show." >> ann romney: stop it.

. >>> coming up, michelle obama, ann romney and american women. as the first lady prepares to address the dnc tonight, will she, like mrs. romney, have a specific message for women? in her 2008 speech, she praised the efforts of one woman in particular. >> i stand here today at the cross currents of that history, knowing that my piece of the american dream is a blessing hard won by those who came before me. people like hillary clinton. who put those 18 million cracks in that glass ceiling so that our daughters and our sons can dream a little bigger and aim a little higher. >> we will discuss all the single ladies, all the married ladies, all the american ladies next on "now." we know a place where tossing and turning 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 d

romney's attitude is nothing new. it has always been ann to the rescue. romney household, she is often called the trusted advisor and the mitt stabilizer, but first and foremost, she is the great protector of all things romney. ron scott, who has known mitt romney since 1985 and wrote a book about him, says ann is no pushover. >> the last person on earth you would want to cross would be ann romney. if you go after one of her kids or after her husband, she's going to be there. >> reporter: on the campaign trail, long before mitt romney was officially nominated, his wife tried to humanize him, calling him her most disobedient child. she often shared secrets about his love of chocolate milk and his obsession with peanut butter. more recently at the republican national convention -- >> what a welcome! >> reporter: she hoped to help america embrace her husband. >> i know this good and decent man for what he is. he's warm and loving and patient. he has tried to live his life with a set of values centered on family, faith and love of one's fellow man. from the ti

ann romney said she and mitt romney love women.id why her husband is good for women. that's the big difference we'll see moving forward on the campaign trail. >> thank you, jennifer lawless at the women and politics institute at american university and a friend of the show. thank you. >> thank you. >>> 8:38 on this wednesday morning. still ahead, just in time for football season a new app that lets you follow the nfl and stay in touch with family and friends deployed overseas. lauren demarco explains how. >> but first, are you ready for some football? or more importantly, are you ready for the replacement refs? we'll be right back.  i'm barack obama, and i approve this message.  mitt romney's position on women's health...it's dangerous. vo:mitt romney and paul ryan would get rid of planned parenthood funding. and allow employers to deny coverage for cancer screenings and birth control. we can't afford to let him take away our choices... to take away basic health care. vo: both backed proposals to outlaw aborti

exactly. >> ann romney: stop it. >> stephanie: no. ferent ways of providing for that care. >> stephanie: but wait back in 2010. >> romney: it doesn't make a lot of sense for us to have millions and millions of people who go to the emergency room for care particularly if they have means to have insurance. >> stephanie: right. so there would be personal responsibility -- right? good idea. [ applause ] >> stephanie: that was just two years ago. >> that wasn't me. that was ritt momney. >> stephanie: paul ryan is getting a little whiny he said i think that's what conservatives do by nature. i think that's the nature of conservative punditry to kind of complain about imperfection they may see. and he said his very selection of me as his running mate the guy with all of the specifics -- >> we have specifics coming out of our eyeballs -- >> i have ideas coming out of my ass. here comes another one now. [ farting sounds ] >> stephanie: any way it shows you very clearly mitt romney is not afraid of taking big decisions. you were a big tough deci

effect of ann romney? i want to bring in margaret hoover who is also the author of "american individualism." i want you to talk about exceptionalism. give me the rundown and how you think michelle obama's speech went over last night and then we'll get to ann romney as well. >> look, first lady obama was a huge hit, and, you know, i'm a republican but i watched her and i was really moved. frankly, no feeling person couldn't watch her without being moved. she spokpassionately and compellingly about her love for her husband, her husband's lo for his children. he has dinner with his family almost every night in the west wing. it helps to live above your office, but she did a very good job. she also painted them as being very connected to the middle class. this is going to be one of the sticking points in the campaign. you're going to hear over and over from all the seizuurrogater president obama that they're trying to paint mitt romney and ann romney as out of touch with the middle class, and trying to remind

. >> reporter: ann romney was back in her element. women for mitt rally was held at a riding stable. the horsewoman clearly appreciated the setting. >> i should tell you i feel right at home because i'm in a barn. >> from returning watching her horse in the olympics, ann romney hasn't had much time for riding. she's one of the fearest advocates for her husband, reaching out of to a critical voting bloc. the polls are tight. obama still holds a strong lead. during an interview ann romney repeated the case she made for her husband last week at the republican convention. >> i really hope that americans and virginians in particular have a really serious thought and say, you know he's very competent, he's a good person, he's done a lot of turnarounds, let's give him the keys to the car and see if he can't get the car running. >> behalf attacks i'm not surprised at all, but it's part of who mitt is, not to be able to talk about the piece he does -- he does these things, but guess what? he doesn't talk about these things. that's not who he i

obviously they put ann romney up initially. we heard governor romney, his wife, mrs.manize him, to make him more likeable. we heard him say that he thinks barack obama broke his promise for more jobs. but of course, there are -- >> there are more jobs. >> there are, of course, millions more jobs now. and the oceans joke again. i am a little baffled, i must say. >> he's playing the green agenda against the jobs agenda. we recognize some of the most important jobs we can create are new environmentally sensitive jobs, jobs to help us control the environment. in the middle of a hurricane season, this level of insensitivity speaks to the nature of the republican base. i think this no-nothing anti-science culture is ublt up there. what they think of as a legitimate thing to say, the rest of us go what? he just said that? how bizarre. >> well, let's talk about his coach analogy. we're going to hear him referred to as coach mitt. he said if you're 0-23, then time -- >> 23 million. >> -- 23 million, it's time to get a new coach. first of all, the problem is is, would you want

>> did you offer similar comments about ann romney's speech? >> it was a different speech. >> did and she talked about her husband, feeling? no, let's not do that -- >> are you saying -- >> when it comes to the obamas, for goodness' sake, they do nothing right. i will accept that from you, charles street they do nothing right. maybe they should just die. >> break it up, roger. >> sasha and malia are marvelous human beings. seriously, i thought was a fine speech, but ann romney did a good job, too. these are speeches by spouses talking about white they love their husbands and one that matters, but i think michelle obama brought it to any level by saying that the presidency does not change who you are, it reveals who you are. that was her point. look at how the president has acted the last four years. look at how mitt romney behavior as a candidate -- behave as a candidate is telling us about his past, his tax returns? >> if she did not say that. >> but the implication might be there. >> don't accept the sexist assumption that i am required to ha

that was just for starters, ann romney stirring the pop. >> always good to have you.ow are you holding up? >>guest: well, it is fun. at this point it is very exciting, fatiguing, of course, but you get the energy from being with the crowds and there are people that are very passionate out there. i have been doing my own rallies and i was at a rally in florida and had overflow crowd and it was exciting. i had mostly women showing up at my rallies. it is extraordinary. they are quite emotional. some of them, i looked in the audience and they were crying. they are that passionate, the energy that is out there, it really towns you. >>neil: we talk about women and i will get to the latest news, depending monday you look at it, your husband is having a tough time with the female vote the not the married female vote where he does well, but single women. what is going on? >>guest: probably a generational thing. i would think it is not necessarily my husband but more party line. that's just what happens. we appreciate those women that have figured out, those that are married a

>> big battleground. >>> just before ann romney's air scare, her husband tried to put a nagging campaign issue to rest. releasing his tax returns from last year. it's "your voice, your vote." and with just 45 days until the presidential election, romney's tax returns are raising an interesting question. why did he pay more than he had to? david kerley is on the story in washington this morning. good morning to you. >> reporter: the romney campaign had hoped to quiet all the critics with the release of this second year of taxes. the question is will it work? instead, the controversy has been re-ignited. is mr. romney actually making himself disqualified for president? mitt romney was in vegas when he revealed last year's taxes. income of $13.7 million,early all from selling stocks and dividends. taxes paid, just less than $2 million, a tax rate of just over 14%. but to get to that rate, romney had to do something he told us he doesn't do. >> i don't pay more than are legally due. and if i had paid more, than are legally due, i don't think i'd be qualified to become president. >> reporter:

were those remarks from ann romney helpful, to sound so indignant and the fax, how dare you criticize what this campaign is doing and how dare you criticize my husband? or does mitt romney really need to toughen up and sharpen up the campaign? >> well, the fact is, thomas, you can well imagine, running for president, it's a difficult job, and as everyone who's been down the trenches, it ain't bean bag, and ann romney has been right down there working really hard every single day, but at the end of the day, it's her husband out there. i think she made a very great point at the convention when she talk and how hard her husband is working, how hard her family is, would go. and she knows more than anyone who cares about this country, and he has the plan and the policy to make things better, and that's her overall message. that's what she conveying to the american people and that he doesn't fail. when he sets his mind to something, he accomplishes is, and more than anything, day in and day out, that's the message that ann romney conveyed to the american people and people are beginning to s

and next, i sit down one on one with ann romney.t she plans to do if she becomes our next first lady. >> hi, yes, filling in for topper on this friday night. declaring tomorrow a severe weather alert day because of the potential for strong storms. your wakeup weather, not too bad starting off the day. temperatures in the 70s by 9:00. only a chance for isolated showers. i'll break down the >>> the wife of gop presidential hopeful, mitt romney, has just begun attending her first convention rallies and today in loudoun county, she talked with me about her message and her personal battle with ms. >> i should tell you i feel right at home because i'm in a barn. >> ann romney was greeted with wild applause and cheers in leesburg today. many of these women are horse lovers like she is and she spoke about how riding offered her a source of healing from ms. >> i went from being very, very sick, very weak, to turning to something that gave me enormous joy and enormous confidence. >> in our interview, mrs. romney copes with multiple sclerosis

here to elaborate on those comments, ann romney. >> hello, seth. thank you for having me. >> well, thank you for coming, ann. so, based on the interview, is it safe for us to say that the rigors of the campaign are starting to wear on you? >> seth, i have loved this campaign. we've had the pleasure to meet so many wonderful people across this great nation. but yes, at the same time, there are parts that are hard. there are many sacrifices to the schedule. it's fall and we're missing apple picking season. we love apple season. it's like mormon mardi gras. i once drank so much cider, i woke up in my bed the next morning wearing my pajamas. >> >> you said americans need to realize how lucky they are to have mitt. are you worried this will give fodder to those who see you as an elitist? >> that's -- now, i understand that mitt and i have a blessed life. but, are we more elitist than barack and michelle obama? they are friends with jay-z and beyonce. [ laughter ] did i miss something? is hanging out with jay-z and beyonce a thing regular people do now?

let's gather around the water cooler to watch ann romney sitting down with jay leno. mrs. ey shared some secrets of her 43 year marriage to mitt, including the thriftiness of a man worth an estimated quarter of a billion dollars. ? would you say he's frugal or cheap? >> cheap. >> cheap? really? >> yeah. do you want to know what he does when we leave the house? he turns off the hot water house. do you know wlae does -- >> he turns off the hot water heat sner. >> when we come back, he forgets that he's got to turn the hot water heat other and he says cold showers are not that bad. >> talk about the significance of if he gets elected being the first mormon president. >> well, you know, i love the fact that we have the first african-american president, that that means to me that we're leaving prejudices behind. i would hope that if mitt were elected we would see more of the same. that prejudices are being left behind. >> i thought you said you'd like to see more of the first african-american president just to see -- >> no, get it right. >> if elected as first lady, what would y

nevertheless, i want to talk about real quick with you ann romney's tone and stop it she said it in a very scolding way. she also said that people should be lucky that someone with governor romney's experience, her husband's experience, would be on the forefront of this race for his party. what are we seeing in her reaction and even in her tone in that interview? >> look, it's no surprise that a spouse would at this juncture, given the week mitt romney has had, be very frustrated with the coverage and critics and want to lash out a little bit. asking critics to stop it, i don't know if that's a effective strategy. i think it opens you up to criticism about not being able to take the heat. certainly given the performance, the very sunny, cheerful, optimistic performance she had at the republican convention, i would have to assume that that would be the image that they would prefer to be the lasting one. it's no surprise. she's only human, and quite frankly she's showing who she really is. i think that's part of her appeal, too. >> she's seeing the toll it's taking on her husband as the

there is a war on women, paul ryan, mitt romney, they are standing in the fox hole and sadly, ann romney'seed. crystal, we have a been listening to a lot from mrs. romney since the last week. we've heard a lot of things she said. let's take a quick listen. >> and i'm hearing from so many women that may not have considered voting for a republican before, that said it's time for the grownup to come, the man that's going to have -- that's going to take this very seriously. >> a remarkable statement. she's getting into the weeds there of the political fight, but a grownup? >> it's a very dangerous place to be, because people like ann romney, they love michele obama, but part of the reason that people like public figures like ann and michele, is that they stay out of politics. they're not seen as partisan or polarizing figures. when you make comments like that insinuating the president is a child and we need to bring a grownup into the room that's a very dangerous place for ann romney to go. and frankly, it's something that michele obama i think will be very weary of tonight as well. i think sh

ann romney even tweeted saying everyone's okay. good for her. >>> let's go to this with howardfeinman now. i want to read to you a classic example of friday afternoon news dump. mitt romney releasing his tax returns for last year. he paid an effective rate of 14.1%, below the rate we know that people pay of payroll taxes. the campaign also released a summary of his taxes for the past 20 years -- a summary. they say romney paid an average of 20.2%, and they say he never paid less than 13.6%. republican stratojist alec castellanos had a strong response telling "the "politico,"" at first i thought this was an april fool's joke, i can't believe that david axelrod will say i'm glad mitt put this behind him. this will drag his taxes into the debate. i can't imagine why nay would do this." i know they said they would release the current years or last year's return, they did that showing he pays less than the average guy. he says is one of the victim class who only pays payroll taxes. he pays less, it turns out. why would they tease us wit

do you think that's necessary coming from ann romney?> what we're going to see, things are going to get tougher as we get closer to november. i think what we'll see tonight with the first lady is she will paint a nice picture of her husband. there's no dis-pe pedisputing t he's a good husband, father, good person, he's just a bad president. the first lady has done a tremendous job as first lady and shining a light on childhood obesity and issues like that are extremely important. i think what we'll see tonight is another nice layer of the president as a person but stay away from the policy. >> charles, how does the president, how does he get beyond what the republicans are now capitalizing off of this message from ryan saying, he's no better off than jimmy carter, we don't need to hire him again because we were in a bad economic situation then and we're in a bad economic situation now. >> this idea he made it worse is ridiculous, like, so there was nothing that could have been worse than what we were facing. and we are -- and the economy

an air scare for ann romney, the wife of the republican presidential candidate. her plane making an emergency landing. this was the scene at denver international airport today. firefighters racing up the stairs there to get onto the plane. mrs. romney and her today in mid-flight when the cabin filled with smoke. abc's senior natiol correspondent jim avila coverers aviation for us and he leads us off tonight. >> reporter: the romney private campaign jet, a ten-seater, was at 40,000 feet when thick smoke began filling the cabin. on board, ann romney, secret service agents, and her press secretary, sarah haley, to whom we spoke just moments ago. >> it was apparent that it was an electrical fire. we never saw any open flames or anything but there was a significant amount of smoke. >> reporter: the crew moved the passengers towards the emergency exit, as the pilot declared an emergency on the radio. the plane was heading from omaha, nebraska, to santa monica, california, when it turned around, as you can see in this flight path tracker. and began a rapid descent toward

people crowded into an open air barn in loudoun county today to listen to a political pitch from ann romneyfe of republican presidential nominee mitt romney. the partisan crowd believes the economy will push voters to fave the republican ticket in november. fox 5's john henrehan reports. >> reporter: it was billed as a women for mitt rally with a mostly female audience who gathered inside a roomy equestrian barn in loudoun county. voters here faved in obama in '08 but went solidly republican in subsequent elections. ann romney who has been involved with riding horses since her childhood and later used horses as therapy for her multiple sclerosis joked about the venue of the political rally. >> i should tell you that i feel right at home because i'm in a barn. so let's talk some horse sense. >> reporter: the wife of the gop nominee criticized the obama administration for its failure to fully revive the economy more quickly. >> guess what this economy has done to women? it's hit them harder than men, more women are unemployed now than men. >> reporter: ann romney implored the largely female a

that is why we had the ann romney speech. if he can close that gap -- that is why i think the election is in his hands and out of obama's. >> what abouout that -- did mitt romney start to climb the likability mountain? >> i i thinknk so. there were lots of people who did testimomonials who were very persuasive. ann romney certainly made a big difference. he is not exciting, but i did nonot think he was threatening ther. i think there is nothing to really overtly dislike, and he did t the best he could. the question is -- isist enough? >> if you are on the fence --- did you u hear anything there that uld move you toward mitt romney? >> i did hear a very convincing statement abouout h understanding about how the economy and how business works.s. not that big an applause line, but it is clear he has a desire to make this country move. what does not work for him is time. he does not hold up over time. bain capital will be back in frt of us. his income tax returns will be back ifront of us. the question i is -- what is this inividu

and how her speech could compare with that of ann romney at the rnc. but first from fox's tuesday night live from charlotte, the democratic national convention is now officially underway. and how is this for timing? today the national debt clock topped $16 trillion for the first time in u.s. history. we'll have more on that a little later with gather are you willis. we'll three hours away from the headliners, including the first lady, michelle obama. she checked out the stage yesterday. president obama says he can not compete with the first lady, calling her the star of the obama family. >> i'm going to be at home and i'm going to be watching her with our girls and i am going to try not to let them see their daddy cry. because when michelle starts talking i start getting all misty. >> shep: tonight's other big speech, the keynote address from none other than julian castro, the mayor of san antonio, texas. he is but 37 years old and the first latino keynote speaker at any democratic national convention. of course, it was the 2004 keynote that introduced

ann romney is letting her husband take the issues on that. what impact will it have in november?ere is cnn white house concerned. >> reporter: at this convention, democrats are embracing same-sex marriage in a state that passed a referendum banning same-sex marriage. the first openly gay person spoke tuesday. >> we must continue bringing america together. >> reporter: just take a look at the entertainment lineup. delta ray wrote the anthem opposing the same-sex marriage anthem that passed here. it was one day later president obama changed his stance on the issue. >> i concluded that for me personally, it is important for me to affirm that i think same-sex couples should be able to get married. >> reporter: four years ago when he was running for president, he held a different view. >> define marriage. >> i believe marriage is the union between a man and a woman. >> reporter: the president's change of heart energized young voters and his base. >> it absolutely makes me respect and support him ten times more. it's an issue for the bedroom, not for our courts. >> reporter: six out of

seriously, i think that michelle obama did a fine speech, ann romney did, too.ht michelle obama brought ito a new level when she said that the presidency does not change who you are it reveals who you are. th was her point. look at how the president h acted the last four years. look at how mitt romney has behaved as a candidate. is he telling us about his past? is he telling us aut h tax returns? is he telling us about the swiss bank accounts? >> she did not say that. >> no, but t implicati might have been there. >> i don't aept the sexist assumption that i'm m required to have the same reactiono any woman any spouse giving a speech. second, i think the ann romney speech was less effective than the michelle obama speech. she had a rifff about how much she loves wom. i thought was unnecessary and sounded forced. the part in which she spoke about her r husband w effecve but warmin him up is harder than warming up obama. >> but cynical? >> oh, yes.. of course it was cynical. that fridge in your kitchen may have crossed this bridge. your new car probably rode these

that really, really bothered ann romney. is when the first lady said that they don't measure success with money. they don't think of that money is the equivalent of success. whenever you hear the romneys using the word success, what they mean is money. that is all they mean by success. and so what you heard from mrs. obama last night was a very different take on how to define success in this country. >> it was also a series of surgical strikes on the romney/ryan ticket because we learned she says about honesty and integrity. that the truth matters, said the first lady. that was an -- against the lies that have been told by paul ryan. we learned about gratitude and humility. so many people had hand in our success. and a clinical strike on the misquoting of the president when he said that we all rely upon infrastructure in this nation. she literally cut them to pieces and no one knew she was holding a knife. >> well, that was the great thing about the way the speech was written, martin. you could written exactly the same speec