[Lemon:] Seventeen days 17 days left until the election and two days until the last presidential debate. President Obama is hunkered down at Camp David today, preparing for the debate. Mitt Romney is out of sight as well. He's in Florida, getting ready for the debate. They're running mates hit battleground states today, though. Congressman Paul Ryan stumped in Ohio. Vice President Joe Biden campaigned in St. Augustine, Florida. A battleground Florida, that state looks like a virtual tie right now. A new CNNORC International poll finds 49 percent of likely Florida voters support Romney, 48 percent support President Obama. The one- point difference is within the poll's margin of error. President Obama and Mitt Romney are scrambling to pull ahead in the race for Florida's 29 electoral votes, of course. Well, Vice President Joe Biden zeroed in on Florida today. Biden stumped, as I said, in St. Augustine, and hit on some very familiar themes, like education, health care, women's issues. Our political reporter, Shannon Travis, has more on Biden's day now.
[Shannon Travis, Cnn Political Reporter:] Don, the Obama campaign is going after the woman's vote, maybe even the baby's vote. More on that in just a moment. But Vice President Biden just finished up a short while ago a rally here in St. Augustine, Florida. This is his third rally here in Florida over the last two days. You can bet that one of the key issues that Vice President Biden talked about, women's issues. He talked about he referenced that comment from Governor Romney in the last debate about binders. Take a listen and look closely at what happened.
[Joseph Biden, Vice President Of The United States:] When Governor Romney was asked a direct question in the last debate about equal pay for women, he started talking about binders.
[Biden:] Binder.
[Travis:] Now, there's obviously a lot of talk about binders. The Obama campaign seriously feels like this is a winning issue for them, this issue of equal pay for equal work for men and for women. The Romney campaign, on the other hand, feels like this talk about binders makes the president look small. Let me read a statement from the Romney campaign, quote, "Four years ago, candidate Obama said the following: 'If you don't have a record to run on, then you paint your opponent as somebody people should run away from.'" The statement goes on to say, "With no record to run on and no agenda for a second term, President Obama has become the type of candidate that he once decried." That from the Romney campaign. Meanwhile, there was one other political attack that Vice President Biden made here at his rally. Take a listen at this.
[Biden:] Like that beautiful baby over there. I don't I don't blame her for crying. I don't blame that baby for crying. That baby, that baby, that baby knows what's in store for him or her if Romney wins.
[Travis:] Next up for Vice President Biden, Ohio, Ohio, Ohio. Three days there and on Tuesday, he will make a rare joint appearance with President Obama Don.
[Lemon:] Shannon Travis, thank you, sir. The race is also tight in battleground Ohio, where Shannon just mentioned, a new FOX a FOX News poll found 46 percent of likely Ohio voters support President Obama, 43 percent support Mitt Romney. Ohio has 18 electoral votes. Vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan zigzagged to Ohio and Pennsylvania today. A few hours ago, Mr. Ryan campaigned in Belmont, Ohio. Earlier, he worked the crowds in Pennsylvania. He focused his remarks on rebuilding the economy and job creation.
[Rep. Paul Ryan , Vice Presidential Candidate:] We are not going to duck these tough issues. We're going to run at our country's economic and physical problems before they get out of our control. That's what leaders do. And when you look at the engine of economic growth and job creation in this country, it's small businesses. It's risk takers. It's entrepreneurs. It's the workers that work overtime to make those small businesses work and succeed. We're going to champion these small businesses. We're not going to keep taxing these small businesses and regulating them and spending us into a debt crisis.
[Lemon:] Well, Ryan also got into the local spirit in Pennsylvania. He waved a terrible towel for Pittsburgh Steelers fans. The last debate between President Obama and Mitt Romney happens Monday night and you can watch the showdown live right here on
[Cnn, 7:] 00 p.m. Eastern our coverage starts. An estimated 5.8 million people don't have the right to vote. A new book called "The New Jim Crow" argues some former inmates carry a label for life, denied their basic rights as an American. We're going to talk to the author. You don't want to miss it, next.