Politics

John McCain has decided that if he is to have any chance of winning the election, he must win Pennsylvania. It is a shrewd, maybe desperate, calculation that speaks to today’s difficult political landscape. Pennsylvania has the second oldest population, and therefore is a natural demographic target for McCain. Not so fast. There has been…

An evening at the Urban League of Central Carolinas was advertised as a discussion of the black women’s agenda with a multigenerational panel. And it followed the program, until the topic turned to Sarah Palin. That’s when it got really interesting. You think Barack Obama exposed a racial divide this election season? Bring up the…

I found Buckwheat in the woodworking shop of the Home for Retired Racial Stereotypes, chiseling something on the face of an elaborate oaken plaque. “What are you making?” I inquired. “I is here carvin’ de trophy we gonna give George W. Bush if Bro’ Barack Obama wins de ‘lection,” squeaked the famous Our Gang character.…

As Jennifer Hudson closed her eyes, holding that last note of the national anthem at the Democratic National Convention in August, one can only imagine what she was dreaming in that brief moment. Certainly not about the nightmares October would bring.As much of the country is brimming with promise, poised for hopeful discussions about how…

My sister and I live in Lake Wylie, S.C. in a house sandwiched between two Republican families. Normally, proximity to people of a different party is not even a blip on our emotional Richter scale, especially when the people are our dear friends. But this is the first election year I have lived in a…

On a recent morning, a normally hidden employee of the “Steve Harvey Morning Show” stepped into the spotlight and made a bold confession. The security guard, whose nickname is Big Boom, had not voted in all of his 53 years. He explained that he had never registered or voted because he could not read. He…

Since January, excitement has been building around this historic presidential campaign. But now our nation faces a crucial test as Election Day approaches—some states now have strict identification requirements for voters, a move that could stymie the anticipated growth in political participation. Whatever the motive for the tougher voter requirements, public officials, civic leaders, activists…

If John McCain isn’t the next president, it won’t be for lack of trying—he’s called Barack Obama everything from a terrorist to a socialist. And yet, with a week to go, it is increasingly clear this election is Obama’s to lose. Which leaves McCain with one last tried-and-true tactic: Steal the thing. For all the…

Obama supporters are fond of threatening to move to Canada if their candidate loses. Republicans looking for a similar retreat, if things don’t go their way, can find a fitting escape in Mad Men. The brilliant AMC cable series, whose season finale airs Sunday, portrays a fantasy world, a Leave it to Beaver, Norman Rockwell-inspired…

The end of this presidential campaign is giving me fits. During the day, I believe Barack Obama might just win this thing. At night, I’m scared sleepless that he might not. See, I’m a passive-aggressive pessimist when it comes to the fulfillment of the American dream. I can put up a good front, but deep-down…