African Americans have always been heavily concentrated in Southern states. Given their general preference for the Democratic Party, that makes the South's dramatic change in its partisan representation since 1990 all the more noteworthy.

Conventional wisdom doomed Harry Truman's re-election bid in 1948 by not one, but two third party challenges. But a deeper look at history suggests that those challenges might actually have helped Truman win.

While there is a growing progressive trend supporting vetoes of radical right-wing legislation, there is a definite backlash against centrist, populist, Blue Dog-style Democrats in North Carolina and all across the South.

Don't buy into the media narrative that this is some sort of "divided party" -- because today's Democrats aren't. All true Democrats are pulling hard to defeat the legacy of George W. Bush.

Being gay should be no more of a barrier to serving the United States military than being black now is. My guess is that sixty years from now, people will wonder what took us so long.

Speaking on the Senate floor Tuesday morning, Sen. Gordon Smith, R-OR, offered a passionate defense of the pro-segregationist comments made by his col...