• With eye on horizon, governors build their national brands

    Carolyn Kaster / AP

    President Barack Obama, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (center) and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, talk as they look over the 9/11 Memorial in New York.

    By Carrie Dann, Political Reporter, NBC News

    An annual speech by a Northeastern governor focusing entirely on disaster recovery efforts wouldn't normally make national news.

    But when that governor is a possible presidential contender, a symbol of Republican infighting and the proud owner of a sterling 73 percent state-wide approval rating, it's a different story. 

    New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is one of several governors whose rumored presidential ambitions offer a larger national platform for annual "State of the State" speeches that can contain hints of their policy ideals, political goals and personalities.

    Republicans Christie, Virginia's Bob McDonnell, Louisiana's Bobby Jindal, and Wisconsin's Scott Walker have all been discussed as future GOP standard bearers. Democrats Martin O'Malley of Maryland and Andrew Cuomo of New York are also thought to be eyeing national office.

    From policies to address economic concerns to commentary on Washington political culture, those who have delivered their State of the Union equivalents have offered glimpses of their governing style, as well as the challenges facing them in their current jobs. 

    In his State of the State address Tuesday, Christie suggested little in the way of new proposals, but touted his own record as a reformer and offered a rhetorical pep rally for a state battered by last year's superstorm Sandy.

    Slideshow: Chris Christie

    Mel Evans / AP

    The N.J. politician's straight-talk and tough policies put him in the national spotlight — but after considering a presidential bid, the governor decided he wasn't ready.

    Launch slideshow

    "Despite the challenges that Sandy presented our economy, I will not let New Jersey go back to our old ways of wasteful spending and rising taxes," he said. "We will deal with our problems but we will continue to do so by protecting the hard earned money of all New Jerseyans first and foremost. "

    Christie, who is preparing his own re-election bid in New Jersey, pointedly thanked his Democratic colleagues in the heavily blue state. 

    "Maybe the folks in Washington, in both parties, could learn something from our record here," he said.

    The relative lack of controversy from the famously blunt Christie Tuesday contrasted with neighboring state head and possible Democratic presidential hopeful Andrew Cuomo. 

    Cuomo, a popular New York governor and formidable fundraiser, grabbed headlines for his Wednesday afternoon address, during which he proposed a specific new gun policy that would "enact the toughest assault weapon ban in the nation, period."

    The outspoken governor dismissed critics who say an assault weapons ban would infringe on the rights of sportsmen and women --an argument echoed at the federal level as the Obama administration weighs gun control measures. 

    "I say to you, forget the extremists," Cuomo declared loudly. "It's simple. No one hunts with an assault rifle. No one needs 10 bullets to kill a deer. And too many innocent people have died already."

    His address included a laundry list of policy measures that thrill the Democratic base, including election funding reform, climate control measures, the passage of a women's equality act and fortified abortion rights legislation.

    "Because it's her body, it's her choice!" Cuomo repeated three times to applause from the crowd 

    New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo calls for closing loopholes on a state ban on assault weapons and ammunition magazines that carry more than 10 bullets, during his State of the State speech.

    Virginia's McDonnell, whose fast-growing state suffers from a dearth of transportation funds, used part of his remarks to outline plans to overhaul the way roads and bridges are paid for by taxpayers.

    The plan would eliminate an existing gas tax -- which is based on overall gasoline volume rather than price at the pump --  in favor of a sales tax hike to help fill Virginia's yawning transportation funding gap.

    By tying the transportation funds to sales, the logic goes, the pool of funds for construction and maintenance will grow with the state's economy. But it risks complaint from some in the national Republican base who object to tax increases of any kind. 

    The Virginia governor also echoed the rhetoric of national Republicans by underscoring his efforts to make "government live within its means."

    And, like Christie, the Virginia governor poked fun at the federal city no more than a few hours' drive away. McDonnell slammed the lack of "bipartisan consensus" in Washington, saying that Capitol Hill is seized by "dysfunctional governing paralysis."

    "In Washington, we see debt, taxes, delays, blame, and dysfunction. Here in Virginia we see results, solutions, job growth, surpluses, and cooperation," he said. "What a difference 100 miles makes."

  • O'Malley touts same-sex marriage - with signing photo and 'contribute' button

    O'Say Can You See PAC

    Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley's PAC sent out this photo to supporters of him signing a proclamation certifying the 2012 election results. That includes a ballot initiative that passed making same-sex marriage legal in the state.

    By NBC's Domenico Montanaro

     

    Oh say, you can see the 2016 election. 

    Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley (D) sent out a letter through his “O’Say Can You See PAC” (yes, that is its real name) touting his signing of a proclamation certifying the 2012 election results.

    “This means that Maryland courthouses can now issue licenses to same-sex couples to get married starting in January 2013,” O’Malley writes.

    Following that is a large photo of O’Malley signing in his office.

    He adds, “After months of hard work, we came together to pass a bill that treats everyone fairly and equally under the law while protecting religious freedom. We then became the first state ever to defend marriage equality at the ballot box. We still face tremendous challenges as a nation, but it is my sincere hope that we can come together to meet those challenges with greater respect for the dignity of every individual. Maryland, let's continue to move forward.”

    “Forward” was President Obama’s 2012 campaign slogan. And there’s a big, red “contribute” button at the bottom of the email.

    O'Malley's term as governor is up in January 2015. He is thought to be mulling a bid for president in 2016.

  • First lady hails Obama's values as Democratic speakers assail Romney

    By Michael O'Brien, NBC News

     

    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.

    In an emotional speech, First Lady Michelle Obama says President Barack Obama remains anchored by the same values he brought to the White House nearly four years ago.

    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.

  • Biden: 'America is better off' after first Obama term

    In Charlotte, Democrats are poised to insist that their economic vision is better for America than that outlined by Mitt Romney; they insist the country is better off than it was four years ago. NBC's Chuck Todd reports.

    By NBC's Carrie Dann

     

    DETROIT -- Amid a GOP-driven effort asking whether Americans are better off than they were four years ago, Vice President Joe Biden emphatically declared that "America is better off" now than at the end of the Bush administration.

    "Folks, let me say something to you, say it to the press," Biden said at the conclusion of his remarks at a Labor Day rally here in the Motor City. "America is better off today than they left us when they left!"

    The question, a staple of elections in which an incumbent is seeking re-election, has developed into a small media imbroglio since surrogates for President Barack Obama appeared hesitant this weekend to give a positive answer.

    Democratic Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley answered that question with a "no"; Obama advisers David Axelrod and David Plouffe offered nuanced responses but not a flat "yes."

    Republicans pounced in the meanwhile, and the GOP held a press conference today in Charlotte, the site of the Democratic National Convention, to push that very question.

    Biden's statement makes him the highest-ranking Obama surrogate to weigh in on the back and forth. 

    Repeating his frequent "bumper sticker" mantra, Biden said in Detroit: "If you want to know whether we're better off, I got a bumper sticker for you: Osama bin Laden is dead and General Motors is alive!"

    Romney spokeswoman Amanda Henneberg said in response: "Today, Vice President Biden claimed that Americans are better off than they were four years ago, directly contradicting what President Obama and his campaign surrogates have said. The truth is that the middle class has been crushed in the Obama economy."

    Biden, who spoke to several hundred supporters at the AFL-CIO-sponsored event, focused heavily on labor issues in his remarks and blasted Romney for opposing the Obama-backed bailout of the auto industry.

    "Folks, you can't say you're going to create jobs in the United States of America when you were willing to let 1m jobs go under by the liquidation of the automobile plants he suggested," Biden said.

    He also went after Republican vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan, repeating a line first debuted yesterday in Pennsylvania to attack the Wisconsin congressman's Medicare plans.

    "We're talking about making sure to protect Medicare. They're talking about creating an entire new system, 'Vouchercare,'" he said, warning "if they win, people are in trouble."

     

  • Obama, Romney teams trade blame for negative bent in campaign

    By Michael O'Brien, NBC News

     

    Top surrogates for President Barack Obama and Mitt Romney traded blame on Sunday for the increasingly negative bent of the race for the White House. 

    Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell (R) decried "horrific" character attacks on Romney, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, while Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley (D) argued a "very clear contrast" between Obama and Romney has emerged since Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan was named to the GOP ticket last week. 

    Govs. Martin O'Malley and Bob McDonnell visit Meet the Press to discuss the latest developments in the presidential race, including the impact Paul Ryan has had on the debate.

    "This is a serious election, and it calls for serious candidates that have real solutions," McDonnell told moderator David Gregory on "Meet the Press." "The time for rhetoric is over."

    Romney selected Ryan as his running mate last Saturday, passing over McDonnell, among a short list of other Republican vice presidential hopefuls.

    But while that selection was heralded just a week ago as one directed toward injecting the 2012 campaign with substance, and serious debate about big issues, the week since then has seen some of the most negative rhetoric of this election. 

    The Mitt Romney campaign is accusing Vice President Joe Biden of using "fear and smear" tactics. NBC's Kristen Welker reports.

    Just this past week, Obama joked about Romney's having put his family dog on the roof of the car during a long road trip, while Vice President Joe Biden told a mixed race audience that, by removing regulations, Republicans and Romney want to "put y'all back in chains." That language prompted Romney to accuse the president of running a "campaign of division and anger and hate."

    "It certainly was an indelicate choice of words," O'Malley said of Biden's "chains" comment. 

    But the Maryland governor — who, like McDonnell, is considered a very early and preliminary potential candidate for president in 2016 — argued that it's especially ironic for Romney to bemoan a negative tone in the campaign.

    "Gov. Romney's the sort of guy that you would never want to play pickup basketball with," he said. "He's always fouling and he's always crying foul."

    This week's sniping extended to the issue of taxes, too, after Romney inadvertently revived scrutiny of his personal taxes by saying he paid "at least" 13 percent in federal taxes over the past decade. That admission prompted new demands that Romney release additional tax returns than what he has released and pledged to release.

    "This is what we know. We know that he has engaged in tax avoidance schemes, with offshore account in the Caymans and the Bahamas," O'Malley said. 

    Romney and Obama may have had quiet Sundays, but their surrogates hit the morning talk shows, debating Medicare and health care reform. NBC's Kristen Welker reports.

    McDonnell called the focus on taxes "diversionary" in defending Romney's decision to release only his 2010 tax returns and his forthcoming 2011 returns. Voters, he said, would rather focus on the economy, jobs, or Medicare.

    "These are the substantive issues Americans care about; not tax returns," the Virginia governor said. 

    The way both surrogates traded blame was emblematic of the 2012 presidential campaign, in which both the Romney and Obama campaigns have fought daily battles from the trenches, squabbling publicly over an issue set that can seem trivial sometimes. The Obama campaign in particular has sought to turn the election into a "choice" between the president and Romney, versus a simple referendum on Obama's own policies.

    To that end, Texas Republican Senate candidate Ted Cruz, a favorite candidate of the Tea Party movement, argued that if the campaign is about issues, the GOP would win in November. 

    But, Cruz cautioned: "If it's a battle of personalities, Republicans will lose."

  • Post Show Thoughts: Gingrich squares off with O'Malley

    Former Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich re-affirmed his support for Mitt Romney this morning saying he is "totally committed" to helping Romney win the White House.

    Gingrich also critiqued President Obama's recent campaign strategy of attacking Romney's economic record as well as his time at Bain Capital.

    "This is a little bit like the reverse of James Carville in '92," the former House Speaker said. "Obama picking a fight on the economy is probably the worst possible strategy for his campaign."

    Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley, a supporter of President Obama, attempted to contrast the President's record with Mitt Romney's.

    "What the leader of the whole economy must be concerned about is not the short-term return of profits to a few, but a long-term economy that creates jobs for the many."

    O'Malley, a man often mentioned as a possible 2016 presidential candidate received advice this morning from Newt Gingrich about how to prepare for a run for the nation's highest office.

    "Raise a lot of money," Gingrich advised.

    Our roundtable broke down the ground rules for the campaign and tried to answer the question: What is fair game in this election.

    With personal attacks coming from both campaigns, David Brooks contended that it's likely to get worse, "Both people in both campaigns are going to get their juices flowing, and they're going to take meaner and meaner shots."

    You can watch our entire program on our website including a special discussion with two sought-after commencement speakers and their advice for the class of 2012: Maria Shriver, and best-selling author Michael Lewis.

    We'll be back next week. If it's Sunday, it's Meet the Press.

  • Post Show Thoughts: Santorum sees competitive race ahead

    Rick Santorum thinks a Newt Gingrich exit from the race would create a "better opportunity to make sure that [Republicans] nominate a conservative," in the Fall. However, the former Pennsylvania senator stopped short of calling for Gingrich's withdrawal.

    "I didn't ask Speaker Gingrich to get in. I'm not going to ask him to get out.," Santorum said.  He hopes that Gingrich's exit would galvanize Republican voters to unite behind Santorum as the lone conservative alternative to Mitt Romney. 

    Santorum also made the case that the delegate math is not as steeped in favor of Romney as commentators make it out to be. "This isn't a mathematical formula. This race has a tremendous amount of dynamics," Santorum said.

    He cited the fact that many of Mitt Romney's awarded delegates are uncommitted and can change to support Santorum. "These numbers are going to change dramatically," he said. 

    Also, Governors Martin O'Malley (D-MD) and Bob McDonnell (R-VA) joined me to weigh in on the 2012 race. O'Malley panned the Republican field for focusing more on getting votes, rather than trying to fix the country's problems. 

    "Let's be honest, there's been a lot more time spent pandering to the extreme right wing ideologues of the new Republican party than has been spent talking about jobs and economy," O'Malley said.

    McDonnell, a Mitt Romney supporter who has been mentioned as a possible VP choice, attacked President Obama for bringing "division and malaise" to the country. When asked whether or not he wanted to be president, McDonnell responded "No. I got the job held by Jefferson and Henry. I love being governor of Virginia."

    You can watch our entire program on our website, including our political roundtable that addressed the question of whether or not civility is gone in American politics today. I was joined by MSNBC’s Al Sharpton,  Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Washington Post’s EJ Dionne, and the Wall Street Journal’s Peggy Noonan.

    We'll be back next week. If it's Sunday, it's Meet the Press.