Back in April, I asked rhetorically why Florida Senate candidate Kendrick Meek had earned so little respect from analysts and pundits. I was thinking mostly of the one-on-one general election contest then looming between Democrat Meek and likely Republican nominee Marco Rubio.

That was then. Within a few weeks, Republican Governor Charlie Crist launched his independent Senate candidacy and shortly after that, billionaire real estate investor Jeff Greene jumped into the Democratic primary. Since then, Greene has pumped at least $8 million of his own funds into television advertising and has rapidly gained support in public polls. By late June, the Cook Political Report (gated) was reporting that unnamed “Democratic strategists are beginning to come to terms with the idea that Greene may well win the primary.”

The three most recent public polls now show everything from a ten-point Greene lead (Quinnipiac University) to a narrow but not quite statistically significant four-point Meek advantage (Mason-Dixon). A third poll, conducted last week for the Meek campaign, shows Meek (at 36%) in a “statistical dead heat” against Greene (35%). “That Meek’s campaign is releasing a poll showing him essentially running even with Greene,” the Washington Post‘s Chris Cillizza concluded last week, is a testament to the dire straits that the Democratic congressman has found himself in.”

Click here to read more at The Huff Post

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Black Politicians Still Struggle After Obama’s Election

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Teola Sanders has supported Mayor Ronald V. Dellums of Oakland for over 40 years.

That includes Mr. Dellums’s 13 victorious Congressional campaigns and the race four years ago, when a coalition of Oakland residents, including Ms. Sanders, a prominent black activist, persuaded him to give up a lucrative Washington lobbying practice to run for mayor.

But Ms. Sanders said her support had run its course.

“He should not ever run again,” she said. “Oakland needs a stronger mayor. He doesn’t do his job.”

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Black Republican Politician Defends The Tea Party and Calls NAACP

Black Politicians Still Struggle After Obama’s Election 

One year ago today, on November 4, 2008, Barack Obama was elected President of the United States. While his victory was undoubtedly a momentous and historic event for the entire nation, Black people took particular pride in this singularly visible symbol of racial progress.

In recognition of the anniversary of Obama’s election, NewsOne invites you to both relive the excitement and consider its meaning. Take a look at our coverage from last November – links are below – and tell us in the comments: A year after Obama was elected, what do you think this historic moment really meant for our community?

A NEW AMERICAN FAMILY…

DEMOCRATS TAKE BOTH HOUSES OF CONGRESS

FINAL ELECTORAL TALLY: 364-174

OBAMA ACCEPTANCE SPEECH

MCCAIN CONCEDES, HIS SUPPORTERS JEER OBAMA

ANALYSIS: A NATION CHANGED, A NATION UNCHANGED

JESSE JACKSON WITH TEARS IN HIS EYES…

OBAMA WINS FORMER “RED” STATES: NEVADA, VIRGINIA, INDIANA

GALLERIES:

AFRICAN-AMERICAN FIRSTS, BEST OF BARACK, BEST OF MICHELLE

OPINION:

PATEL: A New Dawn Breaks

WEILER: Obama Victorious, McCain Gracious

KITWANA: Election Reflections From Great Minds

BLACKPLANET BLOGGERS: Astounding Black Youth Turnout

RICKETTS: Are We Ready For a Black President?

The city council in the nation’s capital voted Tuesday to recognize same-sex marriages from states that approve them, a step that could propel the emotional issue into Congress and draw Democrats into a culture-wars battle with each other.

Former Washington Mayor Marion Barry cast the lone council vote against recognizing same-sex marriages. He called it an “agonizing and difficult decision” that he made after praying and consulting with his constituents and the religious community.

President Barack Obama and Democratic leaders responded to the 12-1 vote by the District of Columbia Council with near silence — hoping to avoid aggravating Democratic factions already at odds over that issue and more.

Republicans, usually willing to exploit differences between Democrats, also barely reacted to the council’s gay-marriage decision. GOP leaders and their aides, asked whether anyone will try to use the decision as a wedge issue, said they were preoccupied by matters such as the economic downturn and swine flu.

But they have time.

The city council vote is considered the first step toward eventually allowing gay marriages to be performed in Washington. Congress, which has final say over the city’s laws, has 30 days to review the bill, assuming Democratic Mayor Adrian Fenty, a supporter, signs it.

If Congress takes no action, the bill will become law automatically.

The White House declined to comment on the council’s vote, repeating Obama’s general support for civil unions and belief that marriage is between a man and a woman.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said through a spokesman that Congress should not interfere in the D.C. government decision.

Pelosi already has one vexing D.C. issue on her plate: giving its residents a voting seat in the House. The U.S. Senate has voted to do that, but only as part of a measure abolishing most of the city’s gun control statutes. Pelosi has been reluctant to bring the district voter rights issue to a showdown vote between gun control advocates in her party and moderates concerned by the political power of the National Rifle Association.

Democratic Rep. Barney Frank of Massachusetts, who is gay, said he expects congressional opponents of gay marriage to rally to repeal the city’s decision but doubts they’ll get very far.

“For this to be overturned, it’d have to pass both houses and be signed by the president, and that’s highly unlikely,” Frank said.

Vermont, Connecticut, Massachusetts and Iowa allow gay marriage and lawmakers in several other states are considering whether to do the same. The Maine House approved a same-sex marriage bill Tuesday and sent it back to the state Senate, where it is expected to be taken up Wednesday.

New York recognizes gay marriages performed in other states.

Gay-marriage supporters greeted the vote with applause, but they were outnumbered at city hall by outraged opponents, including many black ministers.

The majority-black district is overwhelmingly Democratic, but public support for gay marriage is unclear. Exit polls in California indicated about seven in 10 black voters there weighed in against gay marriage in a November vote.

The Rev. Anthony Evans, a pastor at Mount Zion Baptist Church in Washington, said he would work to have the measure killed in Congress — and to unseat every D.C. Council member who voted for it.

“They just kissed their political careers goodbye,” he said.

Gay marriage supporters gathered outside the council hearing room included Ed Grandis, a lawyer who lives in the city with his husband, J.D. Campos. The pair married in California last year during the time same-sex marriage was legal there, and they hope to have their marriage recognized in D.C.

“We don’t have any interest in making their religious institution recognize our marriage or our relationship,” Grandis said. Instead, Grandis said, it’s about the government recognizing the couple’s civil rights.

The district already recognizes domestic partnerships, but gay marriage supporters say that’s not enough.

“It’s an equality issue,” said Sara Mindel, who has been with her partner for nine years and has a 10-month-old son. “In my mind, marriage, although it’s a wonderful religious ceremony, ultimately gives you so many important states’ rights and legal rights.”

The people of District of Columbia would get the vote in Congress the Founding Fathers denied them under legislation the Senate has approved.

The Senate legislation would give the district a vote in the House of Representatives. The bill offsets what is certain to be a gain for Democrats by adding one seat in Republican-leaning Utah.

The House is to take up the measure next week and is expected to pass it easily. More difficult could be a certain court challenge from opponents who say it is unconstitutional to give a vote to the nation’s capital because it is not a state.

UPDATE: Obama Tells Newsweek: ‘It’ll be fun to see how the story ends’

THE OBAMAS VOTE

Barack and Michelle Obama voted today in Chicago. They took their daughter Malia with them. Sounds like a new trend, take your daughter to vote today.

Watch Barack and Michelle Vote After the Jump

The Virginia chapter of National Association for the Advancement of Colored People’s will return to federal court on Monday afternoon to argue the state is inadequately prepared to handle an enormous voter surge expected Tuesday.

State Republicans plan to oppose the NAACP’s request on grounds that altering voting procedures on the eve of the election would be disruptive and could unfairly disadvantage their candidates.

Record turnout is expected as Democrat Barack Obama tries to win 13 electoral votes in state that has backed Republican presidential candidates since 1968. Obama would be the nation’s first black president if elected.

The NAACP alleged the state failed to provide enough voting machines to handle the crowds, particularly in majority black precincts. The lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Richmond asked for paper ballots to be provided as one option if lines got too long.

More than 436,000 new voters registered since Jan. 1, a 10 percent increase that pushed voter rolls past 5 million for the first time in Virginia, a state of 7.7 million residents. Much of the increase results from the Obama campaign’s aggressive registration drive.

At the close of the first fiercely contested presidential race in Virginia in generations, several polls show Obama slightly ahead.

The NAACP had withdrawn its request for a hearing on Thursday after receiving new information from state officials about the placement of election day resources. At the time, NAACP officials said a new hearing before the election was unlikely.

But after assessing the updated information, the NAACP concluded preparations were still insufficient and on Friday requested a new hearing.

“We went back and looked at the numbers, and it’s still the same old bad news. We’re still seeing disparities between black and white precincts,” said Ben Jealous, national NAACP president.

A spokeswoman for Gov. Timothy M. Kaine, a Democrat and Obama ally, said the administration was surprised to see the lawsuit renewed. She said state law gives the governor no authority to extend poll hours.

“We feel confident that we’ll be prepared,” spokeswoman Delacey Skinner said. “I think that voters who are going to the polls on election day should go early and be prepared for the line, but we’re not anticipating any kind of major problems.”

Several Virginia Republicans have filed to intervene in the lawsuit, arguing that last-second changes at selected precincts the NAACP seeks could give the Democrats an unfair advantage.

Cleta Mitchell, attorney for the Republican Party of Virginia, said the GOP particularly opposes a longer voting day and paper ballots at select polling places.

“You just can’t have a situation 24 hours before the election where you go to court and start rewriting state law,” she said.

Robert D. Holsworth, a professor of government and political science at Virginia Commonwealth University, said some of the steps the NAACP suit seeks, such as extending the poll closing time from 7 p.m. Tuesday to 9 p.m., might be possible on short notice. But an overnight shuffle of voting machines, he said, would be extremely difficult at best.

“The enthusiasm and interest in this election – that in itself has introduced the potential for chaos and confusion,” Holsworth said. “The substantial reallocation of resources at the last minute adds one more element of uncertainty.”

Jay-Z has continued his transformation into a respectable citizen and icon and continued his support for Barack Obama. He recently shot a PSA informing voters in Michigan of their rights and the process of voting if you don’t have an ID.

Watch the Video After the Jump