Obama's Bain ad: ‘Like watching an old friend bleed to death’ (Updated)  —  The Obama campaign's 2-minute ad on Mitt Romney's Bain Capital is record is out, and it is brutal.  —  Targeting Romney's involvement in the acquistion of GST Steel, the commercial shows workers at a shuttered plant pinning Romney and Bain with the blame.

U.S. Acceptance of Gay/Lesbian Relations Is the New Normal  —  For third year, majority says gay/lesbian relations are morally acceptable  —  PRINCETON, NJ — The slight majority of American adults, 54%, consider gay or lesbian relations morally acceptable.

EXCLUSIVE: Wisconsin Dems furious with DNC for refusing to invest big money in Walker recall  —  Top Wisconsin Democrats are furious with the national party — and the Democratic National Committee in particular — for refusing their request for a major investment in the battle to recall Scott Walker, I'm told.

Ron Paul ends his hunt for votes  —  DEVELOPING:  —  Rep. Ron Paul of Texas said Monday he will not compete in primaries in any of the states that have not yet voted — essentially confirming Mitt Romney will win the Republican presidential nomination.  —  Mr. Paul said he will continue …

Why We Regulate  —  One of the characters in the classic 1939 film “Stagecoach” is a banker named Gatewood who lectures his captive audience on the evils of big government, especially bank regulation — “As if we bankers don't know how to run our own banks!” he exclaims.

The un-McCain campaign  —  Mitt Romney and his top aides are building a strategy, partly by design and partly because of circumstance, around what they consider John McCain's disastrously run campaign in 2008.  —  The strategy: whatever McCain did, do the opposite.

Andrew Sullivan on Barack Obama: The First Gay President  —  The president's bold support shifted the mainstream.  Andrew Sullivan on why it shouldn't be surprising—Obama's life as a biracial man has deep ties to the gay experience.  —  It was the spring of 2007, back when Barack Obama's bid …

Jeff Fitzgerald, Wisconsin GOP Senate Candidate, Responds To Dropkick Murphys Complaint … REACT:  —  FOLLOW:  —  Elections 2012, Elections 2012, Republicans, Video, Jeff Fitzgerald, Tammy Baldwin, Wisconsin Senate, Dropkick Murphys, Dropkick Murphys Fitzgerald, Dropkick Murphys Jeff Fitzgerald …

As European Austerity Ends, So Could the Euro  —  The euro currency is a malady that condemns at least a generation of Greeks, Italians, Spaniards, Portuguese and Irish to the economic infirmary.  —  In these nations, unemployment rates are now at their highest levels in recent decades …

After Obama's Decision on Marriage, a Call to Pastors  —  WASHINGTON — About two hours after declaring his support for same-sex marriage last week, President Obama gathered eight or so African-American ministers on a conference call to explain himself.  He had struggled with the decision …

Black Pastor Tells CNN His Church Won't Support Obama, ‘Plan To Stay Home’  —  President Obama's headline-grabbing flip-flop on gay marriage may cost him dearly in the more religious parts of the black community, reports CNN today, as pastors tell their congregations the president is wrong in stepping in.

Romney donor pulls support, backs Obama, over same-sex marriage  —  (CNN) - A well-known, openly gay supporter of Mitt Romney in New York has decided to withdraw his support for Romney and back President Barack Obama instead.  —  The clincher: Romney's stance on same-sex marriage.

Titans of Twitter  —  In a discussion of the Romney campaign's outreach to the wingnutosphere earlier this month, I mentioned in passing the apparent preoccupation of these new partners in crime with Twitter wars, and particularly the belief that Hilaryrosengate represented some sort of historic triumph for The Cause.

GOP Rep. Lankford Explains Why It Should Be Legal To Fire Someone For Being Gay: 'It's A Choice Issue'  —  Rep. James Lankford (R-OK) told ThinkProgress last week that he believes someone should be able to be fired for his or her sexual orientation.  —  In a conversation on Capitol Hill …