Politics
-
Tea Party D.C. Guide
A member of the Tea Party has put together a guide for those who are traveling to participate in Glenn Beck’s “Restoring Honor” rally. Fox News’ Beck is hosting the rally on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial on the anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech. The only thing more…
-
The Changing Face of Political Power in New Orleans
The era of black power in New Orleans begins with the rising of a Moon and ends with the setting of a son. Maurice “Moon” Landrieu, who is white, is widely credited as the elected official responsible for not only helping usher in desegregation in Louisiana but also finally opening New Orleans’ city hall to…
-
Mitch McConnell Refuses to Clearly State the Truth About President Obama's Religion
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is on that stuff. Either that or he and some of his Republican counterparts have a hard time distinguishing fact from fiction. On an appearance on NBC’s Meet the Press, McConnell refused to clearly state that President Obama is a Christian. When host David Gregory asked McConnell about last week’s…
-
Elite Playlands, Obama Sightings and Serious Discussions
The first black president of the United States and his family hunkered down at one end of a small island, and some of the best and brightest African Americans gathered at the other end: so close, but yet so far away. Maybe it reflects the breadth and range — and the limitations — of what…
-
Has President Obama Become a Dispensable Democrat?
It is understandable that leading Democrats and nervous Democratic candidates are hedging on whether President Obama should be an active and visible campaign cohort this fall. At times, it is politically expedient for a party or set of candidates to distance themselves from unpopular figures and issues. A recent high-profile distancing was President George W.…
-
Black Republicans Reject Palin's Support for Dr. Laura
A leading black Republican is upset about Sarah Palin’s tweet supporting Dr. Laura Schlessinger, the radio talk show host who couldn’t stop saying the n-word. Timothy Johnson, who as chairman of the Frederick Douglass Foundation works to get African-American Republican officials elected and increase the ranks of black members of the party, says that Sarah…
-
Muslims in Lower Manhattan, American Evangelicals in Iraq
Something to consider as the Cordoba House Islamic Center continues to get attacked by cowardly pundits and politicians from both parties is the increasing abundance of American Christian missionaries in Iraq. As U.S. combat forces ready their withdrawal from Iraq, conservative estimates are that between 97,000 and 106,000 Iraqi civilians have been killed in the…
-
The Root Interview: William Jelani Cobb on Obama and Black Leadership
Dr. William Jelani Cobb, one of the country’s most visible African-American intellectuals, is an associate professor and chair of the history department at Spelman College in Atlanta. His meditation on the hip-hop aesthetic, To the Break of Dawn, is one of the most important texts on this cultural phenomenon. In his latest book, The Substance…
-
Of Mosques and Martha's Vineyard
If you pay only fleeting attention to the news, here’s what you’ll take away from this week’s headlines: “Obama Backs Ground Zero Mosque; Heads to Martha’s Vineyard.” Even though President Barack Obama is prosecuting two wars, battling nearly 10 percent unemployment, boosting border enforcement by $600 million and literally swimming in the Gulf of Mexico…
-
Obama's Boldness on Islam vs. His Silence on Race
President Obama’s comments about the controversial mosque proposed for lower Manhattan blindsided a wide swath of Americans. White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs was one. He had spent several weeks fending off repeated media questions about the mosque. At-risk Democrats on the campaign trail were also blindsided by the president’s sudden decision to speak out…