Ron Paul to Mitt Romney: Release tax returns  —  Texas Rep. Ron Paul said Tuesday that Mitt Romney should release more of his tax returns, adding to the pressure on the GOP nominee to share personal financial information with the public.  —  “Politically, I think that would help him,” …

Romney Backer Wishes Obama “Would Learn How To Be An American”  —  Sununu grabs the third rail.  The Romney campaign lets the dogs out.  —  Source: youtube.com  —  In a brutal campaign conference call Tuesday organized by Mitt Romney's campaign, several of the candidate's surrogates went …

Is Romney Overreacting to Bain Attacks?  —  Mitt Romney's campaign has begun to push back against the notion that President Obama's critiques on his tenure at Bain Capital have damaged him.  A memo released by Mr. Romney's pollster, Neil Newhouse, suggests that the margin between Mr. Romney …

Raising Taxes on Rich Seen as Good for Economy, Fairness  —  OVERVIEW  —  By two-to-one (44% to 22%), the public says that raising taxes on incomes above $250,00o would help the economy rather than hurt it, while 24% say this would not make a difference.  Moreover, an identical percentage …

Obama switches off his teleprompter  —  President Obama is weaning himself off his teleprompter.  —  At recent campaign events in Pennsylvania, Virginia and again Monday in Ohio, Obama spoke to crowds in high school gymnasiums and at crowded outdoor events without his teleprompter, instead using written notes.

The Capitalism Debate  —  Let's say you are president in a time of a sustained economic slowdown.  You initiated a series of big policies that you thought were going to turn the economy around, but they didn't work — either because they were insufficient or ineffective.

Romney appears in final stages of running-mate decision  —  (Reuters) - Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney appears to be in the final stages of deciding who to pick as his vice presidential running mate, with speculation growing that he has narrowed his choice down to a short-list of three.

Welcome to ‘Panthers Stadium’  —  National Democrats have repeatedly touted their stand against taking corporate money for their convention in September, and so it was striking to see two emails from the DNC host committee referring to the Charlotte venue where President Obama will speak as “Panthers Stadium.”

How Much Has Citizens United Changed the Political Game?  —  “A hundred million dollars is nothing,” the venture capitalist Andy Rappaport told me back in the summer of 2004.  This was at a moment when wealthy liberals like George Soros and Peter Lewis were looking to influence national politics …

Bachmann defends her witch hunt  —  The Minnesota representative offers “evidence” of Islamic infiltration of the U.S. government in a 16-page letter  —  Rep. Michele Bachmann defended her attempt to root out “deep penetration” by the Muslim Brotherhood into the U.S. government Friday …

The Elton John-Rush Limbaugh bond  —  To the shock of many (given the gap in their political ideologies), Elton John performed at Rush Limbaugh's wedding in 2010 and, in a new interview with USA Today, the performer opened up about his friendship with the conservative talk show host.

New Yahoo CEO Mayer is pregnant  —  She told Fortune exclusively that her first child is due in October.  —  FORTUNE —Marissa Mayer, the Google (GOOG) executive who today was named Yahoo's (YHOO) new chief executive, is pregnant.  —  Mayer told Fortune exclusively that her first child is due October 7.

Paul Ryan rips Obama's comment that 'if you've got a business — you didn't build that.  Somebody else made that happen'  —  It was Rep. Paul Ryan's wife, Janna, who first saw — via Twitter — President Obama's recent comments about American entrepreneurs, that “if you've got a business — you didn't build that.

Romney and his time machine  —  Mitt Romney is an impressive man, but until now, we didn't know just how impressive.  According to his senior adviser, Ed Gillespie, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee is a time traveler.  —  Gillespie made this surprise disclosure to CNN's Candy Crowley …

Could one word take down Obamacare?  —  Section 1401 of the Affordable Care Act is, on the surface, just as exciting as it sounds.  It outlines in excruciating detail the eligibility requirements for an American to receive a tax subsidy to assist in purchasing health insurance.

Opinion: Republicans jab Obama on jobs, but have no plan of their own  —  Last week, as Mitt Romney tried to defend himself against attacks on his record at Bain Capital, Republicans complained the Obama campaign is guilty of distracting Americans from the central issues of the 2012 presidential race — jobs and the economy.

Serious Attack on Ryan Budget Takes Toll on Mitt Romney  —  The most recent survey and focus groups by Greenberg Quinlan Rosner for Democracy Corps reveal deep opposition to the Ryan budget- and its potential to damage Mitt Romney's candidacy if he embraces it in the coming campaign.

The media obsess on Bain while we head to a recession  —  The divergence between what the Obama campaign and the media (I repeat myself) are talking about (Bain, Bain and Bain) and the most important economic (and hence political) news of the year is breathtaking.  To put it bluntly, we are looking at economic contraction.