Mitt Romney argued Sunday that voters should have enough of a sense of his principles to have confidence in how he'd handle the nitty-gritty details of taxes, spending and health care as president.

The Republican presidential nominee, appearing on NBC's "Meet the Press," argued his plan to cut taxes squares with his vow to achieve a balanced budget by the end of a second hypothetical term, even though achieving those two goals would seem difficult, if not incongruent.

"My tax policy is designed to find a way to encourage more hiring in this country. I'm very concerned that we have 23 million people that are out of work or stopped looking for work or under-employed," Romney told moderator David Gregory. "So everything I want to do with regards to taxation follows simple principles, which is bring our rates down to encourage growth, keep revenue up by limiting deductions and exemptions and make sure we don't put any bigger burden on middle income people. In fact, I want to lower the burden on middle income people."

But Romney has been dogged by criticism that his plan lacks specifics, thereby making it difficult to conceive of how he would be able to reasonably achieve his agenda. 

Romney's tax plan calls for making a 20 percent, across-the-board cut to marginal tax rates while keeping most existing taxes on investment the same (and cutting investment taxes altogether for households earning less than $200,000.) The former Massachusetts governor has argued that if "we limit or eliminate some of the loopholes and deductions at the high end," he could maintain current levels of tax revenue while also stimulating growth.

Related: Romney: President & GOP leaders made 'big mistake' on defense cuts

But, pressed for specifics, Romney resisted, and said his "principles" make up the details of his policy.

"The specifics are these, which is those principles I described are the heart of my policy," he said. "And I've indicated as well that — contrary to what the Democrats are saying — I'm not going to increase the tax burden on middle income families.  It would absolutely be wrong to do that."

The opacity of some of Romney's proposals has invited plenty of scrutiny from Democrats, including President Barack Obama, who seized upon Romney's tax proposals in his convention speech on Thursday.

"When Gov. Romney and his friends in Congress tell us we can somehow lower our deficits by spending trillions more on new tax breaks for the wealthy, well — what'd Bill Clinton call it? You do the arithmetic. You do the math," the president said in Charlotte.

Brian Snyder / Reuters

Republican presidential candidate and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney talks briefly with reporters after stopping to buy two pizzas at Lui-Lui restaurant in West Lebanon, New Hampshire September 5, 2012.

Romney shot back Sunday: "I want to make sure people understand, despite what the Democrats said at their convention, I am not reducing taxes on high income taxpayers."

Speaking of those conventions, Romney said he has emerged in a "better spot" for his campaign by spending a week better familiarizing voters with his personality and record. And the GOP nominee pounced on Friday's anemic jobs report as further evidence as to why voters should back him. 

"It is a jobless recovery, if it's a recovery at all," Romney said of the pace of the recovery. "If President Obama is re-elected you're not going to see our unemployment picture change dramatically. You're not going to see us create the jobs we need to create or the rising incomes people need."

The economy joins the issues of taxes and spending as top problems a President Romney would be forced to confront almost immediately upon taking office. Current tax rates will automatically spring upward at the beginning of 2013 absent another extension of the so-called "Bush tax cuts," or some other kind of substitute comprehensive tax reform. And a series of automatic spending cuts stipulated by the 2011 debt ceiling deal will take place in January unless Congress makes steps to undo them.

Those looming issues are linked in large part to partisan discord in Congress, a phenomenon that might not be broken with this year's elections. Internal divisions within the GOP, pitting conservatives who have pushed for deeper cuts against their party's leadership, have additionally complicated dealmaking on Capitol Hill.

As president, Romney said he would seek out compromise, but not in such a way that it would contravene his principles.

"There's nothing wrong with the term compromise, but there is something very wrong with the term abandoning one's principles," he said. "And I'm going to stand by my principles. And those are I am not going to raise taxes on the American people."

Those governing principles extend to health care, a hot-button issue this election which Romney has vowed to tackle if elected.

The GOP nominee has vowed, for instance, to repeal Obama's signature health care law and replace it with his own series of reforms. But that doesn't mean that some of the more popular elements of "Obamacare" would necessarily go away, Romney said.

"I'm not getting rid of all of health care reform. Of course there are a number of things that I like in healthcare reform that I'm going to put in place," said Romney. "One is to make sure that those with pre-existing conditions can get coverage. Two is to assure that the marketplace allows for individuals to have policies that cover their family up to whatever age they might like. I also want individuals to be able to buy insurance, health insurance, on their own as opposed to only being able to get it on a tax advantage basis through their company."

Romney also spoke to the issue of foreign policy, a topic on which he scarcely touched at his convention speech in Tampa. Romney said that Obama has "had some successes and he's had some failure," an example of the latter being the president's handling of Iran.

"President Obama had a policy of engagement with Ahmadinejad.  That policy has not worked and we're closer to a nuclear weapon as a result of that," he said.

Romney said he would handle it differently by more aggressively pursuing diplomacy and sanctions, while also maintaining a military option.

"We need to use every resource we have to dissuade them from their nuclear path. But that doesn't mean that we would take off the table our military option. That's something which certainly every American would hope we would never have to use," Romney said. "But we have to maintain it on the table or Iran will, undoubtedly, continue their treacherous course."

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Mitt Romney’s getting back in the game.

His campaign went dark on television 11 days ago, but today it booked $4.5 million (so far) in TV ads in eight battleground states today, according to NBC News and ad-tracker SMG Delta.

There was a lot of free media out of the convention for Romney, but it was striking that the only advertising run was from the Obama campaign and pro-Romney outside groups.

Recommended: Dems twist jobs numbers and GOP Medicare ideas 

Romney is also able now to tap into general-election funds, which he wasn’t able to prior to accepting the nomination a week ago.

The states seeing the biggest spending in this buy round are Virginia, Ohio, and Florida with about $1 million each.

Also notably, Romney is spending about $600,000 in this buy on North Carolina, a state most analysts see as beginning to trend toward Romney, but close enough that he may have to spend money here.

The other states he will be up in with this buy – Colorado, Iowa, New Hampshire, and Nevada. 

Brian Snyder / Reuters

Republican presidential candidate and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney talks briefly with reporters after stopping to buy two pizzas at Lui-Lui restaurant in West Lebanon, New Hampshire September 5, 2012.

Ad spending has now reached $573 million for this general-election presidential race. With the help of outside groups, Romney and allies are outspending Obama and his supporters $303 million to $269 million. 

President Obama’s campaign is the biggest-single advertiser at $218 million. Romney has spent just $79 million on ads. But the Crossroads groups are making up the difference big time, spending $106 million.

Slideshow: Democratic National Convention

Another noteworthy fact, for all that Restore Our Future did for Romney in primaries and for all the talk of Priorities USA’s fundraising problems, Priorities has actually outspent Restore this election, $45 million to $41 million.

The problem for Democrats is that there are multiple outside groups supporting Romney who are spending substantial amounts of money. In addition to Crossroads and Restore, the Koch Brothers’-backed Americans for Prosperity has spent $47 million, for example.

And once again, there is no advertising for Romney in Wisconsin (despite the pick of Paul Ryan as VP), Michigan, or Pennsylvania.

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.

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

Brian Snyder / REUTERS

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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TAMPA, Fla. – Paul Ryan stressed what he said was a shared desire with Mitt Romney to confront the nation’s most difficult challenges in an upbeat, if ideologically unflinching, speech accepting the Republican vice presidential nomination.

The Wisconsin congressman joined other Republicans on the second night of the Republican National Convention in attempting to refocus the fall campaign on big issues, deploying diverse GOP voices to make a broad appeal to independents.

Ryan, former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez received rock star welcomes from delegates in Tampa with speeches extolling nominee-in-waiting Mitt Romney and the virtues of leadership. 

"When Gov. Romney asked me to join the ticket, I said, 'Let’s get this done,'" Ryan said in his speech formally accepting the party's vice presidential nomination. "And that is exactly, what we’re going to do."

Ryan’s speech was both a plea for unity – he urged voters to “come together for the sake of our country” – and an emotional and ideological appeal, a type of clarion call that has endeared Ryan with conservatives.

Related: Future leaders on display at GOP convention

It was arguably the most important speech of Ryan’s political career, leveling an indictment of President Barack Obama on taxes, entitlements and energy while acclaiming Romney as a decisive leader and the best-suited candidate to lead a turn around in the economy.

"These past four years we have suffered no shortage of words in the White House," he said. "What’s missing is leadership in the White House!"

The Wisconsin congressman's speech punctuated a prime-time lineup of speakers geared at painting the GOP as a party of principle and opportunity.

Rice, the former top diplomat for President George W. Bush (who was the subject of a tribute earlier in the evening, along with his father, President George H.W. Bush), weaved together her personal narrative about overcoming segregation and other barriers into a case for American exceptionalism.

Her reflection about overcoming Jim Crow laws to become secretary of state proved to be one of the evening's most emotional moments.

"The essence of America -- that which really unites us -- is not ethnicity, or nationality, or religion," she said. "It is an idea, and what an idea it is:  That you can come from humble circumstances and do great things.  That it doesn't matter where you came from but where you are going."

Both Ryan and Rice seemed to uniquely stir passions among the Republican delegates. Rice’s speech in particular won plaudits from political observers on the left and right for its broad themes and relative lack of rhetorical firebombs.

An address from Martinez was sandwiched between Rice and Ryan. Her speech was one that made overtures to women and Latinos, and one which told the story of her own conversion from the Democratic Party to the GOP.

Slideshow: Republican National Convention

Win Mcnamee / Getty Images

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

Launch slideshow

She downplayed political parties, and kept with a theme emphasizing the primacy of solutions over politics.

"This election should not be about political parties. Too many Americans are out of work, and our debt is out of control. This election needs to be about those issues," Martinez said. "And it is the responsibility of both parties to offer up real solutions and have an honest debate."

Earlier in the evening, delegates heard harsher criticism of Obama.

In his speech, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee made a direct appeal to his party's conservatives, mocking Obama and prominent Democratic leaders for "radical, left-wing" leadership.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty mocked Obama for his semi-regular golf games on weekends, and South Dakota Sen. John Thune said he could easily defend the president in a game of pick-up basketball -- because Obama would always go to his left.

The evening also featured a tribute to the retiring Texas Rep. Ron Paul, who has attracted a devoted following in his two bids for the Republican presidential nomination.

But the carefully scripted speeches in the 10 p.m. to 11 p.m. ET hour on Tuesday and Wednesday were more likely to foreshadow Romney’s acceptance speech during Thursday’s culminating night of the Republican National Convention.

Romney aides said Wednesday that the former Massachusetts governor’s speech -- tied into the need for Romney to reverse negative public opinion toward him – was mostly finished. Romney watched the evening’s speeches just a few paces away from the site of his speech tomorrow, at a nearby hotel.

Updated 6:21 pm. - TAMPA, Fla. -- Republicans formally nominated Mitt Romney for president on Tuesday, minting the former Massachusetts governor as the party's official opponent this fall versus President Barack Obama.

Romney has been the presumptive Republican presidential nominee since late spring, when his major opponents ended their campaigns for president. But he will be able to shed the "presumptive" qualifier when he formally accepts the nomination during his Thursday night speech.

David Goldman / AP

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker speaks as as Mitt Romney is nominated by the state delegates for the Office of the President of the United States at the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012.

Republicans held the roll call of state delegations late Tuesday afternoon, delayed from its initial scheduled vote during Monday's hurricane-canceled session. Convention Secretary Kim Reynolds presided over the vote.

"I am truly honored to annouce these votes for a man who happens to be my brother, and whom I love: Mitt Romney, the next president of the United States," said Scott Romney, the brother of Mitt Romney, in leading Michigan's delegation in casting its votes.

Shortly thereafter, Republicans nominated Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan as their vice presidential candidate by acclimation.

Slideshow: The 2012 Republican National Convention

There were occasional outburts of cheers for Texas Rep. Ron Paul when some states' delegates voted for the retiring congressman. Some delegates abstained from voting in instances, suggesting their dissenting opinion from Romney.

The fanfare on Romney's behalf at the convention hall made the delegate math of the Republican primaries earlier this year almost seem like an afterthought. Romney's battles with former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum had seemed, for a time, to threaten to transform the battle for the GOP nomination into a protracted delegate battle.

When Romney accepts the nomination, he'll be able to access and spend tens of millions of dollars he has raised in general election funds. This formal distinction will enable the former Massachusetts governor's campaign to spend millions more on organization and television ads heading into the height of the fall campaign.

Updated, 1:30 p.m. - TAMPA, Fla. -- Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said that Republicans "can't just trot out a brown face" to make inroads with the Latino community, an increasingly important growing bloc.

As the GOP prepares to showcase some of its rising Hispanic stars during the next two days of its national convention, the Democratic mayor dismissed Republican overtures toward Latinos as insincere.

"You can't just trot out a brown face or a Spanish surname and expect people are going to vote for your party or your candidate," Villaraigosa said at a press conference here organized by the Democratic National Committee.

"People are going to vote just like Anglos do, just like African-Americans do, and virtually every demographic group. They vote for people based on what they say, what they've done, and what they're going to do," he later added.

Among the Latinos speaking in Tuesday's Republican National Convention programming are Rep. Francisco Canseco, R-Texas. Sher Valenzuela, the Republican candidate for lieutenant governor of Delaware, Republican Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval and Texas GOP Senate nominee Ted Cruz.

But, other staunch opponents of illegal immigration -- like Iowa Rep. Steve King, who's speaking as well on Tuesday -- will also be among the featured voices in the day's program.

"I don't think it's going to do much for him, frankly," Villaraigosa said of the GOP's overall message.

The Los Angeles mayor predicted that President Barack Obama would win "close to 70 percent" of the Latino vote in his re-election effort; Romney advisers have set a goal in the upper-30th percentile in targeting Hispanic voters.

Latino voters are of particular importance in swing states like Colorado, Florida and Virginia -- a sign of shifting demographics that Republicans have worried would put them at a long-term political disadvantage unless they were to become more welcoming of Latinos.

Ryan Williams, a spokesman for Romney, said in response to today's Democratic bracketing event: "Today, as we learn that more than a quarter of Democrats believe President Obama does not have a clear plan for creating jobs, his surrogates in Tampa continued to launch false and baseless attacks against Governor Romney.  The facts speak for themselves – with 23 million Americans struggling for work, nearly one in six Americans living in poverty, and median incomes declining, the Obama campaign cannot defend a record of broken promises and failed policies.  Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan have a plan to strengthen the middle class by creating jobs and turning around our economy."

The show must go on… Tonight’s two big speeches: Ann Romney’s soft sell vs. Chris Christie’s hard sell… Christie second-guesses Romney on the recent birth certificate comment… Keep an eye on Santorum’s speech, as well as Isaac… Obama to campaign in college towns  in Iowa and Colorado… Priorities USA’s latest TV ad… How the GOP might be losing any advantage it had on abortion… And Quinnipiac poll shows McMahon (!!!) leading in Connecticut. 

TAMPA, FL -- At 2:00 pm ET, the Republican convention here will get back to business after yesterday’s cancellation, with the roll-call vote that formally nominates Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan taking place in time for the 6:30 pm evening newscasts. And tonight’s primetime schedule features two main speakers: Ann Romney and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who is delivering the keynote address. “We expect no change over the next three days,” Romney adviser Russ Schriefer said on a conference call with reporters yesterday. “We are full-speed planning ahead with our Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday schedule.” But Schriefer adds that the campaign is monitoring Isaac’s path and is leaving open the possibility of more schedule changes. “Our thoughts are with the people in the path of the storm,” he said. “We hope they are spared any major destruction."  

*** Ann Romney’s soft sell vs. Chris Christie’s hard sell: The Ann Romney and Chris Christie speeches will try to accomplish these two different goals: the soft sell of Romney (which is Ann’s role) and the hard sell (which is Christie’s). In fact, you could argue that those are the dual themes of the entire convention. Ann Romney will attempt to humanize her husband, as well as try to appeal to women. (Romney trails President Obama by 10 points among women in our recent NBC/WSJ poll.) Meanwhile, Christie’s job is to make the hard sell -- that the job of a leader is to make the tough decisions, no matter how unpopular they are. On “TODAY” this morning, Christie previewed part of his speech saying that he would use New Jersey “as an illustrative example” to show you can solve problems when you stick to your principles. (That said, one illustrative example Christie probably won’t point to is New Jersey’s 9.8% unemployment rate.) 

*** Second-guessing Romney: But Christie’s “TODAY” interview also revealed why the Romney campaign might not regard the New Jersey governor as its most loyal and reliable surrogate. While Christie knocked down the New York Post article (which alleged that he took himself out of the VP running because he would have to give up being governor and didn't think Romney would win) by calling it “complete garbage,” he said that Romney probably wished he could take back the crack at Obama’s birth certificate. “If he had to do it over again, he probably wouldn’t make the joke,” he said. And speaking of second-guessing, don’t miss what Karl Rove said yesterday at a breakfast sponsored by Politico. Rove said he was a "little bit mystified" by what he regards as the Romney campaign's handling of the tax-returns issue, Politico wrote. “Rove said Romney could have pressed Obama for making no issue four years ago about Sen. John McCain releasing just two years of returns, a contradiction that shows Obama's supposed concern about disclosure this year ‘is all about politics.’ ‘I would have called him earlier and more forcefully than they have.’” 

*** Keep an eye on Santorum’s speech: In addition to the speeches by Ann Romney and Chris Christie, the Romney camp has been billing Rick Santorum’s address tonight, which he’ll deliver during the 7:00 pm ET hour. On yesterday’s conference call, Schriefer said that Santorum’s speech is “going to be particularly good,” and he reminded reporters that Santorum was a “leader in the fight to reform welfare in 90s,” and that he “believes strongly in dignity of work.” So expect the former Pennsylvania senator and GOP presidential candidate to deliver the debunked welfare attack hitting Obama, which would certainly fire up the crowd here. While Christie might be the keynote speaker for suburban America, Santorum might be the keynote speaker for inside the hall. 

*** And keep an eye on Isaac: While we’re all focused here on the conventions comings and goings, much of the country is watching the hurricane approaching New Orleans and the Gulf Coast. It’s possible that Isaac doesn’t pack much of a punch. But it’s also possible that it could cause plenty of destruction. And if that happens, it could drastically change the tone of the convention. 

Brendan Smialowski / AFP - Getty Images

The Chairman of the Republican National Convention (RNC) Reince Priebus gavels the convention to order and then immediate recess at the Tampa Bay Times Forum in Tampa, Florida, on August 27, 2012.

*** Tuesday’s speaking schedule: 

7:00 pm ET hour: House Speaker John Boehner, RNC Chair Reince Priebus, Utah House candidate Mia Love, Rick Santorum, Cathy McMorris Rodgers

8:00 pm hour: Kelly Ayotte, John Kasich, Mary Fallin, Bob McDonnell, Scott Walker

9:00 pm hour: Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval, Texas Senate nominee Ted Cruz, Democrat-turned Republican Artur Davis, and South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley

10:00 pm hour: Ann Romney and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie

*** The old college try: Meanwhile, President Obama today begins his two-day swing through college campuses in battleground states. Tuesday’s stops: Iowa State University in Ames, IA at 2:05 pm ET and Colorado State University in Fort Collins, CO at 7:20 pm ET. Tomorrow, he heads to Charlottesville, VA, where the University of Virginia is located. While our recent NBC/WSJ poll found that Obama maintains his lead among young voters, they’re not as enthusiastic as they were four years ago. That’s the objective of this two-day swing and the future ones he’s going to make in the next few weeks. To counter the president’s visit in Iowa, the Romney camp is running an advertisement in the Iowa State Daily noting the high youth unemployment rate, and Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad (R) holds a press conference at 9:30 am ET to pre-but the president’s visit to the Hawkeye State. 

*** Priorities USA’s latest TV ad: In other Democratic news, the pro-Obama Super PAC Priorities USA Action is up with a new TV ad (airing in Colorado, Iowa, Ohio, and Virginia) featuring an independent female from Massachusetts who says she voted for Romney in 2002 but will vote for Obama in 2012. “Gov. Romney promised that he would bring jobs to this state. By the time Gov. Romney left office, we had fallen to 47th in the nation in terms of job growth,” the woman says to the camera. “Gov. Romney cares about big business, he cares about tax cuts for wealthy people and I certainly do not believe he cares about my hardworking employees. I feel like I was duped by Mitt Romney. I’m going to vote for President Obama.” In addition, the DNC has a new web video -- entitled “You Didn’t Build That, You Destroyed It” -- that plays the Bain card. 

*** How the GOP is losing any advantage it had on abortion: Over the past several years, Republicans -- due to advances in technology (like sonograms) -- have largely (but not always) been winning the political fight over abortion. But what the controversy over Todd Akin’s controversial comments on rape and abortion has exposed is that some Republicans are finding ways to surrender any advantage on the topic. The latest example: Tom Smith, the Republican running against Sen. Bob Casey (D) in Pennsylvania, compared conceiving a child out of rape to conceiving out of wedlock. “‘I lived something similar to that with my own family, and [my daughter] chose the life, and I commend her for that,’ Smith said, per the AP. ‘She knew my views, but fortunately for me ... she chose the way I thought.’ Asked how that was similar to rape, Smith said: ‘Having a baby out of wedlock.’ After another follow-up question, about whether the out-of-wedlock pregnancy was similar to a case of rape, he said: ‘No, no, no, but, well, put yourself in a father’s position. Yes, I mean, it is similar, this isn’t, but I’m back to the original, I’m pro-life — period.’”  

*** Q-poll: McMahon leads in Connecticut: And in Connecticut, a new Quinnipiac poll finds Linda McMahon (R) leading Chris Murphy by three points among likely voters, 49%-46%, in that Senate contest. DSCC spokesman Matt Canter emails First Read, “McMahon ran nearly $12 million [in positive ads] over the summer. But all our research shows that once you remind people about McMahon, it all l collapses. She lost by double digits in the best Republican year of our lives. We think 2012 will be far too steep a climb.” That said, this also means Democrats will have to spend in Connecticut. While Dems are catching a break in Missouri, they have some work to do in Connecticut.  

Countdown to Dem convention: 6 days
Countdown to 1^st presidential debate: 36 days
Countdown to VP debate: 44 days
Countdown to 2^nd presidential debate: 49 days
Countdown to 3^rd presidential debate: 55 days
Countdown to Election Day: 70 days

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TAMPA, Fla. – The task before Mitt Romney as he accepts his party’s presidential nomination this week in Florida is to convince the narrow segment of remaining undecided voters to boot President Obama from office, and then, decide on Romney as a suitable alternative.

This week’s Republican National Convention is one of three major opportunities – the other two being his selection of a running mate, and the presidential debates – Romney can count on to reach a large national audience. And for the former Massachusetts governor, that means changing perceptions about his personality and politics after a withering summer of attacks from the president’s re-election team and supportive super PACs.

Shannon Stapleton / Reuters

Delegates look at an image of U.S. Republican presidential candidate and former Massachusetts Mitt Romney displayed during the opening session of the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Florida, August 27, 2012.

Slideshow: Republican National Convention

“I think if the election were held tomorrow, Obama would win the election,” said Steve Schmidt, a senior adviser in 2008 to that year’s GOP nominee, Arizona Sen. John McCain. “And in the balance of days left in this election, Romney has to change the dynamic of the election.”

Republicans will help Romney execute his game plan in a series of speeches and events throughout the week. Organizers hope to project the convention’s overall theme, “A Better Future,” in speeches and events spread across the convention’s abbreviated, three-day schedule. Republicans will weave the theme of Monday’s canceled session (“We Can Do Better”) into the three remaining days’ themes -- "We Built It," "We Can Change It," and "We Believe in America."

Those themes represent the tasks at hand. Republicans must convince voters that Obama hasn’t done well enough to merit re-election. But Romney will arrive in Tampa with some of the worst personal approval ratings of any presumptive Republican nominee; 44 percent of voters said in the August NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll that they held a negative opinion of Romney, while 38 percent expressed a positive opinion.

For Romney, the convention is as much an exercise in re-introducing himself to voters and softening impressions as it is making the case against Obama.

"He needs to introduce himself to people. Even though he’s the nominee, he lost the summer pretty decisively," said Bob Shrum, the veteran Democratic presidential strategist.

Shrum said the Obama campaign, over the course of the summer, had efficiently "shattered the central rationale for Romney’s campaign, that he’s a businessman who knows how to create jobs."

To do that, Romney will lean on surrogates like former Olympic athletes, who will pay tribute to Romney’s successes as head of the 2002 Salt Lake City games. Other speakers will include members of Romney’s church, fellow Mormons who are expected to pay tribute to acts of charity undertaken by Romney, a former bishop in his faith.

Another closely watched-speech with potential to move the needle will be the Wednesday night speech by Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan – whose selection represented Romney’s first major decision in the general election. The Republican running mate is expected to fete Romney, as well as make the case for entitlement reforms.

Modern conventions in both parties are carefully scripted to drive a message to a nationally televised audience, leaving for a narrow margin of error for speakers. The primetime lineup has been carefully selected, but the risk that a single speaker could veer off-message hangs over Tampa almost as much as the impending tropical storm.

“You’re supposed to vet the speeches, and you’ve selected the speakers,” said Republican operative Frank Donatelli, the head of GOPAC.

An impolitic remark could hijack news coverage away from the central messages of each night. The GOP is also hoping to avoid what happened in 1992, when several hard-charging speeches by conservatives were blamed for turning off swing voters from President George H.W. Bush’s re-election bid.

But most pivotal of all is Romney’s own acceptance speech, which will be nationally-televised address Thursday night.

Romney has said he’s begun drafting the speech, and appeared to join his wife, Ann, on Sunday in practicing their convention appearances. The Romneys headed to Brewster Academy, a prep school near their home in New Hampshire, for several hours on Sunday afternoon to practice their speeches.

But he’s overall been generally guarded about the contents of his and Ann’s speeches.

"I like my speech. I really like Ann's speech," he told reporters after a second day of practice on Monday morning.

The national spotlight for Romney will offer a personalizing opportunity for the former Massachusetts governor. But he’ll also have to explain his rationale for running, and make the case against a second term for Obama.

“He needs to bring definition to the race,” said Schmidt. “Why's he running for president? I think it's an unanswered question right now. “

A successful convention might mean a bounce for Romney; McCain led Obama in the immediate aftermath of both of their respective conventions in 2008. Republicans argue that advantage only diminished due to the financial crisis in the fall of that year.

This year, a different obstacle hangs over Romney’s bid to leave Tampa with more energy than Obama: next week’s Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, N.C.

TAMPA, Fla. -- The problem with Washington is that it is not using the freshest ingredients, according to one former Republican presidential hopeful.

Herman Cain, the former CEO of Godfather's Pizza who led the GOP primary for a time last fall, fired up a crowd of Tea Party supporters at megachurch here Sunday night at the TeaParty.net Unity rally.  And though none of the speakers gathered here will appear on stage during the Republican National Convention, the rally was meant to be a show of force of their impact on this year's election.

"The way you make the best pizza, like Godfather's Pizza, you use the best ingredients," Cain told reporters after his speech. "You use the best beef, the best pepperoni, the best sausage, the best cheeses, the best dough. In the United States of America, we don't have the best ingredients in Washington D.C."

Robyn Beck / AFP - Getty Images

Former candidate for the Republican nomination in the 2012 US presidential election Herman Caine speaks at a Tea Party Unity Rally at The River at Tampa Bay Church in Tampa, Florida, on August 26, 2012 ahead of the Republican National Convention.

Though the event was held at The River Church, the focus was more so on the importance of Tea Party principles than it was on faith.

Minnesota Rep. Michelle Bachmann, who also ran for president, addressed the more than 500 attendees as did conservative radio host Neal Boortz and Rep. Jason Chaffetz, who spoke on behalf of Mitt Romney.

"We are not an unwanted, second class political party.  We are the conscious of the United States Constitution, and we don't apologize for that," Bachmann told the enthusiastic crowd.  She said the tea party influence can be seen in the Republican party's draft platform, which includes a call to audit the Federal Reserve and strictly prohibiting abortion.

But it was Cain who was the headliner and who received the loudest reception.  Despite leading the Republican presidential primary for much of October, the former businessman said he is not disappointed about his absence from the the list of speakers at the RNC.  He told the crowd that his goals have not changed since his run for office, stating, “I’m still on a mission to defeat Barack Obama!”

Slideshow: Republican National Convention

Cain was quick to voice his praise for Romney's choice of Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan as his running mate. "He didn't make the safe choice, he made the bold choice," Cain said after his speech.

He also defended the presumptive GOP nominee over a recent joke he made in his home state of Michigan, where, touting his hometown roots, Romney quipped, "No one's ever asked to see my birth certificate."

"I just think it was a good joke.  I dont think he was trying to bring up the birther issue.  hey, cut the man some slack, he's running for president.  he can crack a joke every once in a while," Cain said.

Two storms in two weeks… First Akin, now Isaac… Raising the specter of Hurricane Katrina… The revised schedule: The only official activity today is gaveling in the start of the convention at 2:00 pm ET… New WaPo/ABC poll shows the presidential race deadlocked… But Romney acknowledges that the Obama ads have done damage… Obama ties Romney to House GOP… Florida ad spending surpasses $100 million… Ryan stumps in Janesville… And poll shows McCaskill leading Akin.

TAMPA, FL -- Last week, Mitt Romney and Republicans were battling a political storm over Todd Akin’s controversial remarks about abortion and rape, which dominated the political conversation and further highlighted the GOP’s gender gap. And this week, they’re battling an actual storm that has already canceled today’s convention activities and speeches, and that threatens to divert the media’s attention to a potentially much bigger story. Romney and the Republicans already lost one week with Akin, and they can’t afford to lose another because of Tropical Storm (and soon-to-be Hurricane) Isaac.  

*** Katrina’s specter: While Tampa has avoided a direct hit, Isaac risks presenting an even bigger problem for the convention planners here -- becoming a hurricane and slamming into Louisiana, Mississippi, and the Florida Panhandle on Tuesday. And politically, it has raised the specter of Hurricane Katrina. The New York Times: “Republicans were wary of the optics of television coverage split between the revelry and partisanship surrounding Mr. Romney’s nomination and the threat of the storm making landfall in Louisiana or Mississippi seven years to the week after Hurricane Katrina left an American city in ruins.” The paper adds, “It is the second consecutive time Republicans have had their conventions disrupted by the August storms.” 

*** The revised schedule: For now, Republicans maintain that Isaac isn’t going to disrupt the remaining part of the convention. "Until we ... can predict the weather, we're going to continue with our Tuesday/Wednesday/Thursday schedule," Romney adviser Russ Schriefer said yesterday on a conference call with reporters. Could that change? "As soon as we have any more info....we'll let you know." So here is the revised schedule:

Slideshow: Republican National Convention

Monday: RNC Chair Reince Priebus will gavel in the start of the convention at 2:00 pm ET and then will immediately announce a recess for the rest of the day.

Tuesday night (for the schedule beginning at 9:00 pm):  NV Gov. Brian Sandoval, Texas Sen nominee Ted Cruz, Artur Davis, SC Gov. Nikki Haley, Ann Romney, and NJ Gov. Chris Christie.  

Wednesday night (for the schedule beginning at 9:00 pm): PR Gov. Luis Fortuno, Tim Pawlenty, Mike Huckabee, Condi Rice, NM Gov. Susana Martinez, and Paul Ryan.

Thursday night (for the schedule beginning at 9:00 pm): Kerry Healy, FL Sen. Marco Rubio, and Mitt Romney. 

*** Deadlocked: Just in time for the convention, a new Washington Post/ABC poll finds the presidential race essentially even, with Romney at 47% among registered voters and President Obama at 46%. The Washington Post’s take: “The findings continue a months-long pattern, with neither the incumbent nor the challenger able to sustain clear momentum, despite airing hundreds of millions of dollars in television ads — most of them negative — and exchanging some of the harshest early rhetoric seen in a modern presidential campaign.”

Adrees Latif / Reuters

A security official stands guard outside the venue for the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Florida August 26, 2012. Tropical Storm Isaac forced Republicans on Sunday to rewrite the script for their national convention in Tampa as party officials scrambled to make sure candidate Mitt Romney's message to voters would not be blown off course.

*** Romney blasts Obama’s “campaign of personal vilification”: Despite this new poll, Romney -- in two recent interviews with print/online publications -- has acknowledged the toll the Obama campaign’s ads have taken on his favorability numbers. "I do think that the president's campaign of personal vilification and demonization probably draws some people away from me," Romney told USA Today in response to a question why he was no better than tied against Obama. “What has been the focus of the Obama ads?” Romney added to Politico. “Do they talk about my record in Massachusetts? Do they talk about my policy? No, they’re all personal attack ads that in some respects say not only outrageous, but entirely wrong things. People don’t know me, and they haven’t had a chance to see me yet, [so] they might believe those things.” Flashback to Romney’s “TODAY” interview on Jan. 30 when asked about his campaign’s attacks on Newt Gingrich: "There's no question that politics ain't bean bags, and we have made sure that our message is out loud and clear.” 

*** Obama ties Romney to the House GOP: Meanwhile, Obama gave his own print interview over the weekend, telling the AP that Romney has embraced the “extreme positions” of House Republicans. "I can't speak to Gov. Romney's motivations," Obama said in the interview. "What I can say is that he has signed up for positions, extreme positions, that are very consistent with positions that a number of House Republicans have taken. And whether he actually believes in those or not, I have no doubt that he would carry forward some of the things that he's talked about." Obama added, "We aren't where we need to be. Everybody agrees with that. But Gov. Romney's policies would make things worse for middle-class families and offer no prospect for long-term opportunity for those striving to get into the middle class.” 

*** FL ad spending surpasses $100 million: Given that we’re in Florida for the GOP convention, here is something to chew on: Out of the nearly $550 million spent on ads in the general election, one-fifth of that amount -- $110 million -- has been spent in the Sunshine State. In fact, Florida ($110 million), Ohio ($108 million), Virginia ($80 million), North Carolina ($56 million), and Colorado ($51 million) account for $405 million out of the grand total of $550 million. 

*** Ryan’s send-off rally: At 12:20 pm ET, Paul Ryan attends a send-off rally in his hometown of Janesville, WI -- at the high school he attended. Per the campaign, Ryan “will talk about the values his hometown taught him and how they're needed in Washington right now.” Ryan also will preview the remarks he’ll deliver at the GOP convention on Wednesday.

*** Poll: McCaskill now leading Akin: Turning back to the Akin story, a St. Louis Post-Dispatch/KMOV-TV/Mason-Dixon poll shows that the embattled congressman is now trailing Claire McCaskill by nine points among likely voters, 50%-41%, National Journal reports. “In late July, before winning a contentious, three-way primary, Akin led McCaskill, 49 percent to 44 percent.” In the presidential contest, the poll shows Romney leading Obama, 50%-43%.

Countdown to Dem convention: 7 days
Countdown to 1^st presidential debate: 37 days
Countdown to VP debate: 45 days
Countdown to 2^nd presidential debate: 50 days
Countdown to 3^rd presidential debate: 56 days
Countdown to Election Day: 71 days