Both Obama and Romney increasingly unpopular

Attack ads dragging both candidates down, a rare bipartisan endorsement, George W. Bush appears, and Romney’s vetting chief says even her kids wants to know more.

Make sure to sign up to get “Afternoon Fix” in your e-mail inbox every day by 5 (ish) p.m!

EARLIER ON THE FIX:

Obama pushes back on ‘You didn’t build that’ in ad

2012: It’s the values, stupid?

Million-dollar donors account for nearly half of GOP super PAC fundraising

“Politics and Pints”: The online edition!

How Michele Bachmann finally jumped the shark

Who will Romney name as VP? And when? Your predictions in our VP pick ‘em contest.

How super PACs are saving Mitt Romney

WHAT YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED:

* Millions of dollars in attack ads appear to be dragging down both candidates. A new WSJ/NBC News poll finds that a plurality of voters now have negative opinions of both President Obama and former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney after hearing about their camapigns. Romney leads Obama on the economy but trails on other issues.

* Who says bipartisanship is dead? Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska) has endorsed Rep. Mazie Hirono (D) in the Hawaii Senate primary against former Rep. Ed Case. “While Mazie and I don’t see eye to eye on everything ... we’ve worked together,” Young says in a 90-second ad for Hirono’s campaign. “If you're looking for a United States Senator who doesn't just talk about ‘bipartisanship,’ but actually knows how to work with both Republicans and Democrats to get things done — Mazie Hirono will be that Senator.”

* George W. Bush and Laura Bush dropped by Romney’s Boston campaign headquarters today. The former president told staffers to “seize the moment.” The Bushes were introduced by Ann Romney and got a huge round of applause; they were in town to visit a charter school.

* Union members were among those protesting Obama from the ideological left during his visit to Portland, Oregon today. The Association of Western Pulp and Paper Workers led a protest over the Trans-Pacific Partnership, which the union believes will lead to more outsourcing.

WHAT YOU SHOULDN’T MISS:

* For the first time, Rep. Jay Inslee (D) is ahead of state Attorney General Rob McKenna (R) in a Washington gubernatorial survey. The non-partisan Elway Poll has the Democrat leading 43 to 36 percent. But a Survey USA poll released Friday found a dead heat in the race.

* The Club for Growth has put out its first ad targeting Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.), who faces primary challenges from both Club-backed state Sen. Ron Gould and businessman Rick Murphy. Among other things, the ad attacks Gosar for voting against defunding “the radical liberal group” ACORN.

* Romney VP vetting chief Beth Myers made some rare and unrevealing public remarks on the process today. “We have a deep bench, including your governor – an incredibly able guy,” she told a group of Virginia women today, in reference to Gov. Bob McDonnell (R). As a “pretty open person,” she said it was hard to keep her mouth shut: “And my children and husband are really kind of upset.”

* Democrats could lose their hard-won majority in the Wisconsin State Senate, thanks to some personal friction. State Sen. Tim Cullen has quit the caucus, saying he was snubbed by Senate Leader Mark Miller for a committee chairmanship. Cullen may become an independent; he won’t caucus with Republicans and thinks he should still count as part of a Democratic majority. But Sen. Rich Zipperer (R) is leaving next month to work for Gov. Scott Walker (R), so either way Democrats would get the majority back soon.

THE FIX MIX:

Yodeling, with chickens.