Thank you, President Obama.
As a conservative who believes this issue was blown out of all proportion, I am grateful for your secondary comments regarding the arrest of Professor Gates. I must admit, I was hoping for a full apology and retraction, but as Pat Buchanan put it, “It was a goodly slice of humble pie the president ate there, but it was a class act. To ask more would be churlish.”
For those conservatives who continue to attack the president’s comments, and Professor Gates, remember that we have health care, cap-and-tax (I mean, trade), illegal immigration, the Honduran crisis and the Iranian protests, among other issues, with which to attack the president and create our own effective policies. The Gates debacle is over – the police officer (Crowley) has won in both the public eye and legally, and this particular distraction from the major issues is over with. While the issue won’t die as long as a tiny minority of Republicans give the race-baiting Democrats the opportunity to make headlines (or as long as Democrats create such headlines without Republican provocation), let’s handle each issue as it arises (after all, as George Will might say, we DO live in an entitlement society, so these situations will arise again).
For those liberals who blame Crowley, let’s agree he almost certainly overstepped his boundary, assuming Gates identified himself. If Gates didn’t, well, that’s a different issue. The facts are, however, that police everywhere (especially on the Cambridge force, black, white and otherwise) are defending Crowley, and the man’s record shows no racial prejudices to speak of, and in fact show a police officer who is vastly in favor of racial blindness. Instead, can you please support the D.C. school voucher system, where Democrats are trying to prevent 1,700 poor students – most of them minorities – from receiving a quality, low-cost education because the unions don’t like the program’s success?
On both sides, let’s not let this distraction keep us from the issues. President Obama has realized his mistake, as has Professor Gates, and even many of Crowley’s defenders admit he stepped over the line, perhaps because of ego. Either way, the evidence increasingly shows it was likely a case of both parties overstepping certain professional and personal boundaries. Let bygones be bygones, shall we?
7 responses so far
1 midcon // Jul 29, 2009 at 2:22 pm
You mean you want to focus on issues, problem solving, and good governance. Ahh, the optimism of youth! It’s not actually about solving problems though. Oh, there are a few who have that goal. For the most part it’s about power, money, authority, and the desire to reshape one’s world to meet their world view. If a few problems get solved along the way, so much the better. But that is not the objective. Call it a collateral benefit (or damage depending on the topic) if anything actually gets accomplished. Of course after over 30 years in the Federal Government, I am pretty cynical. Still take a look at Maslov’s Hierarchy of Needs and compare most politicians against those needs. Most of them rarely get beyond the lower level needs.
2 sinz54 // Jul 29, 2009 at 4:05 pm
This is politics. And Obama’s “stupidly” gaffe is a great issue.
GOP politicians like McConnell can’t afford to dirty their hands with it. But it’s a great issue for surrogates to keep in front of the public eye. (And YouTube makes that easy; there are hundreds of related video clips, just search for “Obama stupidly”.)
Because it reminds Americans of Reverend Wright. And Al Sharpton. And Louis Farrakhan. And if Obama can be defined as being in that camp, he’ll never get out of it again.
3 franco 2 // Jul 29, 2009 at 4:07 pm
Y’all are so kind here at NM! Let bygones be bygones. Obama made a huge mistake weighing in on this and it also served to reveal why he may be addicted to the teleprompter. The statement he made had he done so before November would have cost him the election ” I don’t know the facts but the cop acted stupidly” is on it’s own a contradiction that a President or Senator or Judge should never think, much less say aloud.
It is a big story too because it really is about elite vs. regular guy masquerading as a racial issue. Personally I am getting tired of the elites acting this way, and it becomes worse when elites like Obama and Gates celebrate their status as elites and playing the race card whenever it is convenient.
4 Bulldoglover100 // Jul 29, 2009 at 4:58 pm
Sinz54…….please dont reproduce.
Attempting to use racism as an effective tool against Obama is not going to work. It didn’t work with rev. Wright and it won’t now…that’s actually a sign of insane stupidity… to keep trying the same thing over and over again thinking that this time it is going to work.
Obama is our President and as such? Fight him on the issues, not childish racist finger pointing.
5 Bulldoglover100 // Jul 29, 2009 at 5:01 pm
Frnaco…..the real truth now that the police report is all over the net? Is that Gates gave his name, in his own home, and that wasn’t good enough because the cop already had his dander up. The charges were dropped because they would not hold up in a court of law. Facts are facts but go ahead and contiune to be a laughing stock to educated people.
6 SFTor1 // Jul 31, 2009 at 12:12 am
sinz seems to want to smear and demean the President by putting him in dodgy company.
That is not going to fly.
To Republicans who are unable to see that Obama has been saddled with considerable challenges from a Republican Administration and Congress: wake up. Take some responsibility.
As far as Republicans are concerned who would attempt to divide the country against itself: to hell with them.
7 SFTor1 // Jul 31, 2009 at 12:15 am
One more thing: to arrest a man inside his own home on the flimsiest pretense, only to have the charges immediately dropped, that is called “winning” now?
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