HOUSTON -- The same audience that booed Mitt Romney yesterday chided Vice President Joe Biden today, but only for ending a laundry list of the Obama administration's accomplishments.

When Biden said he was wrapping up these accomplishments, the audience of a few thousand delegates at the NAACP's annual convention shouted "No!" -- capping off a warmly received address, which warned that a Romney presidency would mean voter suppression, health care "controlled by the insurance companies," and tax hikes on millions of African American families.

Pat Sullivan / AP

Vice President Joe Biden addresses the NAACP annual convention, Thursday, July 12, 2012, in Houston.

Biden, who spoke in lieu of an address from the first black president himself, urged delegates to envision the Justice Department under a Romney administration and warned that advances in civil rights would be erased if Republicans prevail in November.

"Imagine what the Romney Justice Department will look like. Imagine when his senior adviser on constitutional issues is Robert Bork," Biden said, invoking the conservative Supreme Court nominee he famously battled against in the Senate. "Imagine the recommendations for who is likely to be picked as attorney general."

"Did you think we'd be fighting these battles again?" Biden asked.

Eric Holder, the first African American to hold the position as the nation's top law enforcement officer, spoke to the group earlier this week. Biden said that Holder and the president - unlike Republicans - want voting rights to be "expanded not diminished."

Citing Romney's proposed elimination of some tax breaks as a part of his fiscal plan, Biden claimed that a Romney presidency would result in bigger checks to the IRS out of African Americans' wallets.

"He eliminates college tuition tax credit. The earned income tax credit and the child tax credit are cut," Biden said. "The result: 2.2 million African Americans working families will see a tax increase if he succeeds. That's a fact."

Obama did not address the group due to scheduling concerns, according to the campaign, although he has no public events today. The president did appear in the form of a taped video before Biden's speech.

The large convention center ballroom was only about two-thirds full for Biden's speech. Organizers blamed the empty seats on early morning flash flooding that affected delegates' transportation to the event venue.

Attendees praised both Biden and Romney for addressing the mostly Democratic-leaning organization.

"It was a family affair, a family connection," said community development officer Alan Watkins of Houston, who said he did not fault Obama for not appearing in person. "I completely understand that the president is busy, The fact that he sent his next person in line was great."

Charles Warfield, an NAACP chapter president for Kalamazoo, Mich., said that Biden served as an effective emissary precisely because he is not African-American.

"He probably was a better choice for this convention because it would have made Barack look like, because he's black and we're black that we are in sync with everything," Warfield said. "But Vice President Biden hit every nail on the head."

Warfield lauded Romney for speaking to the group yesterday, despite broadly disagreeing with the GOP presidential nominee's agenda.

That sentiment was echoed by Marcus Barnum, a Houston financial adviser.

"I applaud his effort coming to an event such as this, because we need to hear from him," Barnum said. "I think it's important for him to try to win our vote as well."

NASVHILLE, Tenn. -- On the same day that the nation's high court upheld President Obama's health-care legislation, First Lady Michelle Obama told black churchgoers in Nashville that the black community's legal fights for justice continue long after the Civil Rights era. 

"The connection between our laws and our lives isn't always as clear as it was 50 years or 150 years ago," Mrs. Obama told thousands of members of the African Methodist Episcopal Church at their quadrennial conference in Nashville. "And, as a result, it's sometimes easy to assume that the battles in our courts and legislatures have all been won."

The first lady urged the audience to begin by addressing issues like their children's education and health with responsible parenting, but she added that civic engagement remains an important part of the equation. 

"But while we certainly need to start at home," she said, "we all know that we canot stop there because the fact is that our laws still matter."

Mrs. Obama did not directly mention the issue of health care in her speech -- or today's 5-4 ruling in favor of the health law's requirement that most Americans buy insurance.

But, later in the day, at another event in Memphis, Obama directly addressed the Supreme Court case:

“When it comes to healthcare, please, please tell people about the historic reform this president passed,” she said. “Tell them that today’s Supreme Court  decision was truly a victory for families all across this country. ... Because of this reform, help them understand that insurance companies will have to cover preventative care for things like contraception, cancer screening, prenatal care... Insurance companies will no longer be able to cap your coverage because you’re 'too sick' … (or) deny you coverage just because you have a preexisting condition."

During her speech here, she referenced civil rights battles that were won in dramatic court cases like Brown v. Board of Education. Today's fights, she said, are far less clear than that landmark 1954 court victory to end segregation. 

"What about all those kids growing up in neighborhoods where they don't feel safe, kids who never have opportunities worthy of their promise," she asked. "What court case do we bring on their behalf? What laws do we pass for them?" 

About 10,000 participants were on hand for the First Lady's address, which included some teasing of those who might shy away from talking politics at the churches that anchor their communities. 

"To anyone who says that church is no place to talk about these issues," she said, "you tell them there is no place better, because ultimately these are not just political issues, they are moral issues." 

Then-Sen. Barack Obama addressed the same conference during his presidential campaign in 2008. 

The first lady's remarks Thursday included frequent references to black leaders who she said paved the way for her husband's historic ascent to the presidency. She referenced the story of a son of an African American White House staffer who asked the president if his hair felt the same as his own. 

"If you ever wonder whether change is possible in this country, I want you to think about that little black boy in the Oval Office touching the head of the first black president," the first lady said. "And I want you to think about how children who see that photo today think nothing of it because that is all they have ever known. Because they have grown up taking for granted that an African American can be president of the United States." 

The AP reports and NBC’s Carrie Dann confirms: “A campaign official says Obama's two-day road trip through Pennsylvania and Ohio kicks off July 5. The visit to the key battleground states will be the president's first bus tour of the 2012 campaign. Obama's efforts thus far have focused largely on hauling in cash from supporters in dozens of fundraising events across the country as his campaign seeks to compete with energized Republican donors.”

Cue the Made-in-Canada Twitter frenzy…

“President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden unleashed a back-to-back assault Tuesday on Republican challenger Mitt Romney, re-emphasizing Democratic assertions that Romney as a venture capitalist sent U.S. jobs overseas and paid no heed to the impact on American workers,” the AP writes.

More from the AP: “President Barack Obama's campaign has recruited a legion of lawyers to be on standby for this year's election as legal disputes surrounding the voting process escalate. Thousands of attorneys and support staffers have agreed to aid in the effort, providing a mass of legal support that appears to be unrivaled by Republicans or precedent. Obama's campaign says it is particularly concerned about the implementation of new voter ID laws across the country, the possibility of anti-fraud activists challenging legitimate voters and the handling of voter registrations in the most competitive states.”

VIRGINIA BEACH, VA -- As President Obama and Mitt Romney clashed in minutes-apart addresses in Ohio, the president's top lieutenant appeared in a different swing state to implore high school graduates to ignore negativity and cynicism as the nation's future is rapidly reshaped by new technologies.

"There's a lot of talk these days, you hear a cacophony of voices that America's future is not as bright as its past," Vice President Joe Biden told seniors at Tallwood High School in Virginia Beach. "I'm here to tell you don't believe it for a moment."

"Don't give in to the cynicism, the pettiness and the negativity that you see and hear all around you that pervades our public discourse," Biden told the 463 graduates. "Believe in yourself, because you have reason to. And believe -- because there's no reason not to believe in the continued promise of this great country."

The vice president warned students to consider the values of "tolerance, respect, and understanding" as their generation deploys new technologies such as social media both here and abroad.

"As the world continues to shrink, the cultural divides that have separated us do not shrink," he said. "The lines marking cultural and religious differences do not blur. In fact those lines become more stark as we confront those differences up close. After all, the same technology that can inspire a democratic revolution across the Middle East [can] spread gossip, innuendo and lies around the world just as rapidly."

The Virginia Beach area narrowly favored Republican John McCain over Barack Obama in the 2008 election by a margin of less than one percent.

Biden's third and final commencement address of the spring season was markedly similar to the one he delivered last week at a Miami-area high school, although the vice president offered a particular focus on the Virginia Beach area's heavy military community.

Noting his son's 2008 deployment to Iraq as a JAG, he recognized the sacrifices of both troops and the families they leave behind -- many like the students celebrating their graduation today.

"My son, Beau Biden, spent a year in Iraq, and I watched the impact on my grandchildren," he said. "The games missed, the birthdays missed, the Christmases missed, the empty seat at Thanksgiving dinner."

Tallwood boasts a "global studies and world languages" honors program, which encourages students to gain an international perspective. Curriculum includes coursework like "International Business," "Global Economics," and "Music and Art in China." Students also focus on two languages, with Arabic, Russian, and Chinese among the offerings.

Biden lauded those graduates Thursday, saying that their mastery of foreign languages will serve as a much needed asset for the country. "We will need you," he declared.

Later in the day, Biden travels back to Delaware to appear at a fundraising event to benefit his son Beau, who serves as that state's attorney general.

KEENE, N.H. -- Someone page "Joe the Plumber." He might want to hear this one. 

As the Obama campaign continues its assault on Mitt Romney's record as the CEO of investment firm Bain Capital, Vice President Joe Biden said Tuesday that the business experience like the presumptive GOP nominee's is no more qualifying than that of a Roto-Rooter. 

"Your job as president is to promote the common good," he said, comparing the job of a president to that of a private equity mogul. "That doesn't mean that private equity guys are bad guys; they're not. But that no more qualifies you to be president than being a plumber!" 

Biden, who spoke to a crowd of over 450 supporters and students at Keene State College, called the private-equity business itself "legitimate," but pushed the administration's argument that its imperative of wealth creation for investors doesn't translate to the skill set of a national leader. 

"Folks, making money for your investors, as Romney did very well, is not the president's job," he said. "The president has a different job." 

The visit to Keene State College was Biden's fourth trip this year to the Granite State, where Romney overwhelmingly won the GOP primary earlier this year. 

The vice president, who made a similar case last week in swing state Ohio, painted Romney on Tuesday as an economic throwback to the Bush administration and as the cultural equivalent of the clean cut dad from a black-and-white TV sitcom. 

"We will not go back to the 50s on social policies, to the Cold War on foreign policy, and the policies of the last administration on our economic policies," he said, raising his voice above applause. "We will not do it their way again. We intend to move forward." 

With a nod to the equine Triple Crown competitor recently in the news, Biden said Romney's affinity for policies of the past has the same ring to it as the colt's name. 

"He begins to sound a little like the horse that just won the Derby and the Preakness. "I'll Have Another." Except the horse was a real winner!" Biden exclaimed. 

While the Scranton-born pol took heat from Republicans last week for calling himself "Middle Class Joe" despite a $2m Wilmington home, Biden made a point today to note his humble roots and his subsequent success as a public servant. 

"I don't live like I did when I was growing up," he said. "I have a beautiful home. You pay me a lot of money. But I remember." 

The Bible may describe God's eternal redemption of mortal souls in a more soaring spiritual fashion, but Rick Perry has a more, well, personal way to describe it. 

"Every one of us has ‘oops moments’ every day,” the Texas governor and former presidential candidate told his audience at an Austin breakfast to celebrate the National Day of Prayer. “America may not forgive you for it, but God will.”

According to the Associated Press, Perry's self-effacing joke -- referencing the infamous Nov. 9 debate when he was unable to remember the third of three federal agencies he would pledge to eliminate -- won laughter and applause from the crowd. 

The November gaffe proved fatal to Perry's already-struggling presidential campaign, despite his team's attempts to diffuse the moment with light-hearted humor and a frenzy of interviews explaining why he "stepped in it." 

Perry also took the occasion of the faith event this morning to pray for the current president, as he did at several prayer rallies during the campaign. 

He says he hopes that President Barack Obama will "truly understand God's will to protect innocent life. I pray for his true understanding of God's will for this country," he said, per the AP. 

With a peg to the upcoming legislative push for the "Buffett rule" adjustment of tax rates for the very wealthy, the message of the day from President Obama's Chicago-based re-election campaign was this: "Mitt Romney is the beneficiary of a broken tax system, and he wants to keep it that way."

Those were the words of campaign manager Jim Messina, who joined Sen. Dick Durbin and Wisconsin Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin in a conference call to talk about what they dub economic "fairness" in the tax system.

According to Durbin, who hammered Romney on his reported past holdings in overseas banks, fairness is a foreign concept to a candidate who benefited from a "Swiss bank account."

Durbin said of the semi-presumptive GOP that it is "impossible for him to explain or defend" the overseas account, paraphrasing Buffett Rule-envisoner Warren Buffett himself in saying "there are plenty of good banks in the United States."

Participants were pointed in naming examples of Romney's personal wealth (Messina invoked the famed car-elevator in plans for the former governor's La Jolla, CA home), saying that Romney's tax structure "looks out for people just like him."

Another example: Romney's limiting of his tax return disclosure to just two years -- 21 fewer than the number of years worth of documents he reportedly disclosed to the McCain campaign when being vetted for the VP slot four years ago.

"Romney supports tax policies that reward people like him, and now he's just trying to obscure just how much he would benefit by hiding his own financial records," Messina said.

But  the campaign demurred when asked by a reporter if Obama would agree to release as many years of records as the 23 it's demanding of his rival, saying only that Romney must live up to the standard set by his own 2008 vetting process.

Obama has released tax records dating back to 2000.

The Romney camp released this statement before today's Obama campaign conference call: “President Obama is the first president in history to openly campaign for re-election on a platform of higher taxes. He has already raised taxes on millions of Americans, but he won’t stop there. He wants to raise taxes on millions more by taxing small businesses and job creators. We appreciate the Obama campaign reinforcing Mitt Romney’s platform of lowering tax rates across the board in order to jumpstart this bad Obama economy.”

WASHINGTON -- At his speech before newspaper editors in DC today, Mitt Romney also made this not-so-subtle point: It's time for Republicans to wrap up the nomination process as soon as possible.

Asked during a question-and-answer session after his remarks whether he has spoken to Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich about exiting the GOP contest, Romney quipped, "No, I haven't. But now that you bring it up..."

As laughter subsided, he added that "people are free to make their own decision."

But he noted confidently, "I hope that we're able to resolve our nomination process as soon as possible." He added, "I'd like to focus our time and attention on those key battleground states and raising the funds to be somewhat competitive with the president and his billion-dollar quest."