Politics

Johns Hopkins neurosurgeon Dr. Ben Carson will speak at a prominent conservative political rally next month, alongside the likes of former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and former vice presidential nominee Rep. Paul Ryan, the American Conservative Union said Wednesday. Carson "represents the optimism and hope of the future of the conservative moment," union Chairman Al Cardenas said in a statement announcing Carson's invitation. Carson will be among more than two dozen speakers at the 40th annual Conservative Political Action Conference, to be held March 14-16 at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in Prince George's County.

The Oscar for best picture was won by "Argo," the true tale of a secret rescue mission in Iran during the Carter administration. It beat out "Lincoln," the story of how black Americans were rescued from slavery. Does this mean Jimmy Carter's stock is on the rise? Nope, but Ben Affleck has certainly become a blue chip player in Hollywood. Politics -- not the Hollywood kind, but the Washington kind -- played a significant role in public perceptions of both films, as well as of a third that was nominated for best picture.

There was a time when the lines between the practices of politics and journalism were clear-cut. Professional politicians did their thing, which was getting elected and getting others elected. Professional journalists did theirs, writing and telling how the politicians did what they did. Seldom did the two meet in public opinion forums Today, political operatives are regular commentators and analysts on radio, television and the Internet, and journalists of all political persuasions run for public office, sometimes getting elected.

A deal struck in Richmond on paying for roads, bridges and mass transit could give Gov. Martin O'Malley some political cover if he decides to move forward in Annapolis with his own version of a transportation revenue bill in the second half of this year's General Assembly session. This weekend, Republican-controlled Virginia's legislature signed off on a conference committee's compromise on a transportation revenue package that includes tax increases as well as tax cuts -- but enough of the former to reach $850 million a year in added revenue.

In 2006, the last time Congress took a serious look at comprehensive immigration reform, hundreds of thousands of immigrants, legal and illegal, marched through the streets of the nation's cities. The resulting media coverage was filled with stories about real people - brown people! - whose lives would be affected by the proposed legislation. It was one of those rare moments when the public could witness the intersection of grass-roots movements, insider political maneuvering and their human consequences.

Dr. Ben Carson says he didn't anticipate the reaction to what he considered his common-sense remarks as keynote speaker this month at the National Prayer Breakfast. But after video went viral of the trailblazing black neurosurgeon taking jabs at Barack Obama's health care overhaul a few feet from the president himself, some want the famed doctor at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore to parlay the attention into a new career: politics. "Here you have this guy who has been a celebrity minority for 30 years coming out and making the conservative case better than a lot of conservatives can," said Jonah Goldberg, editor-at-large for National Review Online.

The 1994 Violence Against Women Act has done tremendous good in stepping up prosecution of domestic violence, aiding victims and increasing awareness of a too-often silent threat to our society. But the act was allowed to lapse in 2011 amid partisan bickering. On Tuesday, the Senate sent a strong signal by voting to reauthorize the law by an overwhelming 78-22 vote, but its survival in the Republican-controlled House of Representatives is, sadly, far from certain. VAWA, as the law is called, aids in the investigation and prosecution of violent crimes against women and allows for civil redress in cases that prosecutors choose to leave unprosecuted.

Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown, widely considered to be eyeing a race for governor in 2014, has hired the Democratic campaign aide credited with turning around John Delaney's successful run for Congress last year. Justin Schall, who served as Delaney's campaign manager and worked as an aide to the congressman as he took office, will join Brown as a senior political advisor. The hire is a clear indication Brown is staffing up his political operation in anticipation of a statewide run. Schall, 39, who previously managed campaigns in New York, Indiana, Pennsylvania and elsewhere, splashed on to the Maryland political scene during last year's Democratic primary race in the 6th Congressional District.

"VEEP," the Baltimore-made political satire starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus, will start its second season April 14, HBO announced Monday. Here is the release from HBO:             The Emmy®-nominated comedy series VEEP kicks off its ten-episode second season SUNDAY, APRIL 14 (10:00-10:30 p.m. ET/PT), exclusively on HBO. Created by Armando Iannucci (Oscar® nominee for co-writing “In the Loop”), the show stars Emmy®-winner Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Selina Meyer, who becomes vice president, only to discover the job is nothing like she expected, but everything she was warned about.

A year ago, Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake announced an ambitious goal to grow Baltimore's population by 10,000 families in a decade. Today, in her State of the City address, she began to lay out her vision for how to make that goal a reality. She is seeking to increase investments in the things that will make city living more attractive and to reduce the costs that make it unaffordable. Her proposals reflect a clear-eyed view of Baltimore's assets and liabilities and a remarkable willingness to take on politically unpopular causes.