"teachable" photo op moment with free beer

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WASHINGTON – With mugs of beer and calming words, President Barack Obama and the professor and policeman engulfed in a national uproar over race pledged Thursday to move on and try to pull the country with them.

There was no acrimony — nor apology — from any of the three: black Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates Jr., white Cambridge, Mass., police Sgt. James Crowley, who had arrested him for disorderly conduct, and Obama, who declared on national TV that the police had "acted stupidly." But neither Gates nor Crowley backtracked either, agreeing they still had differences.

...

Although Obama had invited Crowley and Gates as part of what he called a "teachable moment," it wasn't quite reachable for the masses. The coverage allowed the public to get the we've-come-together photos and video footage that the White House wanted, while keeping the discussion private among the men.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_obama_harvard_scholar

also from the article.....

In Massachusetts, meanwhile, a black sergeant who was with Crowley at Gates' home said Thursday he's been maligned as an "Uncle Tom" for supporting the actions of his white colleague, according to an e-mail that CNN said it received from the sergeant. The officer, Leon Lashley, said he "spoke the truth" about the arrest, and he said Gates should consider whether he "may have caused grave and potentially irreparable harm to the struggle for racial harmony."
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good for the officer to stand in the face such disgusting comments (pretty much racist) and rightly point out gate's actions did the country no good...if not harmed it
 
You are just jealous that you never got to drink a beer with Bush.

I always thought that funny, the president you would like to drink a beer with was a reformed alky and did not drink.
 
Frankly, I find it embarrassing and politically expedient that our president fired off his big mouth on an issue, and then made a big political football of it by making a national presentation of a relative non-issue.

Jesus.
 
this so called "teachable moment" thing was just plain STUPID and embarrassing...good gawd, we have a idiot for a President..
 
Threedee said:
Obama better not serve shitty beer...
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biden drank non-alcoholic....coincidence?

Beefy said:
Frankly, I find it embarrassing and politically expedient that our president fired off his big mouth on an issue, and then made a big political football of it by making a national presentation of a relative non-issue.

Jesus.
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agreed...then he makes a big deal out of the teachable moment, then right before the teachable moment gibbs downplays it....it offered nothing to the nation except a major cheesey photo op for the president...and then to find out that both parties didn't apologize or feel they were wrong....the more i see of obama the more he seems just a "candidate" president always on the campaign trail

what was taught? nothing. but a great time for the two guys and their families...
 
I agree that this whole thing was somewhat of an overblown circus and, if Obama had simply refused to comment upon it at his news conference instead of shooting from the hip, it rightfully would have receded into the background.

But he didn't refrain from commenting and it did become a big deal.

I think it could be, should be, and perhaps was a teachable moment... and what did we learn?

men of good character can respectfully and cordially agree to disagree
there are two sides to every story
there remain deep seated resentments on both sides of our racial divide.
 
Of course it was political theater. That's what presidents do. Was it lame as theater? Yep. Is the topic of racial profiling something worthy of bringing attention too? Yep. All you have to do is read this board, or countless others, to see how many americans are in deep denial about how institutionalized racism is still employed as a tool of bias or discrmination.


Obama's initial gut reaction was correct. I think this was a stuid fucking arrest, and I don't think a lily-white rich Lawyer or Doctor would have been hauled into jail. But, politically, he should have kept his mouth shut.

Whitey (some of them) gets very uncomfortable, indeed some get irate, when somebody mentions the fact, or the high probablity, that black men are arrested for shit that a rich white dude never would be.
 
Ugh, it was just embarrassing even reading the articles.

A few days ago my boyfriend was talking about how much of a dork Obama was with those mom jeans he wore when he threw out the first pitch. Watching that "beer" was just embarrassing.
 
LadyT said:
Ugh, it was just embarrassing even reading the articles.

A few days ago my boyfriend was talking about how much of a dork Obama was with those mom jeans he wore when he threw out the first pitch. Watching that "beer" was just embarrassing.
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True. But at least he is not an idiot.
But with that said he is darn sure no messiah either.
And for those right wing pundits. I never said he was either.
 
maineman said:
I agree that this whole thing was somewhat of an overblown circus and, if Obama had simply refused to comment upon it at his news conference instead of shooting from the hip, it rightfully would have receded into the background.

But he didn't refrain from commenting and it did become a big deal.

I think it could be, should be, and perhaps was a teachable moment... and what did we learn?

men of good character can respectfully and cordially agree to disagree
there are two sides to every story
there remain deep seated resentments on both sides of our racial divide.
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What I learned was how Obama will use damage control

I also learned how his followers will find good in what ever he does

Although your explanation looks good I think you missed the boat, Obama shot out the racist shot, he is our President and therefore represents all Americans, Yes some would say Crowley was being a racist cop and some will say Gates was being a belligerent racist, but the only one we know for sure that said or did anything racist is Obama, Crowley should of told him to shove his beer, If there needed to be a sit down I would of liked to seen Crowley and Gates sit down, then I would of agreed with ya 100%
 
Jeff said:
What I learned was how Obama will use damage control

I also learned how his followers will find good in what ever he does

Although your explanation looks good I think you missed the boat, Obama shot out the racist shot, he is our President and therefore represents all Americans, Yes some would say Crowley was being a racist cop and some will say Gates was being a belligerent racist, but the only one we know for sure that said or did anything racist is Obama, Crowley should of told him to shove his beer, If there needed to be a sit down I would of liked to seen Crowley and Gates sit down, then I would of agreed with ya 100%
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you yourself say that some are thinking that Crowley is a racist and some are thinking that Gates is a racist and some are thinking that Obama is the racist in all of this.... clearly, once the president interjected himself - which I thought was a bad idea - it became an issue not just between two of them, but all three of them, imho.
 
maineman said:
you yourself say that some are thinking that Crowley is a racist and some are thinking that Gates is a racist and some are thinking that Obama is the racist in all of this.... clearly, once the president interjected himself - which I thought was a bad idea - it became an issue not just between two of them, but all three of them, imho.
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Don't forget Joe Bidens muscling his way in there, just so he could get his free ladies drink.
 
maineman said:
you yourself say that some are thinking that Crowley is a racist and some are thinking that Gates is a racist and some are thinking that Obama is the racist in all of this.... clearly, once the president interjected himself - which I thought was a bad idea - it became an issue not just between two of them, but all three of them, imho.
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Yes and no, Obama made a mistake and got involved, might of been best to just step back and let Gates and Crowley work it out, JMO, but I guess ya could bounce this around all day, after the damage was done it is a coin toss how to fix it
 
Jeff said:
Yes and no, Obama made a mistake and got involved, might of been best to just step back and let Gates and Crowley work it out, JMO, but I guess ya could bounce this around all day, after the damage was done it is a coin toss how to fix it
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I don't think that either proposed solution was the RIGHT way or the WRONG way, Jeff.... it was damage control and, if we, as a country learned even a little bit more about race relations in America as a result of it all, then that cannot be an entirely bad thing.
 
maineman said:
I don't think that either proposed solution was the RIGHT way or the WRONG way, Jeff.... it was damage control and, if we, as a country learned even a little bit more about race relations in America as a result of it all, then that cannot be an entirely bad thing.
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(Not a rhetorical question) Do you think we learned anything more about race relations based on this incident? Charges by black folk of being profiled by police or treated differently are definitely not new although its possible I guess a few white people may not have known it. Professor Gates' response would not be the first time someone reacted like he did.

I would hope this is a learning experience of some sort. Just seems to me a case where both parties overreacted and due to the people involved in made national news. Maybe the overreaction is the take away?
 
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