Posted on 03/24/2012 4:05:24 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
To hear some conservatives tell it, President Obama tore racial unity asunder with his Friday remarks about the tragic death of Trayvon Martin, while liberals have a predictably more favorable view. Perhaps a better barometer of the Presidents success at conveying the proper sentiment is from a trusted, down-the-middle guy like National Journals Major Garrett, who called the Presidents remarks One For The History Books.
In his column, Garrett briefly assesses the Presidents handling of the Trayvon Martin story, and places it within thorough context of the Presidents oft-criticized approach to race. From National Journal:
If I had a son, hed look like Trayvon.
With that one sentence, President Obama on Friday placed himself in the middle of a raging national debate as a parent, a president, and an African-American speaking to and for the black community.
White House officials said that Obama was eager to discuss the killing of Trayvon Martin and has tracked carefully the twin components of the Florida crime: the shooting of the unarmed teen and allegedly slipshod police investigation and the broader sense of grievance African-Americans of all socio-economic backgrounds feel about the unspoken threat of violence posed to their children.
His decision to wrap his arms around Martins family and give voice to thousands who have taken up their cause may be a watershed moment in his presidency.
After tracing the bread crumbs from then-Senator Obamas speech on race in response to the Jeremiah Wright controversy, to the troublesome Skip Gates ordeal, and criticisms that he has tried too hard to avoid any real or imagined stereotype of an African-American president governing or speaking specifically on behalf of African-American interests, Garrett concludes that, with his handling of the Trayvon Martin tragedy, his manner, words, and tone may mark a turning point in his presidency when it comes to matters of race and justice and how he is perceived on these issues by African-Americans.
Its an excellent examination of the Presidents handling of race, and while his conclusion is probably correct, the question that remains is whether he threaded that same needle for everyone else. With the exception of the most hardened Obama-haters, I think he may have.
Every decent American who has heard the Trayvon Martin story feels some sort of connection to the tragically slain teenager, and every one of us also possesses a varying degree of distance from him. President Obamas brief remarks were perfectly attenuated to measure both distances, and to bridge them. When I first saw Trayvons school photo in a news report, I immediately felt the pain of his loss through the window of my own angel-faced teenager, but also the distance of the bitter gratitude that my white son will never face the same peril. My friend Goldie Taylor saw her own sons, for whom she has had this specific worry, from a distance many steps closer. President Obama has two daughters, and so felt the pain as a father, and as a black man who has faced the gaze of the George Zimmermans and Sanford police of the world, but doesnt know the unique stresses of raising a young black man among people who consider him a suspect first. Heres the Presidents response again, so you can see the key points: (emphasis mine):
But obviously, this is a tragedy. I can only imagine what these parents are going through. And when I think about this boy, I think about my own kids. And I think every parent in America should be able to understand why it is absolutely imperative that we investigate every aspect of this, and that everybody pulls together federal, state and local to figure out exactly how this tragedy happened.
So Im glad that not only is the Justice Department looking into it, I understand now that the governor of the state of Florida has formed a task force to investigate whats taking place. I think all of us have to do some soul searching to figure out how does something like this happen. And that means that examine the laws and the context for what happened, as well as the specifics of the incident.
But my main message is to the parents of Trayvon Martin. If I had a son, hed look like Trayvon. And I think they are right to expect that all of us as Americans are going to take this with the seriousness it deserves, and that were going to get to the bottom of exactly what happened.
If there was any solace in the Trayvon Martin story, it was that, even after nearly two weeks on the national radar, we seemed to have avoided the polarization that often accompanies high-profile racial incidents. In my view, this is due more to the specific elements of Trayvons story than to whatever progress we might have made since, say, the Bernhard Goetz shootings, or the Rodney King verdict, or the O.J. Simpson trial.
Shortly after the Presidents remarks, however, some conservatives pounced, and in supremely ugly fashion. The Daily Caller ran a story attempting to paint President Obamas remarks as a direct response to pressure from the New Black Panthers, a despicable Scare Whitey smear that has been thrown at the wall for years.
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who proposed drafting urban 9 year-olds into janitorial service, and who thinks the black community is satisfied with Food Stamps, had the stones to accuse President Obama of being divisive, and of turning it into a racial issue, as if it was Obama who trained generations of cops to view young black men as suspects. This is the current dodge among Southern Strategy dead-enders; racism isnt racism, pointing out racism is racism.
Now, there are well-known conservatives who are pushing the notion that the real injustice here is that Trayvon Martins death and disposal by George Zimmerman and the Sanford police is overshadowing the story of Allen Coon, a 13 year-old white boy who received first-degree burns when, he says, he was doused with gasoline and set on fire by two black 16 year-olds, a story that is actually being investigated by police. If youre thinking, Thats not even close to the same thing, its not supposed to be; the real message here is that the blacks are scary.
Unless I missed something, this wave of ugliness from some (only some) conservatives began when President Obama commented on the story, as if they were waiting to pounce. The hope is obviously to create another Skip Gates scenario, which the cowardly mainstream press allowed to become a huge political negative for the President.
But I think Major Garrett is right, I think this time will be different. In the Skip Gates case, many people identified with the white cop because they saw Skip Gates as being uppity and ungrateful to a man who was just trying to protect him. Whether you think Gates was wise to mouth off to Sgt. Crowley for barking orders at him in his own home, the President was right, it was stupid for the police to arrest him.
Normal people identify with Trayvon Martin in this case, and with the Presidents sentiments. All the Obama-deranged likes of Newt Gingrich will succeed at here is alienating the middle, and probably a good chunk of their own side. Hes right about one thing, this country is sick of being divided, and might be ready to take another baby-step toward fixing those divisions, rather than pretending they dont exist.
Was Mr. Zimmerman a white cop or an Hispanic neighborhood watchman?
If Obama knows this guy is guilty than why do we even need the trial?
Again, we have another "teachable moment". Why? What makes this case different from all the rapes and murders committed on a daily bases that don't get this national attention. The only people involved in this crime were Zimmerman, the murder victim and maybe the neighborhood watch, so why do we all as a nation need to do all this "soul searching" and have a "conversation about race"? The country didn't kill the kid, one man did.
If 0blahblah should say anything it should be along the lines of "It's an ongoing case so I have no comment at this time. Let's wait until the facts are all in." and "I would urge the individuals trying to politicize this case to cease and desist. The last thing we need is for more people to get hurt. Thank You and God Bless America."
That's what a statesman would say as opposed to a hack community organizer!!!
Of course we avoided that, because we found out Zimmerman wasn't white. Although we saw the usual suspects playing the race card when we thought he was white, now I think they're confused because the suspect is from Peru.
geez this is unfreaking believeable... CNN is having a ONE HOUR SPECIAL on “The Trayvon Killing” (I am amazed they had the restraint to avoid saying ‘murder’)
Obama, whose-mom-doesn’t-look-like-Trayvons, was quick to call Sandra Fluke, who, if had a daughter would-look-like-Nancy-Pelosi.
When will America’s first post racial president who-doesnt-look like-any-of-the-presidents-on-our-money, call Trayvon’s mom-who-doesnt-look-like Cameron Diaz?
What the latest on yesterday’s Durham NC murders , by the suspect described as,”6’2” and looking like Obama , if he had a son”?
No descriptions of any of the victims.
You will now see a political alliance between whites and Latinos.
The Latinos are licking their lips.
Wrong. Zimmerman, ethnicity aside, is most certainly “white”.
Did this writer miss the part where Obama sat in Rev Wright’s church for 20 years. That should disqualify anyone from being taken seriously to comment on race.
The only thing that is white is his name
I dunno. What I read was Z’s dad is Jewish and his Mom is from Peru, which might mean she is of Spanish and Native-American heritage. That’s all.
Since when is Dad Jewish, or German, or whatever Zimmerman is, and a Mom, from Peru, likely part Spanish part Native American not “white”?
Dear Major Garret,
When you get done interviewing Obama do you spit or swallow?
There was actually a more direct quote, something "the most irresponsible remark ever made by a sitting president", but I can't find it.
If the poor dead kid looked like Biden’s real son rather than Obama’s imaginary kid, would the event be less tragic? Nearly all of the 10 killed in the Chicago St Pat’s weekend slaughter looked like ficticious Obama sons. Are their deaths any less tragic because their killers also looked like imaginary Obama offspring? One Chicago victim was an innocent 6 year old Mexican American girl killed by an errant bullet meant for a rival gang member. That seems pretty tragic to me. But the national media has ignored it.
It’s about Zimmerman being Jewish and the muzzies want to behead him. If his last name was Hussien, this would get no air time.
I think Major Garret has gone to the Dark side!
If I had a son that had been suspended from school...I damned sure wouldn’t allow him out to wander around a neighborhood that he didn’t even live in. And I sure as hell would have known if he didn’t return from “the store” after a freaking hour...instead of waiting until the next morning to report him missing.
There’s much more to this story than is being told....
OBVIOUSLY.
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