Previewing his primetime speech tonight at the Democratic convention, former President Bill Clinton tells NBC's Brian Williams that he will explain why President Obama's economic approach "is right" and will "pay off" if he's re-elected. 

Clinton also says in the interview that no president, in four years, could have restored the current economy "to full health" after the financial collapse of 2008.

BRIAN WILLIAMS: Cover of Newsweek, "Why Barack needs Bill." Why do you think Barack needs Bill? What do you have to offer?

BILL CLINTON: I really don't know. I've always been mystified by that. I was honored when he asked me to nominate him. I hope what I can do, because we did have a good economy, because we did have the longest expansion in history, is explain why I think his approach is right and it'll pay off if we renew his contract. Explain why the economy he faced was much weaker and different than the one I faced, so that there's no way any president, no president could have restored it to full health in just four years.

The rest of Brian Williams' interview with Clinton will appear on NBC "Nightly News" beginning at 6:30 pm ET.

WEST LEBANON, NH -- Mitt Romney emerged from debate rehearsals in Vermont today to pick up some pizzas, and to deliver his own analysis of the first night of the Democratic National Convention, which he said could not make the claim Americans were better off after President Obama's first term.

"You've heard no one stand up and say that people are better off than they were four years ago," Romney told reporters traveling with him as he picked up several extra large pies at a pizza joint here. "They really can't say that. They can't say it in all honesty. Particularly with the news that has come out this week."

"That news: The national debt tripping $16 trillion dollars for the first time, and the number of Americans receiving food stamps topping 47 million, up 15 million from when President Obama took office," Romney said.

Recommended: Ryan tries to draw wedge between Clinton, Obama

"The American people are not doing better and this president understands that and I think that's why people are reluctant to even talk about it because they know the American people know better," Romney said, echoing his campaign's latest line of attack against the Obama administration, after several top Obama advisers fumbled the "are we better off" question on last Sunday's talk-show circuit.

The comments to reporters marked Romney's emergence from a day of strenuous debate preparation at the secluded Vermont estate of his former Lt. Gov. Kerry Healey. Romney and a small coterie of aides gathered at the house yesterday morning for a series of mock debates with Ohio Sen. Rob Portman, who is playing the role of President Obama for Romney.

"I'm just glad I won't be debating ... Rob Portman in the final debates," Romney said. "He's good."

Slideshow: Democratic National Convention

Here in the mountains, with limited cell phone and Internet service, Romney said he did not watch Michelle Obama's address to the Democratic convention in Charlotte last night, and that regardless he only had praise for the first lady.

"I didn't see her speech, but I certainly respect the first lady and think she's, she's done a fine job as our first lady," Romney said. "Lovely person and I respect her."

NBC News has learned that the Democratic Party will reinstate the language recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. 

Republicans -- including the Romney campaign -- criticized President Obama and the Democrats after it was discovered this language had been omitted in the Democratic Party's platform

This will all be changed on the floor today, NBC has learned, and it will probably mean just simply reinstating the 2008 language. 

The NBC Politics team is pleased to offer our app and mobile users a live stream of the 2012 Democratic 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 4:50 p.m. with remarks from Ill. Rep. Luis Gutierrez.

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

Click here to watch the live stream on your iPhone.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Even top Obama campaign attack dog Joe Biden hadn't made this joke yet. 

It was Biden's son Beau -- the attorney general of Delaware as well as an active Obama campaign surrogate -- who today  took aim at his dad's rival Paul Ryan for amending his stated marathon time and suggesting that his athletic 61-year-old stepmother could beat the GOP fitness buff.

Recommended: Ryan tries to draw wedge between Clinton, Obama

"The Romney-Ryan budget means what it says," the younger Biden told an audience of veterans at a DNC gathering. "I believe his math as relates to his budget. I'm not sure if I believe his math as it relates to his marathon times." 

Zing.

Ryan has been criticized for boasting to a conservative radio host that he clocked in at "two hour and fifty something" during a 1990 marathon. His actual time was later revealed to be closer to four hours, a mistake Ryan has attributed to the decades gone by as well as to a back injury that prevented him from running later in life.

Decision 2012: Romney: No Democrat said America is better off

Ribbing Ryan for mistaking the time -- "not something you forget, right?" -- he added that his stepmother Jill Biden ran the same distance in about four and a half hours. (According to the Marine Corps Marathon website, Dr. Biden completed the 1998 race in 4:30:02.) 

"So I guess he could compete with my mom," Biden concluded. "Maybe not, I think my mom can take him."

ADEL, Iowa, and CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Paul Ryan today tried to separate President Obama and former President Bill Clinton, who will deliver a prime-time address at the Democratic National Convention tonight.

"My guess is we will get a great rendition of how good things were in the 1990s, but we’re not going to hear much about how things have been the last four years,” Ryan told the crowd outside the Dallas County Courthouse. “And, by the way, under President Clinton, we got welfare reform. Chuck Grassley, everybody else in Congress -- we got welfare reform, which moved people from welfare to work to get people out of poverty. President Obama is rolling back welfare reform.” 

Related: 2016 hopefuls find footing, test waters in Charlotte

Ryan added: “President Clinton worked with Republicans in Congress to have a budget agreement, to cut spending. President Obama? A gusher of new spending and only demagoguery from those of us who have offered solutions.” 

But the Obama campaign tells NBC News that Clinton's speech will actually draw "parallels" between Clinton's approach on the economy and President Obama's.

Clinton pursued "exactly the approach President Obama is taking today," a top campaign official said, adding that Clinton and Obama will "echo each other over the next few days."

Slideshow: Democratic National Convention

This is not the first time the Wisconsin congressman has mentioned the 42nd president -- who has become a top surrogate for Obama -- on the campaign trail.

In Bloomfield Hills, Mich., last month, Ryan explained again to attendees at a high-dollar fundraiser that while Obama and Clinton were both democratic presidents, they have very different approaches.

Obama “can’t run on his record, he didn’t moderate his positions like Bill Clinton did, he went hard to the left,” the Republican VP nominee said. 

Former President Clinton delivers the nominating speech at the convention this evening in Charlotte, N.C., the night before President Obama and Vice President Joe Biden formally accept their party’s nominations for the November election. 

“We are going to hear a lot of things in Charlotte," Ryan said Wednesday, "but we are not going to hear a convincing argument that we are better off than we were four years ago."

Speaking in the Hawkeye State for the second day in a row, Ryan appeared in a small town outside Des Moines and pleaded with the roughly 650 people in the attendance to help change the country.

“We need your help," he said. "Iowa is so crucial. Iowans you know this; you are used to this; we need you. You've had everybody running for president in each of your kitchens. We need your help; your country is watching. You have a unique responsibility and a special opportunity to get this country back on the right track and the good news is it's not too late to do that.”

President Obama won the Iowa Democratic caucuses in 2008, essentially launching him as a top-tier candidate. Obama beat Republican challenger John McCain in the general election, 54% to 45%. The most recent polls show Iowa as a dead heat heading into the final two months of the campaign.

While Iowa only yields six electoral votes, both Romney and Obama are spending a great deal of time and resources in the state.

The Justice Department approved New Hampshire's new voter ID, a version that is stricter than existing rules in the Granite State, but not as restrictive as other voters ID laws that the DOJ has rejected.'

Recommended: Democrats see complacency and 'crap' as barriers to repeat Florida win

Under New Hampshire's previous rules, no ID was required as a condition of voting. Ballot clerks checked the names that voters announced at the polls, read back the addresses for verification, and handed over a ballot.

Under the state's new law, voters must present a photo ID -- a driver's license, a voter ID card, a military ID card, a US passport, a student ID card, a photo ID issued by any level of government, and any other photo ID deemed legitimate by supervisors at the polls.

A year from now, the list of acceptable ID's will be narrowed to a driver's license, a non-driver ID card, military ID, or passport.  But voters unable to produce the required identification can sign an affidavit, attesting to their identity, and cast a regular ballot. Beginning next year, any voter doing so will also be photographed.

New Hampshire's list of acceptable IDs as of 2013 is actually more restrictive than the set of IDs Texas would have accepted under that state's voter ID law, which a federal court blocked last week.

So why the difference? It seems New Hampshire's decision to also make it possible for voters without the proper ID to cast a regular ballot, provided they sign an affidavit and have their picture taken, allowed enough leeway.

The Voting Rights Act requires federal approval for election law changes in states with a history of discrimination against minority voters.  Most of the states subject to the law are in the South.  New Hampshire's change required approval because 10 townships in the state are covered by the act, even though the entire state is not.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The political world is firmly focused on this year’s elections, but several of President Barack Obama's would-be successors may well find their launching pad here at the Democratic National Convention, using high-profile speaking slots and delegate buzz to boost their fortunes for the 2016 campaign.

Win or lose in November, the president has long said that 2012 will be his last run for elective office, meaning that Democrats likely will have a wide-open playing field to battle for the nomination in four years – depending on the intentions of two party heavyweights, Vice President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

Related -- First Thoughts: Checking all the boxes

For now, some dark-horse candidates are looking to use their convention appearances as a platform to raise their profile for consideration four years from now. Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley had a speech in prime time on Tuesday evening, and Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer, whom Democrats also suggest has potential interest in a 2016 bid, speaks Thursday evening (though before broadcast networks break into their coverage).

Those two would-be candidates, among others, have also laid the groundwork for a future run with their work this week away from the cameras.

“I think the trick is to not come off as too unseemly. A potential candidate wants to network as much as possible, but they don't want to step into the current candidate's spotlight, either,” said Phil Singer, the deputy communications director on Hillary Clinton’s 2008 presidential campaign.

Mario Anzuoni / REUTERS

In this file photo, Brian Schweitzer, Governor of the State of Montana, takes part in a panel titled

For lesser-known candidates like O’Malley and Schweitzer, the convention is an opportunity to build relationships with key state activists and potential donors who might assist their fledgling candidacies in a few years.

Both O'Malley, who is more widely perceived to have further national ambition, and Schweitzer, are doing little to tamp down that speculation with their schedules this week. Speaking engagements with Iowa delegates (their state holds the first nominating contest each cycle) are on both agendas, and Schweitzer is also meeting with delegates from New Hampshire, the site of the nation’s first 2016 primary and the second overall nominating contest.

“I'm really not thinking about anything but helping the president get re-elected. And that's what I'm focused on entirely,” O’Malley said at the Iowa breakfast this morning in reference to his recently-formed PAC, a step usually seen as a precursor to running for president.

But O'Malley and Schweitzer are mostly the exception this year than the rule. Many of the potential 2016 candidates are keeping a low profile, gladly taking a back seat to the fanfare on Obama's behalf this week, although Newark Mayor Cory Booker has also been busy making the rounds, whether aspiring for a state-wide race in New Jersey or perhaps something bigger.

Arguably the most formidable potential candidate in 2016, whose foray into the race would threaten to overshadow any other Democrat, is nowhere to be found this week in Charlotte. Instead, that potential candidate – Secretary of State Hillary Clinton – is literally halfway around the world on official business in Southeast Asia.

“If she wanted to do it, I think she'd have a very strong argument to make for why she should be the nominee and go onto the White House,” said Singer. “She's been pretty unequivocal in saying she doesn't want to run, so you have to take her at her word at this point.”

Delegates from Florida, a state in which Clinton beat Obama during the 2008 Democratic primary, gushed over the prospect of a second bid by the former first lady in 2016.

Recommended: Obama acceptance speech moved indoors

“Who would I want to run in 2016? Hillary Clinton. That’s who I think would be great, if she wants to. I think she loves our country so much and she has so much experience and she would be a great president," said Elena McCullough, retired 24-year veteran of the Coast Guard from Wesley Chapel, Fla.

"Hillary has done such a fabulous job (as secretary of state); she is the best ever," added Beryle Buchman, a retired middle school public school English teacher from Plant City, Fla. "I think the fact that Obama appointed her shows that the party not only healed, but it’s stronger."

Pool / REUTERS

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton shake hands at the Ziguangge Pavilion in the Zhongnanhai leaders' compound in Beijing September 5, 2012.

Of course, Mrs. Clinton's most prominent advocate – her husband, former President Bill Clinton – will speak during Wednesday evening's prime-time session. But that speech is extremely unlikely to be used as a platform to pump up Hillary Clinton's 2016 credentials, especially since that speech will be the one to formally nominate the president for re-election.

Likewise, another high-profile potential candidate – Vice President Joe Biden – will largely use his high-profile speaking slot on Thursday night to serve as a “character witness” for Obama, according to senior campaign officials. But Biden will nonetheless enjoy a large spotlight that evening, broadcasting his brand of folksiness before a national audience of potential voters.

The vice president has strikingly refused to rule out his own run for president in 2016, though he told New York Magazine in a profile piece published this week that he doesn't know if he'll run in 2016, even if he could guarantee he'd be elected.

"I don’t know what the hell four years from now, three years from now, is gonna be like," said Biden, who would be 73-years-old by the time of the 2016 election. But he noted in the same interview that he has "no intention" of drifting easily into retirement if he feels as good as he does now.

Both Clinton (2008) and Biden (1988 and 2008) have previously sought the presidency, Biden with more mixed results than Clinton.

But there are other candidates with scant national experience whose names are lumped in with the crowd of potential 2016 candidates who are doing very little to further their prospects in Charlotte.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, for instance, will not deliver a speech at the convention, and is only set to make a brief daytrip to Charlotte. Other up-and-coming stars, like Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick, who delivered an impassioned speech on Tuesday, and Bay State Senate candidate Elizabeth Warren could also harbor higher aspirations.

NBC's Tom Curry and Andrew Rafferty contributed to this report.

Slideshow: Democratic National Convention

David Goldman / AP

Democrats gather in Charlotte, N.C., to officially nominate President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden as the party's candidates for the 2012 presidential election.

Launch slideshow

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Democrats' decision to relocate their final convention night's festivities indoors due to weather worries, prompted a new storm of logistical questions, political concerns and disappointment from some of their most loyal supporters.

And Republicans giddily pounced, suggesting that the weather-related explanation was just a mere cover for a decision motivated by low enthusiasm among voters in this key swing state.

Officials said the decision to relocate tomorrow's events -- set outdoors at Bank of America stadium -- was made this morning, based on weather reports that show a high likelihood of severe conditions particularly during prime-time hours.

The move means that 65,000 holders of "community credentials" should not expect to attend tomorrow night's events, according to senior Democratic officials. Existing credentials will be honored for the 21,000 attendees who hold them for Tuesday-Wednesday events in Time Warner Cable Arena.

Recommended: 2016 hopefuls find footing, test waters in Charlotte

Those "community" ticketholders, many of whom volunteered for the campaign for the chance to see Obama's speech in person, will instead be invited to a conference call tomorrow afternoon with the president.

Convention organizers called the move "a public safety decision" designed to avoid a scenario in which thousands of attendees -- as well as law enforcement officials, convention volunteers, and scores of reporters -- were endangered by dangerous high winds or lightning.

But Republicans immediately seized on the relocation, with the RNC labeling the move as "a downgrade" due to "lack of enthusiasm" within minutes of the press release formalizing the venue change.

"Is the reason really weather, or is it because they were concerned about packing the place out?  And I think the latter is probably the reason," said Wayne King, the vice chairman of the North Carolina Republican Party, told NBC News after the decision was made.

Republicans have delighted in any sign that enthusiasm for President Barack Obama has waned here, starting with Democrats' earlier cancelation of a planned opening event for the convention on Monday at the Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Recommended -- First Thoughts: Checking all the boxes

Democratic aides pushed back at those claims, insisting that Bank of America stadium would have been filled to capacity had the event gone forward as planned.

"We would have turned people away," said DNC communications director Brad Woodhouse, who added that organizers had a waiting list of 19,000 hopeful attendees in addition to the 65,000 who had "activated" their credential after applying for one through the campaign.

Slideshow: Democratic National Convention

David Goldman / AP

Democrats gather in Charlotte, N.C., to officially nominate President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden as the party's candidates for the 2012 presidential election.

Launch slideshow

Pointing out that DNC Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz praised Republicans for amending their own convention schedule due to weather and safety issues, Woodhouse slammed Republicans' failure to do the same when the tables were turned.

"It's really unseemly," he said.

While no major changes to the program itself are expected at this time, one other question remains unanswered for enthusiasts of a political convention's most colorful visual display.

Asked if the new venue will accommodate a balloon drop, one aide said only "I guess that will just have to be a surprise."

NBC's Jamie Novogrod contributed reporting.

First Read has confirmed that Democrats are moving their convention -- including President Obama's acceptance speech -- indoors for Thursday night at the Time Warner Cable Arena.

Related: 2016 hopefuls find footing, test waters in Charlotte

Thursday's events had originally been scheduled to take place at Bank of America Stadium, where the Carolina Panthers play football.

"Due to weather," an Obama campaign official says of the venue change.

And according to a press release, convention planners are specifically citing thunderstorms. 

“We have been monitoring weather forecasts closely and several reports predict thunderstorms in the area, therefore we have decided to move Thursday’s proceedings to Time Warner Cable Arena to ensure the safety and security of our delegates and convention guests,” said DNCC CEO Steve Kerrigan in a release.

"The energy and enthusiasm for our convention in Charlotte has been overwhelming and we share the disappointment of over 65,000 people who signed up for community credentials to be there with the president in person. We encourage our community credential holders and Americans across the country to continue to come together with their friends and neighbors to watch and participate in history. The president will speak to these credential holders on a national conference call tomorrow afternoon, and we will work with the campaign to ensure that those unable to attend tomorrow’s event will be invited to see the president between now and Election Day.”

Slideshow: Democratic National Convention

David Goldman / AP

Democrats gather in Charlotte, N.C., to officially nominate President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden as the party's candidates for the 2012 presidential election.

Launch slideshow

The Democrats’ first night checked all the boxes… It also replayed the greatest hits on Romney… And it told the Dems’ narrative on the American Dream… Breaking down Michelle Obama’s and Julian Castro’s speeches… Previewing tonight’s Bill Clinton speech… Republicans counter the Clinton speech… And Paul Ryan (in Iowa) and Ann Romney (in Ohio) hit the campaign trail.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- If you’re a Democrat believing the recipe for the president’s re-election is coalition politics, you couldn’t have scripted the opening night of the Democratic convention here any better. You had your nods to Latinos, young voters, and women -- precisely the groups the Obama campaign wants to turn out in November. There was the message (epitomized by Julian Castro’s keynote) that the election is a choice between two very economic visions. There also was the message (relayed by Martin O’Malley) that the choice is “forward” vs. “backward.” You had plenty of red meat and tough critiques of Mitt Romney (see Ted Strickland). But the evening also was capped off by a personal speech by First Lady Michelle Obama, designed to re-inspire the disillusioned faithful and defend her husband’s record and character. Yet perhaps more than anything else, last night conveyed real passion that we mostly didn’t see in Tampa. Don’t get us wrong, Republicans were fired up last week. But their passion was directed more at the president than Mitt Romney. Last night, however, the Democrats’ passion was focused squarely on their candidate. Elections aren’t decided by conventions, but the Democrats know how to produce a compelling -- and on-message -- night of TV. In short, on Day 1, Democrats proved they are better at producing a convention.

*** Replaying the greatest hits on Romney: Here’s another broad observation about last night: Every speech -- with the exception of Michelle Obama’s -- was equal part an affirmation of Obama and a takedown of Romney. And sometimes, those takedowns were raw and tough. An example was Tammy Duckworth, who touted the president’s national security record but who also pointed out that Romney never mentioned the word “Afghanistan” once in his acceptance speech last week. While the 10:00 pm ET hour in primetime was soft (with the Michelle Obama and Julian Castro speeches), the rest of the evening -- taken as a whole -- was a pounding of Romney. And it was the greatest hits, some of which Republicans will claim were below the belt:  Swiss bank account, tax returns, pioneers in outsourcing, references to Bain layoffs. Even the video tribute to Ted Kennedy was an uppercut to Romney, which led to RNC Chair Reince Priebus to express his disgust for using Kennedy from the grave in an attack. 

*** Two different versions of the American Dream: Also last night, almost every speech tried to capture the American Dream. The same was true in Tampa, but the message there was focused on an American Dream to become an entrepreneur or businessman. Here was Romney’s acceptance speech: “Business and growing jobs is about taking risk, sometimes failing, sometimes succeeding, but always striving. It is about dreams. Usually, it doesn't work out exactly as you might have imagined. Steve Jobs was fired at Apple. He came back and changed the world.” But compare that with the version of the American Dream we heard last night, which was focused more on giving the next generation a better chance. “Barack and I were both raised by families who didn’t have much in the way of money or material possessions but who had given us something far more valuable -- their unconditional love, their unflinching sacrifice, and the chance to go places they had never imagined for themselves.” This was a pure “values” play.

*** Breaking down Michelle Obama’s speech: As for the first lady’s speech, she tried to accomplish three things. First, she implicitly contrasted the Obamas’ beginnings with the Romneys’. “Even though back then Barack was a senator and a presidential candidate, to me he was still the guy who’d picked me up for our dates in a car that was so rusted out, I could actually see the pavement going by through a hole in the passenger side door.” Second, she made a direct appeal to women. “[President Obama] believes that women are more than capable of making our own choices about our bodies and our health care. That’s what my husband stands for.”  And third, she vouched for her husband’s character. “So when people ask me whether being in the White House has changed my husband, I can honestly say that when it comes to his character, and his convictions, and his heart, Barack Obama is still the same man I fell in love with all those years ago.” As NBC’s Carrie Dann points out, the first’s lady task last night was to have the American public fall back in love with him, too. What the Obama campaign did last night was what the Romney camp probably wishes it did its first night: put your show-stopper last in the primetime.

*** A tale of two keynote addresses: Meanwhile, Julian Castro’s keynote was quite the national debut for the San Antonio mayor. His speech was an appeal to Latinos and younger voters, and he had a great story to tell. But the most striking thing about Castro’s keynote address was that he was essentially telling Obama’s message -- about the American Dream and the vision for the economy. Contrast that with last week’s GOP keynote speech by New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who was delivering the Christie message, not necessarily the Romney message. It seems pretty clear to us the Obama campaign had a heavy hand in Castro’s remarks. Who thinks the Romney folks had much of an impact on Christie’s?

*** Talking about abortion rights: In retrospect, perhaps the most surprising part of last night was that it had more talk about abortion rights than in any Democratic convention since 1992, the first of many self-described “Year of the Woman” campaign years. Not only did the first lady talk about the importance of women “making our own choices about our bodies and our health care,” NARAL President Nancy Keenan gave a fiery speech about abortion rights. Four years ago, it seemed the Democratic Party was going out of its way to feature pro-life officeholders, like Tim Kaine or Bob Casey Jr., as a way to set a different tone on culture. Fast forward four years later and it’s clear Democrats and the Obama campaign were sending the not-so-subtle message that they believe the secret formula to capitalizing on the gender gap: talk about women’s rights and women’s choices. But that strategy also carries the potential risk of alienating Democratic voters who might oppose abortion rights. This strategy may work in the Nevadas, Colorados and Virginias but in the heavier Catholic states, like Iowa, Wisconsin and Ohio?

*** Bob Casey’s response: Speaking of, one of us interviewed Pennsylvania Sen. Bob Casey Jr. last night and asked him if he was comfortable with what he was hearing on the abortion issue. Casey: “Well, we have differences of opinion on that but I think what most people are focused on, not just tonight, but throughout the campaign, is the basic fundamental difference about the future of the country.” Translation: Casey didn’t want to get into a debate on abortion -- that much was clear. More Casey on “The Daily Rundown.”

*** Dem platform gets criticized: If the production and scripting of last night’s Democratic convention went without a hitch, the same wasn’t true of the Democratic platform. Republicans and the Romney campaign, the Los Angeles Times reports, seized on the fact that Democrats dropped the language from 2008 recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.  In addition, CBN’s David Brody pointed out that Democrats dropped the words “God-given” from the platform. If there was another criticism of yesterday, it’s that the evening’s tone – outside the 10:00 pm hour – was pretty liberal leaning.

*** Tonight’s headliners -- Clinton and Warren: The marquee speakers for the second night of the Democratic convention are Massachusetts Senate nominee Elizabeth Warren and former President Bill Clinton. A top Obama campaign official tells First Read about Clinton’s speech tonight, “You’ve seen his speech; it’s the TV ad” the campaign has been airing over the past couple of weeks.  If there’s a worry for the Democrats tonight, it’s that more folks -- precisely the ones the Obama camp wants Bill Clinton to speak to -- are watching tonight’s NFL football game. By the way, NBC’s Brian Williams will be interviewing Clinton for NBC’s “Nightly News” tonight.

*** Countering Clinton: Meanwhile, the Romney campaign and its surrogates are trying to make the case that Barack Obama is no Bill Clinton. John Sununu writes in New Hampshire Union Leader, “[W]hile President Obama and his allies would love to be able to borrow credibility from the nation’s 42nd President, the contrast between Bill Clinton and Barack Obama — particularly when it comes to economic and fiscal issues — couldn’t be greater.” The Wall Street Journal adds, “Arguably the most memorable phrase (not related to a scandal) that Bill Clinton uttered during his Presidency came in his 1996 State of the Union address: "The era of big government is over." And for a few years, it was over. By contrast, Mr. Obama's four years have been spent expanding the government willy-nilly.” By the way, it’s pretty striking to see Republicans praising a man who raised taxes (without any GOP votes) and whom they impeached.

Slideshow: Democratic National Convention

David Goldman / AP

Democrats gather in Charlotte, N.C., to officially nominate President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden as the party's candidates for the 2012 presidential election.

Launch slideshow

*** Wednesday’s convention schedule: Here are some of tonight’s major speakers:  

7:00 pm hour: House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, Maryland Sen. Barbara Mikulski, and Education Secretary Arne Duncan
8:00 pm hour: Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards, Reps. Steny Hoyer and Barney Frank, and Govs. John Hickenlooper and Jack Markell.
9:00 pm: California AG Kamala Harris, Sandra Fluke, former employees of Bain Capital enterprises, and Rep. Chris Van Hollen.
10:00 pm: Elizabeth Warren, Antonio Villaraigosa, and Bill Clinton
After Clinton’s speech, Democrats will begin their roll-call votes to nominate Barack Obama and Joe Biden.

*** On the trail today: Paul Ryan holds a rally in Adel, IA at 10:20 am ET… And Ann Romney campaigns in Findlay, OH.

*** Romney’s debate prep: Meanwhile, Mitt Romney is down doing debate prep. Some nuggets from NBC’s Garrett Haake: Romney and Rob Portman (playing the part of Obama) had an hour-long mock debate yesterday, with Romney adviser Peter Flaherty playing the part of moderator Jim Lehrer. And the Romney campaign has given their candidate so many briefing books, they’re enough to fill a suitcase.

Countdown to 1^st presidential debate: 28 days
Countdown to VP debate: 36 days
Countdown to 2^nd presidential debate: 41 days
Countdown to 3^rd presidential debate: 47 days
Countdown to Election Day: 62 days

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*** Wednesday's "The Daily Rundown" (live from Charlotte): Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL), Gov. Pat Quinn (D-IL), Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO, and Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) react to last night’s speakers and preview tonight’s slate… NBC’s Mark Potter on the protests outside the convention hall… More campaign news and analysis with The New York Times’ Jeff Zeleny, former RNC Chair Michael Steele, Democratic strategist Jamal Simmons and msnbc’s Melissa Harris-Perry. 

*** Wednesday’s “Jansing & Co.” line-up: MSNBC’s Chris Jansing interviews North Carolina Governor Bev Perdue (D), Washington Post Editorial Writer Ruth Marcus, the New York Times’ Nicholas Confessore, Maryland Senator Ben Cardin (D), fmr Gingrich spokesman Rick Tyler, fmr DNC Communications Director Karen Finney, MSNBC’s host of “The Last Word” Lawrence O’Donnell, and the Executive Director of Voto Latino Maria Teresa Kumar.

*** Wednesay’s “MSNBC Live with Thomas Roberts” line-up: MSNBC’s Thomas Roberts discusses the DNC’s first night and looks ahead to Bill Clinton’s big speech with MSNBC Host Melissa Harris Perry, Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD), Ron Reagan and Power Panel guests Joy-Ann Reid, Chris Kofinis and Chip Saltsman.  NARAL President Nancy Keenan joins Thomas to talk about the war over women and Heather Smith of “Rock the Vote” talks education – are we better off. 

*** Wednesday’s “NOW with Alex Wagner” line-up: Alex Wagner’s guests include former New Jersey Sen. Bill Bradley, NYC Deputy Mayor and Fmr. Hilary Clinton Adviser Howard Wolfson, Fmr. Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell, TIME’s Joel Stein, Bloomberg News’ Margaret Carlson, and Fmr. White House Adviser for Health Policy Dr. Zeke Emanuel. 

*** Wednesday’s “Andrea Mitchell Reports” line-up: NBC’s Andrea Mitchell interviews Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Fmr. Rep. Patrick Kennedy, Ted Kennedy, Jr., Fmr. White House Aide Melody Barnes, Rep. James Clyburn (D-SC), The Washington Post’s Chris Cillizza, New York Magazine’s John Heilemann and actor Eric McCormack.

*** Wednesday’s “News Nation with Tamron Hall” line-up: MSNBC’s Tamron Hall interviews Chip Saltzman, Salon.com’s Irin Carmon, Ari Melber and Micahel Smerconish.

The New York Times’ Rutenberg: “Democrats opened their convention here on Tuesday night with a parade of officials telling voters that Mitt Romney does not get it and with a rousing speech from Michelle Obama making the case that President Obama does. Mr. Obama’s roster of Democratic promoters spent the first hours detailing a political indictment of Mr. Romney, blistering him as being out of touch with the middle class and intent on taking the country back to the policies that caused the economy’s problems. But the main attraction of the evening was the appearance of Mr. Obama’s lead character witness: the first lady, who, wearing a pink-and-gold-speckled sleeveless dress, was greeted with chants of ‘Four more years!’ from the excited arena, to which she responded: ‘With your help.’”

The Washington Post’s Tumulty: “First lady Michelle Obama declared Tuesday that her husband’s record in office has proved his values, his vision and his courage, as the Democrats opened their convention here with a wide-ranging appeal to the diverse constituencies and interests they must bring out in force to reelect the president. The first night of the convention featured the strong presence of -- and a heavy appeal to -- women, Latinos and young people. Speakers evoked their shared values and issued a warning that Republican nominee Mitt Romney would take the country backward.”

AP: “First lady Michelle Obama lovingly praised her husband Tuesday night in a prime-time Democratic Convention speech as a devoted husband and caring father at home and a ‘man we can trust’ to revive the nation’s weak economy as president, beckoning the country to return him to the White House despite agonizingly slow recovery from recession.”

More: “Mrs. Obama, given a huge ovation and describing herself as the ‘mom in chief,’ made no mention of Republican challenger Mitt Romney. But those who preceded her to the podium on the first night of the president’s convention were scathing.”

And: “Castro, the first Hispanic chosen to deliver a keynote address, was unsparing in criticizing Romney, suggesting the former Massachusetts governor might not even be the driving force on the Republican ticket this fall. ‘First they called it ‘trickle down, the supply side,’ he said of the economic proposals backed by Republicans. ‘Now it’s Romney/Ryan. Or is it Ryan/Romney?’”

USA Today: “Julián Castro has arrived. The photogenic, 37-year-old mayor of San Antonio and one of the Democrats' rising stars made his national debut Tuesday, delivering the keynote address to the Democratic National Convention touting a government that invests in infrastructure and creates opportunity.”

The New York Times’ Zeleny: “Mayor Julián Castro of San Antonio made his national debut on Tuesday evening at the Democratic convention, presenting himself as a generational testament to American opportunity that would not have been possible without hard work and a helping hand.”

Politico: “Castro keynote: Romney from different world.” From the story: “San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro used his keynote address to the Democratic National Convention here Tuesday to deliver a sharp attack on Mitt Romney rooted in his own story as the grandson of a Mexican immigrant maid whose hard work paved the way for his path to the national spotlight here.”

Reuters: “Rising Democratic star says Americans need Obama's common touch.”

The top story in the San Antonio Express News: “San Antonio Mayor Julián Castro stepped into the national spotlight Tuesday with a soaring speech that evoked the struggles of his Mexican immigrant family and how that family paved the way for his success.”

The New York Daily News: “Michelle Obama delivered the speech of her life Tuesday, urging voters to see the President as not just the Commander-in-chief, but also as a caring husband and father who understands Americans’ plights and pains.”

The Boston Globe: “In an energized opening session that spoke to a broad array of party interests, Michelle Obama delivered a personal and emotional address to the Democratic National Convention on Tuesday, describing her family’s struggles and hopes. She described not only of trying to maintain a normal family life in the White House, but of President Obama’s commitment to his agenda, and about how he agonizes as he pores over letters from Americans in need. … Although she never mentioned Mitt Romney by name, a racially diverse parade of speakers took the Republican presidential nominee head-on — challenging him on taxes, health care, immigration, women’s rights, and abortion.”

AP’s Pace: “Michelle Obama’s message: President Barack Obama is just like you. … Mrs. Obama never mentioned the president’s Republican challenger, who grew up in a world of privilege and wealth. But the point was clear as she wove a tapestry of their early years together, when money was tight and times were tough, when they were ‘‘so in love, and so in debt.’’ She reminisced about the man who now occupies the Oval Office pulling his favorite coffee table out of the trash and wearing dress shoes that were half a size too small. And she told stories about a president who still takes time to eat dinner with his daughters nearly every night, answering their questions about the news and strategizing about middle-school friendships. With a mix of personal anecdotes and policy talk, Mrs. Obama’s speech was her most political yet.”

“Democrats turned to liberal icon Edward Kennedy, who has been dead for three years, to skewer Mitt Romney tonight,” USA Today writes. 

RNC Chairman Reince Priebus reacted this way on Twitter: “Classless Dems use tribute video of deceased Ted Kennedy to attack Mitt Romney.”

Here’s the video.

“Twenty years after accepting the Democratic nomination for president at Madison Square Garden in New York, Bill Clinton returns to center stage Wednesday night in an effort to help — but not overshadow —President Obama,” USA Today writes, adding, “So when the 66-year-old elder statesman nominates Obama — the man who defeated his wife, Hillary Rodham Clinton, for the party nod four years ago — it will mark both a nostalgic moment for Democrats and a reminder that things aren't going nearly as well today.”

A new CNN/ORC poll shows the presidential race tied at 48%,” Political Wire writes. “Just before the GOP convention last week a similar poll showed President Obama ahead by two points, 49% to 47%.”

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- For months, Michelle Obama has stood behind podiums at fundraisers and rallies, delivering many of the same lines she offered last night.

Famously disciplined and often relating her stump speech nearly line-for-line several times in a day, many of the first lady's biographical stories are well-worn to those who have followed her on the road: her father's pride in paying his bills on time, her husband's frustration at the glass ceiling that loomed above his grandmother, the president's late nights agonizing over the letters from Americans in trouble. 

But in front of a national audience and an adoring crowd, new imagery used by the first lady last night - and an implicit plea to voters to remain "in love" with the man they chose four years ago -- offered a personal and deeply emotive pitch that veiled some of her stories' unmistakable contrasts between her husband's personal history and that of the man who wants to replace him. 

PhotoBlog: See a 360-degree view of Michelle Obama speaking at the DNC

"We learned about dignity and decency - that how hard you work matters more than how much you make," she told the convention crowd, nudging against the narrative of Mitt Romney's wealth as a measure of his fitness to run the American economy. "Success doesn't count unless you earn it fair and square." 

Adding to typical references like the student loans that mired the Obamas as a young couple, Mrs. Obama added that her young beau's "proudest possession was a coffee table he'd found in a dumpster," hinting perhaps at an oblique response to Ann Romney's description of the ironing board that served as a dining room table for the newly married Romneys. 

Slideshow: Democratic National Convention

David Goldman / AP

First lady Michelle Obama waves after delivering remarks to the Democratic National Convention.

Launch slideshow

"Barack knows the American Dream because he's lived it," she said, repeating an old staple of her stump speech that - if delivered with a hint of indignance  - could draw a direct line to the implication that Mitt Romney has not.  

But Mrs. Obama's almost prayerful tone at times eliminated the possible sting that her pitch could hold for independent voters. And previously unrecited details, like her husband's obsessive monitoring of her infant daughters' cribs, personalized a man frequently tagged as "aloof." 

While much of the first lady's material was familiar, some language - particularly on the issues of abortion rights and gay marriage - was notably more direct than words she typically offers to audiences in Pueblo and Raleigh and Richmond. 

VIDEO: Tuesday night's DNC speeches

For example, Mrs. Obama extolled the bravery of "proud Americans can be who they are and boldly stand at the altar with who they love."  (She usually praises the repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy but steers clear of words like "altar.") 

And she won roars of approval in the debate hall for saying bluntly that "women are more than capable of making our own choices about our bodies and our health care." 

Like her Republican counterpart Ann Romney, Mrs. Obama uttered the word "love" often -- a total of 15 times in her remarks. 

Ultimately, the challenge for the popular first lady will be to convince disenchanted voters that they would consider agreeing with one central sentence in her speech: "I didn't think it was possible" she said of her husband, "but today I love [him] even more than I did four years ago." 

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – First lady Michelle Obama said her husband remains anchored by the same values he brought to the White House nearly four years ago, on a night devoted as much to tearing down Republican nominee Mitt Romney, as building up President Barack Obama and his record.

Democrats’ message on Tuesday, the first day of the Democratic National Convention, was two-pronged and crystal clear. The evening’s speeches both sought to extol the president’s accomplishments and cast him as empathetic, while at the same time looking to deconstruct Romney and cast him as an impossibly worse choice for president.

Slideshow: The Democratic National Convention

The evening’s top-billed speakers embodied the dual purposes of Tuesday’s programming.  Michelle Obama said her husband was the “same man” he was before the White House, in a speech designed to put a softer edge on the  president’s case for re-election. And keynote speaker Julian Castro said Romney would diminish opportunities for voters if elected, in a speech that also weaved in the personal story of the San Antonio mayor, whom party leaders regard as a rising star.

Justin Sullivan / Getty Images

First lady Michelle Obama speaks on stage during day one of the Democratic National Convention at Time Warner Cable Arena on September 4, 2012 in Charlotte, North Carolina.

VIDEO: Tuesday night's DNC speeches

"I have seen firsthand that being president doesn’t change who you are – no, it reveals who you are," Michelle Obama said in her prime-time speech. "So in the end, for Barack, these issues aren’t political – they’re personal. Because Barack knows what it means when a family struggles ... Barack knows the American Dream because he's lived it."

And the first lady brought the crowd to their feet in closing: "I know from experience that if I truly want to leave a better world for my daughters, and all our sons and daughters ... then we must work like never before, and we must once again come together and stand together for the man we can trust to keep moving this great country forward…my husband, our president, President Barack Obama."

Mrs. Obama's speech capped hours’ worth of speeches in Charlotte, but stood in contrast against most of the day’s earlier speakers, many of whom offered sharp criticism of Romney. So strong were the attacks on the Republican nominee, that it seemed as though many of the efforts to build up Obama were secondary to disparaging Romney.

PhotoBlog: See a 360-degree view of Michelle Obama speaking at the DNC

A spokeswoman for the GOP presidential nominee, Andrea Saul, said late Tueseday evening in response: "On the first night of President Obama’s convention, not a single speaker uttered the words ‘Americans are better off than they were four years ago.’ Instead, there was a night full of tributes to government as the solution to every problem, even going as far as to say that ‘government is the only thing that we all belong to."

Though much of his speech focused on overcoming the difficulties associated with being a poor Latino in Texas as a child, the middle of Castro’s speech took aim at Romney in a way that was similar to those addresses.

"Republicans tell us that if the most prosperous among us do even better, that somehow the rest of us will too. Folks, we’ve heard that before. First they called it 'trickle-down.' Then they called it 'supply-side.' Now it’s 'Romney-Ryan.' Or is it 'Ryan-Romney'?" Castro said. "Either way, their theory's been tested. It failed. Our economy failed. The middle class paid the price. Your family paid the price. Mitt Romney just doesn’t get it.”

As if to clarify the evening's theme, Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley said: "We understand that progress is a choice. Job creation is a choice. Whether we move forward or back, this too is a choice. And that is what this election is all about."

Other attacks on Romney sought to exploit Obama’s current advantages over his Republican opponents among women and Latinos, two crucial voting blocs which could sway the outcome of the election.

Texas Rep. Charlie Gonzalez, the chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, said Romney had “embraced the racial profiling policies of Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer and Sheriff Joe Arpaio” by way of praising Arizona’s controversial immigration law as a “model.”

And Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., who has clashed publicly with the Bain Capital co-founder by contending that there were years in which Romney paid no taxes, excoriated the GOP nominee as opaque and undeserving of trust.

(Reid's charge prompted a response from Romney spokesman Ryan Williams: "Harry Reid has once again shown that he is completely detached from reality. Senator Reid’s comments tonight are absolutely false and are another attempt to distract from President Obama’s abysmal economic record.")

Slideshow: Democratic National Convention

David Goldman / AP

Democrats gather in Charlotte, N.C., to officially nominate President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden as the party's candidates for the 2012 presidential election.

Launch slideshow

The tone of the first night of the Democratic convention seemed more aggressively negative toward Romney than much of the Republican-led criticism of Obama last week in Tampa. It was an emphasis in keeping with Democrats’ effort to turn the election into a choice – in which they try to make Romney seem like a worse pick than Romney – rather than a referendum on Obama’s record after almost four years in office.

The first day of the Democratic convention was also an exercise in energizing the party’s core constituencies. Among the speakers on Tuesday were the leaders of the AFL-CIO and SEIU, two of the nation’s largest labor groups, the president of the pro-abortion rights group NARAL, and speakers like openly gay Colorado Rep. Jared Polis, who praised Obama’s actions to expand gay rights.

Those strides toward building up Obama were certainly part of the programming on Tuesday night, and the achievements most frequently emphasized included the president’s signature health care overhaul law and the bailout of the auto industry in particular.

“Facts are facts: No president since Franklin Delano Roosevelt in the Great Depression inherited a worse economy, bigger job losses or deeper problems from his predecessor,” said O’Malley, the first prime-time speaker of the evening. “But President Obama is moving America forward, not back.”

On Wednesday, Democrats will formally name Obama their candidate re-election after a highly-anticipated nominating speech by former President Bill Clinton.

Obama himself will travel to Charlotte on Wednesday, joining Vice President Joe Biden who made it to the convention city this afternoon. Both men will speak outdoors on Thursday at Charlotte’s Bank of America stadium, the home of the NFL’s Carolina Panthers and a potentially raucous atmosphere the president’s campaign hopes will recapture the imagery of Obama’s 2008 outdoor acceptance speech in Denver.

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa -- Congressman Paul Ryan said the national debt surpassing $16 trillion Tuesday is a “downer” and argued it’s President Obama’s “worst” broken promise to the country only further underlining why voters should choose a new path this November.

“This is a serious threat to our economy,” Ryan told the crowd roughly an hour after the Treasury Department announced that the national debt surpassed $16 trillion for the first time in American history. “Of all the broken promises from President Obama, this is probably the worst one because this debt is threatening jobs today, it is threating prosperity today and it is guaranteeing that our children and grandchildren get a diminished future.”

Speaking in the same venue President Obama visited earlier in the summer, the Wisconsin congressman took a jab at the Democrats who kick off their convention in Charlotte, N.C., today: “We had a debt clock at the convention last week. I don’t see the debt clock at the convention this week.”

Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad piled on as well.

“And just this week when the Democrats are about to gather for their convention, to promise four more years of the same, the united states national debt has hit a record high of 16 trillion dollars. No coincidence it's the same day as their convention begins,” Branstad told the nearly 900-person crowd.

Related: Portman joins Romney for debate prep in Vermont

Standing in front of two large “are you better off” signs – with the Obama ‘O’ artwork in them – Ryan blamed the incumbent president for not having “leadership on this issue” and vowed that a Romney administration would turn the country around.

The Obama re-election campaign disagrees. 

“Congressman Ryan’s the last person to lecture on the debt and here’s why: he was a rubber stamp in Congress for the policies that turned surpluses into deficits, putting two wars on the credit card, voting for a prescription drug benefit without paying for it, and fighting for tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans when they weren’t asking for them,” Danny Kanner, Obama campaign spokesman, wrote in a statement.

Recommended: Republicans in Charlotte pounce on Obama's 'incomplete' grade

Earlier in the day while stumping in the battleground state of Ohio, Ryan continued to tie parallels to the 2012 election to the 1980 election.

“If we fired Jimmy Carter, then why would we re-hire Barack Obama now?” the GOP VP nominee said. “President Obama can tell you a lot, and he’s good at doing that, but he cannot tell you that you’re better off. After four years of getting the runaround what America needs is a turnaround, and the man for that job is Mitt Romney.”

Ryan will continue campaigning in the Hawkeye State Wednesday before heading out West for a big fundraising push.

Brian Snyder / REUTERS

Republican presidential candidate and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney and U.S. Senator Rob Portman, R-Ohio, talk after a campaign rally in Cincinnati, Ohio September 1, 2012.

WEST WINDSOR, VT -- Ohio Sen. Rob Portman came close to being Mitt Romney's most important defender, but, starting Tuesday, he is the Republican presidential nominee's biggest rival.

Portman joined the Republican presidential nominee on Tuesday to help out with preparations for this fall's debates. Portman is playing the role of President Obama during these initial practice sessions located in the remote woods of Vermont. 

"It's quiet and there are no distractions," said a senior Romney adviser of the 134-acre estate of former Massachusetts Lt. Gov. Kerry Healey. It's not in a swing state and far from any major TV markets.

Portman was among the top contenders to be chosen as Romney's running mate.  But now, instead of spending his days campaigning throughout the country, he is holed up with top Romney advisers preparing for three of the most important evenings of the presidential race. Top Romney aides Beth Myers, Stuart Stevens, Lanhee Chen, Fehrnstrom, Ed Gillespie and Peter Flaherty have all descended upon the home, as well.

It's a role Portman knows well, having played Obama during Sen. John McCain's practice presidential debates in 2008.

And while this may be familiar territory for Portman, it is relatively unexplored terrain for Romney.  Even after participating in 19 debates throughout last fall and the early part of 2012, Romney never prepared by engaging in mock debates.  Instead, advisers say, the former Massachusetts governor preferred to sit with advisers and float possible questions and answers. But, a one-on-one debate is different, and that is why Portman is in The Green Mountain State.

San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro will go after the Republican presidential ticket for its economic philosophy and try to paint the pair as out of touch.

"Republicans tell us that if the most prosperous among us do even better, that somehow the rest of us will too,” Castro, 37, will say, according to excerpts released by the Democratic National Convention Committee. “Folks...we've heard that before. First they called it 'trickle-down.' Then 'supply side.' Now it's 'Romney/Ryan.' Or is it 'Ryan/Romney'? Either way, their theory has been tested. It failed. Our economy failed. The middle class paid the price. Your family paid the price. Mitt Romney just doesn't get it."

He will note the value of hard work, but add that the country needs to “invest” and help people along the way. 

"Texas may be the one place where people actually still have bootstraps,” he will say, “and we expect folks to pull themselves up by them. But we also recognize there are some things we can't do alone.”

He will add: "Mitt Romney, quite simply, doesn't get it. A few months ago he visited a university in Ohio and gave the students there a little entrepreneurial advice. 'Start a business,' he said. But how? 'Borrow money if you have to from your parents,' he told them. Gee -- why didn't I think of that?" 

The Social Media Story of DNC 2012

He will also lavish praise on President Obama. 

"Now, like many of you, I watched last week's Republican Convention,” he will say. “They told a few stories of individual success...we all celebrate individual success. But the question is, how do we multiply that success. The answer is President Barack Obama."

He adds: "Four years ago, America stood on the brink of a Depression. Despite incredible odds and united Republican opposition, our President took action. And now we've seen 4.5 million new jobs. He knows better than anyone that there's more hard work to do. But we're making progress. And now we need to make a choice. It's a choice...between a country where the middle class pays more, so that millionaires can pay less... or a country where everybody pays their fair share. It's a choice between a nation that slashes funding for our schools and guts Pell grants... Or a nation that invests more in education. It's a choice between a politician who rewards companies that ship American jobs overseas...Or a leader who brings jobs back home.

"This is the choice before us. And to me, to my generation, and for all the generations that will come after us, our choice is clear. Our choice is a man who's always chosen us. A man who already is our President -- Barack Obama."

For more, read: "Who is Julian Castro and can he deliver in the spotlight?"

*** UPDATE *** Ryan Williams, of the Romney campaign, responded this way: “Middle class families understand that they are not better off than they were four years ago because President Obama’s liberal policies have failed to turn around the economy. The president has wasted hundreds of billions of dollars on a big government agenda that has resulted in record debt, declining salaries and 42 consecutive months of unemployment above 8%. Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan have a plan that will strengthen the middle class by reforming our tax code, reducing excessive government regulations and creating 12 million jobs over the next four years.” 

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The stage for the Democratic National Convention is an elaborate display of lights, carpeting and video screens. It’s worthy of a Las Vegas show. In fact, unionized workers from Vegas were “imported” to build the stage, according to delegate Dick Collins, who hails from Sin City.

“Most of the trade unions are boycotting this, because it’s held in a non-union town,” Collins proudly said. It’s also the least unionized state in the U.S. -- less than 3%, especially since state law forbids government workers from organizing.

North Carolina’s right-to-work status has been a sore spot with unions. The building trades held their own political rally recently in Philadelphia. Local leaders quietly talked about not being motivated for the president and those down-ticket.

So into the discontent, AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka stepped Tuesday morning, meeting with several hundred labor leaders who are also delegates. He got a raucous welcome. The organization chose a hotel close to the  Time-Warner Cable Arena. It didn’t matter, since no hotels are unionized in Charlotte.

“And the labor movement may be small here, but I could tell you that it truly does punch above its own weight,” Trumka said trying to mollify any holdover anger. He urged members to keep the greater goal in sight. “We have a chance to stand with leaders who champion working families.”

Besides, he suggests, labor’s presence might spark some movement on that front in North Carolina, and maybe the south in general.
Collins, a retiree from labor organizing in Buffalo who moved to Vegas, breathes a heavy sigh when asked about such speculation. “I hope he’s right. I hope he’s right.”

He’d rather be anywhere else. “Not only is it a non-union town; it’s a staunch anti-union town, which makes it even worse." 

Collins concluded, “They have so many ignorant people here that they don’t understand the goodness of unions."

But Labor Day, the first Monday in September, is not just for unions. Mark Mix of the National Right to Work Committee issued a video statement marking the holiday as a pre-emptive strike on the Democrats’ convention. 

“Union officials are mounting a billion-dollar campaign to reelect President Barack Obama; and elect more pro-forced-unionism allies in Congress,” Mix says into the camera.

He claimed, “The National Right to Work Committee is mobilizing its 2.6 million members to call on candidates to support greater workplace freedoms.” They do politics, too.

NORFOLK, VA -- President Barack Obama exhorted Virginians for their votes on Tuesday at his last campaign event before the Democratic National Convention this week in Charlotte.

Previewing the speech he is set to deliver at the convention on Thursday night, the president said: "I will offer what I believe is a better path forward. A path that will create good jobs and strengthen our middle class and grow our economy."

Obama pointed to the policy changes he has made regarding health care, national security and the economy as reasons voters should give him a second term in office.

But the president also used his appearance in Norfolk to criticize the proposals of his Republican opponents as well.

“On issue after issue, Gov. Romney and Congressman Ryan, they want to take us backwards. But the story of America is not about going backwards; its about going forwards,” the president said to a cheering crowd.

The Romney Campaign was quick to respond to the president’s speech. Spokeswoman Amanda Henneberg said in a statement: "President Obama has found himself on the wrong side of the issues Virginian’s care about the most." The Romney campaign went on to say that “there is no doubt that Americans aren’t better off today than they were four years ago."

Mr. Obama’s speech at Norfolk State University comes only hours before his wife is scheduled to deliver a prime-time address tonight from the convention hall in North Carolina.

Mr. Obama said he would watch the speech at the White House with his two daughters.

Calling the first lady, “the star of the Obama Family,” the president said he would try not to let his daughters see him cry while she speaks.  But went on to acknowledge that may be difficult to do, saying, “When Michelle starts talking, I start getting all misty.”

The crowd at Norfolk State was made up predominately of African American college students, two key segments of his political base whom Mr. Obama hopes to re-energize and rally in the next eight weeks before the election. Twice during his remarks when the audience booed as he spoke about Governor Romney, the president responded, “Don’t boo, vote.”

The rally in Norfolk was the second trip to Virginia made by the president in less than a week. Recent polling suggests that Obama and Romney are statistically tied in the commonwealth, and, as a result, both men have dedicated tons of resources and made frequent visits to the state, hoping to capture its thirteen electoral votes this November. Governor Romney also traveled to Norfolk last month to announce Rep. Paul Ryan as his running mate.

CHARLOTTE, NC -- Republicans gathered here to counter the Democratic National Convention seized Tuesday on President Barack Obama's self-grade of "incomplete" after his first term.

Picking up on the grade the president gave himself with a Colorado television affiliate, a series of Republicans pounced during a press conference at at the Nascar Hall of Fame, where Republicans have set up camp during the DNC.

"I have a 10-year-old and a 14-year-old. I know if on their report card they came home with an incomplete that means they failed," said South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley.

When asked to grade his time in the Oval Office, the president told a local Colorado television station on Monday: "You know I would say incomplete ... but what I would say is the steps that we have taken in saving the auto industry, in making sure that college is more affordable and investing in clean energy and science and technology and research, those are all the things that we are going to need to grow over the long term."

Former New Hampshire Gov. John Sununu, Rep. Jason Chaffetz, Rep. Tim Scott and former Deputy Administrator for the U.S. Small Business Administration Jovita Carranza also spoke at the press conference and all used it as an opportunity to slam the president's self assessment.

"When the president was asked what grade he would give himself, he obviously had a quick look at his report card and saw a big 'I' on it.  He thought the 'I' was for incomplete. The 'I' was for incompetent," said Sununu.

And tea party favorite Rep. Tim Scott (R-SC) was able to draw on some personal experience when giving his interpretation of the president's answer. 

"I understand an incomplete is a way to avoid a failing grade. As a freshman in high school, I flunked out," he said. "When you're in that situation you really want something that looks like an incomplete grade, but unfortunately what you get from the people who are actually grading you is a failed grade.  Our president was asked the question: Are we better off? It's a failed grade."

Haley also addressed women's issues just hours before Democrats are set to kick off their convention. One of Tuesday night's most-watched speakers will be Michele Obama, who is expected to stress her husband's humble upbringing. The well-liked first lady has been one of the Obama campaign's strongest assets in appealing to women voters.

As Planned Parenthood held a rally just a block away, Haley attempted to downplay the notion that abortion rights issues have alienated women from the Republican party.

"Let me tell you about women.  Women are extremely smart.  Woman are extremely right.  We don't only think about contraception. We think about a lot more then contraception. I know pro-life women that are in the Democratic Party. I know pro-choice women that are in the Republican Party.  but I also know that all women care about their budgets, they care about their jobs, they care about the economy," she said.

Slideshow: Democratic National Convention

David Goldman / AP

Democrats gather in Charlotte, N.C., to officially nominate President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden as the party's candidates for the 2012 presidential election.

Launch slideshow

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Enthusiasm gap, what enthusiasm gap? That’s at least what the Obama campaign claims.

On Day One of the Democratic National Convention, a top campaign official said the campaign does not accept the premise that the president has work to do in firing up young voters and Latinos, in particular.

“No. Hell no,” the official responded.

That's despite, as we wrote in First Thoughts this morning, "In the Aug. 2012 NBC/WSJ poll, just 52% of voters under 35 and only 49% of Latinos expressed high interest in the upcoming election, which was down about 20 points for both groups at this same point in ’08.”

Furthermore, key pro-Republican groups generally say they are more interested than those Democratic constituencies in this election on a scale of one to 10. 

There's also a reason President Obama has campaigned on college campuses leading up to the convention, talking about student loans and urging students not to "boo," but "vote." 

There's a reason the president unveiled his immigration announcement earlier this year -- more than a year after the DREAM Act failed in Congress. He may believe it's the right thing to do, but Latinos are also a key political constituency. Obama still leads with Hispanics by almost 40 points in the NBC/WSJ/Telemundo poll, even wider that the gap that existed with John McCain.

The Obama official, however, cited that the campaign has hit a record level of voter registrations, door knocks and an improved grass-roots operation -- even over 2008. 

“We’re going to make ’08 look like Jurassic Park,” the official claimed, going on to cite that the Obama campaign has 100 offices in Ohio and Romney only has 30; 50 in North Carolina, and Romney has 20.

The Romney campaign would counter, though, that the Obama campaign needs a larger grass-roots operation because of the economic headwinds and polls showing lagging enthusiasm with those key pro-Democratic demographic groups.

Slideshow: Democratic National Convention

David Goldman / AP

Democrats gather in Charlotte, N.C., to officially nominate President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden as the party's candidates for the 2012 presidential election.

Launch slideshow

Former Republican Rep. Virgil Goode has qualified for the presidential ballot in Virginia as the Constitution Party's nominee, which is potentially troubling news for Mitt Romney since Goode could draw votes away from the Republican presidential nominee. 

The AP: 

Conservative former Rep. Virgil Goode will appear on Virginia's presidential ballot after state election officials rejected a Republican-led effort to keep him off... Virginia's State Board of Elections acted Tuesday after the state GOP challenged Goode's qualifying petitions and sought an independent review.

The Washington Post adds:

Goode submitted more than 20,500 signatures to the elections board, far more than required. State law requires third-party candidates for president to submit 10,000 valid signatures, including at least 400 from each of Virginia’s 11 congressional districts. Goode got significant help collecting signatures from the Independent Green party, which assisted Goode because he supports the party’s top issue — more spending for passenger rail.

But the Post points out that Republicans will continue to challenge Goode (pronounced "GUUUU-ed") being on the ballot in Virginia. 

“Even before our letter, the Attorney General was conducting a criminal investigation into issues with Mr. Goode’s petitions,” said Virginia GOP chairman Pat Mullins. “We have simply reported to the [State Board of Eletions] additional systemic problems that warrant review. These problems display, at best, a stunning disregard for Virginia law. Mr. Goode owes the citizens of Virginia an explanation about the irregularities in his petitions.”

With polls showing President Obama and Romney locked in a tight contest in the crucial battleground state of Virginia -- with Obama holding a slight advantage there, according to most polls -- Goode drawing any votes away from Romney could hurt the GOP's chances in November.