blogging the beltway

(The Root) — So we all know how the first presidential debate went, and for anyone who doesn’t know, feel free to click here. The bottom line: It didn’t go particularly well for the president. Some have argued that it was disastrous. So what should President Obama be doing between now and his next debate…

(The Root) — After courts twice cited the Voting Rights Act in rulings that blocked Texas voter-ID laws on the grounds that they were discriminatory, proponents of such efforts have recently begun executing a new strategy: requiring voters to submit written verification that they are alive before arriving at the polls. The strategy is part of a…

Keli Goff is The Root’s special correspondent. Follow her on Twitter. 

(The Root) — After months of running one of the most gaffe-plagued and widely mocked presidential campaigns in modern history, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney delivered a debate performance that may not have been a bona fide knockout, but was definitely a winner — at least with certain voters. Romney looked relaxed, confident, even likable…

(The Root) — Every presidential election produces one memorable moment that historians and political junkies will remember for years to come. The 2000 election gave us a sighing, eye-rolling Al Gore whose body language toward George W. Bush seemed to scream, “I can’t believe I’m actually in a close contest with this guy. You’ve got…

(The Root) — Each election cycle usually produces one ad that voters, pundits and political watchers know will be remembered long after the losing candidate has become a trivia question. In 2008 that ad was the “3 a.m.” commercial, which invited viewers to wonder who, in a dangerous world, they’d rather have answering the proverbial…

(The Root) — In 2008 something remarkable happened: America elected a black man with a Muslim-sounding name president. The even more remarkable part? That he beat a white war hero from an American military dynasty. But there are plenty of political watchers who believe this turn of events happened only because the war hero was…

(The Root) — On the heels of her widely praised speech at the Democratic National Convention, first lady Michelle Obama delivered another high-profile address, this time at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s annual Phoenix Awards gala in Washington, D.C. As first reported on The Root, this year marked the first lady’s first year delivering a…

(The Root) — On Friday a special investigator commissioned by the House of Representatives announced that one of the most prominent African-American women in Congress, Maxine Waters (D-Calif.), did not violate House ethics rules. The investigation cast a three-year cloud over the California congresswoman, her family and congressional Democrats in general, coming on the heels…

(The Root) — It could be argued that President Obama has been one of the greatest targets of criticism in presidential history. For many black Americans this has not entirely been a surprise, with the president’s race making him an even more attractive target than previous presidents. What has been surprising to some is the…