CONCORD, NH -- Addressing a Tea Party event here in New Hampshire, Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney debuted a new line as he tried to portray himself as an outsider candidate.

"Of all the people running, I don't know that there are many who have less years in politics than me," Romney told mixed crowd of about 200 curious Tea Partiers and Romney supporters in blue T-shirts. "I'm still a citizen. I'm still a businessperson, a conservative businessperson."

What he didn't say: That he's run for president before (in 2008, unsuccessfully), as well as for the U.S. Senate (1994, unsuccessfully) and for Massachusetts governor (2002, successfully).

Romney gave a shortened version of his usual stump speech, talking for only about 13 minutes before leaving to a live musical performance provided by the Tea Party Express, which organized the event. He shook hands and posed for photos with supporters near the Tea Party Express busses, and left the site quickly, followed by much of the media in attendance.

Before the event began, some 50 yards away in the same park, a group of activists organized by Tea Party group FreedomWorks and other local Tea Party groups protested what they saw as Romney's 11th-hour effort to garner Tea Party support. All 15 to 20 supporters stayed to hear Romney speak, and they quietly held their signs in protest. None would comment afterwards, but beforehand, protestor Tom Bell offered his thoughts on Romney's relationship with the Tea Party.

"I think Romney is a professional politician who can see that he is not going to get the nomination without strong Tea Party support -- even though he doesn't really subscribe to Tea Party principles, and he's going to claim to be a tea partier," said Bell. Bell added that he was considering supporting Rick Perry in New Hampshire.

MANCHESTER and CHICHESTER, N.H. -- Rick Perry turned up the heat on Barack Obama in a pair of campaign stops in sweltering New Hampshire yesterday, but claimed he is keeping his cool.

“Somebody said it’s kinda hot here and I went, ‘Nope,'" joked the Texas governor as hundreds of voters beared the afternoon sun in Manchester.

Perry, who concluded his third swing through the Granite State today, sustained his attacks on President Obama. The GOP candidate faulted Obama's healthcare plan for the dismal employment landscape.

"If the president wants to make a good jobs speech, he needs to stand up in front of the American people and say we're going to repeal Obamacare," Perry said to more than 300 voters in Chichester. "Mr. President, you cannot spend your way to prosperity. It doesn't work; it's never worked."

As for the rest of the GOP field, Perry played nice but also took the opportunity to issue a thinly veiled dig at his main competition for the GOP nomination, Mitt Romney, and his Massachusetts health-care record. Perry recently surpassed Romney in several polls.

“Let me just go on the record. They’re all good men and women," Perry said, gripping the podium. "But as we consider this economic misery that has spread across this country by the Obama administration, we don’t need a nominee who is going to blur the differences between himself and Barack Obama. We’re going to have a nominee who draws a clear contrast. The differences between President Obama and I are great.”

At both stops, Perry was quizzed on illegal immigration by Republican voters. He advocated federal involvement of National Guard troops on the Texas-Mexico border but no physical barrier.

"No, I don't support a fence on border. I think strategic fencing is part of the strategy but it's 1,200 miles from Brownsville to El Paso," said Perry in Manchester. "And how long would it take to build that if needed to build 30 foot wall? The 35-foot ladder business would get really good," he quipped.

Perry has now been in the race for a short three weeks and his popularity has surged quickly as Granite Staters begin to take a
closer look at exactly what the man with the Texas twang is all about. More than 300 Republican voters turned out at both speeches, according to campaign staff.

Perry, who was well-guarded by security and staff as he moved through the crowds, took no questions from journalists but did pause to answer a question from a 9-year-old New Hampshire resident.

"If you could be one superhero, who would it be?" he asked the 3-term Texas governor.

"I don't know of the real current heroes, but there was one back in my day, Superman," Perry replied. "Superman came to save the United States!"

As you may remember, GOP candidate Herman Cain gave the same young man a similar answer in Manchester two weeks ago, "Superman! Because we have a super mess in Washington!"

South Carolina Sen. Jim DeMint said that he would not be making an immediate endorsement of any of the six candidates participating in tomorrow’s Palmetto Freedom Forum, which he is hosting.

“I’m not counting any of them out at this point,” DeMint said on ABC's "This Week." A nationally regarded leader among Tea Party supporters, DeMint added that he would not use the forum to “anoint any one particular candidate” as the standard-bearer of that group.

Earlier on CNN’s “State of the Union,” DeMint said that “there's no one in the group that I couldn’t support as our nominee, and there’s no one who would not do a better job than our current president.”

Declared candidates Rick Perry, Mitt Romney, Michele Bachmann, Ron Paul, Herman Cain and Newt Gingrich are participating.

Each candidate will take the stage individually and in alphabetical order, first making introductory remarks and then answering questions from DeMint, Republican Rep. Steve King (IA) and Dr. Robert George, the founder of the conservative group American Principles Project and a Princeton University professor.

On ABC, DeMint cut Perry some slack when asked if he was concerned Perry’s political past as a Democrat who supported Al Gore for president in 1988.

“We know people change,” DeMint answered. “Reagan was a Democrat, and I want to look at what the governor has done, as governor as Texas.”

Rep. Steve King (R-IA), reached by telephone earlier this week, said he had some questions about Perry’s record as well.

“Hopefully we’ll get some real position statements out of Governor Perry,” King said, specifically noting “quotes that showed up sometimes back in 2001,” the year Perry signed into law the Texas DREAM Act, which allows in-state tuition for college students born to undocumented parents.

Former South Carolina GOP chairman Barry Wynn, who is also on the forum’s advisory committee, said Perry’s two big appearances this week -- first at the forum and then at the NBC/Politico debate in California on Wednesday -- will both be crucial for Perry as the first time many voters will see him explain his policy positions.

“I think the performance in South Carolina and two days later in California will really be the first time a lot of people say, ‘Oh, well I like this guy, now how does he perform? So I think this is going to be very important for him,” said Wynn, a top fundraiser for George W. Bush, who also served as Rudy Giuliani’s South Carolina chairman in 2008.

DeMint said on CNN that the forum was a chance for him to “find the candidates who understand the principles of American exceptionalism and have the character, the courage, and the confidence to actually lead the greatest nation in the world.”

King said he’s particularly interested to ask candidates about their specific plans for the economy. He said that while he’s ”hearing from each of the candidates on what’s wrong with Obama has done economically,” he’s not seeing the full package.

“What would be all the steps, how would they flesh this out, where are all the components of an economic policy?” he asked. “That’s not been addressed very well by any of the candidates at this point.”

Scott Olson / Getty Images

Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin speaks to supporters during the Tea Party of America's "Restoring America" event Saturday at the Indianola Balloon Festival Grounds in Indianola, Iowa.

By NBC's Alex Moe and Andrew Rafferty

INDIANOLA, Iowa - At a rain soaked field in the first-in-the-nation caucus state, Sarah Palin delivered a speech in front of a couple thousand supporters that railed not only against President Barack Obama but also criticized the Republican presidential field.

Palin told the crowd at the National Balloon Classic field that the permanent political class and "crony capitalism" of both parties is what has caused this nation's fiscal problems. But she specifically questioned the Republican field of candidates -- asking if their campaign contributions leave them beholden to special interests.

"To be fair some GOP candidates, they also raise mammoth amounts of cash and we need to ask them too, ‘What if anything do their donors expect in return for their investments?’" Palin said during the Tea Party of America's "Restoring America" event. "We need to know this because our country can’t afford more trillion-dollar thank-you notes to campaign backers."

After the speech, Palin told NBC News the goal of Saturday's speech was "to lay out a plan that can help restore what is good and right and free about America and to start tackling the crony capitalism that really is ... the foundation of our problems."

On this day three years ago, Palin spoke as the vice presidential nominee to a packed convention center in St. Paul, Minn., at the Republican Convention. Today, she spoke to an enthusiastic Tea Party crowd in a speech that was sporadically interrupted by chants of "Run, Sarah, run."

But unlike three years ago, she pushed back against the Republican establishment, promoting the ideals of the Tea Party movement.

At one point, the former Alaskan governor even made a joke about the emphasis put on national polls:

"Polls," Palin said, "they're for strippers and cross-country skiers."

One big question remained on the minds of those who sat through periods of torrential downpours in the Hawkeye State following the almost 40-minute speech -- Will she herself be a contender in the 2012 race?

"I've admired her ever since she came on the scene," attendee Miki Booth of Wyandotte, Okla., said. "This country is in bad shape and I'd really like to see us go back to the principles of the founding fathers and I think Sarah Palin can lead us back to those ideals."

Palin now heads to New Hampshire for a Tea Party Express rally on Labor Day continuing to fuel speculation that she will soon become a presidential candidate.

CONCORD, NH -- At a gun show here in New Hampshire's capital city, Jon Huntsman attempted to silence speculation on the future of his White House bid.

When asked if he would run as an independent candidate, Huntsman chuckled and said, "I'm running as a Republican, proudly so. And I think we will get a lot of independent votes no doubt about that."

Forty-two percent of New Hampshire's voters are undeclared as of spring 2011, according to the Office of the New Hampshire Secretary of State.

Huntsman, who has owned guns since his youth, and his wife Mary Kaye showed particular interest in several antique guns and browsed a wide array of bullets. "I've been shooting guns since I was six, when I started with a b.b. gun then a .22 when I was 12, which I still have,"Huntsman said.

"I like the 30-30 classics," he said. That's probably my favorite coming from the West."

Huntsman kicks off the second half of this New Hamphire swing tomorrow with two county fair visits.

URBANDALE, Iowa -- Hundreds of supporters greeted Sarah Palin as she made a somewhat unannounced visit to a Conservatices4Palin meeting here last night at a local restaurant.

On the eve of her much-anticipated appearance at a Tea Party rally in Indianola, Palin barely made her way through the packed room in The Machine Shed restaurant. On-going chants of “Run, Sarah, run” broke out as she shook hands, took pictures, and signed autographs with those in attendance. To the disappointment of some, she did not give any formal remarks or get all the way around the meeting space. And she also took no questions from the media.

If last night’s “surprise” visit is any indication of today's event, it is going to be large. An entire bus from Texas dropped off a few dozen people with a big “Texas is Palin country” sign on the side of the bus. Supporters were also there from California, Illinois, and so forth.

Palin and her aides have not said if the former Alaska governor will give any indication on her presidential plans. Palin also has a trip scheduled to that other early nominating state -- New Hampshire -- Monday, which is Labor Day.

DES MOINES, IA –- This Labor Day weekend, Sarah Palin is returning to two key presidential primary states -- here to Iowa on Saturday and to New Hampshire on Monday.

And the question remains the same: Is she running for president, or not?

Indeed, there's been plenty of speculation that the former Alaskan governor might jump into the 2012 race with her speech in the Hawkeye State, but much of those rumors have been put to rest. Instead, Palin will attempt to “deliver a sharp indictment of President Barack Obama” and “contrast herself against the current crop of GOP candidates” in her speech in Indianola, CNN reported.

Last week Palin posted links to two videos on Facebook teasing her speech in Iowa, and both videos were about President Obama. "America is waiting for the president to make good on this promise," Palin wrote referring to a video where Obama said he would cut the deficit in half.

Palin is scheduled to speak shortly after 2:15 p.m. ET, Tea Party of America President Ken Crow told NBC News. Crow does not have a crowd estimate, because admission to the "Restoring America" rally is free. But many are expecting thousands to be in attendance. One person from Florida who contacted Crow said that she sold her car to be able to afford to come to hear Palin speak in Iowa.
 
“There is already a crowd in the parking lot camping out,” Crow said Friday, “We will take care of however many come.” 
 
The event also happens to coincide with the three-year anniversary of Gov. Palin’s address to the Republican National Convention in 2008, when she was the GOP vice-presidential nominee.
 
Palin visited Iowa a few weeks ago as part of her “One Nation” bus tour –- attending the Iowa State Fair.

And this return trip has already produced a fair share of drama, which isn't foreign to Palin-related events. Organizers decided to add Christine O’Donnell to the program earlier this week. O’Donnell -- who ran unsuccessfully for a Delaware Senate seat during the 2010 cycle and was endorsed by Palin -- was invited to speak Saturday, then un-invited, then re-invited, and finally her invitation was withdrawn indefinitely Wednesday morning.
 
"I had to cancel Ms. O'Donnell" after a conversation with Palin aides, Crow told NBC News.
 
Sometime after Saturday’s rally, Palin will head to the first-in-the-nation primary state of New Hampshire. She is speaking at a Tea Party Express event in Manchester on Labor Day, shortly before numerous GOP presidential candidates speak at a forum in South Carolina.

Palin has made reference to the end of September being the “drop dead” date of deciding whether she will enter the race.

MANCHESTER, NH -- Ron Paul briefly traded the campaign trail for a bike trail on a beautiful sunny Friday here in Granite State. The congressman from Texas, who recently celebrated his 76th birthday, took reporters on a 6-mile bike ride through the woods and claimed his health is just fine.

Before shoving off with a couple of print reporters in tow, Paul tooled around on his bike and confidently chatted about his campaign prospects in New Hampshire.

"I have no reason to think the momentum won't continue, because each time I come up here, you know, we get new people, new support," he said behind dark sunglasses. "We always plan to have a little gathering have 50 people together. Sometimes we get hundreds of people together. So it is very reassuring."

Paul is not worried about Sarah Palin perhaps throwing her hat into the ring for 2012 either.

"The more the merrier," he said. "They don't take votes from me. But they divide up all the establishment vote, so I think it's always helpful for people to come into the race."

With that, Paul pedaled into the forest.

An hour later, he emerged from the woods with a wide smile, saying he didn't even break a sweat.

Cruising to a stop, the congressman revealed his resting heart rate is between 58 and 62 beats per minute. His daily exercise routine, if schedules permit, he begins his days with an early morning walk (3 to 4 miles) and caps it off with a 10- to 15-mile bike ride.

"You burn a lot more calories faster in the humidity," he said, referring to his usual routine in Houston.

Wondering about his blood pressure? "120 over 70 or 65 I think," he said.

When asked if his White House bid is analogous to his physical fitness, Paul replied: "Good shape, ready and raring to go!"

Paul will return to New Hampshire in a couple of weeks. Tonight, he will head home to Texas. Then goes to South Carolina for Jim DeMint's forum before traveling to the NBC-Politico debate next week.

Competing Job Speeches, NBC-WSJ Poll, an NBC-Politico Presidential Debate, Courting the Tea Party, and will Sarah Run?

Video edited by NBC's Andrew Gross.

TAMPA -- On a morning where job creation -- or the lack of it -- was the primary issue on the political spectrum, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney promised that his plan -- not President Obama's -- would be the one to get Americans back to work.

"My plan radically restructures the American economy to do what it's done in the past," Romney told supporters at the opening of his Florida headquarters here. "Lead the world, create jobs, drive rising incomes, and make sure that America remains the strong nation that can defend ourselves and provide a future of promise and prosperity for our kids."

Romney also attacked the president's plan, set to be unveiled before a joint session of congress two days after Romney presents his plan.

"I haven't seen his, but I saw version one, two, three, four and five of his jobs plan and last month it came out with zero new jobs," Romney said, referencing today's newest employment statistics, which had the U.S. unemployment rate holding steady at 9.1% and a net-zero number of jobs created.

While Romney today did not provide any new details on his jobs plan, he once again hinted at several elements it is likely to contain.

"I will make business taxes competitive with other nations, eliminate burdensome regulations and bureaucracy, and support America’s workers instead of its union bosses." Romney said in a breakfast time speech to Hispanic leaders, gathered for the annual Republican Hispanic National Assembly meeting.  

In that speech to the RHNA, Romney also focused heavily on immigration policy, including hitting the president for not addressing the issue more forcefully.

"Three years ago, candidate Obama promised to address the problems of illegal immigration in America. He failed," Romney said. "The truth is, he didn’t even try."

Some analysts believe a focus on immigration could help Romney create contrasts with Texas Gov. Rick Perry, whose support for allowing in-state tuition for the children of undocumented immigrants in Texas has drawn conservative fire. Romney addressed the issue this morning.

"As governor, I vetoed legislation that would have provided in-state tuition rates to illegal immigrants," Romney said, "and I strengthened the authority our state troopers had to enforce existing immigration laws."

The nonpartisan Annenberg Factcheck.org notes -- and as First Read has pointed out -- that the state-trooper authorization to which Romney was referring was passed with just weeks left in his tenure as governor of Massachusetts, and was immediately rescinded by his successor before taking effect.

Romney's focus on the hot-button issue of immigration before a receptive, heavily Hispanic audience here underscores the importance of the state of Florida, in both the GOP primary, and the general election. Obama carried the state by just three percentage points in 2008; Bush won Florida in 2004, and since then the election of Republicans as governor and U.S. senator have given the GOP renewed hope of returning the Sunshine State to the red column in 2012.

Romney praised that new senator, Marco Rubio, himself a child of Cuban immigrants, as one of the country's "great leaders." In a few other nods to the largely conservative Cuban community here, he also praised GOP Sen. Mel Martinez, and mentioned derisively, as he has in previous stops, past praise given to President Obama by Cuban dictator Fidel Castro.

Romney will return the state at least twice more this month, for debates here in Tampa and in Orlando. But based on the heightened importance of the state to his campaign because of the entry of Perry, he will likely to be making several more stops here.

"I think you will be the state that really sets the final compass," Romney said to his supporters at the headquarters event, just blocks from the site of next year's GOP convention. "Florida is huge."

Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who recently underwent an experimental injection of his own adult stem cells to relieve back pain, pushed a bill through the Legislature in June that paves the way for a company co-owned by his doctor to become the first state-approved "bank" to store and cultivate such cells for medical treatment, according to internal emails and corporate records obtained by NBC News.

The measure, which was adopted without any public hearings, could prove a financial bonanza for Celltex Therapeutics Corp. -- a Houston company headed by Stanley Jones, the surgeon who injected the cells into Perry, and David G. Eller, the former chairman of the board of Texas A&M University and a longtime political donor to Perry who says he has served as a "strategic" adviser for his presidential run, according to industry officials and scientific researchers who have closely followed the issue.

Perry's role in pushing the stem cell bank bill, at the same time he was receiving injections of stem cells, illustrates two aspects of his record that are drawing increasing attention as he pursues the presidency: his enthusiasm for ideas that are sometimes outside the scientific mainstream and what critics view as his willingness to use the levers of state government to benefit friends and political benefactors.

If Arizona wants to move up its primary, the first-four states may jump ahead of it together.

South Carolina Republican Party chairman Chad Connelly told NBC News the South Carolina GOP is working on an arrangement for the other three carve-out states -- Iowa, New Hampshire, and Florida -- to move as a bloc ahead of Arizona. But it's not a done deal in Florida.

As mentioned in First Thoughts today, Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer might announce tomorrow that she’s moving her state’s primary up to Jan 31 -- a violation of the RNC’s rule that only the traditional first four “carve-out” states can hold their contests before March 6^th.

Brewer said yesterday that such a move would give her state “the spotlight for the West.”

If Brewer does, in fact, move the primary up (state law requires her to announce her decision by Saturday), that would force the other states to push their contests into January in order to retain their RNC-sanctioned early voting status.

Iowa GOP Chairman Matt Strawn was quoted in Politico earlier this month as saying, “The date may change, but the order won’t.”

This agreement would “calm the waters” among the states, Connelly said, and allow Florida to be the first state after the RNC-sanctioned early four contests, without the threat of being leapfrogged by Arizona.

South Carolina would also retain its “first-in-the-South” primary status without having to worry about Florida trying to steal its spotlight.

Florida Republican Party spokesman Brian Hughes said, however, that any such conversations are currently moot as the state’s primary selection committee -- made up of nine appointees, three each from Gov. Rick Scott, state House Speaker Dean Cannon and Senate President Mike Haridopolos -- has not even been formed yet. The committee has until Oct. 1 to announce the state’s primary date.

Meanwhile, South Carolina gives the party chairman the authority to change its primary date, so Connelly can unilaterally decide when to hold it.

“There is no way for the chairman of the party or the governor to stand up in front of anyone and say, 'Here’s the date',” Hughes told NBC News. He added, however, that Florida Republicans want the state to have “the earliest possible date that reflects how important this state is” not just in the primary, but also the general election.

Last November, Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) shot a scene in Chicago for Steven Soderbergh’s new film “Contagion,” which is due to open next week. Days before the shoot, his office issued a tongue-in-cheek statement from Durbin about his Hollywood debut: “All those hours on C-SPAN have prepared me for this historic moment in my life, but I’m still a little nervous. All I can think of is going on too long with the thank you list in my Oscar acceptance speech.”

Well, no word yet on how much screen-time Durbin gets (if you look closely at the trailer you can see a wide shot of him swearing in a witness) or if his performance is Oscar-worthy if he's in the film, but as for his potential as an actor, you might be interested to know he apparently gets a thumbs up from director Soderbergh.

In a statement issued to NBC News shortly after Durbin filmed the scene (and until now unpublished), Soderbergh explained it this way: “Why Steven Spielberg chose Daniel Day Lewis to play Lincoln over Senator Durbin is a complete mystery to me.”

The EPA has been a whipping boy for congressional Republicans and GOP presidential candidates.

And today, President Obama "abruptly pulled back proposed new national smog standards Friday morning, overruling the Environmental Protection Agency’s efforts to compel states and communities nationwide to reduce local air pollution in the coming years or face federal penalties," the Washington Post writes.

The Post called it "a win for the business community, which had lobbied to postpone new restrictions on ground-level ozone—known as smog—until 2013 in light of the current economic downturn."

Daniel J. Weiss at liberal think tank the Center for American Progress told the Post: “It’s unfortunate that the administration is siding with big oil over the health of children, seniors, and the infirm."

To that point, the American Petroleum Institute liked it: “The President’s decision is good news for the economy and Americans looking for work," said Jack Gerard, API's president. "EPA’s proposal would have prevented the very job creation that President Obama has identified as his top priority."

He contended: "Ozone levels and air quality continue to improve under current regulations and our industry is committed to making the air we all breathe cleaner while creating new jobs."

And: “The oil and natural gas industry was one of the few industries to actually create jobs in August. With the right public policies, we can do more to help generate more American jobs and help get our economy back on track.”

COLUMBIA, S.C. -- The Super PAC “Keep Conservatives United,” which supports Michele Bachmann, will air an ad attacking Texas Gov. Rick Perry in South Carolina from Sept. 7^th to the 13^th.

The ad accuses Perry of being hypocritical for decrying federal spending but borrowing money for the federal government as governor of Texas.

“He’s supposed to be the Tea Party guy?” a voice in the ad asks, before saying, “There is an honest conservative, and she’s not Rick Perry,” as a split screen of pictures of Bachmann and Perry appear.

The Perry camp slammed the ad, releasing a statement from RickPerry.org’s communications director that called the ad “patently and provably false.”

“Unlike Washington, the Texas budget is balanced, does not run deficits and limits spending, even as Texas added jobs and population in big numbers," the spokesperson said.

According to Keep Conservatives United founder Bob Harris, a political consultant from North Carolina, the ad will air on CNN, CNBC and Fox News in the Columbia media market. He said he would not reveal the size of the ad buy, but said this spot was his “first step” and that more ads would follow, not necessarily attacking Perry.

Harris said he decided to keep the ad off the air until next Wednesday because he believes people will be fully tuned in after the Labor Day weekend.

A September to remember: It’s shaping up to be a busy – and significant – month in American politics… The new jobs numbers: No net jobs created in August, and the unemployment rate remains unchanged at 9.1%… Palin’s three options this weekend… How does the Tea Party receive Romney?... Bachmann compares herself to Reagan and Thatcher… Calendar watch: We could know what Arizona plans to do as soon as today… Romney and Cain are in FL, while Huntsman remains in NH… NBC’s David Gregory chats with the Teamsters’ James Hoffa… And have a happy and safe Labor Day weekend.

*** A September to remember: With the August beach days and vacation travel now behind us, September is shaping up to be a busy -- and significant -- month in American politics. It will feature major economic speeches (by President Obama, Mitt Romney, and House Speaker Boehner), Congress’ return, three GOP presidential debates, the 10^th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, and more Sarah Palin speculation. Below is a helpful clip-and-save calendar of what to expect for the remainder of the month:  

AP

Sept. 3: Palin attends Tea Party rally in Indianola, IA
Sept. 4: Romney attends Tea Party rally in Concord, NH
Sept. 5: Bachmann, Cain, Gingrich, Paul, Perry, and Romney attend Jim DeMint forum in Columbia, SC.
Sept. 5: Palin speaks at Tea Party rally in Manchester, NH
Sept. 6: NBC/WSJ poll is released
Sept. 6: Romney unveils his jobs/economic plan in Nevada
Sept. 7: NBC-Politico debate takes place at Reagan Library at 8:00 pm ET
Sept. 8: Obama delivers his jobs/economic address to a joint session of Congress
Sept. 8: The “Super Committee” is likely to hold its first full meeting, per NBC’s Libby Leist
Sept. 11: 10^th anniversary of 9/11 terrorist attacks
Sept. 12: CNN-Tea Party Express debate takes place in Tampa, FL
Sept. 13: Special congressional elections take place in NV-2 and NY-9
Sept. 14: Perry speaks at Liberty University in Lynchburg, VA
Sept. 15: Boehner delivers his own jobs/economic speech in DC
Sept. 22: FOX-FL GOP debate takes place in Orlando
Sept. 23: CPAC confab (featuring the GOP presidential candidates) takes place in Florida
Sept. 23: Mackinac Republican Leadership Conference takes place
Sept. 24: Florida GOP holds its “Presidency 5” straw poll
Sept. 28: Bachmann speaks at Liberty University
Sept. 30: 3^rd fundraising quarter ends

AP

An estimated 4,000 people wait to enter a job fair in south Los Angeles on August 31, 2011.

*** No net jobs in August; unemployment rates stays at 9.1%: And today brings us another significant political story this month: the new job numbers. And ouch… Per the AP, “Employers added no net workers last month and the unemployment rate was unchanged, a sign that many were nervous the U.S. economy is at risk of slipping into another recession. The Labor Department says total payrolls were unchanged in August, the weakest report in almost a year. It's the first time since February 1945 that the government has reported a net job change of zero. The unemployment rate stayed at 9.1 percent.”

*** Inside the West Wing: Don't miss the Roger Simon column in Politico today with the anonymous aide to the president complaining publicly about the president's treatment by Speaker Boehner. There's A LOT of intrigue among some Obama supporters who are wondering who it is that decided to go on record (even on background) to send a public message to Boehner -- and to the president's upset base that he caved. Not everyone is interested in re-litigating the Wednesday calendar chaos. The handwringing among many of Obama's DC-based supporters (call it the establishment if you will) is not happy with how things look, not just with the president but with how the town is being run. These next few weeks are critical for the president and his staff not to lose confidence either in each other or with key leaders in the Beltway.

AP

*** Palin’s three options this weekend: Palin’s events in Iowa on Saturday and New Hampshire on Monday are important for her. The reason: The 2012 race is passing her by. She has three options this Labor Day weekend. One, she announces she’s getting ready for a presidential run (like opening a testing the waters committee). Two, she endorses another presidential candidate (Rick Perry maybe?). Or three, she keeps on with the status quo -- flirting with a presidential bid but not jumping in. The problem for her with the status quo is that it minimizes her impact on the 2012 race. It will be harder for her to receive attention if she doesn’t suggest what her intentions are this weekend.

*** How does the Tea Party receive Romney? Here’s another thing we’ll be watching this weekend: What kind of reception does Romney receive at the Tea Party event in New Hampshire (on Sunday) and the DeMint forum in South Carolina (on Monday). We already know that FreedomWorks -- which has never been a fan of Romney’s -- will be protesting his appearance in New Hampshire.

AP

Republican presidential candidate Rep. Michele Bachmann.

*** Bachmann compares herself to Thatcher and Reagan: At the American Legion convention in Minnesota yesterday, Bachmann said this, per the Minneapolis Star Tribune: "It took two very strong leaders on the stage, one a woman and one a man, to reverse the course of their respective counties," she said. "We find ourselves today in search of another Margaret Thatcher to restore our great country to the thriving nation I believe we can be again." Asked later about her comparison, Bachmann replied, "Both Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher contributed mightily to restoring the economic and military greatness of the nation during their respective time periods. We're in a similar time period, and we need to have strong, viable leadership to see that return again today -- both with our military and our economy.  They're both tremendous examples."

*** Calendar watch: As soon as today, we could know what Arizona plans to do with the GOP primary. If it holds its primary on Jan. 31 -- as expected -- that would force Iowa, New Hampshire, and the other early states to move up from February to January. That would have two possible reactions: One, you’ll probably have six significant early contests in January -- IA, NH, NV, SC, AZ, and FL. And two, with those February contests moving to January, that means there’s the possibility that February becomes a dead zone. So you’ll have these flurry of early contests in January, but then a relatively empty February before the Super Tuesday races in March.

**** On the 2012 trail: Cain and Romney today address the Republican National Hispanic Assembly in Tampa, FL… Romney also opens his Florida campaign headquarters in Tampa… And Huntsman makes another campaign stop in New Hampshire.

*** Thursday’s “Daily Rundown” line-up: National Economic Council Director Gene Sperling and Moody Analytics’ Chief Economist Mark Zandi on today’s jobs report… The Economist’s Greg Ip and National Journal’s Jim Tankersley on the economic outlook and September’s dueling job speeches… One of us (!!!) on how busy September will be… NBC’s Jamie Novogrod on Rep. Michelle Bachmann (R-MN)’s history on history… Plus more 2012 with Comcast’s Robert Traynham, Tribune’s Matea Gold and the Wall Street Journal’s Carol Lee.

*** Sunday’s Meet the Press: On Sunday, NBC’s David Gregory will hold a special discussion on the economy. In his weekly “Press Pass,” Gregory talked with Teamsters head James Hoffa.

*** A final note: Your morning First Read note will return on Tuesday, Sept. 6 – chock full of information on the NBC-Politico debate, as well as our upcoming NBC/WSJ poll. Have a happy and safe Labor Day weekend.

Countdown to NBC-Politico debate at Reagan Library: 5 days
Countdown to NV-2 and NY-9 special elections: 11 days
Countdown to Election Day 2011: 67 days
Countdown to the Iowa caucuses: 157 days
* Note: When the IA caucuses take place depends on whether other states move up

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“President Barack Obama will be running for re-election next year with the unemployment rate likely stuck at 9 percent and the recovery still getting its footing, his budget office forecast yesterday,” Bloomberg writes.

“The scheduling snafu that pitted President Obama against House Speaker John Boehner could have another, unintended victim,” The Hill writes. “The Wounded Warriors are scheduled to face-off against lawmakers and their staff in a charity ice hockey game next Thursday, the same night that the president agreed to give his jobs speech before a joint session of Congress. The puck is set to drop at 7 p.m. (EST) at the Kettler Capitals Iceplex in Arlington, Va.”

“Liberal House Democrats are pressuring President Obama to ignore his conservative critics and take ‘bold action’ to tackle the lingering jobs crisis,” The Hill reports. “Reps. Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) — the co-chairmen of the Congressional Progressive Caucus — want the president to champion sweeping investments in the nation's crumbling infrastructure as a way to create jobs and jolt the sluggish economy.”

“Two Democratic senators are warning that 1.8 million jobs could be lost if Congress fails to approve a new transportation bill by Sept. 30,” The Hill reports.

“Democrats are trying to use the issue of disaster relief spending to drive a wedge between House Majority Leader Eric Cantor and Republicans from states stricken by last week’s earthquake and hurricane, an effort that the Virginia Republican’s office denounced Thursday,” Roll Call reports, adding, “The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has seized on Cantor’s stance on offsets, accusing him of holding aid hostage, and it sent letters to news organizations in the districts of East Coast Republicans on Thursday to pressure them into weighing in. Will the district’s Representative ‘stand against his Republican Leader Eric Cantor’s outrageous position that Hurricane Irene disaster relief cannot be funded until after House Republicans make draconian spending cuts to things like Medicare and education?’ the letters asked.”

NBC’s Ali Weinberg reports that Monday’s Palmetto Freedom Forum in South Carolina -- hosted by South Carolina Sen. Jim DeMint -- will be the site of Mitt Romney and Rick Perry’s first meeting since Perry declared his presidential bid (and since the Texan surged ahead of Romney in several national polls).

But neither they nor any of the other four presidential hopefuls in attendance (Bachmann, Cain, Gingrich, and Paul) will be sparring head-to-head. Instead, each individual candidate will hold the spotlight for 21 minutes, making introductory remarks for three minutes and then answering questions from DeMint, Republican Rep. Steve King (IA) and Princeton professor Robert George, the founder of the conservative group American Principles Project.

“It’s not going to be a cattle call with all of them up there, and so it’s not them against the other candidates at this point, unless they want to make it against them,” DeMint said when asked about the event earlier this week.

Perry leads in another poll. FOX has him up 29%-22% over Romney.

BACHMANN: If Margaret Thatcher was the Iron Lady is Bachmann the Titanium Lady? In a speech before the American Legion, “she harkened back to hard-willed efforts by former president Ronald Reagan to confront the Soviet Union and communism and pointed to the strong campaign Thatcher headed to regain control of the Falkland Islands,” the Boston Globe writes. “‘It took two very strong leaders on the world stage, one a woman and one a man, to reverse the course of their respective countries,’ Bachmann said. ‘We should heed the lessons that they hold for those who seek to wreak havoc on peace and on democracy across the world today.’”

“Bachmann said her references to Thatcher were meant to spotlight a transformational figure of her era. ‘We’re in a similar time period and we need to have strong, viable leadership to see that return again today, both with the military and with the economy,’ she said.” Although, as the Globe points out, “Much has changed since the days of Thatcher and Reagan. US troops are at war in Afghanistan and Iraq, and terror threats pose a different kind of challenge for leaders here and abroad.”

PALIN: Real Clear Politics reports on Sarah Palin’s upcoming speech Saturday, that she will hit “crony capitalism” and a “permanent political class.” “Though she will not call [Rick] Perry out by name, Palin’s carefully couched rhetoric will leave the impression that she may soon draw more overt attention to one of the Texan’s potential vulnerabilities as a candidate: his history of doling out plum positions and other benefits to generous campaign donors during his nearly 11-year tenure as the nation’s longest serving governor.” (Via GOP 12)

But let’s not forget this New York Times story from Sept. 13, 2008: “Gov. Sarah Palin lives by the maxim that all politics is local, not to mention personal. So when there was a vacancy at the top of the State Division of Agriculture, she appointed a high school classmate, Franci Havemeister, to the $95,000-a-year directorship. A former real estate agent, Ms. Havemeister cited her childhood love of cows as a qualification for running the roughly $2 million agency. Ms. Havemeister was one of at least five schoolmates Ms. Palin hired, often at salaries far exceeding their private sector wages.”

GOP 12 finds this from the latest FOX poll about Palin: “Even among her natural base, tea partiers, just 28% want her to run for president, while 66% say she shouldn't.”

PERRY: The LA Times gets some more details on the Hill Country retreat with evangelicals that Perry attended last weekend. "Inside an air-conditioned tent, the Texas governor and Republican presidential contender was grilled about his beliefs and his record in extraordinarily frank sessions. He responded by describing his relationship with Jesus and pledging to pursue the antiabortion and anti-gay-marriage agenda championed by the evangelical right, according to multiple participants."

The AP looks at Perry's advantages and challenges as he dashes to raise money.

Perry's socially conservative positions have sometimes rubbed Texas business interests the wrong way, writes the Austin American Statesman.

The Texas Tribune: "As Gov. Rick Perry touts his tough-on-crime policies on the national political stage, the case of Cameron Todd Willingham will continue to be scrutinized. Scientists have raised questions about whether Willingham set the blaze that killed his three daughters and led to his 2004 execution.But Willingham’s execution is not the only controversial one the governor has presided over."

Ann Coulter took a shot at Rick Perry on Hannity last night, saying he has “some problems of his own,” especially on immigration. “When your entire electorate is a conservative, Republican base, you don't have room to make a single mistake,” she said, “and Perry has made mistakes. He has made big mistakes on illegal immigration." She also seemed to defend Romney: “I think it's very important for people to remember that there's a difference running and being elected in Texas versus Massachusetts or New Jersey.”

ROMNEY: He announced the endorsement of New Hampshire House Majority Leader D.J. Bettencourt.

“The endorsement, coming from one of the state’s top conservative leaders, is a coup for Romney, who has made an effort in recent days to reach out to conservatives, including the Tea Party movement,” the Boston Globe writes. “Bettencourt, a 27-year-old law student and Republican from Salem, has led the nearly 300-strong Republican coalition in the 400-person New Hampshire House. The youngest House majority leader in New Hampshire history, he rose to a position of leadership with support from the newly conservative majority elected to the Legislature in 2010 and has been the public face for the Republican agenda in the House.”

“Embattled New Hampshire Republican Party Chairman Jack Kimball resigned last night, ending a bitter internal battle that pitted Tea Party activists against long-time Republicans,” the Boston Globe reports. “I have come to the conclusion that even during a vote if I were to win, and I know the odds are against that, it would be next to impossible for me to fulfill my obligations as chairman moving forward given what’s been against me,” Kimball said before the Republican Party’s Executive Committee’s scheduled vote on whether to oust him. Yet there were those crying out in the room, “Don’t do it Jack!”

“After the meeting, Kimball, who was elected to the post in late January and had once said he would not resign and vowed to fight his removal, acknowledged that he’d received ‘tremendous pressure’ and even political ‘threats,’” the New Hampshire Union Leader reports. “This was a very difficult decision,” he said. “I really, really cannot stand in the way any longer. People were looking at me as an obstacle to party unity, and I don’t want that.”

And this: “Kimball denied that he’d agreed to any deal to resign in exchange for elected party leaders — including the three GOP members of the congressional delegation — securing $200,000 from national GOP organizations for the party, part of which would be used to retire any outstanding party debt.”

Jon Huntsman has dismissed his New Hampshire Director Ethan Elion (as well as his wife, who is a scheduler for the campaign).

Sarah Crawford Stewart will take over operations in the state.

The campaign calls it a "simple personnel move. Sarah is very capable to take over up there. She's done this successfully before."

In about two months as a presidential candidate, Huntsman has seen his campaign manager (Susie Wiles) step down and now his New Hampshire director fired. This, in addition, to lagging poll numbers in early state polls and national ones, like yesterday's from Quinnipiac showing him at just 1%.

Here's a statement from campaign spokesman Michael Levoff:

"Sarah Crawford Stewart, a seasoned New Hampshire strategist, will be taking over many of the day-to-day responsibilities in her role as New Hampshire senior adviser. The campaign is very pleased with the leadership team we have in place in New Hampshire."

The New Hampshire Union Leader first reported the news.

House Speaker John Boehner will deliver his own speech on the economy and jobs before the Economic Club of Washington Sept. 15th, one week after President Obama's scheduled joint address before Congress, club and Boehner spokespeople confirm.

The club says Boehner was booked for the address late yesterday and finalized this morning.

FOX News first Tweeted the news, the spokesperson said. And then USA Today then had this write up.

With the national vetting of Texas Gov. Rick Perry now in full swing, a document already well known to observers of Perry's 2010 re-election race could raise more questions about the authenticity of Perry's fierce anti-Washington rhetoric.

During his 2010 gubernatorial primary, Perry opponent Kay Bailey Hutchison -- whom Team Perry dubbed "Kay Bailout" because of her support of Troubled Asset Relief Program -- pointed to a 2008 letter in which Perry and a Democratic counterpart urged Congress to pass an "economic recovery package."

"We strongly urge Congress to leave partisanship at the door and pass an economic recovery package," Perry wrote in his capacity as head of the Republican Governors Association on Oct. 1, 2008. (Cosigning the letter was now-Sen. Joe Manchin, who at the time served as the chairman of the Democratic Governors Association.)

"We both believe that it’s time to stand together for our country," the letter continued. "There is a time for partisanship and there is a time for getting things done. No one likes the hand they've been dealt, and now is not the time to assign blame. It is time for Washington, D.C. to step up, be responsible and do what's in the best interest of American taxpayers and our economy."

The Senate passed its version of TARP on Oct. 1, 2008; it was passed by the House and enacted into law on Oct. 3.

Support of TARP is now considered a black mark to most conservatives, and Perry did not hold back in capitalizing on Hutchison's "yes" vote in 2009 and 2010.

In defense, Hutchison described the joint RGA-DGA letter as Perry's endorsement of the legislation that later became known as the "bailout."

Perry "wrote a letter to every senator saying vote for it because we’re going to have a financial meltdown," as Hutchison described it on a Dallas-Ft. Worth politics program in Nov. 2010.

Perry's campaign countered at the time -- as it does now -- that the letter was a response to political gamesmanship in Congress, and that Perry supported action to prevent a financial meltdown but did not specifically back the Bush-backed approach later derided as a Wall Street "bailout."

"The letter was urging action and in no way endorsed TARP," Perry spokesman Mark Miner told NBC News. "The governor has been very clear and vocal in his opposition to TARP."

Hutchison's charge never gained traction in the 2010 primary, and Perry ultimately trounced her in the March 2010 contest.
 
Still, the 2008 letter could serve as fodder to opponents hoping to paint Perry as a relatively new convert to vehement opposition to federal spending and intervention in state economic affairs.

On Monday, the Daily Caller reported that Perry praised Hillary Clinton's health-care efforts in a spring 1993 letter when requesting her inclusion of rural residents in the new national health-care plan. The Perry campaign responded that the details of the plan were unclear at the time the letter was written.

MANCHESTER, N.H. -- Just one day after unveiling his new jobs plan, GOP candidate Jon Huntsman poked fun at front-runner Rick Perry and the rest of the Republican field, before highlighting his new tax proposals and slamming President Obama at New Hampshire's campaign trail mainstay, Politics and Eggs.

"I may not have the Texas Rangers, I might not have a large entourage," Huntsman joked to a packed house. "But I did bring a secret weapon that nobody has, and that's the finest human being I've ever know over 28 years, my wife Mary Kaye Huntsman."

Huntsman also went after the rest of the Republican field, calling for more substantive discussion.

"The fact we're not touching on the truly serious issues of the day, we are talking more about personalities. We are talking about venues where people are going to make speeches as opposed to the substance itself," Huntsman told reporters. "I think the country is crying out for substance."

In a diversion from his usual stump speech, Huntsman focused on his new jobs plan and highlighted experience living in countries "that we compete with," regaling the audience with stories from China.

Here at home though, Huntsman is having a tough time competing himself, with low poll numbers after a summer of sustained New Hampshire campaigning. But Huntsman remains confident in the Granite State and ignores the current poll numbers.

"Everyone is looking for the front-runner today without remembering we have probably had three or four front runners in the race already," he said. "And we are likely to have more in the months to come."

"We are going to win in New Hampshire," he declared to an audience picking at eggs and bacon. Huntsman made the same claim early last month.

While Huntsman attempts to break out, he said voters can expect him to maintain a civil toned campaign. "Civility can coexist with the facts," he said. He added, "All I want at this point in history is for America to save America...we have to get in the game."

Huntsman said he would balance China's human-rights abuses and economic opportunity "always very sensitively." "But the U.S. must be in the game in pushing for religious liberties and human rights, because if we don't no one else will," Huntsman said.

In a flub, Huntsman misidentified the Arab Spring as the "Jasmine Revolution," a separate attempted protest in China during his final days as ambassador.

For the presidential trivia lovers out there, apparently Huntsman doesn't care for eggs.

He declared he prefers politics over eggs at this rite of passage event.

"Politics I can do," he said, "but eggs I'm not much into. Good to see pancakes here."