Why was President Obama asked about the Gates incident in the 1st place? Lynn Sweet answers

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

"Lynn Sweet: Thank you, Mr. President. Recently, Professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr., was arrested at his home in Cambridge. What does that incident say to you and what does it say about race relations in America?"

Here is Lyn Sweet's account of how and why she asked the question.
http://www.suntimes.com/news/sweet/1682926,CST-NWS-sweet24.article

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My answer is simpler. I think he was asked the question because he himself is African American.

Anyone believe that if the Gates incident had happened 8 months earlier in Bush's administration that he (Bush) would have been asked about what the incident illustrated about "race relations" in America after a big speech about the war? I doubt it. I see a form of "racial profiling" in asking the question in the first place. It's a way of keeping the President's race front and center as a subconscious, sub-textural "issue".

At the next presser, will someone ask President Obama if OJ should have been convicted?

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I personally admire President Obama for answering the question fully and unwaveringly. It worth it to reread the question and his response again if you haven't for awhile.

http://www.examiner.com/x-12837-US-Headlines-Examiner~y2009m7d23-President-Obama-on-Henry-Louis-Gates-and-racial-profiling

[elleng]

1. We are learning a lot, because Barack Obama is our President,

and we stand to learn a lot more, imo.

[zonkers]

4. Yes. We are learning that the civil war ended more recently than we thought.

[elleng]

23. Ended?

May never end.

:(

[AuntPatsy]

16. That is so true, interesting times ahead...I hope for the better...

[alsame]

2. He was also asked to comment about

Michael Jackson's death, which would have been okay if he had also been asked about the passing of Farrah Fawcett and Ed McMahon. All three were icons in their own way.

[ellacott]

9. Michael Jackson's death impacted this world in a much bigger way than Farrah or Ed

Is this equal opportunity condolences? This makes no sense.

[alsame]

19. I agree MJ was a much bigger star, but considering that these 3

died within days of each other, it just seemed odd to me that he wasn't asked about the other 2.

[ellacott]

25. not odd to me

[high density]

3. She says she would have posed the same question to Bush?

I doubt that a lot. Bush has no reason to comment on the issue in the way she framed it.

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

5. No, she did not say that. That was strictly a question I posed

which is why I separated it from the question and the link. Like this:

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I guess you didn't read the link I provided.

[high density]

8. OK, but I read the link and she said that

Did you read your own link? ;)

I would have posed the same question to President Bush.

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

10. I am so sorry! I reread the link before I replied to you and missed it

You are very gracious for not ripping my head off. :crazy:

Although I must have caught it the first time around and that's why I commented on it. I took a rather long time to write my OP as I wondered, did the world really need another Obama/Gates thread, but then I decided that people aren't really focusing on this part of the discussion.

Anyway, I completely agree with you (and myself - ha ha) that no, she would have never asked Bush the same question despite what she says.

[rvablue]

13. Yes, she did. She wrote about it in her blog. n/t

[Fire1]

6. That's been my question all along. You can bet your bottom

dollar had he been a white president it never would have been asked.:shrug:

[busymom]

7. Why is it wrong to ask an african american

their opinion on race relations in america? This is a country with a long history of racial inequality. Barack Obama has an incredible opportunity to bring some of these issues out and talk about them and I think it is natural that there is some curiosity. He is willing to answer these questions and provide a high-profile perspective about racial profiling.

I don't think it's wrong at all.

If Clinton were president, I wouldn't be offended at all if she were asked questions related to breast cancer funding, etc

[ellacott]

11. I don't see anything wrong with asking the question either

I'm shaking my head and some of the posts on this board. It seems that most people want to sweep race under the rug. If anyone disagrees then people cry about being accused of being a racist(which is not true). It should be discussed.

As a State Senator Obama sponsored legislation on racial profiling. I'm glad he did comment on it.

[Empowerer]

17. There's nothing wrong with it. But why limit the question to African Americans. Why not ask white

American politicians the same question. They're just as much a part of and invested in America's racial environment.

It's not a black thing.

[busymom]

20. Ha! Just read the comments around here. Whitey has no place asking or answering...

about these things, you know...<sarcasm>

[Fire1]

26. Pretty much and that ain't sarcasm. n/t

[ellacott]

12. OJ is not even relevant to this discussion

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

14. You're completely right. That was an unsuccessful attempt at snarkiness.

And adds nothing to this discussion.

I guess I was attempting to say - are they going to ask his opinion about every incident that involves a high profile African American and the criminal justice system? Is he going to have to comment on a case by case basis about how each case reflects on the state of race relations in the US and the performance of the police/courts, etc.

I was not saying he shouldn't respond - I said clearly that I admired his response.

[ellacott]

15. I think that because Lynn Sweet knows his background that's why she asked

As a State Senator he sponsored legislation to combat racial profiling.

This is one of the few reports that offers some perspective on why the President spoke on this issue:

http://www.startribune.com/politics/51530992.html?page=2&c=y

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

21. Although that contradicts that she said she would have asked the same question of Bush

which essentially substantiates the point of my OP - that President Obama was asked the question solely because of his own race.

I honestly just don't believe that she or anyone else for that matter would have asked the same question of Bush and then asked him to further pontificate about how the incident reflected the state of race relations in the country. Not buying it.


What is coming out of this question from the press op is that the Media and many others are not using the incident as a "teachable moment" in any constructive manner. It's all seeds of discord. Not much good seems to be coming out of it. Did you read the few comments in the article you posted? OMG!

[ellacott]

24. His race was probably a big factor

I don't know if she would have asked Bush the same question. I kinda doubt it also.

The media is definately not using this as a teachable moment.

Yes, I read those comments. There are some sick people in this country.

I keep thinking of Bill Bennett who said on election night this is officially a post racial nation and racism is a thing of the past. If anything things have gotten worse because there are a lot of people who are upset that we have a black President.

[Empowerer]

27. But she didn't ask him about racial profiling - she asked him about "race relations in America"

"Recently, Professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr. was arrested at his home in Cambridge. What does that incident say to you? And what does it say about race relations in America?"

Such a a question could have been asked of any previous president about any such incident . . . but it wasn't and wouldn't have been if a white president were standing at that podium the other night.

President Obama was asked this question, not because he had sponsored racial profiling legislation as a state senator, but because he's black. Period.

[Inuca]

18. There is nothing wrong in asking the question IMHO

even if it is a form of "racial profiling" as you say. We have known all along that having a AA president will bring these kind of issues more to the foreground, and I think it's a good thing, not something bad and to be avoided. What is wrong is not the question being asked, but the media going all ga-ga over it, and to a large extent ignoring the real meat and purpose of the presser and the most important political issue right now.

[Window]

22. Agree with you on that. He should have answered exactly the way he did. n/t