Brent Budowsky: President Obama blew it, but he can still lead Democrats to a landslide victory in 2012 by understanding the sources of the third great realignment in more than a century, which should have been realized after his election in 2008.
LA City Council Redistricting: What Price Belligerence?
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Anthony Samad: Parks and Perry went straight at Wesson in the most belligerent manner they could. The outcome hasn’t been pretty. Did the constituents of the 8th and the 9th districts pay a price for their representatives’ belligerence?
President Obama’s Osawatomie, Kansas Stemwinder
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President Barack Obama: I believe that this country succeeds when everyone gets a fair shot, when everyone does their fair share, and when everyone plays by the same rules.
Free Speech: The Outrage Override
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Carl Cohen: But the freedom to speak on matters of public concern is not divisible by topic or party. We will protect that freedom for everyone, including nasty and disgusting folks, or we will lose it.
Obama’s Jobs Speech: Prepare to Be Underwhelmed
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Joseph Palermo: President Obama’s much anticipated speech outlining his jobs agenda for the 2012 election year will sound a lot like a tiny mouse trying to make a loud roar. Instead of clarity, we’ll get hedging; instead of “bold,” we’ll get wishy-washy.
Philly’s Mayor’s Message to the Youth? Yeah, Right.
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Jasmyne A. Cannick: It was another case of yet another Black leader passionately voicing the frustration of his generation with younger generations of Blacks by preaching to the choir.
Like Nixon, Obama Will Waste Lives to Get Reelected
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Ivan Eland: The public could be forgiven for missing the real message of Obama’s Afghanistan speech: “We’ve lost the war, but we are declaring victory anyway and getting out.”
The Vast TV Wasteland
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Brent Budowsky: This wasteland is worsened by waves of negative campaign advertising paid for by partisans and special interests, and by many TV “commentators” who repeat the mudslinging and spin instead of the serious discussions voters and viewers hunger for.
For Obama Defenders, Words Speak Louder Than Actions
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Randy Shaw: Obama’s history includes many great speeches advocating for “change we can believe in,” but as even his most fervid admirers acknowledge, his governance has been quite different.
Marcy Winograd Launches Campaign for 36th CD
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Marcy Winograd: I am running for Congress, again, because now is the time for bold leadership, for someone to stand up and say NO to those would privatize and loot America, to those who would seize our Social Security checks and deny us Medicare.
Martin Luther King Day: They Never Heard Him Give a Speech
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Kafi D. Blumenfield: “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” This generation of leaders has taken Dr. King’s injunction to heart and they are taking action. They and their peers find common ground by connecting not only through race, gender, sexual orientation or citizenship status, but also, on higher ground, through shared aspirations and hope for the future.
Freedom of Deplorable Speech
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Tina Dupuy: Pastor Fred Phelps and his Westboro Baptist Church congregation – also known as the “God Hates Fags” picketers – have no place in a polite society. But we don’t live in a polite society. We live in this one. And in this one we are guaranteed the freedom of speech.
Free Speech about Saggy Pants
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Steve Hochstadt: The most unfortunate recent development in American politics is that Constitutional questions cannot be discussed calmly. Too many people care less about defending our Constitution than using it as a club to smash political opponents.
Corporate Greed Controls Both Parties
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Wayne Williams: What happened to truth, justice and the American Way? We walked away from it when we thought it was better to be a flag-waving corporation. Corporate greed now controls both parties.
The 4th of July
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In 1852, legendary abolistionist and former slave Frederick Douglass was asked to give a speech at an event commemorating the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Known for his extraordinary oratory skills, that speech became one of his best known pieces and stands as a reminder that the 4th of July does not hold the [...]
Racism and the Myth of a “Victim Mentality”
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Tim Wise: It’s a common argument, made by those who would rather ignore or finesse the problem of racism in America. If you can’t argue the facts, never fear, just suggest that certain facts are too dangerous to be spoken. The possibility that persons of color might adopt a victim mentality once they learn the extent of racism, means we simply have to move on, and tell those who are, as a matter of fact, often the victims of injustice not to dwell on their experiences too much, lest their commitment to self-help be vitiated.
Supremes Murder the First Amendment: Whaddaya Gonna Do?
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Gary Coseri: I hacked the computer of Barack Obama. “Mr. President,” I wrote, “this can’t be happening. This can’t be right. Didn’t you say something about ‘hope’ and ‘change’; no more politics as usual? Wasn’t that you?” He wrote back that he was always glad to hear from “the People.” And that the FBI would soon be knocking on my door. Which is what happened. And it was true: They wear bad shoes!
Getting Beyond Lies, Personal Attacks, and Evasions with the Palin/McCain Ticket
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I confess that I have laughed at many of the Sarah Palin jokes in my email this week. But is this what we want our campaign, and our national leadership, to become?
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Romney’s Lies
Steve Hochstadt: I think the many untruthful claims that Romney made were the most notable feature of this debate, because he got called out on most of them.