blogging the beltway

(The Root) — After endorsing Democrat-turned-Republican-turned-independent Michael Bloomberg in a previous mayoral campaign, the Rev. Calvin Butts, pastor of the famed Harlem-based Abyssinian Baptist Church, last Friday announced his support for Democrat Bill Thompson in the race to succeed Bloomberg. But the reasons he gave for the endorsement are raising eyebrows. According to Politicker, during…

(The Root) — Although polls show that the majority of Americans have evolved on the issue of marijuana and now support legalization, the Obama administration so far has not demonstrated a similar evolution. As noted previously on The Root, a White House spokesman recently said the president does not support changes to marijuana laws “at…

(The Root) — Reflecting on the Republican Party’s 2012 losses, the publication Politico perhaps said it best in an article titled “Election Aftermath: GOP Soul Searching: ‘Too Old, Too White, Too Male’?” Inspired by its 2012 drubbing, in recent months the GOP has stepped up strategic efforts to appeal to racial minorities. The Republican National…

(The Root) — Weeks ago, progressive activists celebrated newly announced efforts by Attorney General Eric Holder to reform drug-sentencing guidelines. According to Holder’s recent speech before the American Bar Association, “Today a vicious cycle of poverty, criminality and incarceration traps too many Americans and weakens too many communities,” because of draconian sentencing measures. The attorney…

(The Root) — Like a number of celebrities, Matt Damon has used his role in the public eye to draw attention to various social and political issues. But while some celebrities are dismissed as not particularly knowledgeable about the causes they claim to care about, Damon is not one of them. He is known for…

(The Root) — Yesterday in Phoenix, President Obama delivered a major speech on his solutions for addressing America’s housing crisis in his second term. In addition to announcing plans to target Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, he summarized his primary solutions as follows: “Helping more Americans refinance. Helping qualified families get a mortgage. Reforming our…

(The Root) — According to Politico, President Obama told Maryland’s Rep. Elijah Cummings and other Democrats that addressing the needs of minority youths, including disparities in the criminal-justice system, is a priority of his second term. What remains to be seen is whether or not his solutions will move beyond talk and result in meaningful…

(The Root) — The latest jobs numbers brought some good news not only for the Obama administration but also for the black community. After steadily rising since April of this year, African-American unemployment finally decreased in July from 13.7 percent to 12.6 percent. While that is still nearly double the number of unemployed in the…

(The Root) — The abrupt resignation of a high-ranking African-American official in North Carolina has led to speculation that she is a casualty of the state’s increasingly contentious war over reproductive rights. Dr. Laura Gerald was state health director for the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, making her the state’s most senior…

(The Root) — Days ago, Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) sparked cries of racism because of his comments about the children of illegal immigrants. King attacked the so-called Dreamers, who have helped drive the immigration-reform movement the last few years. These young people were the focus of the Dream Act, which was intended to ease the…