Focusing on Battleground Ohio… The campaigns release two new TV ads summing up their messages in the Buckeye State… On Romney’s tax returns… On Obama’s do-no-harm week… Dueling “60 Minutes” interviews served as a debate preview of sorts… And both campaigns treated them like debates, with their rapid-response teams in high alert… And don’t’ forget: Todd Akin’s deadline to withdraw from Missouri’s Senate race is tomorrow.

Scott Olson / Getty Images

President Barack Obama speaks to supporters during a campaign rally on September 22, 2012 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

*** Battleground Ohio: On Sunday, the University of Cincinnati poll became the latest survey to show Mitt Romney trailing in the Buckeye State -- and perhaps more importantly, President Obama hitting 50% or more there. According to the poll, Obama leads Romney by five points among likely voters in the state, 51%-46%, which is close to what our recent NBC/WSJ/Marist poll of Ohio showed, 50%-43%. And here’s the reality for the GOP in this almost must-win state for them: Right now, you could argue that Obama is in a stronger position in North Carolina (his most challenging battleground state) than Romney is in Ohio (a state that EVERY victorious Republican presidential nominee has won). And this is why the GOP ticket is blitzing through the Buckeye State this week -- as if the 2012 campaign depended on it, because, well, it does. Running mate Paul Ryan today starts off an Ohio bus tour by stumping in Lima at 3:10 pm ET. Romney joins him in Vandalia on Tuesday, and then the presidential nominee stumps in Westerville and Toledo on Wednesday. But that’s not all the campaigning in Ohio this week. On the Democratic side, Obama hits the state on Wednesday, and the DNC has its own bus tour bracketing the GOP ticket.

*** The campaigns’ latest TV ads: Also tied to the Romney campaign’s bus tour through Ohio is an exchange of TV ads by the campaigns that’s really almost exclusively about Ohio and its white working-class swing voting population. The Obama campaign is airing a new TV ad in the state that seizes on Romney’s “47%” remarks. “Mitt Romney attacked 47% of Americans who pay no income tax, including veterans, elderly, the disabled,” the ad begins. “Doesn’t the President have to worry about everyone? Mitt Romney paid just 14.1% in taxes last year. He keeps millions in Bermuda and the Cayman Islands. He won’t release his tax returns before 2010.” And it concludes, “Maybe instead of attacking others on taxes, Romney should come clean on his.” Meanwhile, the Romney campaign has its own new TV ad that is clearly about these voters, and wants to shift the resentment from himself to China. “Fewer Americans are working today than when President Obama took office. It doesn’t have to be this way -- if Obama would stand up to China.” The advertisement ends, “Obama had years to stand up to China. We can’t afford four more.” These two new TV ads pretty much sum up the campaigns’ respective strategies when it comes to Ohio: Obama is hitting Romney’s personal wealth, and Romney is trying to bash China.

*** On Romney’s tax returns: Speaking of Romney’s tax returns, he released his 2011 return on Friday, as well as a short summary of the tax rates he paid going back to 1990. The Romney camp’s timing was smart -- on its worst week of the campaign, dump all the bad news you can to get everything out of the way. But the campaign also didn’t answer all the questions about Romney’s past tax returns; the only way to do that would be to release the actual returns, not a short summary. But here’s the bottom line about the tax-return issue: The Obama campaign succeeded in making it a talking point and attack (just see its new TV ad), and the Romney camp seems to have succeeded in its goal to not release the actual returns prior to 2010.

*** On Obama’s do-no-harm week: When it comes to the UN meetings this week in New York, Obama is playing prevent defense. While he addresses the UN on Tuesday, he isn’t holding a single meeting with any world leader (not Israel’s Netanyahu, not Egypt’s Morsi). But can he fully get away with this strategy? The fact is there are a lot of questions about America’s role in the Middle East, how the administration has responded to the uprisings and of course, the unanswered questions surrounding the attack on Ambassador Stevens in Libya. He’s avoided questions on this topic beyond generalities. Interestingly, what the president said on “60 Minutes” (an interview taped before the administration had publicly acknowledged al Qaeda’s role in Libya), about “bumps in the road” came across as a tad tone deaf. While he may be right in the grand scheme of things, given the current state of the investigation in Libya, we’re guessing he wished he hadn’t worded things that way.

*** Previewing the debates… : It’s nine days until the first presidential debate in Colorado, but last night’s dueling (and separate) Obama-Romney interviews on “60 Minutes” served as a preview of sorts for the upcoming debates. Here was Romney on the role of government: "Make government smaller. Don't build these massive deficits that pass debt onto our kids, rebuild the foundation of America's strength with great homes, great schools, with entrepreneurship and innovation. Here was Obama: “I think there's no bigger purpose right now than making sure that if people work hard in this country, they can get ahead. That's the central American idea. That's how we sent a man to the moon. Because there was an economy that worked for everybody and that allowed us to do that. Here was Romney on taxes: “[My plan] would be the current rates less 20%. So the top rate, for instance, would go from 35 to 28. Middle rates would come down by 20% as well. All the rates come down. Here was Obama: “[T]he problem that Gov. Romney has is that he seems to only have one note: tax cuts for the wealthy and rolling back regulations as a recipe for success. Well, we tried that vigorously between 2001 and 2008. And it didn't work out so well.”

*** … on role of government, taxes, the deficit, and national security: Also in during his “60 Minutes” interview, Romney said this about tackling the budget deficit: “I'm going to look at every federal program and I'll ask this question, ‘Is this … program so critical it's worth borrowing money from China to pay for it?" And if it doesn't pass that test, I'm going to eliminate the program because we just can't afford to keep spending more money than we take in.” Obama said, “[W]e've already cut a trillion dollars of spending. And I've told them I'm prepared to do additional spending cuts and do some entitlement reform. But what I've said is, ‘You can't ask me to make student loans higher for kids who need it or ask seniors to pay more for their Medicare or throw people off of health care and not ask somebody like me or Mr. Romney to do anything, not ask us to do a single dime's worth of sacrifice.’” And here was Romney on national security: “I thought that the surge troops [to Afghanistan] should have been brought back in November of this year, not September. I don't think you try and bring back troops during the fighting season. I think that was a mistake. I think it was also a mistake to announce the precise date of our withdrawal.” And Obama: I said I'd end the war in Iraq. I did. I said that we'd go after al Qaeda. They've been decimated in the Fatah. That we'd go after bin Laden. He's gone. So I've executed on my foreign policy. And it's one that the American people largely agree with. So if Gov. Romney is suggesting that we should start another war, he should say so.

*** And treating the interviews like they were the debates: Strikingly, both the Romney and Obama campaigns treated last night’s “60 Minutes” interview like they were debates. The Romney camp pounced on Obama referring to Israel as “one of our closest allies in the region” instead of THE closest ally. It also seized on the president calling the current unrest in the Muslim world “bumps in the road” after the Arab Spring. For their part, Democrats and the Obama campaign jumped all over Romney saying it was fair that he pays a lower tax rate than other Americans do. By the way, both sides are still doing mock debates. NBC’s Garrett Haake reported that Romney did another round with Ohio Sen. Rob Portman on Sunday, while First Read can report that Obama practiced at the DNC on Friday with Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry (with the first lady in attendance).

*** On the trail: Romney holds a rally in Pueblo, CO at 2:00 pm ET… And Ryan stumps in Lima, OH at 3:10 pm ET.

*** Polling update: Here’s a wrap of all the recent polling we’ve seen: As mentioned above, the University of Cincinnati poll shows Obama up by five points among likely voters in Ohio, 51%-46%... In Florida, a Tampa Bay Times/Miami Herald/Bay News 9/Mason-Dixon survey has Obama at 48% and Romney at 47%... And there’s a national Politico/GWU Battleground poll of likely voters that has Obama at 50% and Romney at 47%.

*** Akin it harder for the GOP: Don’t forget: The drop-dead deadline for Todd Akin to withdraw from Missouri’s Senate race is tomorrow, and it doesn’t seem like he’s going anywhere. Today, at 12:30 pm ET, he holds a press conference with Newt Gingrich, who has been defending him.

Countdown to 1^st presidential debate: 9 days
Countdown to VP debate: 17 days
Countdown to 2^nd presidential debate: 22 days
Countdown to 3^rd presidential debate: 28 days
Countdown to Election Day: 43 days

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*** Monday’s “The Daily Rundown” line-up live from the Education Nation summit in New York: San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro (D) on what’s working for schools in his town and the outlook for President Obama and his party in November… American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten on how recent labor disputes will shape education reform efforts… former Gov. George Pataki (R-NY) on behalf of the Romney campaign… NBC’s Atia Abawi with the latest from Afghanistan… NBC’s Ron Mott on the road with Ryan… Latest 2012 campaign news and analysis with Demos’ Bob Herbert, iVillage’s Kelly Wallace and the New York Times’ Nick Confessore.

*** Monday’s “Jansing & Co.” line-up: MSNBC’s Chris Jansing interviews Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-SD), Romney adviser Bay Buchanan, CEO & Founder of StudentsFirst Michelle Rhee, Real Clear Politics’ Erin McPike, Politico’s Alexander Burns, Republican strategist Rich Galen, and American Crossroads Director of Communications Jonathan Collegio.

*** Monday’s “MSNBC Live with Thomas Roberts” line-up: MSNBC’s Thomas Roberts talks with former State Department spokesman Jamie Rubin, Washington Post Columnist Matt Miller, NBC Latino.com’s Sandra Lilley, and Co-Author of “The Gamble” Lynn Vavreck.  Power Panelists include: Washington Post Columnist Dana Milbank, Republican strategist Susan Del Percio and Democratic strategist Keith Boykin.

*** Monday’s “Andrea Mitchell Reports” line-up: NBC’s Andrea Mitchell, live from the New York Public Library, interviews the Washington Post’s Chris Cillizza, NYC Chancellor of New York City Schools Dennis Walcott, Education Secretary Arne Duncan, and Chelsea Clinton.

*** Monday’s “News Nation with Tamron Hall” line-up: MSNBC’s Tamron Hall interviews Democratic strategist Chris Kofinis, Jonathan Collegio from American Crossroads, the Washington Post’s Anne Kornblut, Time Magazine’s Bobby Ghosh and former State Department Officer Joel Rubin

The latest polls:
OH: Ohio Newspapers/University of Cincinnati: Obama 51-46% (up two points from a month ago)
FL: Mason-Dixon: Obama 48-47%.
National: Politico/GWU Battleground: Obama 50-47%.

“New polling by Reuters/Ipsos indicates that during the past two weeks - since just after the Democratic National Convention - support for Romney among Americans age 60 and older has crumbled, from a 20-point lead over Democratic President Barack Obama to less than 4 points,” Reuters writes. “Romney's double-digit advantages among older voters on the issues of healthcare and Medicare - the nation's health insurance program for those over 65 and the disabled - also have evaporated, and Obama has begun to build an advantage in both areas.”

Here’s the transcript from the Romney-Obama interviews on 60 Minutes last night.

In a softer portion of the interview, in which both candidates were asked about what they do when they have alone time to think, both cited 10 pm and reflection, but Romney said he prays every night, Obama said he does some reading and writing.

“South Carolina is in federal court arguing that its new law requiring people prove their identity at the polls won’t make voting so tough that it reduces turnout of African-Americans, Hispanics and other minorities,” the AP writes. “A federal panel is to determine whether South Carolina’s voter identification law violates the Voting Rights Act by putting heavy burdens on minorities who don’t have the identification. Last December, the Justice Department refused to allow South Carolina to require the photo IDs, saying doing so would reverse the voting gains of the states’ minorities. Closing arguments in the case — which went to trial in August and included several state officials as witnesses — were scheduled for Monday.”

“Up to 10 million Hispanics could be dissuaded from voting in the upcoming election because of changes to voting laws, a report from a civil rights group will say,” USA Today writes. “The Advancement Project says in a report to be released tomorrow that restrictions in 23 states -- such as photo identification laws, requirements to prove citizenship and attempts to remove non-citizens from voter rolls in states such as Florida -- will have a "disproportionate effect" on Latinos and people of color.”

“President Barack Obama’s campaign is launching a new offensive Monday against Republican Mitt Romney, blasting the GOP nominee for criticizing Americans who don’t pay income taxes without having ‘come clean’ about his own,” the AP writes. “The campaign started the new push with a television advertisement, its first spot using Romney’s comments that 47 percent of voters pay no income tax, and believe they are victims and entitled to government assistance. The ad was to begin airing in Ohio — a crucial swing state where Romney was campaigning this week — but was also expected to be part of the campaign’s final push elsewhere between now and Election Day.”

Here’s the ad and script:
ANNOUNCER: “Mitt Romney attacked 47% of Americans who pay no income tax, including veterans, elderly, the disabled. ROMNEY [FROM VIDEO]: “My job is not to worry about those people.” ANNOUNCER: Doesn’t the president have to worry about everyone? Mitt Romney paid just 14.1% in taxes last year. He keeps millions in Bermuda and the Cayman Islands. He won’t release his tax returns before 2010. Maybe instead of attacking others on taxes [up flashes images of a veteran, someone elderly, someone disabled], Romney should come clean on his.

Republicans jumped on Obama saying, “I haven't raised taxes. I've cut taxes for middle class families by an average of $3,600 per typical family.” Republicans pivot to “ObamaCare” and that it would raise taxes for some.

Addressing the gridlock in Washington, Obama said he couldn’t convince Republicans on his own, sounding the theme again of change coming from the outside. “I won't get them to-- make them change their minds,” he said. “The American people will. I mean, ultimately, the American people agree with me that the only way we bring down our deficit is to do it in a balanced way. … I'm hoping that after the smoke clears and the election season's over that that spirit of cooperation comes more to the fore.”

Obama, in fact, said his biggest disappointment is “that we haven't changed the tone in Washington as much as I would have liked.”

Politico picks up on that as its lead: “President Barack Obama’s biggest disappointment of the last four years is not being able to change the climate in Washington, even as he has brought change to the nation.”

New York magazine picks up on foreign policy.

And some, like the Jewish Press and Haaretz, have picked up on Obama dismissing Netanyahu’s criticism has “noise.” Here’s his full answer: “When it comes to our national security decisions, any pressure that I feel is simply to do what's right for the American people. And I am going to block out any noise that's out there. Now I feel an obligation, not pressure but obligation, to make sure that we're in close consultation with the Israelis on these issues because it affects them deeply. They're one of our closest allies in the region. And we've got an Iranian regime that has said horrible things that directly threaten Israel's existence.”

Obama also took a shot at Romney when he was asked about Romney’s criticism that he’s been took weak on foreign policy, particularly when it comes to Iran and Syria. “If Gov. Romney is suggesting that we should start another war, he should say so.”

Bill Clinton said he has “no earthly idea” whether his wife will run for president in 2016 if Obama wins. He said she’s “tired,” but “She’s really worked hard. I think she’s done a fabulous job. I’m very proud of her. But she wants to take some time off, kind of regroup.”

Romney has an ad out highlighting a book by Bob Woodward that said Nancy Pelosi muted President Obama during a conference call. “If he cannot lead his own party, how can he lead America?” an announcer asks. Pelosi denies the event ever happened.

Romney on 47% on 60 Minutes: “ROMNEY: That's not...that's not the campaign. That was me, right? I-- that's not a campaign. PELLEY: You are the campaign-- ROMNEY: I've got a very effective campaign. It's doing a very good job. But not everything I say is elegant. And I want to make it very clear, I want to help 100 percent of the American people.”

He also said him paying a lower tax rate than most Americans is fair: “It is a low rate,” Romney said. “And one of the reasons why the capital gains tax rate is lower is because capital has already been taxed once at the corporate level, as high as 35 percent.”

Pelley followed up: “So you think it is fair?” ROMNEY: “Yeah, I think it's the right way to encourage economic growth, to get people to invest, to start businesses, to put people to work.”

Romney also declined to be specific once again about which offsets he’d target as president. He can’t say currently that his tax plan would be deficit-neutral because he has not outlined which specifics he’d go after. “The devil's in the details. The angel is in the policy, which is creating more jobs,” Romney contended.

Romney added this about being vague: “It's very much consistent with my experience as a governor which is, if you want to work together with people across the aisle, you lay out your principles and your policy, you work together with them, but you don't hand them a complete document and say, ‘Here, take this or leave it.’ Look, leadership is not a take it or leave it thing. We've seen too much of that in Washington.”

Romney also was asked if the government has “a responsibility to provide health care to the 50 million Americans who don't have it today.” He responded by saying, “Well, we do provide care for people who don't have insurance, people-- we-- if someone has a heart attack, they don't sit in their apartment and die. We pick them up in an ambulance, and take them to the hospital, and give them care. And different states have different ways of providing for that care.”

Pelley pointed out that that’s “the most expensive way to do it -- in an emergency room.”

Romney said, “Different, again, different states have different ways of doing that. Some provide that care through clinics. Some provide the care through emergency rooms. In my state, we found a solution that worked for my state. But I wouldn't take what we did in Massachusetts and say to Texas, ‘You've got to take the Massachusetts model.’”

Romney seemed to agree that emergency room care was the most expensive way to do it in 2007, when he derided “free riders” and likened emergency room care to a “form of socialism”: “When they show up at the hospital, they get care, they get free care, paid for by you and me. If that’s not a form of socialism, I don’t know what is. So my plan did something quite different. It said, you know what, if people can afford to buy insurance, if they can afford to buy insurance, or if they can afford to pay their own way, then they either buy the insurance or pay their own way but they no longer look to government to hand out free care.”

“Mitt Romney released a wealth of new information on Friday afternoon about his personal health and his financial holdings, capping a politically difficult week by returning the campaign to a topic that has dogged the candidacy of the Republican presidential nominee,” the Boston Globe writes.

MISSOURI: “Written off by many in his own party a mere month ago, Republican Rep. Todd Akin has been slowly rebuilding his Senate campaign after apologizing for inflammatory remarks about pregnancy and rape,” AP writes. “Now Akin is approaching a critical week that could determine whether his re-emerging campaign can gain enough momentum to put Missouri back in the battleground column as Republicans attempt to win control of the Senate from Democrats. Tuesday is the deadline for Akin to get a court order to drop his challenge of Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill. But Akin says he won’t do so. Instead, Akin plans to ramp up his campaign. He’s holding a fundraiser Monday with former Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich. He’s addressing a potentially influential group of pastors Tuesday morning. Then as the drop-out clock ticks down, he’s kicking off a statewide bus tour for his Senate bid that will include venerable conservative activist Phyllis Schlafly.”

MONTANA: “A new Mason-Dixon poll in Montana finds challenger Denny Rehberg (R) with a slight edge over Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT) in U.S. Senate race, 48% to 45%,” Political Wire writes.

DENVER-- A defiant Mitt Romney refused to concede he is running as an underdog in the crucial battleground states that define the presidential contest, and accused President Obama of distorting his positions and trying to "fool" the American people.

Brian Snyder / Reuters

Republican presidential candidate and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney speaks at a campaign rally in Denver, Colorado September 23, 2012.

Asked if he was now running as the underdog after a brutal two-week stretch of the campaign that included press accounts of infighting within his campaign, a leaked tape of him making controversial remarks at a fundraiser, and a slew of polls placing him slightly, but consistently behind President Obama in nearly every battleground state, Romney brushed off the question.

"I don’t pay a lot of attention to the day-to-day polls. They change a great deal," Romney said. "I know in the coming six weeks they’re very unlikely to remain where they are today. I’ll either go up or I’ll go down. It’s unlikely that we’ll just stay the same."

Pressed as to why those same polls showed him trailing in the various states - including Colorado, where he'll campaign Sunday night and Monday - Romney blamed President Obama's campaign for what he called "inaccurate" attack ads, which he complained mischaracterized his position on issues ranging from the auto bailout to abortion.

"They've been very aggressive in their attacks both on a personal basis and on a policy basis," Romney said. "I think as time goes on, people will realize that those attacks are not accurate and we'll be able to have a choice which is based upon each other’s accurate views for the country."

Later asked if he could win the upcoming October 3rd debate against President Obama, Romney returned to this vein, choosing not to answer the question directly, but to say that at least after the debates he could stop the president from trying to "fool people" into believing untrue things about him and his policy positions.

Recommended: Gingrich criticizes Romney-Ryan space plan

"I think the president will not be able to continue to mischaracterize my pathway, and so I’ll continue to describe mine, he will describe his, and people will make a choice. That’s the great thing about democracy. I’m not going to try to fool people into thinking he believes things he doesn’t. He’s trying to fool people into thinking that I think things that I don’t. And that ends at the debates," Romney said.

But Romney, who regularly complains about ads by the president's campaign that he says are false and should be taken down, has also had multiple ads by his own campaign rated false by independent fact checkers, including recent attacks on welfare reform, which remain on the air.

The former Massachusetts governor also addressed his languid public campaign schedule of late, which has focused largely on fundraising and debate prep, by again blaming the president for disregarding federal campaign matching funds in 2008 and again this presidential cycle, forcing him to do the same.

"He’s doing it again this time, so to be competitive it means a lot more fundraising than I think I would like," Romney said. "I’d far rather be spending my time out in the key swing states campaigning, door-to-door if necessary, but in rallies and various meetings, but fundraising is a part of politics when you’re opponent decides not to live by the federal spending limits."

Finally, as Romney landed in Denver, where in just 10 days he will face off with President Obama in the first of three presidential debates, Romney attempted to shift expectations of an outright victory toward something more modest.

"I can’t tell you winning and losing. I mean, he’s president of the United States, he’s a very effective speaker. I hope I’ll be able to describe my positions in a way that is accurate and the people will make a choice as to which path they want to choose," Romney said.

"I don't expect this to be a contest of who can say the cutest phrase, I think it's a contest of very different directions for the country," he added later.

Efrem Lukatsky / AP file

Newt Gingrich says Mitt Romney's space plan doesn't go far enough.

BELOIT, Wis. – One-time presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich, who promised during the GOP primary to create a U.S. moon colony if elected, criticized Mitt Romney’s plan for space exploration as not being “robust” enough.

“The Romney plan for space starts to move in the right direction but could be much more robust,” the former House speaker told NBC News a day after the Republican presidential nominee unveiled his “Securing U.S. Leadership in Space” plan. “We could move into space much, much faster than we are. Romney is better than [President] Obama on space but could be bolder and more visionary.”

Saturday, Romney’s running mate, Rep. Paul Ryan, laid out the campaign’s plan during a townhall meeting in Orlando, Fla., and accused President Barack Obama of “dismantling” America’s space program.

"We are near the Space Coast, I think it’s important that we have a space program that has a clear space mission, a space program that we know where we are heading in the future, and a space program that is the unequivocal leader on the planet in space travel and space research,” Ryan said at the University of Central Florida. “We don’t have that right now.”

The Wisconsin congressman continued: “Mitt Romney and I believe that America must lead in space. Mitt Romney and I believe we need a mission for NASA, a mission for a space program, and we also believe that this is an integral part of our national security.”

During the long Republican primary season, Gingrich regularly spoke about fixing the space program after the cancellation of American space shuttles.

Speaking in Cocoa, Fla., at the end of January, Gingrich vowed the United States would “have the first permanent base on the moon” and by the end of 2020 the country would have "the first continuous propulsion system in space" capable of allowing people travel to Mars.

Romney, whom Gingrich later endorsed for president after suspending his campaign in May, mocked the former House speaker for proposing a lunar colony during one of the several GOP debates earlier in the year.

"I spent 25 years in business. If I had a business executive come to me and say they wanted to spend a few hundred billion dollars to put a colony on the moon, I'd say, 'You're fired,'" Romney said at the debate in Jacksonville, Fla., co-hosted by CNN, the Republican Party of Florida and the Hispanic Leadership Network. "The idea that corporate America wants to go off to the moon and build a colony there, it may be a big idea, but it's not a good idea."

Under a President Romney administration, there would be four space priorities: focusing NASA, partnering internationally, strengthening security, and revitalizing industry.

The steps put forward by the Romney-Ryan ticket do not go far enough in Gingrich’s eyes.

“I was with Richard Branson in Yalta last week and his commitment to a dynamic private secure entrepreneurial model that works with innovators and risk-takers to put people into space inexpensively (compared to government rates) is a big example of the future,” Gingrich said in an email Sunday.

Branson, the entrepreneur and CEO of Virgin Airlines, is launching Branson's Virgin Galactic which will offer commercial space flights as the government closes down it’s space shuttle operations.

Andrew Innerarity / Reuters

Republican vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan waves to supporters while holding a cup of coffee during a campaign stop at a Cuban restaurant and coffee shop in Miami on Saturday.

BELOIT, Wis. -- Paul Ryan has been campaigning as Mitt Romney’s running mate for six weeks but it wasn't until this week that the Republican vice presidential nominee finally pulled out a tool from his own Wisconsin playbook: a PowerPoint presentation.

“I'm kind of a PowerPoint guy so I hope you'll bear with me,” the Wisconsin congressman and budget guru joked to a crowd full of supporters Saturday afternoon in Orlando, Fla.

Speaking on the campus of the University of Central Florida, the wonky Ryan used four different slides to help demonstrate the problems with the nation’s debt and how spending has changed under President Barack Obama.

Michael Steel, a spokesman for the Romney campaign, said the use of the presentation – which was displayed on two large television monitors inside a gymnasium – was “simply another tool to highlight President Obama's failed leadership."

But it’s also a staple of Ryan's campaigning for his seven terms in the United States Congress.

Ryan’s congressional re-election campaign spokesman, Kevin Seifert, told NBC News a PowerPoint presentation is “a staple of Congressman Ryan's townhall meetings” – which, Ryan himself pointed out, he has held more than 500 with his constituents over the years. Seifert added: “It is a great way to explain problems like the debt and deficits and always has spurred great discussion with constituents in the first congressional district.”

Florida politicians help Ryan woo Hispanics

After debuting the PowerPoint slides in Florida, Ryan went on to hold a nearly 30-minute question and answer town hall session with the couple thousand-person crowd.

This “new” prop comes just following reports casting Ryan as “mini-Mitt” -- that is, the Romney campaign had forced the congressman to follow the lead of the nominee, rather than letting him be himself. Plus, early Friday morning, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker publicly chided the Romney campaign for not “effectively” utilizing the GOP vice presidential nominee. But, Ryan told reporters, he is happy with his role.

“I feel really good about it [his role]. Look, I am doing the things I want to do,” he said Friday inside Walker’s Produce, a fruit stand in Lakeland, Fla. “Look at what we are doing, we are talking to local people, going around the country talking to local press. I am excited about my role. I feel very comfortable with it.”

The quick event, though, marked Ryan’s first retail drop-by since Aug. 25, when he stopped by the Puritan Backroom restaurant in Manchester, N.H., despite holding more than 50 events in the last month and a half.

In the lead-up to his VP selection, Ryan would answer questions from the press practically whenever reporters would have questions. In the month and half since being tapped on Aug. 11 to fill this new position, the congressman has yet to do a formal press conference. Friday, standing inside the fruit stand, was the first time Ryan has answered questions from the press on the ground (he has held two quick gaggles on board his press plane flying between states).

When the House Budget Committee chairman first joined Romney’s ticket in August, he was forced to align his views with his running mate noting “no two people agree on every single issue” and Romney is the top of the ticket.

But as the weeks go on, it appears Ryan is settling into his role as Romney’s number one surrogate on the campaign trail. Perhaps this weekend is the start of Ryan being allowed to insert more of himself into the ticket with just 44 days left before Election Day.

As it is sometimes said on the campaign trail, it is always good to “let Paul be Paul.”

In just over the last four days, almost $30 million has been booked in presidential campaign ads. Television and radio ad spending across the country now tops $634 million, according to data provided to First Read from ad-buying firm SMG Delta.

Team Romney (the campaign, RNC, and outside groups supporting him) has expanded its advantage, spending $340 million to Team Obama’s $293 million.

Team Obama had been outspending Team Romney in Florida, Ohio, and Virginia. But now President Obama and his supporters only have an edge in Ohio and Colorado.

Two more outside groups have emerged onto the presidential scene with ad buys -- Americans for Job Security and Secure America Now.

Americans for Job Security has booked $8.7 million in ads across six battleground states, including $2.3 million in Florida, $1.8 million in Ohio, $1.2 million in North Carolina, $1 million in Virginia and Colorado, and $494,000 in Iowa.

Secure America Now is spending $501,000 all in Florida – and mostly in Ft. Myers and West Palm Beach -- with an ad that uses Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu.  They also placed $80,000 on cable in Miami.

TD Ameritrade founder Joe Ricketts’ group Ending Spending, which played in the primary, is pledging to spend $10 million on the race, the Wall Street Journal reported, but the bookings for those ads have not come across yet, according to SMG Delta.

Outside spending accounts $277 million, about 44 percent of the total – 80 percent of that money ($222 million) has gone to support Mitt Romney.

About 19 percent of the money supporting President Obama has come from outside groups ($55 million) whereas 65 percent of the money going to support Romney is from outside groups.

Here’s how the groups breakdown:

Obama $238,701,379
Romney $99,625,191
Crossroads GPS $60,772,380
American Crossroads $50,926,768
Priorities USA $49,494,474
AFP $46,469,165
Restore $43,421,505
RNC $18,703,104* (the RNC is not included in “outside spending” or as part of the campaign)
Americans for Job Security $8,667,287
CWA $4,783,656
American Future Fund $4,342,414
American Energy Alliance $2,491,572
SEIU $2,497,313
Planned Parenthood $1,447,734
Priorities/LCV $979,048
Secure America Now $501,533
MoveOn $166,891
Numbers USA $115,051

State spending:

FL $129,321,118
Team Romney $66,795,363
Team Obama $62,525,755

OH $122,485,400
Team Romney $58,399,632
Team Obama $64,085,768

VA $95,822,376
Team Romney $51,067,330
Team Obama $44,755,046

NC $59,960,865
Team Romney $37,855,010
Team Obama $22,105,855

CO $59,473,276
Team Romney $29,487,016
Team Obama $29,986,260

IA $48,612,965
Team Romney $25,319,350
Team Obama $23,293,615

NV $39,443,154
Team Romney $20,940,206
Team Obama $18,502,948

NH $28,415,277
Team Romney $14,355,976
Team Obama $14,059,301

PA $19,254,062
Team Romney $11,155,036
Team Obama $8,099,026

WI $16,931,285
Team Romney $11,282,307
Team Obama $5,648,978

MI $5,904,984
Team Romney $5,894,469
Team Obama $10,515

MN $3,146,098
Team Romney $3,146,098
Team Obama $0

LAS VEGAS, Nev. -- A plane carrying Ann Romney, wife of Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, was forced to make an emergency landing in Denver Friday after smoke began to fill the plane midflight.

Campaign aides said the plane landed safely at Denver International Airport, and there were no reports of any injuries. An electrical fire was the suspected cause of the smoke.

Listen to the LiveATC.net cockpit recording about smoke in the cabin

Mrs. Romney was en route from Omaha, Neb., to Santa Monica, Calif., on a chartered Canadair Challenger 601 when the smoke forced an emergency landing. She spoke with Gov. Romney, who was campaigning in Las Vegas at the time, by phone shortly after landing. 

An earlier version of this post referred to the plane Mrs. Romney was on as a regional jet. The Federal Aviation Administration advises it is not considered a regional jet.

HANOVER, NH -- Vice President Joe Biden on Friday called Mitt Romney's characterization of the American electorate during a spring fundraiser "profoundly wrong" and declared "this is not a country of victims."

Listing off a series of typical Americans who benefit from government aid -- an elderly widow on Social Security, a veteran now in college because of GI Bill, or a working couple who receive a child care credit -- Biden accused Romney of labeling hard-working Americans as "dependent."

"He thinks all these folks, he thinks these folks believe they’re entitled.  That they’ve become dependent, they see themselves as victims who wont take responsibility for their own lives," Biden said, raising his voice before a crowd of 1,300 at Dartmouth College. "How could he be so profoundly wrong about America.  How is that possible? Not in my neighborhood. Not where I grew up.  Not the people I know."

Quoting his father, Biden won cheers for professing that the majority of Americans agree with the sentiment that "I don’t expect the government to solve my problems, but at least it’s got to understand my problems."

On Monday, Mother Jones published the secretly recorded video of a May fundraiser at which Romney lamented the "47 percent" of Americans who support Obama because they "who are dependent upon government."

Earlier this week in Iowa, Biden declined to answer reporters' questions about the controversial video at least three times, saying only that he would "let his words speak for themselves." But the vice president did not hold his fire Friday as he kicked off a two day tour of New Hampshire, telling college students that "this is not a country of victims." 

Ryan Williams, a spokesman for the Romney campaign, responded in a statement: "Mitt Romney will be a president for 100 percent of Americans, with a plan for a stronger middle class that adds millions of jobs, get our economy growing, and results in more upward mobility, not government dependence."

On Friday, Biden also hit his GOP counterparts on education, saying that the budget backed by Romney running mate Paul Ryan would "eviscerate" education programs. 

"It will literally mortgage the future of this great country at this moment of incredible international competition," he said. 

Biden's pitch for Democrats' education initiatives wasn't the only instance of the collegiate atmosphere at the outdoor rally on Dartmouth's campus, which sparkled under a picture-pefect autumn afternoon.

At the beginning of the rally, Dr. Jill Biden, the vice president's wife, earnestly professed to the crowd in her introduction of her husband that she has "seen Joe up close."

That comment - interpreted as a double entendre by the young crowd, fostered an eruption of giggles that crescendoed as she continued on to praise his "big strong heart."

"It's in my remarks, really!" she added laughingly as her husband beamed.

"I want you all to know that the only reason I hang around is so she can see me up close," Biden joked as he took the podium, resulting in a fresh wave of snickers. "You can tell you're on a college campus, man."

The House adjourned Friday at its earliest date before an election, finishing legislative business 46 days before Election Day.

Kansas Rep. Kevin Yoder (R) gaveled out the day’s last vote at 12:12 p.m. on Friday afternoon, marking a historic moment for the House of Representatives, which has not adjourned this early before an election in over 50 years.

All told, lawmakers gathered for a grand total of eight legislative days since leaving for their annual summer break in early August. Those eight days all took place this month, following the Republican and Democratic National Conventions.

House members leave Washington with major business left unfinished, too. No progress was made on undoing the so-called “fiscal cliff,” the combination of automatic spending cuts and tax hikes set to spring into place in January. And lawmakers went home to campaign for re-election without having resolved their differences to pass a farm bill.

The historic nature of the adjournment was not lost on House Democrats, who held an event to chastise Republicans for "cutting and running" in the face of some of the largest economic issues facing our country in decades.

"This is simply irresponsible, and Republicans ought to come back and finish their work, not cut and run and walk away from the American people," House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-MD) said at the event, "Shame on them, shame on them for abandoning our farmers, our economy, and families that need us to act."

The harsh reality of adjourning today is that Congress will have more work to do during its lame duck session – the time between an election and the inauguration of the next Congress – than in any post-election session in recent history.  The laundry list of items that needs to be dealt with has been deemed the "fiscal cliff," simply because if Congress does not act the US economy will likely plunge back into recession according to most economists.

Included in the items that Congress needs to act on is the Bush-era tax cuts, which are scheduled to expire at the end of the year.  Congress also needs to decide what to do about automatic, across-the-board, cuts that are scheduled to take place on January 2nd as a result of the failure of the supercommittee. 

Congress will also need to pass a farm bill before year's end, and lawmakers will have to decide whether they want to extend the payroll tax cut for another year, even though all indications are that they will let that expire.

But instead of dealing with these issues before the November elections, there has been no tangible toward compromise by either side, and Republicans in the House have been focusing more on messaging bills that they can cite while campaigning back home in their districts.

Among those messaging bills was a Republican resolution passed Thursday to condemn what they allege is President Obama’s waiver of welfare reform’s work requirements. Even Republican vice presidential nominee Rep Paul Ryan (R-WI) made it back to vote for the resolution, which was based on a dubious claim about the nature of the waiver authorized by Obama.

Rep John Larson (D-CT) cited the bill as an example of the Republicans "cutting and running."

"The only requirement for work is that Republicans stay here and work instead of cutting and running," Larson said.

To that end, between August, September, and October of this year, the House will have only been in session a total of 12 days.

While those three months of the year typically carry a smaller workload during election years (House members need to campaign every two years to hold onto their jobs), the 12 legislative days the House is in session during that three-month period is less than that same period in any other presidential election year in over three decades. 

Comparing it to recent history, the 12 days in 2012 is less than the 19 days the House was in session during those same three months in 2008 (during which the financial crisis resulted in more days than were previously scheduled), and the 20 days it was in session during that same time in 2004.

DAYS IN SESSION DURING PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION YEARS (AUGUST, SEPTEMBER, OCTOBER)

2012 (scheduled):

• August - 4
• September - 8
• October - 0
• TOTAL - 12

2008:

• August - 1
• September - 16
• October - 2
• TOTAL - 19

2004:

• August - 0
• September - 14
• October - 6
• TOTAL - 20

House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) defended the schedule on Friday, citing the passage of Republican bills to extend all of the Bush-era tax cuts, and a bill to rework the automatic defense cuts, as examples of how Republicans are passing legislation that the Senate refuses to consider.

"We have done our work, but here Senate Democrats and a President, where is their responsibility?" Boehner said, "Where is their leadership? It just doesn't exist."

House Democratic leaders sent Boehner a letter on Thursday asking the speaker to cancel the adjournment so they could address the fiscal cliff, saying leaving DC "would be a dereliction of our duty to lead; it does not honor our responsibility to the American people."

Boehner turned the letter back against Senate Democrats, repeating a common refrain in the political game of ping-pong in which both sides blame the other house of Congress for their inability to act.

"When you think about the letter that they sent to me, about us not doing our work, how about the 40 jobs bills that are sitting in the United States Senate," Boehner said today.

The back and forth, which leads to nothing getting done, has taken its toll on Congress as a whole.  Recent approval ratings for Congress float just above 10 percent, and members are going back to their constituents knowing they have sent fewer bills to the President's desk than any Congress since World War II.

Currently, the House is scheduled to return to work on Nov. 13, with 12 legislative days on the calendar before the end of the year.  Fewer than two weeks of work could be an impossibly short amount of time to finish addressing so many issues, considering the supercommittee failed to reach a consensus after almost four months of negotiations.

Election Day may be Nov. 6th, but with President Obama grabbing a lead nationally and in key swing states, Americans are already starting to vote.

Idaho, South Dakota, and the crucial swing state of Virginia are the first states to begin early, in-person voting today.

Also today, absentee voting begins in Minnesota, West Virginia, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Georgia, Arkansas, Idaho, and Maryland, bringing the total number of states already accepting ballots to 13. Twelve others -- South Carolina, New Jersey, Maine, Michigan, Mississippi, New Hampshire, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Delaware, Louisiana, and Missouri -- will begin absentee or early voting Saturday.

That means, by tomorrow, half the country will be casting votes. By the end of the month, voters in 30 states will be voting already.

More than one-in-three voters – more than 46 million people -- is expected to vote early in 2012 in some form, either in person, by mail, or absentee, according to Dr. Michael McDonald, a professor at George Mason University who studies voter behavior.

“Once you turn up the faucet on early voting, you keep turning it up until it’s all the way open,” said McDonald, who predicts that 35 percent will vote early this year.

Early voting participation has been on the rise in recent election cycles, hitting an all-time high in 2008, when an estimated 30 percent voted early in the presidential election. That was up significantly from 2004, when slightly more than 20 percent cast their ballots ahead of Election Day.

Early voting can, and often does, mean different things in different states.

In 32 states and Washington, D.C., voters can cast their ballots early, in person without any excuse or reason, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

In 21 states, like Virginia, voters can vote absentee, but an excuse is required. Some of the acceptable excuses listed on the Virginia absentee ballot application include commuting for 11 or more hours between 6 a.m. and 7 p.m. on Election Day, being away from home due to personal or business travel, or being a student. 

States like Connecticut and New Hampshire do not have early, in-person voting, but do allow voters to return their absentee ballots in person to election officials.

Oregon and Washington State are exclusively vote-by-mail. In 2008, 100 percent of Oregon voters voted by mail or dropped their ballots in boxes at designated locations on Election Day. Washington has been adopting vote-by-mail, county-by-county since 1994, but, in 2011, it went completely by mail.

Colorado has also been moving to vote-by-mail, and, in 2008, four-in-five Coloradans voted that way.

Controversial changes in Florida and Ohio

Early voting laws in several states have also changed in the past four years – and not without controversy, particularly in Florida and Ohio.

In Florida, a state where half of its voters voted early in 2008, the number of days for early, in-person voting has been reduced from 14 to eight (HB 1355) – and voting on the Sunday before the election was eliminated.

Republicans control the governorship and the state legislature, and Democrats have cried foul, especially about the elimination of the Sunday voting. Black churches in particular have made it a point of mobilizing on that day in what’s known as “Souls to the Polls.”

Five of Florida’s 67 counties fall under a national voter-rights law that mandates approval of any changes to election laws by the Department of Justice because of a history of racial discrimination.

The Justice Department approved the measure on the condition that the state keep the early, in-person polling centers in those counties open 12 hours each day, which is the maximum allowed by the state’s constitution.

In July, the Obama campaign filed a lawsuit against Ohio Secretary of State John Husted regarding changes in the state’s early, in-person voting policies.

Legislation, passed in 2011 (HB 194) by a GOP-controlled legislature and signed by a Republican governor, shortened the early, in-person voting period from beginning 35 days before the election to starting 21 days prior.

The legislation also included a provision ending early, in-person voting three days prior to the election for everyone except members of the military. Pressure from local voter’s rights coalitions prompted the legislature to repeal parts of its new voting laws. Senate Bill 295 was passed to repeal specific parts of HB 194, but left intact the provision ending early in-person voting three days prior to the start of the election for everyone except members of the military.

The Obama campaign argued this new law was unfair and violated the equal-protection clause of the constitution. A federal court agreed and ordered the state to restore the three days of early, in-person voting for all voters.

In 2008, Democrats dominated early voting. This time around, McDonald said, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney's campaign and Republicans are making a concerted effort to mobilize early voters as well.

“2012 is not going to be 2008,” McDonald said, “so we should expect to see more parity among partisan profiles of early voters.”

Here’s the full calendar of when voting starts in each state:

September:

Sept. 6: North Carolina: Absentee, ends Nov. 6 

Sept. 17:
Kentucky: Absentee, ends Nov. 6
Indiana: Absentee, ends Nov. 6 

Sept. 20:
Wisconsin: Absentee, ends Nov. 6

Sept. 21:
West Virginia: Absentee, ends Nov. 6
Oklahoma: Absentee, ends Nov. 6
South Dakota: Absentee, ends Nov. 6
Georgia: Absentee, ends Nov. 6
Arkansas: Absentee, ends Nov. 6
Idaho: Absentee, ends Nov. 2
Maryland: Absentee, ends Nov. 6
Minnesota: Absentee begins 

Sept. 22:
South Carolina: Absentee, ends Nov. 6
New Jersey: Absentee, ends Nov. 6
Maine: Absentee, ends Nov. 6
Michigan: Absentee, ends Nov. 6
Mississippi: Absentee, ends Nov. 6  
New Hampshire: Absentee, ends Nov. 6   
Tennessee: Absentee, ends Nov. 6
Texas: Absentee, ends Nov. 6
Vermont: Absentee, ends Nov. 6; Early in-person, ends Nov. 5
Delaware: Absentee, ends Nov. 6
Virginia: Absentee, ends Nov. 6  
Louisiana: Absentee, ends Nov. 6  
Missouri: Absentee, ends Nov. 6    

Sept. 27:
Alabama: Absentee, ends Nov. 5
Wyoming: Absentee, ends Nov. 6; Early in-person, ends Nov. 5
North Dakota: Absentee, ends Nov. 5
Iowa: Absentee, ends Nov. 5; Early in-person, ends Nov.5
Illinois: Absentee, ends Nov. 5

October

Oct. 1:
Washington, DC: Absentee, ends Nov 6
Nebraska: Absentee, ends Nov. 6; Early in-person, ends Nov. 5

October 2:
New York: Absentee, ends Nov. 5
Ohio: Absentee, ends Nov. 5; Early in-person, ends Nov. 2* (Secretary of State's website still lists ending Nov. 2, but the court decision would indicate that it would be extended through Election Day.)
Florida: Absentee, ends Nov. 6

Oct. 5:
Connecticut: Absentee, ends Nov. 6

Oct. 8:
California: Absentee, ends Nov. 6; Early in-person, ends Nov.5 

Oct. 9:
Indiana: Early in-person, ends Nov. 5
Rhode Island: Absentee, ends Nov. 6
New Mexico: Absentee, ends Nov. 6
Montana: Absentee, ends Nov. 6
Utah: Absentee, ends Nov. 6 

Oct. 11: Arizona: Absentee, ends Nov. 6; Early in-person, ends Nov. 2

Oct. 12: Alaska: Absentee, ends Nov. 6

Oct. 15:
Colorado: Absentee, ends Nov. 6
Georgia: Early in-person, ends Nov.2 

Oct. 16:
Massachusetts: Absentee; ends Nov. 6

Oct. 17:
Kansas: Absentee, ends Nov. 6; Early in-person, ends Nov. 5
Nevada: Absentee, ends Nov. 6
Hawaii: Absentee, ends Nov. 6
Tennessee: Early in-person, ends Nov.1
Oct. 18: North Carolina: Early in-person, ends Nov. 3

Oct. 19: 
Oregon: Absentee, ends Nov. 6
Washington: Absentee, ends Nov. 6

Oct. 20:
Nevada: Early in-person, ends Nov. 2
New Mexico: Early in-person, ends Nov. 3 

Oct. 22:
Alaska: Early in-person, ends Nov. 5
Arkansas: Early in-person, ends Nov. 5
Illinois: Early in-person, ends Nov. 3
North Dakota: Early in-person, ends Nov. 5
Colorado: Early in-person, ends Nov. 2
Washington D.C.: Early in-person, Nov. 3  
Texas: Early in-person, ends Nov. 2
Wisconsin: Early in-person, ends Nov. 2

Oct. 23:
Utah: Early in-person, ends Nov. 2
Hawaii: Early in-person, ends Nov. 3
Louisiana: Early in-person, ends Nov. 30
Pennsylvania: Absentee, ends Nov. 6 

Oct. 24:
West Virginia: Early in-person, ends Nov. 3   

Oct. 27:
Maryland: Early in-person, ends Nov. 1
Florida: Early in-person, ends Nov. 3 

November

Nov. 2:
Oklahoma: Early in-person, ends Nov. 5

SOURCE: Early Voting Information Center at Reed College

Video by NBC's Jordan Frasier.

Video edited by NBC's Matt Loffman.

NEW ORLEANS -- Republican vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan received boos as he addressed the AARP convention here on Friday -- perhaps his most unfriendly welcome on the 2012 campaign trail.
 
Several members of the “Life@50+” Annual Convention crowd booed loudly as Ryan began remarks proclaiming, “Seniors are threatened by Obamacare.”
 
“The first step to a stronger Medicare is to repeal Obamacare, because it represents the worst of both worlds,” Ryan went on as members continued to shout. “It weakens Medicare for today’s seniors and puts it at risk for the next generation. First, it funnels $716 billion out of Medicare to pay for a new entitlement we didn’t even ask for. Second, it puts 15 unelected bureaucrats in charge of Medicare’s future.”
 
Throughout the Wisconsin congressman’s nearly 30-minute speech, he rarely received applause and instead heard people yell “You lie!” and “No!” to many of his claims of what he and his running mate, Mitt Romney, would do if they make it to the White House.

Bill Haber / AP

Republican vice presidential candidate, Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., appears at the AARP convention in Friday, Sept. 21, 2012.

Recommended: Obama's battleground advantage grows

The last time Ryan came close to getting this kind of a reception from a crowd was during his very first solo campaign event -- on Aug. 13 -- when he spoke at the Iowa State Fair.

Ryan's speech came immediately after President Barack Obama spoke -- via satellite -- to the same AARP convention, knocking the Romney-Ryan plan to overhaul Medicare.

“I don’t consider this approach bold or particularly courageous,” Obama said, per the Washington Post. “I just think it’s a bad idea. No American should spend their golden years at the mercy of insurance companies.”

The Romney-Ryan plan would transform Medicare by giving future seniors a payment -- Democrats call it a "voucher," Republicans call it "premium support" -- to purchase private insurance or to gain access to traditional Medicare.
 
Yet Ryan countered by giving one of his most in-depth descriptions of the GOP's plans to change Medicare, and he did it as he was joined by his 78-year old mother, Betty, at the conference.
 
“In order to save Medicare for future generations, we propose putting 50 million seniors, not 15 unaccountable bureaucrats, in charge of their own health-care decisions,” he said, drawing some of the only applause of the speech.

Carolyn Kaster / AP

President Barack Obama speaks at a campaign event at G. Richard Pfitzner Stadium, Friday, Sept. 21, 2012, in Woodbridge, Va.

President Barack Obama struck back Friday at Mitt Romney's attempt to cast himself as a candidate of "change" as well as the GOP nominee's surreptitiously-recorded comments at a fundraiser earlier this year.

The president delivered some of his most forceful criticism of Romney at a campaign rally in northern Virginia, seizing on Romney's secretly videotaped remarks that he was not looking to appeal to 47 percent of the country.

“The values we believe in don't just belong to workers or businesses, the 53 percent or the 47 percent, the rich or the poor, the 1 percent, the 99 percent -- these are Americans values. They belong to all of us!” Obama said to a cheering crowd of 12,000 at a minor-league baseball stadium in Woodbridge, Virginia.

Obama also noted as a point of contrast that he happened to lose, as a matter of coincidence, 47 percent of the vote in the 2008 election, but still looked to lead as president those Americans who did not vote for him.

“In 2008 47 percent of the country didn't vote for me. But on the night of the election I said to all those Americans, I may not have won your vote but I hear your voices, I need your help and I will be your president,” he said.

“And for everybody who's watching or anybody here who's still undecided, I don't know how many people are going to vote for me this time around, but I'm telling the American people, I will be fighting for you no matter what,” he continued.

The president also took issue in Woodbridge with Romney’s statement during the fundraiser that that 47 percent of voters, who don’t pay income taxes and may be on government assistance, are “victims.”

“I don't see a lot of victims in this crowd today,” he said. “I see hard-working Virginians.”

Recommended: Obama's battleground advantage grows

Obama also struck back on Romney’s criticism Thursday after Obama, speaking at a Univision town hall that day, said he realized after taking office that “you can’t change Washington from the inside.”

At a rally in Sarasota, Florida, shortly after Obama finished his town hall, Romney retooled his stump speech to include this criticism: “The president today threw in the white flag of surrender again. He said he can’t change Washington from inside, he can only change it from outside. Well, we’re going to give him that chance in November. He’s going outside!”

“I can change Washington, I will change Washington, we’ll get the job done from the inside,” Romney continued.

Friday, Obama turned Romney’s words against him, mocking him for getting “really excited” about the remark and rewriting his speech.

“He stood up at a rally. Proudly declared: I'll get the job done from the inside,” Obama said. “What kind of inside job is he talking about?”

Later, he repeated the charge: “We don't want an inside job in Washington. We want change in Washington!”

House Speaker John Boehner suggested Friday that Mitt Romney's difficulties in Ohio might be attributable, ironically, to the success of the state's Republican governor.

Boehner, the Republican from southwestern Ohio, praised the work Gov. John Kasich, who has presided over a decreasing unemployment rate in the Buckeye State (though that's partly attributable to a shrinking labor force).

Recommended: Obama's battleground advantage grows

But the speaker suggested, too, that Obama might be benefitting in the key swing state of Ohio from perceptions that the economy has improved.

"One of the things that probably works against Romney in Ohio is that Governor Kasich has done such a good job of fixing government regulations in the state, attracting new businesses in the state so our unemployment in Ohio is lower than the national average," Boehner said in response to a question from NBC News at his press conference on Capitol Hill.

"As a matter of fact, I think it's a full point lower so as a result people are still concerned about the economy and jobs in Ohio but it certainly isn't like what you see in some other places," the speaker added.

Obama led Romney, 50 to 43 percent, among likely voters in Ohio in last week's NBC News-Marist-Wall Street Journal poll.

Obama’s edge grows in NBC battleground map… 243 EVs in Obama’s column, 191 in Romney’s, and 104 in Toss-up category… NBC/WSJ/Marist polls of CO, IA, and WI provide evidence of the past week taking a toll on Romney… Romney’s lost week… Get this: By tomorrow, voters in 25 states will already be casting ballots… Obama stumps in VA, while Romney is in NV… And “Meet” has Kelly Ayotte and Deval Patrick.

*** Obama’s battleground edge grows: In NBC's first battleground map since the conventions and a slew of new state polling, President Obama has expanded his electoral-vote lead over Mitt Romney -- but only slightly. There are now 243 electoral votes in Obama’s column and 191 in Romney’s, with 104 in the Toss-up category; 270 are needed to win the presidency. Last month, before the conventions, the president was ahead 237-191. The one change: We've moved Iowa from Toss-up to Lean Obama based on our new NBC/WSJ/Marist polls and our conversations with the campaigns. Perhaps in no other state outside of Ohio and Virginia has Obama done more physical campaigning than in Iowa, and it appears to have paid off. Since April, he’s made seven visits and held 15 different events in the state, compared with Romney’s seven visits but just seven events. Re-read the comparison again -- this is a regular discrepancy between the Obama and Romney campaigns. The president packs in a lot more events, on average, when he visits a battleground state than Romney does.

Kevin Lamarque / Reuters

President Barack Obama takes part in a town hall hosted by Univision at the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida September 20, 2012.

Solid Dem (no chance at flip): DC, DE, HI, ME (3 EVs) MD, MA, NY, RI, VT (70 electoral votes)
Likely Dem (takes a landslide to flip): CA, CT, IL, WA (94)
Lean Dem: IA, ME (1 EV) MI, MN, NJ, NM, OR, PA (79)
Toss-up: CO, FL, NV, NH, NC, OH, VA, WI (104)
Lean GOP: AZ, GA, IN, MO, NE (I EV) (49)
Likely GOP (takes a landslide to flip): AL, LA, MS, MT, ND, SC, SD, TX (79)
Solid GOP (no chance at flip): AK, AR, ID, KS, KY, NE (4 EVs) OK, TN, UT, WV, WY (63)

*** Evidence of the past week taking a toll on Romney: Speaking of our NBC/WSJ/Marist surveys, we released results from three more states last night: In both Colorado and Wisconsin, Obama is ahead by five points among likely voters, 50%-45%. And in Iowa, the president’s edge over Romney is eight, 50%-42%. These new polls -- conducted after the political firestorm over those U.S. embassy attacks and during the release of that video showing Romney talking about the “47%” -- show the toll the last week has taken on Romney. A plurality of likely voters view the GOP presidential nominee in a negative light in all three states. In Colorado, his fav/unfav is 43%-46%; in Iowa, it’s 42%-50%; and in Wisconsin, it’s 43%-46%. By contrast, out of last week’s three NBC/WSJ/Marist polls in Florida, Ohio, and Virginia, just one of them (Ohio) found Romney with an under-water fav/unfav. Meanwhile, Obama’s fav/unfav scores in Colorado (51%-45%), Iowa (53%-42%), and Wisconsin (51%-44%) are all above water and more importantly above 50%. By the way, do note that favorable ratings, job ratings, and ballot tests are all starting to converge.  

*** Other findings in our polls: According to these new polls, Obama and Romney are essentially tied on the question of which candidate would do a better job in handling the economy, which our recent national NBC/WSJ poll also found… In Colorado, Obama is leading Romney among Latinos by 50 points, 73%-23% (that’s right over 70% among Latinos)... In Paul Ryan’s home state of Wisconsin, his fav/unfav rating (49%-40%) is about as high as Obama’s (51%-44%), and the Romney-Ryan ticket leads Obama-Biden in Ryan’s congressional district, 52%-46%... And also in Wisconsin, it’s very close in that competitive Senate contest, with Tammy Baldwin (D) getting 48% among likely voters and Tommy Thompson (R) getting 46%. This result continues a trend we’ve seen in other Wisconsin polling: Baldwin’s trajectory is up, Thompson’s down.

*** Romney’s lost week: The Romney campaign began this week by rolling a new message tied to two new TV ads that were as good as the campaign had released in weeks, but the fallout over the “47%” video blew all of that up. In fact, it found itself on the defensive for at least two days. The campaign tried to regroup by changing the subject to that “redistribution” hit on Obama (which didn’t include Obama’s comments about competition and the marketplace). And yesterday, it seized on Obama’s remarks that “you can’t change Washington from the inside; you can only change it from the outside.” Romney quickly fired back while on the stump yesterday in Florida, per NBC’s Garrett Haake: “He said he can’t change Washington from inside. He can only change it from outside. Well, we’re going to give him that chance in November. He’s going outside!” But here’s the situation in which Romney and his campaign find themselves: They’re stuck chasing news cycles, and chasing news cycles is a vicious cycle -- it’s tough to get out of, especially late in a campaign. The week began with seven weeks to go; now we move to six weeks.

*** Which states are already voting? Per NBC’s Kyle Inskeep, Idaho and South Dakota today are the first states to begin early-in-person voting. Also today, absentee voting begins in Minnesota, West Virginia, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Georgia, Arkansas, Idaho, and Maryland. This brings the total number of states already accepting ballots to 12. Thirteen additional states (South Carolina, New Jersey, Maine, Michigan, Mississippi, New Hampshire, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Delaware, Virginia, Louisiana, and Missouri) will begin absentee or early voting on Saturday. So by tomorrow, half the country will be casting votes (battleground states in bold): AR, DE, GA, ID, IN, KY, LA, ME, MD, MI, MN, MO, MS, NH, NJ, NC, OK, SC, SD, TN, TX, VT, VA, WV, WI.

*** Here’s rundown on all the latest polls:
National:
Reason-Rupe/Princeton Survey: Obama 52%-45%
Allstate/National Journal: Obama 50%-43%

State:
IA: NBC/WSJ/Marist: Obama 50%-42%
CO: NBC/WSJ/Marist: Obama 50%-45%
WI: NBC/WSJ/Marist: Obama 50%-45%
MI: Detroit News/WDIV/Glengariff: Obama 52%-38%
NV: CNN/ORC: Obama 49-46%

*** On the trail: Obama stumps in Woodbridge, VA at 12:45 pm ET, and before that he addresses the AARP via satellite at 11:45 am ET… Paul Ryan speaks to the AARP conference, in person, that takes place in New Orleans… Romney holds a rally in Las Vegas at 5:00 pm… And Biden and his wife campaign in New Hampshire.

*** Previewing Ryan’s AARP speech: Per excerpts of his remarks, Ryan will say this about Medicare to the AARP: "The first step to a stronger Medicare is to repeal Obamacare, because it represents the worst of both worlds. It weakens Medicare for today’s seniors and puts it at risk for the next generation. First, it funnels $716 billion out of Medicare to pay for a new entitlement we didn’t even ask for. Second, it puts 15 unelected bureaucrats in charge of Medicare’s future." And Ryan will add, "Now, in order to save Medicare for future generations, we propose putting 50 million seniors, not 15 unaccountable bureaucrats, in charge of their own health-care decisions. Our plan empowers future seniors to choose the coverage that works best for them from a list of plans that are required to offer at least the same level of benefits as traditional Medicare.  This financial support system is designed to guarantee that seniors can always afford Medicare coverage -- no exceptions.  And if a senior wants to choose the traditional Medicare plan, then she will have that right.

*** On “Meet” this Sunday: NBC’s David Gregory interviews Sen. Kelly Ayotte (surrogate for Romney) and Gov. Deval Patrick (surrogate for Obama).

Countdown to 1^st presidential debate: 12 days
Countdown to VP debate: 20 days
Countdown to 2^nd presidential debate: 25 days
Countdown to 3^rd presidential debate: 31 days
Countdown to Election Day: 46 days

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