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Ben Carson Probably Isn’t the Key to Republicans’ Winning the White House
Give this much, at least, to the National Draft Ben Carson for President Committee: At the Conservative Political Action Conference this year, they went all out for their “candidate.” Carson addressed the crowd on the final day of this year’s CPAC—before Sarah Palin’s late-Saturday keynote—and autographed copies of his new book at a preferred-access signing…
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Memo to Rutgers: Don’t Boycott Condi Now If You Won’t Boycott Hillary Later
Put me down as a skeptic when it comes to Condoleezza Rice. Although she’s generally applauded for her barrier-breaking career in public service, as the first African-American woman to serve as secretary of state and national security adviser, “her signature ‘achievement’ in public life,” as I wrote a couple of years ago, “was co-signing Bush’s…
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Yes, Rep. Issa, Cutting Rep. Cummings’ Mic Really Was Pretty ‘Sorry’
On Thursday Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.)—chair of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee—told Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.)—the committee’s ranking minority member—that he’s sorry for cutting off Cummings’ mic at a hearing on Wednesday before the Democrat had a chance to speak his piece. It was part of the ongoing squabble between the parties in…
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Update: Black Tea Partier Katrina Pierson Collected Unemployment Benefits
If you read my profile in The Root of African-American Tea Partier Katrina Pierson on Tuesday, you know that in her bid to unseat incumbent House Rules Committee Chair Pete Sessions in next week’s Texas congressional primary, she described herself as someone who “just wants the federal government to leave us alone.” Her platform is mostly…
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Joe Biden May Be a ‘White Boy,’ but He’s Got His Black Card
Vice President Joe Biden made headlines twice yesterday. He told ABC’s Barbara Walters that he won’t be standing down in the 2016 White House race, even if Hillary Clinton jumps in, saying that “Whether she runs or not will not affect my decision.” And that’s—as Biden might say—a pretty “gutsy” call. On a lighter note,…
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Black Tea Partier Katrina Pierson Takes on Obama—and Her Own Party
Katrina Pierson isn’t who most people picture when they think of the Tea Party. The movement is, according to a recent poll, 83 percent white, and the 37-year-old political activist is a black woman who, given her multiracial background, might have been derisively described by fellow Texan Ted Nugent as a “mongrel”—just as he referred…
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Why Michael Sam’s Coming Out Is Good for Gay—and Straight—Black Men
Last year in the pages of The Root, I tried my best to explain “Why I Love Being a Black Man.” Read for yourself, but for me it boiled down to the complexities of embracing what it means to be a black man while embracing my own individuality, as well. And to me, Missouri defensive…
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3 Things to Consider Before Condemning Marcus Smart
Let’s be clear, if Oklahoma State University sophomore basketball star Marcus Smart was still in the running for sportsman of the year, he isn’t now. Saturday night, after trying to block a shot and falling into the stands in the waning moments of a heated game against rival Texas Tech, he reacted to something said…
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To Win With Black Voters, GOP Can’t Just Preach to the Choir
Entering the elegantly restored Howard Theatre in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, you could hear the reverberating gospel sound of “Lift Every Voice”—sung by Patrick Lundy & the Ministers of Music—flowing out of the lobby, and see a steady stream of African-American guests flowing in. They were there for a luncheon and, yes, the music, but…
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Why Republicans Will Hate Obama’s State of the Union
Here’s a prediction about President Barack Obama’s 2014 State of the Union that isn’t very bold: No matter what he says in Tuesday night’s address, odds are that Republicans will openly pan it—but not actually find much to critique on the merits. Although Obama and Republicans are expected to focus on “income inequality” in the…
Black News and Black Views with a Whole Lotta Attitude
