Heh. Obama really stepped in it with this white cop.

[Tex]

This, our post-racial president.

[il Padrino Ute]

Obama's mouth will be his undoing.

It will be fun to watch.

[MikeWaters]

Obama should have stuck with what the teleprompter would have said.

Here he is trying to keep the focus entirely on the healthcare issue, and then he goes and starts a race controversy with a cop who wasn't going to back down.

I read the original news reports and it sounded to me like Gates had been extremely defensive and non-cooperative. Now that may or may not be true. But it wasn't clearly obvious to me like it apparently was to Gates, Obama, and the gov. of MA.

Racial profiling is real. I've been racially profiled.

[RedHeadGal]

I'd LOVE to see how you would react, Mike and IPU, if a cop showed up in your home investigating you breaking in. I'm sure you'd be all peaceful and cooperative, especially just after returning from a trip across the world.

[Tex]

Originally Posted by RedHeadGal

I'd LOVE to see how you would react, Mike and IPU, if a cop showed up in your home investigating you breaking in. I'm sure you'd be all peaceful and cooperative, especially just after returning from a trip across the world.

I'm not sure what you're getting at here. You think Gates' behavior toward the officer is excusable because he was tired?

I've known a few cops (obviously not a statistically significant sample, but bear with me), and by and large, they are trained to remain calm and professional in the face of verbal abuse. They are told it is their responsibility to prevent an incident from escalating. Making needless and senseless arrests is not what they're about.

Obviously there are exceptions to this rule, but the public statements of this police officer, the other officers at the scene, and the official police report don't suggest that he is one of them. By all accounts, he is a model officer and--ironically--has taught a racial profiling class for five years. (That is, how NOT to racially profile.) Another officer at the scene--who is black, by the way--confirmed that Gates was behaving in a manner consistent with his arrest.

But IMO, the more interesting story here is not this man Gates, who I think is clearly a jerk, but Obama, who made a very ill-advised judgment of the situation without having the facts. He unnecessarily inflamed the situation by his response, and, amusingly, totally derailed any momentum he was hoping to build on health care.

[MikeWaters]

Like I said before, there are some evil prick cops out there.

I have literally been tailed by the police for no reason in the past. Trying to intimidate me or something. This was when I was a teenager. I made a bunch of turns just to see if they guy was following me. I finally turned into the parking lot of the stake center, he followed. I parked by the front door, and not being very bright, I jumped out of my car and threw up my hands, like "what the hell." The cop suddenly threw his car into reverse (to avoid my attack?), and then after I am standing there with my arms in the air, drives off. I'm lucky I didn't get killed.

College Station cops are infamous.

[Cali Coug]

Originally Posted by Tex

I'm not sure what you're getting at here. You think Gates' behavior toward the officer is excusable because he was tired?

I've known a few cops (obviously not a statistically significant sample, but bear with me), and by and large, they are trained to remain calm and professional in the face of verbal abuse. They are told it is their responsibility to prevent an incident from escalating. Making needless and senseless arrests is not what they're about.

Obviously there are exceptions to this rule, but the public statements of this police officer, the other officers at the scene, and the official police report don't suggest that he is one of them. By all accounts, he is a model officer and--ironically--has taught a racial profiling class for five years. (That is, how NOT to racially profile.) Another officer at the scene--who is black, by the way--confirmed that Gates was behaving in a manner consistent with his arrest.

But IMO, the more interesting story here is not this man Gates, who I think is clearly a jerk, but Obama, who made a very ill-advised judgment of the situation without having the facts. He unnecessarily inflamed the situation by his response, and, amusingly, totally derailed any momentum he was hoping to build on health care.

You think this story derailed any momentum on health care? Well, you are the same who thought the "bitter" comment or the Rev. Wright story also ended his campaign, so I guess this is par for the course.

This was an unfortunate error by Obama, and one he quickly realized. He is friends with Gates, which I am sure contributed to his rush to judgment. That said, it won't do anything to health care reform. At all.

[MikeWaters]

You can't do something like healthcare reform w/o national consensus. The blue dogs know this. The liberal democrats ignore this, and frankly don't care. They are safe no matter what.

Yes, the GOP lost its way and overreached. You knew the dems would do the same, but you don't necessarily expect them to commit political suicide in less than a year.

You cannot cram something this big down the throat of Americans w/o a national debate, discussion, and finally, consensus. Obama is trying to achieve reform with no debate, no discussion, and no consensus. Good luck with that.

[Cali Coug]

Originally Posted by MikeWaters

You can't do something like healthcare reform w/o national consensus. The blue dogs know this. The liberal democrats ignore this, and frankly don't care. They are safe no matter what.

Yes, the GOP lost its way and overreached. You knew the dems would do the same, but you don't necessarily expect them to commit political suicide in less than a year.

You cannot cram something this big down the throat of Americans w/o a national debate, discussion, and finally, consensus. Obama is trying to achieve reform with no debate, no discussion, and no consensus. Good luck with that.

They aren't shoving anything down anyone's throat, other than obstructionist Republicans. 75% of Americans WANT a public option. 75%! Health care reform of the type being discussed right now was one of the cornerstones of Obama's campaign. He ran on it, and people voted for him in overwhelming support. Republicans are trying to scare people now about costs (they don't have much more now that the AMA has signed on), but that won't work because their arguments are fundamentally incorrect. You will see major health care reform within 6 months, and even if you don't, it absolutely will have zero to do with the incident in Cambrige, despite Tex's claims.

[Tex]

Heh. I wonder if anyone even remembers what the Obama press conference was originally about.

Some fun Rasmussen numbers:
- Only 25% believe the "stimulus" package has helped the economy
- 53% of Americans oppose Congressional health care reform; 44% favor it
- Most income groups over $40K/year oppose reform
- 78% believe reform will lead to tax hikes
- 70% rate their own health care coverage as good or excellent
- 50% oppose a gov't-backed health care competitor in the market; 35% favor it

http://www.rasmussenreports.com/publ...th_care_reform