President Obama's "Stupidly" Remarks In Context

[jefferson_dem]

Absolutely reasonable and non-controversial.

Now, I don’t know, not having been there and not seeing all the facts, what role race played in that, but I think it’s fair to say, number one, any of us would be pretty angry; number two, that the Cambridge Police acted stupidly in arresting somebody when there was already proof that they were in their own home; and number three, what I think we know separate and apart from this incident is that there is a long history in this country of African Americans and Latinos being stopped by law enforcement disproportionately. That’s just a fact...

http://newsblogs.chicagotribune.com/race/2009/07/obama-talks-about-gates-and-a-legacy-of-racial-profiling-/comments/page/3/

[cleveramerican]

1. Commander in chief refusing to stand by a first-responder is most certainly controversial

and the proof is in today's reaction

Obama threw all cops everywhere under the bus
and he was very wrong to do it

If for no other reason than he changed today's headline off Health Care

[Jennicut]

4. Haven't we already been through this with your other post?

We are such cowards in this country that we can't even have the President talking about it?
And he did not throw all cops under the bus, he mentioned the ones that arrested Gates. Such a Freeper/Rethug response.

[jefferson_dem]

6. Refusing to stand by a "first-responder".

Um... Right.

[SemiCharmedQuark]

7. First responders are always right! Or something.

[cleveramerican]

9. they do deserve the benefit of the doubt

everybody in handcuffs is innocent
just ask them

[SemiCharmedQuark]

10. Except they dropped the charges and apologized.

[Cha]

11. Now you're just being boring.

<snip>>Editorial from Mark Karlin/buzzflash

..."But his tone quickly turned serious.

"I think it's fair to say, number one, any of us would be pretty angry; number two, that the Cambridge police acted stupidly in arresting somebody when there was already proof that they were in their own home; and, number three, what I think we know separate and apart from this incident is that there's a long history in this country of African-Americans and Latinos being stopped by law enforcement disproportionately. That's just a fact," Obama said.

Obama went on to note the incident doesn't lessen "the incredible progress that has been made" in race relations and cited his presidency as an example. But he added a long history of African-Americans and Hispanics being stopped in disproportionate numbers by police "still haunts us."

"Even when there are honest misunderstandings, the fact that blacks and Hispanics are picked up more frequently and often time for no cause casts suspicion even when there is good cause," Obama said. "And that's why I think the more that we're working with local law enforcement to improve policing techniques so that we're eliminating potential bias, the safer everybody is going to be."
<much More>>>
http://blog.buzzflash.com/node/9055

[BklnDem75]

12. Yeah! Guilty until proven innocent!

Even after the charges are dropped by the police!

[BlooInBloo]

2. Black man criticizing white man on racism issue = controversial...

Welcome to America.

[jefferson_dem]

3. But my point is that he never really addressed the racial element of this particular case.

In fact, he prefaced his reference to race with "what I think we know separate and apart from this incident ..."

The "stupid" characterization was regarding the fact that this dude was arrested for breaking into his own home.

[BlooInBloo]

5. hahaha!

[Cha]

14. You gotta read post #11..

buzzflash's Mark Karlin's editorial on this..priceless.

[jefferson_dem]

16. I would like to check that out.

Do you have a link handY?

[Cha]

17. I left the link on eleven..

:) but, here is again..just for you.

http://blog.buzzflash.com/node/9055

[countingbluecars]

8. What is this "context" of which you speak?

Seriously, the context does matter-at least it used to. The media has become one big rag sheet.

[jefferson_dem]

13. Sorry, I should have been more clear in the OP.

Please see my post #3 above.

[countingbluecars]

15. You were clear,

but I don't think I was. I was meaning to say that just about everything Obama says is taken out of context and twisted. It has become all too common and many people fall for it.