Michael Moore

Oscar and Emmy-winning director

I have a personal favor I'd like to ask each of you. We all know the election next Tuesday is going to be very close. But I've got an idea that could help put President Obama over the top.

Kel Kelly

Entrepreneur, wife and mother; founder and CEO, Kel & Partners

You know the one-dimensional friends who show up in your Facebook timeline and their posts are always about the same subject matter? I have become one of these one-dimensional people, and I can't stand it.

Alexander J. Szikla

Columnist, The Prince Arthur Herald

The Obama administration faced the very real possibility of entering a depression the likes of which the American people have never seen.

Alexander J. Szikla

Columnist, The Prince Arthur Herald

The Obama administration faced the very real possibility of entering a depression the likes of which the American people have never seen.

Martin Berusch

Fitness enthusiast and writer

I happen to be gay and I am now engaged to a man, intending to marry him in the near future. I am interested in knowing whether or not you believe that, given my sexual orientation, I am still entitled to continue being a father to my children. If not, then please explain why not.

Zach Friend

Policy, public affairs and communications expert

Mitt Romney may be the GOP's best actor. He has a foot in every camp, and a position or three on every issue. But as Hurricane Sandy showed this week, the job he's auditioning for so earnestly for demands more than posturing and prose, it demands decisions.

Scott Harshbarger

Senior Counsel, Proskauer

Of course, we know Romney has "evolved" -- again -- in the last four weeks, and he may pull it out, because you can fool all of the people some of the time.

Bill Schneider

Distinguished Senior Fellow and Resident Scholar at Third Way

Yes, it could happen. Mitt Romney could win the popular vote while Barack Obama wins the electoral vote -- and gets re-elected. But the consequences this time would be more serious than they were in 2000.

Richard Trumka

President, AFL-CIO

Nothing illustrates the choice between the two presidential candidates better than the 2009 rescue of the auto industry. And, despite Mitt Romney's efforts to distort the contrast with patently dishonest claims and a new TV ad, the auto rescue may turn out to be the deciding factor in the election.

Jonathan Weiler

Director of Undergraduate Studies in Global Studies, UNC Chapel Hill

Mitt Romney's comments on disaster relief, a week after the Joplin disaster, and his refusal today to answer any questions about FEMA and federal efforts in the wake of the devastation caused by Sandy, are useful bookends -- providing as clear a window into the man's conscience as we're likely to have.

Kurt A. Gardinier

Producer, editor and writer

Who would you rather have a beer with -- Barack Obama or Mitt Romney? Don't answer that.

Matthew Dowd

Political strategist

A few months ago, I said that there would be five events in October that would determine who was going to get elected: three presidential debates, one vice-presidential debate, and an unexpected event. I never anticipated a historic hurricane hitting the most populous regions of the country.

Robert Reich

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

Lies like the latest from Mitt Romney, financed by deep pockets, are hard to refute, but they must be refuted. Otherwise, there is no accountability in our democracy.

Greg Link

Author, 'Smart Trust: Creating Prosperity, Energy and Joy in a Low-Trust World'

Real collaboration requires a high level of trust. We need leaders not mere administrators in Washington -- credible leaders that have both the character and the competence to restore trust in America.

Marc Solomon

Executive Director of MassEquality, 2005-2008

In offering up their endorsement of Mitt Romney for president, the Log Cabin Republicans alleged that "as his record as Governor of Massachusetts suggests, [Romney] will not waste his precious time in office with legislative attacks on LGBT Americans." That assertion is wildly incorrect.

Christie Carmelle Lopez

Former U.S. Diplomat, Current Writer & Designer

Both substance and style are important, but the nonverbal often affects us at the subconscious level. So be sure you can separate the substance from the style, and you're on your way to becoming a savvy media consumer and prudent political participant.