all right. warming up for the republican crowd for the man at the top of the ticket. welcome back to tampa on the day mitt romney at long last accepts his per the's nomination for president of the united states. good morning, i'm willie geist. this is another special edition of "way too early." we're inside the howell at the moon bar that we've renamed the elephant bar. we're glad you're here. first republican primary votes cast and counted in iowa on january the 3rd. now here we are on august the 30th, almost seven months later. tonight governor romney will become his party's nominee. last night his vice presidential choice, paul ryan, had his national coming out party poking holes in president obama's record and laying out the conservative case for a new direction. we'll get to that and look ahead to governor romney's big speech

tonight with jim bandehi politico. tropical storm isaac no longer a hurricane. rains have caused floodings worse than they saw in katrina. president obama has declared a major disaster in louisiana and in neighboring mississippi opening the door to federal money to aid the recovery along the gulf. we want to start with meteorologist bill karins. he's up in new york with isaac's path. bill, this looks like it's set up shop over louisiana. >> yeah, still in louisiana, but today we'll be saying good-bye to it as it moves towards arkansas. what a storm. they're called hurricanes for a reason. i know we get caught up in what category they are. as soon as they get the title hurricane they have to be taken seriously. this for a category 1 has been an impressive journey over the last 36 hours across southeast louisiana and mississippi. this morning we have a ban of heavy rain over downtown new orleans with gusts of 40 miles per hour. it will still be difficult this morning for the power crews to be out there getting power to a

lot of people. the coast line of mississippi has been raked overnight. a few tornadoes. we're not completely done with the storm. as the day progresses today things will slowly get better. we've had a ton of rain. all the bright red are flash flood warnings through much of southern mississippi. as the storm pushes up towards the border of louisiana/mississippi, winds are gusting 40, 45 miles an hour. new orleans has gusts of 36 miles per hour. breezy, windy morning. power crews will try to get out there during the day to get over some of the half million people power. as far as rainfall went, so far we're up to almost ten inches. wide area throughout the storm. now as the storm progresses we'll change the tone of the storm. up to this point it's been destructive. it's knocked out power to hundreds of thousands of people. now we'll try to give you some benefits to isaac. arkansas, missouri, portions of kentucky, illinois, indiana, even ohio willie.

this storm will rain some people's plans out over labor day. this is the heart of the drought zone. we'll get beneficial rains. first we have to get it out of louisiana. >> yeah. maybe a little silver lining but a lot of water left behind in louisiana. let's go on the ground now. mike seidel is in baton rouge, louisiana. mike, what does it look like where you are? >> reporter: well, we've pretty much ended the heavy rain here. we've got a very fine mist coming down. the winds have shifted around to the southwest indicating the center, willie, has moved to the north and west. it's only moving as bill mentioned, 8 miles an hour. the heaviest rain is off to the east, central and southern mississippi. we're still under a tornado watch as well as new orleans and be a good deal of mississippi until 8:00. they'll probably extend that for the same portions of the area as we have intense rain bands. the wind is gusting maybe 25 to 30 miles an hour. we've had 5 1/2 inches of rain here. there are no flash flood warnings here in baton rouge. things are looking better than

they did yesterday across most of louisiana as the water begins to recede. the top rainfall was over 19 inches at the auto bon park. that's the zoo in new orleans. almost 20 inches of rain. power outages, here in the state of louisiana, 688,000 customers. that's customers. in mississippi now we're up to about 70,000 customers. a lot of power out. we've gotten a lot of water. the system is moving out of louisiana and things are looking better today. still just about everything is closed today as far as schools, businesses, and government functions. late yesterday, willie, the governor, governor bobby jindal has said the cost to cover this state and local was already at $24 million. willie? >> compared to what you were standing in yesterday, i bet that fine mist feels pretty good. mike seidel in baton rouge, louisiana, thanks very much. back here in tampa, we will hear tonight from the candidate mitt romney. he'll deliver his acceptance speech on this third and final day of the republican national

convention. his running mate, congressman paul ryan of wisconsin, took the stage last night before a roaring hall of delegates. the 42-year-old ryan accepting the vice presidential nomination and introducing himself to the country before a nationally televised primetime audience. his message part an attack on the current administration and part an argument for mitt romney. >> they've run out of ideas. their moment came and went. fear and division is all they've got left. with all their attack ads, the president is just throwing away money, and he's pretty experienced at that. [ applause ] >> you see, some people can't be dragged down by the usual cheap tactics because their character, ability, and plain decency are so obvious.

and, ladies and gentlemen, that is mitt romney. [ applause ] ryan brought the crowd to its feet a few times but especially so with an attack against president obama's health care law. with his own pledge he says to save medicare from bankruptcy. >> even with all the hidden taxes to pay for the health care takeover, even with the new law and new taxes on nearly a million small businesses, the planners in washington still didn't have enough money. they needed more. they needed hundreds of billions more so they just took it all away from medicare so our opponents can consider themselves on notice. in this election on this issue the usual posturing of the left isn't going to work. mitt romney and i know the difference between protecting a program and raiding it. ladies and gentlemen, our nation

needs this debate. we want this debate. we will win this debate. [ applause ] >> paul ryan is 23 years younger than his running mate, mitt romney. last night he joked a bit about that generation gap. >> we're a full generation apart, governor romney and i, and in some ways we're different. there are the songs in his ipod, which i've heard on the campaign bus. and i've heard it on many hotel elevators. he actually urged me to play some of these songs at campaign rallies. i said, look, i hope it's not a deal breaker, mitt, but my play list, it starts with acdc and it ends with zeppelin. joining us now on the set here in tampa, politico's executive editor, jim vandehi.

he used to be the favorite son. after last night it's paul ryan. we spent a lot of time studying paul ryan. if you're an independent voter watching him, being introduced to him for the first time, put yourself in those shoes. what did you think about what you saw last night? >> it was an amazing achievement of a speech. don't take my word for it. take a look at all the democrats who watched that speech. so much from the democrats. i don't agree with the speech but it was very, very effective. he hit every touch stone. he was able to dissect the obama record, dissect romney and get the faiths together. he was able to connect with the audience. that moment with the mom on the stage, the camera hitting scott walker as tears are falling down his face. the end of it where mitt romney came on stage two nights ago kind of fell flat.

his family comes on stage and exactly how you want to end the speech, he left the audience wanting more. he left the audience on its feet. that's what chris christie wanted to do. that's what mitt romney wants to do tonight. >> we talked about this with sarah palin. a moment in time, big speech, excited people in the hall. what does this mean though for the campaign? this was a good night for paul ryan. >> right. >> it's hard to think otherwise if you like the republican ticket, but does a vice president really help push this past the poll line? >> history says, no, it's always going to come down to the candidate itself. two big things, one, it gives his energy to the republican party. at the end of the day in a narrow election, you need energy. turnout matters. different republican party with paul ryan in it. on that score it was a genius pick by romney. i was very skeptical when he made the pick. i thought you're going to engage in a war on medicare and have that debate with only ten weeks to go, and it turns out he's done something to this ticket that really works. and the big question's going to

be, can mitt romney take all the energy that was started last night and move it up and keep it going? we don't know. in these big speeches in the past mitt romney has not been able to do that and he's always going to be judged by it. you look at the headlines. we don't have that much time to spend on playing on different websites, "usa today", the new fresh face for republicans. that's what they want. they want to be able to project that there's a new generation moving from the bush family to the younger generation, scott walkers, marco rubios, condoleezza rises and paul ryan. >> you mentioned medicare. he took medicare head on in fact saying president obama, the administration said we want to end medicare as you know it. in fact, i'm trying to save medicare. whether you believe that or not, it was taken head on. former secretary of state condoleezza rice. she chose to use her notes, not a teleprompter, discussing america's role on the global stage. >> i know, too, that there is a

weariness. i know that it feels as if we have carried these burdens long enough, but we can only know that there is no choice because one of two things will happen if we don't lead. either no one will lead and there will be chaos or someone will fill the vacuum who does not share our values. my fellow americans, we do not have a choice. we cannot be reluctant to lead, and you cannot lead from behind. [ applause ] >> the challenge is real and the times are hard, but america has met and overcome hard challenges before. >> on a personal note, a little girl grows up in gempro, birmingham, the segregated city of the south where her parents can't take her to a movie theater or to a restaurant, but

they have her absolutely convinced that even if she can't have a hamburger at the woolworth's lunch counter she could be president of the united states if she wanted to be and she becomes the secretary of state. >> a lot of people took exception with some of the things she said. she sort of gave lip service to afghanistan and iraq, the two wars she obviously had a hand in helping initiate, but her personal story is compelling. there's no getting around that. what does condoleezza rice add to this race now? >> well, republicans certainly in this election and elections going forward have a huge problem. there's a poll that long ago where republicans got zero percent. >> nbc poll. >> you can't win elections certainly with that low number and with hispanics. so she helps bring diversity. not just racial diversity but also ideological diversity. she's much more liberal on social issues than most conservatives. she was very well received inside the hall. i think what republicans want,

they want people to remember mia love, condoleezza rice, marco rubio, paul ryan. they like the idea of the next generation of republicans. i think they'll look for different ways to build excitement tonight. we keep hearing rumors of some surprise guest. it's only a rumor but the name that was floating around last night was tim tebow which wouldn't surprise me if you think about bringing somebody from florida, christian, republican. again, young, fresh face. >> did you just make that up? >> i did not make that up. other people make stuff up. i just channel it. and, you know, that's one of the interesting things that's happening at this convention. people are getting introduced to what is the future of the republican party. mitt romney, win or lose, is not the future. it's this generation of 40 something politicians, many of whom are starting in the states, whether it's scott walker, paul ryan who's doing obscurity until he started to do it here on the national stage, that have a different vision than the bush family. >> tim tebow. we'll see. >> we'll see if we're right. >> wisconsin's second favorite

son. we'll see you on "morning joe." >> still ahead when "way too early" comes back. bryce harper and the washington nationals. the kid tossed out of the game, but not before smashing two home runs. two of the best teams in baseball and neither of them named the new york yankees. hurricane isaac continues its slow crawl. an update when "way too early" comes back to the elephant bar in tampa at the republican national convention. this is the plan that revolves around you.

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welcome back to the elephant bar here in tampa. these good people getting up for an early drink this morning with us. time for a little sports. i've been pandering all week to this tampa crowd by leading with rays highlights. the problem is they keep losing. this morning i'm happy to report, i have some good news for the rays fans. right to the ninth inning. evan longoria with the insurance shot. second home run of the game. the rays snap a four-game losing streak with an 8-4 win over the rangers. they're now 1/2 game out of the second wild card spot and four games back of the yankees for the division. in the national league, the first place nationals visiting the marlins downstate in miami. bryce harper puts one into the right field seats. that's his 13th home run of the season. two-run shot puts the nats out front. harper going to unload and send one into the upper deck. solo home run gives harper his first multi-home run game of his

young career but the game also will be remembered for another career first for young bryce. in the ninth he grounds one to the right side. marlins start the 3-6-3 double play. he's out. he spikes his helmet in frustration. first base umpire buckner looks at him and gives him the hook. harper can't believe he got thrown out of the game. it turns out the helmet almost hit buckner. i don't think he meant to do that. wow, quick hook there. eventually harper leaves. his first career ejection. had to come some time. nationals end their skid and win 8-4. baseball fans outside the buckeye state might not be aware the best record in baseball now in cincinnati led by christ heisey two home runs. the reds beat the dbacks 6-2. 80-52. it took the reds 132 games to get their 80th win of the season. that's the fastest to 80 wins for a red team since the big red machine did it in 125 games in

1976. keep an eye on the reds. four months of pure bliss begins tonight as the college football season finally kicks off. wouldn't you know it, my vanderbilt commodores get it going. they host ninth ranked south carolina on espn. big expectations for the heisman candidate and running back marcus ladimore. vladimir went to a bowl game. we expect an s.e.c. championship this year, that's completely reasonable, don't you think? nomination before a cheering crowd in tampa. "morning joe" crew is going to break it all down and preview mitt romney's address this evening. plus, when we come back we'll huddle around the water cooler to watch ryan's old friend, scott walker, governor of wisconsin getting a little teary as he watched his buddy accept the vice presidential nomination. governor walker explains when

"way too early" comes back at the rnc in tampa.

welcome back to tampa. another look. the radar shows tropical storm

isaac still lumbering over the kostistyn after being downgraded from a category 1 hurricane. forecasters expect several days of drenching rain as the slow moving storm moves inward. the worst damage in southern louisiana where storm waters topped a levee in plaquemines parish. it was 11 feet high in some places. isaac likely will be downgraded to a tropical depression by tonight. back here in tampa, site of the 2012 republican national convention, where all of the good people have saddled up to the bar. state law says i can't serve you until 7:00 in the morning. i can't serve you for about 15 more years, my man. meanwhile, mitt romney will accept his party's presidential nomination tonight. this event, of course, is a media bonanza with virtually every television outlet in the country covering it. until the middle of the century, they weren't able to watch people. the 1940 republican national convention in philadelphia was the first party convention to be

shown on national tv. cameras from nbc owned station w-2 xbs rolled as the republicans nominated wendal wilke. he went on to lose the presidency to franklin dell la nor roosevelt. they do catch some sights krout cut aways. the hats. among the party people, the suit and tie shakers, cowboy hat wavers was wisconsin governor scott walker. he was welling up with tears as he listened to his speech by his long time friend paul ryan. they grew up 15 miles down the road from one another. they met in their 20s. they were raised with a lot in common including flipping burgers at the neighborhood mcdonald's. >> my dad, a small town lawyer was also named paul. until we lost him when i was 16, he was a gentle presence in my

life. i'd like to think he'd be proud of me, and my sister and brothers. [ applause ] >> do you know what? i'm sure proud of him and where i come from, janesville, wisconsin. when governor romney asked me to join the ticket i said, let's get this done, and that is exactly what we are going to do. >> you see walker there. nbc's ron mott talked to walker after the speech and walker explained his emotions. >> you got emotional during this speech. >> i did. i did. >> explain. >> i know paul well. i grew up down the road from him. i mean, just what he said was not wrread off the teleprompter. when he talked about his dad, his mother, those stories are real. they're who they are. you know, particularly when he talked about the gm plant. a lot of folks in my small town

of dulaven went to the gm plant. when he talked about the promise president obama made about that plant not closing down, the fact that it's been closed, that's the real deal. >> governor scott walker, wisconsin, still ahead. why are you awake. tweets, texts next. "morning joe" up next. [ male announcer ] if you stash tissues

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