Here are some of the people writing about some of the stuff I wish I had time to write about, for February 15th through February 22nd:

• Is it ever OK for white people to say the N-word? – Salon.com – In a white person’s mouth, the word has always been the nuclear option of slurs – the one phrase guaranteed to earn you an ass kicking from any black person who hears it in modern times, whether they’re 8 years old or 80 years young.

  From a black person, it could be the worst insult or an expression of high praise from a low place; the kind of affirmation that might not be used in front of your mom, but one that meant a lot coming from the right person in the street.

• Daily Kos: Three quarters of Americans are not Republicans – Now just 22% of Americans, nearly a record low, consider themselves Republicans.
• The Day in Gun Violence – NYTimes.com – Plenty of guns were fired today but most of the victims appear to have survived; I guess that’s what counts for a good day. Here is our roundup of gun violence.
• Not all Dems are Elizabeth Warren – Salon.com – Despite its success in recent elections, and despite the image of unity it projects, the Democratic Party is in the throes of an epic identity crisis pitting its corporate money against its stated principles. The recent actions of two of the party’s rising stars — Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren — tell the deeper tale of that crisis. It is a microcosmic story, suggesting that the 2016 election may be a decisive turning point in the party’s history.
• Gay Republican groups shut out of CPAC again – Salon.com – GOProud and the Log Cabin Republicans told the Huffington Post that they will not be attending the Conservative Political Action Conference, which is put together by the American Conservatives Union, for the second year in a row. ”We were kicked out last year and nothing has changed and we wont be at CPAC,” said GOProud’s Jimmy LaSalvia. “The last communication I’ve had from them is that we were kicked out. Nothing has changed.”
• Mormon Boy Scout gives ultimatum on gays – Salon.com – Max S., a 15-year old LDS member and soon-to-be Eagle Scout, says anti-gay policy is "discriminatory"
• Southern poverty pimps – Salon.com – The “original sin” of the Southern political class is cheap, powerless labor
• Obama’s Appeal for Gun Vote Is Emotional High Point of State of Union Speech – The Daily Beast – The president enlisted victims and survivors of tragedies like Newtown and Aurora to put a human face on his powerful and effective appeal for action on gun violence, says Eleanor Clift.
• The Voters Marco Rubio Ignored in His State of the Union Response – The Daily Beast – Republicans have long failed to acknowledge the injustice faced by blacks, gays, and Latinos—which is what Marco Rubio did in his response to the president’s speech, says Peter Beinart.
• Obama Pivots Left on Economy in State of the Union Speech – The Daily Beast – The president pivoted from deficit reduction to increasing demand—with a surprising call for a higher minimum wage.