Otis Sanford
Sanford: Blackburn is on Trump’s VP list, but is the conservative stalwart extreme enough?
News outlets continue to lend credence to Donald Trump’s flirtation with seeking a second term in 2024.
Otis Sanford
Columnist
Otis Sanford is professor emeritus of Journalism and Strategic Media at the University of Memphis and political commentator for WATN-TV ABC24 News. Contact him at o.sanford@memphis.edu.
There are 248 articles by Otis Sanford :
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December 2021
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Otis SanfordSanford: Who was Odell Horton? ‘An exceptional man,’ that’s who
Horton was a graduate of Morehouse College in Atlanta and Howard University Law School in Washington. After an illustrious career in Memphis, the federal judiciary would be Horton’s final and most impactful calling.
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Otis SanfordSanford: Political parties should not define us, despite what a respected poll says
For more than a decade, a poll conducted twice a year by the Center for the Study of Democratic Institutions at Vanderbilt has been a reliable barometer of the mood of Tennesseans about the issues affecting the state and the politicians we elect to state and federal offices.
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January 2022
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OpinionSanford: Two infamous assaults on democracy, but only one reasonable response
“It’s easy to draw comparisons between what happened on ‘Bloody Sunday’ at Selma’s Edmund Pettus Bridge in 1965 and the Jan. 6 Capitol attack. ... But there is one major difference between these two infamously historic events.”
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Otis SanfordSanford: With one slap, Sidney Poitier confronted racism for all of us
The iconic actor played roles in the 1950s and 60s that depicted Black men as strong, educated and caring. But also ones willing to stare down racism with a steely-eyed resolve.
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Otis SanfordSanford: Blackburn proves she can be queen of mean
Sen. Marsha Blackburn employed an unmistakably racist dog whistle in casting Andre Mathis as a criminal who cannot be trusted to sit as an appellate court judge.
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Otis SanfordSanford: How to stop reckless driving? Tinkering with current laws may not be answer
“I think more should be done to stop drag racing on city streets and interstates. That includes giving police the freedom to chase dangerous motorists – with the proper safeguards in place, of course, to prevent others from being hurt.”
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Otis SanfordSanford: The time has come for a Black woman on the Supreme Court
Black women have contributed mightily to the growth of this country since its beginning. And it’s high time that one of them represent what should be a more diverse makeup of the nation’s highest court.
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February 2022
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Otis SanfordSanford: Wearing a mask in Shelby County is a matter of black and white
“Every time I step inside FedExForum for a Grizzlies game and make my way through the crowd to my seat, the anecdotal evidence about how people view COVID-19 differently is on clear display,” Sanford says.
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Otis SanfordSanford: Despite state law, accurate teaching of racial history is alive and well
“ ... imagine my delight when I learned this week that Memphis-Shelby County Schools and one of its top schools academically — White Station High — intend to press ahead with an even deeper dive into the accurate history of the African American experience in this country.”
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Otis SanfordSanford: Family Dollar customers deserve better than contaminated products
The expansive discount chain – with seemingly a store on every corner in Memphis — is mired in a financial and public relations nightmare of its own making because it put corporate profits over public safety.
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March 2022
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Otis SanfordSanford: DA should drop politically charged case over fraudulent voting
A local race that already had the makings of an intense battle has gotten more interesting. All because of our polar opposite political views on voting rights. Let’s continue that debate.
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Otis SanfordSanford: Mason should keep its charter, but must welcome financial help
The bottom line is Mason’s elected leaders were right not to surrender the charter. They have a legitimate right to exist as an incorporated town.
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Otis SanfordSanford: From Memphis to Washington, Black women make their mark in the law
Our society’s long-overdue reckoning with racial inequities is not a full-blown offensive to correct 246 years of racial disparities in America. It’s more like baby steps designed to start making our institutions more reflect the makeup of our population.
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OpinionSanford: Back off, Democrats. Strickland plays politics by his own rules
“Despite the grousing and threats of a meaningless censure, Strickland is simply being Strickland. He’s also being pragmatic.”
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April 2022
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Otis SanfordSanford: Bonner’s performance as sheriff transcends partisan politics
“In an ideal world, there should not be a Democratic or Republican way to enforce laws, ensure public safety, oversee our jails and juvenile detention facilities and hire capable deputies and support staff.”
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Otis SanfordSanford: Memphis is better than the deadly violence that steals our joy
There are many ways to define Memphis, but violent crime is the one definition we cannot be willing to accept.
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Otis SanfordSanford: For Democrats, county primary is a free-for-all with little voter interest
The Democratic primary ballot has 55 candidates running in 22 of the 24 races. A dozen races have three or more candidates.
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Otis SanfordSanford: State Republican Party issues are much broader than Niceley’s gaffes
“Welcome to the world of Tennessee Republican politics in 2022, where the long-held belief of party unity is just an illusion.”
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May 2022
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Otis Sanford Sanford: It’s time to end costly, divisive, disinterested county primaries
Turnout for Tuesday’s primary was 10.7%, the lowest for a county primary since 2014.
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Otis SanfordSanford: Republican cold war on county commission threatens party’s relevance
How did this group of Republicans, all of whom profess to being true conservatives, particularly on fiscal issues, get so out of step with one another?
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Otis SanfordSanford: Racial and ethnic diversity is something to embrace, not fear
“The internet is full of screeds and bellowing referencing the fringe theory that white Americans are slowly but surely becoming extinct.”
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Otis SanfordSanford: Time to start paying attention to campaign for Juvenile Court judge
The battles for district attorney and county mayor will get most of the headlines, but the race to determine who oversees judicial proceedings at Juvenile Court is the most important overall to the community.
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June 2022
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Otis SanfordSanford: There was always more to former Sen. Bill Frist than meets the eye
Frist is trying to infuse compassion, reasonableness and a spirit of compromise into Republicans in Congress who, on the issue of gun safety, are seemingly heartless.
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Otis SanfordSanford: 50 years after Watergate, truth and accountability still matter
Like Richard Nixon, Donald Trump is criminally corrupt and unfit to hold office. Sadly, millions of Americans still refuse to believe the truth.
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