It’s a work of political fiction, one that ended up including a real-life sit down with then-presidential hopeful Michele Bachmann and a hug from Mitt Romney on the evening of the Iowa caucuses.

Jane Edith Wilson, star of  “Janeane From Des Moines,” joined The Last Word Friday to talk about her unique film opening in New York theaters Friday.

The mockumentary follows the fictional character of Janeane Wilson, an avid conservative who goes on the campaign trail in the spring of 2011 in search of a Republican candidate to support. She does this while facing mounting economic, financial, and health difficulties.

“It’s part-fiction, part-reality, just like politics,” Wilson told O’Donnell.

Wilson, with her film crew, is so effective at improvising and deception that a moment she was able to steal with Gov. Romney ended up on the ABC News evening broadcast. She dramatically pleads with Romney to “save the small families of America.” He tells her that he will pray for her, and that people in her situation are among the reasons he’s running for president.

Reports about Wilson and her encounter were also mentioned by the Des Moines Register, Talking Points Memo, and Washington Post.

For O’Donnell, the film’s formula is unusual. "I love this movie, and I don't know what this movie is," he said.

“Borat” is the only artistic precursor. Wilson’s credits include Curb Your Enthusiasm, ER, and Seinfeld, and several TV ads for Tide detergent and Hyundai.

Critics have given the film kudos for refusing “to go the predictable route of ‘punking’ the candidates for easy satire or cheap laughs.”

With all of the coverage of the vice-presidential debate this week, you may have missed some of the controversial – some would say astonishing – statements made by actual Republican congressmen. Here are those various statements, in case you missed them the first time:

• Rep. Paul Broun (R-Ga.) said that the Bible was the “manufacturer’s handbook” and that it “teaches us how to run all of public policy and everything in our society.”
• Rep. Loy Mauch (R-Ar.) said “nowhere in the Holy Bible have I found a word of condemnation for the operation of slavery, Old or New Testament. If slavery was so bad, why didn’t Jesus, Paul or the prophets say something?”
• Rep. Roger Rivard (R-Wisc.) recalled his father’s warning that young women may claim to be raped when they don’t want to admit responsibility after getting pregnant. “Some girls,” Rivard recalled his father saying, “they rape so easy.”
  
• Rep. Jon Hubbard (R. Ar.) wrote in his new book, Letters to the Editor: Confessions of a Frustrated Conservative, “the institution of slavery that the black race has long believed to be an abomination upon its people may actually have been a blessing in disguise.”
• Rep. Joe Walsh (R-Ill.) attacked his opponent Tammy Duckworth in a debate by showing a picture of her picking out a dress for the Democratic National Convention.

And who can forget the old classic by the godfather of Bat Crap Crazy Republicans everywhere:

• Rep. Todd Akin (R-Mis.) – “From what I understand from doctors, that’s really rare,” Mr. Akin said of pregnancies occurring from rape. “If it’s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down.”

As Lawrence O’Donnell said on The Last Word Tuesday night, “Republicans are busy pretending that bat crap crazy Todd “legitimate rape” Akin is not representative of the Republican brand but Republican politicians keep popping up all over to prove that bat crap crazy is the Republican brand.”

Rick Wilking/Reuters

Vice President Joe Biden and Congressman Paul Ryan at the vice presidential debate Thursday in Danville, Kentucky.

With the presidential election quickly approaching, voters have a short amount of time to choose their candidate. Besides simply exercising patriotic duty, the number one reason to vote for a particular person for president, as MSNBC's Lawrence O'Donnell has stated numerous times on The Last Word, is the United States Supreme Court.

Vice President Joe Biden echoed that sentiment at Thursday's vice presidential debate, warning Americans of the fragility of abortion and reproductive rights laws on the books.

Martha Raddatz of ABC News asked Vice President Joe Biden and Congressman Paul Ryan a heavy question about how their Catholic faith has played a role in their personal views on abortion. While Ryan answered the question by recounting a personal anecdote of how he and his wife dubbed their daughter, Liza, "Bean" because she looked like a bean at seven weeks on the ultrasound, the vice president explained how religion defines who he is and his views on abortion policy.

BIDEN: My religion defines who I am, and I've been a practicing Catholic my whole life. And has particularly informed my social doctrine. The Catholic social doctrine talks about taking care of those who — who can't take care of themselves, people who need help. With regard to - with regard to abortion, I accept my Church's position on abortion as a — what we call a (inaudible) doctrine. Life begins at conception in the church's judgment. I accept it in my personal life.

But I refuse to impose it on equally devout Christians and Muslims and Jews, and I just refuse to impose that on others, unlike my friend here, the congressman. I do not believe that we have a right to tell other people that - women they can't control their body. It's a decision between them and their doctor. In my view and the Supreme Court, I'm not going to interfere with that. With regard to the assault on the Catholic church, let me make it absolutely clear, no religious institution, Catholic or otherwise, including Catholic Social Services, Georgetown Hospital, Mercy Hospital, any hospital, none has to either refer contraception, none has to pay for contraception, none has to be a vehicle to get contraception in any insurance policy they provide. That is a fact.

That is a fact. Now with regard to the way in which the - we differ, my friend says that he — well I guess he accepts Governor Romney's position now, because in the past he has argued that there was — there's rape and forcible rape. He's argued that in the case of rape or incest, it was still — it would be a crime to engage in having an abortion. I just fundamentally disagree with my friend.

The Romney-Ryan campaign's sort of softened its position on abortion after Romney told The Des Moines Register he has no plans to pursue changing abortion-related legislation, if elected.

Following up, Raddatz asked whether those who believe abortion should be legal should be worried if Romney gets elected. Ryan replied, "We don’t think that unelected judges should make this decision,” indicating that elected officials, instead of the U.S. Supreme Court with its 1973 landmark decision in Roe v. Wade,  should settle the matter on the legality of abortion.

RADDATZ: I want to go back to the abortion question here. If the Romney-Ryan ticket is elected, should those who believe that abortion should remain legal be worried?

RYAN: We don't think that un-elected judges should make this decision; that people through their elected representatives in reaching a consensus in society through the democratic process should make this determination.

Biden quickly pointed out what the Supreme Court would look like under a Romney-Ryan administration, and went further to state that whoever wins the election will likely appoint two new Supreme Court judges and that the Roe V. Wade decision would no longer be stare decisis, or settled law.

BIDEN: The court — the next president will get one or two Supreme Court nominees. That's how close Roe v. Wade is. Just ask yourself, with Robert Bork being the chief adviser on the court for — for Mr. Romney, who do you think he's likely to appoint? Do you think he's likely to appoint someone like Scalia or someone else on the court far right that would outlaw (inaudible) - outlaw abortion? I suspect that would happen.

I guarantee you, that will not happen. We picked two people. We pick people who are open-minded. They've been good justices. So keep an eye on the Supreme Court...

RYAN: Was there a litmus test on them?

BIDEN: There was no litmus test. We picked people who had an open mind; did not come with an agenda.

If the country were to elect Mitt Romney as president, their administration would have the power to appoint members of the Court that decides the constitutionality of health care reform and as Joe Biden intimated last night, have the power to overturn Roe v. Wade.

Mitt Romney’s website clearly states if the the Supreme Court were to overturn Roe v. Wade, the "states will be empowered through the democratic process to determine their own abortion laws and not have them dictated by judicial mandate." As Ryan and Biden both articulated their abortion stances, this is further proof that the future of the Supreme Court alone is reason enough to vote on November 6.

Tune in tonight at 10pm ET for a special live edition of The Last Word. After the one and only vice presidential debate, Team Romney is attacking Team Obama on the Benghazi fallout. Here's a look at all the headlines shaping tonight's show.

• Top seven takeaways from the Danville VP debate
• Romney: Biden 'doubling down on denial' in explanation of Libya response
• Team Romney claims Paul Ryan put '47 Percent' to bed in Kentucky
• Romney says people don't die because they lack insurance
• Pakistan observes day of prayer for Malala Yousafzai
• Janeane From Des Moines, 'mockumentary' about 2012 Iowa caucus campaign
• Martha Raddatz: Vice presidential debate moderator asks sharp questions
• Report: Ryan requested all kinds of federal money for his district for 12 years 
• Todd 'legitmate rape' Akin: there is 'no science' behind evolution 

Shakil Adil / AP

Pakistani children pray for the recovery of 14-year-old schoolgirl Malala Yousufzai during a candlelight vigil in Karachi, Pakistan, Friday.

While 14-year-old Malala Yousafzai remained in the hospital recovering from a gun shot to the head, fellow school children in Pakistan gathered Friday to offer prayers for her recovery.

Yousafzai was targeted and shot by gunmen Tuesday on a school bus in Pakistan under order of the Taliban because of her outspokenness on education for girls and against the Taliban. She had previously blogged for the BBC on these issues under a pseudonym. Three suspects were arrested.

Radio Free Europe reports:

The prayers in schools and other places across Pakistan on October 12 are in response to a call by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provincial government for people around the nation to express solidarity with Yousafzai.

Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf is due to visit Yousafzai on October 12 as the gravely wounded schoolgirl recovers in a military hospital in Rawalpindi.

Prayers were held throughout the country Friday as leaders condemned the attack. A spokesman called Yousafzai's condition "satisfactory," but said the next two days are critical.

Asif Hassan / AFP - Getty Images

Pakistani Muslims pray for the early recovery of child activist Malala Yousafzai during Friday prayers in Karachi on October 12. Pakistanis at mosques across the country prayed Friday for the recovery of the schoolgirl shot in the head by the Taliban as doctors said the next two days were critical.

An aggressive Vice President Joe Biden went after Rep. Paul Ryan on the economy, taxes, foreign policy and more throughout their 90-minute debate in Danville, Ky., on Thursday night.  

Frequently scoffing and smiling at Ryan's claims, Biden several times explicitly cast doubt on the GOPer's veracity and command of the facts. 

Unprovoked, Biden brought up Mitt Romney's devastating 47% remarks, in which the White House hopeful dismissed nearly half of the electorate as government moochers—and which President Obama failed to mention in his own debate last week.

"It shouldn't be surprising for a guy who says 47% of the American people are unwilling to take responsibility of their own lives," said Biden. "My friend [Paul Ryan] recently said in a speech in Washington said 30% of the American people are takers. These people are my mom and dad, the people I grew up with, my neighbors. They pay more effective tax than Gov. Romney pays in his federal income tax. They are elderly people who in fact are living off of Social Security. They are veterans who are fighting in Afghanistan right now who are not quote, not paying taxes."

WATCH THE CLIP ABOVE OF BIDEN'S 47% ATTACK

That testified to a combative approach throughout from the vice president, who, in a likely successful effort to re-enthuse Democrats after Obama's limp performance last week, repeatedly sought to challenge Ryan on everything from social programs to jobs to national security.

Of course, Ryan got a zinger of his own in when he referred to the interruption-laden debate.

"I know you're under a lot of duress to make up for lost ground, but I think people would be better served if we don't interrupt each other," Ryan said, referring to President Obama's poor debate performance last week.

The high-stakes faceoff kicked off with a discussion of the deadly attacks at the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya, with Ryan criticizing Obama's initial unwillingness to call the violence terrorism.

Biden promised to pursue the attackers, and vowed that any mistakes in the original assessment of the attack would "not be made again." He also ripped Ryan for not laying out a clear plan on foreign policy.

At one point, Biden declared that Ryan was full of "malarkey" after the Republican accused the president of advocating "devastating defense cuts."

The two also traded blows on Iran, with Ryan insisting the U.S. was failing to stop Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon. Biden countered by insisting that his team has implemented the "most crippling sanctions in the history of sanctions."

The debate got personal —and serious—when moderator Martha Raddatz of ABC News asked the two candidates how their Catholic faith has played into their personal views on abortion.

Biden said his religion teaches him that life begins at conception, but would not impose his beliefs on all Americans. "I do not believe we have the right to tell people, women, they can't control their body," the former Delaware senator said.

Ryan said he is against abortion, but would include exceptions in cases of incest, rape or when the life of the mother is at risk. 

One of the night's most memorable lines came during a discussion of tax policy. Ryan insisted that Mitt Romney could make good on his promises to lower tax rates without increasing the deficit.

"Not mathematically possible," Biden quipped. "It is mathematically possible," Ryan insisted. "Jack Kennedy lowered taxes and raised revenue."

Biden shot back, "Oh, now you're Jack Kennedy?" That evoked memories of the famous moment in the 1988 vice presidential debate in which Lloyd Bentsen schooled Dan Quayle. After Quayle brought up JFK, Bentsen replied: "Senator, I served with Jack Kennedy, I knew Jack Kennedy, Jack Kennedy was a friend of mine. Senator, you're no Jack Kennedy."

After appearing on The Last Word Wednesday night, author and comedian John Hodgman joined Lawrence O'Donnell to talk more about the upcoming vice presidential debate and his new book, That Is All.

Hodgman had one piece of advice for Joe Biden he didn't have time to mention on the show: "Since no one will get punished for saying a lie," Hodgman joked, "all Biden has to do is echo what he said about President Obama, and say, 'That Paul Ryan, a very clean cut young black man.' America will go insane because there is no truth or fiction anymore, and the right wing will dump Ryan right there."

Hodgman also told us Lawrence O'Donnell himself is mentioned in his book. In a section about super-elite credit cards, That Is All informs its readers that the most exclusive card of all is the "Diner's Club Five-times Diamond Card," and one of the perks of that card is being able to commission playwright David Lindsay Abaire ("Rabbit Hole," "Fuddy Meers") to write an original Broadway show that Lawrence O'Donnell has to star in.

Now, that's a credit card!

When Vice President Joe Biden and Paul Ryan face off Thursday night, they'll be the latest to take part in a long line of election debates on the national stage.

The first televised presidential debate was in 1960, when John F. Kennedy met Vice President Richard Nixon in front of an audience of 70 million viewers. Kennedy was smooth, tanned, and calm as ever. Nixon was sweaty, sick, and refusing makeup. Maybe you can guess who came across more agreeable to viewers at home.

At that early stage, it was perhaps hard to imagine how much of an impact televised debates would have on national elections. Actually seeing the candidates made not only what they said important, but how they looked while saying it. Can you imagine Joe Biden or Paul Ryan refusing makeup before stepping on stage tonight? Though this history of televised debates is a relatively short one, there is no shortage of gaffes, zingers and impressive performances. 

Looking back, one of the most common debate criticisms is when a candidate seems unaware or out of touch. In 1976, for example, Gerald Ford claimed, "There is no Soviet domination of Eastern Europe." It was a declaration so inexplicable that moderator Max Frankel of The New York Times had to interrupt: "Did I understand you to say, sir, that the Russians are not using Eastern Europe as their own sphere of influence?"

This same criticism was leveled at George H.W. Bush in 1992, when he repeatedly checked his watch during a town hall debate with Bill Clinton and Ross Perot. It looked like Bush had other places to be, like the debate didn't warrant his time.

On the other hand, candidates should be careful of seeming too aggressive. Al Gore sighed several times during his debate with George W. Bush in 2000, and the sound was picked up by his microphone. It came across to some viewers as being arrogant, a feeling that was reinforced when Gore seemed to invade Bush's personal space in the following debate.

In 1980 and '84, Ronald Reagan landed a few memorable zingers on his opponents Jimmy Carter and Walter Mondale. In response to a question about whether he was too old to perform the duties of president, Reagan said, "I will not make age an issue of this campaign. I am not going to exploit, for political purposes, my opponent's youth and inexperience." Such wit and comedic timing Reagan no doubt learned during his years as an actor.

A strong performance can warm you to the electorate and a bad performance can do the opposite. Though, debate performances are not always decisive of who will win the election. Take, for example, John Kerry's strong showing in 2004; he might've "won" the debates, but he ultimately lost the election.

With an estimated 60 million people tuning in this time around, it's a unique chance to make an impression.

Martha Plimpton joined Lawrence O'Donnell on The Last Word Wednesday to tout a new effort designed to push back against the anti-abortion extremists running Congress.

The actress spoke on behalf of the Bill of Reproductive Rights, a new initiative of the Center for Reproductive Rights, which declares the right to make your own choices about your reproductive health and future a "fundamental human right."

The star of Raising Hope noted that 1 in 3 women in America will have an abortion at some time in her life. She added: "The point of all of this is to make people understand that the shame and the isolation that go along with this conversation have no place in what is essentially a perfectly legitimate and constitutionally protected medical procedure."

Plimpton is hardly the only luminary backing the camapign. It's also getting support from Kevin Bacon, Sandra Bernhard, Billy Crudup, Olympia Dukakis, Jenna Fischer, Caroline Kennedy, Lisa Kudrow, Tea Leoni, Audra McDonald, Oliver Platt, Amy Poehler, Kyra Sedgwick, Sarah Silverman, and Meryl Streep.

Here's the full text of the Bill of Reproductive Rights, which can be found at drawtheline.org:

The Bill of Reproductive Rights states:

We the people of the United States hereby assert the following as fundamental human rights that no government may deny, and that our governments at every level must guarantee and safeguard for all.

1. The right to make our own decisions about our reproductive health and future, free from intrusion or coercion by any government, group, or individual.
2. The right to a full range of safe, affordable, and readily accessible reproductive health care—including pregnancy care, preventive services, contraception, abortion, and fertility treatment—and accurate information about all of the above.
3. The right to be free from discrimination in access to reproductive health care or on the basis of our reproductive decisions.

In tonight's Rewrite, MSNBC's Lawrence O'Donnell will tell you about one brave 14-year-old girl who only wanted an education. She's now fighting to survive a bullet to the head from the Taliban. So tonight, on the eve of the United Nations International Day of the Girl, we'll tell you her story. Here are more headlines shaping the show:

• Mitt Romney vows to be a 'pro-life' president after newspaper interview
• Memo to Democrats: ‘Chill’ the [bleep] out, people
• VP debate moderator Martha Raddatz takes center stage
• New 'Bill of Reproductive Rights' campaign attracts A-list celebrities
• Bat-crap crazy state rep talks about how 'some girls rape easy'

A recent CNN/ORC poll shows, among moderates in Ohio, President Obama has a 68 to 31 percent lead over Mitt Romney. On Tuesday's The Last Word, Vice President of MSNBC.com Richard Wolffe joined Lawrence O'Donnell to discuss the importance of Ohio's 18 electoral votes in the upcoming presidential election. 

"Democrats need a super-majority of moderates," Wolffe explained, "There aren't as many self-identified Democrats as there are Conservatives and Republicans out there."

After the show, I asked him why he thinks more Republicans self-identify with their party:

"I do think that Democrats identify with a moderate idea," he said. "There's something at the heart of the Democrats' view of themselves and the way the country should be that means they believe in a community of shared values and compromise. And there's an overlap there with moderates—actually, there's an overlap there with moderate Republicans too."

Wolffe went on to say that the reason why Democrats elect centrist presidents like Bill Clinton or John F. Kennedy is because they reflect the actual make-up of the country.

Evan Vucci / AP

Mitt Romney speaks during a campaign rally Oct. 9, 2012 in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio.

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney told The Des Moines Register he does not plan to pursue abortion-related legislation if elected.

The media immediately seized on the comments as a promise by Romney to back away from some of his harsher rhetoric on abortion. He has said he would prefer Roe v. Wade, which protects a woman’s right to abortion, be overturned and that abortion should be allowed only in instances of incest, rape, and to protect the health of the mother.

Yet, parsing the words of a man who has changed his mind on this subject in the past (he ran as a pro-choice candidate for the U.S. Senate and governor of Massachusetts), isn’t easy.

Here’s what he said:

“There’s no legislation with regards to abortion that I’m familiar with that would become part of my agenda,” Romney told the Register’s editorial board on Tuesday.

So no current legislation, but does that mean he would consider approving anti-abortion legislation brought forward by a Republican Congress? A clarification from a Romney campaign spokeswoman Andrea Saul seemed to suggest he would.

“Mitt Romney is proudly pro-life, and he will be a pro-life president,” she said in one statement. In another, she went further: “Governor Romney would of course support legislation aimed at providing greater protections of life.”

When Romney appeared on NBC’s Meet the Press in September he once again re-affirmed his anti-abortion position and said he would “encourage pro-life policies” if elected president and appoint Supreme Court justices that would reverse Roe v. Wade.

Romney said he would seek to ban the use of U.S. funds being used overseas for abortion in both the Meet the Press and Register interviews.

Romney’s running mate Rep. Paul Ryan has taken even stauncher positions on abortion in the past, supporting legislation that sought to limit abortions to cases of “forcible rape,” a divisive term.

Both the Obama campaign and Planned Parenthood criticized Romney’s comment to the Register as just another demonstration of his flip-flopping. The Planned Parenthood Action Fund called it a “misleading” comment.

“Let’s be clear: Mitt Romney wants to overturn Roe v. Wade, end federal funding for Planned Parenthood preventive services, end insurance coverage for birth control, and repeal health protections for women,” the organization said in its statement.

The Romney campaign has long been notoriously evasive when it comes to questions from the press. But even by Mitt Romney's exacting standards, Nickelodeon's Kids Pick the President special doesn't seem like a tough interview. So why did his campaign tell Nickelodeon that he would not be participating in the special?

"The half-hour special gives both candidates' biographies, then shows their answers to questions solicited from kids all over the country," said host Lawrence O'Donnell on Tuesday's The Last Word. One illustrative question, asked by a hard-hitting young boy during the 2008 presidential election, was: "Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. When you were a kid, what was your favorite costume?"

"We don't ever know, really, why" candidates withdraw from the special, said Kids Pick the President host Linda Ellerbee, "because we don't talk to the candidate. We talk to the candidate's staff. And we began talking to the Romney staff six months ago, in April, and they were very encouraging. ... And then, something happened, we don't know what, but all of a sudden it was, 'He can't fit it into his schedule.' And that's all they would ever say."

Since 1992, the nominees of both major parties have appeared in the special every election cycle, except for during the 2004 race. At the end of each special, children vote for who they think should be president; according to Ellerbee, her pint-sized audience has accurately predicted the outcome of every presidential election except for 2004.

With all the fussing over funding for PBS going on in the campaign thanks to Mitt Romney's debate admission that he wants to cut funding for public broadcasting, the host of Late Night Jimmy Fallon took us to a visit to "Mister Romney's Neighborhood" during his show yesterday.

Instead of putting on Mister Roger's trademark cardigan sweater, Romney slips out of one suit coat right into another. He then sits down to read the Financial Times (those pink pages are always a dead giveaway) and have his shoes shined.

Fallon's "Mister Romney" later takes his wallet out to explain "that's where money goes." Then comes this string of zingers:

"Now, do you know what money is? I'm guessing no because you're watching public television. Therefore, you don't have cable. Therefore, you're probably poor. Money is sort of like paper that you can use to buy things that you want like toys... or yachts. Now you may be wondering where money comes from. It comes from a magical place called our parents."

"Mister Romney" is then joined by "Mister Obama." And that's where the fun really begins.

Reuters

President Obama opted to participate in the children's special this year and in 2008.

It's not only Big Bird getting the cold shoulder from Mitt Romney these days. It's also Big Bird's biggest fans.

Romney declined to participate in Nickelodeon's Kids Pick the President special, in which children get a chance ask the candidates questions about what matters most to them. According to Linda Ellerbee, the event's host and executive producer, the Romney campaign couldn't fit the special into their schedule. "He simply didn't have time," she said.

"That's several million kids who actually want to get involved in the democratic process," Ellerbee said in a press release, referring to the large number of children who submitted questions for President Obama and Gov. Romney. "They don't deserve to be dissed."

President Obama participated this year, as he did in 2008. This time he answered questions on a variety of topics, ranging from gun control to same-sex marriage to bullying. 

Beyond giving kids the chance to ask questions, 'Kids Pick the President' allows them to cast their vote in an online poll. An ad for the special has one child declaring, "The United States Constitution states that no one under the age of eighteen is permitted to vote, but Nickelodeon says we can!"

Since 1992, when Kids Pick the President began, the participating children have correctly chosen the outcome of the election five out of six times. This year's special is scheduled to air October 15. 

“By answering kids' questions directly, candidates show respect for kids," Ellerbee said.

MSNBC's Lawrence O'Donnell talked to West Wing alum Richard Schiff about taking over The Last Word anchor chair during Monday's show.

"I think in terms of first-time anchormen," O'Donnell said, "it was the sharpest upward learning curve we've ever seen."

The two men also had a discussion about Twitter, and how it's new way to share political information. O'Donnell mentioned his Twitter followers inform him of things that he would not have heard of otherwise. "They've put things on [Twitter] that I've used in the show, that our staff didn't find, that I didn't find," he said.

Schiff's new web series, Chasing the Hill, revolves the re-election campaign of a Democratic representative from California, and in which he plays a political operative. Be on the lookout for O'Donnell, who will be making a cameo in a forthcoming episode of the series.

With just 28 days to go until the election, the latest Gallup tracking poll shows Mitt Romney's post-debate bounce ebbing. President Obama is back with a three-point lead among registered voters. Will this stop Obama supporters from freaking out? At 10 pm ET, we'll discuss why they should back away from the ledge. Here are the stories shaping tonight's rundown:

• President Obama encourages supporters to be 'obsessive'
• Mitt Romney defends tax math in Iowa
• Romney declines Nickelodeon's invitation for 'Kids Pick the President' special
• Nate Silver: A great poll for Romney, in perspective
• Sen. Chuck Schumer tells Dems to grow a spine in tax negotiations with GOP
• Why Obama supporters should not freak out
• EJ Dionne on conservatives, liberals and polls
• Arkansas rep: 'If Slavery were so god-awful why didn't Jesus or Paul condemn It?’
• Sesame Street asks Team Obama to pull ad

Update: Sesame Workshop, which produces Sesame Street, has asked the campaign to take down the ad, according to a statement by the nonprofit. "We do not endorse candidates or participate in political campaigns. We have approved no campaign ads," it wrote on its blog.

The Obama campaign released a new ad starring Sesame Street's Big Bird that pokes fun at a Mitt Romney line from last week's first presidential debate.

Romney promised during the debate to "stop the subsidy to PBS," the network that broadcasts Sesame Street. "I love Big Bird...But I'm not going to keep on spending money on things to borrow money from China to pay for it," he added.

The new 30-second spot from the president's re-election campaign dismisses Romney's stance on PBS and Big Bird as overblown paranoia.

"Bernie Madoff. Ken Lay. Dennis Kozlowski. Criminals. Gluttons of greed," the ad begins. "And the evil genius who towered over them? One man has the guts to speak his name."

 Cue Romney at the mic saying "Big Bird" over and over again.

"Big, yellow, a menace to our economy," the ad continues. "Mitt Romney knows it's not Wall Street you have to worry about, it's Sesame Street."

Cut to a benign, sleeping Big Bird cuddled up with a stuffed teddy bear. 

MSNBC's Chuck Todd pointed out during Daily Rundown that the ad is not a serious one for the campaign given that it is playing on national cable and broadcast stations rather than in battleground states where it could have a real impact on the race.

Let us introduce you to Congressman Paul Broun, a Republican from Georgia. He and Congressman Todd "legitimate rape" Akin are both on the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology. And in newly revealed video of Broun during a sportsman's banquet at a church in his home state, he told those in attendance that he believes evolution and embryology and the Big Bang Theory, are all "lies straight from the pit of Hell."

As to the age of our planet, Congressman Broun argued it's much younger than the majority of scientists say. "You see there are a lot of scientific data that I found out, as a scientist, that actually show that this is really a young Earth. I don't believe that the Earth's but about 9,000-years-old," said Broun. "I believe it was created in six days as we know them. That's what the Bible says."

That elicited a rather pointed response from Bill Nye, the Science Guy, also the Executive Director of The Planetary Society, the world’s large space interest organization.

"Why Obama Now?" is a fun, fast and informative web video from the mind of Lucas Gray, an animator best known for his work with The Simpsons and Family Guy. The video uses an address President Obama gave during a luncheon back in April tearing down the notion that trickle down economics helps the middle class and the impoverished.

The video has a little bit of everything: throwbacks to a bygone era of American history, some of the right wing's loudest voices depicted as funny little bobbleheads, charts, graphs, the Founding Fathers and even a rhinoceros. 

The new TV ad, airing only in the swing state of Virginia, reminded viewers of the Romney’s "reckless" and "amateurish" trip visiting England, Israel and Poland in July. Romney, who ran the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City, angered many Brits after suggesting London wasn't fully prepared for the Games. 

The ad criticized Romney for his "knee-jerk response" to the deadly protests in the Middle East. "If this is how he handles the world now just think what Mitt Romney might do as president," said the voice-over in the Obama ad.

The second presidential debate on October 16 will include a portion on foreign policy.

The latest video in our "Campaign Calculus" series reflects Nate Silver's daily election predictions before and after the first pivotal debate.

In the early part of the week, we saw Mitt Romney trailing in the polls of every battleground state. Republicans from Rush Limbaugh to Charles Krauthammer clamored for Romney to be more aggressive, to go large. Republican vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan also grabbed headlines for brushing off a question about the arithmetic in Romney's tax plan.

"Well, I don't have the time," Ryan said. "It would take me too long to through all of the math."

At the first debate, Romney answered the conservative pundits' call for aggressiveness by prosecuting President Obama on a slow economic recovery. When prompted to explain his own plan, like how he would pay for a $5 trillion tax cut, Romney replied that his plan did not call for such a cut.

"We've been asking for months, how is Mitt Romney going to explain the deduction side of his $5 trillion tax cut," commented MSNBC's Lawrence O'Donnell. "Who among us anticipated that Mitt Romney's answer would be, 'There is no $5 million tax cut'?"

On the day after the debate, President Obama took to the stump to address this contradiction in Romney's rhetoric.

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Mitt Romney under the lights at a recent campaign rally in Apopka, Florida.

In a stump speech declaring victory at the first presidential debates, Mitt Romney switched up his campaign tone in front of Floridian supporters, even referencing the cult TV classic, "Friday Night Lights." (Coincidentally, we must note, on Friday night.)

The Republican nominee got personal, recounting the deaths of three supporters who influenced his campaign, one of whom was a 14-year-old boy diagnosed with leukemia. Romney said the boy, David Oparowski, referred to him as "Brother Romney" for counseling him with his will.

"I went to David's bedside and got a piece of legal paper, made it look very official. And then David proceeded to tell me what he wanted to give his friends. Talked about his fishing rod, and who would get that. He talked about his skateboard, who'd get that. And his rifle, that went to his brother. I've seen the character of a young man like David, who wasn't emotional or crying. He had his eyes wide open."

Romney went on to remember his conversation about death with the teenager and the eulogy he delivered at Oparowski's funeral.

"I sat down next to him and he said...he said what happens next? And I spoke with him about what I believe happens next. 'Clear eyes, full heart, can't lose.' David passed away, but I’ll always remember — never forget — his courage, his clear eyes, full heart. He won’t lose.”

That saying was popularized by the "Friday Night Lights" series, chanted before every game during all five seasons.

In a Daily Beast column posted on Monday, the of author Friday Night Lights, Buzz Bissinger, publicly endorsed Mitt Romney, allowing him to feature "Clear Eyes. Full heart. Can't Lose" as the official campaign slogan. Bissinger became convinced of Romney's presidential potential with his debate performance last week. He wrote, Romney "did not simply act like he wanted to be president. He wants to be president." Bissinger concluded his opinion piece with, "Romney has it. Our president no longer does." 

Romney certainly doesn't plan on wearing out the chant anytime soon. On Sunday, the Romney campaign wrote that as the subject of a fundraising email sent out by Ann Romney. 

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President Obama speaking at the "30 Days To Victory" fundraising concert at the Nokia Theater Sunday in Los Angeles, California.

For the first time, President Obama publicly acknowledged his so-so debate performance against rival Mitt Romney.

While speaking in front of a crowd of 6,000-plus at a Los Angeles fundraiser, the president used humor to bring up the elephant in the room. He complimented all the performers, which included Bon Jovi and Jennifer Hudson, and compared them to his own performance last week. 

"They just perform flawlessly night after night. I can't always say the same," said a humble Obama on Sunday. He got both laughter and applause for that line.

According to the latest Pew poll, Romney appears to have wiped away Obama's previous lead after a strong showing at last week's debate.

Obama reminded supporters of past "bumps" on the campaign trail four years ago, saying it wasn't always a pretty sight.

"Back in 2008, everybody always remembers the victory, but they don't always remember the bumps in the road," he said. "Things always look good in retrospect... We made all kinds of mistakes. We goofed up. I goofed up. But the American people carried us forward."

With just 29 days left to go, Team Obama entered its final fundraising push. Over the weekend, the campaign announced they raked in in a record $181 million in September with the help of Democratic allies.