As if he does not have enough problem trying to sell health care reform, Obama gets side-tracked into making a comment STUPIDLY! You know he fumbled badly when Al Sharpton praised him! Why was he answering a question about Henry Louis Gates when he doesn't know all the facts as he even admitted? This does not seem like the politically savey Obama we know. I think the pressure of trying to pass health care reform is getting to him. I don't see how he is going to get a good bill to pass. The energy bill, which was suppose to be less controversial, ended up much weaker and with lot of junk added on. And those junks were put in by members of his own party. With lots of people having a stake on how the health care bill shapes up and Republicans determine to make this Obama's Waterloo, I can see why Obama is stressed out.
Having said that Obama stupidly let the conversation drift away from his agenda, I would like to point out that I thought the police acted stupidly from the information I have read. First of all a neighbor called the police because he or she thought that Gates was breaking in his own house. I can't imagine that a 58 year old white or Asian male would be suspected of breaking in by his neighbor even if they don't know each other. If I was Gates and I came home from a long trip and had trouble getting into my house, I think I would be in a pretty foul mood. I admit I have a slight temper. Okay, my wife would say very bad temper. If after I finally get into the house and the police shows up and demand to know if I lived there, I would be pretty pissed. I can see if Gates was a young man but he is older than me! In what way can the neighbor or police think that he is robbing the house? Now, it is very likely things escalated because Gates cursed out the cops. I may have done the same. But there was no report that he was violent. In what way would the cops felt threatened by a man in his late 50's without a weapon? So why was he hand-cuffed? What was he charged with? And why were charges dropped if he did something that required him to be hand-cuffed.
By accounts so far, the cop involved was a good cop who trained others about racial profiling. And it is possible that Gates was out of line with his emotions. But I would have to ask: Would Gates have been led out of his own house in hand-cuffs if he was a 58 year old white professor at Harvard? I suppose it could have been worse. Remember the guy in Texas who shot 2 men in the back because he felt threatened that those guys had broke in his NEIGHBOR's house? So Gates is lucky he does not live in Texas. His neighbor could have shot him and got off for self-defense!
Thursday, July 23, 2009
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Nice job of bringing up the guys who got shot by that neighbor in Texas.
ReplyDeleteI have to admit that I like seeing Obama and other politicians give answers that are not planned in advance and just off the cuff. I do cringe though after those statements, as I did the other night. I can almost feel his aides wincing behind the scenes.
There was a little confusion at the end of the press conference when the one guy asked a question when Obama called out a guy from another newspaper. I think that threw things off track and then of course you had the question about Gates from out of left field. It was the press conference equivalent of a change up.
Any health care bill is a huge undertaking and if it were ever done, it'd be under this administration. The fact is, that this very well could be Obama's Waterloo. I say this because it's so tied into the economy and perception that this administration is spending its way either into more debt.
I don't have the answers but it seems to me that something needs to be done. I would be interested in your ideas though I am hoping that you aren't too biased being a doctor and all.
Back to Gates for a moment. I think that it was stupid and an overreaction by the police to arrest him. It appears to me that both sides did not let cooler heads prevail. Sometimes I think it's up to the police, as hard as it may be, to just let these things go. They already established that it was indeed his home, walk away no matter if he's yelling at you.
I can see where Gates is coming from, but you know, he's got to take the higher road too and be grateful that he lives in a community that actually shows up and makes sure a house isn't being robbed (for a second time nonetheless).
Both sides acted stupidly and they should let it go. But of course the media is blowing this thing up. It made first story status in every national newscast that I saw.
Obama screwed up by commenting on the issue, thus sidetracking his message on health care. I think he's been hanging out with Biden too long. No more burger stops!
As far as you having a temper? I highly doubt that. Aren't you Mellow Yellow for a reason?
-Spartacus
It appears that both sides should have had cooler heads. Obama is trying to patch things up by inviting both for a beer. Great, 2 hotheads drunk! I think Gates got angry first and probably said things he should not have said. But as a retired police chief pointed out, it is easy to be a good cop when everybody is cooperative. A good cop is one who can defuse a tough situation. It is not a crime for someone to curse at a cop or even give him the finger even though he should not do those things. Also a lawyer pointed out that disorderly conduct is something you commit in public not inside your own house. Well, wouldn't it be funny if the 3 of them got into an argument while drinking beer?
ReplyDeleteI have been thinking about writing something on health care reform. The topic is, however, too complex. I certainly have a lot of ideas but everyone of them can be picked apart by someone who doesn't like it. For example I think things like CT scans are way overpriced. But if I advocate decrease reimbursement for these tests, someone (mainly radiologists) will say that will decrease access to care. So it is hard to put a package together. I think Obama understand that now. I would answer to any one topic at anytime if anyone has an interest.