discussing the republican party's message with the convention chairman, virginia governor bob mcdonnell and representative cathy mcmorris rodgers of washington state. >> ifill: our floor reporter jeffrey brown will talk to andy kohut about what voters say they want to learn from this event. >> woodruff: political editor christina bellantoni plugs into the daily buzz about how the romney campaign sees the week ahead. >> ifill: and judy and i will be joined here tonight and every night for insight and analysis from newshour regulars mark shields and david brooks. >> woodruff: plus, margaret warner has a report on how the war in syria is now spilling over to lebanon. >> ifill: and miles o'brien remembers the first man to walk on the moon, astronaut neil armstrong. >> woodruff: that's all ahead on tonight's newshour. major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: moving our economy for 160 years. bnsf, the engine that connects us. >> the william and flora hewlett foundation, working to solve social and environmental problems at home and around the world. and with the ongoing support of these institutions and foundations. and... this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> ifill: alerts were up today in most of the gulf coast states for tropical storm isaac. it was expected to become a category two hurricane in the hours ahead. by late this afternoon, the storm was still more than 200 miles southeast of the mississippi river. it shifted slightly to the west during the day, with new orleans in its sights. as isaac bore down on the gulf coast, thousands began boarding up. and shipping out. >> we thought we would head out today. >> ifill: the major worry: a storm surge that could approach 12 feet in places, add up to 16 inches of rain, and overwhelm a stretch of the southern coast line. storm warnings were lifted today for tampa, florida, the republican national convention site. where the storm surge ended up being measured only in inches. but florida governor rick scott said his state is by no means in the clear. >> the panhandle is our concern now. and the potential flooding in the panhandle. >> ifill: isaac's passage did delay the convention schedule and force four governors to cancel their plan to attend. >> this storm like every other storm is nonpartisan. >> ifill: louisiana's bobby jindal was scheduled to speak tomorrow night. >> because it's a slow-moving storm we could see an acculumation both not only wind damage because there will be several hours of heightened went activity but also rain acculumation as well. the national weather service does indicate they have less confidence in... their guidance on direction of this storm. anybody in that path needs to be taking precautions. >> ifill: all four states declared official emergencies: alabama, florida, louisiana and mississippi, where governor phil bryant activated 1500 members of the national guard. >> the major concerns we have now are high winds, heavy rains, and flooding and the potential storm surge areas and low-lying areas along the mississippi gulf coast. >> ifill: on sunday as a tropical storm, isaac dealt only a glass be blow to key west where some locals rode out at the squall at the bar. >> a lot of tequila. lots of beer. and whatever happens in key west, stays in key west. >> ifill: over the weekend, the storm crossedded cuba, causing extensive flooding in haiti and killing at least 19 people. two people died in the dominican republic. but the storm's present track which could change drastically has many on edge. it could hit new orleans by early wednesday. that would be seven years to the the day after katrina landed. >> here we go again, part of being a new orleansian is being in the way of a storm. >> ifill: this time a wary city is taking no chances. >> you're called upon to leave, you should leave. >> ifill: though no mandatory evacuation has been ordered in new orleans, 50,000 people have already left saint charles parish to the west of the biggiesy. katrina made land fall south of new orleans. this parish president: >> we're seeing hundreds of phone calls. people stopping by the office here. what should they do? how bad is it going to be? is it another katrina? >> ifill: in 2005, katrina's flooding swamped levees and caused the most expensive disaster in american history. the army corps of engineers says this time the levees and elaborate water pumping system can handle what's coming. >> woodruff: bac >> woodruff: jeffrey brown is with us here in tampa this week, covering the action inside and outside the convention center. it is my privilege to proclaim the 2012 republican nationality convention in session and called to order. >> brown: at 2:00 this afternoon the gavel came down to open the 2012 republican national convention. just minutes later, more raps of the gavel brought the session to a close making day one a victim of tropical storm isaac. in the end, it was the fear of the storm rather than the reality that forced the change. this morning in the tampa bay area there was just light rain and wind. reince priebus, the head of the republican national committee told me convention officials had had no choice but to delay the proceedings. >> we had to make the call. i mean, you get it. the problem is that you've got to make a call two days ago when you have thousands of volunteers and about 800 buses that you need to figure out whether you're going to get them out to clear water and st. pete. >> brown: various gatherings went on, from state breakfasts to the public policy talks of former presidential candidate newt gingrich. protestors, too, were undeterred by the postponement. several hundred gathered in the park and marched through the streets of tampa. there was little chance they would get close to the tampa bay forum, the sight of the convention. security was intense in the sur owfnedding area with many streets fenced off, check points set up to search vehicles, police and national guardsmen out in force. but if the formal convention plans were thrown awry by isaac making this convention floor relatively quiet this afternoon, a portrait of the republican party was beginning to emerge here in tampa. it was one of strong and somewhat disparate voices. sunday afternoon, some 10,000 people sang, cheered and waved the flag of libertarianism at a rally at the u.s.f. sun dome honoring their hero, presidential candidate ron paul. paul is not speaking at the convention. he reportedly refused an offer that required a full-throated endorsement of mitt romney, telling the "new york times," quote, it wouldn't be my speech. i don't fully endorse him for president." supporters said they felt left out. >> lookate at all the people that filled this arena today. you would think they would want to include them in, you know. you would think we would be welcome with open arms. we're not. we're completely being shunned unfortunately. >> brown: their leader told his followers to hold fast. >> you would think we have an open tept. we want new people to come in. we want to appeal to the young people. don't you think they would be begging and pleading that they come into the big tent? well, no. well, we'll get into the tent, believe me, because we will become the tent eventually. ( cheers and applause ) >> brown: later this evening in another part of town, the singing and praising was at the river at tampa bay church. >> where would you spend eternity? >> their pastor rodney howard brown called for a new great awakening for the nation as followers of christ. >> that's why the gospel must be proclaimed because jesus is standing right now. he says come. >> brown: that was followed by a tea party unity rally, rousing the members on taxes, excessive government spending, gun rights, and the growing power of the movement itself. wisconsin lieutenant governor rebecca clayfish told me that the g.o.p.'s energy these days comes from the tea party >> the tea party for last several years has drummed up the grass roots support that has elected a variety of candidates to office all across america who have, you know, this passion for the constitution in their hearts and want to make sure that the tax payers are the ones they are directly accountable to every single day. the tea party is really great at bringing that energy and that intensity and also that organization >> brown: it was a point echoed to the crowd of about 1800 by minnesota congresswoman michelle bachman, another former presidential candidate. >> you have succeeded wildly. take a victory lap. (cheering) because this is what the tea party is not. we are not an unwanted second-class political party. >> brown: notably though bachman, like ron paul, will not speak at the republican convention. once it does get underway. i asked r.n.c. chairman reince priebus about the different voices within his party. yesterday we were at aaron paul rally. we were at a tea party rally. we went to a church and are hearing all these different voices of the pear. everybody claiming they're kind of outsiders >> yeah, right brown: i'm wondering, is there one voice to this party? >> of course. i mean we're totally unified. this is not because we're here and worried about the future of the republican party. we're here together because we're all worried about the future of this country. we do believe it's about liberty and freedom and the constitution. that's what binds everyone together >> brown: is that an anti-president obama? is there something that unites? >> two things. one it's about prosecuting the president as to what promises he made and what he delivered. but it's also telling the mitt romney story. that's something we need to do this week and we need to launch mitt romney to tell the message of where we're going in this country >> brown: that will happen and keep happening, republicans promise, as soon as this convention gets underway. >> woodruff: what we're calling our all access convention coverage continues >> ifill: our all-access convention coverage continues online, where you can hear more from the ron paul supporters who were at the sun dome rally yesterday. that story from our newshour team is on the live blog on our home page. >> ifill: next we turn to the high-ranking member of the house and the newly named host of the convex kathy mcmorris rogers. i sat down with her a short time ago. congresswoman, thank you for joining us. you were an early mitt romney endorser. now you're the convention host. tell us what that means to be the convention host >> it's a new role that team romney has come up with this for convention. each evening i will be coming out at the start of the convention and welcoming the delegates and giving them the theme for the evening as well as making the case and introducing some of our speakers. so it will be the first three to five minutes each evening. i'm really excited about it >> ifill: you are supposed to be one of those spokers until isaac intruded >> that's true. it's all changed. but it's still very exciting to be down here in tampa. there's a lot of enthusiasm. everyone understands why the decision was made. they're looking forward to the convention starting and getting on with the business. >> ifill: what is the message you had hoped to bring in your speech as opposed to your daily introductions? what was the message you hoped to bring? >> it was focused on the "we can do better" theme, talking especially to women in america, focusing on our unemployment numbers, the record high unemployment that we've seen in recent years. 42 straight months of high unemployment. the longest streak in the past 70 years. talking to women business owners, our entrepreneurs in america. and celebrating them. that they built their businesses from the ground up. that was going to be some of where i focused. now it's going to be on some of the larger themes for the convention. but it's still going to be good. >> ifill: you are the only republican woman in leadership in the house. is that correct? >> yes ifill: when you take a look at polls like we saw one in the "washington post" today, people were asked whether differences between men and women on gender issues that we've seen reflected are a major factor in their vote. 48% said yes. is that good or bad news for republicans? >> i'm celebrating the fact that republicans are doing better with women. we have a record number of republican women serving in the house of representatives that were elected in 2010. four out of the six women governors are now are republican. we have a record number of republican women at the state legislative level. the republican won the women's vote in 2010, the first time since ronald reagan that the republicans had won the women's vote. when you look at the issues that really drove women to the republican party, it's been the issues related to the economy, to jobs, the debt. women oftentimes are the ones making those economic decisions, sitting around the kitchen table and trying to figure out how to pay for rising gas prices or food prices or the health insurance costs. i think that they see where they expect their leaders in congress to also make those tough decisions. they also recognize that, you know, sometimes you have to make those tough decisions, what are best for your family and also what are best for the country. >> ifill: big distraction last week with congressman todd akin who is running for senate from missouri raising the questions about legitimate rape which raised a lot of questions on where republicans stand on the issues of concern to women. everyone has askd for him to withdraw from the race. he won't >> it was really unacceptable what congressman todd akin said. i have said that i would prefer for him to step aside. it really has become too much of a distraction at a time when our focus should be on the economy and jobs. that's on the forefront of everyone's minds. the republicans have long had a platform of being pro-life. i'm someone that believes life begins at conception and should be protected >> ifill: so is congressman akin right. ifill: so why shouldn't he stay in the race? >> well, his statements were inappropriate and wrong. but the debate in congress has really been more on the public funding for abortion. and tax payor funding for abortion which up until president obama and the health care bill tax payor dollars had never been used to fund abortion. that was a big shift. that's where really where the debate is in congress. >> ifill: as we see this convention unfold it's about women voters or hispanic voters or all of these disputed voting targeted blocs, what is it that you and others are hoping people take away from watching this convention? will it be a message about the failure of president obama or is is it going to be a message saying, welcome. let me introduce you to mitt romney and how he can make your life better? >> it is going to be a message that we can do better, that, yes, these are tough economic times. we have a record debt. we need leadership. and that mitt romney is the one that can lead our country during these difficult times. he has the leadership, the problem solving. it's one that focuses on the keeping the american dream alive. i've lived the american dream. i was born and raised on the farm, first in my family to graduate from college. i spent 13 years working in our family business. and that is what we want for americans. we want that opportunity. that's what we want to celebrate and continue. >> ifill: that is a compelling story. how is it that so many americans don't know mitt romney's compelling story? >> that's part of what we need to accomplish during this convention. really pull back that curtain. i think ann romney is going to help in that effort. but give us more of an insight into who mitt romney is. he's a very private person. yet he's running for the president of the united states. we need to get to know him a little bit better. i believe we will by the end of this convention. >> ifill: kathy mcmorris rogers, congressman from washington state, republican convention host. thank you very much >> thank you very much. good to be with you. >> woodruff: now to our news maker interview with the man who heads the republican platform committee. that sets the official party agenda. he also chairs the republican governors' association. he is the governor of virginia, bob mcdonnell. thanks for being with us >> thanks, judy woodruff: tell us for people who are watching who don't understand what the platform committee is. this is an active, many of them very conservative members of the republican party. is this a document meant to reflect their views or a document meant to appeal to the broad american population? >> i would hope it's both. there are two representatives from each of the 50 states. and then two from each of the six territories. we ghettoing and in a couple of days we try to put one document of 50 pages together on a wide range of issues that reflect sort of the heart and soul of the grass roots people of the republican party. we got 30,000 comments before we got down here. we talked to countless people. we had input from tea party and rand paul and rick santorum. everybody that wantedded to have a stake in what our party believes in and crafted a base document. then in a couple of days of committee meetings refined that and came out with the final document. this would be something i would say will be instructive to the canned days to say this is what the grass roots believes in. we hope you'll take a look at it >> woodruff: not they must take a look at it? we've already heard governor say that paul ryan, his vice president shall pick, say he's not necessarily or they're not necessarily in agreement with everything in the platform. >> wouldn't expect them to. we input obviously from the romney campaign but it's a bottom-up approach. the same with the democratic party. its representatives from the grass roots that outline what they believe. i think in large measure though the things that are in there, the heavy focus being on jobs and the economy, on taxes and spending, on energy and agriculture, on government reform, on protecting the constitution, and there's a variety of issues on life and family and marriage as well. but it's a 50-page document largely on the principal issues, some of the details obviously left to the candidates and others because there's enough time to do in a document. it reflects generally what republicans believe in. of course there will be differences with the candidates >> woodruff: i ask about this because i was looking at... there was a draft document that was circulating today. i gather the whole thing is not available. >> it was supposed to be released today, formally to the delegates. i think with the convention proceedings being delayed it's probably going to be tomorrow. >> woodruff: there's language in there about contraception, about not wanting contraception to be part of a family planning program. there certainly is language about abortion. are these positions that... i mean, are you saying to the american people, this is what we want everyone to abide by? >> no. first of all, i would say, judy, that those issues are a very small part of an overall document. the overall document focuses on the same issues that mitt romney is talking about, that most of us who are sur gays for the campaign are talking about, that is we have to get the great effort country out of debt and back to work. the current administration has failed in those areas. job creation and economic development and energy and taxes and debt are the overwhelming issues in this campaign that are most important to all voters, democrat, republican and undecided. now, of course, the republican party has long been the pro-life party. we have believe in the santity and dignity of life and have long had provisions in there to protect human life. democrats have been the pro-choice party and things in there that fit that as well. these are issues that the grassate roos people come together and say these are things we believe in and we hope that americans would share these view and that the candidates would adopt some of these positions but candidates that run on the things they think are important. i think by and large what's in the platform and the things mitt romney has been saying about his plan to raise up the middle class and do things to help protect the hard-working tax payers are similar. >> woodruff: we know the american population is changing. there's been a lot of conversation this week about the diversity in the republican party. >> yes woodruff: the platform speaks about public education. it says republicans support the english-first approach. what does that mean? >> i think it just means it's a wreckinrecognition that first we welcome people to come to america. my grandfather came 100 years ago. legally through ellis island. that's why i'm here. so we celebrate lawful immigration. but to be part of the great american story, english is the coin of the realm in america. we think regardless of what your native tongue might be, to learn english and to able to converse in it, to read and write and speak well is very important to have access to the american dream. so that was the collective thoughts of the people on the platform committee and think we ought to put an emphasis on learning english well >> woodruff: is that the same as english-only being taught? that the party would like english-only to be taught? >> no. i mean i think people celebrate and especially across america we have rick pockets of people from many other countries. i mentioned my grandfather from ireland 100 years ago. there are pockets of people from all over the world that come here because they want freedom. they want this american dream. obviously it's an understanding that you have to know english. but we celebrate the diversity among the people that come to america and that live here and experience the greatness of our country >> woodruff: in this draft that was available today -- again, i understand it's just a draft -- it also refers to the party disagreeing with what and criticizing the administration for what it calls the administration's decision to permit waivers for work requirements. for welfare benefits. this is something reflected, we know, in governor romney's advertising. the obama administration says that's a distortion. it's not the case. outside independent fact chokers have said that is not what the administration has done. how do you explain that? >> i'd say they better read what secretary sebelius said in her order. i carry the welfare reform bill in virginia back in 1995 and the next year, of course, bill clinton and speaker gingrich got together and together something similar to what virginia and wisconsin had. work was the essence of that, judy. the way i read secretary sebelius' guidance is there were going to be waivers that could be granted to the states that would actually allow other experiences other than work to fulfill that requirement. i think that undermines the entire intent of welfare reform for all the reasons that i think are well known. i know that they're back checking and saying that's not really what we meant. the republican governors that asked for the waivers were saying we wanted flexibility not to under mine the work requirements. so i think there's a fair policy dispute about what they meant. if they're saying now they're not going to do it, then good >> woodruff: they're saying what they meant, what it is, is a minimum requirement of work. it's not at all what the republicans... >> there are great editorials saying that. that's a fair policy debate on what should be the policy. i think mitt romney has reaffirmed his belief that the very successful programs and the welfare reform that have dramatically reduced the rolls, saved a lot of money and opened up a transition from people from welfare to work is very successful and we shouldn't go back on it. >> woodruff: very good to have you with us >> thanks for having me on. i appreciate it. >> woodruff: we're coming back with more convention coverage and a look back at the life of space pioneer neil armstrong after the other news of the day. here's kwame holman. >> holman: apple moved today to capitalize on its legal victory over samsung. a federal jury in california awarded apple more than $1 billion on friday after finding samsung infringed on a series of patents. today apple asked a judge to ban eight samsung smart phone models from the market. apple stock briefly hit an all- time high today, and finished with a gain of nearly 2%. but otherwise, wall street mostly struggled. the dow jones industrial average lost 33 points to close at 13,124. the nasdaq rose three points to close at 3073. in afghanistan, there were conflicting accounts after 17 civilians were beheaded sunday night. it happened at a party in the musa qala district of helmand province. local officials said the taliban killed them for flouting a ban on music and dancing. other reports said the victims got caught in a gunfight between rival taliban commanders. to the east, two more u.s. soldiers were killed in an incident involving an afghan soldier. but afghan officials said in this one, the afghan's weapon went off accidentally. the u.s. military has decided on punishments for two soldiers and three u.s. marines involved in incidents that provoked afghan outrage and riots. it was widely reported today they will face reprimands, loss of pay, or other penalties, but no criminal charges. the first incident was the surfacing of a video in january, showing several marines urinating on taliban corpses. the second occurred weeks later, when u.s. troops burned copies of the koran. commanders concluded it was not intentional. a syrian military helicopter crashed today during fierce fighting in damascus. rebel fighters claimed they shot it down. amateur video posted online showed the chopper engulfed in flames and spinning out of control shortly before it hit the ground. state-run media confirmed the crash, but gave no details. meanwhile, opposition activists reported government troops last week massacred at least 320 people in a damascus suburb. many appeared to have been executed by gunshots. the civil war in syria has triggered violence in neighboring lebanon in recent days. margaret warner has more on the troubles there, and prospects for worse to come. >> warner: less than 50 miles from syria on the streets of lebanon's second largest city, tripoli, shiite and sunni gunmen are battling too as the conflict from syria spills over into lebanon's fragile ethnic stew. in the last week alone, 18 people have been killed and more than 100 wounded. the newshour sent a video journalist to the port city over the weekend. she found residents there fearing for their lives. this 63-year-old grandmother showed us where bullets have penetrated her apartment on syria's street. >> we can't sleep at night. we stay in the kitchen. sometimes we hide in the bathtub. my grandchild, we had to move him out because he was terrified. >> warner: other residents who dare to venture out use crawl spaces rather than their front doors. sectarian tensions have broiled in this part of lebanon for the decade between the imagine yort sunni and the sect of assad. the sunnies resent syria's long-time dominance of lebanon even after withdrawing its troops in 2005. as well as its support for shiite hezbollah leader, head of the most powerful faction in lebanese government. so when the syrian uprising, with its sectarian overtones, broke out 17 months ago, sporadic fighting broke out in this part of lebanon too. editor of the web sight sit "now lebanon" in beirut, says the damage has already been enormous >> it's not like we're afraid of the spillover. it's happening. we're already there. it's not safe anymore. syrian activists and like even syrian workers. everything is a target. every single is a target. lebanese, like if they say anything in support of the revolution they might be the targets >> warner: the rising violence in lebanon has raised concerns in foreign capitals and at the u.n. too. >> as the crisis in syria continues to deteriorate, the situation in lebanon has become more precarious. and the need for continued international support to the government and the lebanese armed forces increasingly important. >> warner: but washington bureau chief for the satellite channel says unrest in lebanon serves assad's political purposes by raising the international stakes if he falls >> most believe that assad is behind it. there is a legacy here. there's a history of syrian intervention in lebanon. the argument is that if he's gone, we will bring the region down. assad's argument is i maintain a degree of law and order in lebanon. assad's argument is that, as they articulated before, if this regime is gone, there will be chaos in the eastern mediterranean. this is the kind of blackmail that assad is using >> warner: the lebanese army was deployed to tripoli late last week but the fighting continues. it's easy to see why because feelings about assad run high throughout lebanon. this unemployed shiite man in beirut, ali, wants assad to stay in power because he helped prop up hezbollah in lebanon >> if the syrian regime falls, god willing, hezbollah won't be affected. so we hope the regime doesn't fall on syria. >> warner: a sunni businessman prayed for assad's demise. >> we have been suffering from the syrian regime for 40 years. if that regime falls not only there syrian people benefit, but the lebanese people will benefit too. >> warner: this seam stress doesn't care what happened to assad. she just wants peace restored in her country. >> we are very worried. people are getting hungry. they are selling their shops, some are selling their houses and they're scared >> warner: it's going to get a lot worse, melhem says if the syrian conflict continues to rage >> if the violence in syria doesn't end soon, lebanon is likely to be engulfed on a larger scale into problems. lebanon being weak has, as a state, cannot stop the deterioration of the whole society into sectarian conflagration >> warner: and that would make what's going on in tripoli right now seem tame. >> holman: those are some of the day's major stories. now, back to gwen and judy at the tampa convention. >> ifill: the story of these conventions happens beyond the floor behind us. that's why every night we'll be tracking the daily buzz with newshour political editor christina bellantoni. welcome. this convention has shrunk but there's always something else going on. in this case, we saw jeff brown talk about the thousands of people who turned out to hear ron paul at the sun dome yesterday. is there something else going on inside here with ron paul dell gays? >> absolutely. even though there wasn't a formal convention program today, there were people that are supporting ron paul that delegates from oregon, from maine, from all different states that are saying they're not sure what they'll do when it comes to the roll call vote. the romney folks say they're confident that this won't be a big issue that prevents him from getting the nomination. these are people who are very passional for the paul campaign. >> ifill: the ron paul folks are very lively on social media. they'll tweet the heck out of something if they're not happy. is that going on? >> absolutely. what some of these delegates are talking about is how they think that the movement itself could, if you pick up some independents, pick up some democrats, that could create a whole new party. there's a lot of discussion about that. where does the republican party go from here? something we're obviously taking a look at tonight, that something that they can tap into, that next generation and peel votes away from the republicans and the democrats >> woodruff: i want to ask you, christina, because most of those, in fact most of the ron paul supporters tend to be younger generation. and yet the republicans have had a tough time certainly obama did much better in the last election with young people. are we seeing this time? >> well there have been aate low of people particularly at the sun domi vent but it's not just that. there's a lot of energy among this paul movement. but when the republicans say that they're trying to do a lot of outreach to younger people they're really making a point to show kids, for example, mitt romney sons that are out there on the campaign trail aate low. they're trying to take that message. what they're doing at the convention is trying to make it more open to social media, making sure it's not people home with television, they're watching in all other kinds of ways as well >> ifill: the former governor of this state florida announced today, he was a republican once upon a time, he's endorsing and speaking at the democratic national convention >> you have each convention has their flipper, if you will. you have archer davis, a former democrat, will be speaking here this week. then obviously the former governor of florida. what's interesting about this is one of the reasons that he is not a senator from florida today because he embraced president obama physically literally and figuratively with the stimulus program in 2009. that was the first trips the president went down there. they did a big hug that was used as an attack against charlie crist later. it's not all that surprising that the republicans scoff at it >> woodruff: fair to say there's a little bit of bitterness on the part of republicans toward charlie crist >> he's moderate. woodruff: christina you'll be reminding us of all the things we should be watching online >> the effort that you are both participating in, we do the political checklist on our live stream. we have an active twitter feed that's at newshour and then of course just our live stream 24 hours a day. make sure to check that out. >> ifill: everywhere you look woodruff: thank you. so how engaged >> woodruff: how engaged are americans in this summer's political conventions, and what do most want to hear this week in tampa? the pew research center asked those questions of about a thousand people nationwide. for more on that poll, jeff is on the floor with pew's andy kohut now. >> brown: andy, what are people saying that they're interested in, in these conventions? >> well, we did a poll this weekend of a thousand people. interest in this convention is pretty much on par about half of the public said they're interested in either somewhat or a great deal in following what's going on. but the top thing that they're interested in is the republican platform. 55% say they want to hear about that. >> brown: when you say the republican platform. we were just listening to governor mcdonnell talk to judy about that. you mean particular issues? what do you think >> it's a sense of what do the republicans really stand for? there's a great interest both here and for the democratic interest to hear about policy and there's a lot of personal stuff going on on politics today. the public is concerned about the well being of the country. what do these people want to do? and what do the democrats want to do? that's the top agenda >> brown: what about mitt romney, as a man? is is that a speech that people look forward to? >> interest in romney's speech is a good deal lower than usual only 43% say they are interested in hearing what he has to say. for mccain four years ago it was 52%. for bush bac 2000, it was about% or so. romney is not testing so well in terms of the appeal of here in tampa >> brown: what do you as scribe that to, the personal side and the speech we often talk about, you know, where he sort of defines himself >> well, i don't think the public finds him engaging. we know that he's not personally popular. he's doing well despite what people's reservations about him personally. this is an opportunity for him to overcome some of the personal deficits, let's say, that he has. but in terms of intentions, there's not a good deal of interest in mitt romney. in fact, there's as much interest in ryan as in romney and there's much interest in hearing the roll call which is only 43%. the roll call used to be a big deal. it's not a big deal these days >> brown: it's interesting because it goes to what we've just been talking about and hearing on the show about mitt romney having to define hill self. before i let you go, you've done something, put together a poll we have online, right? which allows people to sort of figure out where they are in the political spectrum. explain >> yeah, there's a big gap between republicans and democrats these days, bigger than at any point in 25 years. we have online at the pew research center and at newshour a little test that you can see when whether your values are republican or democrat the degree to which they are conservative or liberal. you can test yourself compared to temperature graphic groups. it's a lot of fun and very instructive >> brown: find out where you are in case you're in any doubt. andy kohut, thanks a lot. >> woodruff: thank you, jeff and andy. >> woodruff: and you can find out where you fit in. take that quiz on our home page. >> ifill: and with us tonight and all week are shields and brooks. that's syndicated columnist mark shields and "new york times" columnist david brooks. we've been waiting for you to tell us. follow through on what andy just said about who these conventions are for and whether everybody is just here to see the roll call and paul ryan? >> i think there's a lot of energy for people in the room toward paul ryan. they feel a lot better about mittate romney since then. but it's really for mitt romney and the republicans to make their case to the people of the country unfiltered. it's their best chance. there will be some 40 million americans watching. the biggest crowd by a factor of 100 that mitt romney has ever spoken to probably. it's a very crucial moment in his quest for the presidency. >> i defend these things to the death. if you look, how many things actually change the polls? we've had a year of campaigning. nothing has changed the polls. i almost guarantee, almost, that this event will change the polls. >> ifill: you guarantee snit said almost. almost. usually a four or five point bounce and the democrats will get their bounce. that has an effect on public opinion. all these other candidates who will be speaking tomorrow who are down-ticket candidates that will play back home and affect their own races. i think these things should be two or three weeks. >> (laughing) ifill: the down-ticket races and the people who want to be here forever, what are the messages that these candidates are trying to send to home but also on the floor >> we heard kathy mcmorris rogers and bob mcdonnell talk about it. what did you pick up on that? >> they're trying to speak beyond the room. they're trying to speak to the nation now. they've been through an intramural food fight. the nomination of the presidential candidate in which really ugly things were said about mitt romney especially by rick santorum annuity gingrich in particular. rick perry. the only one of whom has a speaking spot is senator santorum. but i think to get all of that behind them and to try and tell america that mitt romney, who we will learn, has a marvelous gift for private charity and personal generosity to those in trouble in his parish or his congregation, whether, in fact that extends to people he doesn't know in lima, ohio, and cheyenne, wyoming, eureka, california. i think that's the question that is demanding an answer and that somehow is going to be beyond acts of personal kindness and charity which are part of his record. >> woodruff: some of us read a briefing this morning with senior romney advisors, david. i know you and gwen were there. they're talking about... this is rare that mitt romney is going to talk about what his faith means to him this week. what's the significance of that? >> there's sort of a debate going on inside the head of mitt romney. they know they have to be more open. they know they have to talk about his faith. there's high suspicion of mormonism. how many people are concerned about mormons? that's a number that is reasonably high and reasonably stable over the decades. 36% of evangelicals are concerned. aseculars 41%. they're going to bring out mormons to talk about the community service and things like that. romney knows he needs to do that. at the same time you see in the interviews he's saying i'm not a piece of meat. i'm not that hope and change guy i'm mr. reticent. he's trying to rationalize a policy which is, okay, we're going to open up a little but not too much because i'm mr. receipt >> ifill: i am what i am. woodruff: is there risk in doing that, mark, or is this just whatever he can do to tell more about who he is is is all to the good for them >> he has to be authentic. he cannot be or come off as contrivent. that's one of the real concerns about mitt romney given his political journey. philosophically speaking, what is the authenticity? what the core of the man is. i would not be concerned, if i were mitt romney or anybody in his campaign, about the evangelicals who are the most suspicious of... they don't believe that mormonism is part of christianity. but they are vehemently anti-barack obama so they will vote for him. david is absolutely right. there's a real concern over the past 45 years in the country as americans have grown more supportive of a woman being elected, 90%, voting for a black or a catholic or a jewish nominee, that they felt was qualified by their own party, 90%. only four or five or six percent would be opposed. there's been a constant almost one out of five who have had a resistance to mormonism. it hasn't changed. it is a problem. i think it's something that he has to address >> ifill: there was a new "washington post" poll out today showing everything neck and neck again. nobody breaking through. but one of the romney add viedors told us this morning, "if i were a white house advisor, i put this delicately, go and throw up in a trash can." >> woodruff: memorable line. ifill: you wonder if the text is telling us who mitt romney is at this convention, is the sub text telling us who barack obama is not? >> well they are clearly defining themselves as the opposite of him. the hope and change stuff. the vague grand eloquence. they are trying not to do that. the scary thing is in that poll and a lot of recent polls you've seen the shift in demographics. shift along racial lines so miltate romney could conceivably get 60% of the white vote. when you take the white male vote that's significantly higher. that's a much higher percentage i think. george w. bush got about 55%. on the other hand, the latino vote could go 80% toward obama. so the divides along demographic lines within that poll and all the polls much sharper than anything we've seen before. >> woodruff: what does that say about our country, mark? have we seen this before where the politics was so divided so clearly among ethnic and racial lines? >> well, there was a time when the democrats won presidential elections with a solid white south, when no african-american voted up until the civil rights movement since 1964 we've seen the two parties change. the democratic party was the party of white working class voters. now the strongest constituency for republicans is none college educated whites. and the problem is they were 62% of the electorate when ronald reagan got electedded. now they're 38% of the electorate. david is right. i think you've seen overtones of racial appeal in some of the commercials in the last couple of weeks. i think they are disturbing >> woodruff: a the part of the romney campaign >> yes, on the part of the romney campaign >> ifill: gentlemen, as we start our long weeks together here in tampa and next week in charlotte we want to hold you to some things. what are the big speeches you're listening for? what are the big issues that you think are going to play out in the next week or two >> i'm going with ann romney. i think she'll be the single most important speech of this convention. she's, a, a better speaker than her husband. >> ifill: aren't they always better speakers >> it is an interesting thing. psychologists should study there. they're better speaker, smarter and usually better politicians, the politicians. if anybody can humanize it's her >> mark? i am looking at the romney speech because this is a moment. i mean americans, are they going to be comfortable with him and have the sense that he understands what we're going through and what my neighbors and kids are going through and my family is going through? and at the same time does he really have a plan? i think potential star is marco rubio. the guy i'm not going to take my eyes off is chris christie just another pretty face. anybody that has a weight problem has to look at chris christie and say i'm fascinated by this guy >> you literally can't take your eyes off him. (moaning) >> woodruff: david, mark, thank you. gwen and i are looking forward to spending a lot of time with you guys this week and next. you can catch more from mark and david on the doubleheader. that is just one of many "beyond the sky box" features available only online. find six live stream channels on our web site, including all of the official proceedings every day this week. also, there are interviews with newsmakers, delegates, and others here in attendance. we've asked elected officials and newshour regulars for their favorite convention moments, memories that stand out from conventions past. we'll also be livestreaming a pbs breakfast panel. i'll be talking with republicans about the future of the party. that's tomorrow morning at 9:45 a.m. eastern time. all that and much more is at newshour.pbs.org. >> ifill: and we close tonight with a look back at astronaut neil armstrong, the first man on the moon. he died on saturday at the age of 82. newshour science correspondent miles o'brien has this remembrance. >> it is undoubtedly the most famous footprint in history. >> one small step for man; one giant leap for mankind. >> reporter: neal armstrong was the first of 12 men to walk on the moon. he and crew mate buzz aldrin spent more than two hours on their historic walk and planted an american flag on the lunar surface. the date was july 20, 1969. and an estimated one in six around the globe watched the landing unfold. the crew returned to earth and a hero's welcome. but armstrong accepted the adulation reluctantly. biographer james hanssen says that was partially because armstrong felt many others deserved more credit than the astronauts were getting at the time. >> he was always a fairly shy, introspective person. he didn't like the limelight much. and now finding himself in such bright lights he withdrew even more. neal just felt like, you know, all the attention on him was just out of place. he wasn't really... it wasn't false modesty ever. it was how he really felt about it >> reporter: neal armstrong was born in a small town in ohio in 1930. he became a navy pilot after college, flying dozens of combat missions during the korean war. then he spent more than a decade as a test pilot flying high-speed aircraft, including the x-15 which he flew at 4,000 miles an hour >> a new space team for the moon shoot >> reporter: in 1962 nasa made him an astronaut. during his first flight gemini 8 he successfully flew the first docking in space. but a system failure put the craft in a dizzying, dangerous roll. armstrong managed to safely abort the mission. cooley saving the day. putting him at the top of the list for a moon shot command. it was clear he had what tom wolf later called "the right stuff." >> senior management knew that the first man on the moon was going to be a global icon. was going to be famous, was going to be in all the history books forever. it was the victory of the americans in the space race. we never should forget that it was a competition. so the idea of armstrong going out and having the kind of character that he did, senior management just felt that he would represent humankind and the united states in a very, very diplomatic and elegant way, distinguished way >> reporter: after his return from the moon to lasting fame, armstrong seldom talked about the mission in public. as he did in 199 with his apollo 11 crew mates, aldrin and michael collins. >> apollo 11 was filledded with experience. one that comes to mind in my case is the flying through the moon shadow and seeing the sunny clipsed by the moon as we approached it. that was very spectacular sight >> reporter: in 2009, the 40th anniversary, armstrong recalled the role space exploration had on the cold war and the competition between the u.s. and the soviet union >> i'll not assert that it was a diversion that prevented a war. nevertheless it was a diversion. it was intense. it did a lot to both sides to take the high road with the objectives of science and learning and exploration. eventually it provided a mechanism for engendering cooperation between former adversaries. in that sense, among others, it was an exceptional national investment for both sides. >> reporter: remembrances have poured in since armstrong's passing on saturday. nasa administrator charles bolden spoke today >> in the words of the armstrong family, the next time you walk outside on a clear night and see the moon smiling down at you, think of neal armstrong and give him a wink. >> reporter: over the weekend tourists at the air and space museum in washington remembered where they were when armstrong walked on the moon. >> barbara, my wife, asked me, do you remember what our son mark when he was two years old in 1969, when we were watching it on tv that neal armstrong was on the moon and our son who was two years old at the time, he went outside, looked at the moon and said, "i don't see anybody up there." >> we were sad to hear about it. he was certainly a pioneer. we all respecked him in that day and age. i certainly wouldn't have gone up there. i don't know how they convinced him to do. >> i was a nine-year-old kid, right? that was a big remembrance for us. we all sat around the tv and watched the whole process. it was a big deal. it's still a big deal. >> reporter: in los angeles, a wreath was set out at armstrong's star on the hollywood walk of fame. and people laid flowers at the foot of his statue at purdue university, his al ma matter. a private service is planned in cincinatti on friday. >> woodruff: someone truly part of american history. >> ifill: absolutely. >> woodruff: gwen and i and the newshour team will be right here tomorrow and all week. the delegates will nominate their ticket with mitt romney at the top and paul ryan as his vice president tomorrow. that's expected to happen between 6:00 and 7:00 eastern time, and you'll see it live on the newshour. plus, we'll talk with house speaker john boehner. our special convention coverage begins 7:00 p.m. sharp, and continues until the gavel comes down around 11:00 p.m. eastern. speakers to watch for include mitt romney's wife, ann, and new jersey governor chris christie, who will deliver the keynote address. >> ifill: again, the major developments of the day. tropical storm isaac brushed past tampa, after delaying the republican convention schedule by a day. it headed across the gulf, taking aim at new orleans. and apple asked a judge to ban sales of eight samsung smart phone models. a federal jury found friday that samsung infringed on apple's patents. and a program note: charlie rose will be here later tonight with his own preview of the convention. and that's the newshour for tonight. i'm gwen ifill. >> woodruff: and i'm judy woodruff. we'll see you online, and again here tomorrow evening. thank you, and good night. major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: >> bnsf railway. and with the ongoing support of these institutions and foundations. and... this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. captioning sponsored by macneil/lehrer productions captioned by media access group at wgbh access.wgbh.org