Michael Fauntroy

I happily voted for Senator Barack Obama in the 2008 presidential election. I think he is a 180 degree improvement upon his predecessor, a man I think should be indicted for war crimes. However, I am also among those who believe that he has been timid on racial issues and...

Citizens United, the 2010 U.S. Supreme Court decision that allowed unlimited corporate spending in American federal elections, has created a political firestorm on the political Left as the specter of even more money influencing elections and empowering the rich at the expense of the poor. The outrage, while legitimate, reveals...

Mitt Romney's recent release of his tax federal tax filings reveals a real problem for him and the Republican Party. It's not just the amount of his vast wealth, or his former Swiss bank account, or his money stashed away in the Cayman Islands. The problem is that these three...

The revelation that Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain, as CEO of the National Restaurant Association, engaged in behavior that led the organization to enter into financial settlements (including non-disclosure agreements) with two employees has left a wake of collateral damage and irresponsible race.

The most notable damage...

Herman Cain recently gave voice to a tired narrative Republicans offer to explain the Grand Old Party's pathetic performance with Black voters that is as absurd as the notion that he will win his party's presidential nomination. Mr. Cain stated in an interview on CNN's Situation Room with...

I am friends with Tavis Smiley and Cornel West, so it has been hard for me to watch and hear the often nasty attacks leveled at them both. While no person is above criticism, and I would not have used some of their words, much of what I'm hearing about...

Consider this the sounding of the alarm.

A narrative is beginning to develop regarding the 2012 presidential election that, while true, interesting, and worthy of discussion, seems to miss the more important point. It goes something like this: With astronomically high unemployment rates and a general lack of attention,...

A review of President Barack Obama and his White House's interaction with congressional Democrats and Republicans reveals a troubling narrative: On too many issues, the president and his staff treat friends like enemies and enemies like friends. This is troubling because, I believe, the overwhelming majority of congressional Republicans are...

The 2010 elections provided much for the Republicans to celebrate and Democrats to lament. However, there are some takeaways both parties need to keep in mind going forward to avoid a electoral disaster in 2012.

Off-year elections are all about the president. Democrats can cite all...

I have heard a number of false allegations leveled against President Barack Obama -- socialist, communist, illegal immigrant, terrorist sympathizer, etc. Iowa Congressman Steve King (R-Limbaugh/Coulter/Palin) took things to a new level when he said on G. Gordon Liddy's radio show that: "the President has demonstrated that he has a...

It's been six weeks since Florida Governor Charlie Crist announced that he would seek the open Florida U.S. Senate seat as an Independent. This decision represented a major break from the Republican Party under whose banner he won the governorship. While that could be seen as his own political Declaration...

Helen Thomas recently set off a firestorm with her comment that Jews should "get the hell out of Palestine" and "go home" to Germany or Poland. The comments resulted first, and predictably, with her apology. Over the weekend, with the heat turned up considerably, she decided to retire immediately (before...

While Congressman Artur Davis's stunning loss in his quest to win the Alabama Democratic Gubernatorial nomination was a sad turn for one black man, it was a great moment for black voters. It revealed a heightened level of political sophistication among black primary voters who rejected Davis's "I-don't-need-to-spend-time-on-them-'cause-I-know-they'll-be-with-me" approach to...

A spat has developed among some prominent black leaders about the extent to which President Barack Obama should be pushed to give special attention to African American issues. Some believe that holding the president's feet to the fire is not necessary (or potentially politically perilous for him) and that some...

When I reflect on Secretary Hillary Clinton's first year as secretary of state, I can't help but think about the controversy surrounding her selection to the post. She was (and may still be) anathema to many of President Barack Obama's staunchest supporters. For them, her selection was a head-scratcher, at...

The arrest of Professor Henry Louis Gates is an example of poor police work, to be charitable, and the vestiges of racial relationships between black and white men. The police officer, after having been presented with two valid identification cards demonstrating who Gates was and where he lived, should have...

President Barack Obama's restrained part-olive branch, part-truth telling 55-minute speech at Cairo University was an outstanding first step in attempting to bridge the gulf that exists between the U.S. and Muslims around the world. While it will take years, if not decades, to create a more peaceful, loving, and just...

The Grand Old Party is in bad shape. From humiliating defeats in the last two national elections and its recent outburst of internecine warfare, to a new party chairman who has gotten off to a rocky (to be charitable) start to the sexist, racist response to President Barack Obama's selection...

Michael Steele has been under a barrage of criticism from fellow Republicans since his ascendancy to the chairmanship of the Grand Old Party. Along the way, he has embarrassed himself and his supporters with some of his rhetoric and for not seeming to show where he wants to take the...

The recent guilty pleas of two corrupt Luzerne County, Pennsylvania juvenile court judges is further evidence that the U.S. criminal justice system is shot through with corruption and has a penchant for punishment over rehabilitation that only serves the interests of politicians who want to give the appearance of making...