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Obama's pot reform goes up in smoke

Clarence Page — Wed, 30 May 2012 05:00:00 GMT

I would shrug and say "So what?" to the latest details from President Barack Obama's pot-smoking past, except for one thing: He stirred so much hope as a candidate for sensible marijuana policy reforms but, as president, has delivered so little change.

Obama's effect on gay 'rites'

Clarence Page — Sun, 27 May 2012 05:00:00 GMT

Polls show black voters' opinions of same-sex marriage are changing

Conservatives warned, often with glee, that President Barack Obama's support for same-sex marriage would spark an African-American backlash. But guess what? Polls show black voters dramatically swinging closer to Obama's view.

America's uneasy 'browning'

Clarence Page — Wed, 23 May 2012 05:00:00 GMT

White babies are no longer a majority of new births, according to theU.S. Census Bureau. America is quietly "browning," it is said, like dinner rolls in a warm oven. Yet such change does not come about without resistance from those who prefer to remain unbaked.

Return of the vampire squid

Clarence Page — Wed, 16 May 2012 05:00:00 GMT

Like a sequel to a bad horror movie, the "great vampire squid" is back.

Answer: 'Embarrassing ourselves?'

Clarence Page — Mon, 14 May 2012 19:08:00 GMT

Question? What are comedian Lewis Black of The Daily Show, NBC’s political editor Chuck Todd and me, your humble scribe, doing on Jeopardy!?

Obama's gay marriage gamble

Clarence Page — Sun, 13 May 2012 05:00:00 GMT

As a political issue, same-sex marriage is like playing 3-D chess: Opponents of the idea need to move quickly because the game board is tilting slowly but steadily in favor of the other side.

Is 'one-drop' rule overruled?

Clarence Page — Wed, 09 May 2012 05:00:00 GMT

So what if Elizabeth Warren claims to be part Native American? She's entitled, according to historical documents. Besides, Americans never have been all that clear or consistent about what distinguishes one race from another.

Cliches conservatives say

Clarence Page — Sun, 06 May 2012 05:00:00 GMT

Like many of us who pontificate for a living, my column-writing colleague Jonah Goldberg apparently toils away in daily frustration that so many people fail to take his political advice.

Slackers can get rid of gridlock in Washington

Clarence Page — Wed, 02 May 2012 05:00:00 GMT

Republicans are delighted to hear they scored better than Democrats or independents in a new survey of political knowledge. Fine. I'm sure Democrats would be just as boastful if their side scored better. Everybody in politics wants to believe that their side is brilliant and the others are a bunch of nitwits.

Making student loans 'cool'

Clarence Page — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 05:00:00 GMT

President Barack Obama "slow-jams the news?" Is this a nakedly bold pitch for the youth vote or what?

Old-fashioned red-baiting alive today

Clarence Page — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 05:00:00 GMT

As the campaign year heats up, rudeness is all the rage.

Call for black 'Bachelors'

Clarence Page — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 05:00:00 GMT

A class-action suit filed by two black men claims"The Bachelor"turned them away because they were not white. I think they should feel relieved. Having the right to embarrass yourself on national television doesn't mean you actually should do it.

Revive sensible gun laws

Clarence Page — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 05:00:00 GMT

Supporters of the protests that followed the suspicious death of Trayvon Martin are raising a good question: What next?

Drafted into the mommy wars

Clarence Page — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 05:00:00 GMT

Oops! Just as President Barack Obama's campaign was enjoying a big favorability advantage with women, a prominent female ally tripped over an old unwritten rule: Lay off your opponent's kinfolk.

Blah, blah, blah

Clarence Page — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 05:00:00 GMT

Romney's women woes. Hint: They like guys who listen.

Mitt Romney is trying to talk his way out of his gender gap, but take it from me, women like guys who listen. My wife told me that.

An old narrative that never dies

Clarence Page — Sun, 08 Apr 2012 05:00:00 GMT

Hollywood's version of Harper Lee's brilliant novel "To Kill a Mockingbird" turns 50 this year, offering President Barack Obama a rare opportunity. For once, he can venture near the touchy topics of race and justice without risking too much of a political backlash.

Life lessons from sad lotto winners

Clarence Page — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 05:00:00 GMT

Feeling blue about losing the $656 million Mega Millions jackpot? Cheer up. Behind the lottery frenzy and hoopla, I've seen enough miserable winners over the years to conclude this: If you're not prepared to handle the pitfalls that follow a sudden windfall, you're probably better off without it.

Justice Kennedy's Obamacare swing vote

Clarence Page — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 20:14:04 GMT

Was the court's man in the middle looking for reasons to knock down health law or save it?

Obamacare faced a tough crowd at the U.S. Supreme Court last week. But those tough, probing questions from Justice Anthony Kennedy, the court's key swing voter, give defenders of the Affordable Care Act reasons to have hope.

Why race still matters in America

Clarence Page — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 05:00:00 GMT

Uproar surrounding the death of Trayvon Martin shows why it is so hard to discuss racial issues

It is customary in the wake of a major racial eruption to say that we Americans need to have a national conversation on race. Yet the fury surrounding the death of Florida teenager Trayvon Martin shows why it is so hard for us to hold that conversation.

Has college become too easy?

Clarence Page — Sun, 25 Mar 2012 05:00:00 GMT

You can lead a student to knowledge, according to an old academic saying, but you can't make him or her think.

An invitation to murder?

Clarence Page — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 05:00:00 GMT

I'm glad to hear the Justice Department is looking into the killing of Trayvon Martin. After all, if the department can investigate the killing of innocent civilians in Afghanistan, it can do it in Florida.

A GED for college?

Clarence Page — Sun, 11 Mar 2012 06:00:00 GMT

Grads with degrees are filling traditionally blue-collar jobs

Could millions of college dropouts get a second chance through a GED-style equivalent of a college diploma? In today's age of blue-collar blues and online education, the idea of college-equivalency exams doesn't sound so outlandish anymore.

Could this be the end of Limbaugh?

Clarence Page — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 06:00:00 GMT

Americans praise civility, but we constantly reward rudeness. That annoying fact of life helps explain why the blessings that Rush Limbaugh brought to the Republican base recently turned into a curse.

Breitbart's culture war ends

Clarence Page — Sun, 04 Mar 2012 06:00:00 GMT

Civility, accuracy accountability not always a big deal for him

Speak no ill of the dead. So goes a saying from ancient Greece. I must beg for an exception in the case of the late Andrew Breitbart. Like Donald Trump, Breitbart had his sweet and gentle side, but that's not what made him interesting.

Santorum's reverse snobbery

Clarence Page — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 06:00:00 GMT

Who would have guessed that President Barack Obama's call for more college opportunities was secretly a liberal indoctrination plot?