elongated thoughts

( The Root) — Mitt Romney wants you to know he cares. No, no — he really cares. He cares so much that he needs to tell everyone how much he cares in a new ad. He knows that the polls say that America believes Obama cares, so he can’t even bad-mouth the president on that.…

(The Root) — My second time at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s Annual Legislative Conference was interesting, to say the least. Last year I attended as a newbie. My expectations were all based on what I had heard about the ALC, which is better known as CBC Week. I had jokingly referred to it as…

(The Root) — Yeah, Mitt Romney isn’t out of touch or anything. In Sunday night’s 60 Minutes interview, he offered a simple solution for people without insurance, saying that emergency rooms are great ways to provide health care. So what if there are millions of people with diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure that don’t…

(The Root) — Mitt Romney is being a bad conservative, say conservatives. Since the Romney tapes have hit the mainstream, writers on the right are just flabbergasted. The Weekly Standard: These appear to be the words of somebody who doesn’t understand American conservatism and its relationship to the American idea. Conservatives don’t believe in economic…

(The Root) — The Romney campaign has stumbled yet again. And while I’m totally pleased that a candidate from a major party assumes I’m voting for Barack Obama because I depend on government (I’m not even typing on a keyboard — it’s just piles of welfare checks), there’s one part of this mess that I…

(The Root) — The Romney campaign has stumbled yet again. And while I’m totally pleased that a candidate from a major party assumes I’m voting for Barack Obama because I depend on government (I’m not even typing on a keyboard—it’s just piles of welfare checks) but there’s one part of this mess that I can’t…

(The Root) — So this happened. From CBS News: A movie attacking Islam’s prophet Muhammad sparked assaults on U.S. diplomatic missions in Libya and Egypt on Tuesday. A Libyan security official reported an American was shot to death as protesters burned the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, and in Cairo, protesters scaled the walls of the…

(The Root)— On the 11th anniversary of Sept. 11, I find myself saying one thing and one thing only: Please stop telling me about Sept. 11. From mainstream news to social media, I’m being bashed with discussions of one of the nation’s greatest tragedies. Never forget, I’m told with incredible fervor. And while I understand…

(The Root) — Looking back on the week of speeches and events at the Democratic National Convention, the one thing that became crystal clear is this: The Democratic Party is the only party that represents America. Being here in Charlotte, N.C., I was able to observe a lot from the ground. I engaged with politicians,…

(The Root) — Are Americans better off than they were four years ago? That’s the question that has dominated the political conversation as Democrats descend on Charlotte, N.C. President Barack Obama’s surrogates have said no — then yes. But what’s the truth? With more people living in poverty today than when Obama took office, are…