Politics

By Michelle Singletary Nobody is safe. Velma Hart, who burst onto the media scene after telling President Obama she was scared about her financial future, has been laid off. Hart was let go as the chief financial officer for Am Vets, a nonprofit Maryland-based veteran services organization. Hart has become another casualty of the tough…

This fall’s midterm elections ushered in a new era for Miami politics: U.S. Rep. Kendrick B. Meek, once a big player in South Florida, came in dead last in a three-way Senate race against Gov. Charlie Crist and Republican Marco Rubio. And two black Republicans made big gains this November, winning both the lieutenant governor…

First people were saying that the Republicans were going to take the White House in 2012. Candidates like former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, Gov. Ted Strickland of Ohio, Sen. Scott Brown of Massachusetts and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney have been touted as candidates who could take down President Barack Obama. In the words of…

When I arrived at the Home for Retired Racial Stereotypes, a sinister-looking armored Humvee was idling at the curb with Tonto at the wheel. Buckwheat and the Kingfish, both dressed in black ninja suits and Rambo-style bandannas, were carrying heavy camouflage-colored boxes out to the car while Charlie Chan and the Frito Bandito, in similar…

For a senator whose noteworthy place in American history is being the guy who replaced a future president by way of a governor who was headed to public scorn (and possibly prison), Roland Burris left the U.S. Senate with an image to remember — and a message to heed. As Burris (D-Ill.) addressed the Senate…

On Nov. 2, when Republican candidates routed their opponents to take control of the House and narrow the gap in the Senate, just 10 percent of the electorate consisted of African Americans. In 2008 blacks made up 12 percent of all voters, a high that helped put the first African-American president over the top and…

By Krissah Thompson Since becoming the incoming chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus this week, Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-Mo.) has stressed the need for the caucus to chart its own course. Cleaver said he recognizes both the need to support President Obama and that the agendas of the black caucus and the White House sometimes conflict. “The CBC has had disagreement with every…

It’s time for Charlie Rangel to go. After a tumultuous ethics trial that he walked out of, a House committee has recommended that Rangel be censured by the House of Representatives for almost a dozen ethics violations. Yet the Harlem congressman clings to the seat he’s held for 40 years and continues to plead for…

Vogue magazine has placed First Lady Michelle Obama on the top 10 list of best-dressed ladies. Obama’s sense of sophisticated, accessible style and undeniable grace have officially put her in the category of fashionista. The other “fashion divas” who made the list include Sarah Jessica Parker, Marion Cotillard, Carey Mulligan, Liya Kebede and Alexa Chung.…

Perhaps Fox News has forgotten that the full title of President Obama’s book is Of Thee I Sing: A Letter to My Daughters. Otherwise they might think before running the headline “Obama Praises Indian Chief Who Killed U.S. General.” Of course they’re talking about Chief Sitting Bull, whose tribe defeated General George Custer in the…