and there is a question is undecided. and the numbers for your campaign. >> and you know, it's los and competitive in key states and has been for a year and a half. there is not a huge number of undecided out there. for those who tuned in, think think wanted answers to question about who would restore economic security to the middle class. republicans recycled same false tacks against the president. you heard the president debunk some of those tonight. and i think. >> it's different. president obama is in a position having to spend this, his administration he made promises in 2009 he's going to have this done by three years or whatever. those campaigns goring to take shots. what i'm curious is what is going to judge the undecided? i'm wondering if have you a sense of how many are out there? and your party going to watch this tonight. >> how, how big is this undecided? how do you get it? >> there is polls shift back and forth. they're looking for a plan to restore security for middle class slipping before the economic cris

i am very undecided. i voted for obama, but so much uncertainty -- gas prices, medicare, medicaid, all these things are hitting me now. i don't like the uncertainty of things. i saw -- i watched the republican convention -- host: i'm going to let you go there 3 we have a couple more minutes from fra -- frank newport. what did you hear from roger? guest: what i heard was fascinating, his uncertainty about the current situation. back in 1980, americans were very uncertain. very uncertain about jimmy carter. the task of the reagan candidacy was to convince voters that reagan would be a more stable, realistic alternative. ultimately, he did convince americans of that and he won over jimmy carter that is romney's challenge now, and the obama people know it, and that is why they are going against romney as a person, because they don't want him to be seen as a reasonable alternative. is romney seen as a stable, realistic alternative, and the obama people are saying no, and romney, of course, is saying yes. host:

who are these undecided voters?hey tend to be more independent than democrat or republican. they're less engaged. they're just now paying attention. we know from exit polling that about one out of ten voters made their decision in 2004 and 2008 in the last week, and in 2008 they split equally between mccain and obama, auz would expect in an open seed race. in 2004 they broke for kerry the challenger over bush the incumbent, which is also typical of an encome bent re-election. i think we're likely to see the same this time with late deciding voters breaking for romney rather than obama. >> because generally, anna, isn't that sort of how it generally works is that the president is well known, so if they're undecided a week before, you clearly know they have problems with the president and that they should break for mitt romney, but not necessarily. >> well, i they that's right. they should break for romney, but a couple things about that number. probably half of the undecideds are not voters. we know that people say t

you all remained undecided this time last week.r anything from president obama last night that help you make up your mind? >> i didn't feel as though there was much substance that was given in his speech. i thought there was a lot of emotion and, you know, rallying the base. but not much in the way of policy that was fleshed out. >> i was disappointed that he didn't have more plans for the next four years, specific legislation, or other proposals. >> i was happy to see that president obama got some emotion going. it became lively. it engaged the people. it engaged me. i appreciated the way he talked to-- about that we have a responsibility, we, the people, that it's up to us, it's our voice, our vote. it. >> it didn't change my opinion. it didn't offer anything i didn't really know before. so i enjoyed it. and that was fun but-- but, you know, we knew he was charismatic. >> it was, but i remember back in 2008, and i was struck by how sober his presentation was,. >> warner: this time. >> this time. just so sober, and i would have li

charles, you're undecided. why are you undecided? >> waiting for the debates. i am disappointed with all of the sound bites. i hope that the debates will give me a little more depth and more meat and what these troops plans are of the two candidates. >> and what puts you in the middle rather than leaning toward obama or leaning toward romney? " just because i do have enough information. i would hesitate to make any decision at this point just because of a lack of information. >> and if there were one question that the candidates had to answer that would help you, what would it be? >> a plan for the economy. >> ok, good. now, you are undecided. why? >> with charlie. i don't feel like i have enough information. it is kind of vague now paired it is almost rhetoric that i am hearing. it is canned almost in some cases. but we are getting hints as it goes further long as to what their real positions are, it depends on how many times they go back and that becomes their position, but i want to know who their advisers are going to be. >> you are saying you are leaning i

now we talk about the undecideds. and why do they have such a hard time making up their minds? >>> plus -- >> and let me tell you, no matter how hard this campaign gets, i will always be by his side. to quote the great beyonce. >> yeah, ann romney channeling beyonce at least on "saturday night live." that ann romney. it's must-see tv, and it's coming your way. with arthritis pain. and two pills. afternoon's overhaul starts with more pain. more pills. triple checking hydraulics. the evening brings more pain. so, back to more pills. almost done, when... hang on. stan's doctor recommended aleve. it can keep pain away all day with fewer pills than tylenol. this is rudy. who switched to aleve. and two pills for a day free of pain. ♪ and get the all day pain relief of aleve in liquid gels. silverado! the most dependable, longest lasting, full-size pickups on the road. so, what do you think? [ engine revs ] i'll take it. [ male announcer ] it's chevy truck month. now during chevy truck month, get 0% apr financing for 60 mont

what exactly the intermay of those forces within a tbifn undecided voter are. what are they looking for in the debate? an acceptable alternative or two things playing in their minds? he sounds like he knows more because he avenues business guy, i don't trust him he he seems alien to me. they have such stark differences work on micro level. it's not clear the dynamic romney gives 3 great debate performs a not clear the undecide you had will tip to him. i don't know that will happen. some mesa he's acceptable but in the end not quite acceptable enough. >> i agree with everything john. one of the things that's been remarkable to me in the past week, we saw mitt romney not come pain on labor day. i don't want to overstress the appearance factor here. i can't remember the last time that happened mitt romney doesn't embrace the ceremonial aspects of this retail. forfeited fund raising as oppose today campaigning and presenting himself. swing states very, very controlled. i do think this matter. i don't think it can be 1 -- presenting the case right now signature on w

perhaps it was because he thinks they may not be popular with undecided people.eople are undecided because they don't like his policies or because mitt romney has not sold him on his vision. they are very different visions and the next 60 days will be about finding those undecideds and bringing them in one direction or the other. >> mike emanuel has gotten a response from the romney and ryan camp that reads boston, massachusetts as the confetti continues to fall in charlotte. tonight president obama laid out the choices in this election make being the case for more of the same policies that haven't worked for the past four years. he offered more promises, but he hasn't kept the promises he made four years ago. americans will hold president accountable for his record. they know they're not better off and that it's time to change direction. mitt romney and paul ryan will restore america's promise and deliver a better future for our country , fair and balanced. continuing coverage of the democratic national convention now on this station. on your late local news ana

it count. >> right. >> undecided in new york, forget, we don't care. >> i think the undecideds to mebe like that guy jack who was obama and now he is on the fence. there's a lot a difference between the two candidates. that's why there are so few undecideds. >>> john dickerson, jack otter thanks. we'll be right back. you're watching "cbs this morning saturday". ♪ >>> welcome to "cbs this morning saturday." i'm rebecca jarvis. >>> i'm anthony mason. this tuesday is the 11th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. and construction on the memorial museum has ground to a halt. we'll talk with two people who lost family in the attack about what needs to be done to end the controversy and finish the museum at ground zero. >>> then, a stunning development. just as the nfl season kicks off, four players who were suspended for taking part in the new orleans saints bounty-gate scandal can now play. sports analyst rich gannon will explain what this means and take a look at the five top stories this nfl season. >>> she once said sophia loren plays peasants. i play ladies. we open up the cbs news vault

it count. >> right. >> undecided in new york, forget, we don't care. >> i think the undecideds to mebe like that guy jack who was obama and now he is on the fence. there's a lot a difference between the two candidates. that's why there are so few undecideds. >>> john dickerson, jack otter thanks. we'll be right back. you're watching "cbs this morning saturday". >>> we're back. >> we're back. john, do you think the conventions helped to sway the undecided vote and how big is the undecided vote. >> depends on the state. in a state like iowa, it comes down to the nine or so battleground states. some other states in north carolina, it's probably a much, much smaller group. so that -- there it's about getting out your base more so than in a state like iowa. i think what you might have done, this might have been the time swing voters tuned in. they took some impressions but they're swing voters which means they change their minds a lot. so those impressions will be soft. they'll go back and forth a lot. then there's a group of people who won't start paying attention until october >> it use

the potential impact on the undecided voters coming up. a study suggests letting your kid take the occasional sip of alcohol may really not be the best way to stop your child from becoming a heavy drinker later on. that is all ahead unless breaking news changes everything. this is "studio b." but, first, from fox at 3:00 in new york city, the race if the white house. the republican presidential nominee, mitt romney, is responding today to a video shot in may during a private fundraiser. an attendee secretly recorded and it gave it to the liberal website "mother jones." in the video, he touches on everything from foreign policy to the economy. at one point he calls president obama supporters "people who are dependent upon the government who believe they are victims." listen. >> the president starts off with 48 or 49, a huge number, people who pay no income tax, 47 percent of americans pay no income tax. our message of low taxes does not connect. they will talk about tax cuts to the rip. that is what they sell every four years. my job, then,

fox talked to and listened to undecided voters in north carolina.d about the deep level of anxiety about the state of the country and their family's future. i am looking for someone who will help the middle class and open up jobs. i have a son who 25. it is hard for him to find a job. i feel that we are not getting what we were told we were going to get. i voted for obama then. now, i think, our economy is worse than it was before. i think we need some kind of change. i'm not sure just what. >>reporter: the demographic group that posted the strongest gain in shear voting numbers last time, was african-americans, 127,000 more of them showed up to cast ballots in the state than in 2004. the president will need black turn out to remain at that historic level four years ago to remain competitive, especially if he splits the undecided with governor romney as experts deem likely. >> when people said they were undecided we asked, if you had to choose, right, which would you choose? a portion of them would choose a candidate. so, in a sense, we do get a pre

there are no undecides?the bounce is low. >> and i think because they're not a lot of inindependence is a factor. there weren't a lot of line that's you remember mitt romney, i think he gave a decent speech but it just doesn't wow anyone. like michelle obama tonight. maybe barack obama, maybe bill clinton, tomorrow, i just didn't have the energy. the energy is behind getting obama out. and there is not a lot of energy of getting mitt romney in that. is the problem. and mitt romney raising record numbers of money. but think that is because they want obama out. >> when you look at economic numbers they are grim. you look at the economy are you better off now than you were four years ago? it's a stunning number. it is. >> democrats all over the map on that question. october, 2011 president obama said people are not betterer off than they were four years ago. joe biden said there are different answers on it. they haven't had a answer on it and it's kind of surprising it's gotten the week off to a bit of a stumbl

but first bill maher explains undecided voters mitt romney explains his 47% comment and the emmy fortt romney joke goes to jimmy kimmel. when it doesn't go anywhere else, we put it in the viewfinder. >> i will admit there is so much meticulous at attention to detail. [ applause ] >> it really gives you a sense of what it must have been like to grow up in mitt romney's life. >> i'm a cool down to earth dude person. >> he paid an effective tax rate of 14%. >> the 14% mitt romney paid is less than the average american. how did he claim such a low rate? he claimed 47% of americans of dependants. >> when i say that i was just cashing. ha, ha ha. >> rich white laughter, rich white laughter. >> if you are one of the 5% of undecided american voters it's okay to admit you just don't give a [ censor bleep ]. >> i guess some of us are harder to please. before you get our vote, you're going to have to answer some questions. >> what more information does someone need to make this choice? >> when is the election? >> what are the names of the two people running? and be specific. >> who is the presi

not many undecideds left. can it help, sure. it will be marginal impact. >> i want to talk about the conventions because they are over. we saw coming out of the conventions, president obama got a bit of a balance, rigid a bit of a bounce, more than mitt romney. >> it matters. this is the time pulls matter. we only have eight weeks left. we are in the home stretch. september will be a crucial month for mitt romney. it is very tough to be an incumbent. the fundamentals of the economy are on this -- are on his side. the next pivotal moment or you'll get a lot of eyeballs watching are the debates. does not come until october. we are talking about a small amount of states virginia, florida, ohio, where they will go in and make their case. every answer, every interview every mistake is more important. >> less than a month to go before the first debate on october 3. we will watch the polls closely. thank you for joining us. still to come, adult magazine and controversial figure wants to take a look at mitt romney's tax returns. we will

tavis: i do not see how anybody can be undecided, but, apparently, there are still some undecideds outthere, and the presidential debates are coming up starting october 3, i think, one of them betwe mr. romney, and there is one vice presidential, but one of these debates between obama and ronny will be a town hall, and in this town hall, we are told that gallup will assemble undecided voters to make of the audience on that particular night. to understand how anybody at this point, given the stark nature of the two choices, it can be and decided, and if you are obama, let's start with that, if you are undecided, what do you think the voters need to hear if you are obama? >> half of the country does not read newspapers, and have does not watch television, and have does not vote, and many are still not paying attention. maybe now that the two conventions are over, we will start seeing them pay more attention, and a lot of them do not have a deep sense about the reality of the world we live in an arch starting to think about it. what do you have? you have a businessman, it just the governm

you are undecided. why? >> in the discussion of the social meeting, it is hard to know what is being put out by the candidate come up because you have these commercials and sound bites from pacs to do not have to vet what they are saying. other people are coming forth, and i am concerned about not getting to hear just the candidates' sides. there is too much of it. >> you cannot authenticate it. >> how will you decide? >> by going to the sources that i feel -- and there have to be some out there still -- that are looking at both sites and trying to sit down to truly what the plans are. >> any one issue or area where you say this is really a make or break issue for you, or is it broader? >> a little bit broader. education one of my big concerns with the federal government making its way into and perhaps bullying its way into making school systems and states follow what the feds want to do. about all politics is local. education used to be local as well. >> who else? charles? why? >> i am waiting for the debat

obama back in the white house, they kind of need bill clinton's road map to lead the way with those undecided voters. >> yeah, and it was a great speech. do people, do politicians like bill clinton, who -- i mean, not only thanked republicans like eisenhower and reagan and bush sr. for their contributions to welfare reform and education and civil rights. i mean, he also thanked w. of all people. do politicians like that still exist? i mean, he seems so an ak ro nisic. not just at this dnc, but this decade of political polarization. >> well, actually, having covered bill clinton almost as long as i've been in journalism, i know that that's sort of true, but it's also a rhetorical device on his part. he's praising the history of modern -- of moderate republicanism. examples were even george w. was somebody he could work with. in order to try to paint the current leadership of the republican party as a bunch of radical extremists. but rather than name call, rather than say they're radical extremists, it's more the kind of in sorrow than in anger approach that bill clinton is a master of because

we just heard from these undecided voter, they are still undecided, they are not yet sold after listeningmark, last night. does that tell you anything about what mitt romney was able -- >> no, these are the gold mine it is both campaigns, these are the people they are trying to reach. i means that's where the battle will be fought. but i guess if you are's the romney campaign, you hope that there would be three or four battlefield conversions that stand up and say that does it for me, i'm willing to join. but i think it makes us stay tuned for next week and find out what happens after barack obama is still undecided then we're probably on to the detate-- debates. >> i have to say, there's obviously a high degree of skepticism, you hear it in the audience and country. and i think it makes you think when you go back to romney's speech that the policy likeness is probably excess-- there wasn't enough policy. they had to humanize him. people in interview, especially on camera will say policy really matters. but personality really matters too. it is historically dualed that people want to vote

you're undecided, mary, why are you undecided? >> because i want mitt romney to release his tax returns. >> why is that important to you? >> well, when i was looking at how he was vetting his applicants for vice president, he made them provide 10 years' worth of tax returns. and i just feel like this entitlement and the rules don't apply fairly to everyone and that is just for some reason, little things i have read just like that in particular, stick in my mind. >> it sticks in my mind and it gets to me because? >> because it just seems like it's just not fair. >> not fair because? >> because it just seems like what's good for someone on one side should also be good for someone on the other. in other words he should have to release his if he's fwoning to ask his vice president to release 10 year's worth. >> anybody else at the table feel the same way? hands up the ones who say i do agree. karlena does, ample j. does. the rest of you -- >> i strongly disagree. i don't think he should release any tax returns. tax returns, i have my

what exactly the intermay of those forces within a tbifn undecided voter are. what are they looking for in the debate? an acceptable alternative or two things playing in their minds? he sounds like he knows more because he avenues business guy, i don't trust him he he seems alien to me. they have such stark differences work on micro level. it's not clear the dynamic romney gives 3 great debate performs a not clear the undecide you had will tip to him. i don't know that will happen. some mesa he's acceptable but in the end not quite acceptable enough. >> i agree with everything john. one of the things that's been remarkable to me in the past week, we saw mitt romney not come pain on labor day. i don't want to overstress the appearance factor here. i can't remember the last time that happened mitt romney doesn't embrace the ceremonial aspects of this retail. forfeited fund raising as oppose today campaigning and presenting himself. swing states very, very controlled. i do think this matter. i don't think it can be 1 -- presenting the case right now signature on w

undecided voters in battleground state have a variety of issues on their minds. >> i'm still undecidedlose race. my biggest concern is social security issues. >> medicare is one. safety of the world is the other, because it's really getting unsafe with all of the things going in, in the eastern world. >> i will decide at the last moment, which way i'll go. i'm not a democrat. i'm not a republican. >> with the recent violence in middle east, voter ins other battleground states such as florida an ohio say they are keenly aware of the national security threats and are factoring them in the voting decisions. in virginia, major concern as well. >> national security right now is important to me. i'm not sure that the current president has a grasp on what he needs to do with the foreign policy. >> it's the economy. it's also the threat of terrorism, globally and here in the united states. the third, i think about my children a lot. what their future is like. >> a small business owner says the federal regulations made it difficult to add employees. >> if we hire the additional people we have t

in 2008, the number of undecided was 11%.re is another "wall street journal" poll that puts the undecideds down further at 3%. which convention did a better job of swaying those undecided voters, cal? >> it's hard to say. frankly i think if you're undecided at this point, you probably shouldn't be allowed to vote. come o. we've been saturated with commercials, campaign commercials from both sides, the super pacs. inundated with all kinds of things. frankly, i have not seen the political wing of the democratic party, the left political wing of the party exert itself with such force. frankly since chicago in 1968 which, of course, was the ends of the middle of the vietnam war. i was astonished if the democrats want to reach out to the middle and to the undecided voters, that convention looked like it was all about abortion, contraception, same sex marriage. is that really what concerns most of middle america? i think it's the economy and job s that's number one. that's why i think romney and the others had the advantage. >> hea

something analysts say could go a long way in swaying undecided voters.to some of them next. [ giggling ] [ laughing ] [ laughing ] [ laughing ] [ laughing ] ♪ >> shep: analysts have been saying undecided voters could decide the presidential election. especially if they live in a battle ground state like virginia. mike emmanuel has virginia right down the road, you've been talking to undecides there, what are they saying? >> i talked to a loft virginia voters over the past couple of days and the undecideds sound anxious about the future and worried about a whole range of issues. >> i am concerned about the economy. i'm concerned about the money. right now i feel like we're in a situation that has started for generations back not exactly confident about the economy moving forward at this point. >> national security perhaps going to go a little higher on your list of priorities? >> always for me. i'm a veteran, so yeah. yes. absolutely. >> virginia has a very large active military and veteran population. so that's not surprising. but it does seem research s

polls show just a sliver of the electorate is truly undecided this year, only 3% to 5%.ews/"washington post" poll today indicates one in four registered voters may be "persuadable," though. ray suarez sat down with some who say they are undecided in the swing state of virginia as they listened in on the final night of the republican convention. >> suarez: virginia switched from being an historically "red" state to the "blue" column when it voted for president obama last time. now, the battleground state is too close to call. we gathered six northern virginia voters to watch governor romney's acceptance speech carefully, and with 67 days till election day, they're still undecided. martha paschal, 51, a life-long democrat who voted for the president in 2008, but says she's reluctant to do it again. adam salazar, a 26 year-old grad student, who considers himself a republican, but voted for president obama last electi. annabefoer 64, who voted republican in the last two presidential elections, but isn't sure she trusts governor romney and wants to see more cooperation on bot