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Donna Brazile: Commentaries

My dad was an avid sports fan and a great athlete in his day. We used to watch basketball and football games together, and I know some of his proudest moments as a father were when I wore my sports uniforms in high school and college.

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If only I'd snagged a Princeton manupdated Tue Apr 02 2013 15:35:12

Susan Patton kicked up a firestorm with her letter last week to the editor of The Daily Princetonian urging female students to find a man to marry before they graduate because "the cornerstone of your future and happiness will be inextricably linked to the man you marry, and you will never again have this concentration of men who are worthy of you."

Our journey with the Clintons on gay rightsupdated Tue Mar 26 2013 06:52:08

Sometimes, a First Family remains a first family -- a mirror of our times -- even after the president leaves office. So it is with the Clintons.

Obama a marker on post-racial pathupdated Thu Feb 21 2013 16:34:37

Politicians and historians love to use the word "crossroads."

GOP, break Grover Norquist's grip on you updated Mon Dec 03 2012 09:02:01

Who is Grover Norquist? He's a private citizen, a conservative lobbyist, the author of the Taxpayer's Protection Pledge and president of Americans for Tax Reform. His idea of tax reform is no more tax increases ever again. And no closed loopholes unless matched by cuts in government spending.

Why debates don't always make a differenceupdated Fri Sep 28 2012 16:00:28

It seems everyone -- except perhaps the die-hard NFL fan -- agrees that the most important event scheduled for next week is the first presidential debate. I say "scheduled" because you never know what the news cycle will kick in. Snickers might have a new chocolate bar. Or something.

A turning point for freedom in America, 150 years laterupdated Sat Sep 22 2012 13:38:05

This weekend we pause to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation that set in motion the freeing of the slaves throughout the South.

What have unions done for us?updated Tue Sep 04 2012 07:58:02

What have unions done for us lately? Other than give us Labor Day, and a three-day weekend to start football season.

Romney's 'birther' line is no jokeupdated Sat Aug 25 2012 17:28:04

"No one's ever asked to see my birth certificate. They know that this is the place that I was born and raised."

Paul Ryan's dangerous visionupdated Sat Aug 11 2012 15:04:55

The most important decision Mitt Romney has made in his campaign so far, the selection of Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan for his running mate, tells us two things -- and neither bears good news for the middle class.

Three lessons linger from BP oil spillupdated Fri Apr 20 2012 09:25:10

As we prepare to celebrate Earth Day on Sunday, let us not forget that Friday marks the second anniversary of the start of the BP oil spill. It deserves more than a shrug, an "oh, yeah," and "how's the fishing?" It deserves more than a solemn voiced announcer relegating it to a "this day in history," with a picture from the archives to jog our memory.

Romney bought the nomination with flood of nasty adsupdated Thu Apr 12 2012 07:46:29

Maybe money can't buy you love, but it buys a nomination.

Super Tuesday won't end the GOP raceupdated Mon Mar 05 2012 16:36:02

It's probably better to be the default candidate than the noncandidate, but it's a position that usually has too many gaps to fill. That seems to be the position of Mitt Romney, and it says a lot about the current state of the Republican Party.

Gingrich and Romney: The whole truth?updated Wed Jan 25 2012 12:11:16

Perhaps you remember the Oscar-nominated movie "12 Angry Men." It's the story of an all-male, all-white jury meeting for a slam-dunk guilty-of-murder-one verdict against a Spanish teenager. Except for one lone juror, known only as No. 8. He quietly, persistently presents his arguments, asks questions and refuses to be diverted by emotional outbursts or personal attacks until he persuades the other jurors to examine the case logically and objectively.

For King, the right to vote was sacredupdated Sun Jan 15 2012 09:17:32

Every third Monday in January we gather as Americans to commemorate the values and beliefs -- as well as the ultimate sacrifice -- of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Romney, the pretend Tea Partierupdated Sat Jan 07 2012 14:24:02

Running for president is an expensive endeavor, but the cost isn't measured in dollars alone.

In U.S., right to vote still threatenedupdated Tue Dec 13 2011 15:11:00

Tuesday, Attorney General Eric Holder delivers a major speech on voting rights at the Lyndon Baines Johnson Presidential Library in Austin, Texas. The location is significant: In 1965, President Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act into law, a landmark piece of civil rights legislation that banned the worst forms of racial discrimination in American elections.

On foreign policy, Obama trounces GOP rivalsupdated Tue Nov 22 2011 12:09:00

On Tuesday, for the second time this month, the Republican field will debate foreign policy, a topic that hasn't seen much attention in the race until now. The candidates will be fighting an uphill battle against the president's strong record on national security.

GOP, protect Dorothy Cooper's right to voteupdated Sat Oct 15 2011 11:41:44

Dorothy Cooper is a 96-year-old African-American resident of Chattanooga, Tennessee. She was born in a small town in northern Georgia before women could vote and when Jim Crow laws mandated racial segregation. Her life has spanned nearly a century of progress: The 19th Amendment extended suffrage to women, the Civil Rights movement led to the dismantling of segregation laws, and the Voting Rights Act outlawed overt racial discrimination in elections.

Hasn't Ralph Nader done enough damage?updated Wed Sep 21 2011 18:02:33

Ralph Nader floated the idea this week that a primary challenge to President Obama will help the president and the country.

Brazile: 4 ways Obama can take control to get America back on trackupdated Fri Aug 12 2011 17:27:40

Ever since Republicans in Congress held our country hostage to the brink of default, there has been an ongoing discussion about how President Obama can reassert control over the American economy.

In FAA standoff, GOP played chicken with American jobsupdated Fri Aug 05 2011 07:53:25

Some Republicans love to talk about "job-destroying" progressive policies, but hate to own up to their own trickle-down ways. It's not that hard to get specific about the tepid economic recovery and all the Republican-backed policies that are destroying jobs though. Let me tell you about one we almost experienced.

Don't ask the poorest to pay off our debtupdated Wed Jul 27 2011 09:47:50

My fellow Americans: In a matter of weeks you have become studied on the issues of budgets and deficits. You've also formed opinions on these issues, and these opinions are reflected in poll after poll. Isn't it strange that Congress has yet to listen?

Is Dr. King's achievement at risk?updated Mon Apr 04 2011 12:54:14

On April 3, 1968, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. went to Memphis, Tennessee, to stand in solidarity with sanitation workers of AFSCME Local 1733 and the wider community they inspired.

Pray for Giffords -- and for civilityupdated Mon Jan 10 2011 16:31:13

"Our democracy is a light -- a beacon, really -- around the world because we effect change at the ballot box and not because of these outbursts of violence." --Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, March 2010

Pay it forward this weekupdated Mon Nov 22 2010 13:05:40

This week, as family and friends gather to give thanks for so many blessings, let us also remember to be of service.

Democrats need Pelosi's toughnessupdated Mon Nov 15 2010 12:26:16

This week, visitors entering Washington's Union Station are greeted by a work of art -- a two-story, red open-toed lady's dress shoe. It reminds me of Cinderella's lost glass slipper. I thought to myself, if someone is looking for the woman big enough to fill this, they need look no further than Nancy Pelosi.

Tax cuts aren't key to creating jobsupdated Mon Sep 27 2010 06:50:29

Neil, one of my neighbors on Capitol Hill, recalled this story to me the other day after watching President Obama's town hall meeting: "She was recently widowed, about 93, having lost her husband of over 60 years. When I came upon her in a darkened church hallway, standing alone, staring at the floor, I wanted to know what was wrong.

Stay vigilant to protect voting rightsupdated Fri Aug 06 2010 15:33:21

This month marks the anniversary of many historical milestones in the continuing effort to guarantee equal rights to all Americans.

Greed, negligence behind BP oil spillupdated Mon May 03 2010 14:18:36

I spent a restless night, worrying that another man-made disaster might devastate my beloved hometown, New Orleans, just as its post-Katrina motto "Recover, Rebuild, Rebirth" was becoming real.

Justice Stevens will be hard act to followupdated Tue Apr 20 2010 06:39:51

Campaign finance reform advocates will lose a great hero when Justice John Paul Stevens retires from the Supreme Court. As the last remaining World War II veteran in such a place of eminence, he brings an invaluable perspective to the bench.

Protect voter gains of 'Bloody Sunday'updated Sun Mar 07 2010 10:27:03

On Sunday we commemorate the courage and sacrifice of 600 men and women who dared 45 years ago to take the first steps in a 54-mile march from Selma, Alabama, to the state capital, Montgomery, for the right to vote. That day, Sunday, March 7, 1965, would come to be known as "Bloody Sunday."

Health bill is good, now make it betterupdated Thu Dec 24 2009 10:30:48

"Comprehensive health insurance is an idea whose time has come in America. There has long been a need to assure every American financial access to high quality health care. As medical costs go up, that need grows more pressing." -- Republican President Nixon's special message to Congress proposing a "Comprehensive Health Insurance Plan," February 6, 1974

Commentary: What's the 'teachable moment'?updated Thu Jul 30 2009 09:25:27

The controversy involving the arrest of a black Harvard professor by a white police officer has brought race relations in America to the front burner.

Commentary: The curious case of New Orleansupdated Fri Feb 20 2009 14:28:04

There's an old saying down in my hometown of New Orleans about how to tell the changing of the seasons. I'm not referring to winter, spring, summer or fall, but rather to the aroma of what someone's cooking up fresh and delicious.

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