The whining, moaning pantswetters are out in force after the president made this perfectly calm, rational and compassionate speech today. He's at his best in these situations, and he obviously brings something to the table no one else can. (Transcript here.)
And of course, the calmer he is, the crazier the whack jobs get. A Fox News talking head just said Obama is "stoking racial tension":
President Barack Obama outlined several ideas that he's been discussing with his administration to address gun violence in the wake of the Trayvon Martin case on Friday in an impromptu statement at the White House.
Obama noted that authorities at all levels of government could work together to professionalize the way law enforcement officials approach their duties.
"I think it would be productive for the Justice Department, governors, mayors, to work with law enforcement about training at the state and local levels in order to reduce the kind of mistrust in the system that sometimes currently exists," Obama said, citing legislation he introduced in Illinois that trained police departments on how to think about potential racial bias.
"Along the same lines I think it would be useful for us to examine some state and local laws to see if they are designed in such a way that they may encourage the kinds of altercations and confrontations and tragedies that we saw in the Florida case rather than diffuse potential altercations," he added.
Karoli adds:
Within seconds of his remarks, predictable and ugly comments began to appear on Twitter, and not just from nameless trolls, either.
Like this one:
Obama goes full race war: In putting shooting "in context",it's all about how "black folks" see it, not how whites or assault victims see it
— Patrick Dollard (@PatDollard) July 19, 2013
This tweet from Jesse LaGreca more or less summarizes right-wing fauxtrage:
The meme on the right is that blacks are the real racists and so is Obama. So the entire right of America politics is now Glenn Beck of 2011
— Jesse LaGreca (@JesseLaGreca) July 19, 2013
I'd rather focus on what I saw from the African-American community on Twitter, because it was far more positive.
Do y'all get the significance of what we just saw/heard from #POTUS? The President of the US acknowledging the plight of young black men?
— Trymaine Lee (@trymainelee) July 19, 2013
That it is this moving to see a president merely argue for your humanity in such a nuanced way shows what we're lacking. More, please.
— Jamil Smith (@JamilSmith) July 19, 2013
For all of the social media sound and fury over what were heartfelt and truthful remarks about the Zimmerman verdict, this was a moment that has historical importance, just like it did when he spoke of Trayvon Martin just over a year ago. When the President of the United States likens himself to Trayvon Martin yet still stands as the President, there is a powerful message of overcoming for all to see. It might drive the right wing crazy, but it should also offer hope to this generation of young black men (and women) who struggle against unfair and arbitrary discrimination at the hands of people who hate them merely because their skin is dark.
