Has President Barack Obama caught Biden-disease? Does he have foot in mouth syndrome?
Wednesday night, during a press conference on health care reform, the president fielded one last question where he was asked about the arrest of his friend, Harvard Professor Henry Gates, Jr. President Obama told reporters that he didn’t know all the facts. But he said, “the Cambridge police acted stupidly in arresting somebody when there was already proof that they were in their own home.”
Those words brought about great public debate, especially after the country focused on what actually had happened during this altercation. According to CNN:
Crowley wrote in the Cambridge police report that Gates refused to step outside to speak with him, and when Crowley told Gates that he was investigating a possible break-in, Gates opened the front door and exclaimed, “Why, because I’m a black man in America?”
The report said Gates initially refused to show the officer identification, but eventually produced a Harvard identification card, prompting Crowley to radio for Harvard University Police.
“While I was led to believe that Gates was lawfully in the residence, I was quite surprised and confused with the behavior he exhibited toward me,” Crowley said, according to the report.
Gates was arrested for “loud and tumultuous behavior in a public space” and was released from police custody after spending four hours at the police station.
Officer Jim Crowley also said references were made about his mother. He has refused to apololgize. He says he followed protocol and that he is not a racist. Crowley enters the fray with some very impressive credentials, especially in the field of racial profiling. He has taught a course on the subject for several years.
Here is President Obama’s response:
Did he go far enough? Did President Obama equivocate? Should he apololgize? Was this incident reflective of more serious problems?
“This incident reminded ME of the Duke Lacrosse players due to a rush to judgement and the underlying influence of race in both cases”
Me too …
Again I submit that it appears that Gates exhibited the most irrational behavior (Crowley’s behavior was done right in front of his black partner). The “teachable moment” probably should include him coming to terms with his personal race-fueled demons, and Obama admitting that he unfairly linked a particular case to his talking points about arce which he apparently feels beholden to interject into the conversation.
Rick, my only issue with linking this story to the Duke Lacross story is that it should have never been about race. Rape yes, race no. It was a very teachable moment as far as rape and rape victims go. When women cry rape falsely, it sets all the thousands of rape victims past, present and future back about..oh a million years. Those players were certainly victims in this case. Probably the stain of this case will follow them for the rest of their lives.
As for the big mouths who tried to turn it into a racial issue, shame on them and a pox on their house. They sicken me.
Gates-gate is about something altogether different. ‘Race-fueled demons’ might be an interesting starting point. I only have limited knowledge of the man’s work, not of his demons and bio.
“President Obama (in his speech on race last fall) warned that
for America to move forward both blacks and whites need to listen
to each other’s narratives, and stop reflexively dismissing
them as paranoia or simple prejudice.”
(Judith Warner – NYT 7-26-2009)
-Too bad the President didn’t follow his own advice.
I don’t mean to suggest that Gates necessarily has “demons”, but I think that his problems were more to do with what goes on in his own head than with anything the officer did or said.
And resent being told that this is a “learning” opportunity for whites, when Gates acted irrationally based on race, as did Obama.
The officer didn’t get to walk around with a badge on his chest that said “I taught the class on racial profiling”, so it was presumed that he has hostility towards black men. I really doubt that he behaved badly in front of his black partner. Gates acted “stupid” because of his own issues with race over time. And Obama was eager to lecture white America, at the expense of smearing the Cambridge police.
I can’t disagree with either of you. However, don’t want to indict anyone, I am just disappointed. I thought most of us had come further than that, as educated people.
http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/07/27/gates.arrest/index.html
so it gets even more complicated…apparently, the lady who made the call is disputingelements of the police report that refer to her statements and interaction with Crowley.
The real problem that Obama stepped on without thinking first is his own belief system about racial politics in America.
He confirmed what many others are increasingly upset about, that people will take a law enforcement act that is guided by LAW and turn it into a racial issue as a means of justifying their own racism and anger that they are not getting some special privilige they think they deserve based on what race they belong to. People like GATES and Obama need to “get over” the past and just look at the equality and fairness in the law TODAY!
Minorities are using the politics of race, to get special “waivers” of law that apply to the majority of the population but not to them, because they themselves are racists.
I agree with moon-howler, when you respond to a call about a break-in, a law enforcement officer does not have the luxury of what’s in the mind of the person breaking in. He has to assume worst case scenario until proven otherwise.
In general, when an officer asks you to do something you should do it, because he is attempting to establish fact and minimize conflict, and seperate that from the hundreds of lies people tell in order to evade the law.
If Gates had been confronted by any other policeman of any other race AND if he had not reacted the same exact way (and I believe he would have behaved differently if he were asked the same questions by an officer of any other race), then that bias in his actions would clearly have shown his own form of racial hatred and “racial profiling” of a police officer.
I think that Obama, in the statement he made was also acting from his own racial prejucices to give preference to minorities, that he has not been able to eliminate either, and that is what is making people so angry about this issue. We have a president that in his comments (just like the ones Sonia Sotameyer made, and who infuriated so many people by the content of her belief’s in racial superiority) only cares about the minority issues he sides with and carries around his own racial prejudice baggage from which he drew his hasty, inconsiderate prejudicial answers from in jumping to a hasty racially biased conclusion. He needs to remove race from his vocabulary, and until he doe, discrimmination issues rather than an issue of an individual persona actions will become the norm. Gates or (any person) refusing to follow a law inforcement officer’s instructions should be handcuffed and jailed.
When an officer tells you to get out ot the car and lay on the ground, you get out of the car and lay on the ground. Refusal to do as instructed is a clear and present danger to any officer’s personal control of the situation and ultimately his life. Anyone who does not understand this deserves to be taken to jail, and in extreme cases of refusal to follow instruction designed to contain the situation from escalating in intensity, tazed or even shot.
Just like “racial profiling” was used as a racist tactic to undermine law enforcement of illegal immigration laws and make law enforcement something to negotiate for minority privilige, and not enforce equally on everyone the same, “racial profiling” was used as a lame excuse here.
Obama and Gates showed that support of the concept of “racial” profiling by ANY trained and reasonable law enforcement action is still a tool that progressives and other minority racists use to prevent law enforcement officers from enforcing the law equally on everyone the same.
In my opinion that officer would have treated any person of any race the same way, if they bad-mouthed his decision to “step out of the house” and arrogantly counter that by becoming belligerant.
Handcuff them and take them to jail. If Obama was thinking about his own racial bias, he would not be looking out only for minority interests. He would be equally trying to help the poor low income people in West Virgina as much as the low income people in Chicago. This is where his own racism and minority preference shows and that is why so many people are making this a big issue.
Most people who are fed up with this kind of crap want to stop racism in America, and the only way you can do it is to stop giving preference to hyphenated “name your race” Americans, 8a and protected class concepts and start following a common law that is enforced equally on all Americans, including illegal immigrants regardless of your race. People are sich and tired of racists making assumptions that because you look like “gates” the law enforcement officer needs to assume you are supposed to be treated differently and handled with KID gloves.
I agree with moonhowler and kelly on this one, I do not agree with Gates and Obama, I think they both are representing in their mis-informed and prejudicial comments what is wrong with race and racial group advocacy in America and what is wrong with current “Progressive” beliefs.
If Obama and Gates want to learn a wise lesson from a very wise person (not from people only Sonia Sotamayer thinks are wise, and deserve to be on the Supreme Sourt).
Pay attention to what this young lady says, and learn the solution to the racial problem in America.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDD-6BB2nko&NR=1
I guess everyone’s 15 minutes of fame will be over on Thursday once all the adversaries belly on up to the bar and drink a beer together. Probably the smartest way Obama could have handled it. The only thing that would make this more interesting would be to locate an old case of Billy Beer. I hope they invite Biden just in case they need someone to put their foot in their mouth…even worse.
So how did the beer summit go?
Glad they took my advice and invited Joe Biden.