Simon Jackman, 09/09/12

Professor of Political Science, Stanford University

A key question is whether the Obama surge in national polling is showing in the swing-states? With the conventions behind us, we can expect more swing state polling this week and beyond.

Tavis Smiley, 09/10/12

PBS talk show host, PRI radio host

Why it is that the poor don't matter? We all know why: because the poor aren't "likely voters" and the poor aren't big campaign donors. It's really that simple. And that's sickening.

James Franco, 09/09/12

Actor and author

It's funny that Newsies was your favorite thing you've seen on Broadway. Of all the things we've seen. I admit it was entertaining, but also funny -- you kept wondering why I was laughing when all the cute little newsboys in their Depression-era outfits started doing cartwheels and back flips.

Michelangelo Signorile, 09/10/12

Editor-at-large, HuffPost Gay Voices

I tried to find the homophobes in Charlotte. Really, I did. But such voices were missing or muted at the convention. The memo went out this year to fully include gays.

Rana Florida, 09/10/12

CEO, The Creative Class Group

I've talked with successful CEO's, authors, chefs, politicians, designers, artists, philanthropists, doctors and entrepreneurs, but I've yet to interview a sports star for advice on business. Since Agassi was my all time favorite, I was eager to hear his insights on how to achieve success.

Steve Clemons, 09/10/12

Publisher, 'The Washington Note'

Americans are down and out, and on whole more down and out than when Obama came in, even if the original downward momentum wasn't the president's fault.

Doug Saunders, 09/10/12

Author & European Bureau Chief, The Globe and Mail

In my new book The Myth of the Muslim Tide, I chronicle the widespread misunderstanding of Muslim immigration to the West.

Jeremiah Goulka, 09/10/12

Writer

I used to be a serious Republican, moderate and business-oriented, who planned for a public-service career in Republican politics. But I am a Republican no longer.

Steve Rosenbaum, 09/10/12

CEO, Magnify.net; author, 'Curation Nation'; NYC entrepreneur at large

The National 9/11 Memorial Museum deserves to be back on track with a firm opening date. It's importance overshadows a petty political squabble, and standing in its way puts the Nation's needs behind political objectives.

Barbara Hannah Grufferman, 09/10/12

Author, 'The Best of Everything After 50'; columnist, AARP; Chief Pundit, FOF

I was mystified why this lovely woman on the other end of the phone -- whom I'd never even met -- would call me a "crone" with such glee in her voice.

Robert Reich, 09/10/12

Chancellor's Professor of Public Policy, University of California at Berkeley; Author, 'Beyond Outrage'

In accepting his party's nomination for president, Obama said the "basic bargain" that once rewarded hard work and gave everyone a fair shot had come undone. He's right. And the U.S. economy won't return to normal until that basic bargain is remade.

Michael Kaiser, 09/10/12

President, John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts

Some believe that donor fatigue is an inevitable consequence of long-term involvement with an arts organization, or other not-for-profit venture, and that these organizations must be prepared to replace their major donors regularly. I do not agree. I do not believe donor fatigue is inevitable.

Leo W. Gerard, 09/10/12

International President, United Steelworkers

Four years ago was September 2008. George W. Bush was president and Wall Street giant Lehman Brothers was collapsing. It was a time of fear. It was a time of panic about the future. Recalling that anxiety is unsettling. But it's important for comparison sake.

Maureen Ryan, 09/10/12

TV critic, The Huffington Post

"Guys with Kids" fails to find any of the humor in parenting, and rests most of its humor on a very tired and ill-conceived hook: Men taking care of small children is hilarious because it's so unexpected!

Jared Bernstein, 09/10/12

Senior Fellow, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities

Reading Matt Bai's piece in the New York Times Magazine about the Ohio economy, and reflecting on many recent discussions and debates, I found myself pondering the question posed above. It's a big, portentous question, especially in an election year where the economy's center stage.

Vicki Larson, 09/08/12

Journalist, mother, thinker

The more economically dependent a man is on his wife, the more likely he is to cheat.

Raymond J. Learsy, 09/10/12

Author, 'Oil and Finance: The Epic Corruption Continues'

Is the Obama administration as pathetically submissive to OPEC and oil industry pressures as the Bush administration? How would they deal with this issue if they were given "four more years." And not to be left out, how would a Romney administration handle this hot potato?

Aaron Belkin, 09/10/12

Author, 'How We Won: Progressive Lessons from the Repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"'

Given that the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff has confirmed the success of the repeal process, perhaps it's no surprise that we found that allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly has not compromised military readiness.

Kurt Schmoke, Dan K. Morhaim, M.D. and Neill Franklin, 09/09/12

Drug use will never be completely eradicated, but that doesn't mean we should throw up our hands and do nothing. We need to get back to what should have been the goal of the War on Drugs all along: a society where drug abuse is as rare and as manageable as we can make it.

Michael P. McDonald, 09/09/12

Associate Professor, George Mason University

Congratulations Daniel and Justin, you are the first two people to vote for president in the 2012 general election! What do the number of ballot requests tell us so far?

HuffPost Radio, 09/09/12

Bill (the Walking-SOTU] Clinton scores arithmetically. VP Paul (Bunyon) tells tall tales. Clint more memorable than Mitt. Kerry asks, "Is OBL better off today?" And POTUS thinks like lawyer, speaks like preacher, jokes like stand-up. Bounce: Romney 1, Obama 5, says Gallup.

Claire McCarthy, M.D., 09/08/12

Pediatrician, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School

Medications can make a huge difference when it comes to making kids feel and get better -- such a huge difference that sometimes we don't realize that medications can be dangerous, too. Here are the "medication don'ts" that every parent should know:

Robert Scheer, 09/10/12

Editor, Truthdig.com; Author, 'The Great American Stickup'

Obama has followed the examples of Summers and Geithner instead of those of Warren and Harris, and that is what has made the election a tossup as voters continue to suffer in an economy that Democrats as well as Republicans wrecked.

Roger Hickey, 09/09/12

Co-Director, Campaign for America's Future

With large leads among women and people of color, and the stark contrast on economic issues building movement toward Obama even among white males in key states, the prospects for Obama winning a second term are starting to look pretty good. But what about the House?