Vote blue, no matter what or who?

February 17, 2020

Vote blue, no matter who. That’s the fall election mantra of Democrats desperate to cleanse the White House of its current occupant. But here’s the question some African Americans are now asking: What if the “who” is Michael Bloomberg? What if the former New York City mayor is the man chosen to contend against Donald Trump? Shall we vote blue if all it offers is the chance to replace a stupid racist with a smarter one? Some will reject that characterization. They will point to Bloomberg’s pledges to increase black home ownership, his support by such black luminaries as ...

More deserving folks for medal than Limbaugh

February 17, 2020

Darth Vader, Rosanne Barr, Sammy Sosa and Lil Nas X. Flo from the Progressive Insurance commercials, RuPaul, Spider-Man and Pete the Cat. There it is: My list of people more deserving of the Presidential Medal of Freedom than Rush Limbaugh. The most racist man on the radio was back on the air Wednesday, and in rare form, which isn’t all that noteworthy, except for the fact that the most racist man on the radio was back on the air and in rare form with a Presidential Medal of Freedom around his neck. Just days after walking out of the U.S. Capitol after President Donald Trump’s ...

Inequality of effort by men mars Valentine’s Day

February 12, 2020

My friend in Omaha, Neb., assures me that a disturbing phenomenon once focused on the coasts has invaded the heartland. He speaks of young couples where the woman is nicely dressed and her male date or mate is in slob mode. The women are neat and stylish, often wearing some (or a lot of) makeup, but their male partners are in soiled sweatshirts and baggy jeans, hems dragging on the floor. This is a sign of gross inequality. It flashes a disparity of effort. The women are trying, and the men are not. Some may regard this discourse on dress as superficial and frivolous. Feminists ...

President missed opportunity for reconciliation

February 11, 2020

For 68 years the National Prayer Breakfast has been a political oasis, a chance for Republicans, Democrats, national and world leaders to assemble and pray for each other and the nation. Not this year. One could tell where things were headed when President Trump arrived later than most other presidents and held up two newspapers with the headline “Acquitted,” a reference to the vote by the GOP majority in the Senate the day before, which refused to convict him of articles of impeachment written by the Democratic majority in the House. The president then shook hands with ...

An outbreak of racism, as well

February 11, 2020

The images out of Wuhan are chilling. In the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak, health officials in white hazmat suits hover over the body of a victim. Crowds of ordinary people, their faces obscured by surgical masks, try to carry on as normal. As the United States, Australia, Russia, Japan and many other countries announce travel restrictions to and from China, it was only a matter of time before paranoia about coronavirus and Asians would spread as well. On Jan. 30, Los Angeles officials warned that a fake letter circulating on Facebook and email falsely claimed that five people ...

GOP playing game by different rules

February 10, 2020

Let’s try a thought experiment. Suppose your friend invites you to play Monopoly. But suppose she insists on a set of special rules applicable only to her. Like when she lands on your property, she only has to pay half the required rent. And for every house she buys, she gets one free. And when she passes “Go,” she gets $500. How legitimate would you consider that game to be? How long would it be before you quit? Might you not even overturn the board on the way out? Who could blame you? Which of us would stay in a contest where one side felt free to make up its own rules? You ...