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Black Republican Running for Freshman House President
South Carolina Republican congressman-elect Tim Scott, a member of 2010’s The Root 100, is wasting no time in his chase for congressional glory. Today, the 45-year-old announced that he is running for the Elected Leadership Committee’s freshman position. The committee serves as a gathering place for House Republicans to plan policy and messaging, and this…
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Welcome to Retirement! Ready for Your Funeral?
A presidential commission convened to cut the budget deficit today recommended raising the Social Security retirement age to 69. Also today, the American Human Development Project released a report showing that, at 71 years, African Americans living in Washington, DC, have the lowest life expectancy of anyone in the United States. In other words, on…
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VA Worries About Budget Cuts
An official in the office of Veterans Affairs today said during a meeting at the White House that the VA is preparing for “leaner times” in the wake of the GOP takeover of the house last Tuesday. Obama’s 2011 budget, which has yet to be approved, calls for more than $60 billion for the VA,…
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CBC Chair Says Caucus Is Open to 2 New Black Republicans
In a statement released today to The Root, Congressional Black Caucus Chairwoman Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) said that Republican Congressmen-elects Tim Scott (S.C.) and Allen West (Fla.) are free to join the CBC if they so choose. “Membership in the Congressional Black Caucus has never been restricted to Democrats,” she said. “Should either of the two…
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Election Day Wasn't a Referendum on Obama's Policies
In the immediate aftermath of Tuesday’s midterm elections, the narrative of choice among the pundit class is that the GOP victories — 60 House seats, six Senate seats — indicate a “referendum on Obama’s policies.” Not only is this a theme all over the cable news networks, but on Thursday morning, Ohio Congressman John Boehner,…
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James Clyburn Announces Run for Minority Whip
Current House Majority Whip James E. Clyburn sent a somber letter to his Democratic colleagues today announcing his intention to run for House Minority Whip in the 112th Congress. After lamenting “disappointing defeats,” Clyburn made a clear bid for the job, writing, “My record of leadership in our Caucus has prepared me well for the…
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Dems Hold the Senate — Barely
If the United States is a car broken down on the edge of a highway somewhere, the Senate is its dry, ill-maintained, crapped-out engine. Since the 2009 inauguration of Barack Obama, our nation’s 100-member upper house has been, thanks to a monolithic block of obstructionist Republicans, a largely useless body of angry white men, many…
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This Looks Like That: Harry Reid-Marion Barry Edition
Harry Reid’s recent summation of his tight Senate race with Tea Party upstart Sharron Angle—”But for the economy, there wouldn’t be a contest here”—reminds me a lot of former DC Mayor Marion Barry’s most famous pronouncement: “Outside of the killings, DC has one of the lowest crime rates in the country.” In other words, that’s…
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Americans Totally Unaware of Obama's Hallmark Policies
In the middle of last month, a New York Times/CBS News poll revealed that only one in 10 Americans knew they’d received President Obama’s signature tax cut. Today, more terrible news for the administration: A Bloomberg National Poll conducted Oct. 24-26 finds that by a two-to-one margin, likely voters in the Nov. 2 midterm elections…
Black News and Black Views with a Whole Lotta Attitude
