TheLoop21.com

By: raechal (follow this member)
Fri, 05/01/2009 - 00:00

For us, the first three months of Barack Obama's presidency have passed quickly, probably because we were so busy writing. We covered everything from how to improve his stimulus plan to his trip to Mexico (which happened just before we all began hearing about swine flu) to how his position on torture is affecting his support from political lefties.

But we've covered the rest of the first family — Sasha and Malia, especially Michelle — a lot more than we expected. We've also taken on political issues that involve race and discrimination and which President Obama has vowed to address.

We'll be watching. (You can get the latest headlines for politics, money, race, entertainment and more by signing up for our RSS feed, following us on Twitter and checking us out on Facebook and Black Planet.)

In the meantime, to mark the first 100 days, here's a list of our most popular stories (and a couple editor's picks) about politics and the Obamas since the inauguration:

How racist extremists are hijacking the GOP
By Devona Walker

Cultural conservatives are not just welcoming the wing nuts into their camp, they are making obvious overtures to mobilize them. They are intentionally alienating moderate Republicans. And they are shamelessly regurgitating hateful and dangerous propaganda, most of which originated on the fringe.

What if Michelle Obama were white?
By Crystal P. Smith

Barack Obama won the presidency by a landslide. The answer was clear — yes, America was ready for a black president. But what if Michelle Obama were white and, along with the idea of a black president, we had needed to accept an interracial union?

It’s time to pass hate crime legislation
By Devona Walker

It might surprise many to know that we don’t already have federal legislation in place. Quite frankly, with the rancor and violence on the extreme boiling up to the surface, we cannot afford to put this issue on hold again.

Michelle Obama's role as a 1960s first lady
By Raechal Leone

Our society, including our media, still — still! — doesn't know what to do with a woman we can't easily put into a little box. Be pretty or smart, tough or shy. Pick one thing and stick with it.

Unfortunately for Michelle Obama, a smart, strong woman who graduated from no less than Princeton University and Harvard Law School, her box is fashion icon, at least for now.

No. 7 reason this is not a post-race society: Calling Michelle Obama names
By Devona Walker

It seems Burt Prelutsky, some wretched old ass of a TV critic-turned conservative columnist over at Townhall.com, which is owned by a Christian radio network, called the first lady a bitch.

Even the most naive or disingenuous proponents of this post-racist concept do not believe our society, because it elected a black man as president, is suddenly void of racists. Some folks, like Prelutsky, use post-racism as a shield to spout racism.

The silly debate over Michelle Obama's dress
By Brooklyne Gipson

The first two post-inaugural lessons I learned: No matter how hard the Obamas try, they’re going to leave some people unsatisfied. The Michelle Obama fashion obsession is much larger than it needs to be.

While the fashion world was praising Michelle Obama’s progressive fashion choices — she chose not only minority designers but also decided to dress the girls in J. Crew (how practical!), others chose to ignore that and highlight what she didn’t choose: a black designer.

Are gay rights civil rights?
By Devona Walker

Martin Luther King, Jr. gave the I Have A Dream speech on Aug. 28, 1963.... Within five years, he was dead, assassinated while standing on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tenn., April 4, 1968.

Matthew Shepard was a University of Wyoming college student. On Oct. 6, 1998, he was beaten and tortured. On Oct. 12, he died from the injuries he sustained in that attack. Shepard was gay.

(Both) these men were killed by hate. Denying someone life is the most basic violation of civil rights. And gay folks, just like ethnic minorities, have been fighting this struggle for the majority of their lives.

What Obama's Cuba move means for blacks
By Marvin King

Myopic journalists and cynics on the right insist on framing this issue as solely a matter of Obama trying to win over more voters in Florida. There is so much more to consider, though.

During the revolution, Fidel Castro earned black support, because he promised equal opportunities.... To Castro's credit, since the revolution, in some areas, life has improved for the better for Cuba's black population. There is considerably more racial integration on the island and relationships between the races are more amicable.

However, blacks are severely overrepresented in Cuba's prisons. (Sound familiar?) Despite the prevalence of black doctors, blacks with college degrees are relatively sparse.

And a couple editor's picks:

Obama's challenge to the world
By Michael E. Ross

Continuing the global barnstorm of his first presidential trip abroad, Barack Obama has raised the stakes of both his own presidency and the future of relationships between the United States and the rest of the world. In two addresses in particular, Obama set out nothing less than a new framework for those relationships.

Obama’s dropped the gauntlet of change, not just as a campaign slogan but as a throwdown to the world. What’s yet to be seen, after the applause for his stunning presidential debut on the global stage dies down, is whether the world will pick it up.

Timeline: Coolest moments of Obama's first 100 days
By Brooklyne Gipson

All business aside, there are a lot of perks for a president in his first 100 days in office — getting accustomed to the presidential digs, meeting really cool people for the first time, and getting used to a new, challenging schedule. Our timeline is a roundup of the coolest "firsts" during Barack Obama's first 100 days as president.

Raechal Leone is TheLoop21.com's senior editor. She writes the Inside The Loop blog.