Politics
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Doubting Clarence Thomas
Twenty years ago this week, Clarence Thomas became a justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, taking over the chair vacated by “Mr. Civil Rights,” Thurgood Marshall. Thomas’ confirmation vote in the Senate, 52-48, was one of the closest in history and followed a bizarre confirmation hearing that was divided into two parts. The second was…
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Michelle Obama Helps Retrofit Wounded Vet's Home
The Associated Press is reporting that Michelle Obama on Monday helped finish renovating the home of a wounded Afghanistan War veteran that was retrofitted through a charitable venture called Heroes at Home. She was accompanied by Jill Biden. The story says that the first floor of Army Sgt. Johnny Agbi’s narrow three-story rowhouse has been…
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The White House Is 'Open for Questions'
Do you wonder what the government is doing to address poverty, the widening wealth gap and stubbornly high unemployment rates — realities that are especially dire for African Americans? Do you wonder why politicians rarely talk about poor people these days? Here’s your chance to ask. With the release of a new White House report,…
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A Mormon and a Black Man Lead GOP Pack
In a piece for Slate reflecting on the news that every poll shows a Mormon (Mitt Romney) and a black man (Herman Cain) as front-runners for the GOP presidential nomination, William Saletan says the candidates and reactions to them communicate an important message: It’s not that we are all alike, but rather that there are…
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Cain: Liberals Want to Destroy the US
On Meet the Press this weekend, GOP presidential hopeful Herman Cain explained to David Gregory his view that liberals would like to see the destruction of the United States. From Mediaite: Cain argued that if the economic situation was to get any worse, “it would destroy our economic capability,” and from that the United States…
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Obama to Press Congress to Pass Parts of Jobs Bill
The Associated Press is reporting that President Barack Obama has not given up hope on his defeated jobs bill. President Obama will urge Congress to get to work this week on passing pieces of his larger, now-defunct jobs bill during a three-day bus tour through North Carolina and Virginia, two Southern states that could be…
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The Trouble With Transportation Jobs
A recent Senate vote may have blocked President Obama’s $447 billion American Jobs Act, but the fight is not over yet for the White House and congressional Democrats. They plan to salvage other parts of the plan by reintroducing them as smaller pieces of legislation. “Tonight’s vote is by no means the end of this…
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Herman Cain's Racial Offense
In his Chicago Tribune column, Clarence Page says that the Tea Party appears to be delighted that their support for Herman Cain proves that they are not racist. Unfortunately, based on his language, Cain doesn’t seem to like black people much. It says a lot about America’s racial progress that the former Godfather’s Pizza CEO…
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Are We Ready to Understand Thomas?
Over the years, I have had the privilege of being “in the room” with quite a number of amazing people. From presidents to philanthropists to ordinary folk who did extraordinary things, each has left an indelible mark on America’s history. But more important than how history views these individuals is the immeasurable contributions that many…