scott walker made the case. he helped the fact that he could win a recall election when he did level with people. we are going to make the hard decisions and make these difficult changes and it's going to work. you started to see that work. that is one of the reasons scott walker won the recall election. that is one of the reasons wall ryan was able to be picked. you talked before the recall election in wisconsin to karl rove. you said he would be in camp if scott walker won. there were people skeptical of that back at the time. i i think karl rove it turns out was right about that. >> okay, steve. i just got in the reaction officially from the obama campaign. hit romney chosen a leadership who shares his commitment to the flawed theory new budget busting tax cuts for the wealthy while placing greater burdens on the middle class and seniors will somehow deliver a strong economy. the architect of the radical republican house budget ryan like romney proposed an additional 250,000 dollar tax cut for millionaires an

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

scott walker? >> scott walker in wisconsin. all of these leaders at the state level have demonstrated we can do, it's just time for washington to follow suit. >> sean: also part of christie's message tonight, i won't give a full preview, but he's going to say the american people can handle the truth. seems like he's going out there under the assumption that the american people understand with one in six americans in poverty, 25 million un and underemployed, 49 million americans on food stamps, seems to be going out there under the assumption that the american people know things are bad and they've not gotten better under barack obama. >> as you know, chris christie is the first to say he approached the job that he has as governor with two things in mind. number one, always tell the truth. number two, try and effect real change and solve problems. it's the same thing we've done in the u.s. house. it's what paul ryan brings to the ticket, because frankly the budget that he designed and drafted is about fixing problems. it's also,

scott walker, another popular 30-something. marco rubio will have 50 minutes in prime time tomorrow. talk about the changing of the guard. where are we in this moment for republicans? >> you always have a generational turn of the cycle. all right and really represents that. i think this powerful speech with a prominent platform tonight. paul ryan gets a big leg up in the competition for who will lead the next generation of republicans. i do not know about scott walker. probably some of the other republicans tearing up. this person has elbowed his way to the front of the line. paul ryan did himself a great deal of good. i think he also did mitt romney a great deal of good with the speech. >> he even talked about the echo of his language, spending money we do not have the. a lot of people are saying, this will silence -- does this give romney a second wind for the ticket? >> i think it did. we had heard romney had taken a swan dive with his pick. i do not think we will the -- we will see how the medicaid doe's long-term to know w

and sometimes for republicans like scott walker. so the question is will the electorate really do that? i thought the reason christie had to say what he did is to lay the predicate for medicare, and paul ryan-- i assume-- is going to talk about that today, say med qair is just an unsustainable program. and that's only defensible if you can lay lay larger context that we're on an unsustainable path. >> ifill: what was the larger context anne romney was trying to lay last night, and did anybody pick up on it? she clearly was making a pitch to women voters. "i like him. you ought to like him, too, get to know him." did that really resonate. >> not being a woman voter-- >> ifill: really? ! >> i don't even it resonated. i have to say, i mean-- i find her to be an appealing and commanding presence, but i thought her message was quite frankly ineffective, that it did not reveal anything personal about him. it was anecdotally berest of anything interesting. 47 years and there isn't a single story about one funny thing that mitt did. we're a

also governor scott walker is here next. can wisconsin native and vice president paul ryan tip the scales for the gop? you will here from governor walker. plus donald trump just made big news in florida. what did he do? well, you'll have to wait to see for yourself. you'll hear from donald trump. don't miss that. "on the record" is coming to you from tampa bay all week as we continue our coverage of the republican national convention. you know why i sell tools? tools are uncomplicated. nothing complicated about a pair of 10 inch hose clamp pliers. you know what's complicated? shipping. shipping's complicated. not really. with priority mail flat rate boxes from the postal service shipping's easy. if it fits, it ships anywhere in the country for a low flat rate. that's not complicated. no. come on. how about... a handshake. alright. priority mail flat rate boxes. starting at just $5.15. only from the postal service. it's the only way to get fresh coffee. not in my house! this new flavor lock pack from maxwell house helps seal

california is a perfect example, it is going over the fiscal cliff in wisconsin people like scott walker and ohio john kasich, chris christie especially if new jersey just leveled with the people in new jersey we cannot go on the way we are or our state will face economic ruin. that was what the tea party was all about, not just the usual we don't like government spending. is that we can no longer afford these levels. >> four years ago, eight years ago the republican party did not want to take on entitlements. bush tried, but didn't campaign on it much in 2004. he tried in 2005, he couldn't even get a vote out of the republican congress. >> what james said about scott walker is right. you talk about a sacred cow, third rail, whatever metaphor you want to use he took it to them and survived and it isn't a message to the rest of the party the rest of the country, that you can push these reforms successfully and survive them. i think the presence of the tea party has been felt much deeper at the state level where they in control of certain states. in congress, the republicans only control t

and with the help of republicans like scott walker all around the country these corporations are now claiming the absolute right to buy and sell politicians and to write laws the benefit them and screw you and me scott walker may be the face of this effort today but the first culprit was that rather obscure court reporter j.c. bancroft davis who with the stroke of his quill undid the intentions of our founders and set the nation down the road to corporatocracy please help us spread the truth about what really happened in that fateful court case in one thousand nine hundred six and to put an end to corporate personhood and thus stop this ruthless takeover of our democracy. and that's the big picture for tonight wednesday august first two thousand and twelve for more information of the stories we covered visit our website said tom hartman dot com free speech organ r t dot com also check out our two you tube channels in this entire show is also available as a free video podcast on i tunes and you can visit thom hartmann dot com to download the audio podcast of our daily three to six rad

and with the help of republicans like scott walker all around the country these corporations are now claiming the absolute right to buy and sell politicians and to write laws the benefit them and screw you and me scott walker may be the face of this effort today but the first culprit was that rather obscure court reporter j.c. bancroft davis who with the stroke of his quill undid the intentions of our founders and set the nation down the road to corporatocracy please help us spread the truth about what really happened in that fateful court case in one thousand nine hundred six and to put an end to corporate personhood and thus stop this ruthless takeover of our democracy and that's the big picture for tonight wednesday august first two thousand and twelve for more information the stories we covered visit our website said tom foreman dot com free speech at oregon or t. dot com also check out our two you tube channels and this entire show is also available as a free video podcast on i tunes and you can visit thom hartmann dot com to download the audio podcast of our daily three to six

scott walker has been a real star, and, of course, he won the recall election earlier this year. in wisconsin, over the past couple of years, people are very excited about him. also, haley. >> we talked to governor scott walker, and we will show you a portion of that interview, in case you missed it, and we will also be checking in with the "milwaukee journal sentinel" head, and ann romney getting her a sense of what this whole experience is like for her and her family. >> i just want to say thank-you to the romneys welcoming me, my husband, our three children, on this journey. our future. that is what this race is all about. story is an inspiration, and this is an unexpected blessing in the campaign. it is a privilege to join you and mitt on this campaign. it is an honor to be on america of's -- to be on america's combat team, and enjoying your breakfast. thank you. >> she is from oklahoma. by the way, there was a veteran of washington politics. susan is on the floor here from the "tampa bay times" forum. >> the youngest delegate, 17 years old, when do you turn 18? >> september

they did the backings of paul ryan and scott walker while facing attacks from critic who is tried to play for a health care mandate. he will face tamy baldwin in the general election race that could help tomorrow control of the united states senate.

you've got lovers and haters of governor scott walker. you did win the recall by more than you won the original governor. i recognize that. how does that rather hostile environment to you, how is that going to be reflected in the general election? >> again, in our election, i said this in june, a couple days after my election, even more so since paul ryan is on the ticket, if people look at mitt romney and see him as not just the "r" next to his name standing for republican, but "r" for reformer, that's enough to say independents and dissuade democrats. we need independent swing voters and so-called reagan democrats. mitt romney can appeal to them even more so with paul ryan on the ticket, but he has to talk about reforms, be the clear contrast. we're hurting in our state like most states are. our unemployment is better than the national average, but still high. 42 consecutive months of unemployment over 8%. that's hurting. >> greta: it's dropped down to 7.3%, 34/10 points less than when you took office. at least that's the right directio

in this half hour, wisconsin governor scott walker is our very special guest. if there is one issue prominent at this convention it is entitlement reform and truth-telling of the potential bankruptcy of the entire country. do you know what? truth-telling worked in wisconsin. question, can it work nationwide? also this evening, virginia governor bob mcdonnell, head of the platform committee. is it focused more on jobs and the economy or on social issues like the todd akin mess? we'll go inside what the committee is thinking and reveal what they are going to announce tomorrow. first up it's quiet behind me because tropical storm isaac put a hold on the convention. if you are watching in hd, you will see we have the live radar loop in the little box in the right side of the screen. let's get an update on the storm and all the technology i just talked about with cnbc's own michelle caruso-cabrera back at global headquarters. >> tropical storm isaac expected to become hurricane isaac by tomorrow and possibly in its sights an area all too familiar with storms -- new

in january two thousand and eleven scott walker admitted to a wealthy donor that he plans to use divide and conquer to break the backs of working people in his state take a look. at the chance we'll ever get to be a completely red state and work on these who say oh you can become a great little infect others do what you do to help you we're going to start in a couple weeks with their budget just the first of this. we're going to do it was clipped a bargain for a public employee. that used to buy. and that's exactly what he did divide and conquer he pitted non-unionized private sector workers against public sector workers union guys public sector workers here is that it was a zero sum game that as long as public workers live high on the hog with their forty thousand dollars a year salaries than private sector workers will continue to make less and less he argued that private workers were actually subsidizing the outrageous salaries of public workers again like forty thousand dollars a year forcing the state into bankruptcy walker knew that if you can get working people to stop looking ou

in january two thousand and eleven scott walker admitted to a wealthy donor that he plans to use divide and conquer to break the backs of working people in his state take a look. at the chance we'll ever get to be a completely red state and work on these here and become a great will in fact to do what you do to help you were a certain a couple we were their budget just one of the first of those. we're going to do was click to bargain for a public employee that used to buy. and that's exactly what he did divide and conquer he pitted non-unionized private sector workers against public sector workers union as public sector workers carried that it was a zero sum game that as long as public workers live high on the hog with their forty thousand dollars a year salaries than private sector workers will continue to make less and less he argued that private workers were actually subsidizing the outrageous salaries of public workers again like forty thousand dollars a year forcing the state into bankruptcy walker knew that if you can get working people to stop looking out for each other and he ca

can you see more of them in people like scott walker and paul ryan. it has produced magnificent political leaders and they know how to address tough issues. and the thing i like about paul ryan, he had the courage to say i will not lie to you. this is the truth. it is painful and difficult but we have to make the decisions and the choices and can't puts around four more years. i look at my two and half year old grand daughter and every day that goes by we are adding up the bill she and her family will have to worry about 30 or 40 years down the road. if we don't have a president who is prepare to stand up address those issues. i am afraid we are deep in the soup. >> mr. vice-president thank you for being with us. we have a full hour with the vice-president and we'll show in the week ahead. stay tuned for on the fox news channel. liz cheney and tim pawlenty and first find out why mitt romney will choose paul ryan. we'll neck next. well another great thing about all this walking i've been doing is that it's given me time to reflect on some of life's big

in wisconsin, it became between tom barrett and scott walker. millions of dollars of advertisements saying what a great person scott walker was. in the end, even our own memberships, of those 75% voted against walker -- of the 25% that did not come a 40% of those said they were not going to vote against him because they did not think ricou should be used for policy decisions. -- recalls should be used for policy decisions. it was an election between people. it was not about collective bargaining. if it had been, i think we would have won. the stuff with the pensions -- people are getting tired of that. talk to people in the little town that i grew up in. say hey, we better take away those pensions. what does that do for me? i still do not have a pension. now, neither one of us have a pension. what happens to the economy? i think we have seen the economists after economists -- the economy cannot survive without medicare and medicaid. we are giving them fact and it is starting to tackle. we will have a debate around this for shared prosperity. we

i want to bring in scott walker, my good friend, the director of the downtown alliance. this is a huge event. talk about how you guys are supporting it. >> this is our biggest fund-raiser of the year. we do several throughout. all the money goes back into the local community to support local businesses, to promote our area and to invite people to downtown bel air. this is almost four events in one. we have an amateur rib cooking competition. the winner going to the american royal and kansas city. beer and wine garden, fun zone, sponsor displays. it's an amazing event. family friendly, kid friendly. a lot of fun. >> reporter: this year you've added a few tweaks to the big barbecue bash. what's going to be different for them scott? >> we were pleased to brpg on collar broil grill -- bring on char broil grills. they have free samples and interactive games. >> reporter: it smells awfully good. scott walker, thanks. all marylanders loving the barbecue. you want to come and check it out. we'll have much more coming up live from bel air at the barbecue bash straight ahead. >> y

walker. >> to governor scott walker of wisconsin. >> i caught up with walker on the floor and asked him to explain why he believes he's captured the imagination of the delegates in that arena. >> it's why i love paul ryan being on the ticket. because in the end, i think americans certainly us here, but americans in general are hungry for leadership. >> and paul ryan has the potential to rock that crowd here tonight. those delegates are going to be loving him with a christie-like message. tough love without the jersey bravado but keep this point in mind. other than sarah palin, has another vice presidential nominee actually delivered a speech that made a long-term impact? remember, this stuff is always about the nominee. that said, the romney campaign will hold 20 watch parties of ryan's speech in wisconsin, and a special event in his hometown of janesville. though romney will not be in person, he gives a speech to the american legion in indianapolis. he will address delegates by satellite on veterans' issues. tonight's lineup includes mike huckab huckabee, condoleezza rice, her firs

can you see more of them in people like scott walker and paul ryan. it has produced magnificent political leaders and they know how to address tough issues. and the thing i like about paul ryan, he had the courage to say i will not lie to you. this is the truth. it is painful and difficult but we have to make the decisions and the choices and can't puts around four more years. i look at my two and half year old grand daughter and every day that goes by we are adding up the bill she and her family will have to worry about 30 or 40 years down the road. if we don't have a president who is prepare to stand up address those issues. i am afraid we are deep in the soup. >> mr. vice-president thank you for being with us. we have a full hour with the vice-president and we'll show in the week ahead. stay tuned for on the fox news channel. liz cheney and tim pawlenty and first find out why mitt romney will choose paul ryan. we'll neck next. >> we will take responsibility. and we won't replace our founding principles. we will ply them. >> the vice-president elect

for scott walker, the governor of wisconsin, who everybody is a hero in republican circles and is also the home state of paul ryan. >> woodruff: a hero because he beet back an effort to recall him to recall him. gwen, i have to say as somebody who's covered more than one convention, they have done this all very quickly. the. >> ifill: more than one convention, judy! >> woodruff: i've never seen it happen this quickly. here we are the opening night of the convention. it's not even so-called prime time in television land and republicans already have their nominees. >> woodruff: they're also getting a long-needed injection of energy tonight. because we know, for instance, that this convention was supposed to start yesterday, it's starting tonight, mitt romney is in town and rumors to be in the hall tonight so they're setting the whole party atmosphere for him. >> ifill: and this is a very happy group of delegates. they don't know what will happen in this election, but there's a lot of enthusiasm out there, i would say a lot of enthusiasm to defeat president obama and growing enthusiasm fr

and sometimes for republicans like scott walker. so the question is will the electorate really do that? i thought the reason christie had to say what he did is to lay the predicate for medicare, and paul ryan-- i assume-- is going to talk about that today, say med qair is just an unsustainable program. and that's only defensible if you can lay lay larger context that we're on an unsustainable path. >> ifill: what was the larger context anne romney was trying to lay last night, and did anybody pick up on it? she clearly was making a pitch to women voters. "i like him. you ought to like him, too, get to know him." did that really resonate. >> not being a woman voter-- >> ifill: rlly? ! >> i don't even it resonated. i have to say, i mean-- i find her to be an appealing and commanding presence, but i thought her message was quite frankly ineffective, that it did not reveal anything personal about him. it was anecdotally berest of anything interesting. 47 years and there isn't a single story about one funny thing that mitt did. we're ass

for scott walker, the governor of wisconsin, who everybody is a hero in republican circles and is also the home state of paul ryan. >> woodruff: a hero because he beet back an effort to recall him to recall him. gwen, i have to say as somebody who's covered more than one convention, they have done this all very quickly. the. >> ifill: more than one convention, judy! >> woodruff: i've never seen it happen this quickly. here we are the opening night of the convention. it's not even so-called prime time in television land and republicans already have their nominees. >> woodruff: they're also getting a long-needed injection of energy tonight. because we know, for instance, that this convention was supposed to start yesterday, it's starting tonight, mitt romney is in town and rumors to be in the hall tonight so they're setting the whole party atmosphere for him. >> ifill: and this is a very happy group of delegates. they don't know what will happen in this election, but there's a lot of enthusiasm out there, i would say a lot enthusiasm to defeat president obama and growing enthusiasm from

and sometimes for republicans like scott walker. so the question is will the electorate really do that? i thought the reason christie had to say what he did is to lay the predicate for medicare, and paul ryan-- i assume-- is going to talk about that today, say med qair is just an unsustainable program. and that's only defensible if you can lay lay larger context that we're on an unsustainable path. >> ifill: what was the larger context anne romney was trying to lay last night, and did anybody pick up on it? she clearly was making a pitch to women voters. "i like him. you ought to like him, too, get to know him." did that really resonate. >> not being a woman voter-- >> ifill: really? ! >> i don't even it resonated. i have to say, i mean-- i find her to be an appealing and commanding presence, but i thought her message was quite frankly ineffective, that it did not reveal anything personal about him. it was anecdotally berest of anything interesting. 47 years and there isn't a single story about one funny thing that mitt did. we're a

and the governor of ryan's home state of wisconsin, scott walker. plus, the man whose job it is to help president obama defeat the romney/ryan ticket, chief strategist for the obama campaign, david axelrod. and finally, full analysis on what this all means for the remaining 86 days of the campaign. with us, editor of the national review, rich lowry. msnbc's rachel maddow. author and radio talk show host bill bennett. chief "washington post" correspondent dan balz. and nbc's political director and chief white house correspondent, chuck todd. >>> and good morning. even though the olympics aren't even over, the presidential campaign has kicked in to a new gear. so, who is paul ryan? let's get to some of the key stats about someone you're going to learn a lot more about. he's 42 years old. fifth generation from janesville, wisconsin. he's a native there. seventh term in the house. he is the powerful house budget chairman. first elected to the house at the age of 28. he's catholic. married to wife janna. three children, liza, charlie and sam. we'll get m

and the governor of ryan's home state of wisconsin, scott walker. plus, the man whose job it is to help president obama defeat the romney/ryan ticket, chief strategist for the obama campaign, david axelrod. and finally, full analysis on what this all means for the remaining 86 days of the campaign. with us, editor of the national review, rich lowry. msnbc's rachel maddow. author and radio talk show host bill bennett. chief "washington post" correspondent dan balz. and nbc's political director, and chief white house correspondent, chuck todd. >>> and good morning. even though the olympics aren't even over, the presidential campaign has kicked in to a new gear. so, who is paul ryan? let's get to some of the key stats about someone you're going to learn a lot more about. he's 42 years old. fifth generation from janesville, wisconsin. a native there. seventh term in the house. he is the powerful house budget chairman. first elected to the house at the age of 28. he's catholic. married to wife janna. three children, liza, charlie and sam. we'll get more

that is from governor scott walker. we will get your phone calls in a bit. we wanted to give you a chance to see the announcement this morning from the uss wisconsin in norfolk. it is just under 40 minutes. >> good morning. what a treat to be back in my own home. it is such a pleasure to be that the governor of the most business family state in america. [applause] thanks for having us here today. this is the mother of president, and birthplace of democracy. 405 years ago, the greatest country on earth gave birth to the united states of america. [applause] the home of the greatest in the world. all of you that our veterans, raise your hand so we can give you a round of applause? [applause] you understand like mitt romney, freedom is not free. it takes the blood and sweat and tears of american men and women in uniform. [applause] it is a treat to be here with the guy i think was the greatest reform governor of the modern era who will be next great united states senator, george allen. [applause] and 40 men and women in uniform are veterans, you know -- you have

can you see more of them in people like scott walker and paul ryan. it has produced magnificent political leaders and they know how to address tough issues. and the thing i like about paul ryan, he had the courage to say i will not lie to you. this is the truth. it is painful and difficult but we have to make the decisions and the choices and can't puts around four more years. i look at my two and half year old grand daughter and every day that goes by we are adding up the bill she and her family will have to worry about 30 or 40 years down the road. if we don't have a president who is prepare to stand up address those issues. i am afraid we are deep in the soup. >> mr. vice-president thank you for being with us. we have a full hour with the vice-president and we'll show in the week ahead. stay tuned for on the fox news channel. liz cheney and tim pawlenty and first find out why mitt romney will choose paul ryan. we'll neck next. >> we will take responsibility. we won't blame others. we will take responsibility. and we won't replace ouro founding prin

walker had. they nominated tommy thompson as a throw. back to the past. you have connie mack, the fourth the son of the former senator down there who has uniform name i.d. because of his father going up against bill nelson. now, connie mack has not run the best campaign, but because of the national environment, bill nelson's numbers aren't very good, and the polls have shown him in a statistical dead heat. these are two of the three that are very key for the republicans. >> eliot: as you pointed out herb cole is retiring. he would have held that seat with some ease. he's very popular. when he announced his retirement, it set off a flurry, and at that point it looked like a democratic stronghold, but then scott walker pushed back successfully, and then the republican party is energized there. tommy thompson somewhat of a moderate could pull in voters. tommy touch son thompson in this was the winner. >> yes, it looks like what was happening in other states could happen in wisconsin the most conserv

governor scott walker was one of them. as he was introducing mr. ryan he introduced the two families and you can see them there and it was that moment that the two ryanmr. romney and mr. plouffe and to the stage and you you could see congressman ryan visibly shaken by the moment. he was tearing up. people in the crowd acting to that some what as well. he then shouted hi mom as he began his remarks. reminding people that this is his home. was born not too far away from there in janesville, wisconsin which is in his district in the u.s. congress. now, we want to go to our chief campaign correspondent carl cameron who is there. he has been with this campaign since its announcement yesterday that mr. ryan would be joining the ticket. electric place to be where you are standing right now? >> it was clear that paul ryan was emotional from the moment he stepped on stage he recognized so many faces in the crowd. within seconds he was wiping away tears. clearly emotionally affect by all of this. and it had an effect on mitt romney. both he and his wife ann

scott walker joins us. good evening. >> good to have a one on the ticket. >> greta: i can tell you that much. it's interesting. tell me... wht going to have on the battleground state come november. >> i think it had will have a big impact. after my election back in june i thought mitt romney could win wisconsin because i felt that voters in our state would win by a bigger margin two years ago. we're looking beyond republican voters, independents and democrats voted for us because they wanted leaders to make tough decisions. i feel that more strongly since mitt romney's courageous and announcement of paul ryan. it's very specific. right here in wisconsin. paul comes from one of the most competitive politically congressional districts in the country. it is almost evenly split between republican and democrat. is suburban and rural. pauline though for years, not just lately running on his plan to turn the budget around, he has consistently won with more than 60% of the vote. if he takes a fraction what barack o

we will see the state governor scott walker introduce we are told both mr. romney and mr. ryan. as that happens we will take you right back to this event. we wanted to give you a quick peek in and let you know things are rolling along right now in wisconsin. we will bring you other news and get right back to that as the news warrants on that. >>> another step in the healing process for sikh worshipers in oak creek, wisconsin. terrorized by a gunman a week ago today. the temple holding its first sunday service since the suspect shot and killed six people. the prayer services were open to the public. extra security clearly visible at all times. members spent the past few days replacing carpets and repairing walls damaged by gunfire inside the temple but left one dime sized bullet hole unrepaired in memory of those who died. >>> a major milestone for gabby gifford. she is moving home to too you son, a year and a half after this mass shooting left her severely injured. today her husband, is astronaut mark kelly going to the internet and tweeting out moving back to tucson today. gabb

scott walker joins us. good evening. >> good to have a one on the ticket. >> greta: i can tell you that much. it's interesting. so tell me... what input is it going to have on the battleground state come november. >> i think it had will have a big impact. after my election back in june i thought mitt romney could win wisconsin because i felt that voters in our state would win by a bigger margin two years ago. we're looking beyond republican voters, independents and democrats voted for us because they wanted leaders to make tough decisions. i feel that more strongly since mitt romney's courageous and announcement of paul ryan. it's very specific. right here in wisconsin. paul comes from one of the most competitive politically congressional districts in the country. it is almost evenly split between republican and democrat. is suburban and rural. pauline though for years, not just lately running on his plan to turn the budget around, he has consistently won with more than 60% of the vote. if he takes a fracti

and the governor of ryan's home state of wisconsin, scott walker. plus, the man whose job it is to help president obama defeat the romney/ryan ticket, chief strategist for the obama campaign, david axelrod. and finally, full analysis on what this all means for the remaining 86 days of the campaign. with us, editor of the national review, rich lowry. msnbc's rachel maddow. author and radio talk show host bill bennett. chief "washington post" correspondent dan balz. and nbc's political director, and chief white house correspondent, chuck todd. >> even though the olympics are not even over the presidential campaign kick flood a new gear. who is paul ryan? let's get to some of the key stats about someone you will learn a lot more about. he's 42 years old. fifth generation from janesville, wisconsin. a native there. seventh term in the house. he is the powerful house budget chairman. first elected to the house at the age of 28. he's catholic. married to wife janna. three children, liza, charlie and sam. we'll get more on the biography in just a moment. i