President Obama unexpectedly stepped into the Trayvon Martin controversy Friday afternoon, surprising members of press and the nation with his candid remarks on why so many African Americans are deeply pained by the killing of Trayvon Martin and the non-guilty verdict in the George Zimmerman trial. His remarks were especially poignant given his attempt to place […]
President Obama’s Speech on Black Community’s Reaction to Trayvon Martin Shooting and Zimmerman Acquittal (full text and video)
President Obama surprised the nation Friday afternoon when he unexpectedly preempted press secretary Jay Carney’s daily White House press briefing to deliver remarks on the aftermath of the George Zimmerman trial. I have an upcoming commentary on the speech but for now here it is in its entirety. In bold are the parts that I […]
Race and the Fight Against Obamacare
Featured on The Huffington Post and theRoot.com With resistance to President Obama’s health care law culminating with the Supreme Court deciding the fate of the most important social policy since enactment of Medicare and Medicaid in 1965, the failure to win popular support for health care will be studied for many years to come. Racism […]
Health Care Showdown: How Did We Get Here?
Cross-posted on The Huffington Post and Politic365 Passing the Affordable Care Act was no easy feat. The legislative and political battle over health reform was sharply drawn along ideological lines. After months of political wrangling and Tea Party protests that underscored fundamental differences on the role of government, the public option was off the table […]
Obama Schools Nation on Technology and Changing Economy
During his State of the Union address President Obama placed special emphasis on technology as an underlying force driving change in our economy. Before laying out his vision of a new era of American innovation, Obama noted that “thirty years ago, we couldn’t know that something called the Internet would lead to an economic revolution.” While I was happy to hear the president talk about the internet and the promise of technology, I couldn’t help feeling that the focus on “winning the future” through innovation was a way to bypass dealing with today’s difficult challenges.