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 …

LET'S BE FRIENDS … - SPORTS - PHOTO BOOTH - DAILY SHOUTS - PAGE-TURNER - DAILY COMMENT - AMY DAVIDSON - JOHN CASSIDY - ANDY BOROWITZ - RICHARD BRODY

National Empty Chair Day (photos from around country)  —  UPDATE - No new submissions being accepted for now, the response was so overwhelming that there's already a huge backlog.  —  Today is the impromptu National Empty Chair Day, which I covered on Saturday night when a reader alerted me to the idea.

New N.C. poll gives Romney small lead in presidential race  —  It puts GOP candidate 4 percentage points ahead of Obama  —  CHARLOTTE, N.C. Republican Mitt Romney appears to have gotten his bounce from his party's national convention - at least in the state hosting the Democratic convention, according to a poll released Sunday.

Obama Team Readjusts On ‘Are You Better Off?’  —  After either saying “no” or refusing to give a straight yes or no answer to Sunday show anchors when asked if Americans are better off today than they were four years ago, officials from Team Obama this morning changed their answers and enthusiastically offered a capital-Y “Yes.”

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.

CA Dem chair John Burton compares GOP to Goebbels for “telling the big lie” (VIDEO)  —  Charlotte - Greetings from the California delegation breakfast at the DNC where before he had a cup of coffee Democratic Party Chair John Burton - much like his ol' palGuv Jerry Brown once did …

Britain's Paul Ryan  —  In a lot of ways George Osborne, the Chancellor of the Exchequer (finance minister) is Britain's answer to Paul Ryan.  True, he's a toned-down version — no Ayn Rand, please, we're British — but other aspects of package are there in full force: he's articulate …

John Cusack Interviews Law Professor Jonathan Turley About Obama Administration's War On the Constitution  —  I wrote this a while back after Romney got the nom.  In light of the blizzard of bulls**t coming at us in the next few months I thought I would put it out now.

When Capitalists Cared  —  IN the rancorous debate over how to get the sluggish economy moving, we have forgotten the wisdom of Henry Ford.  In 1914, not long after the Ford Motor Company came out with the Model T, Ford made the startling announcement that he would pay his workers the unheard-of wage of $5 a day.

Obama Plays to Win, in Politics and Everything Else  —  As Election Day approaches, President Obama is sharing a few important things about himself.  He has mentioned more than once in recent weeks that he cooks “a really mean chili.”  He has impressive musical pitch, he told an Iowa audience.