Politics

Tavis Smiley’s genius doesn’t come from his radio and television talk shows, nor does it come from his appearances as a guest social commentator on multiple international outlets. It comes from his formation and continuation of the “State of the Black Union” annual symposium. The genius of the panels during C-SPAN’s most-watched event doesn’t come…

Every day, it seems, financial markets whiplash themselves over nationalization. Obviously, the jury is still out on whether nationalization is the inevitable fate of too-big-to-fail institutions such as Citigroup and Bank of America, already underway via the vast ongoing federal prop-up of AIG, or such a horrific notion that even the French wouldn’t try it…

It must be pretty disconcerting to be part of the white male political class these days. Nancy Pelosi is the first woman speaker of the House; Michael Steele is the African-American chairman of the Republican National Committee. Bobby Jindal, an Indian-American governor, “delivered” the official Republican response to the first congressional address by the first…

Read the washingtonpost.com Live Online discussion on A FAITH-BASED FIX with The Root’s Washington reporter Dayo Olopade. ***** The first month of Barack Obama’s presidency brought change to all parts to Washington—none more sweeping than the passage of his American Reinvestment and Recovery Act, designed to shock the U.S. economy out of its slump. A notable…

Last week, the Obama administration tapped Georgetown University researcher Jeff Crowley to lead the Office of National AIDS Policy; the director is the president’s top AIDS adviser, acting as point person for Congress and coordinating work across federal agencies. Crowley’s a longtime AIDS advocate and a smart policy wonk, an all-around competent guy. He’s also…

Sen. Jim DeMint, a South Carolina Republican, is horrified that President Obama has become the “world’s best salesman of socialism.” He grimly argues that conservatives will have to “take to the streets to stop America’s slide into socialism.” And if that is not alarming enough, former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee has shrilly declared that the…

” ‘Jesus,’ he said to himself. ‘Drunk for ten years.’ “—F. Scott Fitzgerald, “The Lost Decade” For months, the “lost decade” meme has been wending its way through blog posts, economics journals, cable news shows, and newspaper think pieces until, like a minor leaguer on a hot streak, it finally reached The Show, the White…

Bobby Jindal was supposed to be the GOP’s response to Barack Obama in more ways than one. But the Louisiana governor’s highly anticipated rebuttal to the president’s congressional address Tuesday, raised more questions than it answered. The choice of Jindal for the high-profile role was further evidence, to some, that despite his own strenuous denials,…

Some have accused Attorney General Eric Holder of pointing a scolding finger at white America in his recent Black History Month speech. But that’s not what he did. The nation’s top lawyer used the collective “we” to implore all Americans to begin the “awkward and painful” process of engaging one another across racial lines. In…

For state court watchers, last month provided a rare and historic moment to savor: A black governor was tasked with replacing the most powerful judge in the state, who happened to be a woman. Another small chance to make history, perhaps? But when New York Gov. David Paterson looked at the short list of candidates…