this is ohio. i talked to one person yesterday who said, look at the end of the day no matter what the polls show, the state has a traditional gop lean, the gop has a good ground game and it's still a huge battleground. and you know this might not be a 10-point race like the poll showed today. but it's going to be a two, three, four-point race in the end i think. >> that's a great assessment. thanks so much for that peter hamby. >> good to see you. >>> find out how long it might be until the person in the seat next to you can pull out their cell phone and talk through the whole flight. with the spark cash card from capital one, sven's home security gets the most rewards of any small business credit card! how does this thing work? oh, i like it! [ garth ] sven's small business earns 2% cash back on every purchase, every day! woo-hoo!!! so that's ten security gators, right? put them on my spark card! why settle for less? testing hot tar... great businesses deserve the most rewards! [ male announcer ]

president obama makes another trip to ohio. romney definitely needs to put ohio back in play. the president simile wants to put it away. >>> today romney is out with a straight-to-camera ad. the ad itself is a bit of an admission that the 478% comments have done serious damage and the attacks on his personal wealth are also sinking in. take a look at the ad. >> president obama and i both care about poor and middle-class fami families. the difference is my policies will make things better for them. we shouldn't measure compassion by how many people are on welfare. we should measure compassion by how many people are able to get off welfare and get a good-paying job. >> worth noting, that's his first candidate-to-camera ad. this morning the obama campaign have another ad out hitting on the 47% comment. this is what it looks like. >> when mitt romney dismissed 47% of americans for not pulling their weight, he attacked millions of hard-working people making $25,000, $35,000 a year $40,000 a year. romney paid just 14% last year on over $13 million in income. >> this is the second ad

they will be back in ohio. we will see more campaign ads in ohio than people in most states will see, to the point that people will be sick and tired of seeing them. columbus, the market that we're in right now, had the highest degree of political advertising two weeks ago of any place in the country. and it was june. be so it's really going to be -- so it's really going to be a place that both candidates court. and almost always have. well, particularly after the civil war it was a place that harbored both southern sympathizers and northern sympathizers. there are a bunch of counties to the south of us here in columbus, between here and cincinnati, that were counties that are called the virginia military district. after the revolutionary war, officers in the revolutionary army who didn't get paid were given land in ohio. ohio's a part of the west, of course, at that time. they moved out here. they sort of carried with them their culture and their background. they came from a slave-owning state. they didn't bri

tonight's question, who's going to win ohio? text "a" for the president and text "b" for mitt romney to 622639 or go to ed.msnbc.com. joining me tonight, e.j. dionne of "the washington post," also an msnbc contributor, and author of "our divided political heart," and chris redford joins us tonight. e.j., you first. this is quite a mountain to climb for any campaign, whether it's mitt romney or anybody else. how is he going to be able to do it? >> well, i think he knows he's in a hole, because that ad you showed where he said, both of us care about middle class families, that was almost an entirely defensive ad. and that quinnipiac/"new york times" poll showed why. there was a question in there that asked, does obama, does romney care about the middle class, the rich, the poor, or everyone equally? most polls the that give four choices usually get scattered answers. 58% of the people in ohio said that mitt romney's policies favored the rich. by contrast, 59% said that obama's policies favored either everybody equally or the middl

the romney campaign needs ohio back. like this line yestday, they keisd t hmer ones >> he's got one new idea. i admit this. he has one thing he did not do in his first four years he said he's going to do in the next four years which is to raise taxes. is there anybody who thinks onising taxes will help growhe >>no. >> ryan's expression back there when he looks over at portman, kind of intriguing. it would be curious what a thought bubble would be going on over there. but it's a little bitf a change for romney. est rsi t n been accusing t citing increases, i thinking about the health care law, et cetera. a romney adviser put out a memo yesterday explaining how capital gains are taxed. as they say, if you're explaining how capital gains are taxed, not jt calling for different ways ofowering th, ifou sein to explain it, you're losing. romney has also tried to make china a boogeyman and he did it again in ohio yesterday. >> that when people cheat, that kills jobs. china has cheated. i willot allow that to continue. [ cheers

ohio, the importance. >> ohio is crucial.t the polls there is so much discussion of the polls, conservatives who believe that democrats are oversampled none are trustworthy. you have the main stream medi media. the truth is in between. it's clear that many polls are oversampling and they look more like 2008 turn-out than we would expect. this applies to ohio and nationally as bell and see they are showing momentum in president direction. he picked up support among independents in the poll. good gauge to tell which way the trends of the race. and in this gallup poll, it's registered voters right now. it had been even. romney cited it on the stump and showed one of two polls tied. today it was 50/44 for president obama. i think ohio certainly is trending toward obama. it's safe to say that right now. the national polls are showing some movement toward the president. >> bret: say for the sake of arguement that the polls are skewed toward president obama. what he is doing on the stump now, is it different from what he was doing?

they did it in ohio for years .uestion is people who have the right to vote. >> let me jump in here in a response. go ahead mark. >> it is a classic example of the white house and what they do. they try to claim voters suppression . the person whose vote is suppressed. it is those who wear the uniform. they don't get to vote as you alluded to. they vote once. military men and women have the most flexibility. >> and it is convenient for them . they don't get to vote twice but once. >> ohio is among the 32 states and the district of columbia that allows them to cast a early ballot without giving a reason. democrats are arguurg that given the military living overseas, special consideration is unfair. why is that unfair, mark? >> it is unfair to say some votes matter more. republicans living in switzerland get to vote where as blacks living in cleveland don't? we all have a equal right to vote. >> why -- what about the other states who decide when and where those votes will be cast. what is wrong with that. >> ohio shou

ohio's 18 electoral votes are vital to romnes chances of winning in nembe mitromney loses ohio, he's going to have to win all six swing states where the president currently leads. the president's lead in ohio is starting to lookominant. in a fox news poll, president obama leads by seven points. a "washington postpoll puts the presidt up by eight points ino. d the most recent poll by cbs and "the new york times" has president obama leading by ten points. romney was in ohio today, making a new pitch to voters. he's the guy who understands their pain. >> the a so many iour coy aur r i want to help them. i know what it takes to get an economy going again and creating jobs. >> voters in ohio don't believe romney on this front at all. when it comes to the economy, 51% of ohio voters say they trust president obama against 45% of voters who trust mitt romney. obama has an advantage on the economy in ohio, because basically, this state is a national success story when it comes to the economy. listen to mitt romney's ohio surrogate, governor john kasich. doesn't sound like there's much reason

carrying ohio.is state is so crucial. it's 18 electoral votes are being really grab at by both the president and mitt romney. both candidates spending so much time there, and, suzanne, the thing about ohio from romney, it really is a must-win state wrush talk about whether states you must win or not. capturing ohio, also capturing back florida, such -- so important for mitt romney, and the new poll numbers there are really not really helping mitt romney's case right now. i don't know if you have them, but we put together an average of the last four polls. there it is. there you go. you can see the president by seven points over mitt romney in ohio. a similar story in florida and a budget of the other battleground states. of course, it's five and a half weeks until the election. anything can happen, and we have those debates coming up one week from today. they start, suzanne, that could also change the needle on the polling. >> certainly could. right around the corner there. all right, paul. thank yo

ohio this election cycle. president obama and mitt romney both speaking at 1: today. ionder youre ohe state it's interesting when you look at the dynamics economically at play in ohio. governor cakasic's great job of sheparding the oo economy to accot for state unempyment 7., ler than theio ave, also undercuts mitt romney's message this economy isn't in turn around andime to get someone else. >> makes john kasic a hobbled sur row gate for mitt romney, you can't say the enomy is greawhen'r tg to prove the economy is bad. thing about ohio it's an important state, and remember when 2004 the whole election came down to john kerry losing narrowly to george w. bush in that state, the president has a coupleuge advantages we're seeingn the ten-point ga, on is the aut bat. e o ste besides michigan be impacted more positively by the auto bailout than ohio. 82 out of 88 counties have an auto parts supplier in them that's felt a direct effect of the bailout. part of why the economy is doing better there. it's enough to mo

both candidates are in ohio today and this week. what is it about the makeup of ohio that makes it the ultimate purple state, the ultimate bellwether state? >> well, it's history and geographic and demographic. richard nixon, the late richard nixon always used to say it's always about ohio. >> that's a great intern nation. unkanne. >> it sounds a loot like walter cronkite, too. it's like pennsylvania was in the early days, but once we were more of a continental country, ohio is like the center of the pinwheel that the rest of the country resolves around. it touches the east and midwest and south. it has people from all over the country. it's always been the place where new products are tested. it's no accident procter & gamble are based in ohio. a lot of republican presidents came from ohio, so it's sort of the home of republican party, which is why no republican has ever won without winning ohio.

his life at ohio state was interesting. he had trouble and was not good at baseball with no depth perception. their 49 did not graduate. when he was in connecticut ross was the editor it solidified him as a writer most short pieces were published and the cartoons got rave reviews. then have a real cartoonist came in and said how can you turn down my work? he said no, no, no. third ranked artists. they have a plan working relationship. you wrote to a play called the male animal that was made into a movie. if you are a strong buy van he is not fond the the football program. because he never refers to the university by name. and walter this picture here. because it was put to into a movie. he would daydream he was saving the world. james thurber stayed in this room. this is one piece that belonged to him as a young reporter with my life and hard times. and there was a flood here 1913 and was very serious. it caused a lot of problems. but that is when thurber talked about the panic people 5 miles away running down the street ye

jim roads the fourth term governor of ohio, all that matters in ohio is the size of this wallet. sf it's getting fatter, they will do well. if it is small are, they will not do well. romney needs to make the case so peel can see him, know him and conclude he is not only understands their problems but he has a way of fixing them. >>> i assume we'll see you on the trail in ohio. >> all the way to the finish line. >> paul: when we come back, we go to colorado where the candidates will square off wednesday night in their first presidential debate. there is no doubt mitt romney has lot riding on his performance there. our panel has some advice for our panel has some advice for the i'm done! "are you a cool mom?" i'm gonna find out. [ female announcer ] swiffer wetjet's pads are better than ever. now they have the scrubbing power of mr. clean magic eraser so you don't have to get down on your hands and knees to scrub away tough, dried-on stains. hey, do you guys think i'm "momtacular" or "momtrocious"? ♪ [ female announcer ] swiffer. now with the scrubbing power of mr. clean magic eras

earlier this month the democratic ticket made clear just how much ohio means to them. >> if we win ohio, we win the election. >> if we win toledo, we will win ohio. and if we win ohio we'll win this election. >> john heilemann, there has been no shortage of love for the state of ohio this election cycle. president obama and mitt romney both speaking at 1:05 today. i wonder your take on the state it's interesting when you look at the dynamics economically at play in ohio. governor cakasic's great job of sheparding the ohio economy to account for state unemployment 7.2%, lower than the national average, it also undercuts mitt romney's message this economy isn't in turn around and time to get someone else. >> makes john kasic a hobbled sur row gate for mitt romney, you can't say the economy is great when you're trying to prove the economy is bad. thing about ohio it's an important state, and remember when 2004 the whole election came down to john kerry losing narrowly to george w. bush in that state, the president has a couple huge advantages we're seeing in the ten-point game, one is the

ohio's position and growing that industry enormously.the number one wind energy growth state in the country. romney is against the production tax credit. what do you think of president obama's clean energy policies, including the all of the above strategy with respect to natural gas? >> well, i will say that first of all he did the right thing in trying to invest in wind and solar. now, some of the investments didn't work out but their failure rate wasn't any -- was certainly lower than what would be obtained from investing in nuclear. nuclear is a -- is dead on wall street. and the government's trying to prop it up with loan guarantees. i don't agree with that. i agree with the solar investment. even president obama, at the convention, if you look at his speech, he mentions coal. now, as far as natural gas the glut is there. there are issues with fracking. it cannot be ignored. and so that's -- you know, but the economics that are underlying this election actually are arguing against coal. i think the long-term prospects that we ought t

ohio the president is up by 1.oth within a margin of error a dead heat. >> those polls are just taken over a week ago. they may have shifted in the president's favor, a lot of the numbers have in the last week or so. we are seeing a very close race in those states within the margin of error. these are states that mitt romney absolutely has to win. >> >> bill: when will you have new polling from florida and ohio? >> next week. >> okay. doctor, you have heard i think both rove and morris were pretty -- they made a pretty good case. that the polling we saw today isn't accurate and but it does have a definite effect on the perception of the presidential race. what do you say? >> well, i think karl rove made some good points. i have to admit i can't construct a grassy knoll as large as dick more nor -- morris did. i did that so you can plug your kennedy book, bill. i plef in polling averages despite what dick morris said. i think the president is currently leading the race nationally by about 4 percentage points. that's

the liberal, progressive in ohio, dennis kucinich. congressman, welcome back inside "the war room." >> governor, good to be with you. >> jennifer: all right. so romney's now showing a new strategy in ohio which is showing empathy. is that going to work in ohio? >> he's got obviously a long way to go. it is not just about empathy. it is about articulating what would he do different. will he bring jobs back to the country that have been lost by china trade deals and other trade deals. would he strengthen american manufacturing, stop the outsourcing? he needs to be very specific if he has any chance and right now it looks like president obama because of his support for the auto industry, the steel industry has done well, because of that, it's going to be very difficult for romney to make up that ground. >> jennifer: ohio's unemployment rate, as we all know is about a point below the national average. do you think that ohioans are feeling that giving the president some credit for that? >> i tell you, there are some marginal gains that he

through ohio.artha: that is why they're spending quite a bit of time. great to to talk to you see you soon. >> thank you. bill: ann romney sitting down with jay leno, her first ever late night interview. on "the tonight show" talks about her would turn around the economy. she went back to the first night they met at a party to describe the skills he shows on the dance floor. >> for me it was love and for him too. >> was he a good dancer? >> you know, jay, he has got to be a better dancer. >> boy, that is political answer. that is a political answer. because i saw him dance when he came out at the republican convention. here, take a look. ♪ . [laughter] [applause] >> that is about as loose as i seen him. he was kicking back. >> that's mitt. >> that's him at home. bill: right on. stay tuned for that video. ann romney went on to talk about some of the shortcuts about raising five sons. including dressing them for church the night before. only needed to comb their hair in the morning. i ask you, mrs. m

ohio, ohio, ohio. how do you do it if ohio becomes out of reach? >> we're not going to give up on ohio. it is critical. everybody makes that point and it's a valid point. no question the president has had a few good weeks starting with the democratic convention. no question we made a couple mistakes and we're down a little bit. i don't think we're down by quite as much as the polls you cited show. let's not quibble about that. the romney campaign understands where they stand. they've got to refocus and drive home the basic questions that should drive this campaign. the president has some advantages in the polls today. he has one disadvantage going forward which i would simply call reality. we got the august family income report out the other day shows that family income declined again. chairman bernanke and the fed told us last week absent action we're headed toward another recession. that reality that we have to drive home to convince people that they, indeed, do need to make a change in course. >> housing starts up and stock market up, so there's

mix from columbus ohio cure from paul beck huji tells deval that they play in ohio politics. >> ohio has been a battleground state, highly competitive all parties strong in ohio, both parties were able to win offices in ohio. they almost go back and forth in terms of party control. there was a period after the civil war that they did go back and forth. every two years. it is a big state. it has a lot of electoral college votes and that is important for the presidential contest. it also is one of the states that really is competitive. it can be won by either side and so you put together the big prize with the competitiveness and it means the candidates are going to be here. governor mitt romney had a bus tour just a week or two ago. president obama had a bus tour just last week. they will be back in ohio. we will see more campaign ads in ohio than people in most states will see to the point that people will be sick and tired of seeing them. columbus, the market that we are in right now had the highest degree of political life advertising two weeks ago than anyplace in the country into

he went to ohio state.y personal preference, i want to see where bubba watson and the golf boys are going in this election. >> you want to see romney with bubba and not jack perhaps. peter hamby, we'll continue that off line. thank you, sir. now let's talk about this. don't miss the first presidential debate, denver, colorado. romney versus obama. that is one week from tonight, 8:00 eastern, here on cnn. i jumped the gun. i wanted to talk about my cell phone, every single one of us has these, it is a necessity. what about the exposure to radiation. is it really -- is it really making you sick? dr. sanjay gupta will join me to explain what we can do to reduce the exposure next. across the u. the only time i've ever had a break is when i was on maternity leave. i have retired from doing this one thing that i loved. now, i'm going to be able to have the time to explore something different. it's like another chapter. has oats that can help lower cholesterol? and it tastes good? sure does! wow. it's the honey, i

so no surprise that we find both candidates in ohio today. our campaign 2012 team is on their trail and we're going to start tonight with nancy cordes. nancy. >> reporter: well, scott, it all comes down to women. the president won among women by eight points back in 2008. it's a big part reason he won here. but today's poll finds he has a far greater advantage with women now, leading governor romney among women by 25 points. ( cheers and applause ) the president's support among ohio women has surged six point just in the past month. one reason can be found in their answers to this poll question: about which candidate cares about their needs and problems. 65% of ohio women said president obama. 33% said governor romney. tonda young, the glenford, ohio, described herself as an independent in the poll but she's been swayed by democratic ads painting romney as a ruthless businessman. >> they've said on tv, anyway, that he's put all these poor people out of business, taken all these jobs away from the united states. >> reporter: mr. obama has also

now in ohio. >> i believe you're going to help me win ohio. >> reporter: today it's a quick flight to virginia. >> we're a compassionate people. >> reporter: on wednesday romney tried to convey a more empathetic candidate. >> we have people that are hurting, we have people that are disabled and poor and they need our help and receive our help. we're a charitable people. >> reporter: recent polls shows romney trailing the president on the question of which candidate cares about my needs. but time is running out for governor romney to change voters' minds. early voting is under way in two dozen states. it starts today in iowa and next week in ohio. that has both campaigns stepping up their advertising in key swing states. >> we should measure compassion by how many people can get off of welfare. >> reporter: romney released a new 60 second ad. he talks about the struggles of average americans. president obama has out spent mitt romney on tv ads and the attacks have resonated with voters like this republican. >> he really doesn't know the common man. >> reporter: the latest poll shows pr

they do care about their internals in ohio showing them down five to eight points. that's ohio. show me a way to win the presidency without winning ohio. it's really, really hard. and so those numbers are troubling to them, and they are right, it is about the economy, and if you look at that last jobs report on friday, it's bad news for the president. very hard to spin that that was good news for this white house. the problem is they've been living with that for three, four months. it doesn't seem to be enough. there has to be what's the next step. >> i think people have discounted that. in ohio, you're right, a new ppp poll has the president increasing his margin over mitt romney. jim, he's up by five points. i love when everybody gets to 50. you know, howard -- >> there are two reasons to that in my understanding. one of them is the auto industry positive news the president has been able to sell for the bailout. the other according to frank once, a republican media strategist, is an independent ad they did talking how the workers at a plant built the stage for an announcement

if tim russert he might say, ohio, ohio, ohio. the presidential election may be decided by the buckeye state. sherrod brown joins us. >>> this is "hardball," a place for politics. hey. hey eddie. i brought your stuff. you don't have to do this. yes i do. i want you to keep this. it'd be weird. take care. you too. [ sighs ] so how did it go? he's upset. [ male announcer ] spend less time at gas stations with best in class fuel economy. it's our most innovative altima ever. ♪ >>> today a number of conservatives criticized romney for his ill-timed statement. peggy noonan on fox. >> i don't feel that mr. romney has been doing himself any favors. say, in the past few hours, perhaps since last night. sometimes when really bad things happen, when hot things happen, cool words or no words is the way to go. >> and according to buzz feed a number of republican foreign policy experts, quote, senior republican foreign policy hand called it an utter disaster and said it was romney's lehman moment, referring to senator mccain's tone deaf respon

ohio is it for obama and ohio is it for romney. and it was always going to be an uphill climb for romney. it's not going to be easy for a cooperate raider to win ohio. the problems for ohio over the last 30 years have the very things that mitt romney has been profiting from, decline of manufacturing, outsourcing, offshoring. he already had a tough case to make. then he said let detroit go bankrupt and let the auto industry collapse and that has pretty much done them in ohio. the reason that pennsylvania and michigan are off the table is similar. you can't win that working class vote while saying hey, the industry that you work in should be gone. >> well -- >> just be careful about saying off the table. you know, or did him in ohio, because these things do have a way of changing sometimes and ohio has been a pretty conservative state for a long time and some of the demographic groups that obama does well with are not very present -- >> and the voter i.d. issue is very much alive in ohio and whether or not they're going to be enough,

university of ohio. they meet up later today, romney and ryan, in jacksonville, florida. remember, it was just yesterday, randi, that romney and ryan had a rally in lakeland, florida, and that was their first rally post convention. the whole idea is to try to build on what they think was the momentum they got from their convention in tampa. yesterday at that event, mitt romney was talking about the president and talking about accountability. take a listen. >> measure us, hold us accountable, do the same with the president. look, you're making a choice as to who the servant will be of the nation. who is the person? who are the people who will lead this country and do what you want to be done. you listened to the last guy running for president. he laid out what he would do. he was unable to do it. it's time to give someone new a chance. >> reporter: and president obama, i think it's fair to say, would probably disagree with that statement right there. as for where he is today, he's on the campaign trail, r

>> i'm going to win ohio, in part because i have support from people in ohio >> reporter: but the problem, obama is here, too, today, his 29th visit since taking office, and not letting anybody forget that other number, 47%. >> i don't believe we get very far with leaders who write off half the nation as victims who never take responsibility for their lives. >> reporter: the president stopped at campuses, rallying young supporters. such a crucial day, both men took the stage at almost the same time this afternoon, and almost crossed paths as president obama headed to kent state, and romney to toledo. >> if you're registered, you can start to vote in six days. and this is important because you have a big choice to make. >> reporter: romney got support from ohio native and golfing legend, jack nicklaus and romney zeroed in on an issue he believes he can exploit. >> in my opinion, it is immoral to pass on obligations like that to the next generation. >> reporter: for his part, president obama is reminding voters that the economy is improving, that the unemployment is below the national avera

. >> and he touched down in ohio. >> ohio. >> ohio. >> ohio. >> romney, ryan, romney ryan. >> there we go, all right. >> does he have any. >> i come back to number three. >> romney is a strikeout. >> if we don't run chris christie, romney will be the nominee and he'll lose. >> it is a big day in the big apple. >> president obama is in new york right now. >> america wants to resolve this issue through diplomacy. >> there was president obama giving a speech. >> i accept people are going to call me awful things every day. >> then there was mitt romney. >> the few words from bill clinton can do a man a lot of good. >> if he's going to double down on that 47, that will cause difficulties. >> wait a couple of days for that bounce. >> he has no past that i can ever spot. >> i can appreciate your kind words. >> when i was a boy i used to think that becoming rich and becoming famous would make me happy. boy, was i right. >> yeah, he said that. with just 42 days until the presidential election and with a new poll showing mitt romney's path to the presidency rapidly narrowing, paul ryan is rapidl