al smith incidentally lost to herbert hoover in the 1928 election so al smith was not the first catholic president but he was the first catholic nominee for president. this dinner, which is a benefit for catholic charities here in new york city, has ended up becoming a really important thing in american presidential politics. honestly, the biggest reason it is really important is because of its timing. there are other dinners like this. the gridiron dinner in washington or the alfalfa dinner or the correspondence dinner. there are other dinners that are fancy politics proms, essentially. where you get a sitting president or very high-level politician showing up in tuxedos and gowns and telling jokes and sharing stages with people they otherwise would not be sharing stages with. that happens. right? there are those events in washington and elsewhere around the country. but this one that you are looking at right here is different. because this one happens now. a couple of weeks before the election. and it's always timed like that. every time. and traditionally, both presidential candidates

president, governor, mayor bloomberg, senator, al and ann smith, thank you for your invitation and your warm welcome. i appreciate your friendship very much. thank you. [applause] al, you are right. a campaign can require a lot of wardrobe changes. cuisines in the morning, suits for a lunch fund raiser, a sport coat for dinner. it is nice to finally relax and wear what we wear around the house. [applause] i am glad to join in this tradition. i am pleased the president is here. we were chatting this evening. it was like tuesday night never happened. i was hoping the president would bring joe biden along this evening because he will laugh at anything. [applause] this is not a night for serious politics. it's nice to see president obama and the cardinal despite their differences. i am sure the cardinal has no hard feelings and we will get an indication of that to see if the president's wine will turn into water. or if my water turns into wine. i am pleased to see the governor, already being talked about to be high office. he may be getting ahead of himself. the man has put in one term as a

bush at the 2000 al smith dinner. is. >> this is an impressive crowd, the haves and the have mores. some people call you the elite. i call you my base. >> what do you think? >> first of all, i love the white tie. black tie is not good enough for these folks. and it's -- it's all about the timing of the delivery. and, you know, bush has a good sense of humor in private. obama has a good sense of humor in private. we're told that mitt romney does, but they always say that, the handlers do. tonight we're going to find out because if you can't tell a joke in public, you're probably not so great at telling one in private. i shouldn't talk, because i can't tell one in private. >> president obama already taped an episode of "the daily show" today. what will his new york city comedy tour do for him if anything? >> "the daily show" tour is base solidifying. you know, that's part of his base. younger viewers. younger voters who watch "the daily show" and "the colbert report." you know, he needs to do well with them. generally l

president, governor cuomo, al and ann smith, senator schumer. thank you for are invitation. thank you for your extraordinary warm welcome. ann and i appreciate your friendship very, very much, thank you. >>> now, al, you are right, a campaign can require a lot of wardrobe changes. blue jeans in the morning perhaps, suit for a lunch fund-raiser, sport coat for dinner but it is nice to finally relax and to wear what ann and i wear around the house. [ >> i'm glad to be able to join in this venerable tradition. of course, i'm pleased that the president is here. we were chatting pleasantly this ink as if tuesday night never happened. i credit that, of course, to the cardinal. it has taken new york's highest spiritual authority to get us back on our best behavior. i was actually hoping the president would bring joe biden along, because he will laugh at anything. [ applause ] of course, this isn't a night for serious politics. it was especially nice to see president obama and cardinal dolan sharing despite their differences. i'm sure the cardinal has no hard feelings and we might ge

they were at the al smith dinner. if you want to sound smart tell your friends 1996 and 2004 were the only two election years since 1960 when two major presidential candidates were not invited to speak at the al smith catholic charity dinner. in 1996, the candidates were unable to make firm commitments to attend and in 2004, the foundation thought the issues of the campaign were too divisive to have the candidates speak. >>> we told you earlier about president obama's visit "the daily show." now let's gather around the water cooler to watch some of the president's lighter moments with host jon stewart. >> how many times a week does biden show up in a wet bathing suit to a meeting? just ballpark figure. >> i had to put out a presidential directive on that. we had to stop that. >> you have to put towels down. >> i have to say, though, he looks pretty good. >> i don't doubt that in any way, shape or form. >>> still ahead on mika brzezinski's "way too early," where are you awake? your tweets, texts and e-mails are next. j

al smithlive here on msnbc. both president obama and mitt romney will be trying to appeal to voters by, you know, cracking a few jokes and being lighthearted. see how it goes over. you're not going to want to miss that. stay with us. we're right back. those surprising little things she does still make you take notice. there are a million reasons why. but your erectile dysfunction that could be a question of blood flow. cialis for daily use helps you be ready anytime the moment's right. you can be more confident in your ability to be ready. and the same cialis is the only daily ed tablet approved to treat ed and symptoms of bph, like needing to go frequently or urgently. tell your doctor about all your medical conditions and medications, and ask if your heart is healthy enough for sexual activity. do not take cialis if you take nitrates for chest pain, as this may cause an unsafe drop in blood pressure. do not drink alcohol in excess with cialis. side effects may include headache, upset stomach

first to last night's al smith dinner up in new york.s you can see, i was up on the dais at the big event seated right behind president obama and mitt romney. here is the view i had from my seat. i have to say, thanks to tom moran and his global food program concern for taking this great photo right in front of us there. in his own joke-laden speech, the president de a specific apology regarding his performance in that first debate. >> i particularly want to apologize to chris matthews. four years ago, i gave him a thrill up his leg. this time around i gave him a stroke. >> that was something. now to more of the night featuring both presidential candidates. >> a campaign can require a lot of wardrobe changes. blue jeans in the morning perhaps, a suit for a lunch fund-raiser, sport coat for dinner, but it's nice to finally relax and wear what ann and i wear around the house. >> i went shopping at some stores in midtown. i understand governor romney went shopping for some stores in midtown. sometimes it feels like this race has dragged on

> and is not a tissue of dais with the defendant of the great al smith. al, your great-grandfather was my favorite kind of governor , the kind who ran for president and lost. [laughter] >> again, our coverage of tonight dinner featuring president obama and mitt romney gets underway at 9:00 p.m. eastern on our companion up work on the c-span. >> top law-enforcement officials of the federal government today for the best thing to do if you receive an illegal robo call is to hang up and file a complaint. the discussion was part of a conference on robo calls hosted by the federal trade commission and a new ftc report says nearly 4 million people filed official complaints about telemarketing mushy or about 1 million from the previous year. this portion of the event is about an hour. >> good morning. my name is lois greisman. it is my honor to moderate the second panel of the morning in this law-enforcement, questions of one person or party every senator which is no surprise whatsoever. a very distinct set of panelists. the interest of the priests into autobio bi

al smith was a friend to all. [applause] throughout his public life, he was a champion of the worker, an advocate for the needy. and a plain-spoken voice. as you all know, my great- grandfather was the first catholic nominee for president. and mitt romney, the first mormon nominated for president. [applause] by great-grandfather and mitt romney have other things in common. for example, they both campaign for governor. as democrats. [laughter] their biggest adversaries were successful businessman. for my great-grandfather, it was herbert hoover. for mitt romney, it was mitt romney. [laughter] it is no secret that governor romney is a very wealthy man. he is also a very generous man. every year, he gives at least 10% of his income to charity. [applause] not so fast. [laughter] the charity is the federal government. [laughter] seriously, i have seen governor romney's de generosity to his church. i must confess. we invited him here to convert. [laughter] [applause] really, governor, your father was from mexico and you

president, governor cuomo, mayor bloomberg, senator schumer, al and ann smith, thank you for your invitation. thank you for your extraordinarily warm welcome. ann and i appreciate your friendship very, very. thank you. [applause] now al, you are rights, a campaign can require a lot of wardrobe changes. blue jeans in the morning perhaps, a suit for a lunch fundraiser, sportcoat for dinner, but it's no doubt nice to finally relax and wear to ann and i wear around the house. [laughter] i'm glad to be able to join in this venerable tradition. of course i'm pleased that the president is here. we were chatting pleasantly this evening as if tuesday night never happened. [laughter] and i credit that, of course, to the cardinal. it's taken new york's highest spiritual authority to gets us back on our best behavior. i was actually hoping the president would bring joe biden along this evening, because he'll laugh at anything. [laughter] of course this isn't a nice for serious politics. and it was especially nice to see president obama and cardinal dolan sharing the dais despite their differences. i'm s

al smith was a friend to all. [applause] throughout his public life, he was a champion of the worker, an advocate for the needy. and a plain-spoken voice. as you all know, my great- grandfather was the first catholic nominee for president. and mitt romney, the first mormon nominated for president. [applause] by great-grandfather and mitt romney have other things in common. for example, they both campaign for governor. as democrats. [laughter] their biggest adversaries were successful businessman. for my great-grandfather, it was herbert hoover. for mitt romney, it was mitt romney. [laughter] it is no secret that governor romney is a very wealthy man. he is also a very generous man. every year, he gives at least 10% of his income to charity. [applause] not so fast. [laughter] the charity is the federal government. [laughter] seriously, i have seen governor romney's de generosity to his church. i must confess. we invited him here to convert. [laughter] [applause] really, governor, your father was from mexico and you

after both presidential candidates spoke at lastnitis' al smith -- night's al smith dinner in new yorkthe president will attend a rally at george mason university for the second time in two weeks. and governor mitt romney will be in the opposite side of the state in abingdon. >>> a new workplace study issued by capitol hill's office of compliance outlines violations in congress when it comes to following the americans with disabilities act which was passed by congress. it says sidewalks surrounding all three house office buildings are overwhelmingly not in line with the americans with disabilities act. >>> it is time now to answer our question of the morning. the question was -- >> is it -- and andrea got it right. today's answer is b., ttering. now remember you can always comment on our question of the day anytime on our wusa9 facebook fan page. >>> and we do play the game with you. we don't look and cheat ahead. to see what the answers are. we'll be right back. >> that's right. >>> it's friday and of course we're looking forward to the weekend and especially the nfl this weekend. and

they spoke at the 67th annual al smith dinner in new york city.peaking invitation democrat and republican nominees have been accepting since 1960. they are not expected to get too serious here is the president earlier tonight. >> this is the third time that governor romney and i have met recently. as some of you may have noticed i had a lot more energy in our second debate. i felt really well rested after the nice long nap i had in the first debate. [ applause ] >> although it turns out millions of americans focused in on the second debate who didn't focus in on the first debate and i happen to be one of them. i particularly want to apologize to chris matthews four years ago i gave him a thrill up his leg this time around i gave him a stroke. of course there are a lot of things i learned from that ex r experien experience. for example, i learned that there are worse things that can happen for you on your anniversary than forgetting to buy a gift. >> that was the president speaking just 30 minutes ago. mitt romney spoke before the president. >> of

both appear in new york in a few hours at the al smith dinner.hearted event days after the tense debate we watched. the audience has high-ranking catholics including the archbishop of new york. he received stacks of e-mails from pro-life activists urging him to uninvite the

both appear in new york in a few hours at the al smith dinner.ght-hearted event days after the tense debate we watched. the audience has high-ranking catholics including the archbishop of new york. he received stacks of e-mails from pro-life activists urging him to uninvite the president. it's issues like women and contraception that the president is hitting hard today in hopes of breaking what seems to be governor romney's momentum. >> by the way, we want our sons to thrive in math and science and engineers, but we also want our daughters to thrive in those fields, too. we don't have to order up binders to find qualified, talented, driven young women who can learn and excel in these fields right now. and when these young women graduate, i want them to receive equal pay for equal work. >> also today a group of women who served under governor romney during his time as the governor of massachusetts, they're now on a bus tour through iowa talking

i don't want to judge these guys when they were doing something for al smith.ing. it was fun to watch them poke fun at themselves and at each other while they were sitting there. i actually watched it last night. i had some friends over for dinner, and we were laughing hysterically. it was funny. the republicans in the room last night were like, where has this mitt romney been the entire time? he was so much more at ease. maybe he's right, the white tie put him at ease. >> i, too, thought they were both very funny. that line about embraced by catholics is very funny. some of the more subtle stuff. i think that -- >> were you surprised they were able to put away that contentious side they have? >> i think they put it away, but don't discount it. they are still, you know, right in the middle of this and still quite angry with each other. it looked pretty good for one night, but i think they're both putting on a smile. >> it was nice they put it aside for charity as erick mentioned. >> it was right below the surface though. >> president obama also appeared on "the

quick word on al smith.ran for president in 1928 against herbert hoover at a time when it was a really bad, really inconvenient to be two things. irish and catholic. >> irish need not apply. >> he was both. >> he faced a huge wave of discrimination, anti-catholic and anti-heirish. the anti-catholic sentiment was so large that people accused him of moving the holy see to new york just to have the pope in his back pocket. >> wow. >> the al smith has become this opportunity midway or toward the end of the campaign to sort of laugh things off. you see both candidates in the same room, which is bizarre off of a debate speech. >> not yelling at each other. >> not yelling at each other and laughing at themselves, which is so great. that said i much prefer this to some of the other really silly, stupid president tricks that we see them, you know, put through during election season. such as this great moment from earlier in the primary season. >> we this thing called this or that to learn a little bit about the penal

must be the al smith dinner. first today's trivia question. here we go.harlie cooke wrote about this this morning. folks, we're all thinking about it. how many presidents have won the election without winning the popular vote? i gave birth to my daughter on may 18th, five days later, i had a massive heart attack. bayer aspirin was the first thing the emts gave me. now, i'm on a bayer aspirin regimen. [ male announcer ] be sure to talk to your doctor before you begin an aspirin regimen. [ woman ] learn from my story. >>> in a campaign where it often seems the candidates genuinely do not like each other or even respect each other, the al smith dinner to benefit catholic charities was a well-needed brief respite though the president and mitt romney traded a few jabs along with the jokes. >> president obama and i are each very lucky to have one person who is always in our corner, someone we can always lean on and someone who is a comforting presence without whom we wouldn't be able to go another day. i have my beautiful wife, ann. he has bill clinton. >> in l

or as you call it, governor, business casual. >> dana: that was al smith, host of the annual al smithner taking place in new york city. last night, both candidates were in town to be part of it. for those who think romney is dull and doesn't have a sense of humor, take a look at this. >> al, you are right. campaign requires wardrobe changes. jeans in morning, sports coat for dinner and relax to wear what ann and i wear around the house. i was hoping that the president would bring joe biden along this evening. because he will laugh at anything. in the spirit of ses me street -- sesame street the president's remarks are brought to you by the letter "o" and the number 16 trillion. president put a stamp on relations with the church. there have been awkward moments. the president pulled pope benedict aside to share advice how to deal with his critics. look, holy father, whatever the problem, is just blame it on pope john paul ii. >> dana: both of the speeches for romney and president obama were run live last night on "hannity." we were cracking up. did you like it? >> kimberly: i loved it.

the al smith dinner has become an election dinner tradition.tting hundreds of millions of campaign money. the next joint appearance will be the big debate next week. it won't be quite as pleasant. >> monday's debate is different because the topic is foreign policy. spoirl alert, we got bin laden. >> people seem to be curious as to how we prepare for the debates. let me tell you what i do. first refrain from alcohol for 65 years before the debate. second, find the biggest available strong man and mers illy attack it, big bird didn't even see it coming. >>> good lines last night they may have been laughing but they are thinking about the polls. real clear politics average of polls and you see the impact of each of these debates. the first debate we saw the numbers start to converge and look how tight they are after the second debate heading into the third one on monday night in florida. back do y to you guys. >> 5 minutes in the top of the hour. one man getting dumped before ending up a big winner. >> you have to hear that story. >> can you figur

sharing laughs at the well known al smith dinner at waldorf as for yeah. the image is much different. the presidential debate was a little more intense. taking shots at each other each doing his best to try to win over undecided voters. here is another image from tuesday's debate. a photo catching more obama in an awkward position. here are a few captions we found. this x-ray vision, it does not seem to work. another good one, squirrel! and check this one out. captions listed on the abc news net work, love at first sight and i hope you don't come out flat again in the next debate. oh, look a picture of the one-term president. that is wrap on news watch this week, thanks to

. >> some light hearted moments at last night's al smith charity dinner.give you my takeaway points coming up in the program. stay with us. >>> and next, my cnbc exclusive with golf legend tiger woods. we'll talk about the world of corporate sponsorships after what happened with lance. don't touch that remote. we're back in a moment with tiger woods. [ horn honks ] hey, it's sandra -- from accounting. peter. i can see that you're busy... but you were gonna help us crunch the numbers for accounts receivable today. i mean i know that this is important. well, both are important. let's be clear. they are but this is important too. [ man ] the receivables. [ male announcer ] michelin knows it's better for xerox to help manage their finance processing. so they can focus on keeping the world moving. with xerox, you're ready for real business. customer erin swenson bought so, i'm happy. today.. sales go up... i'm happy. it went out today... i'm happy. what if she's not home? (together) she won't be happy. use ups! she can get a text alert, reroute... even reschedu

the al smith dinner in new york city, hosted by the catholic archdiocese. both men worked on one-liners as artfully as they sparred tuesday night, here just a few moments people will surely be talking about today. >> i was actually hoping the president would bring joe biden along this evening, because he'll laugh at anything. >> i feel really well rested after the long nap i had in the first debate. i particularly want to apologize to chris matthews. four years ago i gave him a thrill up his leg. this time around i gave him a stroke. >> as president obama surveys the waldorf banquet room, with everyone in white tie and finery, you have to wonder what he's thinking. so little time, so much to redistribute. >> after my foreign trip in 2008 i was attacked as a celebrity, because i was so popular with our allies overseas. i have to say i'm impressed with how well governor romney has avoided that problem. >> in the spirit ofsesame street, the president's remarks are brought to you by the letter "o" and the number 16 trillion. >> i don't have a joke here. i thoug