Archives for July 2016

President Obama Is Nobody’s N-word, Despite Trump’s Putin Dog Whistle

PHILADELPHIA – Since the beginning of his presidency, Barack Obama’s opponents have tried to make him something he is not: an angry black man and/or some foreign “other” not entitled to claim the American story as his own.

President Obama, with his Democratic National Convention speech on Wednesday night, answered back. He both endorsed Hillary Clinton and defended America—and himself—against all the insult thrown in Cleveland by Republicans last week.

Again, he thwarted Republican nominee Donald Trump, who had commandeered all the headlines with his latest outrage, all with the simple act of repeating America’s founding principles and reminding listeners of its promise and triumphs in the face of challenges.

“That is America. That is America. Those bonds of affection; that common creed. We don’t fear the future; we shape it, we embrace it, as one people, stronger together than we are on our own,” Obama said.

The Heat: Democratic National Convention Part 1

Democrats choose a candidate, with some bumps along the way.

The Heat: The Democratic National Convention, Part 2


Democrats gather in Philadelphia to formally select their presidential candidate. Could Hillary Clinton be the next president of the United States?

Weighing In on the DNC From Philly

CHARLOTTE, NC — A new email scandal, angry Bernie supporters, and a historic nomination are all part of the roller coaster ride towards unity at this year’s Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia. WCCB Political Contributor Mary C. Curtis talks to us from Philly about the DNC and gives us the inside scoop on what’s going down.

Hollywood Celebrities Show Up in Support of DC Statehood

In a room sprinkled with celebrities—and there were quite a few, from Ashley Judd to David Schwimmer—one stood out for reasons other than a starring role on TV or in the movies.

Eleanor Holmes Norton has been on the front line of social-justice causes her whole life, and she has no problem uniting with more well-known faces if it means success for the issue of statehood for the District of Columbia. She isn’t mad at them at all.

“If you can get celebrities to highlight a cause, get eyeballs when you would not before, that’s fine,” she said. “If more people know who’s doing the talking, it’s better off for your cause.”

Michelle Obama: Star of the RNC and, Perhaps, the DNC

PHILADELPHIA — When you want to put on a memorable show, you cast a superstar to get it started. Is anyone surprised to see a Michelle Obama speech scheduled for Monday, Day One of the Democratic National Convention?

Without even attending the convention the Republicans just wrapped up in Cleveland, the first lady found a way to dominate in the most visible way possible; her words anchored the prime time speech of Melania Trump. Like many women of all political persuasions I’ve interviewed through two terms of President Barack Obama and his family in the White House, the wife of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump found inspiration and something relatable in Michelle Obam

 

Saturday Night Special: First Ladies

This week on the Saturday Night Special, Amy is talking all about the history of American First Ladies. Scarlet Neath joins to discuss her piece in the Atlantic about how the role is defined. Abigail Adams biographer Edith Gelles paints a portrait of that famous First Lady’s life. Mary C. Curtis gives her take on Melania Trump’s RNC speech and how it unites her to Michelle Obama. Later, Kate Andersen Brower joins Amy to talk about her book “First Women” and the changing role of First Lady.

Hillary Clinton’s ‘Law and Order’ Problem

PHILADELPHIA – In politics, nuance is often a negative, particularly in the middle of a cutthroat presidential campaign. So while Hillary Clinton’s position — supporting and sympathizing with both police officers and the mothers of African Americans killed in encounters with police — is a reasonable one, it doesn’t quite fit on a bumper sticker. It’s about criminal justice and race and trust and perceptions it would take a pile of history books to start to untangle.

On the other hand, “law and order,” the mantra often repeated by GOP nominee Donald Trump in Cleveland at the Republican convention, fits just fine.

 

My White Husband Loves Guns, Our Black Son Does Not

My husband likes guns – a lot. He collects a variety of pistols, rifles and shotguns and likes to shoot targets at the range and, occasionally, skeet.

When a clever squirrel figures out how to raid his fenced-in garden, he has been known to pick up the air rifle to scare it off. He once bought a pistol for me to carry in my car when I would return home very late from my copy editing job in Tucson, Ariz., where getting a gun was as easy as going to a shop and telling the clerk you weren’t a dangerous criminal. But once we moved back East, I was fine with keeping my distance.

Though guns are not an interest I share, his hobby never did more than amuse me—because you know how it is with married couples: compromise. He doesn’t join me on every theater outing, either. But the first time he took our young son to the range to enjoy the gun experience, I stopped smiling.

The NBA moves forward as North Carolina drifts back

Not even its storied basketball history and inevitable disappointment for legend and Charlotte Hornets chairman Michael Jordan could stand in the way of North Carolina’s rightward drift. The NBA has moved the 2017 NBA All-Star Game from Charlotte, making it hardly the first but simply the latest and surely the highest-profile casualty of House Bill 2, the so-called “bathroom bill,” which regulates the restrooms transgender folks use – and so much more.