Politics
-
The RNC After Steele: Many Bridges to Build
On Friday, after two years in office, Michael Steele was beaten handily in his bid for a second term atop the Republican National Committee. Steele, the former lieutenant governor of Maryland, became the first African American to chair the RNC, occasionally with disastrous consequences: His verbal and behavioral gaffes were infamous and numerous — who…
-
Obama to Review Government Regulations
President Barack Obama has announced a review of government regulations in order to identify those that hamper job creation and make the U.S. economy less competitive. In an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal, Obama said that some government regulations have placed “unreasonable burdens on business — burdens that have stifled innovation and have had…
-
Find Out How FLOTUS Spent Her Birthday
First lady Michelle Obama spent part of her 47th birthday surrounded by her family and the students of Stuart Hobson Middle School in Washington, D.C. Around 11:15 a.m., President Obama, Mrs. Obama, Malia and Sasha entered the school cafeteria and were greeted by a chorus of “Happy Birthday.” Mrs. Obama’s response, according to the pool report: “All right let’s…
-
Caption This: Martin Luther King Jr. and President Obama
This photo is floating around Facebook. (Obviously, whoever merged these images is slick with his or her Photoshop skills.) As we prepare to celebrate the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, take a moment to write a caption for this photo. Or tell us what these two men might say to each other. Leave your words…
-
The Story Behind the 'I Have a Dream' Speech
Like most public figures, Martin Luther King Jr. had very little time to work on his speeches. Clarence B. Jones, who was King’s personal attorney, also helped write many of his speeches. In a book published recently, Jones gives the blow-by-blow account of how King’s most famous speech, “I Have a Dream,” delivered at the March…
-
Herman Cain Readies for 2012 Presidential Campaign
Jack Kemp called Herman Cain the “Colin Powell of the restaurant industry.” In the ’80s he took over 450 underperforming Burger Kings and turned them around. He bought a chain of pizza restaurants, Godfather’s Pizza, and he took them from red to black just before he bought them out. Now Cain, 65, has entered the…
-
Don't Let Politicians Take Advantage of Tucson
Former White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel will be remembered in Washington for two notable quotes: One was a response to pressure put on President Obama by the Congressional Black Caucus. That quote was short and Anglo-Saxon, starting with the letter “f.” The other quote was simple yet eloquent in its political point: “Never…
-
How's Obama Doing? Take Our Survey
As much as The Root’s readers love expressing their views about President Barack Obama and his administration through article comments, we love reading them. Now nearly two years into his presidency, we’d like to get those opinions “on the record” in a more formal way: The Root Survey: Your Opinion of President Barack Obama Are you ready…
-
Sarah Palin: Graceless Under Pressure
Sarah Palin finally made a public statement about the Arizona shootings this week and the criticism directed at her role in creating an atmosphere of incivility and outright hostility in the American political discourse. It wasn’t her finest moment. She included an obscure anti-Semitic reference to “blood libel” in her meandering, nearly eight-minute video. “Vigorous…
-
Obama's Lincolnesque Speech
One of the most challenging roles that American presidents must play is that of national healer in times of great tragedy. Barack Obama fulfilled that mission last night, perhaps as well as any U.S. president ever has, with a remarkably touching speech that echoed the redemptive tone of an earlier president from Illinois without quoting…