(REAL TIMES MEDIA)—Everyone wants to be the difference maker in Washington, D.C. John McCain made a career out of playing the moderate Republican whose swing vote was up for grabs so long as the other side made a persuasive policy argument. Positioning yourself as the critical vote on national policy issues is a great way to get on “Meet the Press,” increase your stature back home and maybe even launch yourself into the White House. But the health care reform debate has thrown that conventional wisdom out the window. Being the swing vote on health care has been a one-way ticket to political oblivion. The “curse of the 60th vote” has been cast and it just might change Washington for years to come.

(NNPA)—The Supreme Court, in its recent decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, may have complicated the growth of Black elected officials by their 5-4 conservative majority, giving corporations carte blanche authority to directly spend money in elections. By deciding that corporations have First Amendment rights to spend money in elections to voice their preferences, they have been given the right of “persons” in constitutional law. In effect, they now have the same rights to influence elections as individuals, when the differences in power, status and capability is obvious.

The impoverished nation of Haiti recently suffered a devastating earthquake. The damage and death toll mark this as one of the biggest natural disasters in the last century. In a real show of humanity and brotherhood, the world has come forward, offering prayers and monetary support to Haiti. There are a few, however, who have sunk lower than most of us can imagine, making insensitive and inappropriate comments about Haiti at a time when the country needs and deserves our compassion.

Following the death of Sen. Edward Kennedy, Democrats in the Massachusetts state legislature rushed to change a procedural rule thus allowing Democratic Gov. Deval Patrick to replace Kennedy with an interim and Democratic senator. During the 2004 presidential election this same august body had taken that power away from Republican Gov. Mitt Romney fearing he would appoint a Republican should their junior senator, John Kerry, become president. The maneuver displays the arrogance of the left. So significant is their agenda that changing the rules in the middle of the game is justified. Arrogance also leads them to dismiss disgruntled Americans as racists and dimwitted “tea baggers.” It is arrogance of the strongest sort that leads them to believe their policy solutions divinely inspired such that they say openly that Americans will take the medicine of the new left and learn to like it.