aarp wisconsin. we thank the candidates and we thank our panelists. over 80 wisconsin television and radio stations have broadcast this debate to ensure that every citizen has had the opportunity to hear and see the major candidates running for the senate in wisconsin. on behalf of wisconsin's radio and television broadcasters, tammy baldwin and tommy thompson, thank you for listening and watching. [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2012] [captioning performed by national captioning institute] >> see the force of the presidential debates on wednesday. washingtonth. next, your comments on "washington journal." and then vice president biden campaigns in florida. >> the first thing in our article is hitting medicare costs under control. it is the number one priority and the most uncomfortable thing. that will cause more trouble than any other problem we have this silly in the united states -- fiscally in the united states. >> you said we surcharge smokers and the obese for their medicare

wisconsin. and most of all, i want to thank all of you, especially all the students here at lawrence university. thanks for being here. yes! yes! now, you all seem pretty fired up and ready to go. [cheers] and that's great because i'm feeling pretty fired up and ready to go myself. yes indeed. you know, the wonderful thing about coming out into the country, coming and doing rallies, speaking to you guys is that i get to do one of my favorite things -- i get to talk about the man i have loved and admired for -- since 23 years ago. i've been sharing a little of our business, all right? just a little. but back when we first met, brack had everything going for him, all right? ladies, listen -- he was handsome. still is. dd don't you think? he was charming, talented and oh, so very, very smart. but that is not why i mared him so fellows -- married him. so fellows, listen to this. what truly made me fall in love with barack was his character. did you hear what i said, gentlemen? it was his character,

it's hurting wisconsin jobs and closing wisconsin plants. it's happening elsewhere in the country. we need a level playing field. >> farmers in wisconsin export to china do they agree with you? >> i don't think they have any problems in tariffs on paper products. >> i am asking if they are afraid that china will slap on their products? >> we need fair rules and we need to be tougher in that regard. >> is wisconsin gettable for democrats either in your race against tommy thomson or the president now that paul ryan is the nominee? >> certainly the presidential race tightened in wisconsin before the ryan announcement, i think the president was enjoying a six or seven point lead in the polls and that narrowed. but we had a visit from the first lady last week in milwaukee. a visit from the vice-president on sunday from in green bay. and this is going to be a competitive race. but i think we are back to that tradition in the state where we are pretty evenly divided and it will be a fight to the finish line for my race, too. >> tammy baldwin, congresswoman elected the same year as paul ry

it's hurting wisconsin jobs and closing wisconsin plants. it's happening elsewhere in the country. we need a level playing field. >> farmers in wisconsin export to china do they agree with you? >> i don't think they have any problems in tariffs on paper products. >> i am asking if they are afraid that china will slap on their products? >> we need fair rules and we need to be tougher in that regard. >> is wisconsin gettable for democrats either in your race against tommy thomson or the president now that paul ryan is the nominee? >> certainly the presidential race tightened in wisconsin before the ryan announcement, i think the president was enjoying a six or seven point lead in the polls and that narrowed. but we had a visit from the first lady last week in milwaukee. a visit from the vice-president on sunday from in green bay. and this is going to be a competitive race. but i think we are back to that tradition in the state where we are pretty evenly divided and it will be a fight to the finish line for my race, too. >> tammy baldwin, congresswoman elected the same year as paul ry

wisconsin is going to win this war. michigan is going to be looking back like they're in the be stone age. >> brenda: jonas? >> a lot has changed in the auto industry. a long time ago they had high wages, too, relative to the rest of the country and the auto industry was very successful. there's more going on than just the union wages. you know, and also, wisconsin is a very different economy than michigan and we'll say, yeah, they're close together. and one is making cheese and the other is making cars. the point is, unions in theory could close a budget gap if they do what garrisi saying, raising the wages, by the state tax rate and in the short return, that could help close a gap. in the long run, the jobs are going to states that aren't like michigan, which would be wisconsin and other states. so it couldn't work for the state. michigan has to get on board with the people, i mean, through those that don't have unions. >> does it matter? union participation rates are going like this. >> you used my-- and you know, br

a live look, milwaukee, wisconsin.dent obama said to take the stage there at about 6:30 local time. and you know what? we just got a little bit of tidbit from a senior campaign official. perry bacon, i want to get your take on this. the campaign, the obama campaign admitting that wisconsin is the only state where they have been able to see the gop ground game in action, referencing the walker recall there. this particular official says that mitt romney is much stronger in that state than john mccain ever was. do you think that the obama campaign is just blowing smoke, or do you think they're legitimately concerned, perry bac bacon? >> i think they should always be concerned. ari and i were on the plane with obama almost four years ago this date going out to wisconsin with the president. i don't think he ever returned, though, because he won the state overwhelmingly. wisconsin hasn't voted for a republican since 1984. so my sense is if obama loses wisconsin, he'll also have lost virginia, ohio, and the election. it's ju

it's hurting wisconsin jobs and closing wisconsin plants. it's happening elsewhere in the country. we need a level playing field. >> farmers in wisconsin export to china do they agree with you? >> i don't think they have any problems in tariffs on paper products. >> i am asking if they are afraid that china will slap on their products? >> we need fair rules and we need to be tougher in that regard. >> is wisconsin gettable for democrats either in your race against tommy thomson or the president now that paul ryan is the nominee? >> certainly the presidential race tightened in wisconsin before the ryan announcement, i think the president was enjoying a six or seven point lead in the polls and that narrowed. but we had a visit from the first lady last week in milwaukee. a visit from the vice-president on sunday from in green bay. and this is going to be a competitive race. but i think we are back to that tradition in the state where we are pretty evenly divided and it will be a fight to the finish line for my race, too. >> tammy baldwin, congresswoman elected the same year as paul ry

aarp wisconsin. and now on their behalf, mr. jim reardon, mr. sam wilson. >> good evening, everyone. i'm jim reardon from wps health insurance. these are my friends, ralph from the independent association of colleges and yuferes and sam wilson, state director of aarp. >> along with wpf and aarp wisconsin, wisconsin's 23 private nonprofit colleges and universitys, and our more than 61,000 students are pleased to sponsor this debate between the major candidates for the u.s. senate. to be competitive in the global knowledge economy, wisconsin needs to expand educational opportunities. this is you are mation at the association. we also believe that good government depends upon an informed and educated public and that a debate can and should be educational. aarp wisconsin has over 800,000 members in the state and over 37 million members nationwide. we are pleased to join in sponsoring this 2012 u.s. senate debate. aarp has a 25-year history of nonpartisan voter registration and voter engagement. we apprec

in wisconsin, it's 7.3%.the obama campaign? >> yes, and i think it is one of the reasons why obama actually remains in pretty good shape. one of the things to understand about wisconsin is that unemployment is concentrated in some key areas. bizarrely enough, a lot of it's in paul ryan's district. also, there is significant unemployment in milwaukee. so while the state overall has a low average, it's got some real pockets of problems. obama has got to address that. he's also going to have to do something else in wisconsin that he hasn't done as much of, although he did a little in iowa recently. that is talk about farm and rural policy. in these states in the upper midwest, there are a lot of democratic potential voters in rural areas. they have to be addressed. >> let's take a look at the money being spent there in wisconsin right now. the obama campaign is actually outspending the romney campaign. there's the figure right there. $668,000 to $370,000. when you throw in all that super pac money, here's the re

that is what we did in wisconsin. when it you pay based on performance you can put the best and brightest in your classrooms and keep them there. good for the classrooms and stew you dents and good for great teachers. >> chris: we will be watching what happens in wisconsin, sir. >> thank you, chris. >> chris: up next, where does the presidential race stand ten days before the first debate? we will ask our sunday group for their assessment when we come right back. >>> my job is not to worry about those people. i'll never convince them. that they should take personal responsibility and care for themselves. >> i don't believe we have have a leader who writes off half of the nation as a bunch of victims and think that they are not interested in taking responsibility tore their own lives. i don't see a lot of victims in this crowd today. >> chris: president obama jumping on what has now become mitt romney's infamous 47% video and time for the sunday group. brit hume, fox news senior political analyst. kasie hunt of the ass

. >>> wisconsin is open for business!the governor of wisconsin for the better part of 20 years and scott is a classic career politician, and i don't say that in a negative way. >>> journalist and wisconsinite john nichols has tracked scott walker's career since the 90s, when walker was a state legislator and an alec member. >> and in 2010 he ran not presenting himself as an alec alumni or as an ally of big corporations or big business people outside the state. he ran a very down-home campaign. >> this is my lunch. i pack a brown bag each day so i can save some money to spend on the more important things in life like sending my kids to college. >> nichols says that despite the folksy image, in the years leading up to walker's 2010 campaign, he had become a master political fundraiser. >> and he began to forge incredibly close ties with a lot of corporate interests that he had first been introduced to in alec, individuals and groups like the koch brothers. >> david and charles koch, the billionaire businessmen behind a vast

its legislators get a lot too. >> in wisconsin, i can't take anything of value from a lobbyist.offee from a lobbyist. at alec, it's just the opposite. you know, you get there and you're being wined and dined by corporate interests, i can go down there, and be wined and dined for days in order to hear about their special legislation. i mean, the head of shell oil flew in on his private jet to come to this conference. the head of one the largest utility companies in the country was there on a panel. utility company in 13 states and here he is presenting to legislators. i mean, they clearly brought in some of the biggest corporate names in "special interestdom" and had that meeting with legislators because a lot of business transpires at these events. >> the most important business happens in what alec calls "task forces." there are currently eight of them, with a corporate take on every important issue in american life, from health and safety to the environment to taxation. in alec task forces, elected state officials and corporate representatives close the doors to press and publ

and just gets rid of it over the wisconsin sideline. eric martin was the guy trying to wrap him up and danny o'brien wheeled away from him and have that out of bounds without losing any yardage. >> tim: i don't think you have a threat of him beating him or -- you cover abbrederis as much as awe can if you're nebraska. >> brad: injured player martin probably a cramp. # >> todd: speed rushers came leading the team in sacks. this givings wisconsin a chance to come over and huddle around the coaching staff. up and okay. well, as okay as you can be when you get a cramp. >> kirk: quite honestly i think danny o'brien, not that he played great but he played okay earlier in the year, he was walk walking that a very difficult situation because of what wilson did when he transferred in last year and the great success he had. want want -- second and ten. >> brad: delayed blitz coming. he's going deep. seidlin, overshot and flag flies in with chase hammond down there. and mosthammed seisay was guy covering. was the pass catchable? that's the other q

that is what we did in wisconsin. you pay based on performance you can put the best and brightest in your classrooms and keep them there. good for the classrooms and stew you dents and good for great teachers. >> chris: we will be watching what happens in wisconsin, sir. >> thank you, chris. >> chris: up next, where does the presidential race stand ten days before the first debate? we will ask our sunday group for their assessment when we come right back. [ male announcer ] this is sheldo whose long day setting up the news starts with arthritis pain and a choice. take tylenol or take aleve, the #1 recommended pain reliever by orthopedic doctors. just two aleve can keep pain away all day. back to the news. for their "destination wedding." double miles you can "actually" use. but with those single mile travel cards... [ bridesmaid ] blacked out... but i'm a bridesmaid. oh! "x" marks the spot she'll never sit. but i bought a dress! a toast... ...to the capital one venture card. fly any airline, any flight, anytime. doubl

and that's what we did in wisconsin and you pay based on performance. you can put the best and brightest in your classrooms and keep them there. it is good for the taxpayers and students and great teachers. goch gov walker thank you for talking with us today. we'll watch what happens in wisconsin. >> guest: thank you, chris. >> chris: we'll ask our suspected group for their assessment when we upon california right back. and every day since, we've worked hard to keep it. bp has paid over twenty-three billion dollars to help people and businesses who were affected, and to cover cleanup costs. today, the beaches and gulf are open for everyone to enjoy -- and many areas are reporting their best tourism seasons in years. we've shared what we've learned with governments and across the industry so we can all produce energy more safely. i want you to know, there's another commitment bp takes just as seriously: our commitment to america. bp supports nearly two-hundred-fifty thousand jobs in communities across the country. we hired three thousand people just last

what's your reading, what was it, ohio, wisconsin, michigan? it's not going well for mitt in some of these important states. what's your quick take? >> no republican has ever won the white house without winning ohio. that's the key state for the romney campaign. he needs to hit 50% in the polls. he hasn't done it. with the gm bailout helping the president, romney's in a tough spot. >> we'll leave it there. robert costa, thank you very much. >>> coming up on the program, the failure of obama-nomics forces the fed into qe forever. bernanke can't bail out the economy, but will the fed-fueled stock rally re-elect president obama? think of it. our free market panel is ready to go. governor eddie rendell, jimmy and jennifer rubin. every time a local business opens its doors, or makes another sale, or hires another employee, it's not just good for business. it's good for the entire community. at bank of america, we know the impact that local businesses have on communities. that's why we've extended over $4 billion in new credit to local businesses acr

can you parse that out in wisconsin?, i think -- this is a case where tommy thompson got really lucky and had a couple of conservatives split their votes which allowed him to take -- to win the primary. and i think that baldwin would have been a much better shape had it been one of the other -- one of the conservatives who won that because it is wisconsin. you have somebody more moderate like thompson. even though he's been there forever. he's still seen as a more moderate choice and baldwin i think for wisconsin, for a lot of voters is seen as too liberal. >> jennifer: back in the day tommy thompson would have been leading the forefront on conservative movement like welfare reform. do you predict really quick prediction democrats keep the senate or do republicans take it back? >> i think it's going -- the tie's going to have to be broken by the vice president whoever that is. >> jennifer: there is a political answer. mark mckinnon, cofounder no label. up next, is the chicago city strike a local issue? we'll head out to

how does it play in wisconsin?first of all, i think people are shocked and disappointed as i am to hear and see those remarks. you know, he said he didn't care about almost half the population. and i think, though, wisconsinites will judge each candidate individually, which is why i was particularly surprised to see my opponent, tommy, go on fox news yesterday and defend those remarks of mitt romney, try to explain them. look, we need somebody who's going to go to the u.s. senate to fight for the hardworking families of wisconsin. that's what people are going to be thinking about. they're going to be thinking about jobs and the economy moving forward when they into the polling place november 6th. >> tommy thompson has name recognition probably as good as anybody in wisconsin, but he's got bush baggage. he was in that administration. why are you surging in the polls? what's happening? >> well, i think you just named it. as people are, you know, tommy left the state after serving as governor, joined the bush administ

romney chose wisconsin congressman paul ryan as his running mate. wisconsin, one of the key battleground states, has gone democratic in the last six presidential elections. as dean reynolds reports, president obama made his first campaign stop in wisconsin today, hoping to make it seven. >> it is good to be in milwaukee. >> reporter: wisconsin's 10 electoral votes are like catnip to both campaigns, so attractive, mitt romney even picked native son paul ryan as his running mate. >> we're counting on wisconsin. let's get it done! thanks, you guys. >> reporter: the president has visited the state eight times since taking office, and is here again today. the race was basically even after ryan joined the republican ticket in august, but our latest poll shows the president pulling ahead. charles franklin of the marquette law school survey found a similar, alarming trend for romney. >> the state has moved away from him since mid-august. he needs to stop that movement and bring it back. >> reporter: romney also has to contend with a potentially reenergized

wisconsin, obama crushed in wisconsin. tied right now. see that sort of thing in state after state. you also see the race incredibly close. if you look at the polls of what we've seen so far post romney speech maybe got a slight bump. rasmussen has put him up a little. the gallup poll shows basically no movement. they're basically tied right now. what i'm looking for in this convention is what's next? what is the agenda for the second term? when he came into denver four years ago he knew exactly what he wanted to do. it was to heal the political mess in the country. 2009 we knew exactly what he wanted to do. he wanted to ameliorate the fiscal crisis. 2010 health care. what's the big answer right now? what's the big problem the country faces. what is he going to do about that problem? that's the real thing'm looki forthis week. >> woodruff: mark, we heard stephanie cutter say we're going to hear specifics this week. they're going to talk about what the president is going to do to carry out the agenda that he started in the first term. >> s

the president there in wisconsin, milwaukee, wisconsin, before he carries on with his fund-raising efforts. >>> all right, mitt romney meantime has released some tax records, but are they enough to quiet the critics? [ male announcer ] this is the land of giants. ♪ home of the brave. ♪ it's where fear goes unwelcomed... ♪ and certain men... find a way to rise above. this is the land of giants. ♪ guts. glory. ram. olaf's pizza palace gets the most rewards of any small business credit card! pizza!!!!! [ garth ] olaf's small business earns 2% cash back on every purchase, every day! helium delivery. put it on my spark card! [ pop! ] [ garth ] why settle for less? great businesses deserve the most rewards! awesome!!! [ male announcer ] the spark business card from capital one. choose unlimited rewards with 2% cash back or double miles on every purchase, every day! what's in your wallet? as part of a heart healthy diet. that's true. ...but you still have to go to the gym. ♪ the one and only, cheerios >>> more than five years ago, a retired fbi agent disappeared in iran. they're offering a $1 mil

he left wisconsin and joined the bush administration.service there, he gave the drug companies a sweetheart deal with the medicare part "d" program. he made it illegal for medicare to bargain with the drug companies in order to get better prices for seniors. and then he did the revolving door. he's been working at a big lobbying firm, making millions of dollars representing those powerful interests that already have too much say in washington. so wisconsin people are saying, whose side are you on? they are figuring out i'm squarely on their side. that's the fight i've always taken. >> good luck out there. you're doing very well. you're moving up in the polls, making it happen. tammy baldwin, running for senator in wisconsin. polls are moving. thanks for coming on "hardball." >>> with me now is a man who's very nonpartisan, trying to figure this out, msnbc political analyst and politics editor chris cirilli. like you, i watch these races all the time and i'm con founded by, to me, so many races like massachusetts, connecticut, nevada, cer

wisconsin's new governor, son of alec named scott walker. >> wisconsin is open for business. >> i knowcott walker. i've known him for the better part of 20 years. scott is a classic career politician. i don't say that in a negative way. >> journalist john nichols has tracked scott walker's car since the 1990's when scott walker was a state legislator and then alec member. >> he did not present him as alec alumni or big business people, he ran a very dominant campaign. >> this is my lunch. a brown bag every day. >> despite the folksy image, nichols says walker have become a master political fund raiser. >> he began to forge incredibly close ties with a lot of corporate interests he had first been introduced to in alec. groups like the koch brothers brad >> david and charles cook, behind the vast industrial empire are also political activists with an agenda. their companies and foundations have been alec members and funders three years. >> there were among the two or three largest contributors to scott walker's campaign for governor of wisconsin but the koch brothers get that if you real