GOP Convention, Romney Speech Evoke Lukewarm Reactions  —  Speech gets lowest ratings of any Gallup has measured since 1996  —  PRINCETON, NJ — Last week's Republican National Convention had a minimal impact on Americans' self-reported voting intentions, with just about as many saying …

Rosie Ruiz Republicans  —  Remember Rosie Ruiz?  In 1980 she was the first woman to cross the finish line at the Boston Marathon — except it turned out that she hadn't actually run most of the race, that she sneaked onto the course around a mile from the end.

Monday is National Empty Chair Day; Updated with photos  —  What better way to commemorate the Labor Day holiday than to send a message to the AWOL campaign-in-chief — and support Clint Eastwood, to boot!  —  Twitchy has the story of the latest Eastwood-inspired social media phenomenon.

No bounce for Romney in Florida  —  PPP's newest Florida poll, conducted completely after the Republican convention, finds no change in the Presidential race there.  Barack Obama leads Mitt Romney 48-47, exactly as he did on our last poll of the state five weeks ago.

Labor tries to soften image with ‘hug a union thug’ booth in Charlotte  —  This Labor Day, unions are trying a mix of celebrity, social media and humor to polish up the labor movement's image in the eyes of everyday people.  —  In Charlotte, people will be asked to “hug a union thug” …

In the Los Angeles Area, Bans Are Hot  —  LOS ANGELES — “Whatever it is, I'm against it!”  Groucho Marx sang in a 1932 picture filmed on the Paramount lot here.  —  Today's Southern Californians seem to agree.  —  Once known for its sunny, freewheeling disposition …

Dem platform calls for gun reforms, but advocates pan language as timid  —  The Democrats' approach to gun reform is far too timid and needs a boost of courage to be effective, some leading gun-reformers are charging.  —  The draft language of the Democrats' 2012 platform …

Obama's Response To Clint Eastwood Was The Most RT'd Tweet Of RNC … More than 51,000 people re-tweeted it, as of Sunday.  Obama was presumed to be sitting in the empty chair during Eastwood's prime time speech, which the crowd ate up but which received negative reviews in the press.

U.S. Companies Brace for an Exit From the Euro by Greece  —  Even as Greece desperately tries to avoid defaulting on its debt, American companies are preparing for what was once unthinkable: that Greece could soon be forced to leave the euro zone.  —  Bank of America Merrill Lynch has looked …

New Obama Ad Makes Middle-Class Appeal  —  President Barack Obama's campaign is running a new television ad claiming Republican Mitt Romney's policies would “hit the middle class harder.”  —  The ad says Romney wants to extend tax cuts for millionaires at the expense of middle-income earners.

Rev. Sun Myung Moon, 92, Self-Proclaimed Messiah Who Built Religious Movement, Dies  —  The Rev. Sun Myung Moon, the Korean evangelist, businessman and self-proclaimed messiah who built a religious movement notable for its mass weddings, fresh-faced proselytizers and links to vast commercial interests …

Dem Gov. O'Malley: Voters not better off than four years ago  —  Democratic Gov. Martin O'Malley (Md.) said Sunday that voters were not better off now than four years ago, but said the economic mess left by the former Bush administration was to blame, not President Obama.