooks, not enough desks. is it a problem for him that the question for voters are your schools better than they were four years ago after $100 billion in stimulus money? >> you know, as it pertains to education, i think that there is no doubt that there is more happening on the state legislative side of things, more education laws and policies are

being passed today than a reform mind because of the race to the top initiative that secretary oobama and secretary duncan put in place. i think we've seen more activity than ever before in this country. michelle rhee, thank you so much for being with us. our labor day tweet of the day comes from newark mayor cory booker, sweat and toil, dignity and duty, struggle and sackry nice, dreams 2 destiny here's to all lights and sounds vying for your attention. so we invented a warning you can feel. introducing the all-new cadillac xts. available with a patented safety alert seat. when there's danger you might not see, you're warned by a pulse in the seat. it's technology you won't find in a mercedes e-class. the all-new cadillac xts has arrived, and it's bringing the future forward.

idide? you're not my dad ahh!! hey honey, back feels better, little dancing tonight, you and me? dr. scholl's pro inserts relieve different types of lower body pain by treating at the source so you're a whole new you. go pro with dr. scholl's. yeah, i might have ears like a rabbit... but i want to eat meat! [ male announcer ] iams knows dogs love meat. ...but most dry foods add plant protein, like gluten iams never adds gluten. iams adds 50% more animal protein, [ dog 2 ] look at me! i'm a lean, mean flying machine [ dog 1 ] i am too! woo hoo! [ male announcer ] iams. with 50% more animal protein. [ dog 2 ] i'm an iams dog for life. not a rabbit. woof!

. winning the state about 14,177 votes. can he re-create that winning formula in 2012? nbc's cray melvin hit the ground to see what will bring back the magic. >> in downtown charlotte, summer was different four years ago. >> crazy. >> reporter: barbers like

dominique remember the steady stream of eager volunteers who stopped by the shop to register new voters. >> everyone was obama. >> reporter: nearby, great student adam jaycox recalls being captivated. >> reporter: young people and black voters were the bedrock in the tar heel state. he snagged 95% of the black vote and 74% of voters under 30, but this time many are unenthused and frustrated. >> sometimes he wasn't willing to stand up for things he thought was worth pushing for. >> he hasn't community indicated well. >> it's scary, there's not that many jobs. >> reporter: the state's stubborn unemployment rate, 9.6% in july, well above the average and fifth highest in america.

voters who have been bombarded with ads tying the president to joblessness. mitt rom in and groups supporting him have poured millions into ads. obama and his groups, $22 million. >> clearly the republicans have the van in the air war. >> reporter: but the ground game is legendary. >> they've never really left the state after the campaign, and have been heavily organizing, and republicans are only now beginning to organize. >> mitt romney's campaign has 19, like this one in charlotte, that opened in may. >> we're going to continue to take our message to the voters. we're in the contest to see who can open the most offices or anything like that. >> reporter: among the president's base will be enough to close the narrowest of gaps. in north carolina, craig melvin,

nbc news. that wraps up this hour of "jansen & company. just join mekong ma steny hower, and former obama adviser, van jones. thomas roberts is up next. we've got to think long term. we've got to think long term. ♪ we've got to think long term. we've got to think long term. my name is adam frucci and i'm the i love new technology,om. so when i heard that american express and twitter were teaming up, i was pretty interested. turns out you just sync your american express card securely to your twitter account, tweet specific hashtags,

and you'll get offers on things you love. this totally changes the way i think about membership. saving money on the things you want. to me, that's the membership effect. nice boots!

good morning, everybody. damage control. it's the eve of their big party. democrats are pushing back. the kickoff now 24 hours away. the intention on the answer an obama surrogate gave to the answer -- are we better off? >> we are not as well off as we were before george bush brought us the deficits, the series of desert wards, charge to the

national credit card. so after 12 hours of bad headlines, the obama campaign gave a very different answer this morning. >> better off today than four years ago when president obama was elected? >> absolutely. with paul ryan scheduled to campaign in north carolina today, republicans in a moment of political carpe diemplan to push that question, are you better off? >> when it. >> as far as where we are on jobs, the economy, if that's what this election is about, we win. >> ryan is going to be in north carolina, air force one heels down in louisiana. president obama will attitude -- in the trail in the last days before the big speech, for millions in charlotte, trying out new lines of