Politics

Comparing politicians to Adolf Hitler is a tired, cheap trick that has been used to demonize George W. Bush, John McCain and even Barack Obama. The problem with the comparison is that it makes blanket generalizations of who is good and who is evil, while overlooking the historical conditions that allowed a nation to be…

Are you an Obama supporter who feels a certain amount of unease with your candidate’s occasional bouts of schlockiness? This is not to say you don’t appreciate his speaking skills. You cheered at the Philadelphia race speech, but had to dredge up the patience to get through some of his others. At times, Obama can…

Does anyone else think Sarah Palin deserves a smackdown? She has lately boasted that the “heels are on and the gloves are off,” but she knows that Barack Obama and Joe Biden would look less than gentleman-like and risk offending women voters, if they took her on using some of the tough talk and loaded…

Recently, at a forum at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, one participant directed a query at me: “Did you read the article on The Rootthat talks about how the Republicans are planning to steal the election? How do you feel about that?” the young woman asked. My response was that I found…

On a recent Saturday morning in the heart of North Carolina, it was threatening rain, and I was standing in line with thousands of others in downtown Greensboro to do something I’d never done before—be part of the cheering crowd at a Barack Obama rally. Until just weeks ago, my engagement with politics had always…

At this moment in history when we may need it most, “Kumbaya,” a folk song that started its life as a quiet prayer and became a spiritual rallying cry for millions during some of this nation’s grimmest days, has morphed into something that couldn’t have been imagined during your Boy or Girl Scout days: a…

Ever since John McCain picked Sarah Palin as his running mate in August, I have been telling friends that my true “dream ticket” for the 2008 campaign would be Sen. Barack Obama and Gov. Sarah Palin.Yes, I know this sounds odd. They are from different parties. They hold opposing views on foreign and domestic policy.…

It’s easy to look at Sen. McCain begging off a handshake from Sen. Barack Obama and just see a white guy dissing a black guy. But I wouldn’t get Al and Jesse on the BlackPhone just yet—I think that whole thing is a sight more complicated than prejudice and politics. I’m (arguably) as much a…

To everything, there is a season. If summer is the time for civil (or close to civil) discourse in presidential politics, fall is the time for blood sport. And if you’re a Republican trailing in the polls, it’s the season for racist fear mongering. No one should be surprised by the assault John McCain launched…

Failing schools, crime and single-parent households are just a few of the challenges facing urban communities. Now, thanks to radical environmentalists and their supporters, a bunch I like to call “Club Green,” they must face soaring energy as well. “Club Green” enthusiasts are everywhere these days; their ideology is part of the liberal orthodoxy, and…