It’s way too early to tell who is going to run, who is able to run and who will win from running for president in 2016. But if prognosticators didn’t try to take a stab at it, then those of us in the politics business would be pushing the unemployment rate up another percentage point. […]
Charles Ellison
Charles Ellison is Politics Contributor for theRoot.com and Washington Correspondent for the Philadelphia Tribune. He can be reached via Twitter @ellisonreport
Posted inPolitical Animal, Politics
Politics & King Day Reflections on Poverty
We’ve now reached that time of year where politicians of all stripes engage in the annual exercise of obligatory commentary on the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. It’s not just politicians, either, as we’re all sucked in to the reflective franchise. As we should. In his day, King was ahead of his time, […]
Posted inPolitical Animal, Politics
RNC’s Antidote to Chaotic Primaries: Cut Debates in Half
Politico gives us a first look at the Republican National Committee’s debate schedule for the 2016 presidential primary schedule. Here’s the list, with a hat tip to the cats over at Politico for the breaking solid: 1. Fox News, August 2015, Ohio 2. CNN, September 2015, California 3. CNBC, October 2015, Colorado 4. Fox Business, […]
Posted inPolitical Animal, Politics
Could NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio take some lessons from ATL Mayor Kasim Reed?
Lost in the discussion on tensions between the police and communities is another intriguing debate about whether uniformed civil servants or public safety employees can express their personal opinions on government time. It’s an interesting debate, and it carries all sorts of really sticky First Amendment challenges, especially in this age of social media and […]
Posted inPolitical Animal, Politics
Politics, Not Policy, Trumps Police
As a 10-member delegation of Congressional Black Caucus members head to Ferguson on Sunday for a moment of Martin Luther King, Jr. birthday observance with its citizens, there’s been an emerging argument that now is the time for this second coming of the Civil Rights Movement to transition from its current protest phase to a […]
Posted inPolitics
The GOP’s Libertarian Opening
At the moment, the Republican presidential primary field is shaping up to look awfully country clubbish. Which means that when we step away from it – only seconds after either shrugging or waving arms in disgust – we get the sense that the Establishment really struck back. Former Gov. Jeb Bush (R-FL) staked his claim […]
Posted inPolitical Animal, Politics
Trying to Explain the Obama Bump
If you haven’t noticed lately, President Obama’s sporting a bump in the polls. RealClearPolitics averages him at about 43 percent approval once all major survey indices are aggregated. Folks, especially on the Democratic side, are getting a bit tickled about it – but, hold up: he was just a percentage point lower this time last […]
Posted inPolitical Animal, Politics
Won’t an NYPD “work stoppage” set a bad precedent?
With tensions continuing to rise between police and certain communities they’re hired and trained to protect, nowhere is this trend seemingly more pronounced than in New York. In fact, the tensions are so bad after the tragic killings of two NYPD officers, that police unions are encouraging their members to engage in unofficial “work stoppages” […]
Posted inPolitical Animal, Politics
Looking at the Minimum Wage Political Map
One major development in 2015 you’re probably hearing quite a bit about: the minimum wage is set to increase in 21 states. The Guardian’s Jana Kasperkevic and Siri Srinivas offer a nice top of the New Year primer on those states implementing the hikes. While many of the increases in individual states might seem negligible […]
Posted inPolitical Animal, Politics
Mario Cuomo Dies at 82, Democrats Soul Searching
The New Year’s day news cycle was a bit somber yesterday evening with the announcement that former New York Gov. Mario Cuomo has passed away from a heart condition at the age of 82. Indeed, it’s a sad week in New York as the state reflects on the three-term governor’s contributions and how he also […]
