Enlarge Christopher Polk/WireImage via Getty Image The Apostolic Tabernacle Mass Choir performs in Oakland, Calif., in 2010. Christopher Polk/WireImage via Getty Image The Apostolic Tabernacle Mass Choir performs in Oakland, Calif., in 2010. Fairly or not, African-Americans have become the public face of resistance to same-sex marriage, owing to their religious beliefs and the outspoken opposition of many black pastors. Yet the presence of gays and lesbians in black churches is common. And the fact that they often hold leadership positions in their congregations is the worst kept secret in black America. While many black pastors condemn gays and lesbians from the pulpit, the choir lofts behind them often are filled with gay singers and musicians. Some male pastors themselves have been entangled in scandals ... Continue reading →

Enlarge Evan Vucci/AP Mitt Romney speaks at the Latino Coalition annual economic summit Wednesday in Washington, D.C. Evan Vucci/AP Mitt Romney speaks at the Latino Coalition annual economic summit Wednesday in Washington, D.C. Declaring that a "national emergency" exists in public education, presumptive Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney shifted from his usual economic message to outline his education platform during a speech to a Latino business group Wednesday. Romney pledged to provide federal funding for "every" child from low-income families, or those with special needs, to attend the public, public charter or, in some cases, private school of their parents' choice. The proposals are boilerplate Republican Party planks. "Instead of just giving lip service to improving our schools, I will actually put the kids first ... Continue reading →

Reëlections are like second marriages—a portion of the pageantry, a fraction of the idealism. The controversy now swirling around Newark Mayor Cory Booker is a reminder of that. In urging the President (and Mitt Romney) to renounce negative campaigning, Booker inadvertently offered a barometer of the difference between the Barack Obama of 2008, who strode into Washington vowing to change the tone of our politics, and the battered pol who had to produce a birth certificate to assure the public he was qualified to vote for President, let alone serve as one. Change, indeed. But in a curious way, Booker’s comments also underscored, and possibly exacerbated, his own political problems—and not simply because his attempt to stand above the fray made him look something like ... Continue reading →

Enlarge Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP President Obama is getting a bum rap on the pace of federal spending, a journalist writes. Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP President Obama is getting a bum rap on the pace of federal spending, a journalist writes. Democrats like Stephanie Cutter, deputy campaign manager of President Obama's re-election effort, and Donna Brazile, the Democratic political strategist, were delighted to point on Tuesday to an analysis of federal spending under President Obama compared with his predecessors. Max Nutting, a journalist who writes for the MarketWatch website affiliated with The Wall Street Journal looked at the data and found that rhetoric and reality don't quite match up. Nutting found that, contrary to repeated allegations from the president's political foes, including Mitt Romney, that Obama has ... Continue reading →

Enlarge Christopher Polk/WireImage via Getty Image The Apostolic Tabernacle Mass Choir performs in Oakland, Calif., in 2010. Christopher Polk/WireImage via Getty Image The Apostolic Tabernacle Mass Choir performs in Oakland, Calif., in 2010. Fairly or not, African-Americans have become the public face of resistance to same-sex marriage, owed to their religious beliefs and the outspoken opposition of many black pastors. Yet the presence of gays and lesbians in black churches is common. And the fact that they often hold leadership positions in their congregations is the worst kept secret in black America. While many black pastors condemn homosexuality from the pulpit, the choir lofts behind them often are filled with gay singers and musicians. Some pastors themselves have been entangled in scandals involving alleged homosexual ... Continue reading →

Enlarge Christopher Polk/WireImage via Getty Image The Apostolic Tabernacle Mass Choir performs in Oakland, Calif., in 2010. Christopher Polk/WireImage via Getty Image The Apostolic Tabernacle Mass Choir performs in Oakland, Calif., in 2010. Fairly or not, African-Americans have become the public face of resistance to same-sex marriage, owed to their religious beliefs and the outspoken opposition of many black pastors. Yet the presence of gays and lesbians in black churches is common. And the fact that they often hold leadership positions in their congregations is the worst kept secret in black America. While many black pastors condemn homosexuality from the pulpit, the choir lofts behind them often are filled with gay singers and musicians. Some pastors themselves have been entangled in scandals involving alleged homosexual ... Continue reading →

Enlarge Christopher Polk/WireImage via Getty Image The Apostolic Tabernacle Mass Choir performs in Oakland, Calif., in 2010. Christopher Polk/WireImage via Getty Image The Apostolic Tabernacle Mass Choir performs in Oakland, Calif., in 2010. Fairly or not, African-Americans have become the public face of resistance to same-sex marriage, owed to their religious beliefs and the outspoken opposition of many black pastors. Yet the presence of gays and lesbians in black churches is common. And the fact that they often hold leadership positions in their congregations is the worst kept secret in black America. While many black pastors condemn homosexuality from the pulpit, the choir lofts behind them often are filled with gay singers and musicians. Some pastors themselves have been entangled in scandals involving alleged homosexual ... Continue reading →

AP While a student at Harvard Law School, Barack Obama became the first black president of the Harvard Law Review. From now until November, President Obama and GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney will emphasize their differences. But the two men's lives actually coincide in a striking number of ways. In this installment of NPR's "Parallel Lives" series, a look at Obama's time at their shared alma mater. Harvard Professor Laurence Tribe is a sort of legal rock star, particularly among liberals. First-year law students he has never met don't just show up at his door saying, "I want to work for you." At least they didn't until March 31, 1989. Tribe recently retrieved his daily calendar from that year and pointed to the entry for ... Continue reading →