Politics

The true story of Glenn Beck’s Restoring Honor rally at the foot of the Lincoln Memorial today is one of cognitive dissonance. In the weeks leading up to the event, Beck, perhaps fearing left-wing backlash, chose to speak only vaguely about his intentions, saying that he hoped Restoring Honor would “restore the values that founded…

It began as the story that no one was interested in. No one in the media wanted to believe that officers of the New Orleans Police Department had murdered unarmed civilians and then engaged in a massive and wide-ranging conspiracy to cover it up. And no one wanted to pursue evidence that revealed a department…

It could have been an honor to attend. It would have been something to tell my grandchildren about one day. I could have said that I participated in a historic event —  Glenn Beck’s Restoring Honor rally that will be a notable point in the story of the Tea Party movement in America. Instead, I…

When National Action Network members gather at Washington, D.C.’s Dunbar High School this Saturday, the 47th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.’s beatified “I Have a Dream” address, they’d like everyone to be certain of one thing: They’re not reacting to Glenn Beck. “It’s something we do every year,” says Rachel Noerdlinger, a spokesperson for…

For decades now, America has been pursuing a deeply punitive anti-crime social policy: the criminal-punishment binge. It is what lies at the root of the heavy overrepresentation of blacks — and increasingly, Latinos — in our nation’s jails and prisons. Our only hope of creating a fair and equitable criminal-justice system is to turn away…

With Glenn Beck’s Restoring Honor rally set to take place near the Lincoln Memorial on Saturday, the Internet is buzzing with speculation about what Fox News’ seemingly unstoppable juggernaut has up his sleeve this time. Though Beck pulls stunts — both grand and small — as a matter of course, this weekend’s event is of…

There is a general consensus concerning Rep. Charles Rangel, former chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, founding member of the Congressional Black Caucus, and power broker by virtue of his 40 years of connections and many years of raising money for candidates and causes he favors: He should make nice with his congressional…

It looks like Fox News’ Glenn Beck has developed a man crush on the wrong black icon. If he really wanted his audience to get in touch with a martyred ’60s-era religious conservative who espoused a sort of anti-government, pro-Second Amendment platform, he should have planned this week’s Restoring Honor rally for Malcolm X’s birthday,…

Judy Reese Morse is chief of staff to New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu, working under a new deputy-mayor-based governing structure never used before in this city. In her leadership role, Morse is the highest-ranked African American, and woman, in the city. The Root spoke with her about the challenges her administration has faced in continuing…

Rep. Kendrick Meek will be the Democratic candidate for U.S. senator from Florida. The black congressman defeated billionaire Jeff Greene in the Tuesday primary, setting up a tough November battle with Republican Gov. Charlie Crist, who is running as an independent, and Republican Mario Rubio. With 74 percent of the ballots counted, Meek took a…