Republicans have a message for Mitt Romney: it’s time to go positive.

"Prominent party leaders, unsettled by the frequently combative tone of Mr. Romney’s presidential campaign, are pressing the presumptive Republican nominee to leaven his harsh criticism of President Obama with an optimistic conservative vision that can inspire the party faithful, appeal to swing voters and set out a governing agenda should he win in November." - New York Times

• "To win the GOP nomination, Mr. Romney has shown reserves of tenacity and discipline. To win the White House, he'll need to show a larger vision and the nerve to pursue it." - Wall Street Journal leader
• If romney doesn't run on a positive agenda he'll lack the mandate to make the changes that American needs - NRO Editors
• "Romney may not have the charisma or vision of Ronald Reagan, but he should adopt the Gipper's 1980 campaign slogan. Governor Romney needs to get up at every rally and ask the simple question: "Are you better-off than you were four years ago?" If that's the question on voters' minds, come the election, the Republicans may just have nominated America's 45th commander-in-chief." - Tim Montgomerie for The Guardian also says Eurozone's problems may derail Obama's economic and political recovery.

Newt Gingrich plans to end his presidential campaign and endorse Mitt Romney next week at an event in Washington - Wall Street Journal

• NPR looks back on Gingrich's unconventional White House bid
• The Washington Examiner on how Gingrich hurt the free market cause: "Gingrich tried to change the meaning of "free enterprise," "socialist" and "conservative" to justify his own corporate-welfare lobbying and to attack Romney's career as a capitalist. By subverting the language, he weakened the cause of limited government and free enterprise, confusing the conservative base and the news media -- and eroding the theoretical framework on which free-market arguments are made."

Rick Perry endorses Romney

“Mitt Romney has earned the Republican presidential nomination through hard-work, a strong organization, and disciplined message of restoring America after nearly four years of failed job-killing policies from President Obama and his administration. So today I join the many conservative Republicans across the nation in endorsing Mitt Romney for President and pledge to him, my constituents and the Republican Party that I will continue to work hard to help defeat President Obama. American jobs, economic stability and national security depend on electing a new president. Mitt’s vision and record of private sector success will put America back on the path of job creation, economic opportunity and limited government.” Quoted by the Washington Post.

• New York's Peter King says Team Romney never responded to his offer to endorse - Daily Beast

Boehner calls 2012 election the most important of his lifetime - Fox

Distancing himself from some in the Tea Party, Marco Rubio takes hawkish view on foreign policy and middle ground position on immigration - The Hill

• Rubio blasts Republican isolationists - Commentary
• Rubio attacks Putin in foreign policy speech - LA Times
• "Rubio’s foreign policy falls into the proud, bipartisan tradition of Ronald Reagan and Harry Truman, Lieberman said in introducing him at the Brookings Institution in Washington on Wednesday." - National Journal
• Unlike Reagan, Rubio eagerly encourages protracted military engagements - Daily Caller
• "Improved trade and economic ties with Latin American countries would benefit the U.S., if we help strengthen democracy and security in the region" - Marco Rubio for the LA Times

Full text of Rubio's foreign policy speech via The Weekly Standard.

Ann Coulter urges Romney to reject any compromise on immigration issue

"Both as governor of Massachusetts and as a presidential candidate, Romney has supported a fence on the border, E-Verify to ensure that employees are legal and allowing state police to arrest illegal aliens. He is the rare Republican who recognizes that in-state tuition, driver's licenses and amnesty are magnets for more illegal immigration. These positions are totally at odds with Establishment Republicans who pander to the business lobby by supporting the cheap labor provided by illegal immigration, and then accuse Americans opposed to a slave labor class in America of racism. If this continues, America will become California and no Republican will ever be elected president again. Big business doesn't care and Establishment Republicans are too stupid to notice." - Fox

• Government faces skepticism in arguing against Arizona Immigration Law - TIME

Underestimating the Tea Party is a mistake experienced politicians should try to avoid - Commentary

• Club for Growth's new ad ties Lugar to Obama - Hotline

The Republican National Committee on Wednesday requested that the Government Accountability Office investigate President Obama's use of government funds for campaign trips - CBS

Obama 3.5% ahead - RCP average

• Romney has very narrow leads in Virginia and Florida - HotAir

The New York Times notes how April polls have compared to November outcomes in previous presidential election years....

Barack Obama will hold his first official campaign events next week - in Virginia and Ohio - with Michelle Obama at his side - The Hill

• Michelle Obama (and Ann Romney) more popular than husband - USA Today

National Review previews how Team Obama will attack Romney: "President Obama’s first official campaign rallies will be held May 5th. And in a conference call with reporters tonight, his campaign manager Jim Messina and top strategist David Axelrod previewed how they planned to attack Mitt Romney. “Mitt Romney wants to go back to the future,” Messina said. “Mitt Romney’s economic scheme is familiar and trouble: more budget busting tax cuts for the wealthy, fewer rules for Wall street, the same formula that benefited a few, but that crashed our economy and punished the middle class.”"

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo could be Hillary's rival for the 2016 Democratic crown - Politico

Redistricting will further reduce the number of centrist Democrats known as "Blue Dogs" - Wall Street Journal

Europe’s gathering economic storm - David Ignatius for the Washington Post

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