results at 9/8 central. i'm @nick cannon - goodnight america! . tonight it begins for the republicans here in tampa. the gop convention already altered by a storm, gets underway in prime time. ann romney will talk about her husband of 43 years. and chris christie shifts the focus to the full-on fight for the white house in november. also tonight, our exclusive conversation with a rising star in this party, senator marco rubio of florida. >> live from tampa, florida,

here is brian williams. >> good evening from tampa, florida, whereas you know, we are covering these two simultaneous events that are both really getting cranked up at this hour. first of all, this gathering, as you might have noticed. we have a political convention going on behind us. the gop's big show opening night, rain delayed as it is. tonight we will hear from mrs. romney and governor chris christie of new jersey with the key note. the other story, of course, is going on to our west and all along the gulf coast tonight. hurricane isaac made landfall earlier this evening. officially in plaquemines parish about 90 miles south of new orleans and now begins this slow churn to the north. and now really, we get to see what $14 billion of taxpayer money will buy. that's how much money has been spent getting new orleans ready for the next big hurricane. they're getting all the rain they can handle there right now. and we are joined by nbc's lester holt.

he is out in it on the river walk in new orleans. lester, how are you holding up there? >> reporter: holding up well, and rain, and a lot of wind here. it comes in bands. the southeast coast of louisiana is taking a beating. the bulk of it still on the way to new orleans. we're told sometime after midnight things will go downhill as if it were not already plunging off a cliff with the weather hitting this place. lots of people, over 100,000 without power in louisiana. let's talk about the effect of its most worrisome. the storm surge. expected to be anywhere from 6 to 12 feet in a huge area. then there is the amount of rain. 12 to 20 inches forecast for this immediate area. 12 to 20 inches of rain. an enormous amount of rain. that is the most worrisome thing. they're not worried about their levees in new orleans. they believe they invested that $14 billion you talk about well.

they closed one of the key gates. a billion-dollar addition thinking that will hold off any storm surge. they are worried about localized flooding, brian, because this is a slow-moving storm. high windshigh rain for the next 24 hours or more. >> lester, help us out here. it is hard to see in the dark. how close are we between the level of the water and the level of the wall behind you? i know you're gulping in mouthfuls of rain water in the meantime. >> reporter: yeah. we've still got a good probably eight to ten feet below. what you cannot see is how swiftly this river is moving. i think i mentioned to you earlier, if you had a surfboard, you could probably surf on the mississippi right now. the waves are so huge. >> all right, lester. you take care. same to our camera crew. it will be a long night for anybody living along the gulf coast. back to this gathering, of course, tonight, we'll see two very different and divergent messages and messengers all toward the same goal.

we'll hear from ann romney tonight. we'll hear from the governor of the state of new jersey, chris christie tonight with his key note. one of the big name republicans here happens to be one of the two host senators from the state of florida. republican marco rubio is here with us in the institute-year-oinstitutstudio. i know we're in the closing minutes before mrs. romney comes out. there is a big planned explosion. i want to ask you about your party. i've watched you on television for days, talking about this gathering and being a proud floridian. are you happy with the tone and tenor of the conversation right now? the rate debate got out of control. went several days. is this where you want it in the big tent business? >> first of all, i think we have to understand what a different political climate where politics is covered almost like sports is, 24 hours a day by multiple outlets and there is always need

for content. that doesn't mean that that didn't deserve attention but i think we're at the stage where voters will start to focus in. i would say especially after these conventions. it is true, people are coming back from vacation. their kids are starting school and they'll begin to focus on that choice that they have. tonight is the kickoff of that. we have mrs. romney coming up. she will introduce to us mr. romney the person. a very special person. a unique individual. i hope after tonight americans long how truly unique mr. romney is. and then chris christie will stand up and talk about leadership and what it will take to turn it around as leadership. i think he will share his experience leading in new jersey and he will talk about how this applies to this election. tonight is the gings of the final stretch to be, to use an often used term, the fourth quarter of this ball game. >> you do have the job, the

honor of introducing mitt romney. it is a transparent age. be honest. should we know more about him already? should there be this great a need? >> i think he is a very modest person. i think by nature someone who doesn't want to brag about himself. i think that is an attribute for most people is a good thing but in politics, it is important to know the person. finally tonight as the nominee of this party, we'll begin to see that. i can't wait. i hope people get to know mitt romney the way i've gotten to know him. as a father, a husband, a grandfather. i've seen him interact with his sons on the road. you don't fake that stuff. this guy is the real deal on a personal level, irrespective of how people feel about how he stands on issues. people may disagree with him on an issue but i think they will come to admire how he's lived his life and the role model for so many younger americans. peel like myself. >> about your story. you have a great american story. your american story begins south of here in cuba. are you happy with the language of this gathering? you're also in the business of

telling to the other young marco rubios around the united states, you can be like me. come with us, be a republican. are you happy with the language of this gathering and this party? >> it is just starting but here's what i'm hearing tonight. what i'm not hearing is just the despair of the moment. i'm hearing the opportunity for the future. i think you'll hear that tonight from chris christie. yes, we have some challenges that we're facing. this century can be an american century. there's no reason why this next 100 years can be just as great for this country if not better than the last 100 years. at the end of the day, people want to be inspired. not divided. people want to be inspired, not scared. this is a convention of a bunch of leaders in this party, chiefly mitt romney and paul ryan who spoke clearly about the challenges we face but also about the opportunities we have to create a new american century. >> senator marco rubio. we're very him a to have you. we join you in florida's pride in hosting this. and it is a great gathering underway tonight. >> great to have you here.

>> andrea mitchell is on the floor with a preview of what we're all going to see happen. i called it a planned explosion coming up here. you're in what we call the podium position here where the speakers come and go to go up to the stage. >> we're going to have two big speakers. first, of course, ann romney who will speak very warmly and personally about her husband mitt romney. and then the key note from chris christie, very different tones, you can expect. just now, the romneys are in the house. the press pool was brought back. mitt romney said to his wife, break a leg. you'll do great. she said i'm excited. i'm not nervous. and we're told that she is very excited about coming out here and giving the first big speech and the teleprompter written for her. this is a very big night but ann romney is clearly the star of the romney campaign. >> two things here. about the teleprompter, mrs. romney did say that to the media on the jet today. teleprompter, trust me here, can

be a god-awful, unnatural device, and if you're not used to reading from a glass panel and seeing the text, there it is now. that is the central screen in the back of the room. it is basically a large flat screen tv. it is available to all the speakers. and you've also seen those glass panels, state of the union, you always see them. it is a tough way to deliver a speech when you're used to speaking from the heart or off the cuff or without notes. the second note is we did see the romneys tonight. politics can be a highly unglamorous business at times. we saw them come out the loading dock of the marriott hotel here and walk through everything we all know sits on the floor there in loading docks. got into the secret service motorcade moments ago to come over here to the arena. chuck todd down on the floor. chuck, give us your preview of tonight. >> i want to tell but what we've

seen over the last two hours. there's been an array of rising stars. we had nicky haley. the second hispanic republican in the senate. but brian, nobody brought this crowd to its feet more than the governor of wisconsin here. scott walker. i come with a prop. you see a lot of cheese heads. obviously paul ryan is very popular here being on the particular, being a wisconsin guy. i can tell you, scott walker, nobody lit up this room like scott walker. the first time he was brought on and then after he was done speaking. >> chuck todd speaking while mrs. romney is now coming out to the stage. as we said, this is a planned period of welcome.

for ann romney. [ cheers and applause ] >> welcome! >> scenes of her husband and family behind her. she is 63 years old. they've been married for 43 years. >> thank you and thank you. i can't wait to see what we're going to all do together. this is going to be so exciting! just so you all know, the hurricane has hit landfall and i think we should all take this

moment and recognize that fellow americans are in its path, and just hope and pray that all remain safe and no life is lost and no property is lost. we should all be thankful for this great country and grateful for our first responders and all that keep us safe in this wonderful country. well, i want to talk to you tonight, not about politics and not about party. and while there are many important issues we'll hear discussed in this convention and throughout this campaign, tonight i want to talk to you from my heart about our hearts. i want to talk not about what

divides us but what holds us together as an american family. i want to talk to you tonight about that one great thing that unites us. that one great thing that brings us our greatest joy when times are good and the deepest solace in our deepest sorrows. tonight i want to talk to you about love. i want to talk to you about the deep and abiding love i have for a man i met at a dance many years ago. and the profound love i have, and i know we share for this country. i want to talk to you about that love so deep, only a mother can fathom it. the love we have for our children and our children's children. and i want us to think tonight about the love we share for those americans, our brothers and our sisters who are going through difficult times.

whose days are never easy, nights are always long and whose work never seems done. they're here among us tonight in this hall. they are here in neighborhoods across tampa and all across america. the parents who lie awake at night side by side wondering how they'll be able to pay the mortgage or pay the rent. the single dad who is working extra hours tonight so that his kids can buy new clothes to go back to school. can take a school trip or play a sport. so his kids can feel, you know, just like other kids. and the working moms who love their jobs but would like to work just a little less to spend more time with the kids. but that's just out of the question with this economy. or how about that couple who would like to have another child but wonder how they'll afford it? i have been all across this country and i know a lot of you

guys. and i have seen and heard stories of how hard it is to get ahead now. you know what? i've heard your voices. they've said to me, i'm running in place and we just can't get ahead. sometimes i think that late at night if we were all silent for just a few moments and listened carefully, we could hear a collective sigh from the moms and dads across america who made it through another day and know that they'll make it through another one tomorrow. but in the end of that day moment, they just aren't sure how. and if you listen carefully, you'll hear the women sighing a little bit more than the man. it is how it is, isn't it? it is the moms who have always had to work a little harder to make everything right. it is the moms of this nation, single, married, widowed who really hold this country together. we're the mothers.

we are the wives. we're the grandmothers. we're the big sisters. we're the little sisters and we are the daughters. you know it's true, don't you? [ cheers and applause ] i love you women! and i hear your voices. those are my favorite fans down there. you are the ones that have to do a little bit more and you know what it's like to work a little harder during the day to earn the respect you earn at work. then you come home at night and help with the book report just because it has to be done. you know what those late night phone calls with an elderly parent are like and the long weekend drives just to see how they're doing. you know the fastest route to the emergency room and which doctors actually answer the phone call when you call at night.

i know all about that. you know what it's like to sit in that graduation ceremony and wonder how it is like that so many long days turned to years that went by so quickly. you are the best of america. you -- you are the hope of america. there would not be an america without you. tonight we salute you and sing your praises. [ cheers and applause ] i'm not sure if men really understand this but i don't think there is a woman in america who really expects her life to be easy. in our own ways, we all know better. you know what? we don't want easy. but the last few years have been harder than they needed to be. it is all the little things. the price at the pump you just

can't believe. the grocery bills that just get bigger. all those things that used to be free like school sports are now one more bill to pay. it is all the little things that pile up to become big things and the big things, the good jobs, the chance at college, that home you want to buy, just gets harder. everything has become harder. we're too smart to know there aren't easy answers but we're not dumb enough to expect that there aren't better answers.3 f2 fáciles. and that is where this boy i met at a high school dance comes in. his name is mitt romney and you should really get to know him. i could tell you why i fell in love with him. he was tall, laughed a lot, he was nervous. girls like that.

it shows the guy is a little intimidated. he was nice to my parents but he was also really glad when they weren't around. i don't mind that. but more than anything, he made me laugh. some of you might not know this but i am the granddaughter of a welsh coal miner. he was determined. he was determined that his kids get out of the mines. my dad got his first job when he was 6 years old in a little village in wales cleaning bottles at the collier's arms. when he was 15, dad came to america. in our country he saw hope and an opportunity to escape from poverty. he moved to a small town in the great state of michigan. michigan! there he started the business, one he built by himself, by the

way. he raised a family and he became mayor of our town. my dad would often remind my brothers and me how fortunate we were to grow up in a place like america. he wanted us to have every opportunity that came with life in this country and so he pushed us to be our best and give our all. inside the houses that lined the streets of our town, there were a lot of good fathers teaching their sons and daughters those same values. i didn't know it at the time but one of those dads was my future father-in-law, george romney. mitt's dad never graduated from college. instead he became a carpenter. he worked hard, he became the head of a car company and then the governor of michigan. when mitt and i met and fell in love, we were determined not to let anything stand in the way of our life together. i was an e-episcopalian, he was a mormon.

we were very young, both still in college. there were many reasons to delay marriage. and we just didn't care. we got married and moved in to basement apartment. we walked to class together, shared the housekeeping, ate a lot of pasta and tuna fish. our desk was a door propped up on saw horses. our dining room table was a fold down ironing board in the kitchen. but those were the best days. then our first son came along. all at once, i'm 22 years old with a baby and a husband who is going to business school and law school at the same time and i can tell you, probably like every other girl who finds herself in a new life far from family and friends with a new baby and a new husband, that it dawned on me that i had absolutely no idea what i was getting into.

well, that was 42 years ago. i've survived. we now have five sons and 18 beautiful grandchildren. [ cheers and applause ] i'm still in love with that boy i met at a high school dance and he still makes me laugh. i read somewhere that mitt and i have a story book marriage. well, let me tell you something. in the story books i read, there never were long, long rainy winter afternoons and a house with five boys screaming at once. and those story books never seemed to have a chapter called m.s. or breast cancer. a story book marriage? nope, not at all. what mitt romney and i have is a real marriage.

[ cheers and applause ]3 f1 i know this good and decent man for what he is. he is warm and loving and patient. he has tried to live his life with a set of values centered on family, faith and lo of one' fellow m. from the time we were just married, i've seen him spend countless hours helping others. i've seen him drop everything to help a friend in trouble and late night calls from a friend in the church whose child was taken to the hospital. you may not agree with mitt's positions on issues or his politics. by the way, massachusetts is only 13% republican so it is not like it was a shock to me. but -- but l me say this. to every american who was thinking about who should be our next president.

no one will work harder. no one will care more. and no one will move heaven and earth like mitt romney to make this country a better place to live.7 cc3 [ cheers and applause ]3 f2 y grita a la señora mitt romney it's true that mitt has been successful at each new challenge he's taken on. do you know what?

it actually amazes me to see his history of success being attacked. are those really the values that made our country great? as a mom of five boys, do we want to raise our children to be afraid of success? do we send our children out in the world with the advice, try to do okay? and let's be honest. if the last four years had been more successful, do we really think there would be this attack on mitt romney's success? of course not. mitt will be the first to tell you that he is the most fortunate man in the world. he had two loving parents who gave him strong values and taught him the value of work. he had the chance to get the education his father never had. but as his partner on this amazing journey, i can tell you mitt romney was not handed success.

he built it.3 f1 [ chanting ] >> he stayed in massachusetts after graduate school and got a job. i saw the long hours that started with that first job. i was there when he had a small group of friends talking about starting a new company. i was there when they struggled and wondered if the whole idea just wasn't going to work. mitt's reaction was to work harder and press on. today that company has become another great american success story. has it made those who started the company successful? made them successful beyond their dreams? yes, it has. it allowed us to give our sons the chance at good educations and made all those long hours of book reports and homework worth

every minute. it has given us the deep satisfaction of being able to help others in ways we could never have imagined. this is important. i want you to hear what i'm going to say. mitt doesn't like to talk about how he has helped others because he sees it as a privilege. not a political talking point.31 we are no different than the millions of americans who quietly help their neighbors. their churches and their communities. they don't do it so others will think more of them. they do it because there is no greater joy. give and it shall be given unto

you. but because this is america, that small company which grew has helped so many others. the jobs that grew from the risks they took, that success has helped fund scholarships, pensions and retirement funds. this is the genius of america. dreams fulfilled. help others launch new dreams. at every turn in his life, this man i met at a high school dance has helped lift up others. he did it with the olympics when many wanted to give up. he did it in massachusetts where he guided the state from check crisis to unemployment just

under 4.7%. under mitt massachusetts has the best schools in the nation. the best. he started something that i really love. he started the john and an game adams scholarship which gives the top 25% high school graduates a four-year tuition-free scholarship. this is the man america needs. this is the man who will wake up every day with a determination to solve the problems with others say can't be solved. fix what others say is beyond repair. this is the man who will work harder than anyone so that we can work a little less hard. i can't tell you what will happen over the next four years but i can only stand here tonight as a wife and a mother and a grandmother, an american, and make you this solemn commitment.

this man will not fail.7 cc33 f1 [ cheers and applause ] this man will not let us down. it has been 47 years since that

you can trust mitt. we love america. he will take us to a better place just as he took me home safely from that dance. give him that chance. give america that chance. god bless each and everyone of you and god bless the united states of america.3 f1 >> ann romney, wife of mitt

romney who appears at her side on this stage. one of the best kept secrets was that this might happen after she was done with her remarks. this gathering gets their first glimpse at their eventual nominee. after 43 years of marriage, this crowd just heard from the best living expert on mitt romney. what was received in this hall as a very well crafted, well delivered speech. tom brokaw, david gregory watching along with us. tom? >> four years ago the democrats opened their convention with two very strong women. hillary clinton and michelle obama. and john mccain was watching at the time and that's when he made the decision to go for sarah palin. he thought they had to reach women. this contest will be a lot about gender, about women. and the romney campaign has been working very hard to get to

suburban women as part of their team going forward. they do have some issues when it becomes the social issues that are in play here. i thought tonight that mrs. romney made a very strong case. not just for her husband but also for why he ought to be president. she was more animated inle ways in that appearance than he has been in his big speeches. we'll see how it plays out. i think the two best campaigners in this campaign, michelle obama and ann romney. >> and david, emphasis on well delivered. that was a sweeping job with that speech. >> and a real debut for ann romney who is the best spokesperson for their love story, for their marriage. you cannot get any more personal about mitt romney than the love of his life and how he fell in love and as a father, somebody so deeply faithful that he commits himself to helping others. i thought it was striking, too. i i think they went out of her way. they're so wealthy but they had humble beginnings in their marriage, real people with real problems. she went out of her way to say

we have a real marriage. i think those things are important. you can trust her husband. that he cares about you. these are things that i think mitt romney needed someone to say to a broad audience watching at home on television, that he may not be as comfortable communicating himself. >> the next act here as the hall is watching a film about chris christie that is laced with a little humor and lightness. we will hear the key note address from the governor of new jersey. chris christie. as we said at the top of the broadcast, really divergent messages and divergent messengers, all aimed at the same goal. that is getting mitt romney elected. chris christie turns 50 years old next week. he is a native son of newark, new jersey and republican governor in a democratic state. it has been an interesting tenure for him. of course, this role

traditionally has been the attack dog. he is expected tonight to come out -- >> i'm trying to think of the combination. good cop, tough top. and chris christie is a former federal prosecutor. this is the biggest jury he's ever played to. he is a jersey guy. no question about that as a state. you know better than anyone, the hole of the boss, the home of snooki, the hole of princeton. there he is. that long ago, a number of very well healed people on the east coast wanted him to run for president. he'll give a red meat speech. he is not a theologian of the republican party. he has real differences on taxes, handgun control. >> and note the iconography. >> thank you very much. thank you.

well, this stage and this moment are very improbable for me. a new jersey republican. delivering the key note address to our national convention. from a state with 700,000 more democrats than republicans. a new jersey republican. stands before you tonight, proud of my party, proud of my state and proud of my country. now, i am the son of an irish father and a cecilian mother. my dad who i'm blessed to have here tonight is gregarious, outgoing and lovable. my mom who i lost eight years ago was the enforcer. now, she made sure we all knew

who set the rules. tell it to you this way. in the able of life, dad was just a passenger. mom was the driver. now, they both lived hard lives. dad grew up in poverty. and after returning from army service, he worked at the briar's ice cream plant in the 1950s. now with that job and the gi bill he put himself through rutgers university at night to become the first in his family to earn a college degree. and our first family picture, our first family picture was on his graduation day with my mom beaming next to him six months pregnant with me. now, mom also came from nothing. she was raised by a single mother who took three different buses every day to get to work. and mom spent the time that she

was supposed to be a kid actually raising children. her younger brother and younger sister. she was tough as nails and didn't suffer fools at all. the truth was, she couldn't afford to. she spoke the truth, bluntly, directly, and without much varnish. i am her son. i was her son. i was her son as i listened to darkness on the edge of town with my high school friends on the jersey shore. i was her son when i moved into that studio apartment with mary pat to start a marriage now 26 years old. i was her son as i coached our sons, andrew and patrick on the fields and as i watched with pride, as our daughters sarah

and bridget marked with their soccer team in the labor day parade and i'm still their son today as governor. following the rules she taught me to speak from the heart. and to fight for your principles. you see, mom never thought you would get extra credit just for speaking the truth. and the greatest lesson that mom ever taught me though was this one. she told me there would be times in your life when you have to choose between being loved and being respected. now, she said to always pick being respected. she told me that love without respect was always fleeting but that respect could grow into real and lasting love. now, of course, she was talking about women. but i've learned over time that it applies just as much to leadership. in fact, i think that advice applies to america more than

ever today. you see, i believe we have become paralyzed. paralyzed by our desire to be loved. our founding fathers had the wisdom to know that social acceptance and popularity were fleeting. and that this country's principles needed to be rooted in strengths greater than the passions and the emotions of the times. our leaders today have decided it is more important to be popular. to be popular. to say and do what's easy than to say no when no is what is required. in recent years, we as a country have too often chosen the same path. it's been easy for our leaders to say not us, not now, and taking on the really tough issues. and unfortunately, we've stood silently by and let them get away with it.

but tonight, i say enough. tonight, i say together, let's make a much different choice. tonight we are speaking up for ourselves and stepping up. tonight we're beginning to do what is right and what is necessary to make america great again. we are demanding that our leaders stop tearing each other down and work together to take action on the big things facing america. tonight, we are going to do what my mother taught me. tonight we're going to choose respect over love. see, we're not afraid. we are not afraid. we're taking our country back. because we are the great grandchildren of the men and women who broke their backs in

the name of american ingenuity. the grand children of the greatest generation. the sons and daughters of immigrants. the brothers and sisters of everyday heroes. the neighbors of entrepreneurs and firefighters, teachers and farmers, veterans and factory workers and everyone in between who shows up, not just on the big days or the good days, but on the bad days and the hard days, each and every day. all 365 of them. you see, we are the united states of america.3 f1 now, now, now it is up to us. we must lead the way our citizens live. to lead as my mother insisted i live. not by avoiding truths, especially the hard ones, but by

facing up to them and being better for it. we can't afford to do anything less. i know this because this was the challenge in new jersey. when i came into office, i could continue on the same path that led to wealth and jobs and people leaving our state. or i could do the job people elected me to do, to do the big things. there were those who said it couldn't be done. the problems were too big, too politically charged, too broken to fix. but we were on a path we could no longer afford to follow. now, they said it was impossible. this is what they told me. to cut taxes in a state where taxes were raised 115 times in the eight years before i became governor. that it was impossible to balance a budget at the same time with an $11 billion deficit but three years later, we have three balanced budgets in a row with lower taxes.

we did it. they said it was impossible to touch the third rail of politics. to take on the public sector unions. to reform a pension and benefit system that was headed to bankruptcy but with bipartisan leadership we saved taxpayers $132 billion over 30 years, and saved retirees their pensions. we did it. they said it was impossible to speak the truth to the teachers union. they were just too powerful. the real teacher tenure reform that demands accountability and ends the guarantee of a job for life regardless of performance. they said it would never happen.

but for the first time in 100 years, with bipartisan support, you know the answer. we did it. now the disciples of yesterday's politics, they always underestimate the will of the people. they assumed our people were selfish. that when told of the difficult problems, the tough choices and the complicated solutions, they would simply turn their backs. that they would decide it was every man for himself. they were wrong. the people of new jersey stepped up. they shared in the sacrifice. and do you know what else they did? they rewarded politicians who led instead of politicians who pandered.

but you know, we shouldn't be surprised. we shouldn't be surprised. we've never been a country to shy away from the truthful our history shows that we stand up when it counts and it is this quality that is defined america's character and our significance in the world. now, i know this simple truth and i am not afraid to say it. our ideas are right for america and their ideas have failed america. let me be clear with the american people tonight. here's what we believe as republicans and what they believe as democrats. we believe in telling hard working families the truth about our country's fiscal realities. telling them what they already know. the math of federal spending does not add up. with $5 trillion in debt, over the last four years, we have no

other option but to make the hard choices. cut federal spending and cut the size of this government. want to know what they believe? they believe that the american people don't want to hear the truth about the extent of our fiscal difficulties. they believe the american people need to be coddled by big government. they believe the american people are content to live the lie with them. they're wrong. we believe in telling our seniors the truth about our overburdened entitlements. we know seniors not only want these programs to survive but they just as badly want them secured for their grandchildren. our seniors are not selfish. here's what they believe.

they believe seniors will always put themselves ahead of their grandchildren. here's what they do. they prey on their vulnerabilities and scare them with misinformation for the single, cynical purpose of winning the next election. here's their plan. whistle a happy tune while driving us off the fiscal cliff. as long as they are behind the wheel of power when we fall. now, we believe that the majority of teachers in america know our system must be reformed to put students first so that america can compete. now, teachers don't teach to become rich or famous. they teach because they love children. we believe -- we believe that we should honor and reward the good ones while doing what is best for our nation's future. demanding accountability. demanding higher standards and demanding the best teach you are

in every classroom in america. get ready. here's what they believe. they believe the educational establishment will always put themselves of children. that self-interests will always trump common sense. they believe in pitting unions against teachers, educators against parents, lobbyists against children. they believe in teachers unions. we believe in teachers.3 f2 en los sindicatos de profesores we believe if we tell the people the truth, they will act bigger than the pettiness we see in

washington, d.c. we believe it is possible to forge bipartisan compromise and stand up for our conservative principles. you see, because it is always been the power of our ideas, be our rhetoric that attracts people to our party. we win when we make it about what needs to be done. we lose when we play along with their game of scaring and dividing. make no mistake about it, everybody. the problems are too big to let the american people lose. the slowest economic recovery in decades, spiraling out of control deficit, an education system that is failing to compete in the world. it doesn't matter how we got here. there is enough blame to go around. what matters is what we do now.

see, i know. i know we can fix our problems. when there are people in the room who care more about doing the job they were elected to do than they worry about winning re-election, it is possible to work together, achieve principle compromise and get results for people who gave us the joks in the first place. [ cheers and applause ] the people have no patience for any other way anymore. it is simple. we need politicians to care more about doing something and less about being something. and believe me. believe me. if we can do this in a blue state like new jersey with a conservative republican governor, washington, d.c. is

out of excuses. leadership delivers. leadership counts. leadership matters. and here's the great news i came here tonight to bring you. we have this leader for america. we have a nominee who will tell us the truth and who will lead with conviction and now he has a running mate who will do the same. we have governor mitt romney and congressman paul ryan and we need to make them the next president and vice president of the united states. [ cheers and applause ] you see, because i know mitt romney. i know mitt romney. and mitt romney will tell us the hard truths we need to hear to put us back on a path to growth

and create good paying private sector jobs in america. mitt romney will tell us the hard truths we need to hear the end the torrent of debt that is compromising our future and burying our economy. mitt romney will tell us the hard truths we need to hear to end the debacle of putting the world's greatest health care system in the hands of federal bureaucrats and putting those bureaucrats between an american citizen and her doctor. now, we ended an era of absentee leadership you are with on principle or purpose in new jersey. i'm here to tell you tonight. it is time to end this era of absentee leadership in the oval office and send real leaders back to the white house. america needs mitt romney and paul ryan and we need them right

now. [ cheers and applause ] now we've got to tell each other the truth, right? listen, there is doubt and fear for our future in every corner of our country. i have traveled all over the country and i have seen this myself. these feelings are real. this moment is real. it's a moment like this where some skeptics wonder if american greatness is over. they wonder how those who have come before us had the spirit and the tenacity to lead america to a new era of greatness in the face of challenge. not to look around and say not me. to look around and say, yes, me. i am an answer tonight for the skeptics and the naysayers, the defenders of the status quo. i have faith in us.

i know -- i know we can be the men and women our country calls on us to be tonight. i believe in america and her history and there is only one thing missing now. leadership. it takes leadership that you don't get from reading a poll. you see, mr. president, real leaders don't follow polls. real leaders change polls. [ cheers and applause ] that's what we need. that's what we need to do now. we need to change polls through the power of our principles. we need to change polls through the strength of our convictions. our duty is to tell the american people the truth. our problems are big and the solutions will not be painless. we all must share in the sacrifice and any leader that tells us differently is simply

not telling the truth. now, i think tonight, i think tonight of the greatest generation. we look back and marvel atheir courage, overcoming depression, standing up for tyranny. now it's our time to answer history's call. every generation will be judged and so will we. what will our children and grandchildren say of us? will they say we buried our heads in the stand? that our problems were too big and we were too small? that someone else should make a difference because we can't. or will they say of us, that we stood up and made the tough choices that needed to be made to preserve our way of life. you see, i don't know about you but i don't want my children and grandchildren to have to read the history books of what it was like, to be an enormous government that is overtaxed,

overspent and overborrowed. i want them to live in a second american century. a second american century. a second american century of strong economic growth where those who are willing to work hard will have good paying jobs to support their families and reach their dreams. a second american century where real american exceptionalism is not a political punch line. it is evident to everyone in the world by watching the way our government conducts its business every day and the way americans live their lives. a second american century where our military is strong. our values are share. its work ethic is unmatched and our constitution remains a model for anyone in the world

be remember for generations to come. standing strong for freedom will make the next century as great an amerin century as great as the last one. you see, this is the american way. we have never been victims of destiny. we have always been the masters of our own.3 f1 and i know you agree with me on this. i will not be part of the generation that fails that test and neither will you. all right. all right. it's now time to stand up. let's stand up. everybody stand up. stand up. because there is no time left to waste.

if you will stand up, i will stand with you. if you're willing to fight with me for mitt romney, i will fight with you. if you're willing to hear the truth, to hear the truth about the hard road ahead, and the rewards for america, that truth will bear, i'm here to begin always defined our nation's th history. to answer before tonight, we stand up for mitt romney as the next president of the united states. ghetto over [ cheers and applause ] >> togetheog