President Barack Obama visits Norfolk on Tuesday as the Democratic National Convention is set to kick off.
The campaign just relased new details about the visit:
Grassroots Event
with President Obama in Norfolk, Virginia
On Tuesday, September 4, the President will end
his “Road to Charlotte” tour with a grassroots event in Norfolk, VA.
EVENT LOCATION: The Madison Hall Quad, Norfolk State University
DOORS OPEN: 10:00 AM EDT on Tuesday, September 4, 2012
Ticket Distribution Information for Members of the Public:
Tickets are available for the President's event in Norfolk, Virginia. The event
is free and open to the public, but tickets are required for entrance. One
ticket per person will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis. To
pick up your ticket, visit one of the following locations beginning Saturday,
September 1, at 10:00AM EDT:
OFA Virginia - Norfolk Field Office
100 W. 20th Street
Norfolk, VA, 23517
Norfolk State University
McDemmond Center for Applied Research
555 Park Ave.
Norfolk, VA 23504
Paul Ryan is making himself pretty well known to the voters in Richmond. He has come to Richmond more than any other place in the country, so it is no surprise that his first stop after the convention was here in the Commonwealth.
For the second time, we spoke with Rep. Ryan one on one. We pressed him on his plan for Medicare and his attacks on President Barack Obama's approach. We also talked about looming defense cuts and his take on the tone of the race.
You can see our interview with Ryan tomorrow at 6pm on NBC12. We will post the entire interview on Decision Virginia at that time as well.
(Congressman Ryan granted several one on one TV interviews)
Meanwhile during his event today, Ryan stuck to the Romney campaign playbook. His speech was what we've come to expect, aside from one new addition, the Romney/Ryan campaign plane.
Here is my story for NBC12:
It has become his favorite stop on the
campaign trail. Vice Presidential nominee Paul Ryan was back in Richmond and
this time he was riding in style.
His new ride is DC-9-30.
It is actually a bit smaller than the plane the Ryan team had been flying on up
until this point, but this new plane is decked out in the campaign's colors and
it made a dramatic entrance this afternoon.
It was a boiling hot day, on a hot
tarmac, with very little shade and almost no breeze, but when Ryan arrived, no
one seemed to care. The optics was made-for-TV perfect, but the speech was very
similar to what we have heard from the candidate for the last three weeks on
the campaign trail.
"Moments like this you need
leadership, you need principled leadership. Guess what?” Ryan asked. “That is
exactly what Mitt Romney is."
Ryan's high praise for the man who
made him an overnight celebrity doesn't impress democrats. Newport News
Congressman Bobby Scott called Romney's leadership in Massachusetts a failure.
"He increased the debt did
nothing for job creation and business growth and raised fees and taxes on the
middle class," said Scott.
Ryan told a much different story at
RIC. He pointed to Romney's business success, his turnaround of the Salt Lake
Olympic Games and his record as governor as a reason why he is the kind of man
America needs.
"(Romney is) a person with a
vision for the country, and a person with the leadership skills to execute and
accomplish that vision,” said Ryan. “Friends,
that is Mitt Romney in a nutshell!"
But it's that vision for the country
that scares Richmond Mayor Dwight Jones.
"Mitt Romney has two sets of
rules,” Jones said. “(Rules for) those who are rich and powerful and those who
are like everybody else."
In terms of substance, it was a visit that wasn't all that different from his first two stops in Virginia. However in style the newly minted GOP Vice Presidential nominee made a big splash, rolling into the Richmond International Airport in his new DC-9-30 jet.
Rep. Paul Ryan spoke to a decent sized crowd, who braved hot, humid temperatures a bright beating down sun and very little shade to hear him speak. Several people were treated for symptoms related to heat exhaustion.
Ryan repeated several of his convention speech themes and brought back some of his regular attacks on Barack Obama. The star of this event though, wasn't the candidate it was his new plane, which made a dramatic entrance, rolling right up to the stage to the soundtrack of the movie "Air Force One."
We will have a look back at the Ryan event coming up on NBC12 First at 4 and again at 5 & 6.
It may have come as a surprise to Fox News Channel viewers in the Richmond area taking in the Republican National Convention, television ads indirectly attacking House Majority Leader Eric Cantor by his opponent E. Wayne Powell.
Powell bought enough ad space on Fox News Channel that the ad ran at least once every hour during the entire convention.
Here is a look at the ad:
The ad is designed to attract republicans which make up a huge majority of the 7th congressional district. Powell is gambling that many of them are unhappy with Cantor, even if they share the same party affiliation.
"It hasn't mattered if they're
party-affiliated or independent," said Powell in a statement. "I have yet to knock on a single door where the
person answering is happy with what's going on in the Cantor-run
Congress."
Cantor chuckled when we asked him about the ad during an interview from Tampa Bay during the convention, but then said that he is "taking this race very seriously."
In 2010 the incumbent was criticized for not engaging his then opponent Rick Waugh. This time around Cantor quickly agreed to a debate with Powell.
"We are looking forward to a debate with Mr. Powell on the issues that will effect so many people in our Commonwealth," Cantor said.
Powell who is for the most part unknown in the 7th district, last made headlines when he represented the group of pro-choice protesters who were arrested for marching on the steps of the Capitol during the General Assembly session. The local attorney has run a spirited race to this point, driven by his well known political strategist Dave "Mudcat" Saunders.
Saunders believes there is enough fatigue in Cantor's district that a strong candidate could topple the powerful leader.
"Without question, Cantor's abysmal
approval rating is the reason Republicans aren't letting him address the
convention," Saunders said. He believes the more people get to know Powell the more Cantor could face a tight race. Saunders has already engineered quite a bit of national face time for Powell's candidacy on cable news channels. In particular liberal talk shows on MSNBC.
The appearances have helped Powell's fund raising efforts.
Despite the pep in the step of the Powell effort, few view Cantor as being in any danger come November. While Cantor appears to be prepared to engage Powell to a degree, expect him to run a campaign based primarily on his accomplishments. It will be rare that he even mentions his opponent.
There could be some fireworks, but it will take quite a bit to make the race truly competitive.
Extended clips from Cantor's comments can be found below:
College campuses in 2008 were electric places when it came to the campaign for president. The democratic ticket electrified young people in a way that pundits had promised, but had never delivered.
College students who showed up in big numbers for rallies and events, then went to the voting booth and played a major role in electing President Barack Obama.
Now it is four years later. Many of those excited college students are now graduates and the current crop are folks that may have never had the chance to vote in a presidential election. That means democrats need to start from scratch.
That is exactly what President Obama was attempting to do Wednesday in Charlottesville.
(Obama spoke in front of a sea of blue and orange in Charlottesville)
Here is my story for NBC12:
In a break from tradition, President Barack
Obama was on the campaign trail today, even though the Republican National Convention
was underway.
Charlottesville was one of
three college towns, the president visited over the last two days.
College students are
passionate, often a bit more to the left, but also very unreliable. They came
out big for President Obama in 2008.
He needs them again in
2012.
And the president couldn't have made
it any more clear in a direct pitch that group.
“Even if you don't vote
for them because you don't believe what they are peddling,” he said. “What they
do hope you will is that you get so discouraged that you just stay home.
Staying home is not an
option for Obama die hard supporters like Emily Schenck, a UVA student from
Short Pump.
"I think he's done a
great job," she said after the president’s speech.
Schenck is a political
junkie who doesn't need to be convinced, but she has plenty of peers who
do.
"A lot of my friends
say they don't care about politics,” she said.
“But this affects our lives and I'm going to try and convince as many of
them as I can."
College towns like
Charlottesville often vote democratic, but republicans say they aren't ready to
give up their fight here quite yet.
"We're not ceding one
inch of ground to the Obama campaign," said Curt Cashour a spokesman for
the Romney campaign.
Cashour argues that many
of those college students, who voted Obama in 2008, are now college graduates
having a hard time find a job.
"I think that
realization is going hit them hard and they are really going to think about who
they are going to vote for," he said.
But Emily Schenck isn't
one of them. She is motivated to go work for team Obama and that means bugging
every friend she has, right up until Election Day.
Tuesday is Bob McDonnell's big night in the spotlight in Tampa Bay for the Republican National Convention. In addition to his role as the GOP Platform Committee Chair, McDonnell will also speak during in prime time coverage of the event.
McDonnell will speak tonight at around 8:45pm. He will not be part of the network coverage of the event, but he will certainly get high profile interest on the cable news channels like MSNBC which run full convention coverage.
McDonnell has already popped up on several national broadcasts talking about the GOP's efforts as one of the party's top surrogates for Mitt Romney.
In an interview from Tampa, McDonnell told us his job tonight is to outline the success republican governors have had across the country and show that as an example of what a Mitt Rommey administration will look like.
"Mitt Romney, a former governor who dropped the unemployment rate in Massachusetts is the best person to replace Barack Obama," McDonnell said.
Early excerpts of the speech reflect that goal. McDonnell plans to weave Virginia's story as part of the overall Romney campaign theme.
"Conservative fiscal policies are working," McDonnell will say, "And so are more
Americans in states with Republican governors."
He will also specifically mention Virginia "swing counties". In many of these areas the campaign is very hot and will get prime recognition in tonight's address.
"That coffee shop in Henrico; that florist in Virginia Beach....that
bakery in Radford...they were all built by entrepreneurial Americans with big
dreams....not a big spending government with a wide open wallet full of other
people's money!"
While McDonnell is going to be front and center, his stage will not be quite as big as fellow Governor Chris Christie (R-NJ) who was also elected in 2009. McDonnell told us that he talked to Chrisite earlier today and got a preview of his speech.
"(Christie will talk) about the bigger vision of the status quo and an entitlement society versus a Reagan/Romney view of an opportunity society," McDonnell said.
These speeches leading up to Thursday night are designed to build Romney up as a problem solver and a man prepared to take on President Obama and offer a viable alternative to the last four years. Each address will play an important role in helping Romney convince Americans that he is ready for the job. While the republican has tightened the polls, he is still has yet to build the necessary enthusiasm to beat out an incumbent.
Bob McDonnell is hoping he can help that process.
Extended clips from our interview can be found below:
Former White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs is one of President Barack Obama's most trusted advisers. Gibbs is now out of the White House and is working in the private sector in addition to helping out with the Obama campaign.
He is in Tampa Bay right now serving as a one man response team for the Democrats in the heart of GOP country. We talked to Gibbs live on NBC12 First at 4.
(We talked to Gibbs live on NBC12 First at 4)
Among other things, Gibbs defended the president's decision to campaign during the Republican National Convention, which is not customary. He also responded to heat that he has taken from the Romney campaign after comments he made this morning on Chuck Todd's MSNBC show 'The Daily Rundown".
In hind sight it seems like an easy pick to make. Mitt Romney has all the makings of a GOP nominee for president and was pretty much the front runner for 2012 as soon as the 2008 race came to a close. But while republican leaders across the state and here in Virginia took their time in picking their candidates, no one can claim that they were on the Romney train earlier than Lt. Governor Bill Bolling.
(Bolling at the RNC convention on Monday)
Bolling was a Romney backer before it was conventional wisdom to be a Romney backer. Even more, Bolling got on Romney's team as a southern leader, which wasn't easy particularly given Romney's reputation pre-2008 which was that of a moderate from the northeast. Bolling was the first southern state wide elected leader to endorse Romney. An endorsement he provided in 2007. By contrast, Governor Bob McDonnell did not endorse Romney until late in the primary of 2012.
"We've been working together about five years now," Bolling said of his relationship with Romney. "I have absolute confidence in this man and his ability to get this country back on the right track."
I vividly remember Bolling and his team gearing up for a primary fight in 2008, hoping to steal momentum away from a surging John McCain. Romney conceded and endorsed McCain shortly before the Virginia primary. McCain easily beat Mike Huckabee in the "Potomac Primary" and eventually captured the nomination.
While Romney wasn't successful in 2008, Bolling did not give up on him. He got involved in his 2012 plans right away and serves as his Virginia state co-chair, which has become an increasingly important position given the Commonwealth's distinction as a top five swing state.
"It is going to be very exciting this week to see him become the nominee of the republican party, it is something we've been working on for five years now," Bolling said. "I just hope I'll have the chance in November to see him become the next President of the United States of America."
It is clear that Romney appreciate's Bolling's friendship and loyalty. He often speaks highly of the Lt. Governor in campaign stops in Virginia and even went as far as to say that he hopes that Bolling will be the "next governor of Virginia". A statement he later pulled back when questions were raised about the heated primary Bolling faces with Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli.
The commitment to Romney has already been helpful to Bolling, but if Romney wins it could a huge boon to the L.G. as he looks ahead to a difficult and potentially bruising nominating contest. While it is doubtful that a recently elected GOP president would wade into a contentious primary, just months after being elected, there is no doubt that Bolling could count on behind the scenes support from the man who he has been there for from the beginning.
Cuccinelli has worked on behalf of Romney after he captured the nomination, but did not endorse any candidate in the GOP primary.
Bolling, who is adding 2013 staff on a regular basis told me he's not all that worried about that race quite yet.
"Our focus is on Mitt Romney and the Romney/Ryan ticket," he said. "We don't even want to talk about 2013... We are going to take November 7th off and then maybe on November 8th we will start talking about 2013."
November 8th, really isn't that far away.
Extended clips from my conversation with Bolling can be found below:
Newly minted Vice Presidential candidate Paul Ryan has been on the campaign trail for only a week and has spent much of that playing defense. Defending his running mate's decision to not release his tax returns, his controversial plan for Medicare and his own experience.
We spoke with Ryan one on one after his speech in Glen Allen and touched on all of those topics and more.
First our story, with democratic response from NBC12:
For most Virginians, Paul Ryan's introduction onto the national stage was the first time they ever heard of the Congressman from Wisconsin.
This week, our Ryan Nobles was granted an exclusive sit down with the man who wants to be the next Vice President of the United States.
Paul Ryan got his start in politics early. He went to Washington to work on Capitol Hill soon after graduating college.
"I have great experience in congress trying to get things done," he said.
Republicans, including his running mate Mitt Romney are often critical of too much time spent in Washington. Ryan is working to prove he is the exception.
"One of the reasons (Romney) picked me, among other things, is because I can help him get things done," Ryan said.
Among the many things Romney and Ryan plan to get done: reform Medicare. Their plan is something democrats have labeled a "voucher" system.
Ryan called the characterization of their plan as a voucher system “quite inaccurate”.
"A voucher is you go to the mailbox and buy something,” he said. “This is far from that."
Richmond Delegate Jennifer McLellan, a democrat argues that Ryan can call their reform plan what he wants, but it will still cost seniors more.
"His plan to privatize Medicare would raise senior health care cost and estimated $64 hundred," she said.
But as much as Ryan and Romney have worked to make their policies front and center, their personal lives continue to make headlines, specifically how much they pay in taxes. Ryan released his returns this week. Romney has only released two years of returns and said he has never paid lower than 13% of his yearly income.
That 13% figure was a number democrats attacked as being too low.
Paul told us Romney has paid what he was required to pay.
“There are different effective tax rates based on people who make different incomes,” he said. “But if you look at all the studies, we still have a very progressive tax system."
It is a presidential campaign so you expect such things, but Friday morning Vice Presidential candidate Paul Ryan put out an ambitious agenda and then argued that Mitt Romney was the man to make it happen.
The goals centered around reducing government and making it more effective. The very friendly West End Henrico crowd ate up every pledge. Pledges that were long on promises, but short on specifics.
Here is my story from NBC12.com
It is another day in Central Virginia, and that means another visit by a major candidate in the race for president and vice president in the United States.
Friday morning it was republican Paul Ryan who spoke to a packed house in Glen Allen.
It is a presidential campaign, and lofty promises are not uncommon. At Deep Run High School Paul Ryan only spoke for about 20 minutes, but promised quite a bit.
Among many the many issues he tackled, Ryan attacked President Obama’s plan to raise taxes on the wealthy.
"We're going to reject 'Obamanomics'”, he said. “We're going to clear up this tax system and get this thing reformed and help small business and families grow and create jobs"
On the Affordable Care Act, Ryan promised to make it a thing of the past.
"You know what? When we win,” he said plainly, “We are going to get rid of Obamacare."
He even vowed that Mitt Romney would find common ground with democrats in Washington.
"That is the kind of leadership we need," he said.
They are lofty goals, and according to democrats the path not the kind of thing swing voters are looking for.
"This ticket is one of the most extreme tickets in the Republican Party in my lifetime,” said. Del. Jennifer McClellan (D-Richmond). “I think it is going to give moderates and independents a real pause."
Ryan argues that his running mate is the type of leader the country needs. A man prepared to get America back on track. In Glen Allen, Ryan talked more about Romney's record than his own.
"It is the life story of achievement of leadership of making decisions," he said of Romney.
But those decisions that Ryan argued would tackle the country's biggest problems, like debt, deficit and getting people back to work, Democrats like McClellan believe will create an atmosphere that helps only a small few.
read and see the full story on NBC12.com
As we reported earlier, we spoke one on one with Rep. Ryan after his event. See that interview tomorrow on NBC12 & Decision Virginia.
