Politics. On Point.

Showing yet again, he really is bad at handling the race issue, and perhaps feeling just a bit too comfortable with the women of The View last week (in the presence of Sherry Shepherd and the agreeing Whoopi Goldberg who said Mel Gibson isn't a racist), President Obama calls African Americans "mongrels", saying, "We're all mixed up." We know that Obama, of mixed race heritage, (Who has been losing points in the polls.  I can't imagine this will help) meant that African Americans are made up of different races due to the heinous American robbery, enslavement, rape, and selling of African forefathers, that resulted in many mixed raced Africans here in America. What the president doesn't perhaps know is the definition of the word - mongrel.   So, we'll point it out for him here, courtesy of  dictionary.com . mon·grel    –noun 1. a dog of mixed or indeterminate breed. 2. any animal or plant resulting from the crossing of d...

Shane Bauer, shown here, one of three hikers detained in Iran. Tomorrow marks one year since Sarah Shourd , Shane Bauer , and Josh Fattal were detained by the Islamic Republic of Iran. Sarah, Shane and Josh committed absolutely no crime. When they were arrested and detained, they were hiking in the region along the border of Iran and Iraq. Yet for a full year, they have been held in prison, causing extraordinary grief and uncertainty for them, for their families, and for their loved ones. President Obama made the following remarks on the eve of their one-year detention:  "I want to be perfectly clear: Sarah, Shane and Josh have never worked for the United States government. They are simply open-minded and adventurous young people who represent the best of America, and of the human spirit. They are teachers, artists, and advocates for social and environmental justice. They have never had any quarrel with the government of Iran, and have great respect for the Iranian people. I...

President Visits GM Auto Plant in Hamtramck Michigan President Obama samples the electric care of the future, a Chevy Volt. "The auto industry had lost hundreds of thousands of jobs. Sales had gone down by 40 percent. And two of the Big Three, GM and Chrysler, were on the brink of a liquidation bankruptcy", said President Obama during a speech this week at a General Motors plant in Michigan. The president credits his Administration for turning the auto industry around after bailing out the Big Three auto industries with a $25 billion loan. "And now here we are a year later. And a year later, GM and Chrysler, along with Ford, are all posting a profit. The U.S. auto industry has hired 55,000 workers, the most job growth in a decade.  And not only that, but you’re producing the cars of the future right here at this plant, producing cars that are going to reduce our dependence on foreign oil. This car right here doesn’t need a sip of gasoline for 40 miles and then kee...

**Updated** On Thursday, July 29th, at the National Urban League Centennial Conference in Washington, DC, President Obama delivered a major education reform speech emphasizing how his signature Race to the Top program and other initiatives are driving education reform across the country and focusing the nation on the goal of preparing students for college and careers. The president made a promise to the National Urban League that if he became President he would deliver an address at the organizations Centennial Conference. The President highlighted the unprecedented support for and adoption of common standards by a majority of states already, and the Administration’s commitment to develop the next generation of high-quality assessments bench marked to common standards. "Instead of Washington imposing standards from the top down, let’s challenge states to adopt common standards voluntarily, from the bottom up. That doesn’t mean more standards; it means higher standards, be...

The United States Congress passed the Fair Sentencing Act of 2010 (S.1789), reducing the sentencing disparity between crack cocaine and powder cocaine violations. “I applaud the passage in the House today of the Fair Sentencing Act, which will dramatically reduce a 100-to-1 disparity between trafficking offenses for crack and powder cocaine,” said White House Drug Control Policy Director, Gil Kerlikowske. “The Obama Administration is committed to the fair and equal application of our Nation's laws. The Fair Sentencing Act marks the first time in 40 years that Congress has reduced a mandatory minimum sentence. “As Director of National Drug Control Policy, I'm charged with ensuring the United States is doing all it can to reduce drug use and its consequences. Our efforts to do so should be grounded in science and evidence, and there is no scientific basis for the crack/powder sentencing disparity,” said Kerlikowske. The National Drug Control Strategy promotes a balanced and...

Recently Leaked Documents Beg The Question: War. What Is It Good For? WikiLeaks has released a document set called the Afghan War Diary, an extraordinary compendium of over 91,000 reports covering the war in Afghanistan from 2004 to 2010. The reports, while written by soldiers and intelligence officers, and mainly describing lethal military actions involving the United States military, also include intelligence information, reports of meetings with political figures, and related details. The document collection is available on a dedicated web page . When White House Press Secretary, Robert Gibbs was questioned about whether charges could be brought against the person who leaked the documents, Gibbs replied, "There is an ongoing investigation that is looking into the leaking of the classified information. As I’ve said here before, my transmitting one of those documents to you would constitute a violation of federal law, and certainly, as I said earlier, handling t...

Call Shirley Sherrod Firing A Mistake. When the viral video of Shirley Sherrod hit the Internet earlier this week, people called Sherrod, a Black woman - accused of not helping a white farmer lose his farm -  a racist.  Tea Party member Andrew Breitbart . Video editor and fire starter . As we now know, the video didn't show the entire story.  The story that Sherrod, a product of the racist, segregated Georgia South, has been a crusader championing the cause for equal rights her whole adult life. Sherrod was fired from her job as an official with the US Department of Agriculture, and received from the agency's Tom Vilsack  scathing remarks.  ( He has since retracted them). Said Vilsack,  "This is a good woman." She has been put through hell. I could have done and should have done a better job." But Vilsack wasn't the only person in this firestorm of attacks on Sherrod.  The NAACP, once they saw the video, also acted in...

** Updated **  Congressman Rangel Indicted on 13 Counts . Trial to Begin In September. 2nd House Member, Maxine Waters Also Under Investigation **//** During Presser Rangel Admonishes Media to "Wait Until Thursday" U.S. Representative Charlie Rangel sparred with an MSNBC reporter (the late Tim Russert's son, Luke) over being investigated for possible ethics violations . Rangel , who (among other items) reportedly did not disclose income on rental property he owns in the Caribbean, called Russert's questions - "dumb" when asked if he thinks he will lose his job over the violations. He has since apologized. Speaking on the Joe Madison Show earlier today, Rangel said "there's no better preparations than the truth" when asked how he will prepare for the upcoming investigation. "Fortunately in this country, and in the Ethics Committee, whatever they have to say they have to prove.  I look forward to the evidence being exposed ...

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration ( NOAA ) will re-open 26,388 square miles of Gulf waters to commercial and recreational fishing, it announced today. The reopening of a third of the overall closed area was announced after consultation with FDA and under a re-opening protocol agreed to by NOAA, the FDA, and the Gulf states. “Today’s decision is good news for Gulf fishermen and American consumers,” Commerce Secretary Gary Locke said. “Following the best science for this re-opening provides important assurance to the American people that the seafood they buy is safe and protects the Gulf seafood brand and the many people who depend on it for their livelihoods.” Florida Representative, Kendrick Meek (D) responded to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announcement saying, "This announcement is great news to fishermen in Florida and their families. The BP oil spill has had a terrible impact on those who rely on Gulf waters for their livel...

After weeks (and seemingly months) of rangling between the House and Senate President Obama signed the unemployment insurance extension today. At the signing, the president made these remarks: "Today, I signed the unemployment insurance extension to restore desperately needed assistance to two and a half million Americans who lost their jobs in the recession. After a partisan minority used procedural tactics to block the authorization of this assistance three separate times over the past weeks, Americans who are fighting to find a good job and support their families will finally get the support they need to get back on their feet during these tough economic times. Now it’s time for Congress to act on more proposals that support our economic recovery, including passing critical aid to our states and support to small businesses, continued Obama. Small businesses are the engine of job growth, and measures to cut their taxes and make lending available should not be held hostage to...

Accountability From Wall Street Means Protection For You. No more exorbitant credit card rate hikes, and unexpected overdraft fees. No more footing the bill for Wall Street. No more complex mortgage fees. That was the order of the day set by President Obama as he signed into law the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act during a ceremony at the Ronald Reagan Building today. (See video ). President Obama signs the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act into law.  Photo/CD Brown. The President was joined by an array of individuals instrumental in the legislation, including consumer advocates, business leaders, state and local officials, and members of Congress, including two Americans Americans struggled with credit card rate hikes. The bill is named for the work of Senate Banking Committee Chairman Christopher Dodd (D-CT) (C) and House Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank (D-MA). "For the last year, Chairmen ...

Today, Vice President Joe Biden held a Middle Class Task Force event on solutions for families balancing the dual demands of work and caring for family.  The Vice President and members of the White House Middle Class Task Force and Council on Women and Girls announced recommendations from the Equal Pay Enforcement Task Force and discussed the Administration’s ongoing commitment to improving work-family balance for all Americans. Chair of the White House Middle Class Task Force, Vice President Biden said: “Women make up nearly half of all workers on U.S. payrolls, and two-thirds of families with children are headed either by two working parents or by a single parent who works. Yet, the workplace has, for the most part, not changed to reflect these realities – and it must.  Closing the gender pay gap, helping parents keep their jobs while balancing family responsibilities, and increasing workplace flexibility – these are not only women’s issues, they are issues of mi...

White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs Taking Questions From The Media. Photo/CD Brown. Press Secretary Robert Gibbs answers questions from Washington's press pool ranging from topics like  extending unemployment benefits to millions of unemployed Americans, to the recent release of the Lockerbie Bomber . Here's what he had to say today on the issues: On Having Enough Votes To Extend Unemployment Benefits:   "...We’re obviously hopeful that we have the votes. Obviously, with the appointment of a senator -- a new senator from West Virginia, that’s certainly important. We have the support of Senator Collins and Senator Snowe from Maine. But I don't think you would take -- we certainly don't take anything for granted given the fact that this will be the fourth vote on extending unemployment benefits, when if you look, I think, at the past this has tended not to be a confrontational -- or controversial thing to do. We have hundreds of thousands of Americans...

Today, President Obama called on Congress to extend critical unemployment insurance to millions of Americans looking for a job. The U.S. Senate on Tuesday will vote on extending unemployment benefits for Americans still struggling to find work and overcome the lingering effects of the recession. In the three previous efforts, Senate Republicans have blocked the extension of emergency relief for the unemployed. Across the country, this stonewalling has already blocked assistance to 2.5 million Americans, and hundreds of thousands more are impacted by each additional week of delay. The President also highlighted that many Republicans have previously supported unemployment extensions under Republican administrations but refuse to offer relief to middle class families today. Many of these Republicans want to extend hundreds of billions of dollars in tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans while telling working families that we can’t afford to help them when they need it most. At the Wh...

Our First Lady with performers from the Joy of Motion dance troup at today's White House rehearsal. Photos/CD Brown. The White House is celebrating Broadway this evening with a little help from a few local students from the Duke Ellington School of the Arts and the Joy of Motion Dance Center , continuing the White House Music tradition of celebrating the arts and demonstrating the importance of arts education with its Performances At The White House series. "This is exactly what we envisioned happening when we started this music series, opening up this White House to just so many original forms of music. And we’re going to have Broadway right here in the East Wing tonight, and it is phenomenal", said an enthusiastic First Lady. Performers at the White House.  Photo/CD Brown. Earlier today, we got a sneak peek from what is forthcoming in tonight's salute to Broadway (to be aired on PBS October 20th at 9:00 p.m) that featured a segmen...