by LZ Granderson (CNN) -- I'm a sucker for all of those man-on-the-street interviews that late-night shows do to reveal just how dumb Americans are. It's fun to laugh at the people who struggle with simple math problems or are unable to find any country we're at war with on a map. More than a few even get tripped up trying to name the branches of government. It's all fun and games until you remember that elections have consequences, and that many of those people who said they could name the president -- but not the commander in chief -- will soon be standing in a voting booth, armed with a ballot.
In this courtroom sketch, former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, sits between his attorneys Harold Gurewitz, left, and Margaret Raben before federal Judge Nancy Edmunds during his sentencing in federal court on Thursday, Oct. 10, 2013, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Jerry Lemenu) DETROIT (AP) — Former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick was sentenced Thursday to 28 years in prison for corruption, the apparent last step after a series of scandals destroyed his political career and helped steer a crisis-laden city even deeper into trouble.
This photo combination shows the declared candidates for Pennsylvania’s 2014 Democratic gubernatorial nomination. Top row, from left, are U.S. Rep. Allyson Schwartz, Pentecostal...
Newark Mayor Cory Booker (CNN Photo) by Dan Merica WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Cory Booker already had a national identity before he decided to run for senator. The media-savvy, tweet-happy mayor from Newark -- who easily won the New Jersey Democratic primary for Senate last Tuesday -- has been known for his man-of-the-people streak, charismatic presence and social media intensity, or as some say, fixation.
Laurene Powel Jobs and former Washington, D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty. (Courtesy Photo) (NNPA)--A shared interest in education reform has blossomed into romance...
In this picture taken July 25, 2013, Karamba Diaby, a German Social Democratic Party candidate talks with citizen Heidi Juergens during an election campaign in Halle , central Germany, Thursday, July 25, 2013. (AP Photo/Jens Meyer) HALLE, Germany (AP) — Karamba Diaby makes his way through the historic heart of Halle with the speed of a seasoned politician: slowly. More than two decades of involvement in local politics means the 51-year-old immigrant can't go more than a few steps without being stopped for a chat. Two months before Germany's general elections each handshake and greeting carries added significance because Diaby is intent on becoming the country's first Black member of Parliament. He listens patiently to his constituents and responds in fluent German with a strong Franco-African accent, courtesy of his Senegalese origins.
DR. JASON JOHNSON On January 7th, 2008, at the start of the Democratic primary, Hillary Clinton sat down to an interview with then-Fox News correspondent Major Garrett. He read her a quote from a speech by then candidate Barack Obama about how Martin Luther King inspired Americans to not give up hope, no matter how grand the dream. Hillary’s response was telling:
CARL REDWOOD CASTS VOTE (Photo by J.L. Martello) To almost no one’s surprise, mayoral candidate state Rep. Jake Wheatley, D-Hill, won the endorsement of African-Americans voting in the Pittsburgh Black Political Convention poll.Wheatley, is one of two African-Americans running for mayor, and was once an aide to former city Councilman Sala Udin, who organized the endorsement effort and called the result an “unqualified success.”
by Julian Zelizer PRINCETON, New Jersey (CNN) -- The changes that we are seeing in public attitudes about homosexuality are just the tip of the political iceberg.
