Obama leading Romney in all but two swing states

According to the RCP polling averages in battleground states, Romney only leads Obama in Missouri and Arizona. If the election were held today, Obama would win 347 electoral votes to Romney's 191. Even if we gave Romney every state Obama is currently leading by 5% or fewer, Obama would win 280 votes to Romney's 258. - Via Elizabeth Crum

Voters doubt Romney can beat Obama

"A new CNN/ORC International poll released Monday underscored the skepticism an overwhelming majority of voters feel about the putative GOP nominee's chances against the president. Sixty-one percent of respondents, when asked who they think will win in the fall regardless of which candidate they support, picked the current White House occupant. Only 35 percent thought Romney would claim victory." - National Journal

• An important reminder from Nate Silver: "In the early stages of general election campaigns, a president’s approval ratings have often been at least as accurate a guide to his eventual performance as the head-to-head numbers. Thus, for at least the next couple of months, I would pay as much attention to Mr. Obama’s approval ratings as his head-to-head polls against Mr. Romney."
• "A new ABC News-Washington Post poll finds Mitt Romney has emerged from the Republican primary season with the weakest favorability rating on record for a presumptive presidential nominee since 1984, trailing President Obama in personal popularity by 21 percentage points." - PoliticalWire

And yet.... Romney leads Obama in first Gallup poll to measure a head-to-head contest

"The Gallup daily tracking poll of the presidential election kicks off with Mitt Romney leading President Obama 47% to 45% among registered voters nationally. Both Obama and Romney are supported by 90% of their respective partisans, but independents break for Romney 45% to 39%." - PoliticalWire

Romney ready for November fight: “It’s going to be fun” 

 "“Yeah there are challenges and there are days that you get beat up in the newspaper and you don’t worry about it because you don’t read them – ha ha,” Romney said at a Tax Day Tea Summit, hosted by the Independence Hall Tea Party Association. ... “This campaign is just getting going. It’s going to be fun,” he told hundreds gathered at the Franklin Institute on Tuesday night." - CNN

Pro-Obama group takes aim at Romney's wealth

"A Democratic super PAC backing President Obama is targeting Mitt Romney's wealth in a new ad running in four swing states. The ad by Priorities USA Action features a 1985 photo of Romney and some of his colleagues from Bain Capital posing with money to celebrate raising $37 million for the venture capital firm's first fund." - USA Today

• White House: Romney has a core — and it’s deeply conservative - WSJ

Santorum: Money was not the main reason for dropping out

"Santorum said it was his inability to become the sole conservative alternative in the GOP race and the delegate-rich state of Texas not holding a winner-take-all primary that were the main reasons for his exit. "I know there's been a lot of articles written that somehow we dropped out because we ran out of money.  That just is a little, very, very small piece of the story," Santorum said." - MSNBC

• Rick Santorum declines to endorse Mitt Romney - LA Times

Romney appoints long-time aide to head VP search committee

"Myers’ high-profile assignment puts her in charge of the single biggest decision Romney has to make between now and the Republican convention...  Given her history and closeness to Romney, this appointment would have made sense under any circumstances, but in the current environment also sends a perhaps-not-so-subtle message that Romney has no problem putting women in charge of the most critical aspects of his campaign and organization." - Hot Air

• Chris Christie: ‘I don’t expect to be asked’ to join Romney ticket - Daily Caller
• Four categories for Romney's veep choice - National Journal

Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker leads all of his Democrat opponents, taking 50 or 51% in latest polling for recall election.

"Independents have flipped from our last poll, from supporting Milwaukee mayor Tom Barrett by 12 to going for Walker by three. We've seen independents go back and forth on Walker several times over the last year, though I'm not certain what causes that. Walker's been very aggressive about getting on the air and that may have helped firm up his standing" - Daily Kos

• Wisconsin's property taxes drop for the first time in 12 years - Weekly Standard

Senate Republicans block "Buffett Rule" tax

"Senate Republicans have blocked debate on a bill to force people who earn more than $1 million a year to pay a 30 percent minimum tax rate, in what Democrats said will be the first of many votes this year on the so-called Buffett rule. ... 51 Democrats votes to end debate. 45 Republicans votes to stymie a vote on the Buffett rule. Senate Republicans have been aggressive in their use of the filibuster and this latest move reflects that." - National Journal

• Obama's Buffett Rule: The art of political pandering - Washington Examiner
• "Here’s the roll. Straight party line — with two very predictable exceptions. Belated exit question: Why didn’t Scott Brown vote yes? Elizabeth Warren’s going to bludgeon him with this. Either he strongly agrees with me that the Buffett Rule is an electoral nothingburger or he’s being a surprisingly loyal party soldier this time." - Hot Air
• Establishment to Ron Johnson – “Get in Line” - RedState

Democrat-controlled Senate the laziest in years

"For those who need proof that the Senate was a do-nothing chamber in 2011... there is now hard evidence that it was among the laziest in 20 years. In her latest report, Secretary of the Senate Nancy Erickson revealed a slew of data that put the first session of the 112th Senate at the bottom of Senates since 1992 in legislative productivity, an especially damning finding considering that it wasn’t an election year when congressional action is usually lower." - Washington Examiner

Blue Dog Democrats facing extinction in next election

"Of the 24 remaining Blue Dogs, five are not seeking reelection. More than a half-dozen others are facing treacherous contests in which their reelection hopes are in jeopardy. It’s a rough time to occupy the right wing of the Democratic Party." - Politico

Barney Frank thinks Obama shouldn’t have pursued ObamaCare

"I think we paid a terrible price for health care. I would not have pushed it as hard. As a matter of fact, after Scott Brown won, I suggested going back. I would have started with financial reform but certainly not health care." - Barney Frank, quoted at Hot Air

David Brooks: Obama is not doing nearly enough to avert America's future debt crisis

"I’m not going to pass my own comprehensive judgment on this here. I’ll just say that my conversations reaffirm my conviction that Obama is a pragmatic liberal who cares about fiscal sustainability, who has been willing to compromise for its sake, but who has not offered anything close to a sufficient program to avoid a debt crisis." - David Brooks

• Will we defuse our debt bomb? - Senator Tom Coburn for RCP

Pentagon investigating 10 military members in Colombia scandal

"The Pentagon is investigating 10 U.S. military members in a widening probe into whether an advance team of Secret Service and military personnel hired local prostitutes or engaged in other misconduct before President Obama visited Colombia for a summit last week, U.S. officials said." - LA Times

• More military personnel might have been involved in misconduct before Obama’s trip - Washington Post

And finally... McCain says he's willing to aid 'Joe the Plumber' in House race - Toledo Blade

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