Tavis Smiley is one of the most prominent journalists in America, and one of the most accomplished African-American journalists and commentators there has ever been. Smiley was the first African-American to host national shows on NPR as well as PBS. For years, he was the host of BET tonight, the winner of many NAACP Image Awards, and more recently he launched KBLA in Los Angeles, the only black owned political talk radio network west of the Mississippi River.
This was a sweeping conversation about what it is to be black in America that sees host John Wood Jr. and Tavis trading perspectives on many things including black conservatism and black liberalism, racial assimilation and black identity, race versus class, the work of William Julius Wilson, Bob Woodson and more.
In terms of money flowing through the campaign-finance system, political action committees (PACs) are three times more active than candidates running for reelection or office. That is concentrated political power that leaves many congressional candidates running for reelection or office dependent on PAC support.
