The election of the first U.S. president of African descent has challenged a lot of people's self-identity. The loud, vicious, unruly behavior is a collective expression of white trepidation.

If the Angrys could just settle on one country to hold up as their agreed-upon despicable example, we could finally have a coherent conversation about things

Good-minded people who see a need to teach tolerance and engage in civil discussion are cowed into submission by the shouters.

The right-wing satellite of crazy has evolved from being a silly assembly of sore losers to a dangerous posse -- a rabble of misinformed cranks who have no problem targeting children.

One of the fascinating dynamics to this battle is the extent to which Obama seems to be resisting some of his advisers' desire to give up on the public option. This is the Obama we've been waiting for.

An unlikely figure joins the health care debate.

What makes Limbaugh's or Palin's call to right-wing shock troops any more cynical than the emails I get almost every morning from team Obama? Is cynicism merely in the eye of the beholder?

Tuesday's meeting held by Sen. Arlen Specter in Lebanon, PA is a perfect example of the vitriol the poor legislators must endure (yeah, I said "poor" legislators) from the health-scare mobs.

Fighting for the dignity of humanity is at the core of the politics of empowerment. It is exercised by protecting the right of every eligible person to vote with fairness, equality and respect.

Town Halls -- perhaps they should be renamed "Town Hates" -- have become the front lines of an anti-government revolt by various groups, including health care reform opponents.

We have witnessed a spate of violent bullying and psychological assault, moods of hostility and derision which have stooped to levels that defy any clear intention to act for the greater good.

Americans are looking for a bail-out from reality - some actions the President and Congress can take to restore the United States to its former econom...

Rep. David Wu (D-Oregon) is holding a town meeting at this moment. There were seats for only sixty and I was not able to get in. People started lining...

So is this what the Founding Fathers had in mind when they adopted the Second Amendment---that anyone or everyone (with few exceptions) could stand along a presidential parade route armed with a handgun!

To lose now would be a huge setback for Obama's entire presidency, because it will signal to everyone that the kind of change he promised in his campaign has not come to Washington.

With all of this hateful and violent rhetoric going on, I haven't seen one Republican leader asking for people to cool their rhetoric, or heard them condemn any of these tactics.

It seems that grassroots lobbying is getting a bad rap these days, but that shouldn't discourage animal advocates from being in touch with their members of Congress.

Voters are not like policy wonks. Only when they get really riled up do they send their message -- loud and clear -- to public officials. Hence the growing public debate over reform.

Liberals have devised ways to help the economically impoverished. Now we have to figure out what to do about the discursively impoverished.

The Republican playbook on disinformation, obstruction and disruption hasn't been working. In fact, the newest state by state polling data from Gallup, shows it's been backfiring.

This is nothing new. It started in my family. Like when my father told me he wanted to go to the fights "to see the Nigger get beat." And then my moth...