By NBC's Ali Weinberg
President Obama won 66 percent of the college-age vote in 2008, but young voters seem to be losing enthusiasm for his presidency, which could mean lower turnout on election day. At each stop on the president’s three-college-town swing Tuesday and Wednesday, NBC caught up with students to talk about just how excited (or not) they were to vote this November.

The morning after the Republican Party officially nominated its presidential standard-bearers, Vice President Joe Biden appeared in Ohio auto country to blast the Romney-Ryan convention speeches as “not on the level,” accusing the GOP vice presidential nominee of fudging details of a closed auto plant.

Mark Stahl / AP

Vice President Joe Biden speaks during a campaign stop at the United Auto Workers Local 1714 Union Hall, Friday, Aug. 31, in Lordstown, Ohio.

Referencing Rep. Paul Ryan’s story of a shuttered Wisconsin GM plant, since put under the microscope by fact-checkers, Biden offered his own timeline of events during an appearance at a United Auto Workers hall in Lordstown, Ohio.

“What he didn't tell you was that plant in Janesville actually closed while President Bush was still in office,” Biden said. “And what they didn't say is, but for the sacrifices you all made, and the courage of the President of the U.S., all those GM plants would be closed, here all across the company.”

Independent fact-checkers have wrangled over the veracity of Ryan’s claim that Barack Obama broke his promise to help keep the plant open. The facility was idled under Bush but remained on standby status during the early days of Obama’s presidency. 

Ryan spokesman Brendan Buck said in response to Biden’s claims that “the vice president can’t answer for this administration’s unfulfilled promises and failed record … Like many towns across America, Janesville, Wisconsin is still waiting for the recovery the president promised.” Buck pointed to Obama’s October 2008 statement that he would “lead an effort to retool plants” like the one in Ryan’s hometown.

In remarks to about 200 attendees, the vice president did not reserve all his fire for his GOP counterpart. Referencing a recent article in Rolling Stone that indicated Romney-led Bain Capital received federal assistance for its reorganization, Biden contrasted that attitude with Romney’s opposition to a full auto industry bailout.

“It was one thing when a million middle-class jobs were on the line,” he said of Romney’s alleged seeking of federal assistance. “It was another thing when his own financial interests and those of his partners were on the line.”

On the alleged Bain “bailout,” the Romney campaign noted that the 1990 loan restructuring was actually for a spinoff company of the one founded by Romney and was administered by the Federal Deposit Insurance Commission, which does not take or use taxpayer funds. 

The vice president added that Republicans who lamented the flagging economy during their 3-day confab in Tampa failed to recognize advances in the Rust Belt and in the community of Lordstown, where Chevrolet has announced a plant will make new Cruze vehicles.

“They said last night that things weren't getting better,” Biden said. “I guess they don't know what's happened in this valley.  I guess they don’t know what's happened here in Lordstown. I guess they haven't met any of y'all.”

While Biden’s criticisms were characteristically harsh, perhaps a more blunt version of an RNC fact check was offered to the crowd by former Gov. Ted Strickland, who introduced the vice president.

“They're crazy,” Strickland said of the GOP. “They lie. Their strategy for winning this election is to tell the big lie." 

TAMPA, Fla. – Among Mitt Romney’s many virtues and accomplishments listed Thursday evening, one of his foremost achievements as governor – enacting sweeping health care reform – was noticeably absent.

Also missing from most of this week’s convention was any mention of the winding-down wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, two of the engagements that had largely defined the Republican Party for much of the past decade.

Two top officials from Romney’s time as governor of Massachusetts, Lt. Gov. Kerry Healey and Workforce Development Secretary Jane Edmonds, offered testimonials on the Republican presidential nominee’s behalf during the final night in Tampa.

Slideshow: Republican National Convention

But neither of them – and, really, none of the other speakers this week – so much as mentioned the landmark health care reform law Romney signed into law during his lone term in office.

The convention included plenty of promises to undo “Obamacare,” the colloquial name for the health care overhaul President Barack Obama pushed through Congress.

Joe Skipper / Reuters

Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney takes the stage to formally accept the presidential nomination during the final session of the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Florida, August 30, 2012.

"We will champion small businesses, America’s engine of job growth," Romney said in his acceptance speech. “That means reducing taxes on business, not raising them … it means that we must rein in the skyrocketing cost of health care by repealing and replacing Obamacare."

“The president has declared that the debate over government-controlled health care is over,” Republican vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan said in his Wednesday night address. “That will come as news to the millions of Americans who will elect Mitt Romney so we can repeal Obamacare.”

But the convention all but glossed over “Romneycare,” the markedly similar Massachusetts law that Obama has often cited as a model for his own health care law.

Similarly, Romney made no mention of Iraq or Afghanistan, nor did former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, a major figure in orchestrating those two wars for the Bush administration.

The only major figure to really make mention of either of the wars was Arizona Sen. John McCain, the 2008 Republican presidential nominee.

"By committing to withdraw from Afghanistan before peace can be achieved and sustained, the president has discouraged our friends and emboldened our enemies, which is why our commanders did not recommend that decision and why they have said it puts our mission at greater risk," McCain said on Wednesday night.

Romney has struggled to distinguish himself from Obama in terms of how he would differently handle the two wars, and the economy is undoubtedly the prime issue of the 2012 election.

But the Massachusetts law has always been a more politically thorny issue for Romney, having almost tripped up the nominee during the primary fight, precisely for those similarities to Obama’s reforms.

“He is the worst Republican in the country to put up against Barack Obama,” former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum said in March of Romney because of that Massachusetts law.

Bringing up Romney’s health care law would, at a minimum, risk cognitive dissonance on the issue; at worst, its mention could stir an angry reaction from the conservative delegates gathered here in Florida.

But conventions are carefully scripted affairs that often help decipher what message a party will carry into the fall campaign. The Romney campaign made clear this week that the economy, jobs and Medicare will be at the core of this November’s election. But maybe not health care.

Pool / Getty Images

President Barack Obama returns to the White House on August 29, 2012 in Washington, D.C. Obama continued to campaign for his re-election on the second and last day of his college tour through Iowa and Virginia.

President Obama will visit Louisiana on Monday to meet with officials and view the damage from Hurricane Isaac, White House Press Secretary Jay Carney announced Friday.

Carney said the president will go to assess the impact of the hurricane, which has since been downgraded to a tropical storm, and make sure “that unmet needs are being met and that the federal response led by FEMA is helping.”

Obama will stop in Louisiana after beginning his day in Toledo, Ohio where he’ll hold a campaign event.

Recommended: First Thoughts: What Romney accomplished (and didn't)

He was scheduled to campaign in Cleveland after his event in Toledo but Carney said changes to the campaign schedule were still pending.

Obama’s Republican opponent in the presidential race, Mitt Romney, is visiting the storm-stricken parts of the state today. 

LAKELAND, Fla. -- Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan called for "accountability," both for President Barack Obama and themselves, on the heels of accepting the GOP presidential nomination.

The newly-minted Republican presidential and vice presidential nominee held a sendoff rally here near Tampa, Romney's first public appearance since last night's address to the Republican National Convention.

“We want to be held accountable for the promises we made last night, and the night before. Paul Ryan and I both spoke to the American people about what we’ll do if we become president and vice president," Romney said, urging Americans to also measure Obama by the promises he has either kept or discarded.

Ryan, who accepted the vice presidential nomination on Wednesday, told the crowd of roughly 2,000 supporters that he felt he and Romney had emerged from Tampa offering a "our fellow countrymen a very clear choice" in visions of leadership for the next four years.

Romney said he was "embarrassed" by the tributes and stories about his life told last night by members of his church, his family, and by those touched by his tenure at the Olympics in Salt Lake City or at the statehouse in Massachusetts. He said some of the stories were "overly generous," but he appreciated them nonetheless.

Romney and Ryan will now part ways -- on newly unveiled official campaign planes -- for separate campaign stops to round out the week. Romney will head to South Louisiana to tour storm-damaged areas with Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, and Ryan will stump in Virginia at a campaign stop originally envisioned as a joint appearance for the ticket.

What Romney accomplished… And what he didn’t… Romney’s nostalgic optimism and Obama’s forward… Romney’s pitch to women… Clint Eastwood: Go ahead, make our day… It was yet another unforced error by Romney and his campaign… Romney and Ryan stump in FL, Romney heads to New Orleans, and Ryan stumps in VA... Obama speaks at Ft Bliss, TX… And “Meet” will interview Rahm Emanuel.

Watch: Slideshow from the Republican National Convention

TAMPA, Fla. -- Yesterday, we wrote that Mitt Romney had four objectives with his acceptance speech: 1) better introduce himself to the public, 2) close the empathy gap, 3) get American voters to be comfortable with him as president, and 4) put more meat on the policy bone. He accomplished those first two goals, especially if you were in the convention hall or watching the live feed in the 8:00 pm hour.The testimonials from families who had lost loved ones during the time Romney played a key role in his church were powerful, and there were tears in the audience after these families told their stories. It was something we hadn’t seen from Romney or his campaign before. But how many people saw that? You didn’t if you only tuned in for the primetime hour beginning at 10:00 pm, which began with Clint Eastwood’s very unusual introduction (more on that below). On the empathy question, Romney also delivered this line that was very effective: “President Obama promised to begin to slow the rise of the oceans and heal the planet. MY promise is to help you and your family.”

*** And what he didn’t: So the campaign largely succeeded on those first two objectives. But on the last two? Not as much. On getting American voters more comfortable with him as president, Romney made a stronger case -- and devoted more time -- to why Obama should be fired than why Romney should be hired. Indeed, the speech was heavy on trying to channel disappointment with the current president. One example: “I wish President Obama had succeeded because I want America to succeed. But his promises gave way to disappointment and division.” Yet Romney didn’t make the case how he could get past the current division, polarization and gridlock, especially given how these campaigns are currently conducting themselves. And as for more meat on the policy bone, we didn’t get it. Romney discussed his five-step plan on the economy -- take advantage of domestic energy sources, give Americans the job skills they need, encourage free trade, cut the deficit, and lower taxes. But outside the budget deficit, none of those steps is any different than what George W. Bush pursued when he was president. And this was surprising, but Romney never mentioned the word “Afghanistan” once. By not putting more meat on the policy bone and by not differentiating his policies from Bush’s, Romney left the Obama campaign a lot of room to work with.

*** Nostalgic optimism vs. Forward: If you could sum up the majority of Romney's acceptance speech it would be with these two words: nostalgic optimism. Per NBC’s Sarah Blackwill, Romney used the word “restore” three times (" Now is a time to restore the promise of America"). And he vowed to “return” to the foreign policy legacy of Truman and Reagan. And the message of nostalgic optimism -- to the time of his father and mother -- was typified by this line: "I was born in the middle of the century in the middle of the country, a classic baby boomer. It was a time when Americans were returning from war and eager to work. To be an American was to assume that all things were possible. When President Kennedy challenged Americans to go to the moon, the question wasn't whether we'd get there, it was only when we'd get there.” But looking backwards only gets you so far; after all, another story of America is moving forward. And that word “forward” happens to be the slogan of the man Romney is trying to unseat.

*** Shades of Dole in ’96? In fact, Romney’s message of a return to yesteryear made us think of Bob Dole’s message in his 1996 acceptance speech. “Let me be the bridge to an America that only the unknowing call myth. Let me be the bridge to a time of tranquillity, faith, and confidence in action,” Dole said. “And to those who say it was never so, that America has not been better, I say, you're wrong, and I know, because I was there. And I have seen it. And I remember… We have fought and prevailed on almost every continent and in almost every sea. We have even lost, but we have lasted, and we have always come through.  Like Dole (Greatest Generation) vs. Clinton (Baby Boomer), Romney vs. Obama is a battle between generations, too.

Jae C. Hong / AP

Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney acknowledges delegates before speaking at the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Thursday, Aug. 30, 2012.

*** Romney’s pitch to women: Another thing struck us about Romney’s speech: He made a direct pitch to women voters. He said of his mother, “I wish she could have been here at the convention and heard leaders like Gov. Mary Fallin, Gov. Nikki Haley, Gov. Susana Martinez, Sen. Kelly Ayotte and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. As governor of Massachusetts, I chose a woman Lt. governor, a woman chief of staff, half of my cabinet and senior officials were women, and in business, I mentored and supported great women leaders who went on to run great companies.” If you didn’t think the Romney camp knows the gender gap is an issue, you know now…

*** Go ahead -- make our day: And finally, we come to the story that’s likely to be the subject of late-night comedians -- and that’s still the talk of Tampa: Clint Eastwood. After all of the scripting, Eastwood delivered a 10 minute-plus rambling speech, part of which was an imaginary interview with President Obama. Romney World has to ask itself: Why Eastwood over the touching Romney video in the primetime hour? Why Eastwood over those touching stories about Romney? The word we’ve received about Eastwood from the Romney camp is this: The Obama campaign is dedicated to tearing down Romney, and an American icon like Eastwood is on Romney’s side.

*** Yet another unforced error: Unfortunately for the Romney campaign, Eastwood was yet another unforced error. Of course, all campaigns make them -- Obama made one when he allowed Republicans to seize on his “You didn’t build that” line. But Romney and his campaign stumble on the EASIEST of situations. Remember the speech at Ford Field in Detroit? Romney questioning London’s readiness before the Olympics? All were unforced errors, and all were VERY avoidable.

*** On the trail: Romney and Ryan hold a farewell rally in Lakeland, FL at 10:00 am ET; Romney then heads to New Orleans; and Ryan stumps in Richmond, VA at 2:00 pm ET… Obama speaks at Fort Bliss, TX at 2:45 pm ET… And Biden campaigns in Lordstown, OH at 11:00 am.

*** On Sunday’s “Meet the Press”: NBC’s David Gregory interviews Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel.

Countdown to Dem convention: 3 days
Countdown to 1^st presidential debate: 33 days
Countdown to VP debate: 41 days
Countdown to 2^nd presidential debate: 46 days
Countdown to 3^rd presidential debate: 52 days
Countdown to Election Day: 67 days

Click here to sign up for First Read emails.
Text FIRST to 622639, to sign up for First Read alerts to your mobile phone.
Check us out on Facebook and also on Twitter. Follow us @chucktodd, @mmurraypolitics, @DomenicoNBC, @brookebrower

*** Friday's "The Daily Rundown" (still!) live in Tampa: Reaction to Romney's big night with National Review/Bloomberg View's Ramesh Ponnuru, AP's Liz Sidoti, Indiana GOP spokesman Pete Seat and GOP strategist Phil Musser… L.A. Mayor and Democratic National Convention Chairman Antonio Villaraigosa with a Charlotte preview… Latest on Isaac's path and damage… NBC's Peter Alexander live from the trail in Florida with Romney and Ryan.

*** Friday’s “Jansing & Co.” line-up: MSNBC’s Chris Jansing interviews Time’s Michael Scherer, Democratic strategist Kiki McLean, former Bush advisor Joe Watkins, Gallup Polling Editor-in-Chief Frank Newport, and the Washington Post’s fact-checker Glenn Kessler.

*** Friday’s “MSNBC Live with Thomas Roberts” line-up: MSNBC’s Thomas Roberts talks with DNC Communications Director Brad Woodhouse, MSNBC Host Melissa Harris Perry, Ron Reagan, and Scott Helman (Co-Author, “The Real Romney”). Today’s Power Panel includes: former RNC Chair Michael Steele, Democratic strategist Chris Kofinis and Real Clear Politics’ Erin McPike.

*** Friday’s “NOW with Alex Wagner” line-up: Alex Wagner’s guests include MSNBC’s Chris Hayes, former DNC Communications Director Karen Finney, and James Lipton, who will help us break down convention performances, including Clint Eastwood’s

*** Friday’s “Andrea Mitchell Reports” line-up: NBC’s Andrea Mitchell interviews the Washington Post’s Ruth Marcus and Michael Gerson, Priorities USA Action co-founder Bill Burton, Republican strategist Tony Fratto, New York Magazine’s John Heilemann, DNC Executive Director Patrick Gaspard and NBC’s Kristen Welker and Ron Mott.

*** Friday’s “News Nation with Tamron Hall” line-up: MSNBC’s Tamron Hall interview Dem strategist Jimmy Williams and former Huckabee campaign manager Chip Saltsman.

“With tens of millions of viewers watching the most important speech of his life, Romney painted a fuller portrait of himself, countering the image of a wealthy, out-of-touch, opportunistic politician that his political opponents have spent the past year creating for him,” the Boston Globe’s Viser writes, adding some lines from Romney: “What is needed in our country today is not complicated or profound. It doesn’t take a special government commission to tell us what America needs. What America needs is jobs. Lots of jobs.”

And: “He also mocked President Obama’s goals, saying to laughter, ‘President Obama promised to slow the rise of the oceans and to heal the planet. My promise is to help you and your family.’”

“In accepting the Republican presidential nomination on Thursday after an eight-year quest for it, Mitt Romney opened a new chapter of his campaign: his closing argument to the American people,” the Boston Globe’s Johnson adds. “Before the largest television audience he has drawn as a political figure, the former Massachusetts governor sought to humanize himself by talking about his family history and personal life." 

The AP: “Romney asks US to 'turn the page' on Obama.”

The AP in a separate story: “Social Security. Medicare. Iraq. Afghanistan. Illegal immigration. They’re all costly to taxpayers and the next president presumably will have to address them to one degree or another. Yet GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney made no mention of those issues Thursday in his wide-ranging acceptance speech that closed the Republican National Convention.”

Reuters: “Though U.S. voters may respect Romney, they don't seem to like him much, and the central mission of the Republican convention was to show the personal side of a candidate who has been reluctant to reveal it himself. Romney may never beat Democratic President Barack Obama in a popularity contest, but Republicans hope that voters will at least warm to him enough in the final months before the November 6 election that they can turn the focus back to the sluggish economy and Obama's job performance.”

The New York Daily News: “Mitt Romney accepted the Republican Party’s nomination for President Thursday by declaring that Barack Obama failed to deliver the change he promised — and warned that America’s future greatness is in danger. Romney, in the defining moment of his political career, briefly pulled back the curtain that had long shielded much of his private life from voters, but his main objective was to convince Americans they made the wrong choice in 2008.”

AP: “Mitt Romney promised voters Thursday night that he would cut deficits and put America on track to a balanced budget as president, but he left voters to take it on faith that he could deliver. The details behind that pledge, and the painful spending choices involved, are conspicuously lacking in his agenda.” 

The Mormon moment: “It was more than politics,” USA Today writes. “This was the Mormons' moment, like African Americans' in 2008 with Barack Obama and Catholics' in 1928 with Democratic nominee Al Smith and 1960 with John F. Kennedy. … In his campaign this year, the candidate rarely and only vaguely spoke of his role in the church. But in an effort to explain Romney the Mormon, he was preceded on the convention stage Thursday night by other Mormons who told stories about him, his faith and his church work. He was described as a follower of Christ who worried less about theology than serving other people.”

USA Today: “To Democrats who have denounced him as an untrustworthy flip-flopper and Republicans who once derided him as a ‘Massachusetts moderate,’ Mitt Romney finally defined himself this week — as a cheerful conservative capable of rescuing the country from economic collapse. Think Ronald Reagan meets Clint Eastwood, both of whom played key roles — Reagan in a video, Eastwood in person — as the Republican National Convention ended Thursday." 

The most popular story on USA Today’s website is: “Clint Eastwood makes sudden impact at RNC.” From the story: “In an unusual speech for what is typically a highly scripted affair, Eastwood talked to an empty chair, which he addressed as if President Obama was sitting there. At one point Eastwood suggested the imaginary president had told him to say derogatory things. ‘What do you want me to tell Romney? I can't tell him to do that. I can't tell him to do that to himself,’ he said.”

“Clint Eastwood was supposed to make Mitt Romney’s day. Instead, he made a mess of the Republican night,” the New York Daily News writes. “The Republican National Convention’s “surprise” act turned into a surreal shtick as the “Dirty Harry” actor delivered a swerving diatribe punctuated by a running conversation with an empty chair, a symbol of GOP dissatisfaction with President Obama.”

The New York Times: “Clint Eastwood’s rambling, head-scratching endorsement of Mitt Romney on Thursday set off immediate questions and finger-pointing among Romney supporters: Who booked Mr. Eastwood? Did anyone have an idea of what he was going to say? Did anyone read his remarks before they were broadcast? The actor, in one of the more unusual moments in Republican convention history, offered a speech in which he pretended to have an off-color conversation with an imaginary President Obama sitting by his side in an empty chair.”

Obama’s Twitter handle responded with a photo of the president sitting in a chair saying: “This seat's taken. http://OFA.BO/c2gbfi">http://OFA.BO/c2gbfi ,pic.twitter.com/jgGZTb02”

Orrin Hatch defended Eastwood on FOX: “I love Clint Eastwood. He's such a character.... and he's got guts. I mean, to be in the movie industry and come out and support Mitt Romney over the president, I thought was very, very good. Now my personal belief is that the monitor must have stopped running, but that doesn't make any difference. Clint's up there in age. I got to tell you, to come out there on that stage in front of all those people whooping and yelling and so forth, and to stand up for Mitt Romney the way he did? I thought it made a lot of sense tonight. I love him for it."

TAMPA, Fla. – Accepting the Republican presidential nomination, Mitt Romney vowed to move America past what he called the “disappointments” of President Barack Obama’s four years in office if elected to the White House in November.

In a speech that hearkened back to an America typified by Romney’s upbringing “in the middle of the century in the middle of the country,” the nominee argued he was the candidate best suited to rejuvenate a flagging economy.

"Today, the time has come for us to put the disappointments of the last four years behind us," Romney said.

Joe Raedle / Getty Images

Mitt Romney stands with his wife, Ann Romney, and family as Paul Ryan and his wife, Janna Ryan, stand with their family on stage as balloons drop during the final night of Republican National Convention in Tampa.

Using a traditional attack line against an incumbent president, Romney said, “This president can tell us that the next four years he’ll get it right.  But this president cannot tell us that you are better off today than when he took office.”

“The time has come to turn the page.”

The nationally televised address, the biggest of Romney’s political career, sought to better introduce him to Americans and erase the low favorable rating from which he suffered before the convention. He made barely veiled overtures toward winning women voters, among whom he trails Obama by 10 points in the latest NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll.

Romney's personal side extolled at RNC

But Romney also attempted to project a forward looking vision of America, mentioning the word “future” a total of 13 times during the speech, and the word “tomorrow” three times.

In terms of policy, Romney leaned heavily on the broad planks he’s already outlined as a candidate. He hit Obama on taxes, health care and foreign policy, though he scarcely detailed his own plans on Medicare and made no mention of Iraq or Afghanistan.

Romney’s speech instead intended to seize on voters' disillusionment in Obama, based on the lofty promises made by the then-Illinois senator during his 2008 campaign.

"President Obama promised to slow the rise of the oceans and to heal the planet,” Romney said. “My promise – is to help you and your family.”

And as if to preempt Democratic criticism that he was rooting for failure, Romney said he had hoped for just the opposite.

"I wish President Obama had succeeded because I want America to succeed. But his promises gave way to disappointment and division," Romney said. "This isn't something we have to accept. Now is the moment when we can do something. With your help we will do something."

Watch Thursday night's RNC speeches

Thursday was the culmination of a years-long effort by Romney to capture the nomination, a goal which had eluded his father, the former governor of Michigan. Romney unsuccessfully sought the GOP nomination in 2008, and struggled during the 2012 primaries to rally the party’s core of conservatives behind his candidacy before pulling away.

This cycle’s primary – during which Romney boasted of having a “severely conservative” governing record – took its toll on him as a general-election candidate, giving fodder to Obama’s re-election team to use against the Republican during an unforgiving summer campaign.

To that end, much of the Republican National Convention this week in Florida was directed toward reposturing Romney for a general-election audience.

Romney relied on other surrogates earlier in the evening to round out his personal story. Friends, family members, and former co-workers delivered speeches about his leadership in business and government, along with his time in the Mormon Church – a less-discussed aspect of the nominee’s persona.

Slideshow: Republican National Convention

Stan Honda / AFP - Getty Images

Republicans gather in Tampa, Florida to officially nominate Mitt Romney and his running mate, Paul Ryan, as the party's candidates for the 2012 presidential election.

Launch slideshow

There were high and low points throughout the convention, and some unusual moments – such as actor Clint Eastwood’s ad-libbed speech to a chair jokingly intended to represent Obama.

Romney sought to address several of his most glaring political vulnerabilities in his acceptance speech. He tried to defray attacks on his career as co-founder of Bain Capital by describing some of the most successful byproducts of the venture capital group's best-known successes.

And Romney celebrated the achievements of women in the private sector and in government, drawing on the example of his own mother's bid for the Senate.

"As governor of Massachusetts, I chose a woman lieutenant governor, a woman chief of staff, half of my cabinet and senior officials were women, and in business, I mentored and supported great women leaders who went on to run great companies," Romney said.

Romney and his veep nominee, Paul Ryan, will take no break from campaigning after a high-stakes week for their ticket, stumping Friday in Florida and Virginia and keeping a busy schedule throughout the weekend.

Obama’s convention, meanwhile, will make the case for a second term at the Democratic National Convention next week in Charlotte, N.C.

The dueling conventions – representing some of the few natural opportunities for candidates to bend the arc of the election – signal the onset of the most intense portion of the general election.

Ryan and Romney, along with Obama and Vice President Joe Biden, will set out to a handful of battleground states over the next 67 days to sway a winnowed group of independents and swing voters who could determine the outcome of the election.

One such state is Florida, the site of the Republican National Convention, and a state on which Romney’s fate might rest this November.

Florida also plays host to one of the three officially sanctioned debates between Obama and Romney scheduled for this fall. (A lone vice presidential debate between Biden and Romney is also on the calendar.)

By virtue of accepting the nomination, Romney now has access to tens of millions of dollars his campaign has raised for the general-election season. The advent of super PACs, political groups with no limits on fundraising or spending, has already pushed the cost of the 2012 election to unprecedented levels, and the price tag is only likely to skyrocket over the remainder of the campaign.

TAMPA, Fla. -- The Romney campaign planned a surprise guest to address the Republican convention here: Hollywood actor and director Clint Eastwood.

But it might have been more of a surprise than they bargained for.

In a rather rambling speech that lasted for more than 10 minutes -- not delivered on TelePrompter -- Eastwood criticized President Obama, in part by conducting an imaginary interview with the president.

"It might be time for someone else to come along and solve the problem," Eastwood told the GOP audience, adding: "When somebody doesn't do the job, we've got to let him go."  

The crowd ate up most of what Eastwood said, but it was an unusual address, especially at such a highly scripted political convention.

Eastwood ended his remarks by delivering his signature line: "Go ahead, make my day."

After his remarks, the Romney campaign issued this statement: "Judging an American icon like Clint Eastwood through a typical political lens doesn't work. His ad libbing was a break from all the political speeches, and the crowd enjoyed it. He rightly pointed out that 23 million Americans out of work or underemployed is a national disgrace and it's time for a change."

TAMPA, Fla. -- Paul Ryan acknowledged that more factors than just President Obama contributed to the closing of a General Motors plant in his hometown at the height of the auto industry's troubles in 2008.

Despite appearing to assign the president sole blame for the decision to place a Janesville, Wis., GM plant on standby during his speech Thursday night at the Republican National Convention, Ryan made some clarifications, while still chiding Obama for making a promise to help keep the plant open.

“The point about the plant in my hometown, President Obama came there and campaigned in the plant in 2008. And he said this plant will be here for another 100 years," Ryan said in an interview with NBC's Brian Williams. "He got elected. He put his policies in place. The plant's empty. Nobody works there anymore."

Ryan left the door open that other factors may have contributed to the factory, which produced SUVs, closing down. 

“Well, I think really what got the plant was $4 gas," Ryan said. "A lack of an energy policy, and that-- that pre-dates the Obama years. We need a better energy policy in this country.”

The seven-term Wisconsin congressman then returned to his role of campaign attack dog Thursday night when asked about the auto bailout, which President Obama pushed for and Mitt Romney opposed.

“We had a political bankruptcy and what happened is the Obama administration put themselves in the position of picking winners and losers," he said, "and I don’t think that was one in keeping with the rule of law."

The NBC Politics team is pleased to offer our app and mobile users a live stream of the 2012 Republican National Convention for your convenience. Watch the latest convention speeches and events in real time, on the go, on your iPad or iPhone. Today's session will begin at 7:00 p.m. with remarks from Rep. Connie Mack and will conclude with a speech from Mitt Romney formally accepting the GOP nomination.

Click here to watch the live stream on your iPad or desktop computer.

Click here to watch the live stream on your iPhone.

In the remarks he'll make accepting the Republican presidential nomination, Mitt Romney will offer a harsh indictment of Barack Obama's presidency, as well as promise to create 12 million jobs in his first four years as president, according to excerpts released by his campaign.

"Today the time has come for us to put the disappointments of the last four years behind us, to put aside the divisiveness and the recriminations, to forget about what might have been and to look ahead to what can be," Romney is expected to say.

"Now is the time to restore the promise of America," he will add. "Many Americans have given up on this president but they haven’t ever thought about giving up. Not on themselves. Not on each other. And not on America."

More Romney: "I am running for president to help create a better future -- a future where everyone who wants a job can find one. Where no senior fears for the security of their retirement. An America where every parent knows that their child will get an education that leads them to a good job and a bright horizon. And unlike the president, I have a plan to create 12 million new jobs." 

Romney also talks about his faith.

"Like a lot of families in a new place with no family, we found kinship with a wide circle of friends through our church. When we were new to the community it was welcoming and as the years went by, it was a joy to help others who had just moved to town or just joined our church. We had remarkably vibrant and diverse congregations of all walks of life and many who were new to America. We prayed together, our kids played together and we always stood ready to help each other out in different ways."

And he makes a big pitch to women.

"My mom and dad were true partners, a life lesson that shaped me by everyday example. When my mom ran for the Senate, my dad was there for her every step of the way. I can still hear her saying in her beautiful voice, “Why should women have any less say than men, about the great decisions facing our nation?”

"I wish she could have been here at the convention and heard leaders like Governor Mary Fallin, Gov. Nikki Haley, Gov. Susana Martinez, Sen. Kelly Ayotte and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice." 

"As governor of Massachusetts, I chose a woman Lt. governor, a woman chief of staff, half of my cabinet and senior officials were women, and in business, I mentored and supported great women leaders who went on to run great companies."

Actor and director Clint Eastwood has been confirmed as a surprise guest Thursday night at the Republican National Convention.

Frazer Harrison / Getty Images

Director/actor Clint Eastwood accepts the award for Distinguished Collaborator onstage during the 14th Annual Costume Designers Guild Awards With Presenting Sponsor Lacoste held at The Beverly Hilton hotel on February 21, 2012 in Beverly Hills, Calif.

Eastwood recently thrust his support behind GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney, who will receive his official nomination at the convention tonight.

Earlier this year, a Chrysler ad narrated by Eastwood that aired during the Super Bowl appeared to endorse President Barack Obama, prompting the actor to respond that he was not backing either candidate. He then went on to voice his support for Romney earlier this month at a fundraiser in Idaho. 

Eastwood will address the convention Thursday night in Tampa, Fla., before Romney accepts his nomination. Romney will be introduced by Florida Sen. Marco Rubio.

NBC's Kelly O'Donnell and Sue Kroll contributed to this story.

TAMPA, Fla. -- Almost two weeks ago, Missouri Republican Senate nominee Todd Akin found himself mired in controversy after his remarks about "legitimate rape" and his doubts that a woman could get pregnant after being raped. Since then, many Republican leaders have called for Akin to withdraw from the race, while some conservative leaders (like former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee) have defended him.

Recommended: First Thoughts: Mitt's moment

According to interviews with a handful of conservative women here at the Republican convention, opinions about Akin are mixed, with some believing he should remain in the contest. “I think he should stay in," said Mary Summa, an attorney and Republican activist from Charlotte, N.C. "Everybody makes a mistake. It was stupid, it was incorrect, it was wrong. But the guy’s a good man." 

But others think he should step aside. “When something happens like [Akin’s] statement, it’s disappointing to women because rape is the most awful thing that can happen to a woman,” said Suzanne Terrell, a delegate from New Orleans. 

Some of those interviewed are delegates to the convention; others are activists who have gathered here in Tampa. Here are their opinions in their own words: 

Mary Summa
Attorney and Republican activist from Charlotte, North Carolina
Member of the Republican Party Platform Committee 
“I think he should stay in.  Everybody makes a mistake. It was stupid, it was incorrect, it was wrong, but the guy’s a good man.  And he made a misstatement.  He apologized a thousand times.  You know, I think Republicans are really good at eating their own… I don’t think he should get out.  And it’s up to Missouri.  If they want him out, they can get him out.” 

“I’m very pro-life and from my perspective I think it was mountains out of molehills, and the Republicans were the ones who made mountains out of molehills.  We have got to understand – and this is my humble opinion –the inherent dignity of the human person and the right to live is the lynchpin of freedom.  And once we lose that freedom, we will lose every freedom we have.” 

Suzanne Terrell
Delegate from New Orleans, Louisiana
(Terrell runs two organizations working to elect Republican women to office: Project GoPink and ShePAC.  The organizations did not take a position on the Akin controversy, though Terrell said she thought Akin should have stepped aside.  Her organizations supported Akin’s opponent in the Missouri primary, Sarah Steelman.) 

“When something happens like [Akin’s] statement it’s disappointing to women because rape is the most awful thing that can happen to a woman.” “There are [certain] issues that women are better spokespeople on.  Perhaps the Republican Party – and I think they got it this time – needs to encourage more of that conversation, and that sensitivity, that this man clearly was lacking.”  

Natalie Lavering, a delegate from Lake Stevens, Wash., and Heidi Shaw, who is a guest of the Washington state delegation.
Natalie:  "It was an unfortunate comment." 
Heidi:  "He shouldn’t have said it.  I was disappointed in that statement… I thought he was a total idiot to say that."    

Penny Young Nance
Concerned Women for America President 
“[Akin] put not only his foot, but his entire leg in his mouth – and then he kept talking… He apologized and he should have.  Because he really blew it.   However, I don’t think it’s Washington’s place to tell the people of Missouri what to do.”

“[Akin is] pro-life.  He believes in a life exception for the mother.  He believes that in cases of rape that the rapist should be punished, but he thinks it’s still a baby, and so do I.  I have friends… that are products of rape.  And I don’t think that at the end of the day an abortion helps a woman that has been raped.  I think that it further wounds her.  And in addition to the fact that there’s 2-million parents waiting on babies.  No one has to keep a baby they don’t want.”

Just hours before the Republican National Convention played a campaign video Wednesday night showing Mitt Romney at the Western Wall in Jerusalem, his single-biggest financial backer -- billionaire casino magnate Sheldon Adelson -- made a rare public appearance, telling reporters at a Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC) event that the GOP presidential candidate is “very pro-Israel” and is “going to defend what he thinks is best for the relationship” between Israel and the United States.

But Adelson, who with his wife has given $10 million to the pro-Romney Restore Our Future super PAC, never had the chance to expand on his views about the Middle East or respond to questions about his mega donations to the GOP cause. As soon as the frail but feisty 79-year-old chairman of the Las Vegas Sands Corp. sat down -- after making a grand entrance clutching a cane and assisted by his Israeli-born wife -- RJC coalition organizers chased away members of the media, repeatedly shouting: “The event is over! We’re going to close this down!”

(Later that evening, a producer with the radio show Democracy Now sought to question Adelson —  being accompanied by Karl Rove — while he was being taken by wheel chair to a fourth floor corporate skybox at the convention. In an incident caught on videotape here, the producer, Mike Burke, reported that a woman identified as Adelson’s daughter grabbed his camera, took it into the skybox and threw it on the ground. Burke said the daughter later apologized.) 

Lior Mizrahi / Getty Images

U.S. gaming tycoon Sheldon Adelson and his wife Miriam arrive to hear Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney delivers foreign policy remarks on July 29, 2012 in Jerusalem, Israel.

The brief appearance by Adelson came at a spirited event where top members of Congress rubbed elbows with wealthy GOP donors and “Obama ... Oy Vey!” buttons were freely distributed to attendees. At the same time, new details emerged about Adelson’s role in steering supersize checks to groups working to defeat the president and elect Republican members of Congress.

Shortly before Adelson arrived, celebrity rabbi Shmuley Boteach, author of “Kosher Sex” and a one-time spiritual adviser to Michael Jackson who is now running as a Republican candidate for Congress from New Jersey, boasted that Adelson and his wife had recently given $500,000 to “my super PAC” and that they were “heroes of our community.”

Boteach later told reporters that he had then dined with Adelson this week during the RNC convention. “Well, I mean, look they’re friends,” he said of Adelson and his wife. “They don’t need me to tell them where to give their money. They’re very savvy political donors.”

As for the super PAC, called “Patriot Prosperity PAC,” Boteach at first said that, while “we obviously don’t have any contact with them,” it was “set up by the professionals who run my campaign.” 

Although the half-million dollar donation by Adelson and his wife to the “Patriot Prosperity PAC” had already been reported, Boteach’s  reference to “my super PAC” and his reference to it being “set up” by his campaign “professionals”  seemed to raise fresh questions about whether the donations complied with federal election laws. Those laws bar campaign committees from coordinating their activities with supposedly independent super PACs -- which are allowed to take unlimited donations.

But when pressed by reporters about his comments about the origins of the group, the rabbi corrected himself.

“No, no, no, no, no, no, no,” he said when asked if his campaign staff had set up the super PAC donations. “Let’s not pull me into something that I am not -- I said the people who run my campaign are the ones who tell me what we’re allowed to do and what we’re not allowed to do. And we are allowed to tell the people who support us that if they want to support us, there was a super PAC. And that’s what we did. That’s exactly what I meant.”

Adelson’s contributions in the 2012 election --- now, combined with those of his wife, total more than $40 million -- have stirred controversy, in part because of his hardline views on Israel (he is a close friend of Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu) but also because of ongoing federal investigations into his gambling empire over allegations that it has paid bribes to Chinese officials.

Also this week, Bloomberg News reported that Adelson’s Sands Corp. -- which generates more than half of its multibillion-dollar revenues from four casinos in Macau -- could see its profits soar if Romney were elected and fulfills his pledge to demand that China loosen currency restrictions, allowing the value of the yuan to rise against the dollar.

Adelson’s appearance was the highlight of the RJC event -- partly sponsored by Comcast (owner of NBC News) -- which was attended by other big GOP donors such as hedge fund billionaire Paul Singer. Also present: GOP Sens. John Thune of South Dakota and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, and Reps. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota, Allen West of Florida, Ed Royce of California and Renee Ellmers of North Carolina.

The event -- briefly interrupted by two protesters who loudly denounced Israeli policies towards the Palestinians and were quickly evicted -- was marked by multiple denunciations of Obama’s policies to Israel.

“I don’t know how there are any Democratic Jews,” said GOP Rep. Billy Long of Missouri. “The way the president has treated [Israeli Prime Minister] Bibi Netanyahu and the land of Israel, I don’t know how any Democratic Jew can still be a Democrat.”

NBC’s Jamie Novogrod also contributed to this story.

Mitt’s moment and his four objectives… How we got to here -- a story of endurance and survival… Ryan makes his mark with last night’s speech… He also makes some misleading and unfair assertions… And the GOP’s diversity on display.

Brian Snyder / REUTERS

Republican presidential candidate and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney addresses the American Legion's national convention in Indianapolis, Indiana August 29, 2012.

TAMPA, Fla. -- After Ann Romney's introduction on Tuesday and Paul Ryan's rousing speech last night, Mitt Romney gets his moment tonight when he accepts the Republican Party's 2012 presidential nomination. If tonight’s speech is to be successful, Romney has to meet four objectives. One, he has to better introduce himself to the American public; it remains striking that after running for president for much of the past five years, voters still don’t have more than a two-dimensional understanding of the soon-to-be nominee. Two, he needs to convince the public that, while he looks the part, he’s the man Americans are comfortable seeing on their TVs for the next four years. Three, he has to try to close the empathy gap; our most recent NBC/WSJ poll found President Obama holding a 22-point advantage on who cares more about average people. And four, he needs to put some meat on the policy bone to make the case how his plans could actually work better than Obama’s -- and how they are different from the past Republican administration. If four hours are going to decide this presidential election, the first hour comes tonight.

*** How will he use it? So how will Romney use this hour? Focus on the personal? Emphasize the policy? Talk to the base? Reason with the swing voter? All of the above? There is no obvious answer here. But we’ll find out 13 hours from now, at 10:00 p ET. What’s more, it’s interesting how many of the things Romney has to accomplish tonight were the same things that Al Gore had to accomplish 12 years ago, and Gore’s story proves you can turn it around. By the way, the Romney camp says it’s holding more than 250 watch parties in 13 battleground states to celebrate Romney becoming the GOP’s official nominee. Meanwhile, the Obama camp has unveiled a new web video, hitting Romney for trying to shake “an Etch-A-Sketch of epic proportions.”

*** How we got here -- a story of endurance and survival: Remember that Romney’s upcoming moment tonight almost didn't happen during one of the wildest presidential nominating cycles we can remember. After Rick Perry jumped into the race in Aug. 2011, the Texas governor became the immediate front-runner in the GOP race, but a combination of the Romney campaign’s attacks on his immigration record and Perry’s own stumbles in the debates (“Oops”) sank his chances. Then, about a month before the Iowa caucuses, Newt Gingrich made his surge, becoming the new GOP front-runner. But entered the pro-Romney Super PAC Restore Our Future, whose negative TV ads pummeled Gingrich so hard that the former House speaker finished fourth in Iowa. And then there was Rick Santorum’s surge in Feb. 2012. We often forget how close the former Pennsylvania senator came to upsetting Romney in his native state of Michigan -- it was 41% to 38% -- and had Romney lost that contest, it’s fair to say that he probably wouldn’t be standing on the stage tonight in Tampa accepting the GOP’s presidential nomination. Romney’s story, at least as it relates to the GOP nominating contest, is one of endurance and survival. 

*** Ryan makes his mark: As for Paul Ryan’s acceptance speech last night, it was quite an introduction for the Wisconsin congressman, and he did the things you’d expect from the VP speech. He gladly took on the role of attack dog. “Ladies and gentlemen, these past four years we have suffered no shortage of words in the White House. What’s missing is leadership in the White House.” He proclaimed that he and Romney -- with Ryan’s budget plan -- were the reformers. “Medicare is a promise, and we will honor it. A Romney-Ryan administration will protect and strengthen Medicare, for my Mom’s generation, for my generation, and for my kids and yours.” And following Ann Romney’s lead from Tuesday night, he tried to humanize the man at the top of the ticket. “Mitt and I … go to different churches. But in any church, the best kind of preaching is done by example. And I’ve been watching that example. The man who will accept your nomination tomorrow is prayerful and faithful and honorable.” And Ryan did all of these things projecting youth and energy, although it didn’t appear his target audience was swing voters.  

*** And he also makes some misleading or unfair assertions: That was the positive part of his speech last night. The negative came from the facts and fairness of some of his assertions. Perhaps the most egregious was his hit on Obama over Simpson-Bowles. “He created a bipartisan debt commission. They came back with an urgent report. He thanked them, sent them on their way, and then did exactly nothing.” But here’s the thing: Ryan served on that same debt commission, and voted AGAINST it. Had Ryan voted for it (and convinced his fellow House members on the commission to do the same), Simpson-Bowles would have become law. Ryan also knocked Obama for the S&P downgrade, not mentioning the role that House Republicans like him played in that debt-ceiling debate. He also again attacked the president over those $716 billion in cuts/savings to Medicare -- the same $716 billion in cuts/savings that Ryan includes his budget. And he argued that Obama was unable to keep a GM plant open in Ryan’s hometown of Janesville, WI, when that plant closed before Obama became president. Out of all of the assertions, the only one the Romney-Ryan camp is pushing back on today is the GM plant, saying it was put on “standby” -- not shut down -- during the Bush administration. 

*** The VP speech typically doesn’t have a long shelf life: We want to make a final point about Ryan’s acceptance speech, and it’s the same one we made yesterday: Don’t get carried away by a strong VP speech; it typically doesn’t have a long shelf life. Think Ferraro in ’84, Bentsen in ’88, Kemp in ’96, Lieberman in ’00, and Edwards in ’04. The exception, of course, is Sarah Palin in ’08. But she isn’t the rule.

*** Diversity on display: Democrats, by far, have a more diverse electorate. But Republicans have done their best at this convention to demonstrate they have a more diverse bench. On Tuesday, they showcased Mia Love, Ted Cruz, and Nikki Haley; last night, it was Condi Rice and Susana Martinez; and tonight, it will be Marco Rubio. A few words on Rice’s speech: She started slowly, but won the crowd over, especially when she talked about how a young girl who grew up in the Jim Crow South later became secretary of state. It was a campaign speech without being ideological, and that’s hard to pull off. Rice’s biggest shortcoming was to talk about foreign policy but not acknowledge the role the administration she worked for played in the long wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. And we’ll say this about Martinez’s speech: It might have been the most underrated address at this convention. She was strong. 

*** Thursday’s schedule (the theme is “We Believe in America”): 

7:00 pm ET hour: Connie Mack, Newt and Callista Gingrich
8:00 pm hour: Jeb Bush, Romney adviser Bob White
9:00 pm hour: former MA Lt. Gov. Kerry Healey, former Olympians Michael Eruzione, Derek Parra and Kim Rhode
10:00 pm hour: Marco Rubio, Mitt Romney 

Countdown to Dem convention: 4 days
Countdown to 1^st presidential debate: 34 days
Countdown to VP debate: 42 days
Countdown to 2^nd presidential debate: 47 days
Countdown to 3^rd presidential debate: 53 days
Countdown to Election Day: 68 days

Click here to sign up for First Read emails. 
Text FIRST to 622639, to sign up for First Read alerts to your mobile phone.
Check us out on Facebook and also on Twitter. Follow us @chucktodd, @mmurraypolitics, @DomenicoNBC, @brookebrower

*** Thursday’s “Daily Rundown” line-up (live from Tampa): Romney Campaign senior adviser Kevin Madden with a look ahead to the nomination speech tonight … NBC's David Gregory on Ryan's performance… MSNBC’'s Chris Matthews on the premiere of his documentary "Barack Obama: Making History" this Monday at 10 pm ET… More 2012 headlines with the Washington Post's Chris Cillizza, the Daily Beast's Meghan McCain, The Washington Examiner's Susan Ferrechio and NBC's Ron Mott.

*** Thursday’s “Jansing & Co.” line-up: MSNBC’s Chris Jansing interviews Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL), Gov. Terry Branstad (R-IA), MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell, former presidential speechwriters James Fallows and Jonathan Horn, Romney adviser Barbara Comstock, the New York Times’ Charles Blow and Time’s Michael Crowley.

*** Thursday’s “MSNBC Live with Thomas Roberts” line-up: MSNBC’s Thomas Roberts talks with Cindy and Meghan McCain, MSNBC’s Melissa Harris Perry, Rep. Frederica Wilson (R-FL), and Politifact’s Bill Adair. Today’s Power Panel includes TheGrio.com’s Joy-Ann Reid, Republican Strategist John Feehery and Democratic Strategist David Goodfriend.

*** Thursday’s “NOW with Alex Wagner” line-up: Alex Wagner’s guests include the Washington Post’s Ezra Klein, MSNBC Political Analyst Richard Wolffe, New York Magazine’s John Heilemann, former RNC Chairman Michael Steele, the Washington Post’s E.J. Dionne, and Time’s Michael Scherer.

*** Thursday’s “Andrea Mitchell Reports” line-up: Live from Tampa, NBC’s Andrea Mitchell interviews former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, Obama 2012 Deputy Campaign Manager Stephanie Cutter, the Washington Post’s Chris Cillizza and Michael Gerson, former RNC chair Michael Steele, former PA Gov. Ed Rendell, 2008 McCain Finance chair Fred Malek and NBC’s Kelly O’Donnell, Peter Alexander and Luke Russert.

*** Thursday’s “News Nation with Tamron Hall” line-up: MSNBC’s Tamron Hall interviews Republican strategist Phil Musser, MSNBC’s Melissa Harris-Perry, and Buzzfeed’s McKay Coppins.

Charlie Cook: “Romney’s speech tonight is enormously important—arguably more so than the debates or anything else that is likely to happen between now and Nov. 6…. Romney’s test is more personal. Voters began this week feeling like they didn’t know him. For whatever reason, his campaign is just now getting around to attempting to establish a personal connection between Romney and the public. That connection cannot be made in a debate; the format doesn’t lend itself to it. Romney desperately needs to leave Tampa having created that relationship. Ann Romney’s speech was a start, but tonight, Romney has to do the connecting himself… Romney needs to connect enough to earn the benefit of the doubt from voters." 

More: Swing voters “don’t need to consider him a guy they would like to have a beer with, but they need to feel that if he were a neighbor, they could comfortably ask him to collect the newspapers and the mail while they were away. Focus groups show that people perceive Romney as aloof and wonder whether he would even speak to them. His friends say that this is ridiculous, that he’s a terrific guy. But the doubts persist. Tonight is the night Romney needs to fix that.” 

“[W]hile Thursday’s anointing indeed represents a political triumph for Mitt Romney it is also fraught with risk,” the Boston Globe’s Helman writes. “To name just one: Can the modern Republican Party, with its increasingly conservative bent, successfully court middle-of-the-road voters?” 

The AP: “Mitt Romney is stepping up for the most important speech of his Republican presidential campaign, to an audience of millions, after a rousing warm-up from a running mate who vowed the days of dodging painful budget choices will end if voters toss President Barack Obama from office. Having grasped the nomination on his second try, after years spent cultivating this moment, Romney will use his speech Thursday night to introduce himself to a large portion of voters and claw for advantage in a race that could scarcely be any closer. As part of that introduction, Romney appeared prepared to discuss his Mormon faith in more direct terms than usual, a direction signaled by running mate Paul Ryan on Wednesday night in several allusions to the duo’s differing religions but ‘same moral creed.’”

“Mitt Romney will offer voters a window into his Mormon faith Thursday night before accepting the Republican presidential nomination when the man who succeeded Romney as president of the church’s Boston stake delivers a prayer of invocation,” the Boston Globe writes.