Cary Clack

Clack: Kamala Harris is a qualified presidential candidate, not a 'DEI hire'

The clash over President Joe Biden’s fate as the Democratic Party’s nominee — Should he stay, or should he go? — has drowned out questions about the fitness of former President Donald Trump, whose Republican Party stands behind him as the reflection of their values, character and thinking. On Tuesday, Trump held a campaign rally at his Doral golf resort, which reminded us of his humanity, steady temperament and thoughtful policy reflections. Here are a few excerpts with my own observations: “I’m…

Within five minutes of Thursday night’s debate between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump, panic buttons across social media were being pushed by those afraid of a second Trump presidency. The combination of Biden’s hoarseness from a cold and absence of vigor signaled he would appear old and frail — a combination even the 81-year-old’s most ardent supporters knew he could ill afford. PREYOR-JOHNSON: Sound the alarm, this presidential debate was a dumpster fire That and Trump…

A community, by definition, shares. Whether bound by a common space, interest, culture or values, communities are places where gifts are exchanged and everyone is made better in the sharing. Across San Antonio are numerous gift exchange boxes that can be replenished daily and anonymously. The giver and receiver may never cross paths, but an exchange that brings joy to both and enhances their community has been made. These gift exchange boxes are known as Little Free Libraries, the small housel…

The story goes that the legendary Josh Gibson, Major League Baseball’s newly minted career and season batting average leader, once hit a home run in one city only to be called out the next day in a different city when the ball came down. During the 1930s, Gibson was playing for the Negro Leagues’ Pittsburgh Crawfords when he hit a ball out of Forbes Field that no one saw land, so it was ruled a home run. The next day, while the Crawfords were playing in Philadelphia against the Stars, a ball fel…

The Texas Constitution confers the lieutenant governor significant power, including setting the Senate’s legislative agenda, deciding questions of parliamentary procedure, establishing committees, and appointing committee chairs and members. The Texas Constitution doesn’t grant the lieutenant governor the power of omniscience. Nor does the Texas Constitution grant the lieutenant governor the authority to judge the sufficiency of anyone’s faith. Yet those are powers Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has besto…

As speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, Mike Johnson is a man with considerable power. He came into that power last October after 95 other Republicans failed to win the required number of votes. We know that number intuitively, which doesn’t mean the number is accurate. In fact, it’s not accurate, but since it feels like it should be, I’m sticking with it. On Wednesday, Johnson gathered in front of the U.S. Capitol with like-minded Republicans who agree on one of our nation’s greatest…

In their younger days, the gray-haired men now sitting on chairs in the air-conditioned Davis-Scott YMCA gym wouldn’t have let an April Sunday afternoon such as this sunny and humid one be spent indoors. Instead, they’d be on the baseball field down the hill, Pittman Sullivan Park, playing one game, maybe even two games, before heading home for the evening. But because they are now gray-haired men with stiffer limbs and steps less spry, they’re talking about those long-ago games played in parks…

In February 2023, District 3 City Council Member Phyllis Viagran began feeling a constant pain in her stomach. Having just turned 50, she thought, “Is this what menopause is like?” But as 2023 progressed, so did her pain, and she knew something was wrong. She had an endoscopy and a colonoscopy, but doctors could not find the issue, she said during a recent interview. By Thanksgiving, the pain had worsened. By the end of January, the pain was so “unbearable” her primary physician ordered a scan t…

When Walter Payton died from cancer in 1999 at the age of 46, the first sentence in all the newspaper obituaries heralded what he was most famous for: the prowess that made him, at the time, the leading rusher in NFL history. Had O.J. Simpson died from cancer at 46 on April 10, 1994, the first sentence in all his newspaper obituaries would have heralded not only his accomplishments as one of the most electrifying running backs of all-time but also his success as a pitchman, broadcaster and act…