Politics aside, Romney faces constant criticism over his robotic mannerisms. So much that The Daily Show recently launched a Tumblr, R.O.M.N.E.Y. 140, where you can play a recording of Mitt Romney's tweets being read in a robot voice. It was an easy shot.

Now, the Gregory Brothers, the same group we can thank for auto-tuning the news, helped give Romney a softer human edge — albeit via editing. In their new video called "Mitt Likes Music, Including This," we learn about Willard's personal interests set to music.

The "M.I. Double Tizzle" love lakes, y'all. It's a start.

When it comes to the VP auditions, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie wants you to know, he's "got this."

In a new viral video audition tape, he joked about his chances of receiving that special call to duty from Mitt Romney with his comedic nemesis, Democratic Newark Mayor Corey Booker. The skit plays into Booker's legend as The Hero, saving citizens from burning building and shoveling sidewalks in the winter — both of which, like, actually happened in real life. After stealing the spotlight from the governor throughout most of the video, Christie finally gets his moment to shine when the Newark mayor tries to foil a VP offer from Romney.

Justin M. Lesniewski/Washington Post

Grover Norquist: Ayn Randian anti-tax crusader and Hollywood (not so) superstar

Lawrence O'Donnell has called Grover Norquist "the most powerful man in American who does not sleep in the White House." Norquist is also known for being an anti-tax advocate as the founder and president of Americans for Tax Reform. His other lengthy titles can be read here.

But now, Norquist can ad actor to his resume... sort of.

The Washington Post's Reliable Source blog reports that Norquist is appearing in the second part of the "Atlas Shrugged" film trilogy based on Ayn Rand's novel of the same name. The Post report reads:

Norquist... first shot an office scene, handing a three-ring binder to heroine Dagny Taggart’s assistant. Easy enough, it sounds. Then producers suggested a second role. For a scene where Dagny and Hank Rearden walked along the street discussing the decline of society, they put Norquist in the background as some kind of down-and-out businessman, slumped on a stone bench, a bottle of wine in his lap. They roughed up his face with makeup, and messed up his hair, but he wore his own suit.

Nothing says Hollywood entertainment like two characters "walk(ing) along the street discussing the decline of society." Where's the popcorn?

Charlie Neibergall/AP Photo

Mitt Romney speaking during a campaign stop in Des Moines, Iowa on Tuesday.

Mitt Romney called for government austerity on the road in Iowa and compared spending under the Obama admin to a burning "prairie fire of debt" that’s engulfing the country.

"This debt is America's nightmare mortgage. It's adjustable, no-money down, and assigned to our children," Romney warned voters in his first trip back to the Hawkeye state after briefly being declared the winner of the Iowa caucuses. "And politicians have been trying to hide the truth about this nightmare mortgage for years — just like liar-loans. This is not just bad economics; it is morally wrong and we must stop it."

Following that theme of economic turmoil, Team Romney tried to put names and faces to just a few of the millions of Americans currently suffering hardships in this economic climate via a new ad. The gloomy video focuses on three unemployed people from northern Iowa, all struggling to make ends meet.

Here are some stories driving the day. Tune in tonight at 10 pm ET to see what makes it on show!

• Romney campaign releases video about economic hardships 
• President Obama sits down with the ladies of "The View"
• Speaker Boehner sees action on tax cuts before November 
• Mitt Romney flip-flops on gay adoption 
• James Lipton offers Mitt Romney advice on how to act human 
• Right-wing lauds Facebook co-founder's decision to renounce U.S. citizenship
• Quietly, the Republican Party is embracing gays
• David Brooks: Obama displays "ESPN masculinity"
• George W. Bush backs Romney
• How John Roberts orchestrated Citizens United

Quick quiz: Does Mitt Romney support the rights of gay and lesbian couples to adopt children? Better answer fast, it could change.

On the day after President Obama said he supported marriage equality, Mitt Romney told Fox News he's "fine" with gays and lesbians adopting children. Last Thursday, on The Last Word, we aired the video and Lawrence discussed Romney's statement with MSNBC's Alex Wagner and Chris Hayes.

Clear, right? He's "fine" with that. But what did Mitt Romney say just one day later?

At his commencement speech at Liberty University, formerly known as Liberty Baptist College founded by The Reverend Jerry Fallwell, Mitt Romney repeatedly talked about good deeds while only mentioning Christianity. It was Christian chest-thumping at its worst, a speech in which Romney had nothing good to say about your religion if your religion isn't Christian.

In the Rewrite, MSNBC's Lawrence O'Donnell highlighted two other politicians who previously challenged very religious audiences, showing us it can be done with respect and without pandering.

During tonight's Rewrite, we showed you clips of two different speeches: one by Sen. Ted Kennedy in 1983 and one by fmr. New York Governor Mario Cuomo in 1984.

The first video showing large excerpts of Ted Kennedy's speech at Liberty Baptist College (now known as Liberty University) is above. Part two can be watched here, part three here.

Former New York Governor Cuomo was speaking at Notre Dame when he made the remarks seen in the Rewrite. The lengthy speech (as in, over an hour) is well worth your time and can be watched on C-SPAN's website here.

Toby Canham/Getty Images

Betty White (file)

America's golden girl Betty White endorsed President Obama on Friday. The 90-year-old actress says she usually stays mum on politics as to not offend any fans. But she admitted to the Associated Press that she "very, very much favors" Obama and likes "how he represents us."

Known for her animal rights advocacy, it turns out she's also an advocate for marriage equality. In 2010, she told Parade magazine:

"I don't care who anybody sleeps with. If a couple has been together all that time - and there are gay relationships that are more solid than some heterosexual ones - I think it's fine if they want to get married. I don't know how people can get so anti-something. Mind your own business, take care of your affairs, and don't worry about other people so much."

Charlie Riedel/AP Photo

Ron Paul (file)

Ron Paul announced plans to scale back presidential operations on Monday over lack of funding.

"We will no longer spend resources campaigning in primaries in states that have not yet voted. Doing so with any hope of success would take many tens of millions of dollars we simply do not have," Paul said in an email to supporters, announcing the switch-up in strategy.

That doesn't mean it's over, at least in his eyes. While he's not bothering with primaries anymore, he will continue to fight for delegates at state conventions.

"Our campaign will continue to work in the state convention process. We will continue to take leadership positions, win delegates, and carry a strong message to the Republican National Convention that Liberty is the way of the future."

He remains vague on what he'll wind up doing with his delegates, other than hoarding them for potential political leverage with the RNC at a later date.

Mitt Romney's tenure at Bain Capital dominated the campaign trail on Monday, as rival campaigns released dueling ads about the private equity firm the likely GOP nominee founded.

Following a Newt Gingrich-style tactic, President Obama's campaign started today's ad war over Romney’s role in a now-defunct steel plant in Kansas City, Missouri. Romney's company bought out GST Steel in 1993 and declared bankruptcy in 2001. In the two-minute ad airing in five swing states, former factory workers compare Romney to a vampire, running a company that "came in and sucked the life out" of them after rounds of layoffs and lost pensions.

The Obama-Biden campaign releases ads recounting Mitt Romney's days running Bain Capital, asking if Romney is even able to "care about the average working person." We'll be talking about this and some of these other stories tonight at 10pm ET. What headlines have you been clicking on?

• Howard Fineman: Obama campaign taking pages from confrontational GOP playbook
• Tremendous trading loss at JPMorgan Chase claims top executive
• Paul Krugman: This is why we regulate Wall Street
• Newsweek cover names Obama "First Gay President"
• Bush pollster recommends GOP moderate on gay marriage
• Rep. James Clyburn seeks "national policy" legalizing marriage equality 
• Ron Paul partially suspends campaign 
• Watch Josh Romney get booed off stage by Ron Paul supporters 
• How much impact gay donors will have in upcoming election
• If Mitt Romney has a natural electoral base, this might be it 
• Charlie Rangel mired in primary
• NATO protesters arrested outside Obama campaign headquarters 
• Inmate still in prison after facts kept from White House during pardon process
• Grover Norquist and David Cay Johnston face off on "Real Time with Bill Maher"

Ron Edmonds/AP Photo

Rush Limbaugh (file)

Shepard Smith said on Fox News on Wednesday that Republicans sit on "the wrong side of history" on the same-sex marriage issue...

SHEPARD SMITH: The President of the United States, now in the twenty-first century. And what I'm most curious about is whether it's your belief that in this time of rising debts and medical issues and all the rest, if Republicans would go out on a limb and try to make this a campaign issue while sitting very firmly, without much question, on the wrong side of history on it.

That earned praise from Lawrence O'Donnell in Wednesday's Rewrite and this reaction from Rush Limbaugh on Thursday...

RUSH LIMBAUGH: Shep, where's the issue won?  Where has it emerged victorious, Shep, outside your house? Where has this issue won an election? What state? Tell me where it's happened. Even California... You wanna look at the polls or you wanna look at the votes?... Nothing's changed... I think Obama's on the wrong side of history...

Nice job, Rush — you just ripped apart an argument that Shep Smith never made. Shep isn't talking about past elections. Shep is talking about how future elections, perhaps those taking place in November, according to polling momentum, will show that the Republican Party is sitting on the wrong side of history, electorally and morally, on the issue of marriage equality.

Rush probably knew what Shep meant, but lacked a counterargument so he made up a new argument to argue against. It's like Rush saw Shep driving a 2013 Corvette and said, "Hey, everyone, look at that terrible 2012 Camry."