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Heather Mallick must be loving it. The largely anonymous journalist, a legend in her own lunchtime, is now the subject of controversy because she called American Republicans "white trash," said Sarah Palin looked like a porn actress and made repugnant personal comments about the governor of Alaska's family. She did all this on the CBC website, paid for by public dollars. The content of the diatribe is less Oscar Wilde and more Oscar the Grouch, but it's become major news in the United States. This is not a woman whose career has exactly blossomed and the consequent anger and bitterness...

The emphasis on identity has always been, for most of the left, a matter of political expedience rather than true belief. The proof for that is easily seen in the left's treatment of Sarah Palin, Clarence Thomas, Michael Steele, etc. It is also easily seen in their unconcerned and defensive reaction to Bill Clinton's serial philandering. For the left, the identity issue is only a means to a leftist end, and the identity itself only matters if the holder of that identity also adheres to the left's orthodoxy. Otherwise, he or she is a traitor, a phony, an Uncle...

(CNN) — Former Bush Secretary of State Colin Powell said Monday that he has not yet decided which candidate to back in this year’s presidential race. The election of an African-American president “would be electrifying,” Powell told a George Washington University audience, “but at the same time [I have to] make a judgment here on which would be best for America. “I have been watching both individuals, I know them both extremely well, and I have not decided who I am going to vote for. And I'm interested to see what the debates are going to be like because we...

True, Palin brings traditional political strengths—such as gun enthusiasm and a pro-life record—to the ticket. Her fight against self-dealing in Alaskan politics counters the inside-the-Beltway corruption that damaged the Republicans in the 2006 elections. And her stance on drilling for Alaskan oil admirably bolsters the Republican Party platform on energy issues. But admit it, fellow conservatives: none of these attributes pushed her over the top. Your enthusiasm for her is driven in large measure by the fact that the McCain camp has beaten the Democrats at their own game, and in so doing, driven Obama’s moment of glory off the...

This black man says it's time for the Democratic Party to goBy Michael Donnella There has been a lot of talk about race and identity politics during this campaign, perhaps more than any other political campaign in history. The media and pundits are showing this election as a classic case of the old America vs. the new America, the crusty old white guy against the young, hip, cosmopolitan Black candidate. However, this is not a blog about the media’s tingle in the leg that they get for Obama, or even the Obamessiah himself. I want to talk about Obama’s hopeandchangeandhopeandchange...

It is conceivable that some people will think John McCain picked Sarah Palin to be his running mate because she is a woman. I know you find this shocking, but I swear I have heard it mentioned. McCain does not believe in pandering to identity politics. He was looking for someone who was well prepared to fight against international Islamic extremism, the transcendent issue of our time. And in the end he decided that in good conscience, he was not going to settle for anyone who had not been commander of a state national guard for at least a year...

The anthropologist Margaret Mead once observed that in the 1930s, when she was busy remaking the idea of culture, the notion of cultural diversity was to be found only in the 'vocabulary of a small and technical group of professional anthropologists'. Today, everyone and everything seems to have its own culture. From anorexia to zydeco, the American philosopher Kwame Anthony Appiah has observed, there is little that we don't talk about as the product of some group's culture. In this age of globalisation many people fret about Western culture taking over the world. But the greatest Western export is not...

Mr. Elder, I am shocked that you oppose Barack Obama and belong to the Republican Party. We must get over ourselves and realize there is room at the top for everyone and we must get there by helping each other -- instead of agreeing with policies and old politics that are proven not to work. To endorse John McCain, a person who will not make it easier for the underprivileged, is just too much. How can a fellow black American feel this way? Your Former Supporter Dear Former Supporter, Do you have any Republican friends, let alone black ones? If...

On to promote his new movie "Hancock," Will Smith was pushed by "Today" co-host Matt Lauer to express his support for Barack Obama and the actor/rapper, channeled his inner Michelle Obama, as he declared it's the "first time" in five to 10 years it's been good to be an American overseas [audio available here]: WILL SMITH: You know I just, I just came back from Moscow, Berlin, London and Paris and it's the first, I've been there quite a few times in the past five to 10 years. And it just hasn't been a good thing to be American. And...

Two black conservatives -- one a pastor, the other a leader of an urban ministry -- say they can't understand why a number of black Republicans have publicly said they are considering voting for Barack Obama this election. It should be about character, they say, not skin color. Ken Hutcherson, an African-American pastor in suburban Seattle, says black conservatives who are supporting Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama must remember what they have been saying about race for decades. Several prominent conservative African-Americans have said they are at least considering supporting Obama because of his race. The list includes talk-show host...

A conservative change? A recent Associated Press story cites several prominent black conservatives as being "conflicted" about voting for Barack Obama for president. While each of the conservatives acknowledges ideological differences with Obama, the prospect of a black president makes it, in the words of radio-talk-show host Armstrong Williams, "hard to vote against [Obama] in November." The article quotes only one person, however, who will actually support Obama -- the self-described moderate John McWhorter. The rest of the interviewees (with the exception of Michael Steele, who says he'll do everything in his power to defeat Obama) are undecided, expressing sentiments...

WASHINGTON (AP) — Black conservative talk show host Armstrong Williams has never voted for a Democrat for president. That could change this year with Barack Obama as the Democratic Party's nominee. "I don't necessarily like his policies; I don't like much that he advocates, but for the first time in my life, history thrusts me to really seriously think about it," Williams said. "I can honestly say I have no idea who I'm going to pull that lever for in November. And to me, that's incredible." Just as Obama has touched black Democratic voters, he has engendered conflicting emotions among...

Black conservatives conflicted on Obama campaign By FREDERIC J. FROMMER, Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON - Black conservative talk show host Armstrong Williams has never voted for a Democrat for president. That could change this year with Barack Obama as the Democratic Party's nominee. "I don't necessarily like his policies; I don't like much that he advocates, but for the first time in my life, history thrusts me to really seriously think about it," Williams said. "I can honestly say I have no idea who I'm going to pull that lever for in November. And to me, that's incredible." Just as...

"If Obama was a white man, he would not be in this position." -- Geraldine Ferraro Be that as it may, what remains is that the candidacy of the first liberal white woman to run for president is about to lose, defeated by, yes, a black man. ...The irony too bitter to swallow is that Barack Obama's identity politics trumped Hillary Clinton's identity politics. Put differently, what goes around comes around. "Identity politics," something new, emerged from the dank vapors of the late 1960s and 1970s. The theory came hard-boiled and soft-boiled. The hard version introduced people, mostly college students,...

This message is for that oppressed, neglected, passed over, bitter, gun-toting group of people otherwise known as working-class white males: You really don't matter. To all the hand-wringing over Sen. Barack Obama's alleged problem with winning over the votes of those white men, let's counter with some other facts. Obama has a lot of company. John Kerry. Al Gore. Bill Clinton. Michael Dukakis. Walter Mondale. Jimmy Carter. Just to name the six most recent Democratic nominees who lost the white, working-class, male vote. In a matchup with Sen. John McCain, Sen. Hillary Clinton does no better than Obama among these...

Just a few years after the Republican Party launched a highly publicized diversity effort, the GOP is heading into the 2008 election without a single minority candidate with a plausible chance of winning a campaign for the House, the Senate or governor. At a time when Democrats are poised to knock down a historic racial barrier with their presidential nominee, the GOP is fielding only a handful of minority candidates for Congress or statehouses — none of whom seem to have a prayer of victory. At the start of the Bush years, the Republican National Committee — in tandem with...

<p>Women, we are told by some people who say they know them, are not amused. Women, or at least those whose consciousnesses have been properly raised, supposedly think that the impatience being expressed about the protracted futility of Hillary Clinton's campaign is disrespectful. They say that if the roles were reversed -- if Barack Obama's delegate arithmetic were as hopeless as hers -- people would not be so insensitive as to try to hurry a man off the stage.</p>

Politico.com has a .pdf copy of Michelle Robinson Obama’s thesis in sociology. [http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0208/8642.html] The content is entirely consistent with Barack Obama’s Black identity politics, if not outright Black Nationalist politics, as described in Dreams From My Father, as well as Michelle Obama’s statement that she is proud of our country only when her husband, who can’t be bothered to show respect for our National Anthem, is running for President. It is no surprise that efforts were made to conceal this thesis from the public until after the election. Earlier in my college career, there was no doubt in my mind...

The contest for the Democratic nomination is being largely portrayed as an historic confrontation between the first ever electorally-credible African American and the first ever electorally-credible woman running for president of the US. That in itself is sufficient to warrant blanket coverage, consuming interest and at times hysterical commentary on what is without question an unprecedented contest. However, all of the coverage is missing what is most fascinating about this race. It is not the biographies of the two remaining Democratic candidates, or the number of voters who have been energised by the primary process, but the way in which...

AS this historic Democratic primary season enters its next grueling phase, the party has become embroiled in a conflict between antagonists who would seem better cast as allies. Senator Barack Obama is a black candidate who has built his career on de-emphasizing race, while Senator Hillary Clinton is a white liberal who has been sensitive to minorities, and the issues facing them, during her long years of political activism. And yet, in contest after contest, particularly in large states with diverse ethnic populations, support for the two candidates has reflected the sort of splits that normally divide Democrats from Republicans....

Were the Clintons behind Wright? Clintonista machinations and the intuitive brilliance of my wifeBy Christopher CookWere the Clintons behind Wright's appearance at the National Press Club? That is the supposition, based on developing information, at the New York Daily News, the Anchoress, and Strata-sphere.Here are the key grafs from the Daily News: The Rev. Jeremiah Wright couldn't have done more damage to Barack Obama's campaign if he had tried. And you have to wonder if that's just what one friend of Wright wanted.Shortly before he rose to deliver his rambling, angry, sarcastic remarks at the National Press Club Monday, Wright...

SENATOR Hillary Rodham Clinton’s victory last week in the Pennsylvania presidential primary bought Mrs. Clinton time, but it’s what might fill the time that troubles Democrats: an increasingly sharp dialogue between core Democratic constituencies — blacks and a wide swath of women. Will either of those constituencies leave their grievances at home come November? Will large numbers stay home altogether if their history-making candidate loses the nomination? The reassurances, and the warnings, are flying. Howard Dean, chairman of the Democratic National Committee, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi have all promised a resolution shortly after the...

Despite being outspent by Obama 2 to 1, Hillary took Pennsylvania last night by a comfortable margin. Her victory wasn’t the death-knell blowout that many have suggested she needs to sway a majority of undecided super-delegates to her side, but it clearly was sufficient for her to soldier on as Obama continued to struggle with traditional blue-collar Democratic constituencies. He will be similarly challenged in Indiana and Missouri. So the indefatigable, robotic Hillary will plod on, with an unrestrained, unleashed and defiant Mr. Narcissism in tow. He may sully Obama, but the damage he will continue to inflict on his...

Clinton works to sway black women Appearance with Angelou underscores key role of gender DAVID INGRAM WINSTON-SALEM -- (snip) On Friday, the New York senator held a forum at Wake Forest University with Maya Angelou, one of the nation's most prominent poets -- and also a black woman. "Hillary Clinton is a woman who takes responsibility for the time she takes up and the space she occupies," Angelou said, reading from a piece of prose she wrote in Clinton's honor. "She has been there, done that, seen that and has still risen," Angelou said. Black women who vote Democratic face...

As a Pennsylvania voter, I'm disheartened by the identity politics now playing out as both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama battle for votes among Democratic Party factions. One in five supporters of Mrs. Clinton here say they won't vote for Mr. Obama should their candidate lose (and vice versa, according to pollster Terry Madonna of Franklin & Marshall College). Only 12% of nonwhite Pennsylvania voters support Mrs. Clinton. Only 29% of white ones support Mr. Obama. Gender and age cohorts break along similarly sharp lines, with women and older voters going for Mrs. Clinton, men and young voters trending toward...

It was probably inevitable. The historic contest between a woman and an African-American for the presidential nomination is now all about white men. Not that the white male voters asked for this. They’ve been uncommitted, supporting Hillary in one contest and Barack in the next. But all that hemming and hawing has turned them into the deciding factor in the big upcoming primary in Pennsylvania. Reporters are spread all over the state, searching for white men to interview. American Legion halls under siege! Both campaigns engage in extensive research, which reveals that white men are very concerned about the economy....

The reaction to Sen. Barack Obama's March 18 speech in Philadelphia on his firebrand pastor and race in America shows a generation gap within the black community... Despite criticism that he didn't fully address the angry comments by the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, Mr. Obama's youth and powerful skills as an orator continue to offer hope to many that he can bridge what he defined in his speech as a national "stalemate" ... Charles Ellison... describes a tension among blacks and a "growing generation gap between new school versus old school." "The new hip-hop generation, there is a focus on economic,...

Watching the parade of apologists for Rev. Wright’s hatred—“garlic noses”; “KKK of A;” “God Damn America;” “Condamnesia;” the U.S. deserved 9/11; America is no different from al-Qaeda; we caused the AIDs virus; Israel is a “dirty word” and sought an Arab and black ethnic bomb, etc—is, well, depressing. Instead of offering distance from Wright, far too many African-American professors and pastors interviewed on the cable stations the last few nights instead praised his brilliance and inspiration. At best, there was a feeble ‘you just don’t get it’ about the venting and wink-and-nod culture of the black church. But the net...

On the Sunday in 2003 when Rev. Jeremiah Wright Jr. shouted "God damn America" from the pulpit of Trinity United Church of Christ, he defined damnation as God's way of holding humanity accountable for its actions. Obama has denounced Wright's most provocative remarks, but in a speech on race last week he defended Wright as a person and refused to disown him as his pastor. Sunday after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, Wright preached...the "brutally honest" last verses of Psalm 137, which he said "spotlight the insanity of the cycle of violence." The sound bite taken from the...

The Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr., senior pastor of the popular Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago and spiritual mentor to Senator Barack Obama, thought he knew what he would be doing on Feb. 10, the day of Senator Obama’s presidential announcement. After all, back in January, Mr. Obama had asked Mr. Wright if he would begin the event by delivering a public invocation. But Mr. Wright said Mr. Obama called him the night before the Feb. 10 announcement and rescinded the invitation to give the invocation. Some black leaders are questioning Mr. Obama’s decision to distance his campaign...

Watching the parade of apologists for Rev. Wright’s hatred—“garlic noses”; “KKK of A;” “God Damn America;” “Condamnesia;” the U.S. deserved 9/11; America is no different from al-Qaeda; we caused the AIDs virus; Israel is a “dirty word” and sought an Arab and black ethnic bomb, etc—is, well, depressing. Instead of offering distance from Wright, far too many African-American professors and pastors interviewed on the cable stations the last few nights instead praised his brilliance and inspiration. At best, there was a feeble ‘you just don’t get it’ about the venting and wink-and-nod culture of the black church. But the net...

For months, Democrats were just thrilled with their choices. Now they can't even stand to sit together. For the past five years, a group of friends, mostly military wives or retired government workers, have been meeting for lunch at an Italian restaurant called Amici's in a strip mall in Stafford, Va. All Democrats, they don't come just for the wood-fired pizza or $8.99 lunch buffet. They come to talk about their beloved party. But lately, the air has chilled in the Tuscan-themed room. At the lunch after Clinton's loss in Virginia, Alicia Knight, 49, a Hillary supporter, came in late....

Forget Eliot Spitzer, the entire Democrat Party is melting down before the nation's very eyes. Last week, America was both introduced to the electoral cure for white guilt in the form of the Rev. Jeremiah Wright and reminded by Geraldine Ferraro why Walter Mondale lost 49 states. The Democrat Party and its two competing Presidential candidates have been hoist by their own petard of race- and gender-identity politics. Feminist icon Ferraro, a Hillary Clinton-backer, was branded a racist by the Obama campaign for curious statements about the "concept" of Barack Obama. Ferraro essentially argued that if Barack Obama were different,...

Barack Obama has promised that he will rise above race. After all, his mother was white and his father was from Kenya. Senator Obama is a persuasive orator, and I am inclined to believe he is sincere.  But will the race and gender industry go out of business? There's not a chance in the world. Race and gender splitting is a goldmine that never runs out. Suppose you had four kids, two boys and two girls. One of the girls is blonde, the other a brunette. One of the boys is an athlete, the other a nerd. You're a compassionate...

Now that Sen. John McCain has clinched the GOP nomination, an 800-pound political elephant looms in the room. Will America stick with 220 years of tradition and elect as our next president a white male — in this case, a 71-year-old senator and decorated war hero? Or does Barack Obama — an energetic, visionary, 46-year-old African-American senator from Illinois with no prior military service — have a shot at the brass ring? While I do not count Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) out of the race, Obama is leading in pledged delegates, and Democrats would be committing political suicide with...

...So what are 10 things should you NEVER say to your LGBT colleagues? Here's what GLSEN (the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network), Out & Equal Workplace Project, and Peel suggest: No. 1: "I suspected you were gay." Although it is a common response, it's insensitive and plays into stereotypes. No. 2: "I'm sorry." Why should you apologize for a colleague's orientation? This implies judgment and can make the situation more difficult. Would you apologize for a person's ethnicity or gender? No. 3: "Why did you tell me that?" (Et cetera, et cetera, ad nauseum, and on to the seventh,...

Who Needs a Vast Right Wing Conspiracy? The Democrats will lose in the fall. It won’t even be close. The shock to Democrats will be severe. They have been sure since ‘06 of a White House lock on ’08. McCain may not be an ideal candidate for Republicans. In fact, he is practically Nixonian. The only thing worse than a Nixon on the ticket is a McGovern. Republicans might be in a political free fall, but when it comes to the White House, Democrats can melt down like nobody else. McCain has a problem with his base, to be sure....

Michelle Obama’s thesis embargoed until after the election? posted at 3:56 pm on February 19, 2008 by Allahpundit Send to a Friend | regular view Eh, I hate these stories. For one thing, they invite you to treat someone’s college thesis as though it’s a Rosetta Stone (or Rosebud) to their entire mentality. More than that, for it to be relevant you have to believe they haven’t evolved/matured politically at all since college. We went through a round of this with Hillary a year ago to no effect, but at least she was a candidate. Can’t say I’m real jazzed...

Why Hillary Elevated Maggie Williams This past week, Hillary Clinton attempted to fortify her shaky campaign by hiring long time confidante Maggie Williams as campaign manager. For Clinton observers, this suggests that the race card may be pulled from the deck once again with the African American Williams providing necessary insulation Historically, Hillary and her husband, Bill Clinton have played this card over and over and with great effect. What the media have yet to tell black America, however, is that the card is inevitably a Joker. [more]

So far, we have seen a number of flash points in the Democratic primaries for the presidential nomination over ethnic and gender politics. Now we have racial and anti-Semitic politics in a Congressional primary -- and once again, it involves Democrats. Steve Cohen wants to run for re-election in Tennessee's 9th District, but supporters of his opponent think he's too pale -- and too much of a Joooooooo: "If you thought race was an uncomfortable issue in the Democratic presidential primary, wait 'til you get a load of what's going on in the Democratic primary in the Memphis area's 9th...

Susan Estrich either wants to build credibility as a satirist, or her latest column provides a long-overdue look in the mirror for Democrats. Detecting more a whiff of the so-called Bradley Effect in primaries where Barack Obama holds solid polling leads only to mysteriously fall short of Hillary Clinton, Estrich diagnoses a latent racism in her party. No kidding! But, the fact is that there is a long pattern of what we in California call the "Bradley problem" in polling, after the former Los Angeles mayor who was elected governor in every poll, including the exits, except that he lost...

the Hallmark Channel. ...offered a naked preview of how nastily the Clintons will fight, whatever the collateral damage to the Democratic Party, in the endgame to come. The campaign’s other most potent form of currency remains its thick deck of race cards. But in the entire televised hour, there was not a single African-American questioner. This decision was a cold, political cost-benefit calculus. Bill Clinton and the campaign’s other surrogates stopped caring about what African-Americans thought. In an effort to scare off white voters, Mr. Obama was ghettoized as a cocaine user, “the black candidate” . The result? Black America...

One of the great surprises of the current election cycle has been the popularity and the resilience of one Senator Barack Hussein Obama (rookie – IL), who is bidding to become the Democrat nominee for the President of the United States. There have been several interesting things about his candidacy. Frst, he is a first-term U.S. Senator from Illinois. It wasn’t that long ago that Senator Lloyd Bentsen uttered his famous line “I knew Jack Kennedy. Senator, you’re no Jack Kennedy” and completely humiliated Dan Quayle, who was only seeking the Vice Presidency under a well-qualified George H.W. Bush. (And...

Exit polling for Super Tuesday contests show a growing trend towards division by ethnicity among Democrats. With the race as tight as it is, the identity politics that the party has fostered over the years has now become one of the points of division. If the primaries continue to deliver mixed results, this could provide some fireworks: Yesterday's primary voting laid bare a profound racial and ethnic divide among Democratic voters, with African Americans overwhelmingly preferring Sen. Barack Obama and Latinos largely favoring Sen. Hillary Clinton. The results of preliminary exit polls in nine key states indicate that Obama attracted...

Hillary Clinton's campaign has fostered an eruption of identity politics in the primaries. Some question whether the strategy was intentional, but the immediate impact could be seen in Nevada and South Carolina. Black voters lined up overwhelmingly for Barack Obama, while Hillary gained women and Hispanics, and many saw the seeds of a Hillary victory through Obama's marginalization. The ground may have shifted today with an endorsement from the country's most influential Spanish-language newspaper, California's La Opinion. Questioning Hillary's character over her flip-flops on drivers licenses for illegal aliens, the paper backs Barack Obama: [W]e were disappointed with her calculated...

St. Cloud is getting a new office with the power to investigate discrimination cases. Gov. Tim Pawlenty announced the city's new human rights office on Monday morning at a Martin Luther King Junior Day celebration at St. Cloud City Hall. More than a dozen bias-motivated incidents have been reported at St. Cloud State University since November, including swastikas and a report of white men spitting at a female student of color. Police, the university and the local FBI have been investigating. The new human rights office will have the power to enforce Minnesota's human rights law and reach out to...

Reportedly, Christopher Hitchens has just given up smoking. Apparently, this has had no effect on his curmudgeonly tone, but then again, Hitchens could hardly get more pointed in his criticisms. Today he rightly sets his sights on identity politics and exposes it as a trade for one bigotry over another: People who think with their epidermis or their genitalia or their clan are the problem to begin with. One does not banish this specter by invoking it. If I would not vote against someone on the grounds of "race" or "gender" alone, then by the exact same token I would...

(snip) Those of us who follow politics seriously rather than view it as a game show do not look at Hillary Clinton and simply think "first woman president." We think -- for example -- "first ex-co-president" or "first wife of a disbarred lawyer and impeached former incumbent" or "first person to use her daughter as photo-op protection during her husband's perjury rap." One might come up with other and kinder distinctions (I shall not be doing so) but the plain fact about the senator from New York is surely that she is a known quantity who has already been in...

Some people just don't like Mexicans -- or anyone else from south of the border. They think Latinos are freeloaders and welfare cheats who are too lazy to learn English. They think Latinos have too many babies, and that Latino kids will dumb down our schools. They think Latinos are dirty, diseased, indolent and more prone to criminal behavior. They think Latinos are just too different from us ever to become real Americans. No amount of hard, empirical evidence to the contrary, and no amount of reasoned argument or appeals to decency and fairness, will convince this small group of...

Scot Muslim compares Brits to Nazis One of Scotland’s most prominent Muslims compared the treatment of Muslims in Britain to that of Jews in Nazi Germany. Osama Saeed compared the “sustained barrage of verbal abuse being aimed at Muslims” in Britain today to state-sponsored persecution of Jews in prewar Germany. Saeed is the Scottish spokesman for the Muslim Association of Britain and a former Scottish National Party candidate. “Hitler was a product of German society, where anti-Semitic attitudes had existed unchecked for decades. We have got to listen and learn from what happened there and be vigilant,” Saeed said. “I...