Unintended Truths

[alexandraerin]

So, commentator Glenn Beck has said, in response to President Obama's comments about Profesosr Gates's arrest, that the president has shown "a deep-seated hatred for white people or the white culture".

I'd like to argue with this, but unfortunately I agree. Mr. Beck is exactly right: targeting official suspicion at minorities is part of our culture.

Comments

[alexandraerin.livejournal.com]

What exactly makes you think President Obama is taking interest in a local police matter when the charges have been dropped?

Race relations... institutional racism... police/minority relationships. These are matters of national interest, of national conscience.

[sage-blackthorn.livejournal.com]

That he's invited both the disputants to meet at the White House to reconcile the situation between them, even though the D.A. has dropped the charges against the Professor. This is definetly not standard practice for the President of the United States to involve the White House something of this nature.

According to the reports I have read, the Officer feels he followed standard police procedure and has nothing to appologize for. The Professor apparently feels he has been wronged and demands an apology. The issue then, it whether or not standard police procedure is racist in nature? Or was it violated in dealing with this specific incident. Both of which are matters that should be handled by the Judicial Branch, not the Executive Branch, as they pertain to matters of law and law enforcement.

Yes, I agree that race relations, institutional racism, and police/minority relationships are matters of national interest and conscience. Such matters affect me in my daily life, just like they affect everyone. I simply find this move by the President unusual, and I would not have expected any President to have made such an offer. The state governor, the City Mayor, perhaps, but it strikes me as unusual for the President to get involved in such an incident in any way, as similar incidents happen on a daily basis, and disputes are settled without White House involvement. So why now?

[alexandraerin.livejournal.com]

That he's invited both the disputants to meet at the White House to reconcile the situation between them, even though the D.A. has dropped the charges against the Professor.

You're right, it makes no sense that he would get involved to resolve the legal conflict when it's been dropped.

So we can rightly discard this line of thinking entirely.

as similar incidents happen on a daily basis

You're answering all your own questions.

[sage-blackthorn.livejournal.com]

Please enlighten me, I've only had a couple of hours of sleep at this point and I'm not seeing it. I seem to only have more questions now than answers. I must've missed something.

[stormcaller3801.livejournal.com]

Point one, he's not getting involved to resolve legal issues.

And beyond that, the President's getting involved because this is a national event- as in events like this happen everywhere- and he's symbolically attempting to fix things.

That, and to inject my own thoughts here, I think that to a certain extent he's expected to weigh in on it because he's black (I know, half black- but that's not how most people think of him), and because he did weigh in on it and make a judgment, it became a political football. Republicans can push a narrative of him being inept and saying unwise things, unless he can make both sides at least appear to get along. At which point he scores political points in the 'healing of racism' narrative, and the Republican party heads either drop it entirely or are reduced back to the status-quo of declaring racism over (and thus, anything said or done can't be racist).

Politics, at the national level, as usual. Or at least as usual as anything with this administration. Obama's struck me as a not-normal President on a number of things. Which would be bad, if he doesn't seem to have rational reasons for these aberrations.

[sage-blackthorn.livejournal.com]

Ok, now that makes sense to me. Thank you.

[the-leaking-pen.livejournal.com]

so basically, hes calling a mini summit meeting on race relations. This is the kind of thing presidents are , in my mind, freaking SUPPOSED to do. be mediators on issues of social conscience and national import? Yes please.

[sage-blackthorn.livejournal.com]

A quote from a State Dept. article entitled "The Executive Branch: Powers of the Presidency (http://countrystudies.us/united-states/government-7.htm)"

"Despite these constraints, every president achieves at least some of his legislative goals and prevents by veto the enactment of other laws he believes not to be in the nation's best interests. The president's authority in the conduct of war and peace, including the negotiation of treaties, is substantial. Moreover, the president can use his unique position to articulate ideas and advocate policies, which then have a better chance of entering the public consciousness than those held by his political rivals. President Theodore Roosevelt called this aspect of the presidency "the bully pulpit," for when a president raises an issue, it inevitably becomes subject to public debate. A president's power and influence may be limited, but they are also greater than those of any other American, in or out of office."

What you are saying is that this is what the President is doing? And he's chosen this particular incident to be representative of an on-going problem that he hopes to focus public discussion on?

[hnmic.livejournal.com]

Because this one has kicked up a giant cloud of media attention, and the others that happen every day do not, generally, as it's not a Harvard Professor getting arrested, very loudly.

Therefore now is a great time for the President (whether it's normal or not) to step up and use the media attention and the incident to make people think, and to let them know what he thinks. Doesn't strike me as odd at all.

[sage-blackthorn.livejournal.com]

Yes, looking at it in that light makes much more sense as to why the President chose get involved in this incident and not in any of the hundreds, possibly thousands, of other similar incidents that happen daily across the nation.

[hnmic.livejournal.com]

and what does My President do? He seizes the opportunity. it's not like he isn't on TV 11 hours a day already, why not make it 12 for that day? It will accomplish something, even if it's just to make people think about what they say and do for 5 extra seconds one night.