Roland Martin and the Washington Watch roundtable discuss the most recent jobs report, unemployment numbers, job growth during President Obama’s term in office.

This week’s Washington Watch roundtable features Karen Finney, Dr. Chris Metzler, Deborah Simmons and Cornel Belcher.

This past week in New Hampshire, Mitt Romney had his biggest win to date. He finished with a double-digit lead, and is speech sounded a lot like he was accepting the nomination, rather than celebrating his New Hampshire win. It was filled with many juxtapositions of what the President does and what he will do, but one that stands out is this.

We talked earlier about all of these different comments that Republican candidates have been making when it comes to African-Americans and food stamps and welfare and things along those lines. Let’s be clear. This is all by design in terms of they want to push the buttons of White conservatives who’re walking around with particular views, as well as subjective views, of African-Americans. And so it appears as if they simply want to get a rise out of African-Americans every time they do it.

So, what should we be doing? First of all, not fall for the okey doke. Certainly, keep people accountable [for] what they say, but also continue to push them on policy and challenge them on policy, but also change the conversation to being mad with what somebody says, but explain to the American public that, “Look, more White folks are on welfare and receive food stamps than anybody else.” Black folks don’t need to own poverty. We don’t need to own the issue of welfare, just like when I discuss Affirmative Action, I make it clear that White women have benefit from Affirmative Action more than any other group in this country. So, some things we don’t need to own. Certainly, hold them accountable, but trust me. Let’s not fall for the tricks that they always play when it comes to trying to push the buttons of Black folks.

The race for the Republican nomination is full steam ahead. The Iowa caucus weeded out Congresswoman Michele Bachmann and made Rick Santorum a credible contender, even though he lost — just by eight votes. With a win in New Hampshire, Mitt Romney may be pulling away from the rest of the GOP presidential candidates.

Former RNC Chairman, Michael Steele joined Roland Martin on the set of Washington Watch to discuss the GOP presidential race, Santorum’s “Blah People” comments and more.

SEE ALSO: Why Ron Paul Got A Free Pass

Barnes, who will be gone by Tuesday, is quick to point out that there have been many domestic achievements, even though the public is dissatisfied.

“I completely understand what the American public is feeling,” she said in an interview in her tidy West Wing office. “Real people are hurting in a significant way. … At the same time, I’m proud of the things we’ve been able to accomplish over the last few years.”

Her office is wrestling with multiple thorny issues now just as it was when Barnes started as Obama’s domestic policy team director in 2009.

Back then, the economy plunged into free-fall and the country was in its worst economic crisis since the 1930s. Jobs were being lost at a rate of about 750,000 a month – a number Barnes still finds so staggering she said she has to double-check it every time she says it.

Homes were being foreclosed, unemployment was skyrocketing and reaching double the national average in the black community. The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan dragged on, an outbreak of H1N1flu virus became a pandemic, and a tsunami that hit Japan crippled a nuclear plant near Tokyo, to name some of the highlights.

Even her chance to play golf with the president, the first time a woman joined him, was a response to what was a public image crisis for Obama. The president was getting flak for playing basketball with men and fostering complaints about a boys’ club in the White House.

Just before Christmas, the president and Congress wrangled over a two-month extension of a Social Security payroll tax cut and unemployment benefits. Obama won a victory when the proposal won bipartisan support in the Senate and finally was accepted by House Republicans under extreme pressure.

Barnes, a Richmond, Va., native with a career in government and private sector work, is bowing out of the political arena as Obama struggles with low approval ratings on his handling of the economy.

A majority of Americans do not think the president deserves a second term, according to the most recent Associated Press-GfK poll. But at the same time, the unemployment rate has dropped to 8.6 percent, the lowest level since March 2009. The president’s overall approval rating stands at 44 percent, the lowest of his term in AP-GfK surveys.

His strong stance against House Republicans in the payroll tax standoff has caused an uptick in approval ratings in subsequent polls.

Barnes expects the list of legislative victories that she and others pulled off amid the hemorrhaging economy will become more clear in the coming year as the dark clouds of the economy disperse.

She tops that list with the early work to stabilize the economy, 21 months of consistent job growth and the president’s long-term investments in education overhaul, an area that became her specialty.

“Our work on education reform, it’ll be part of this president’s legacy,” she said.

Barnes said that with a fraction of what the federal government spends annually on education, about $100 billion, from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, the administration tapped into an education reform movement taking place at the grass roots among governors and local communities frustrated with the prescriptive, one-size-fits-all mandates of No Child Left Behind, the Bush administration’s education cornerstone.

Congress has yet to approve revisions to No Child Left Behind, states are using up the stimulus money, and Obama’s Race to the Top grant program faces spending cuts. But Barnes said Obama has given a boost to education law changes that now allow such things as connecting student performance and teacher evaluations.

Barnes, chief counsel to the late Sen. Edward Kennedy on the Senate Judiciary Committee, said Obama also deserves credit for passage of a health care overhaul, legislation that she had worked on for eight years with Kennedy. The Massachusetts senator spent his career trying to restructure health care.

There’s also the auto industry bailout, expansion of Pell grants to help fund college education, the end of the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy on gays and work to advance civil rights, she said.

“When you are worried about day to day, it’s hard to step back and to take all those other things in,” Barnes said. “Although at the same time, I’m literally in the grocery store and people come up to me and say, `Hey, you work for the president. You keep on doing what you are doing.’ ”

Married a few months into the president’s first year, Barnes plans to spend more time with family. She is considering offers in the private sector but hasn’t disclosed what those are.

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The measure, expected to be cleared for Obama’s signature by the House almost immediately, buys time for negotiations early next year on how to pay for a year-long extension of the two percentage point payroll tax cut, the centerpiece of Obama’s jobs agenda.

It would keep in place a salary boost of about $20 a week for an average worker making $50,000 a year.

Successful passage in the House would cap a swift retreat by House Republicans. Their move to force a holiday season confrontation with Obama and Senate Democrats had threatened to hit 160 million workers with a tax increase on Jan. 1. But it backfired badly.

Just 24 hours earlier, House leaders had insisted the only way to prevent that tax hike and a phase-out of jobless benefits for people out of work for more than six months was to pass a full-year renewal.

Friday’s version of the bill would put off until January a battle over finding almost $200 billion in spending cuts and new fees to finance the 2-point Social Security tax cut, extend jobless benefits averaging around $300 a week and prevent doctors from absorbing a big cut in Medicare payments through 2012.

Those goals had been embraced by virtually every lawmaker in the House and Senate but had been derailed in a quarrel over demands by House Republicans for immediate negotiations on a long-term extension bill. Senate leaders of both parties had tried to barter such an agreement among themselves a week ago but failed, instead agreeing upon a 60-day measure to buy time for talks next year.

Thursday’s decision by House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, to cave in to the Senate came after days of criticism from Obama and Democrats. But perhaps more tellingly, GOP stalwarts including strategist Karl Rove and the Wall Street Journal editorial board warned that if the tax cuts were allowed to expire, Republicans would take a political beating that would harm efforts to unseat Obama next year.

House GOP arguments about the legislative process and what the “uncertainty” of a two-month extension would mean for businesses were unpersuasive, and Obama took the offensive.

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Black History Book Showcases Detailed Past

It’s easy to vault up the ladder, but it’s just as easy to come falling back down when people begin taking everything you say seriously, which should always be the case when evaluating those running for president of the United States.

It was clear at CNN’s Republican debate Tuesday in Las Vegas that the other six candidates on stage weren’t going to let Cain skate through another debate touting his “9-9-9″ tax plan and smiling and joking. The knives came out quickly, and the former conservative radio show host must have felt like he was getting ambushed.

Yet it was a question posed two hours earlier by CNN’s Wolf Blitzer that brought Cain and his supporters back down to reality.

Using as an example the Israeli government’s exchange of 1,000 Palestinian prisoners for one Israeli solider, Wolf Blitzer asked Cain if he would release al-Qaida operatives in Guantanamo Bay in exchange for a U.S. soldier.

“I could see myself authorizing that kind of transfer, but what I would do is I would make sure that I got all of the information, I got all of the input, considered all of the options and then, the president has to make a judgment call,” Cain said.

When questioned on that, Cain quickly backtracked, saying, “Things are moving so fast,” and that he misspoke.

Well, Mr. Cain, as we saw this week with the killing of former Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi, President Barack Obama’s decision to withdraw all U.S. troops from Iraq by the end of the year, and the U.S. Senate’s rejection of a portion of the president’s jobs bill, things move pretty quickly in the White House. And the American people expect that the leader of the free world will be able to handle it all.

A few days before the debate, Cain caused an uproar by saying he would build an electric fence along the U.S.-Mexico border to keep out illegal immigrants.

When pressed about it, he demurred, saying, “That’s a joke.” Americans need to get a sense of humor, he added.

Sorry, Herman, but when a presidential candidate touches on the hot-button issue of immigration, you can expect the media and the American people to take you seriously.

But far more damaging to Cain this week was an interview with CNN’s Piers Morgan. Cain gave the impression that he was pro-choice while simultaneously saying he was pro-life.

His confusing answer, as well as the anger with which socially conservative Republicans responded, forced Cain to amend his statement and reiterate that he is pro-life.

Are all of these problems manageable? Sure. Every candidate goes through this. But Cain is no ordinary candidate. He’s a political novice who’s trying to get the American people to trust that his business background is the most important qualification for becoming president.

There is no doubt that the 2012 presidential election will hinge on the economy and who voters think can best turn it around. But Cain needs to quickly realize that the person occupying the Oval Office has to be able to deal with domestic and foreign issues. And in every debate, Cain has faltered or looked like an amateur when discussing what’s happening around the globe.

Discipline is the greatest trait for someone running for president. For Cain, that seems like a hindrance more than it is an asset.

He’s sitting in a very good position today, according to the polls. But unless Cain is able to articulate his positions without later issuing a clarifying statement, he’ll be just another flash in the pan who’ll be remembered more for his joking and singing on the campaign trail than for being a man who was serious about taking on the toughest job in the world.

Roland S. Martin is an award-winning CNN analyst and author of the book “The First: President Barack Obama’s Road to the White House as Originally Reported by Roland S. Martin.” Please visit his website at RolandSMartin.com. To find out more about Roland S. Martin and read his past columns, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.

COPYRIGHT 2011 CREATORS.COM

Their rhetoric reads as such: If a Black man can get elected why not a white supremacist? It’s a question being asked by a growing list of white-power candidates from around the country. This new crop of bigots—some blatant, others more nuanced—characterize America’s collection of racist politicians.

We scanned the spectrum to offers a short list of legislators and officials whose bigoted comments and/or allegiance to racist organizations shed light the current state of political bigotry.

1. Former Louisiana State Rep. David Duke

David Duke may be the most unabashed racist bigot to make a name in American politics. A self-described “racial realist,” Duke was the former Grand Wizard of the Louisiana-based Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, which he founded in 1974.  A well-groomed and professional Klansman who wore a business suit instead of the Klan’s traditional white robes, Duke entered politics in 1975 when he ran for the Louisiana State Senate as a Democrat. After his unsuccessful Senate campaign and later an aborted presidential run, Duke formed the National Association for the Advancement of White People (NAAWP) to shed himself of the Klan tag. In 1988, Duke changed his political affiliation for Democrat to Republican. A year later, he mounted a successful run in the special election for a vacated Louisiana House seat. Duke served in Congress from 1990 to 1992. Duke’s legacy will forever be marked by his stance against both legal and illegal immigration, his support of Holocaust deniers, his labeling of the Ku Klux Kan as “pro-white” rather than anti-Black. Earlier this year, Duke announced that he is considering running in the 2012 presidential election.

2. Arkansas State Rep. Loy Mauch

Mauch, a former head of the Sons of the Confederate Veterans, proved the present day political clout of white supremacists, winning a seat last year in the Arkansas House of Representatives. Never one to back away from his white supremacist views, Mauch declared the Confederate flag a symbol of Jesus Christ, and has even said he believes Abraham Lincoln did not follow the Constitution.  As late as 2005, Mauch was listed as the chairman of an Arkansas chapter of the League of the South, a neo-Confederate organization that advocates for the second secession of the south and for a society dominated by white rule.

3. Mississippi State Rep. John Moore

Elected to the House of Representative in, John Moore has called civil rights a “philosophical idea” about “one group of people,” and has advocated against it a bill to make teaching civil rights mandatory in Mississippi schools. Moore has also given speeches at various rally sponsored by the Council of Conservative Christians, a group that has worked hard to deny its racist sentiments, but who the Republican National Committee has openly condemned in 1999 and that the Southern Poverty Law Center has described as a crudely white supremacist group whose website has run pictures comparing pop singer Michael Jackson to an ape and referred to blacks as “a retrograde species of humanity.” Moore has defended his affiliation with the group saying he felt “very comfortable” meeting with the group’s members.

4. Minnesota State Rep. Michele Bachmann

Although Bachmann has not been linked to any white supremacist groups, she’s among a new crop of political bigots who blur the line between blatant racists and those who understand the art of concealing their ideologies.  Despite not being an unabashed bigot, Bachmann’s Tea Party affiliation, the party’s questionable record on race and numerous racial gaffes have prompted many to see her as a racist conservative.  Earlier this year Bachmann endorsed a pledge that claimed Black families were better off during slavery. She also railed against a government settlement paid to Black framers, who claimed the federal government discriminated against them for decades. In another instance she claimed,  “Not are cultures are equal, not all values all equal.” And she consistently panders to the racially based economic fears saying America might suffer conditions comparable to Africa. Overlooking a number of suffering economies, Bachmann said we may be the next ‘Zimbabwe.”

5. Texas Governor Rick Perry

Like Bachmann, Rick Perry is an ambiguous bigots whose records and affiliations are not blatant enough to call him racist, yet the racist tone of his politics straddles the line. Just recently, Perry came under fire after it was learned that his family’s leased hunting compound in West Texas was named “Niggerhead Ranch.” Perry’s racist tag also has much to do with his relationship with Karl Rove, whose political mentor was Lee Atwater — the master of Southern racial politics known infamously for crafting the 1988 Willie Horton attack ad on the Democratic presidential candidate Michael Dukakis. The Perry-Rove connection also draws racist claims as Rove has become known for his part in what many call a targeted effort to eliminate thousands of votes among black and elderly voters in the 2000 election between George W. Bush and Al Gore. Perry also openly embraced and defended the Confederate flag when the NAACP campaigned to remove the flag from statehouses and other government buildings across the South. Then lieutenant governor of Texas, Perry said the flags should not be removed and that Texans “should never forget our history.”

WASHINGTON, DC — U.S. Congressman Charles B. Rangel (D-NY) was honored with the unveiling of his official portrait commemorating his tenure as the 62^nd Chairman of the House of Representatives Ways and Means committee.

A small bi-partisan group of congressional lawmakers including House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Minority Whip Steny Hoyer, House Speaker (D-MD), John Boehner (R-OH) and Congressional Black Caucus Chairman Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO) were on hand to congratulate Rangel, who made history when he became the first African-American appointed chair of the committee in 2007.

Rangel made history again in 2010 when he stepped down from the Ways & Means chairmanship amid ethics allegations. Rangel was later censured for ethics violations by his congressional peers.

RELATED: Rep. Charles Rangel Censured By Congress In 333-79 Vote

Yesterday, however, Rangel’s comrades focused on the positive.

“You are the one who is a champion for those who need it most,” said New York’s Democratic junior Senator Katherine Gillibrand.

Rangel was the first New Yorker in 140 years to Chair the powerful Ways and Means committee, which oversees federal funding for Social Security, trade, Medicare, Medicaid, and unemployment benefits. Rangel currently serves as Chairman Emeritus of the Ways and Means Committee. He is also a founding member and former Chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus.

“My life is a story that [says] anyone can make it, from a high school drop-out [to being] the chair of this committee,” said Rangel during a speech after the unveiling.

Hundreds traveled on coach buses from the congressman’s district in New York’s to see the ceremony.  L. Ann Rocker, a community activist from Harlem, said she voted for Rangel when he first ran against and defeated Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. in 1970.

“I was really pleased to see such a magnificent portrait of our esteemed congressman who has really worked for 40 years, not just for Harlem but for America,” said Rocker.

Following the ceremony, Rangel hugged and shook hands with constituents as he made his way around the Ways and Means Committee room. Right behind him was his wife Alma, who did the honors of drawing back the curtain to reveal the painting of her husband.

“He worked very hard over the years, he’s been a good congressman,” said Alma Rangel. “The portrait is an example of his dedication to public service.”

The unveiling coincided with the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation (CBCF) Annual Legislative Conference taking place this weekend in Washington, D.C.

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In 2011, a number of high profile executions, as well as judges and politicians campaigning for office are once again making capital punishment a part of the mainstream political conversation.

The Grio reports:

A number of recent events have once again placed executions in the forefront. For one, on September 21, Georgia is set to execute Troy Davis, who has been on death row for two decades for the 1989 killing of a police officer, despite no physical evidence tying him to the crime. Seven of the original nine witnesses in the case recanted or contradicted their stories, and three of those say their statements were coerced by the police.

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Dirty Tactics? Judges Push Death Penalty To Get Re-Elected

Speaking to reporters ahead of next week’s straw poll in Iowa, Bachmann says the economy would start to improve shortly after she becomes president if signals are sent to the marketplace that remove uncertainty about taxes, regulation and the nation’s debt.

Bachmann said Friday a report that 117,000 jobs were created last month shows that the economy remains weak. She says this week’s stock market plunge is proof that an agreement to raise the nation’s debt ceiling was, in her words, “a stinky deal.”

Tim Pawlenty and other candidates for the Republican nomination for president also are campaigning in Iowa ahead of the Aug. 13 straw poll.

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In honor of their unique, yet undeniable place in politics, NewsOne presents this era’s Top 5 Black Republicans, who are a threat to the Democratic Party:

Are Black Republicans Selling Out Black America?

5. Michael Steele

Many Democrats probably wondered where in the world he came from, however, Michael Steele made a name for himself when he became the first African-American chairman of the Republican National Committee. Before becoming chairman of the RNC, Steele was the first African-American to be chair of any state Republican Party.

Steele is the founder of the Republican Leadership Council, a fiscally conservative and socially inclusive political action committee. Though Steele has aligned himself to the right, there’s one politically flawed policy he reportedly supports that most Republicans oppose: Affirmative Action.

But don’t count Steele out. He’s published a book “Right Now: A 12-Step Program For Defeating the Obama Agenda”— quite a bold move.

Unfortunately, much intraparty hostility occurred within the Republican Party as a result of Steele’s publication, arguably leading — compounded with his flamboyant rhetoric — to him dropping out of the race for re-election as RNC chairman.

He may not be a huge threat to the Democratic Party but you never know, right?

4. Tim Scott

Though he’s a freshman congressman, Tim Scott (R-S.C.) wasted no time in making his presence known when he threatened to impeach President Barack Obama, if he decided to raise the country’s debt limit without a congressional vote. He also accused the president of trying to usurp the government.

Scott strongly opposes the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, and has proposed his own alternative health care bill that would limit non-economic damages and reform Medicare. Additionally, Scott strongly supports cultural assimilation, which would make English the official language in the government, and force immigrants to learn the English language.

Scott is the first African-American Republican to be elected to the South Carolina congress in 100 years. But don’t let that fool you; though welcomed with open arms by the Congressional Black Caucus, Scott ardently opposed membership stating, “My campaign was never about race.”

Scott could very well play an instrumental part in the right wing’s attempt to repeal “Obamacare.”

3. Allen West

Allen West (R-Fla.) is no stranger to the media as of late. His recent tirade against Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, in which he called her “cowardly,” proves he isn’t afraid to talk the talk. West is the first African-American Republican congressman from Florida since Reconstruction.

He served more than 20 years in the United States Army, and comes from a dynasty of veterans. His father served in World War II, his brother served in Vietnam and his mother was a civilian employee of the Marine Corps.

In January 2011, West condemned the official flying of a Palestine Liberation Organization flag in Washington. He said that the raising of the flag is “an attempt to legitimize an organization with a known history of terrorist actions.”

In response to his remarks, West later said “I will always defend your right to practice a free religion under the First Amendment, but what you must understand, if I am speaking the truth, I am not going to stop speaking the truth. The truth is not subjective.”

As a serviceman, West has received the Bronze Star and Meritorious Service Medal. Could West one day capitalize on his armed force experience to seek the presidential office? It almost worked for Sen. John McCain.

2. Herman Cain

He went from a self-made millionaire and business-savvy tycoon to a presidential candidate. How impressive is that? Though his many out-spoken antics have overshadowed his credibility, one must not overlook his track record.

Cain has had his hand in a plethora of businesses including The Coca-Cola Company, Burger King, Pillsbury, Godfather’s Pizza and even radio. It’s argued that Cain made his way to the political stage when, as president-elect of the National Restaurant Association, he challenged President Bill Clinton’s health care plan and its affect on small businesses. Cain even ran against George W. Bush for the Republican presidential nomination in 2000 to make a political statement. He later said that he had a “better message.”

If he’s audacious enough to run against Bush, it’s no wonder why he has grown to be a favorite in the GOP primary race.

He may not be the front-runner in the race, but he’s surely not down for the count.

1. Clarence Thomas

Only the second African-American to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court, the Honorable Clarence Thomas is arguably one of the most conservative Republicans in government—and while sitting on the highest court in the land, he holds sizable influence.

Thomas has often approached federalism issues in a way that limits the power of the federal government and expands power of state and local governments.

Think of any policy, and Thomas will more than likely rule on the conservative side, whether it’s affirmative action, the use of firearms, free speech, or gay rights. Thomas has even argued that the executive branch has broad authority under the Constitution and federal statutes.

It’s safe to say that Judge Thomas isn’t going nowhere anytime soon, and he surely isn’t backing down from his conservative views. Though he’s portrayed as a callous conservative, most people say he’s affable and good-humored.

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“Get your a– in line,” he demanded to the caucus.

The GOP has been quite divided between those who back Boehner’s plan and those — mostly Tea Party members — who argue his plan’s spending reductions are “puny.”

Others have accused Boehner of being a traitor for negotiating with President Obama in possibly increasing government revenues.

Read More At HuffingtonPost.com

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Blacks and white liberals alike have challenged the seemingly hypocritical nature of what it means to be a Black Republican, posing the question: “Are Black Republicans the biggest bigots?”

The Grio explored this question and more.

Read more at The Grio.

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Now it seems the mudslinging is being reciprocated, as rumors of Marcus’ sexuality is steadily making its way to the forefront.

Jon Stewart and Jerry Seinfeld lampooned Bachmann’s effeminate manner and “center-square gay” voice. Even singer Cher said on her Twitter that her “gay-dar” was set off by Bachmann.

Video of Lampoon Below:

If true, the irony will pose far too appetizing for Bachmann critics during the presidential campaign.

The Daily Beast Reports:

But in Bachmann Land, where politics is so personal, what will be the reaction to the suggestion that Marcus is the very thing he has long devoted himself to fighting against? Slamming the congresswoman as a Jesus freak or an antigovernment extremist only fills her with pride. But how will she and her camp deal with her husband being lampooned as a closet case?

It’s like Ronald Reagan being tarred as a down-low commie—or Grover Norquist being accused of harboring big-government impulses. Harsher still, as the FrumForum has noted, Bachmann’s fellow righties have thus far not been leaping to her defense on this most ticklish of issues. She and Marcus have been left to twist in the wind as outlets like Gawker compile the increasingly brutal commentary.

Read More At TheDailyBeast.com

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McConnell’s proposal suggests a lack of confidence in Congress’ ability to reach a bipartisan agreement on spending cuts.

Republican lawmakers adamantly refused to approve any deal that would include tax hikes, while Democrats rejected the idea of possible cuts on Social Security and Medicare.

President Obama urged lawmakers to come to an agreement, calling daily meetings to reach a deal before the Government is obliged to default on its loans on August 2.

The NY Times Reports:

Mr. McConnell’s proposal would give Mr. Obama sweeping power to increase the government’s borrowing authority, in increments, by up to $2.4 trillion — enough, it is estimated, to cover federal obligations through next year — only if Mr. Obama specified spending cuts of equal amounts. But Congress would not have to approve the spending cuts prior to the debt-limit increase.

Read More At NYTimes.com

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According to a report in The Washington Post, in 1979 the U.S. reached a last-minute approval that resulted in technical malfunctions in processing the backlog of paperwork, and subsequently thousands of late payments to holders of Treasury bills that were maturing that April and May.

While brief and inadvertent, the U.S. did technically default on loans.

The Treasury had missed payments on about $120 million worth of bills that led to a class suit against the Government. The bills were eventually payed with back interest.

The Washington Post Reports:

“It’s not as if God appeared to Moses on Mount Sinai and said, ‘The U.S. will always be a AAA credit.’ Our reputation is something that we have earned,” Angel said, adding that history is filled “with countries that were once great and blew it. The simple lesson is, you’ve got to pay your bills on time. If you don’t pay your bills on time, bad things happen.”

Read More At WashingtonPost.com

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The Daily Beast Reports:

Republican presidential candidates are still vowing to repeal the Affordable Care Act, of course, but they are mainly going after President Obama’s economic record. That makes sense because the lagging economy is by far the top concern of voters. It also makes sense because with each passing month, the health-care law is woven more tightly into the fabric of American life and becomes more difficult to unravel.

David Axelrod, Obama’s top political adviser, says Republicans will make a mistake if they dwell next year on repealing the law. “The American people want to move forward. If there are problems with reform, fix it. They don’t want to start all over again,” he told me.

The article also reports that Republican candidates would have to not only repeal the bill, but formulate an alternative, which could be difficult.

Read More At TheDailyBeast.com

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The former Governor of Alaska and current celebrity said the only thing that will prevent her from running is her family.

“If it came down to the family just saying, ‘Please, Mom, don’t do this,’ then that would be the deal-killer for me, because your family’s gotta be in it with you,” Palin said.

As for her prospective platform Palin proclaimed, “The people of America are desperate for positive change, and deserving of positive change, to get us off of this wrong track.”

“I’m not so egotistical as to believe that it has to be me, or it can only be me, to turn things around,” she said. “But I do believe that I can win.”

Newsweek Reports:

Whatever decision Palin makes will alter the near-ideal circumstance she enjoys now. From the remove of her cyber-perches on Twitter and Facebook, and the occasional appearance on Fox News (where she is a paid contributor), Palin is able to do plenty of politicking, unfettered by the encumbrances of a declared candidacy. She has no campaign staff directing her course (a famous source of unease during her vice-presidential run) and no press secretary urging her to accommodate what she calls the “lamestream media.” She and Todd are free to keep any schedule they wish. “We don’t advertise where we’re going,” she said that evening, in what might be the understatement of the political season.

Read More At Newsweek.com

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The New York Times reports:

Mr. Obama said he will not consider a short-term, stop-gap solution to raise the debt ceiling. “This is the United States of America. We don’t manage our affairs in three month increments.”

Obama’s news conference happened just hours before his scheduled meeting with Congressional leaders on a third gathering to reach a deal to reach the nation’s debt ceiling.

The president challenged Republicans to eagerly work alongside Democrats to reach a deal stating, “let’s go.”

Mr. Obama said he will not consider a short-term, stop-and-go solutions to raise the debt ceiling. “This is the United States of America. We don’t manage our affairs in three month increments.”

“It’s not going to get easier. It’s going to get harder,” Mr. Obama said

“So we might as well do it now. Pull off the Band-Aid. Eat our peas. Now is the time to do it.”

Read More At NYTimes.com

RELATED:

Obama Administration Negotiates Debt Ceiling With Lawmakers

While Carney did not lay out an exact date plan, he said the reform process is expected to begin “not far in the future.”

The Huffington Post Reports:

The Giffords shooting had, seemingly, upped the pressure to implement reforms. Obama himself used the occasion to pen an op-ed for the Arizona Daily Star advocating for stronger state-to-state coordination with respect to gun data, expedited background checks and greater enforcement of the laws already on the books. The Department of Justice meetings commenced not too long later and have continued over the course of several months, according to an administration official. They are now finished.

Such measures to reform the current gun law would be the most comprehensive move the president has made to date. However, passing actual bills on gun reform is expected to be difficult, as getting it through a Republican-controlled House of Representatives will pose cumbersome.

Read More At HuffingtonPost.com

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In what seems to be a race to find the best means to an end on a drawn-out battle between Democrats and Republicans, debt-ceiling negotiations must come to a consensus before the government is forced to default its loans in August.

But if Obama cuts spending on Social Security, what kind of lasting affect would it have on African-Americans?

Though the Social Security program benefits many Americans, African-American beneficiaries will suffer the most if the program is reduced, considering they face the highest poverty rate in the country.

Dr. Fredrick Harris, Professor of Political Science at Columbia University says such spending cuts could dramatically impact African-Americans.

“[Social Security cuts] would have a devastating impact on Black communities since the Black elderly disproportionately depend on Social Security more than other communities,” Harris said.

“The so-called ‘new austerity’ will have long-term consequences for the poor and, in turn, the most vulnerable in Black communities.”

Elderly African-Americans rely on Social Security for more than 90 percent of their income—not to mention disabled persons and children of the deceased, who also significantly rely on Social Security funding.

Harris believes such a political move could also have lasting affects on the Black community’s backing of the president.

“While [he] has become a symbol of pride in Black communities, these cut backs in Social Security and other programs to address inequality raises questions about whether his presidency is becoming a ‘hollow prize’ for the Black community.”

Obama may want to shop his options before conceding to Republicans on the battle for Social Security and Medicare.

It appears the president is acting out of mere desperation rather than keen executive authority. While the Republicans are wayward on their stance on the economy, Democrats, and the president especially, must retreat from walking on eggshells and assume a more take-no-nonsense role in government.

Will Obama show the Republicans who’s boss? Or will we see yet another strain tear down the African-American community, while the rich get richer and the poor get radically poorer?

Only time will tell.

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The Complexity Of Being Black And Critical Of Obama

Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) voted against the measure Thursday, demanding that poor middle-class Americans need to do more.

“I hear how they’re so caring for the poor and so forth,” Hatch said in remarks on the Senate floor Wednesday, in reference to Democrats. “The poor need jobs! And they also need to share some of the responsibility.”

Video Below:

Read More At HuffingtonPost.com

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Why Senator Sessions And The GOP Are “Rather Pathetic”

“I can’t help thinking since we just celebrated the Fourth of July and we’re supposed to be a country dedicated to liberty that one of the most pervasive political movements going on outside Washington today is the disciplined, passionate, determined effort of Republican governors and legislators to keep most of you from voting next time,” Clinton said at Campus Progress’s annual conference in Washington.

“There has never been in my lifetime, since we got rid of the poll tax and all the Jim Crow burdens on voting, the determined effort to limit the franchise that we see today,” he added.

Read More At Politico.com

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In an opinion article in The Atlanta Post, Ellison postulates a political thread among Black mayors in which they focus more on solidarity and wholeness to appease their white constituents, as opposed to focusing on economic and education issues.

An Excerpt Reads:

Suddenly, black mayor is more like cultural therapist in cardigan mending to racially wounded city on the couch.  But, when is the business of the city getting done?  Are you knuckling up and making deals to balance budgets, repair crumbling schools and find jobs for the unemployed? Or are you caught up in a tiresome, fake replay of Invictus?  Here, Morgan Freeman’s grand portrayal of post-apartheid South African President Nelson Mandela is knee-capped by catering to bruised white feelings.  Hence, the movie shows him spending more time on ensuring rugby World Cup championship than on the country’s alarming poverty crisis and skyrocketing AIDS rates.  In the case of these three cities, recovery is still unseen by many of their black residents.  They might be more interested in what these three men can do about that.

Read More At AtlantaPost.com

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The poll reveals that 60 percent of Jewish voters approve of the president’s job performance, while 85 percent of Jewish Democrats approved.

Such numbers refute many predictions that Jewish supporters would abandon Obama because of comments made at a May 19 speech instructing Palestinians and Israelis to use 1967 boundaries as the starting point for peace talks.

The NY Daily News Reports:

Former New York mayor Ed Koch and the Republican presidential candidates took turns accusing Obama of abandoning a trusted ally.

Obama insisted his support of Israel was unwavering and that what he was calling for was essentially the same thing that every President since the first President Bush have backed – just not publicly.

Read More At NYDailyNews.com

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Using language that compares abortion to slavery and the infamous “three fifths” clause of the Constitution describing blacks as subhuman, these anti-choice messages attack African-American females with loaded words.

Instigated on Juneteenth, a day founded to celebrate blacks’ liberation from true slavery, the Radiance Foundation has used this date to make an offensive case, claiming legal access to abortion shackles blacks in modern chains.

Through statements such as “The 13th Amendment Freed Us. Abortion Enslaves Us,” and “Abortion Makes Three Fifths Human Seem Overly Generous,” the Radiance Foundation has co-opted the suffering African-Americans have endured to promote its pro-life agenda. Their justification? “Roe v. Wade has made a mockery of Civil Rights history by offering destruction and bondage instead of possibility and freedom,” according to their press release. But black leaders are balking at this simplistic line of reasoning.

Rep. Barbara Lee issued a statement blasting what she called “race-based billboards that… stigmatize women of color and perpetuate myths about parenting skills.” Yet some people agree that abortion is disproportionately killing children of color as part of a larger conspiracy to keep the number of African-Americans from growing. Leftist news site Think Progress reports:

Like other similar campaigns, the new slavery billboard is based on the conspiracy theory that abortion is actually a secret plot by groups like Planned Parenthood to execute “Black Genocide,” since the African American community has a higher rate of abortions than whites. In reality, as the Guttmacher Institute notes, the higher abortion rate reflects a greater prevalence of unintended pregnancies resulting from, among other factors, a lack of access to effective contraception. This problems, ironically, is exactly what groups like Planned Parenthood actively seek to solve.

But this theory, nonetheless, has some some powerful believers. Rep. Trent Franks (R-AZ) said last year that African Americans were better off under slavery than they are now, because abortion was illegal then. Franks also has a bill to criminalize race- or sex-based abortions. GOP presidential candidate Herman Cain actually served as a spokesman for a group pushing the black genocide theory, cutting a radio ad that accused Democrats of wanting to kill “black babies.”

Regardless of whether such a conspiracy could be true, the fact that abortion is a choice renders such an implausible secret plan ineffective. It is precisely because women have the right to an abortion, or to carry a child to term, that they maintain power over their lives. And power is freedom. The Radiance Foundation and other anti-choice groups who want to seize this freedom by reducing women’s options in life are actually trying to recreate slavery by making women submit to dogma. This is a bondage to which African-American women will never return.

The CBC opposed the House Financial Services Bill by demanding more money verses not voting for it at all. As a result they obtained $4 billion in concessions and African-Americans still ripped them. The CBS continues to come under attack because when they criticize Pres. Obama, their constituents get upset, but the CBC is fighting for jobs.

America, as a nearly 20-year professional journalist, it is with the utmost sadness that I offer to you a heartfelt and sincere apology for my industry’s creation and spectacle of the individual we all know — some love and others despise — as Donald John Trump Sr.

For the last two decades, my beloved media industry has chronicled every crazy antic, sadistic statement, business announcement, marriage, divorce, birth announcement and the selling of multiple products. It’s as if our livelihood depends on showering gobs of ink and airtime on “The Trump.”

We have afforded him the kind of respect normally reserved for people who have truly made a major difference in this world. Instead, the builder of gaudy buildings — replete with the kind of extravagance that would make a Saudi oil titan blush — has demanded that he be referred to as Mr. Trump. When he walks into a room, head turns, women faint and men quickly realize they are mere mortals compared to the indomitable Mr. Donald Trump. He is truly the most interesting man in the world (tongue planted firmly in cheek).

Yet with his flirtation with running for the Republican nomination for president of the United States, we have finally pulled the curtain back from this Wizard of the Weird. And what has been revealed is a man so obsessed with the sound of his voice that even when he lies, he pretends that it is the absolute truth.

Fact? What fact? I will just dismiss that with the wave of the hand or just refer to the press as Obama lovers to settle that.

With his rampant lying about President Barack Obama’s birth certificate, Trump dominated the airwaves, pushing aside any discussions about real issues of the day. With breathless promos, respected TV networks and their anchors, correspondents and reporters actually held interviews with Trump, seemingly giving him the benefit of the doubt as he continued to advance his lies.

Instead of starting every interview with the most important question, “Donald, why do you keep lying?” we fell for the okey doke as if his joining of the birther movement somehow gave their wild, outlandish and untruthful view a dose of credibility.

Magazines, newspapers and online sources also got in on the act by running a number of stories, taking his pronouncements of running for the presidency seriously and even commissioning polls that showed Republican voters held him in high regard. All based on the hyping of a lie?

All of this created a firestorm of media attention, which all culminated in the coverage of President Obama’s news conference actually releasing his long-form birth certificate.

In addition, on that day, what did we see? A split screen of President Obama and “The Trump,” who was beaming like a proud hunter who bagged his prey.

Folks, the lavish attention paid to Trump — not only over the last few months but also over the last two decades — has been pathetic and morbidly obese. And no one in the media wants to own up to the reason why respected journalists actually would ask Trump about his opinion on domestic policy and world affairs. Trump is an attention grabber and a ratings magnet. Or as Robert Traynham, host of Comcast’s “Roll Call TV,” said on my TV One show, “Washington Watch,” on Sunday: “He makes good copy.”

Folks, therein is the real issue. Ask any real journalist and he or she will laugh at the crazy things that Donald Trump says. They will admit that his only knowledge about foreign policy is the Miss Universe pageant, but because viewers and readers love to rubberneck at the scene of an accident, it is great to see the potential train wreck when he opens his mouth.

I have had producers tell me their show ratings go up when he’s on. Forget the fact that what he says is a joke, news operations nationwide have allowed themselves to be pimped into running his outlandish comments. None of the major news organizations in this country is immune from doing this. NONE.

So, why should any journalist be shocked that Trump would be so callous and ridiculous in joining the birther crowd? He knew we would eat it up, giving him tons of airtime to spew his garbage. But like crack addicts in need of a fix, Trump is willing to supply us that hit so we can achieve that high, no matter how devastating it is to our system.

The destruction he left in his wake didn’t matter. As long as got what we wanted — more ratings, newsstand sales and record page views — and he got the attention that he desired, everyone was happy.

America, for this, I am sorry. I am sorry that my media brothers and sisters failed in being honest with you. I’m sorry that even as we patted ourselves on the back for our tough interviews with him on the birther issue, it does not negate the many times that respected journalists actually interviewed the gossip page mainstay about serious matters.

We fed the beast for years, and none of us should be shocked to see the beast go on a rampage. Again, America, I’m sorry.

Let’s just hope that respectable news organizations will remember the last couple of months and leave Donald Trump and those like him in the celebrity news trash bin.

Roland S. Martin is an award-winning CNN analyst and the author of the book “The First: President Barack Obama’s Road to the White House as originally reported by Roland S. Martin.” Please visit his website at www.RolandSMartin.com. To find out more about Roland S. Martin and read his past columns, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.

Alvin Brown joins Roland Martin on the Tom Joyner Morning Show. Brown, who is running for mayor in Jacksonville, FL detailed that early voting has begun, they are doing well in the polls but voter turn out is low. He also expressed the importance of African-Americans getting to the polls.

If Brown is elected he will be the first Democrat to hold the mayor’s office in twenty years and the first African-American to be mayor elected of the city.

For more information visit http://www.alvinformayor.com/.

LISTEN:

Roland Martin has strong words for African-American voters in Chicago, IL.

Roland Martin appears on JKUSA with Erick Erickson, Dana Bash and host John King to discuss Sen. Jim Webb decision not to run for office in 2012 plus the Tea Party’s desire to obtain the vacant seat.

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Roland Martin appears on AC360 with Dana Loesch, David Gergen and host Anderson Cooper to analyze the political rhetoric being used in America today and what effect is it having on civil discourse.

WATCH:

Roland Martin talks with Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr. about the reading of the Constitution during yesterday’s session of Congress. For the first time in history, the 112th Congresses began with the reading of the United States Constitution.

Roland Martin talks with the new Chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, Congressman Emanuel Cleaver.

Congressman Cleaver explained that the CBCs first order of business is to pull together top African-American economist from around the nation to discuss the deficit commissions recommendations as it relates to African-Americans and poor people.

Congressman Cleaver also told Roland that the CBC is going to sit down with Speaker Boehner and Republican leadership in a private meeting. Cleaver expressed that on issues where there are “opportunities for agreement,” the CBC is willing to work with Republicans.

Republicans cannot stand when people call them “racist” or being “bigoted,” but as long as people like Cong. Steve King of Iowa are in their party, it will continue. This week, we saw Cong. King stand on the floor of the House of Representatives and talk about a very, very, very urban Sen. Barack Obama sponsoring a bill to provide relief for Black farmers. He even tried to say, well, he was running for President. He then went on to claim that slavery reparations is the reason behind the settlement to Black farmers. Not discrimination. Not clear, concise, documented discrimination, as you heard on this show earlier; but, no, he calls it “reparations.”

We are sick and tired of people like Cong. Steve King who want to play the race card for their own benefit. People say, “Oh, no. He’s not bigoted. He’s not a racist.” Roland Martin says, “Cong. King, stop using racial language, and we will not call you a bigot.”

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