Mitt (2014) - full transcript

You're at, like,
191 and he's at, like,

259 or something?

Yeah, yeah. Exactly.

CNN. FOX. MSNBC.

589. 783.

That's it.

Well, what's--
what's in?

Uh, 69%.

Seems
awfully early to call it.

Sixty-nine percent.

Unless they're
looking and seeing that



counties haven't come in--

Did they just call Ohio?

Yeah, supposedly.

Who called it, CNN?

Well,
if we don't have Colorado...

...it doesn't matter

what happens in Ohio.

Yeah, but I don't know yet
from Colorado.

We can--
we can wait a little bit.

I mean, it's fine.
It's just--

Let's not rush.
Let's not do what Al Gore did

and let things get bad
and jump out in front of it.

By the way, does somebody have
a number for the President?

- I do.
- Okay.



I hadn't thought
about that.

So what do you say if we...
what do you think you say

in a concession speech?

- Papa?
- Yeah?

Make sure
I don't hit the pole.

I'll do my best,

but if you get too
close to the pole,

you just jump out.

- Okay?
- Just jump?

You just roll out.

- You ready?
- Not toward the pole.

- Chloe!
- No!

It's okay.
You can go on the next one.

Just jump off.
If you get to the pole, jump.

- Okay, watch out, Chloe.
- We're in a race.

You can't
just quit like that.

- That's true.
- Take one for the team.

Is the pole
the finish line?

Yeah, the first
one to the pole.

On your mark,
get set, go.

We gave you
new gloves last year

so you don't have to wear
the duct tape ones.

I know, but these
things work great.

This is where
I wanted to be!

I thought you guys
were on my side!

We're going to go
around the room.

We're gonna vote?

I'm gonna start there.

We're gonna start there.

I vote for McCain.

Let's go around the room
and get your thoughts.

And it's going to be on, um,
the, uh, reasons to do it,

the reasons not to do it.

- The pros and cons.
- Pros and cons.

It's kind of like
when we went around

and talked about our
careers and what

we're thinking,

and we want the advice
of the brothers.

We kind of did
the same thing.

And it turned into
something very natural

even though it was
kind of orderly.

Well, now it's
his turn to get...

I'm getting advice.

...get his advice
from the board.

I think the con
would be that you would

be the president.

Who wants to have
to be the president?

A giant con.

- Talk about stress.
- Yeah.

- Talk about stress.
- And scary situations.

You'd be bald
in about a month.

I think Josh will be
gray and bald just

after the campaign.

He gets so involved.

I think emotionally
it will just be hard

on everybody...

but it'll be
an amazing experience.

No pros?

The thing that scares
me most is that...

you'll come out, and that
message will be lost.

People will
either think it's

too good to be true,

or it's not-- it's just
kind of a facade, but...

I mean, I feel like
if people really get

to know who you are...

it could be
a successful campaign.

As much as we've kind of all

articulated the risks
that we feel for our

kids and for us,

we stand strongly
enough behind you

that we want
to be there for you.

I remember talking to your dad
before he passed away,

and asked him, "Should I get
into politics someday?

What would be your advice?"

And he said, "Don't do it."

You have an opportunity now

as a result of so
many things that were

beyond your control,

to run, that it
would be a shame

not to at least try.

And if you don't win,
we'll still love you.

The country may think of you
as a laughingstock,

and we'll know the truth,
and that's okay.

But I think you have a duty

to your country and to God

to see what comes of it.

Do you mind
if I shoot you guys?

Ask you a couple
of questions?

Ask him.

They're not from here.

Did you know that you had
a presidential candidate

sitting right over there
at that table?

Actually we didn't.

That is Mitt Romney.
Does that name ring a bell?

Sorry, guys,
I'm running for President.

They don't know who I am.

I did see your
commercial yesterday.

Did you see my
commercial yesterday?

I haven't seen
my commercial, so.

- It looked very good.
- Thank you. That's good.

We're trying
to guess which possible

presidential candidate

is here in Charleston,
South Carolina.

All my news I get from
The Daily Show

and Colbert Report, so...

Can y'all give any hints?

He's from Massachusetts.

Oh, okay,
yes. You're hot.

You're getting hot.

From Massachusetts.
A presidential candidate

from Massachusetts.

No?

Theo Epstein.

It's a Republican.

Okay.

- A Republican--
- Romney?

- Romney.
- Never heard of him.

You know, if I get
beaten up, that goes

with the territory.

And I have looked,
by the way,

at what happens
to anybody in this

country who loses

as the nominee of
their party, who loses

the General Election.

They become a loser
for life, all right?

That's it. It's over.

And-- and, you know--
Mike-- Mike Dukakis?

He can't get a job
mowing lawns, all right?

I mean, it's--
I mean, we--

we just brutalize
whoever loses, all right?

And I know that,
I know that,

and so I'm going in
with my eyes open.

But I'm going
in with my eyes open

because I think it's really
important, and I'm in this--

look, there are guys
in this room who could

run the country

as well as I could.

But I happen to be in this
very funny position,

having done a couple of things
that put me in a position

where I could do it.

And if I don't do it,
who the heck will?

And so I'm
gonna give it my all,

and you're gonna give me
all the money.

Careful not
to break my hair.

You saw O Brother,
Where Art Thou?

You've never
seen that movie?

Oh, my gosh,
that is the best movie.

I'm sorry, I grew up
in the South--

Best movie in America.
Oh, you've got to see it.

I know, but if
I hear one more banjo,

I'll have to kill myself.
Deliverance.

I just can't do it.

The best lines--
the best political lines.

You'll hear them
the whole campaign.

...of all time.
Oh, yeah.

I've already quoted--
I've quoted at least two

of them this morning.

You've got to listen
to the political lines.

Listen to Pappy O'Daniel
when he talks.

"Just write
my concession speech now."

"Just go write
my concession speech

right now."

"Okay, we'll go write
the concession--"

All done?

Okay. No shine?

- No shine.
- Is that all right?

That looks good.

You know,
the safe thing to do

is just add
a little more light,

a little more light,
a little more light.

But that's leading us
to the thing I always

try and avoid.

I try to avoid
that flatness, and, uh...

taking the safe route.

I think, "Let's go for drama!"
We live drama now, don't we?

We do. Yeah.

We don't want
to offend anybody by

showing off a flaw, you know,
in the candidate

or in the people that
control his lighting,

because implied
in that is a mistake,

and that means this guy
could make a mistake

when he's president,
and we can't bear that idea.

Of course he's
gonna make a mistake

when he's president.

He's human.

Governor, I'm sorry.
I was supposed to be there

face-to-face with you

in Detroit or Dearborn
this morning.

Mother Nature
had other ideas,

so I apologize.

I look forward to seeing
you next time.

Let's talk about
some of the realities

of the race, Governor.

Let's talk about
a recent poll said

that 43% of Americans

are not even sure
who you are.

Well, at this stage
it's real early to have

people know who I am.

That's something which
will develop over time.

Papa!

Hi, there!
How you doing, Nicholas?

- How you doing, buddy?
- Hi, Greg.

Hey, Nick!

Hi, there, Joe-Joe.
How you doing, buddy?

Hi, there. Hi, there,
sweetie. How you doing?

Good to see you.

Chloe, how are you doing,
sweetie?

Good to see you, love.

Hi, there, Parker.
How are you doing, Parker?

Good to see Parker.
Oh, yes, Parker. Oh, yes.

Ready?

Who's here?

Dad.

Oh, baby. Oh, baby.

You're almost there!

Oh, baby, how you doing?

Hey, Benny,
how you doing, buddy?

Love ya.

There's Josh!

We got the whole
gopher village.

We got the whole gopher village.
Look at these guys.

Uh, cold and snowy.
How you doing, Ben?

Just terrific.

Good. Can you lean back
and talk like Fred Thompson?

Well...

I can understand that.

Perfectly articulate
at all times.

Yeah, okay.

Uh, how about lights?
You guys look at the lights?

We're doing that
right now, sir.

It is what it is.

...just
to see what's happening,

you will not see yourself.

Good, yeah.

Would you be more comfortable
if the chair was up higher?

Yeah, the higher
the chair is, the better

I'm gonna feel.

Well, I do and I don't.

My guess is it's
already all the way up.

That's actually how
it was all designed--

the set, the cameras--

designed to make
you guys look best

because that's
what Charlie wants.

He wants to set up a topic
at the dining room table

and have you guys
have a conversation about it.

You're already
having us planning on

talking to each other.

But we're not supposed
to ask each other

questions.

You can. You're not coming
prepared with questions.

Pardon?

We didn't say,
"Please come prepared with

a question for Senator McCain."

We thought that was gimmicky.

If you-- if in the course of
the conversation there's,

"Whoa, whoa, Senator,
I respectfully disagree

with that position.

Is that really...?"

That would be okay,
but we're not, um--

That's asking questions
of the candidates. Yeah. Okay.

Well,
you'd better clarify.

Yeah, I'm being--
no, no, no.

If we're allowed to ask
other questions,

"Senator McCain, why do you
continue to persist

in saying this and such?
That's just not right."

That is-- Charlie
would not allow that.

Not that kind of question.
I'm sorry, I was not

being clear.

You're not going
to pose a question

where the debate is going
to keep going that way.

Charlie would come in
at that point.

But what he is looking for
is to have you--

he's going to set up a topic,

and he wants to see
where the contrast is.

There are no rules,
so this is a scrum.

Yeah. No, no, no, guys,

if we're able to just
have a conversation

and he's gonna
back out of it, then

we can have a scrum.

He's not gonna say,
"Time out. That was

too unfair a question.

That was too harsh
a question."

No, no, no.
Again, he's really not

looking for a scrum.

Well, he's not
looking for a scrum,

but if he's basically
saying, "Look, I'm

gonna raise a topic

and let each of you
speak on it,"

then I'm going
to be talking about,

for instance,

let's take
illegal immigration.

I'm going to talk
about my position

and I'm going to say

that the other guys have
the following positions,

and then they're going
to say, "No, I don't."

And then we're going to have
a debate over whether

they do or they don't.

Except that
he is prepared to prod

the conversation along

to keep it on target.

It won't need to be prodded,
if we're able to--

Well, that's known
as an argument.

- Or a scrum.
- Or a scrum.

Or a dining room table
conversation.

A dining room
conversation is among

members of the family.

These are all people
competing for the same

job, all right?

And trying to point out
why they're the right one

and the other guy's not.

This is a very
different setting

than any of the debates
that we've held so far.

Well, they were all
a debate of a certain kind,

where people
are asked questions

and people responded
to questions,

with a good deal
of dignity.

I have a feeling that
this format suggests

a different outcome.

Can you plug me in?

How in the world do we
find these things out

on the day of the debate?

This group has aimed a lot
of partisan firepower

at Hillary Clinton,
but I'd like,

if you don't mind,

to adjust the outcome
for a minute

and walk down
this road with me.

Let's say that Barack Obama
is the nominee

He won the Iowa caucus.

We have a WMUR poll
out just tonight

that shows it's tied here
in New Hampshire, 33 to 33,

and I'd like to know from you

why not vote for Barack Obama,

and not just
because he's a Democrat.

You're not allowed to say that.

I'd like to hear some
specifics on why not him.

When we sit down
and talk about change,

Barack Obama and myself,

in that final debate,
as you're positing,

I can say, not only
can I talk change with you,

I've lived it,
in the private sector.

For 25 years,
I've brought change

to company after company.

In the Olympics,
it was in trouble.

I brought change.

In Massachusetts,
I brought change.

I have done it.

I have changed things,
and that experience

is what America
is looking for.

I just wanted to say

to Governor Romney,

we disagree
on a lot of issues,

but I agree, you are
the candidate of change.

Look, the difference
I would have with

Senator Obama

has got to do
with national security.

I know Senator Obama,
and I've worked with

him many times,

and I respect
him, as I respect

Senator Clinton.

Senator Obama does
not have the national

security experience

and background
to lead this nation.

Hillary Clinton
and Bill Richardson

and Senator Dodd
and Senator Biden

all made that same argument.

And Barack Obama
blew 'em away.

And if you think
making that argument

as a Republican,

that you have more experience

and you've been around
longer in the Senate,

that that's somehow--

and that you know
the Senate cloakroom

better than he does--

that's not gonna work.

He's not gonna beat
Barack Obama

with another long-term--

He proved that in--
that was proven in Iowa.

Yeah, yeah.

He just killed
every other--

Barack Obama
has changed our race.

He's changed our prospects.

Ready, and... action.

I'm Mitt Romney.

This is an important moment
in our nation's history.

How many more debates
do I have to go to?

I have one next week,
in South Carolina.

This doesn't make any sense.
Does it make any sense to you?

Mitt, you might not
have to do it.

How's that? I mean, I'm going
to Michigan, for sure.

He wants to kick my teeth in.

Their campaign manager
said he wants to shoot me

in the groin.

That's what he said.
"I want to shoot him

in the groin."

And the next time he says,
"I want to kick his teeth in."

I mean, can you imagine?

Go ahead.

Ever once
have you thought,

"This just isn't worth it"?

You know, it's hard
for me to do these interviews

because I'm so used to doing
interviews with the media,

where I'm so trained to say,
"Absolutely not.

This is such a, you know--

It's just been great to get
to know the country," you know.

That's so hard, but to
actually speak my mind,

it's very different.

Okay, well,
let's do this, then--

do the media version,
and then translate

what's really going on
in your head.

Okay, what's the media answer
to that question?

Remind me your question.

Here, the question is,
"Do you ever think,

Well, is this worth it?"

I just think
the opportunity for

someone like my dad

to come in
and run the country,

and with the challenges
we face in this country

right now,

to have someone
with my dad's experience,

his knowledge
and his vision for America.

Uh, someone that can,
you know, come in

and do this,

you know, it's worth
whatever it takes

for us to get
my dad into office.

Translation:
This is so awful.

It's so hard.

Um, I mean, you always
hear about-- they talk

and they say,

"Oh, why can't we
just get someone good

to run for president?"

And this is why.

This is why you
don't get good people

running for president.

I mean, what-- what
better guy is there

than my dad?

You know, is he perfect?
Absolutely not.

He's made mistakes,
he's done all sorts

of things wrong,

but, for goodness sakes,
here's a brilliant guy,

um, who's had--
his experience is

turning things around,

which is what we need
in this country.

It's like, this is
the guy for the moment.

And we're in this,
and you just get

beat up constantly.

"Oh, Mitt Romney's
a flip-flopper.

He's this, he's that."

And you just kind of go,
"Man, is this worth it?"

This is awful.

So... that's
the translation.

I think it's, you know,

barring some
great success tonight,

if we're virtually
tied in the polls now

and if all the newspapers
are gonna be writing

wonderful articles
about why they should vote

for John McCain tomorrow,

or Tuesday, when
people go to the polls...

that's not a--
that's not a good thing.

Maybe you just
wait a few years.

Yeah. Yeah, I've done it
once, though.

See? Look at this.

Never again.
We cannot do this again.

You can only squeeze
the blood out of that

rock one time.

One thing's for sure,
though.

You don't, um...
you don't raise--

you don't put
personal money in.

See, we had to put
personal money in

to establish credibility
and build a brand name.

When this is over, I will
have built a brand name.

Yeah, but--

People will know me,
they'll know what I stand for:

The Flipping Mormon.

The guy that'll
say or do anything

to get elected.

- Oh, great.
- Yeah, yeah.

Quite a brand
you've built.

Yeah, exactly right.

Our dear heavenly Father,

once again we bow our knees
and in all humility

come before thee

and ask thy help.

We acknowledge
all the blessings

thou hast given us
in our lives...

and acknowledge the most
extraordinary children

that have been given to us,

to be a guide
and a comfort to us.

We pray that...

thou would understand that
our desires in doing this...

are pure, and that we are

grateful for our blessings

and have a desire
to serve thee

and to bring greater
light to this earth.

We pray that if it
be thy will...

that our desires may be...

made manifest
through thy Holy Ghost

and through thy spirit
to make this a possibility...

...is our prayer in the name
of Jesus Christ, amen.

Amen.

Tagg did that
on purpose.

- Yeah!

Jenn,
I have to go downstairs.

Nice prayer, Mom.

It's gonna be okay.

We'll be just fine.

Okay, now I have
red eyes from everything.

You're not feeling like it.

Okay. Good luck.

We gotta run.

- Come here.
- What are you crying for?

These aren't
tears of sorrow.

These are tears
of gratitude.

Not tears of sorrow at all.

Our Republican
presidential forum

continues here on FOX News.

Mike Huckabee,
who served ten years

as governor of Arkansas.

Mitt Romney, former governor

of the neighboring state
of Massachusetts.

And John McCain,
now serving his fourth term

as U.S. Senator from Arizona.

Gentlemen, welcome.
Let's get to it.

When we talked earlier today,

you said that in fact
you think that your record

as a flip-flopper pales

in comparison
to some of the other

people here at the table.

What I'd say
is I'm certainly not

the only person at this table

that's changed
their mind on a position,

and I certainly would
far be in favor of a person

who has the willingness
to say I was wrong

and change their position
and become right,

than someone
who is so stubborn as to say

they're not going
to change their position.

I've spent my life
in a place where I've

been able to bring change.

I will change Washington,

to make sure that the America

our kids inherit is every bit
as great, even greater,

than what we received
from the Greatest Generation.

Gentlemen, well, that's it

for the FOX Republican
presidential candidates forum.

Now the analysis starts
about what happened

here tonight.

First off, show of hands,
how many of you walked in here

without a committed candidate?
Raise your hands.

How many of you walked in here
supporting Mitt Romney?

Raise your hands.

How many of you
are going to leave here

supporting Mitt Romney?

I just believe
that Mitt Romney

has such presence,

and he speaks
right off the cuff,

confident,

and is very,
very well versed.

You knocked it dead!

Hey.

I wasn't feeling
very good about it.

Oh, my--

How many are for Mitt Romney
after the debate?

Twenty-eight.
Every hand, every hand.

You were fantastic.

I've never seen
a better debate.

How did you feel
on the stage?

- I thought I was dying.

Here comes
Frank Luntz!

The blue line represents
moderates,

and Mitt
Romney consistently

got the best responses

of the entire evening.

Two days to go, Mitt Romney
hit a home run tonight.

Brit, back to you.

All right, Frank,
thanks very much.

Chris Wallace,
the moderator of

tonight's forum,

will join us shortly
for a debrief,

but first,
after a break...

That is pretty rare.
That is pretty rare.

Thanks.

We're messing
his hair up!

He's gonna fall
asleep on his feet.

Governor,
is there a plan "B"

if things don't go
as you hope tomorrow?

I'm planning on it
going real well, thanks.

I'm very excited
about the prospect,

and last night's debate

gave me just the boost I need
to take it over the top.

Hillary Clinton
beat Barack Obama?

- Well, six percent in.
- Seven.

Yeah, but that's a bigger poll
than I've ever seen.

You ever seen a poll
with 10,000 people in it?

Yeah, but
it's not a sample.

What city?

There's different
parts of the state.

Still.

And mine's getting worse.

Eight thousand votes.
And 250.

I'm sorry,
it's getting worse.

Ooh, that's not good.
That's not good. Okay.

The Flipping Mormon.
I can't fix the Mormon side,

or I won't fix
the Mormon side.

The flipping side...

And that would hurt
the flipping, too.

Yes, that would,
wouldn't it?

The flipping side
continues to be a problem,

and I think it's
the reason, by the way,

twenty-seven papers here
went along with it.

I can't do anything.
I mean, it's like,

"Your speech has changed!

See? You're flipping again!"

It's like, "You can't
change your stump speech?"

That's a flip-flop,
if you change your speech?

I mean, it's literally,
there's nothing I can do.

"He was at Burger King
last night, McDonald's

the night before!"

I mean, it's really--
is there-- is there

any way--

I mean, do we
put on my website

what my positions are?

Do we answer
the flipping charges?

And say, here-- you know--

this is what
his position is on this.

And it's like,
That's where it is,

and stop saying it.

You know, it's like--

I mean, I keep--
you know, I keep hearing--

no, but I keep hearing,
for instance,

"You've changed your
position on gay marriage."

It's like, "Yeah, okay,
I've changed my position."

No, I haven't!
But they keep saying it.

And it's like, is there
not some way of saying,

"Stop buying the dog food
that's been shipped to you

from McCain"?

I did not change my position
on gay marriage.

- He did. He did.

Stop-- well, I'm
not worried about that.

Time heals all wounds.
I'm not worried about that.

Really, I'm not.
By the time--

Ten years from now,
no one'll even know.

It's like, "Weren't
you the guy that--

I can't remember."

You know, it's--
I'm not worried.

But it's--
it's so damaging to me...

That's how we all
remember Kerry.

It's so damaging to me
that-- that-- that, um...

that I don't know
that it's going to be

that devastating

in a place like Michigan.
Is there any way...?

And it's like
trying to convince

people that-- that--

that Dan Quayle
is smart, all right?

You're not gonna
convince 'em that

Dan Quayle is smart,

or that Gerry Ford
isn't a stumblebum.

And maybe it's--
I gotta live with that.

"Oh, you flip
on everything."

In which case, I think
I'm a flawed candidate.

You want me
to sign that one?

Good luck.
We're counting on you.

You must get down.
You must get discouraged.

And... but every time I see you,
you're back up again.

It's these pills I take.

When I came as close
as I did in both Iowa

and New Hampshire,

there's a greater sense
of, "Come on, guys.

Don't you get it?"

Why don't we say,
"Washington is broken."

People said, "No,
that doesn't sound right,

that doesn't sound right."

And, uh, you know,
"I can turn it around."

"No, don't use
'turnaround,'

don't use
'Washington is broken.'"

Now-- and so they didn't
like that early on.

They liked the idea
of change. "Talk about

change all the time."

I said, "Well, change
is such a trite word.

It's used all the time."

And Alex Castellanos,
to his credit, said,

"Just use it. It's good.
Just say change."

I said, "No, I've
got to say something

like 'Washington
is broken.'"

And so we battled a bit,
and I used "change,"

but I used it in more of
a philosophical way

than I do now, and I make it
more-- more direct.

So you can tell
a difference in listening

to the speeches, is that right?

Yeah, I-I thought
there was, uh...

A change?

But cars have changed
a lot since then,

because in the places
they make cars,

you either make a better car
or your competitor will,

and he'll drive you
out of business.

You change and get better,
or you're gone.

And it's true throughout
the private sector,

whether you're
selling insurance

or selling shirts

or making cars
or whatever you do.

You better always be
making a better and better

product or service,

or somebody else will,
and you'll be out of business.

- Is he decent?
- Is he decent?

This is bad news, right?

Is he decent?

- Almost.
- Is he in the bathtub?

He's thinking
if you're coming up--

I've got a robe on.
I'm out of the bathtub.

Thirty-five,
twenty-nine, Romney!

No, really?

- Yeah, really.
- Yeah.

- Are you kidding?
- No.

Can I get a hug?

I said to Ann,
"I think we lost this one."

Gosh. Unbelievable.

We won one.
Can you believe it?

- Really?
- Good job, Dad.

It looks like we won one.

Nice job.

Oh, gosh.

I can't believe
I'm in this thing.

Mitt! Mitt! Mitt!

Let's take this campaign
to South Carolina

and Nevada and Florida
and all over the country.

Let's take it all the way
to the White House!

So, we're walking
back from dinner

and, uh, I got a call
from Will Ritter.

And Will said that
there was a news report

that Charlie Crist,

governor of Florida,
had endorsed John McCain.

And Charlie Crist
had promised my dad

multiple times
that he was gonna

stay neutral.

He talked to many people
on our campaign

He promised 'em all
that he was gonna

stay neutral.

And now he's
announced that he's

gonna endorse John McCain,

and it's two days
before the election.

This is a big deal.
It's a tight race,

and it's probably enough
to tip it in McCain's favor.

Wow, isn't this fun?

You do something like this,
you call and say,

"Look, I've made a decision."

By the way,
we've all talked to him

and said, "Are you
gonna endorse somebody?"

And he said no.

Don't you think now,
if you lose here with dignity,

which is that Crist
and Martinez endorsed McCain.

We were tied--
we were tied--

We were tied,
and they came out

and endorsed McCain,

and-- and, um... you know,
whatever he promised them.

And, you know,
we lost there, and that's

just the way it is.

Romney! Romney!
Romney! Romney!

Many of you know that

Mitt Romney is my papa.

But I also wouldn't be here
if I didn't know that...

...he would make
a great president.

Thank you so much.

...right now
leading in Tampa,

leading along the coast
in St. Petersburg,

leading down in Sarasota.

So, if these numbers hold,

it looks like John McCain would
win the state narrowly...

We're getting
beat everywhere.

Yeah.

... the war hero
who spent almost six years--

more than five years--
as a POW in Vietnam,

the longtime Senator
from Arizona,

an important win
for John McCain.

In Florida right now,
beating Mitt Romney,

John McCain...

Oh, this feels
worse than usual.

Not worse than Iowa.

What am I gonna say,
though?

"Almost, but not quite."

"Almost, but not quite."

Six months ago
we laughed at John McCain.

- I know.
- Laughed.

And now he's-- now he's
most likely the nominee.

Even if he gets a majority
of the votes on the 5th...

...there's still other states
after that.

It's-- it's not over yet.

But you're gonna
have to hit him.

We've hit him
with everything we've got.

He ran a smart campaign.

He's got
a vision and room...

He ran a smart campaign.
He beat us.

Why do you give up
when you've got a chance?

If you resign
February 6th, fine,

then do that.

But until you're out,
don't give up.

No one sends a check in.

You have to be asked
at fundraisers, and

I mean, it's just--

and who's gonna want to come
to a big event for me?

I mean, I didn't even
want to go to events!

"Let me tell you
how I'm gonna win this!"

It's like, oh, gosh, I can't--
I can't fake that.

I don't blame you.
I can't blame you.

- You need to go to bed.
- To bed. Let's go.

We need to go
to bed, and you need...

Take care of whatever
it takes to sleep.

But you need to realize
that you're the best

candidate...

- A year ago we told you...
- ...and keep at it.

...that we'd love you
no matter how this thing

turned out, and...

- Now you're not so sure.
- Now we're not so sure!

You saw right there,

he wants us all
to have given up.

He doesn't want us
holding on to any hope.

He hates to disappoint,

and so this is--
he's disappointed.

He thinks he's
disappointed the family

and his supporters
and all these people,

and I think that kills him
more than anything.

And so, uh...

hopefully he knows
how proud we are.

We basically just
lost the presidency,

and nobody's that upset.

So... you know,
I think it shows that...

we wanted to win,
yes, but...

I mean, there's a lot
of downside to winning.

A lot of downside.
And now we can avoid all that,

and now just go
back to our lives

and be pretty happy,

so, uh, you know what?

I'm not too upset.

Um, now we get to go on
and do what we want to do

and live our lives

and have privacy
and all that, so...

this is not all bad.

But I'll
tell you something else:

in four years,

the country's gonna be
in worse shape

and gonna want to have
a real rethinking.

I do not believe--

there's people saying
this is a changing of

the Republican Party.

That's not really
what's happened here.

That isn't-- that isn't--

We're doing the same thing
we've always done--

get the old guy who's in line.

That's exactly right,
and the other thing

is that there's
malaise about Bush,

and-- and-- and that's
part of what's going on

in this whole thing too.

I got some real bad news.

If that's the case...
you're the next guy in line.

That's right.
You're the next guy

in line in four years.

Four years.

They asked again today,
some of our advisors did,

would we think about doing it
in four years.

I think I need to write
myself some notes

as to why I would not want
to do that again,

on how difficult this is,

and...

just say,
just remind myself,

"If you're tempted,
the answer's no.

It's too much."

My fellow Republicans...

my fellow Americans...

I am proud to introduce to you

the next president of
the United States of America,

Mitt Romney!

Mr. Chairman...

and delegates,

I accept your nomination

for president
of the United States!

Mitt! Mitt!
Mitt! Mitt! Mitt!

Just three weeks ago,

the former
Massachusetts governor

was center stage in Tampa,

at the Republican
National Convention,

rallying his party
and making his case

for the presidency.

But then...

There are 47% of
the people who will vote

for the president
no matter what.

There are 47%
who are with him

who are dependent
upon government,

who believe
that they are victims,

who believe that government
has a responsibility

to care for them,

who believe
that they are entitled

to health care, to food...

Mitt Romney
was caught on camera

criticizing 47% of Americans

who don't pay income taxes,

characterizing them as victims
dependent upon government.

The latest polls
show President Obama

with a 5-, 7-,
sometimes 8-point lead

in some battleground states,

about a week and a half

until the first
presidential debate.

So the question we've
been hearing all week is,

Can Mitt Romney survive
the errors of the past

few weeks,

or has the train
left the station?

The comment about
the 47% was telling.

It was... given
behind closed doors.

But I think
what's more telling

are the policies

that Governor Romney
proposes

because they fit in
with that philosophy.

You know, in a campaign,

you make hundreds,
maybe even thousands

of speeches and interviews,

and now and then
things don't come out

exactly the way
you meant them.

That may have happened to me
tonight once or twice.

We'll find out
after the debate.

But I can tell you this:

My entire life has been devoted
to helping a hundred per cent

of the people.

Breaks my heart to see
the people in this country

struggling under the policies
of this president.

We've got 43 months
with unemployment

above eight percent.

That's the longest--

Nah, I'm not gonna
go that way. Never mind.

We've had 43 months
above eight percent.

We are about
to have our first

presidential debate
against Barack Obama,

October 3rd, 2012.

Everyone in the world
is watching. No pressure.

I love you very much.

Just get a little something
in your tummy so you're not...

So, any advice?

Yes.

Conviction, from your heart,
as to why you're running.

Conviction that...

this country's
on the wrong course

and that you are able
to put it on the right one.

Conviction.

Complete power
from within your heart.

That's all.

We came into this
really nervous.

The polls have been
not great.

They've come back a little bit
in the last couple of days,

but there's
a lot of pressure to do

well at the debate tonight,

and, uh, we were
really nervous, um,

just thinking about

President Obama,
he's a great speaker

and, uh, just has--

you know, he has
the mantel of the presidency.

So do you
think this debate's

gonna be different

from the others
in that you'll be

intimidated by the fact
that he's president...

Sure. Are you kidding?

We shouldn't
be intimidated.

You should not be intimidated
by him. I'm not joking, Mitt.

He's a very good debater.
He's a lot better than

the other guys.

He's a much more
effective debater

than they are.

Watch his tapes.
He does a very nice job.

I feel like I would be
a little intimidated,

but I think Mom's right.

Absolutely.
You should not be, at all.

My inclination--
see, I would be afraid

to kind of stand up to him
and afraid of how people

would perceive
you standing up to

the president, but I think--

Oh, I think
they expect me to.

I think so too.

I'm not worried about that.
I represent the party

that represents half
the people in this country.

I got selected by that party.
I'm their nominee.

And they're furious.

And I'm gonna
stand up to this guy

'cause he's taking us
in the wrong direction

I got no problem doing that.

When I get intense,

it looks like
I'm angry and mad,

you know, and my eyes
are in caves anyway,

so it looks like
I'm being angry.

Those are some of--
they showed some of your

better moments
in your debates,

those are some of
your better moments.

You know, they showed you

smacking down
Newt Gingrich there.

That was one of
your best moments.

I'll tell you,
I'm good at smack down

if I have a piece
of information

I can smack 'em
down with.

If it's just
who can out-verbalize

someone else...

- Yeah.
- ...I'm... no.

But the information,
you're prepared.

Just shoot me an e-mail
with those numbers?

Yeah, what's
the defense budget,

you know, what's
Medicare budget...

Okay?

Thanks. All righty.
Okay, bye.

The thing
that I don't get is,

how come they
don't understand,

like, how bad it is?

Don't they get how bad it is,
for the small business?

I mean, they--
I think they put

these things in place

thinking they're gonna
hurt the big guys

and, you know,
put it in place

for the big banks

and the big corporations,

but don't they
realize how much

it hurts the 35...

Thirty-five people.

...people,
you know, employees?

They don't know
how hard it is.

They don't know--
they have not been

in a setting

where you're
trying to make it,

where you've got
a little business

and you're trying to make it.

They don't know
how hard that is.

They're all lawyers,
aren't they?

They're lawyers.
They assume it's

always there,

and business
is always there.

They don't know
that businesses fail,

that people
go out of business,

that they lose
their life savings,

they lose their job,

but they start over again,

but they don't know
how hard it is for

a business to succeed,

and they keep piling on
more and more,

thinking, "Well, that's okay,
these guys will all do fine."

At some point,
they don't do fine.

That's the--

But they, never
having been there,

they don't understand it.

In those early days
at Bain Capital,

when we were investing
in businesses like Sanborn--

you remember Sanborn,
the centrifuge company?

I agonized over that.
Every night I thought

about that.

How are we gonna
get that to succeed?

It was just--
and you know what?

It didn't make it.

Finally
went out of business.

And it was like, Oh, boy.

I'm beginning to realize
I have a debate tonight.

It's tonight, isn't it,
that we're doing it?

Mom, can I have
some Chapstick on?

Look, Mom, this is--
it's not opened yet.

There was a bunch of 'em
on that counter.

Whoa! It's windy!

The curtains are blowing.

Oh, gosh,
look at that garbage.

Pull the curtains.

Thank you.

Wipe your
hands when you're

done, please, okay?

This is all stinky.
Can you get the door for me?

We were
admiring your purse.

What is this?

Go get 'em, Mom.

...not in the car,
but he can film

and then run
into the family van.

Is that all right?
I'll be down in a second.

Jackson, you're up.

Ann.
How are you feeling?

Right now, very calm,
actually.

Looking outside,
looking at the sun...

feeling very calm.

All right.

Family members,
we're gonna get you movin'.

Ann.

Ready to go?

I'm about
to pull the Guv if

you're ready, John.

- All right.
- Are we ready?

Here we go.
All right.

Got to keep moving
to the elevators.

Let's just get some,
uh, dirge music

so that Mitt's walking
to his execution.

- Off we go.
- Off we go.

Yeah, is that
insane that they'd

close a major freeway...

During rush hour.

For us,
it is not today.

People were having
a fit tonight.

The thing
we most hoped as we were

praying as a family

was that people
would see who my dad was,

that they'd see
the guy we know.

That's what we wanted.

Let's
begin with jobs.

What are...

the major differences
between the two of you

about how you would
go about creating new jobs?

You know, four years ago
we went through

the worst
financial crisis since

the Great Depression

Fast forward an hour,
we're at the debate.

First question,
my dad just nails it.

And a woman came up to her
with a baby in her arms

and said, "Ann, my husband
has had four jobs

in three years,
part-time jobs.

He has lost
his most recent job,

and we've now
just lost our home.

Can you help us?"

And the answer
is yes, we can help,

but it's gonna take
a different path.

And my dad just,
one after the next,

is just answering
the questions directly

with force, with power.

About ten, 15 minutes into it,
it's like, this is going well.

This is going really well.

An hour into it, it's like,
This couldn't be going better.

And it's like, Please end.

End immediately.
I was looking at

the lady next to me.

I kept looking at
her watch. It's like...

This has got to stop.

And now, from
the University of Denver,

I'm Jim Lehrer.
Thank you, and good night.

An hour and a half later,
he just absolutely crushed it.

They started
off with a handshake

and a smile.

They wound up with
a handshake and a smile,

and now they're meeting
their respective families

at the end of this 90-minute
debate, as you can see

on the screen.

The president actually spoke
for more than four minutes...

Way to go, Dad!

Thank you.

Good job, Guv.
Great job, sir.

Nice work. Nice work.

We're running,
we're running.

Excellent
job in there.

God bless you!
God bless you!

...gonna walk in real fast.

Can I just ask you,
like, how do you feel?

Great.

I mean, just like,
relieved...?

Is it like
relief or joy or...?

Yeah, come on in.

Sitting presidents
have a very hard time

in these debates:
George Herbert Walker did,

George W. did,
because they feel like,

"Who is this whippersnapper
coming up here

that knows nothing?

I'm president
of the United States.

I've been all over the world.
I meet with world leaders.

I'm the commander in chief.
I know all these things."

And they come in, this--

and so they don't prepare,
they don't prepare,

and they just think
they can just waltz through it.

'Cause they've done the job.

'Cause they've done the job
and they know everything.

Then they get crushed
in the first debate,

as George W. did,
as George Herbert Walker--

and then they come
back from there.

I don't think
they got crushed as

badly as he got crushed.

No, I think you're right.

Kerry barely won
the first debate

with George,

and even in that debate,

George Bush came across
as more trustworthy.

Kerry looked-- Kerry
always looks pedantic.

We will remind you
of that fact four years

from now.

It's unbelievable.

He'll be better next time.

The guy who
did him, Greg, was

actually really good.

But you can be better
next time too.

I've got a lot of good stories.

I've got the guy that--
you know, electronics guy...

Yeah?

You know, the actual numbers
on that, by the way,

he had four employees,
including himself and his son.

He had to cut two away.

He makes guitar amplifiers,
the guy did.

And he said
they calculated 65%

of what they earned
went to government.

Sixty-five percent.

And he said,
"We were blown away."

We can't survive that!

But again--
well, it's-- it's--

he said no one ever
calculates it this way.

It's federal income tax,

FICA, payroll tax,

state income tax,
and then state sales tax.

They did
all their sales tax.

Real estate tax.

And, uh,
what's the other tax?

What about Social Security?

Social Security,
that's FICA. Yeah,

I already...

- Gasoline.
- On gasoline. And gas tax.

'Cause, you know, you don't
think about all those taxes.

When you take all
of the taxes together

and then you look
at how much money his

business was making,

he said, "Two-thirds of what
we make goes to government.

And it's like,
you know, starting this

business was high-risk.

The chance of winning
was, like, ten percent,

so we're making a profit,

and then they take
two-thirds of it."

He says that's crazy.

I was with Papa John
of Papa John's Pizza.

He said, "I wouldn't
start my company today.

In this environment,
I wouldn't do it."

I write-- I write down--
they get pretty sprawly here.

- You can see it.
- Doodlies.

That is amazing.

I've learned that if I
write too much on the paper,

I won't be able
to see it again.

I'll get confused.

- All three.
- Mm-kay.

That's what I start with: Dad.

- Dad.
- Wait, wait, wait.

I want to--
will you explain that?

What is this that
I'm looking at?

I just, uh, that's, um,

that's my-- those are
my notes from the, uh...

And you write those
when you get up there?

When I get up there--
we didn't have

any time this time.

I didn't write
as much as I normally do,

but I normally write
more when I get up there,

just to remind me--
myself of things,

but because we went
into questions with

no prep time,

I just wrote down
a couple of things.

I wrote down "Dad."

I always think
about Dad and about--

about I'm standing
on his shoulders.

I would not be there--

there's no way
I would be able to be

running for president

if Dad hadn't done
what Dad did.

He's the real deal.
The guy was born in Mexico.

You're the real deal.

No. He didn't have
a college degree.

He became head
of a car company

and became a governor.

I mean, it would have
never entered my mind

to be in politics.

This guy--
how-- how can you

go from his beginnings

to think, "I can be
head of a car company,

I can run for governor,
I can run for president"?

I don't know how that gap--
all right?

For me, I started
where he ended up, all right?

I started off with
money and education

and Harvard Business School
and Harvard Law School.

For me, it's moving that far.
For him, it was like that.

So, anyway, I write
Dad's name down,

remembering him,

and then I have
a little sun there.

"Let your light so shine..."

You guys want to take
a debate ticket

for your
book of remembrance?

Can we say
a thank-you prayer?

Our Father in heaven,
we are thankful tonight

to be able to gather

after a successful day.

We are thankful
for the many blessings

that have been
bestowed upon us

by virtue of the greatness
of our parents.

We love and appreciate them.

We pray-- thank thee
for Ann, my sweetheart,

for her prayer
and her blessing

that she gives to me
and to this effort.

We're thankful
for our loved ones

throughout the world

and for the great joy
that we have

to recognize that
all of these things

will pass away

and thy kingdom
and our families

are that which will endure.

We say these things

with thankfulness
in our hearts

in the name
of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Amen.

She stabilizes my dad
completely.

I mean, she helps him
have perspective

and to unwind
and to not get

too worked up,

and to be able to relax.

That's, uh, that's one of
her major strengths.

When I first heard it,
my dad told me on the phone,

and I didn't believe it.

I said, "Well, that's--"

It just didn't
make sense to me.

This was my mom.
She doesn't have

multiple sclerosis.

They've misdiagnosed
her somehow.

I think I was in denial,
and didn't realize it,

and a couple of weeks
into it, I realized,

"Wait, this is for real.

She's really sick."

And it hits you slowly.
It was right around

Thanksgiving time,

and it was really hard.
I mean, this is your mom.

And it just happens
to other people;

it doesn't happen to you.

And all of a sudden,
it's happening to you!

There have been studies
that have shown

that people who have MS,
for some reason,

respond well
to riding horses,

and they're not
quite sure why it is.

The real factor for her
was being able to put

her heart and soul
into something,

and to connect with them
and go beyond herself,

and so much of that
helped pull her out of

the depression
that she was in

over having her disease,

and get beyond just
concentrating on being sick

and start concentrating
on other things.

It's when I get little
twinges of fatigue

or I get little twinges of pain
or I get little--

then I think, "Oh, no!
It's coming back!"

So I'm always fearful
that it will come back

and ravage me,

but, um, if I really
stick to my guns

and keep myself, you know,
this program that I have,

I do fine.

And I just have to make sure
to not get...

too overwhelmed
with all of the travel

and all the things that
happen in the campaign,

that it gets me too fatigued,

and I can do--
two or three days, I'm fine,

on the campaign trail,
and then, day three or four,

I am drooping and feeling

pretty wasted
and really fatigued,

and, um, you know, Mitt says,
"Get back on your horse,"

and that's
all it takes, honestly.

It's just amazing.

How 'bout I just take it?

How 'bout I just
take your tongue?

Then you can't lick me.

What am I gonna do
with your tongue?

I got it, though.

Okay, here we go.

I feel no pressure at all.

I'm at complete peace
about the whole thing.

And, um... I'm very confident
that Mitt is gonna win.

I got it on, Garrett.
I tied it, I tied it.

You did, you were
able to tie it.

Well, sort of, kind of.

I was just about
to come see you.

Frumpy, but I made it.

Gosh, you
look really good.

You looked
at me and you said,

"You look good."

You looked
at her and you said,

"You look really good."

- Look at this.
- She's gorgeous.

It-- it looks
pretty good, though.

Yeah, it looks good.
I wouldn't fool with it.

I'm trying to iron
something here, so...

See, the cuff--
this is a new shirt,

so the cuff is all funny,
so I'm...

Well,
that fits you great.

So I'm trying to--

I should have
done this before I

put it on, of course.

Are you gonna iron it
on you, seriously?

- Of course.
- Oh, my goodness.

This, uh,
this may not end well.

I love it.

Look at this.

It's working. Ouch.
It's sort of working.

Ouch.

Ouch.

All right, that's
good enough, Mitt.

For goodness sakes.

In the dark,
you can't see wrinkles.

You got the speech?
Can I look at the speech?

Okay.

I have to go down
and make sure I've

got my lipstick.

It is my great honor

to welcome Mrs. Ann Romney...

and the honorable Mitt Romney,

former governor of
the state of Massachusetts.

And the honorable Barack Obama,

44th president of
the United States of America!

Well, you are right,
a campaign can require

a lot of wardrobe changes.

Blue jeans
in the morning, perhaps.

A suit for a lunch fundraiser.
Sport coat for dinner.

But it's nice to finally relax

and to wear what Ann and I
wear around the house.

The window seat
on an overbooked

cross-country flight?

Don't mind if I do!

I ordered myself
a "stadium pal"

and realized
that while it might

make sense in the hospital,

it really wasn't very practical
for day-to-day use.

In an open-air sporting arena

a piping hot
32-ounce bag of urine

might go unnoticed.

Um, are--
this is supposed to be

foreign policy
though, right?

- No, the next one.
- Oh, it is?

This is
just the Town Hall.

This is supposed
to be just a brawl.

So this is--
and is it supposedly

just the voters

who are asking
these questions,

or are they--?

Yeah, but Candy Crowley
gets to pick the questions.

She gets
to pick the questions,

but the rules are

that she cannot participate

or ask any follow-on
questions.

I'm just a little
concerned that they've spent

five days in debate prep.

Doesn't matter.

You know what?
Then he's gonna be

better than he was.

There's no question
he's gonna be better

than he was.

He was-- he was
a disaster last time,

and he will not be
a disaster this time.

But you know what?
You won't, as long as--

You just do well
yourself. Don't worry

about how he does.

- Just be yourself.
- What you got there?

Oh, the mother lode!

Dad, it wasn't like he
just lost last time.

You won.

Yeah, do what
you did last time.

It was awesome.

Yeah, it's easy.

Here's my hypothesis
on the race.

There are a lot
of people who are

disappointed in Obama

and don't want
to vote for him,

but they're not sure
if they can vote for you

because they think
that there's this bad

caricature of you out there.

Right.

And the last debate was
the first time they've seen,

"Oh, wait a minute,
maybe he's not."

So tonight's just another
chance for you to show

that you're a good person
with good ideas.

That was Murphy's comment.

My team thinks, no,
I've got to be the aggressor.

I've got to be
out there prosecuting,

pushing hard.

- I agree.
- Well, you-- you can't--

You can be a good guy
and be pushing hard.

I agree with your team.
Do what your team says.

They have
a much better sense.

You did it
exactly right last time.

He did both.
He did both last time.

You know, though,
you've been more

aggressive, I think,

than in the last--
in the past,

so you can do it.
You've done it before.

We can't give him
any more advice.

- I think it's a bad idea.
- We must all be quiet.

Oh, no, no, no, no.
I appreciate the counsel

and advice,

I just don't listen to it.
I'm kidding.

I was reading
John Kerry just went on

a 10-minute tirade about you.

He said-- the example
he gave was, uh,

that Romney's got
elevators for his cars

and in the State House he had
his own personal elevator,

which is rich,
coming from John Kerry,

of all people.

But I will
bet you the elevator

comes up tonight.
"It was for my wife's M.S.,

you A-hole."

I would love just being
asked the questions.

That'd be great.

It's all the things
I've got to do:

the moderator
and Barack Obama

and attack him.

Stuart says,
"Look, on each question,

you've got to make
a connection with the person

that asks the question.

Then, number two,
you've got to answer

the question.

Then, number three,
you've got to set

the broader stage.

Number four, you've got
to attack Barack Obama

so he has
to respond to you."

It's like,
"I've got a minute."

I mean, you know,
that's 120 words.

It's like,
I can't do that.

Again, I'm really,
really glad that it's

you and not me.

I just-- and when I try--
when I try and do it,

I can't do it.

When I try and practice it,
it's like I can't get

all that stuff in.

I can't do it all, and then
I start speaking fast,

and people say slow down.

It's like, you know,
all right,

you've got to slow down
and be calm.

Don't speak so quickly.

Well, he's not
gonna do it either,

in a minute.

But I look at it
and say, hey, if we

come out where people say,

"He did a good job,
you know"--

our guys say we won,
their guys say

they won, fine.

Yeah.

All right, well,
be a good boy for

Kinsley, okay?

I wish you
a very happy birthday,

and we appreciate
all the work you're doing.

I got him psyched up.

It's like,
old Obama's gonna tell us

what he's gonna do.

Oh. Hmm. Hmm. What am I
gonna tell us we're gonna do?

Remember to answer
all the questions,

but remember to tell us
what we're gonna do.

Bye.

Is everybody
else doing all right?

The baby's okay?

This is ABC World News

with Diane Sawyer.

Good evening on

this Tuesday night.

As we come on the air,
President Obama

and Governor Mitt Romney
are preparing to head

into the arena

for their second
big debate, and both men

are on the ground

just outside New York City.

They know the power
of one night in this race.

You know, I think any of
these attacks on wealth

are something
you can just deflect.

This isn't about...

The American people,
they understood how

I spend my money

and how we're going
to spend theirs.

The president's--
the president's spending

trillions of dollars
of your money.

- Love ya.
- You're gonna do it, Dad.

Love ya. Love ya.

Love ya.

You gonna still love me
when it's over?

Just like Michelle
loved him.

That's what
she said to Barack

on the stage.

- Yeah, right.
- "I still love you."

That's right.

Is there a bathroom in here,
is that what this is?

There's one back there,
yes, sir.

That's what it is?
Yeah, okay. Thanks.

Wow.

Closing in,
I want to still get

a lot of people in.

I want to ask you something,
Mr. President,

and then have the governor
just quickly--

your Secretary of State,
as I'm sure you know,

has said that she takes
full responsibility

for the attack
on the diplomatic

mission in Benghazi.

The day after the attack,
Governor,

I stood in the Rose Garden,

and I told the American people
and the world

that we were gonna find out
exactly what happened,

that this
was an act of terror,

and I also said
that we're gonna hunt down

those who committed
this crime.

And the suggestion

that anybody in my team

would play politics
or mislead

when we've lost
four of our own, Governor,

is offensive.

That's not
what I do as president,

that's not what I do
as commander in chief.

Governor, if you want to reply,
just quickly, to this, please.

I think it's interesting
the president just said

something

which is that,
on the day after the attack,

he went in the Rose Garden

and said that this was
an act of terror.

That's what I said.

You said in the Rose Garden
the day after the attack

it was an act of terror.

It was not a spontaneous
demonstration,

is that what you're saying?

Please proceed, Governor.

I want to make sure
we get that for the record,

because it took
the president 14 days

before he called
the attack in Benghazi

an act of terror.

Get the transcript.

He did in fact, sir.

So let me call it
an act of terror.

Can you say that
a little louder, Candy?

He did call it
an act of terror.

It did as well take--

it did as well, uh,
take two weeks or so

for the whole idea
of there being

a riot out there

about this tape to come out.

You are correct about that.

The administration--
the administration indicated

that this was a reaction
to a video and was

a spontaneous reaction.

It did.

It took them
a long time to say

this was a terrorist act

by a terrorist group,
and-- and to suggest--

am I incorrect
in that regard?

On Sunday, the, uh,
your Secretary--

Excuse me.

The ambassador
to the United Nations

went on the Sunday
television shows

and spoke about how
this was a spontaneous

reaction...

I'm happy to have
a longer conversation

about foreign policy.

Absolutely, but I want
to move you on...

Okay, I'm happy

to do that, too.

Well...
how bad was it?

What do you mean?

It was.
Tough format, though.

It wasn't good.

I thought
we did really well.

That question
they got wrong--

that one thing
he got wrong when he said

he didn't say
in the Rose Garden--

who briefed him on that?

I just don't know
who briefed him on that,

but someone got it wrong.

I just kept
looking at my watch--

how many more minutes?

It's just so painful for me.

It is tough.

Good job.
Really good--

no, it was.

He did a lot better this time.
He did really well.

You also did
really well this time.

It was not a win
for him at all.

Well, I'll bet it's 70-30
in the polls, so--

No.

Yeah. Eighty-twenty?
Ninety-ten?

Republicans are gonna think
you won, Democrats are

gonna think he won.

That's right.

The CBS poll,
if you're curious,

is 37% Obama won,

30% you, and 33% tied.

That's not bad.

Good fight.
Sixty-three percent.

Thirty-seven percent Obama,
30% Dad, 33% tied.

They both
did well, then.

That's exactly
what you needed.

Yeah, a draw.

In this format,
that's really good,

I think.

Yeah, that's exactly
what you needed.

The other thing is, you know,
I wanted to come back

and talk about him
and his China stuff.

She keeps interrupting me.
"No, no, you can't

talk about that."

Why can't I talk about that?
He talked about that.

He talks about whatever
the heck he wants to.

I can't do that.

Her excuse
was the time, but

that was irrelevant.

But he had more
time than you had.

It didn't matter.
It mattered who got

to go last.

But-- but he has
this interesting point:

"If Candy Crowley
thought Romney was right

in the spirit
of the law, why--"

which is what she said
in her walk-back--

"why was she
so aggressive correcting

the letter of the law?"

Yeah. Good point.

I asked him whether
he called the attack

a terrorist attack.

How are you wrong?
How is that a misspeaking?

How is that--
that's both technically right

and in the spirit right,
both.

All of us complain
there's no food at

La Guardia airport.

There is so much food

in that food court to the left,
you won't believe it.

In the La Guardia
Delta terminal,

there is no food.

What are you
talking about?

You're crazy.

Mister--
Mr. Fly Private.

Let me give you--
let me give you--

give you the reason.

Can you look it up
on your iPad?

I'm gonna
look it up right now.

Look at terminal "E"
or whatever it is.

- But, uh...
- It had a dining room?

It's changed
since you were there.

You're thinking
of the shuttle.

The shuttle
has one area

with eight gates.

But then the regular
Delta has, like,

twenty gates,

and it's
the other direction.

You go through
the same entry,

same security,

and you go left
to the regular Delta.

They have 20 gates
and they have a huge

food court.

Tagg, just give up.
You don't stand a chance.

- Have you found it yet?
- He's still debating.

- He's got you!
- That's right!

Where was
this guy tonight?

Pretty good.

Did you see it?
Could you see it, Tagg?

Yep. And you were wrong.
I'll show you how I know.

Yes. Look,
I'll show you.

I wouldn't cross him.

Here's the map
of the terminal.

There's the Delta
shuttle Marine Air

Terminal right there.

What Marine Air Terminal?

That's the Delta shuttle.

They moved the shuttle
terminal to this

little marine--

I'm talking about
it's over here--

Over here
is the Delta terminal

that you cannot get to
from the Delta shuttle--

I'm not talking about
the Marine Air Terminal.

I'm talking about over here.

But this is where
the shuttle is now.

If you take
the shuttle to Boston,

it's out of
the Marine Air Terminal.

They've moved Delta over
to the Marine air terminal?

About eight years ago.

That is true,
that is true.

Who is it? Oh, it's US Air.
Is it US Air? It's US Air.

- You're thinking US Air.
- The US Air.

I won a debate!

You finally!

You went down!

Sweet dreams.

Love ya. Take care.

It was a good fight.

You did great.
It was--

- It was a difficult debate.
- It was.

That was--
that was tough.

- And that threw you off.
- And it threw me off.

I was like, I was like,
this is like your SAT

you know when you, you know,
three questions in a row

you don't know the answer to,
it's like,

"Oh, no, I'm gonna flunk out.
My life is over."

Nope, nope, not at all.

It was awesome.
Let's go, guys.

I told my dad,
I said, "Dad,

think of yourself like Rocky,
and you're in the ring,

and you're getting
your face beat in,

but you've got to show
you can take a punch,

and you gotta get up
off the mat and keep fighting,

and don't go down
until this thing's over.

And whether you win or not,

you want to be known
as a fighter.

And this thing's
far from over.

Oh, my gosh,
look at this.

Are you guys
watching this?

- The doors opening.
- Wow, that's cool.

Hold on, hold on.

- Don't look.
- You're gonna miss it.

Yeah, don't look.

Mitt! Mitt!
Mitt! Mitt! Mitt!

Wow.

Wow!

Mitt! Mitt! Mitt! Mitt!

It's wide open.
Maybe we should start walking.

What are you doing?

Ladies and gentlemen,

please welcome

the next president
and first lady

of the United States,

Governor and Mrs. Romney!

We want Mitt!

We want Mitt!

We have journeyed

far and wide
in this campaign together,

for America's future,

and now we're almost there.

One final push,
we'll be there.

You know, it's some long days
and some short nights,

and now we are very,
very close.

The door to a brighter
future is there,

it's open,
it's waiting for us.

I need your vote,
I need your work.

Walk with me.

Together, tomorrow
is another day.

Thank you.
Good to see you again.

Governor, how are
you feeling today?

- Who did you vote for?
- Very good, very good.

- Who did you vote for?
- I think you know.

- Good luck.
- Thank you.

Thanks much.
Bye-bye, guys.

- Good morning.
- Hey, guys.

Good luck to you,
sir.

Who did you vote for?
Did you vote?

Oh, my goodness.

There are a lot
of people out there.

Yeah, yeah.

Yeah, there are
a lot of people.

I mean, usually
it's empty in here,

as you know.

We come in,
there's nobody here.

There's a big line
down the street.

So people are
turning out to vote.

I talked to a radio host
in Cleveland.

He said the suburban
voting places have

long lines,

much, much longer,
he said, than when, um,

John McCain
ran four years ago.

Yeah.

Interesting.

See you guys.
See you, buddy. Love you.

Take care. Allie, bye-bye.

See you tonight.

Jennifer. Wanna come
with me to Cleveland?

I'm leaving right now.
See you guys.

It's Morning Edition
from NPR news. I'm

Steve Inskeep.

And I'm Renée Montagne.

This is a day that many
Americans will spend

staring at maps
of the United States.

Some who are not
staring already have

the electoral map
in their heads

as they calculate ways
that President Obama

or Mitt Romney can win
270 electoral votes.

In order to win,
President Obama would

need to hang on

to painfully close leads
in several states.

Mitt Romney needs to win
the states he leads narrowly

and also capture a few states
where the President leads.

Tonight I want to speak
about what lies ahead,

about the tomorrow
we can build together.

That freedom, so integral
to the American experience,

will again propel us forward
to new heights of discovery,

to new horizons
of opportunity,

and to new dimensions
of prosperity.

We're-- anyway,
you get the idea,

you get the idea.

Yeah! Yeah!

What's going on,
you guys? Huh?

What up?

Good to see you.

Hey, buddy.
How are you doing?

- Good.
- Doing good.

We're doing well too.

It's all good.
Boy, these crowds.

You're coming here.
Joe Biden...

We just saw his plane.
Yeah, he was just leaving.

They were talking
about how we're

desperate, you know,

we're desperate,
we're going out

on election day.

Funny thing.

Funny thing, he's in
Cleveland too. Strange.

Janna reminds me of that
every time.

She does.
She's like... yeah.

How was the voting?

It was, um, it was different,
than my usual voting.

Well.

Welcome to Pittsburgh.

This is our
last campaign stop.

It's our
last campaign stop.

Well, we'll see.

There's probably
a Chipotle around.

This is our la--
This is our last--

I was suggesting to Ken
we do an OTR at a bar

on the way back.

Guys, look
at the parking garage.

Look at the parking garage.

Wow.

Oh, my God.

Look at this in here!
Wow!

Great to see you.

Thanks for your work.

Gosh, you guys are fabulous.
Thank you so much.

Hey, you guys, how are you.

Thank you for fighting
for my dad's business.

Thanks so much,
thank you.

Hi. How are you?

- Good to see you guys.
- Yeah, hold on.

Judy, hold on,
he wants to talk to you.

Hold on.
That's my supervisor.

Hey, Judy, this is
Mitt Romney. How are you?

Oh, wow.

He look bigger in person.

Hey, guys.
How you doing?

- Good, how are you?
- Good to see you.

- How you guys doing?
- Wonderful, how are you?

- I'm doing good, thanks.
- Blowin' leaves.

You're blowing leaves
today?

The sunshine
is good in Ohio.

It's a good day
when it's sun-shining.

I love the leaves when
it's sun-shining outdoors.

When I was a boy
we used to burn the leaves.

They don't do that anymore,
of course.

But we used to put them
in front of the street,

you know,

and burn them,
and they'd smoke.

I love the smell.
How you doing?

This your son?

Can you hold that
for me, for the car?

Mitt and I want to thank you
from the bottom of our hearts

for this great effort,

and I just want
to introduce to you,

because of
your hard work,

the next President
of the United States,

Mitt Romney.

You know I always slept well
before an election.

That's because I knew
I'd given everything,

so I didn't worry,
I did everything I could,

and after that
it's out of my hands.

That's what I feel.
Left it all on the field.

Traffic is unbelievable.

Is it real--
Can-- can you see it?

- You see it out there?
- Oh, my goodness!

And it just goes
on and on and on.

Way down there.

They've shut down the roads.

- Why?
- At five.

Why?

Secret Service
has everything shut down

as if you're the president
of the United States.

Queen for a day.

ABC News live coverage

of Election Night 2012.

No surprises yet
in the presidential race.

The big battleground states
are still out.

We are here
with our entire team

of experts and analysts.

We have our reporters out
in the battleground states.

The two of you
have been there

at this very moment.

What's going on upstairs
where the candidates are?

What are they saying
to each other at this moment?

I feel like I need to lay
down on the ground

and throw up.

Get him some ice water.

How is everyone so calm?

Oh, my gosh.
I'm just dying.

It's finally hitting me.

- Get the panic out.
- Panicsville.

I really
want to go slap him

in the face right now.

Slap me, hard as you can.
Go for it.

Lay it on me.
Go for it.

I need one
on the other side.

Match it up.
Match it up.

That's pretty good.

Funny. Right now
CNN has you,

you're up by 500 votes.

- Where?
- That's not good.

- Florida.
- That's not good.

A squeaker in Florida,
Ohio, there's just no way.

I know.

It was up, like, six points,

and we were hoping for
Pennsylvania or Michigan.

- I mean, you know, hoping.
- Yeah. Both called.

I wonder what
the story is in Wisconsin.

Oh, that's probably
gone too.

Did you know you know
that you lost Wisconsin?

Chloe, we're not coming in
with updates.

There we go. There we go.

Okay.

Did that
just get reported?

It's okay. You can
give us updates.

I want to know
the states that

we win and lose.

Right?

Nope. Chloe.
No updates.

Don't.

Mmm.

Look at this trash here.
Whose stuff is this,

do you know?

Some of those are mine.

So far George Allen
is up two percent.

Ninety-six percent in.

Oh, that's good to hear.

That's amazing,
is what that is.

That's really amazing.

- You get 'em to sleep?
- They're asleep.

Wow, good job.

Wow. Amazing.

Wow.

Wow, that's too bad.
Boy, all those states, huh?

Wisconsin, Michigan,
Nevada.

Well, so the--
our only hope is Ohio.

Right? Yeah.

We're hanging
our hat on one state.

All right, bye.

Yeah. Yep.

I just
can't believe you're

going to lose.

Doesn't it make--
it makes your life

a lot better, doesn't it?

Yeah, but still
I just don't believe

it's possible

that you can lose.

It doesn't change
your life, does it?

Ben?

Hmm? No.

The pathway still is,
you know, Florida and,

uh, Virginia,

which is really close.

And Ohio, which they're
still feeling good about,

'cause it's still
just absentee ballots

right now.

And then we've got
to pick off Colorado or Iowa

or New Hampshire or Nevada.

It comes
down to Ohio, folks.

It does, it does.

Ohio.

You know, we talked
to Senator Portman.

He thinks that we're going
to have a margin

that we can't
catch up to in Ohio.

We might come up
just short there.

And so,
we don't want you to

look like some--
you know, John Kerry...

Hangin' on, you mean?

Hangin' on.
Like Newt Gingrich.

Yeah.

We just want to do it
right, for you and--

Ed talked to Karl.

Karl is the last of the guys
out there fighting,

and Karl knows now that
the numbers aren't there,

and he's going
to speak now and...

He's gonna make clear
on FOX News that,

the Ohio numbers,
we can't catch up

with what's coming in.

Okay.

So what do you say?

What do you think you say
in a concession speech?

Let me read you
what I have here

and see what you think.

I've just called
President Obama

to congratulate him
on his victory.

His supporters
and his campaign also

deserve congratulations.

I wish all of them well,
particularly

the president
and the first lady

and their daughters.

This is a time of great
challenges for America

and I pray
that the President

will be successful

in guiding the nation.

No one's listening.

I was following.
I was following you.

Shall I send you this?

Do you want me
to send it to you?

Shall I do that?

- Then we can--
- What's going on?

We're writing
a concession speech.

- It's finished?
- Yeah.

Can you be
gracious and still say

what you think?

I hope so, but...

Because I don't--
What's--? I mean...

I don't know the story.
Obviously you don't want

him to look like a jerk,

but he's in this race

because he's passionate
about what he believes in.

Why not say,
"This is what I believe"?

No one thinks
he just spent two years

because he doesn't
believe in it.

And there's tomorrow
and there's the next

day and there's--

But what? For what?

To go out
and make the case.

I mean--

He's not going to run
for anything again.

That's for sure.

To make the case.

How would I make
the case? Where?

My time on the stage
is over, guys.

I mean, I'm happy
for the time I had there,

but my time is over.

I think you're under--

How-- but to do what?
We're done.

I think there's almost
a pastoral role you're playing

in the political world,

and... the...

and part of
what you're playing,

I think...

...is soothing people.

I... yeah. Okay.

That's-- I don't think
this is a time for soothing

and "everything's fine."

I think this is a time for,
"This is really serious, guys.

This is really serious."

To get up and soothe
is not-- is not my inclination.

I cannot believe that he's
an aberration in the country.

I believe we're
following the same path

of every other great nation,

which is we're following
greater government,

money,
tax the rich people,

promise more stuff
to everybody,

borrow until
you go over a cliff.

And that's-- and that's--
and I think--

I think we have
a very high risk of

reaching that tipping point

sometime
in the next five years.

I'm just-- I'm just--

And the idea of
saying, "Hey, It's fine,

don't worry about it."

No, it's really not.

This election is over,
but our principles endure.

I believe the principles
upon which this nation

was founded

are the only sure guide
to a resurgent economy

and to renewed greatness.

Ann and I join with you
to earnestly pray for him

and for this great nation.

We're 593 words,
so that's about six minutes.

Probably be
a lot of applause.

How long
are you aiming for?

That's fine.
I think that's fine.

Don't you think that's fine?

Hey.

Hey, Matt.

Don't do it yet? Okay.

All right,
how long do you think?

Okay. All right,
we'll hold tight.

Rhoades says
don't do it yet.

"Don't do it" meaning
"don't call Obama yet"?

- Don't call the president yet.
- Why?

They all just called
and said don't call

the president yet.

- Why?
- I don't know.

It's not over yet.

Premature.

Why,
if we lost Ohio?

Well, he's saying we--
there's a chance we'll

still win Ohio.

This is not what
they're reporting in Ohio.

Doesn't sound like there's
a very good chance,

and that's the issue for me.

Tell them to wait. Karl Rove
is redoing the Ohio map.

You're, uh, you're up
in the popular vote,

by the way.

Mmm.

Yeah, we haven't gotten
California yet.

Well, even reporters
like Ben Smith

and people are
saying it's crazy

for Romney
to rush to concede.

- Prolong the agony.
- Prolong the agony.

Did you call it?

- It's 12:04.
- What about Colorado?

We're down four points
in Colorado.

Four points?

I think it's time.

May I use
the house phone?

It's okay, honey,
it's okay.

Garrett?

He was just
in the hallway.

I was just going
to tell you,

you know, my-- my own view
of the Secret Service is,

I want to get
a ride home tomorrow

'cause I don't have
a car to get there,

but then pull up stakes.

I have no interest in
having them stay around

for any more time.

Yeah. You know,
I think you should go

with what they suggest

in terms...
they'll pare it back.

The idea of them driving me
one mile once I'm home--

I... it's like,
I will feel ridiculous.

We need to hold
for just a second.

Okay. We'll hang on.

Then we'll start...
calling out...

Um, it's been
an amazing honor

uh, that-- to work
with someone like the Guv,

of such high character.

Um, he's a true, you know,
he's a role model to me.

You know,
it goes without saying

I'd rather lose with this guy
than win with anybody else.

It's a real honor.
Governor Mitt Romney.

I won't quote him
by name. He's here,

but he said to me, he said,
"You know, Mitt," he said,

in some ways we
kind of had to steal

the Republican nomination

because our party is Southern,
evangelical and populist.

And you're--
and you're Northern,

and you're Mormon
and you're rich.

- And these things...

...these do not match
well with our party.

Let me just note a couple
of other things,

and that is, um,

I have long since
learned that the,

uh, greatest source of, um,

of true wealth in life

is the associations
you have with other

human beings.

Uh, most importantly

the person you
fall in love with,

your family, uh,

but also the people
you work with

and that
become your friends.

We want you to have
a glorious life.

We want you to be
successful

in whatever
you choose to do.

And we want you to be
effective in helping

pass along a nation which is

more free and more prosperous
than we found it.

He has
to leave at five.

It's funny, it is
like at a funeral,

which is that
the family, you know,

you've gone
through your mourning,

and you stand there
and shake hands with other

people coming through,

and when they see you,
they weep, they break down,

because they haven't,
you know...

- They haven't mourned.
- They haven't mourned yet.

And as the family,
it's like,

"Yeah, I can't
mourn any more."

Boo-hoo!

- That's enough!

Sir, it was my pleasure.
Absolutely, it was.

Thank you. Thanks
for taking care of her.

I worried about her,
but with you guys around...

No problems.

You've got
a sense of normalcy.

- We do.
- Yeah, yeah, that's true.

Well, we enjoyed
every minute of it.

- It was an honor.
- God bless. Thanks, guys.

- Bye-bye.
- Take care.