RSS

Jamelle Bouie

Jamelle Bouie is a staff writer at The American Prospect.

Recent Articles

Rick Barber: Too Crazy for Alabama.

Jamelle BouieJul 14, 2010

Alabama congressional candidate Rick Barber first entered the national spotlight last month, after releasing an ad called "Gather Your Armies," which included a fantasy conversation with the Founding Fathers and an explicit call for violent revolt. A few weeks later, he went viral with a second ad that featured, among other things, a zombified Abraham Lincoln, slavery, and the Holocaust:

Too Many Vacancies.

Jamelle BouieJul 13, 2010

Taegan Goddard flags a piece in the Philadelphia Inquirer noting that, of President Obama's 73 appointments to the federal bench, the vast majority have been women and minorities. To be more precise, nearly half have been women, 25 percent have been African American, 11 percent Asian American, and 10 percent Hispanic. Only 30 percent of Obama's appointees have been white men, compared with two-thirds for George W. Bush.

GOP Likely to Win on the State-Level Too.

Jamelle BouieJul 13, 2010

Generally speaking, gubernatorial races tend to slip under the radar, and this year isn't any different. Thirty-seven states are holding gubernatorial races this fall, and with the exception of California and Texas, they've mostly gone unremarked on by mainstream outlets. That's a shame: Not only do governors have a tremendous impact on the policies that directly affect most Americans, but governorships are often proving grounds for more ambitious politicians. Four of the last six presidents came from state houses, and 12 former governors now reside in the Senate.

Preparing for a Scandal-Happy 112th Congress.

Jamelle BouieJul 12, 2010

One of the strangest things about the current political moment is the fact that conservatives are actually quite amenable to the idea of impeaching President Obama. It's not clear what "high crimes and misdemeanors" they had in mind, but as of last December, a whopping 35 percent of Republicans supported impeachment, and I wouldn't be shocked if those numbers were now higher given Obama's incredibly low stature with conservatives. I'm not sure if there are any congressional Republicans interested in impeaching Obama, but there are plenty interested in chasing as many scandals as possible.

Cancel the August Recess, Harry Reid.

Jamelle BouieJul 12, 2010

As The Washington Post's Shailagh Murray reports, Senate Democrats are grasping for time as they attempt to close out the rest of their agenda. Among many other things, Democrats still need to extend unemployment benefits, pass financial reform, bring Elena Kagan to the Supreme Court, and confirm dozens of pending executive branch nominees. Of course, through all of this, Democrats will have to contend with a hyper-obstructionist Republican minority. Indeed, insofar that floor time is a precious commodity for Senate Democrats, it's because GOP senators have used filibusters to hugely delay the legislative process.

Pages