Sept. 8: Conventions May Put Obama in Front-Runner's Position  —  On Friday, we began to see reasonably clear signs that President Obama would receive some kind of bounce in the polls from the Democratic convention.  —  Mr. Obama had another strong day in the polls on Saturday …

Why Is This Election Close?  —  For a long time I have been predicting that Mitt Romney would get the Republican nomination, and that he would then win the general election.  I have said that the election will be reasonably close-demographic realities dictate that all national elections …

Inside story of Obama's struggle to keep Congress from controlling outcome of debt ceiling crisis  —  President Obama summoned the top four congressional leaders to the White House on Saturday morning, July 23, 2011.  The night before, House Speaker John A. Boehner had withdrawn from negotiations …

The Age of Trolling  —  How a small band of conservatives generated half of the Democratic Convention's headlines.  —  Vice-president Biden speaks at the 2012 Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, NC.  —  © Richard Kalvar/Magnum Photos for Slate.

Gov. Brown renews fitness test challenge against Christie  —  California Gov. Jerry Brown still wants New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie to take him up on a three-part fitness challenge.  —  Brown renewed his call Sunday to battle Christie in a 3-mile race, chin-up and push-up contest during an interview on CNN's “State of the Union.”

A Terrifying Way to Discipline Children  —  IN my public school 40 years ago, teachers didn't lay their hands on students for bad behavior.  They sent them to the principal's office.  But in today's often overcrowded and underfunded schools, where one in eight students receive help …

Obama tells ‘birther’ joke, asks young boy if he has birth certificate  —  President Obama poked fun at conspiracy theories which question whether he was born in the United States during a campaign stop in Orlando, Fla. on Saturday.  —  The president made a stop at a local sports bar …

Mass Arab Attack on Jewish Village  —  Hundreds of PA Arabs assault Jewish villagers in the Binyamin region, children cry as mob screams ‘slaughter the Jews.’  —  Hundreds of Palestinian Authority Arabs have been assaulting a Jewish village in the Binyamin region since Saturday afternoon, Tatzpit reports.

On ‘This Week’: GOP Vice Presidential Nominee Paul Ryan  —  Republican vice presidential candidate, Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., speaks during a campaign event at East Carolina University on Sept. 3, 2012 in Greenville, N.C. (Mary Altaffer/AP Photo)  —  As the general election season heads …