he joins us from denver, good evening mr. chairman. tell me have you spoken to governor romney since the debate? >> i. i can tell you he was smiling and happy with how things went tonight. tonight was a historical night. and this is a sense that that is shocking. the performance but there is a problem for governor and drk-excuse me, the president, mitt romney was ready, and prepared. and he was ten yaishis and respectful. the president meandering. i think he left his heart back in washington, d.c.. he was boring and wasn't prepared for the president it was unbelievable for the wrong reasons for governor romney this was a night i think expired this constory that there is someone in governor romney not only capable of doing the things necessary to get this country back on track but there is a governor who is prepared, detailed. he came out ready to go for the american people and with almost 60 million people watching tonight i think he gave the american people what they -- what the respect they deserved. >> since you're the inside track

abc's brandi hitt is joining us from denver with more. good morning, brandi? >> reporter: good morning, rob and paula. this debate has been the biggest moment so far in this race. and for much of the night, president obama looked very relaxed on stage. and mitt romney pounced, putting the president on defense. the first presidential debate started with a hand shake and a smile between president obama and his republican challenger, mitt romney. then, it quickly focused on the economy. >> 5 million jobs in the private sector created. the auto industry's come roaring back. and housing has begun to rise. >> i know what it takes to get small business growing again, to hire people. >> reporter: romney was aggressive most of the night. but his comments about the 47% had taken a toll on his campaign. the president never brought up those comments. and romney tried to move past them. >> under the president's policies, middle-income americans have been buried. they're just being crushed. i will not, under any circumstances, raise taxes on middle-income families. >> repor

good to see you. >>> up next from the romney campaign, senior adviser ed gillespie joins us from denver [ female announcer ] ready for a taste of what's hot? check out the latest collection of snacks from lean cuisine. creamy spinach artichoke dip, crispy garlic chicken spring rolls. they're this season's must-have accessory. lean cuisine. be culinary chic. >>> all right. 34 past the hour. joining us now from denver, romney campaign senior adviser ed gillespie. ed, good morning. great to have you on the show. i'm wondering -- >> good morning, thank you. >> -- if they put four extra shots in mitt romney's coffee. >> i was talking to ed this morning. he said you know, everything you saw last night, it was all because of me. >> that's ed. >> we were talking about so many things here. talking about how extraordinarily well prepared he was, how he delivered. but instead of us just talking, "the wall street journal" says this was the best republican performance in a debate since 1980. that's what i was thinking last night watching it. bill kristol said the best in a quarter century. we've all

and miguel marquez joins us from denver. he's been traveling all over the u.s. talking to voters. he was just in my home state of iowa. economy the most important issue for americans. 48% registered voters put the economy at the top. budget, health care, education, all of them up there. what are you hearing from the undecided voters? what is going to make them make up their mind? >> well, let's be fair. they're a small piece of the pie. if you're in florida or virginia or ohio, states that are not decided, you could actually decide this election. and what these undecided voters seem to want is specifics. they don't want the promises they have been through the last four years. they're prepared to do the hard math. they want to see the actual equation. they don't want to hear 12 million jobs in four years, they want to hear exactly how you create 12 million jobs in four years. they don't want to hear tax cuts or 1 million more manufacturing jobs, they want to know specifically how you're going to do it. from mitt romney, they want to see the math, and from barack obama they want to

joining us from denver this morning, curtis hubbard, the editorial page editor from "denver post." what are the top issues for colorado voters? guest: just like everywhere else, the economy and jobs. we have a large energy sector. education is a big issue. among the latino population and especially democrats, immigration reform. host: the demographics of the voters in colorado? guest: 52% women, 40% men. we have increased the number of people were voting by mail. 800,000 people have already cast ballots in this state. it is equally divided. one-third of the electorate is a registered republican, won third democrat, one-third unaffiliated. everyone is plan for the group of unaffiliated voters. you'll hear a lot about appealing to women and latinos. we have heard a lot about the bennett strategy and that is the strategy center michael bennett used in running against the tide in 2010. where by appealing to women and latinos he was able to pull a victory in a year or not favorable to democrats. host: where are the traditionally democratic areas of the state? guest: denver is ground zer

reporter sandra joins us from denver with a preview, sandra?orning pam and dave all the debate preparation will be put to the test tonight in their first showdown and with the focus on domestic issues, you can see both candidates drawing a stark contrast between each other. >> reporter: while organizers put the final touches on the debate stage they are putting the final touches on the debate skills. the first showdown between president barack obama and mitt romney will focus on domestic issues with heavy emphasis on the economy something we heard a lot about on the campaign trail. >> what i am most concerned about is having a serious discussing about what we need to restore security for hard working americans. >> do you want four more years with 23 million people struggling to find a job? >> reporter: mitt romney told reporters at a recent campaign stop the debate is not about winning. >> governor romney is the underdog but he will be ready on the issues which is what this is about. >> they are spinning on the incumbent favor saying the debate

>> well, to nia joining us from denver.nderstanding that he told his mom what he had done. right? >> that's correct. and then she picked up the phone and reportedly handed it to him. she called the police and handed him the phone. >> everyone, "what would you do?" that's the question tonight at 9:00 eastern when abc's hidden camera show comes to hln. >>> it isn't long before kim hughes turns the corner. >> oh! oh, my god. >> our

sandra endo joins us from denver with a recap of the reaction and analysis, sandra?certainly came out strong in last night's first showdown but it shows among voters who watched the debate says mitt romney won versus 2 5% for president barack obama. the first presidential debate focused on domestic issues. >> i like the fact my state we have republicans and democrats come and work together. what you did instead was to push through without a single republican vote. >> well, healthcare premiums have gone up slower than any in the last few years. >> i put a 4 trillion-dollar deficit reduction plan. >> my specific principal is there will be no tax cut that adds to the deficit. >> it's not possible to come up with enough loopholes to avoid either raising the deficit or burden ending the middle-class. it is mad. >> look at the evidence of the last four years. it is extraordinary. we have 23 million people out of work. >> it was high on energy, particularly from mitt romney. >> he seized upon that opportunity and he set the standard for it. i didn't think the president was

steve handelsman joins us from denver where the debate will take place. , steve. >> reporter: thanks. good evening from the university of denver. south of downtown on the way to the mountains.

roger simon joins us from the sight of the showdown. denver. overseming this when i use the world showdown, it took my breath away. i don't know what to expect tomorrow. >> this is the most consciously theatr theatrical part of a presidential campaign. we accept the fact that these two men, these two nominees have been rehearsing. they've been sitting or standing on mock stages. they've been memorizing lines. they have onpponents acting the part. yet, the trick is to use a consciously theatrical process to convey sincerity. it's tough. if there is a winner, it's going to be the person who does that. >> absolutely. you say that there are three things that can happen at the debate for romney, and two of them will get him in trouble with his party. what do you mean by that? >> well, he can be above the fray. this is what he was. act presidential and calm. this is how he won most of his primary debates. number two, he can emphasize all those issues that people say they want to learn about, and he can be very wonky. neither of those are going to tur

. >> thanks for joining us from denver. i appreciate it. >> thanks for having me, thomas. >> colbert having some fun with the rapport that romney will have zingers in tonight's debate. >> and here's how. >> word on the street is that mitt romney has been practicing zingers since august. >> prepared a bunch of zingers. >> zingers. >> zing. >> zingers. because americans to know. that their leader has a well honed sense of zing. >> it ain't nothing but a zing thing. so in denver yesterday, romney stopped by the tex-mex chain. he posed for a pic with a few employees there. check out the guy on the right. it's good stuff. might not help romney with the latino vote. we're going to get a new nbc news "wall street journal" poll coming up in our next hour. >>> then bringing out bubba. president bill clinton will stump for the president in new hampshire at noon today. overmany discounts to thine customers! [old english accent] safe driver, multi-car, paid in full -- a most fulsome bounty indeed, lord jamie. thou cometh and we thy sav

joining us from denver, kenneth bickers political science professor at the university of colorado. in los angeles odds maker wayne road who correctly predicted the 2004 election. who is going to win on november 6th and how do you know? >> well, i will tell you what, i'm a gut instinct guy, bill. i have been saying since i put out my commentary in may that romney would win by a landslide. by the way let me point out in december i made my new years prediction and i said mitt romney would win the republic nomination in a cake walk and at the time he was doing badly to pretty much every single person running and i said he would go on to win the election. it was in mathay made the determination that i felt a landslide was coming and i doubled down here on fox news and other polices around the country about two weeks agoened said it will in fact be electoral landslide. 5 to 7 points popular vote and 100 to 120 electoral vote for mitt romney. >> bill: you know the polls don't say that. what is it? do you have a magic ball? do you have ms. clio in the basement? you have got to give me one

denver last night. bigad shaban joins us live from denver with some highlights. >> reporter: good morning.t seems mitt romney got the boost he was hoping for after putting the president on the defensive for much of the night. romney touted his own accomplishments as governor of massachusetts and highlighted the failed promises of the obama administration. >> reporter: the first presidential debate started with a handshake and a romantic moment. >> 20 years ago, i became the luckiest man on earth because michelle obama agreed to marry me. >> congratulations to you, mr. president, on your anniversary. i'm sure this was the most romantic place you could imagine here with me. >> reporter: the theme of the debate for president obama appeared to be that romney's plans lacked specifics. >> is the reason that governor romney is keeping all these plans secret because it's too good? >> reporter: governor romney spent the night attacking his record. >> you have been president for four years. you said would you cut the deficit in half. it's now four years later. we still have trillion dollar deficits.

here with us now from -- >> that's what she said. >> here with us now from denver, we're going to goespondent and political director and host of "the daily rundown." let's start with the battleground poll released this morning, and it shows where the race stands in three key states. we'll start with ohio, virginia and then florida. in ohio, the president has opened up an eight-point lead among likely voters. however, in virginia, the president's lead has shrunk to just two points within the margin of error. last month president obama led virginia by five points. and in florida, romney has closed the gap. he's now statistically tied with the president. last month romney trailed in florida by five. >> so, you know, chuck, the trends seem to be going mitt romney's way in these swing states. ohio still stubbornly remaining in the obama category. you look at some of the other swing states, colorado, nevada, those may be tightening up. we shall see. we may have a situation where mitt romney has to run the table if ohio stays in the obama category, but the tightening in florida, the tighten

this video comes to us from "the denver channel." you won't believe what happened to this woman. leaving this bar call pitchers. it's around 11:00 at night. up comes this white car where she says the driver asked her for directions to colorado springs. if you notice, there's a man getting out of the passenger side of the car. the woman says the man put a towel with some kind of chemical over her head. she knocked him down, and she runs inside back into the bar while the man jumps into the car and they get away. this happened in aurora. it has striking similarities to another case that happened on memorial day just 20 minutes away in the town of westminster where a woman says a man with similar build, similar looks tried to abduct her on a path with a towel. she got away as well. >> any word on whether those two attempts were connected? >> well, aurora police say it could be a copy cat, but here's the thing. westminster police say any information anybody has is important because westminster police believe the attacker in that park incident is related t theessica ridgeway muer. >>o

economy.heidi hatchhjoins us live from denver wiih reaction from both sides..lls saying this morning about who won?-- what can we expect at the next debate? bunch of butted ots buttee sots 3&the regular season or the thht divisional title... for s.3 the first time n 15 years... there is more to come. ccme.theeorioles are heading to play offs... i the wild card rrund.tom rodgers isshere with mooe on who we play first... he also has your morning.o storiessof the it wasn't a good night for he orioles they needed to beat the yankees for the aaerrcan leagueeeast lead and forcing a one game playoff... but the birds fell short loos... but it's not over 4-1 in texas tomorrow night... y facing the rangers for the bucc: "we're conttnning oor season... e'll let it rip on friday anddsee where it takessus."jones: "we're fortunate to be moving on that's where our eyes are se" set." the first pitch issset for 8:37 tomorrow night.if they win... they'll come back home for two games here in baatimore against the yankees lose... it's ooer.ay.if theyy 3 - 3 injuree including 1 fir

joining us from denver this morning is nbc's chief white house correspondent our good friend chuck toddyou didn't go to miami, you're from miami, that's it? >> reporter: are we going to start talking miami notre dame stuff? >> yeah. that's why i brought it up. >> reporter: that's really the most important thing all week. >> something else is happening tonight? >> reporter: notre dame week. >> do you have a madonna microphone on? >> he does. >> reporter: i do. >> don't stand up. don't show us a tattoo at the end of this, chuck. >> come on. >> he's got one. he knows. >> chuck, i know that things tightened up a little bit with the poll. >> reporter: they did. >> and it actually showed mitt romney is running neck and neck in florida? >> reporter: it is. look, there's two ways to divide up the battleground. there is the states that are just going to move with the direction of the race, right? which is florida, virginia, colorado, nevada. these are the four closest states. coming up on the outside with wisconsin. and then you have sort of the next three in the battleground which are iowa, new

rudy giuliani's joining us now from denver. he's there. he supports mitt romney, obviously. thanks very much, mayor, for coming in. >> nice to be with you, wolf. >> a lot of us remember some of the debates four almost five years ago, you were involved, you were running for the republican nomination. i went back and checked and there was this exchange -- it was a tough exchange you had at that cnn youtube debate back in 2007. it was in st. petersburg, florida. i want to play this clip. >> you hear someone with a funny accent, you as a homeowner is suggesting you go out and ask for their papers. >> if you are going to -- if you are going to take -- >> let him respond and we have to move on. >> if you're going to take this holier than thou attitude, you are perfect on immigration. >> i'm not perfect. >> it just so happens you have a special immigration problem that nobody else here has. you are employing illegal immigrants. that is a pretty serious thing. they were under your nose. >> all right. a lot of us remember that exchange. i'm sure you remember it well. what's it like de

from the obama campaign. the senior adviser, robert gibbs, is joining us live from denver, the site of the debate tomorrow night class been buried, in his words, over the last four years? >> wolf, they've been buried by a series of bad economic decisions that led to an economic catastrophe that happened four years ago. joe biden and barack obama have been talking about this for four years, and quite frankly the last four years on the campaign trail, we've been digging out from all these bad decisions. and look, they're relevant today, because what mitt romney wants to do is take all those bad decisions, huge tax cuts for the wealthy instead of the middle class, letting wall street write its own rules, he wants to go back to all of that. because for some reason, he remembers those as good economic times. but the middle class doesn't remember those as good economic times. we have dug out, we've added jobs in the past 30 minutes for the private sector. and that's what's important and that's what this choice will be about. >> but i assume you agree, if you had your way, a do-over, he could have phrased it a little

denver. the stage has been given a fresh coat of paint. jim lehrer of pbs is prepared to moderate. andrea mitchell joins us now from denver. you know, they have three debates coming up. we're hearing that tonight's is going to be the most important. why is that? >> reporter: well, it's the first. wendy, this is the first chance we have to see these men face to face. they've been trading charges back and forth as well as their surrogates through speeches, stump speeches and also the campaign advertisements. this is going to be the first time they challenge each other. this format is designed to let them do exactly that. you'll not have opening statements. there are two-minute closing statements from each of them. but they'll be able to question each other, all on domestic policy. but we're told mitt romney does want to try to bring benghazi into the mix. they think there's an opening there to weaken the president by what went wrong in libya by that fatal attack. >> the race has tightpened nationally a little bit. two of the three battleground states is a statistical tie at this point. yet romney is still considered an under

. >> mark preston reporting live from us from denver.n. >>> speaking of social values and same sex marriage, chick-fil-a's president has been quiet after comments he made about same sex marriage ignited a firestorm. this morning, we are hearing from him. mr. cathy's original remarks that started the controversy involved his support of the traditional family. he said that he was, quote, guilty as charged in his stance against same sex marriage. he spoke with cnn affiliate wxia at his family's ranch. >> chick-fil-a is focused on families, always been that way, we're a family owned business, we're led by a family and our restaurants are operated by families and we serve millions of families every week at chick-fil-a. we're focused on the family. families are very important to our country, they're very important, i think, to all of us, that we're concerned about being able to hang on to the heritage we have. and we're supporting biblical family and have always been part of that. >> this is first time mr. cathy made any statement since the be

coming up, chuck todd joins us live from denver. ask him about brand new polling out just this morning. keep it right here on "morning joe." [ "human" by the human league playing ] humans. we mean well, but we're imperfect creatures living in a beautifully imperfect world. it's amazing we've made it this far. maybe it's because when one of us messes up, someone else comes along to help out. that's the thing about humans. when things are at their worst, we're at our best. see how at libertymutual.com. liberty mutual insurance -- responsibility. what's your policy? 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 ] the spark business card from capital one. choose unlimited rewards with 2% cash back or double miles

from denver john dickerson, cbs news' political director and political correspondent at slate.com. and joining us also from denver katty kay of the bbc. i'm pleased to have all of them for this event we've all been waiting for. i go to al hubble. a simple question, who won, who lost, why. >> i don't know if that's simple but if i had to pick i would say governor romney won. he set the awe general de more than the president did. he affectively and aggressive attacked the president's record and did a pretty good job defending his own. ice going to have problems the next couple days on taxes however because he is proposing a $6 trillion tax cut and he hasn't said how he'll pay for it. but he still i thought did very well on most counts tonight. barack obama surprised me. i wouldn't call him he was passive tonight. he seemed to pull back a little bit on dodd-frank and preexisting conditions and loopholes. he had a good line but didn't quite deliver it with any kind of sharpness. never mentioned 47%, never mentioned bain, never mentioned massachusetts jobs. i'm a democrat, the consolation i have is i'