Politics

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…

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…

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.…

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…

One candidate succeeded in the challenge he faced last night. The other candidate fell short. The pundits tell me that John McCain needed a significant momentum changer, with Obama now leading in national polls. The pundits also told me that Barack Obama needed to effectively rebut the increasingly nasty charges from the McCain–Palin team that…

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…

John McCain’s frustrations are not hard to understand. Last night, he had an ugly hand to play, and he played it well, especially compared to the last debate. But after a tough stretch in the campaign during which he has been wrong-footed on the economy and side-swiped by the facile quality of his vice presidential…

Homespun. Folksy. Straight-talking.  These may be just a few of the endearing terms pundits have used to describe Sarah Palin. But there’s another, more salient, tag floating around the Alaska governor, a secret weapon that was on winkin’ and twinklin’ display during the debate. Few Beltway commentators would dare call this stealth device by name,…

When John McCain and Barack Obama face off this evening in the second of three presidential debates, it will be like nothing we’ve seen before in this campaign season. For 90 minutes, the television tit-for-tat, the rapid-response surrogate operations, and the e-mail alerts and reminders will take a back seat in what is sure to…

She winked. He smiled. They each played to their strengths and side-stepped their weaknesses. Neither one lost. But the question of who won last night’s one and only vice-presidential debate, is an entirely more complicated question that rests on the more intangible and variable measure called expectations. The extent to which the candidate could meet…