Uncategorized
-
You Know Who Won, My Friends? That One
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…
-
No Game Changer
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…
-
The MILFy Way
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,…
-
I Felt Something
That reception was in a few hours, and I was in a rush. I had just showered, sprayed perfume and was ready to slip into my sheer pantyhose. The phone rang as I opened the package. An advertisement on an insert inside caught my eye, but I was about to disregard it and throw it…
-
Home Court Disadvantage
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…
-
So Long, O.J.
With the conviction and likely long-term incarceration of O.J. Simpson, the United States penal system is putting together one heck of a football squad. The team behind bars could rival the Arizona Cardinals in the NFC West on any given Sunday. Imagine Michael Vick at quarterback, Rae Carruth at wide receiver, Lawrence Phillips and Maurice…
-
Death of Black Radio
Black radio was once among the most influential engines of political and economic power for African Americans. Today it remains an important source of news and inspiration for black audiences. But thanks to new ratings technology being introduced this week, black-owned radio may be embarking on a fierce fight for its very survival. For decades,…
-
Wall Street in Black and White
The offensive new vogue in cable TV talking points goes something like this: Wall Street is melting down because the government forced banks to make loans to poor people—especially poor minorities. They claim that the entire weight of the global financial collapse rests on the shoulders of unqualified poor, minority borrowers who got loans as…
-
Expectations Game…Wink Wink
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…
-
A Knicks State of Mind
Growing up in Chicago then Dallas in the ’60s and ’70s, I always wondered why New Yorkers felt some sort of “claim” on basketball. Yes, the New York Knicks won the title in ’70 and ’73 with a rare display of savvy and teamwork, but even as an adolescent I knew that the sport was…