When the Supreme Court made its historic ruling to end state-sponsored segregation in Brown v. Board of Education in May 1954, the justices were unanimous. It was a consensus not easily reached, yet it came about because the justices were of a single mind that they should be of one mind in ending segregation. This […]
Read MoreDivert, deny, distract: The Republican way 0
In beating a hasty retreat from Cliven Bundy, their onetime Lonesome Cowboy icon, Republicans have resorted to a familiar tactic: divert, deny, distract. Divert attention by claiming the “media” made a story out of Cliven Bundy. The “media” plucked him out of obscurity, baited him with questions about race, and then blew the story out […]
Read MoreA new move for sensible gun laws 0
Last week, as the cherry blossoms made their annual debut in Washington, D.C., the Capitol marked another anniversary: A year ago, Congress failed the nation by refusing to fix our broken gun background check system. In the year since, tens of thousands more Americans — our mothers, our fathers, our friends — have been killed […]
Read MoreCliven Bundy, the Wild West hero. Or not. 0
Ah, Cliven Bundy — poster boy for the anti-government, rugged-individualist crowd. The Marlboro Man for the conservative fantasy world. Or not. Cliven Bundy is so bizarre he leaves late night comedians spluttering. (Just check out one of Jon Stewart’s riffs.) His comments about race were so embarrassing that Sean Hannity, who had called Bundy “a […]
Read MoreOur greatest threat is indifference 0
Congress recently took its Easter recess, and spring has arrived. Don’t you feel better? I do. I love spring; it gives me a much-needed sense of renewal. It causes me to pause. I also love it when Congress goes home. It becomes peaceful in Washington, D.C. We can hear ourselves think. The negativity that envelops […]
Read MoreAmid TV and Politics, Called to the Classroom 0
In just a few days, I will deliver my final lecture of the semester in my “Women in American Politics” class here at Georgetown. Of all the lectures I give annually on campuses across the country, this is one of the most important. The words I share with my students at the end of the […]
Read MoreShould you have the right to buy an election? 0
If you believe money is speech, corporations are people, and the wealthiest 1 percent are a persecuted minority, then you will love the recent Supreme Court decision on campaign finance (McCutcheon v. Federal Election Commission) and where it is pointing our political process. To understand the meaning and impact of the decision, we have to […]
Read More50 Years Later Voting Rights Still Threatened 0
Nearly 50 years ago, President Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act, to outlaw discrimination based on race, religion, gender, and more. The law strengthened voting rights and pushed for an end to racial segregation in schools, at the workplace, and in public places. The law passed with bipartisan support — in fact, Republicans helped lead […]
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