Politics

If you need proof that President Barack Obama got what he absolutely had to out of the tax-cut deal he made with congressional Republicans, listen to the sound of silence coming out of Sarah Palin’s Twitter feed. That she and Republicans couldn’t find anything to immediately blast Obama for explains why he took the ass…

When you have lived long enough, you realize your mama’s wisdom: that you truly have only one life to live. The question then is, how will you live your life? I ask myself some version of this question out loud at the start of every year. I find myself asking it early this go-round, urged…

The Washington Post is reporting that Democrats are hopping mad with President Obama over the temporary extension of Bush-era tax credits to the wealthy. President Obama defended the deal his administration has struck with Republicans, including extending tax cuts for all income levels, saying the concessions are necessary to avoid a tax increase for nearly…

Nowadays it’s popular to apply the “bad poker player” analogy to President Barack Obama and Democrats when it comes to their failure to match wits with Republicans on expiring tax cuts. The New York Times’ David Leonhardt has a “Kenny Rogers Theory“: Democrats can’t figure out when it’s time to hold ’em or fold ’em.…

Ron Christie’s new book on black poindexters getting called out for “acting white” is welcome in many ways. What a year, for one, when we get two books putting paid to the myth that people calling attention to the “acting white” charge are just fantasizing. Not to mention that it’s always good to see smart…

Who is President Barack Obama? The question gives you pause, doesn’t it? That’s because there is no quick or obvious answer. This circumstance, more than any other, is a critical problem for Obama as he prepares for the 112th Congress to assume office. We still don’t know who Obama is, what he is committed to…

Looks like President Barack Obama has reached a compromise with congressional Republicans, though whether he can get it by lawmakers in his own party is another matter. The tentative deal would extend for two years all the tax breaks set to expire on Dec. 31, continue unemployment benefits for an additional 13 months and cut…

The Associated Press is reporting that an outline of a bipartisan economic package is emerging that would temporarily extend the Bush-era tax rates for all taxpayers while extending jobless benefits for millions of Americans. Differences remained over details, including White House demands for middle- and low-income tax credits. But Republicans and Democrats appeared to come…

Whitehouse.gov is reporting that President Barack Obama has nominated Judge Bernice Bouie Donald for a seat on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit. “Judge Donald has shown an outstanding commitment to public service throughout her career and as a district judge in Tennessee,” President Obama stated. He went on to say that…

In his recent piece for The Root, “Why We Need Net Neutrality,” James Rucker, founder of ColorOfChange, offers his take on why everyone who happens to disagree with him on the issue of net neutrality has suspect motives and is working against the interests of African Americans. As co-chair of the Internet Innovation Alliance; as…