As expected, President Barack Obama attempted to backtrack from his statements yesterday denouncing the police for the “stupidity” of their arrest of Harvard Professor Henry Louis Gates. In today’s statement, Obama insisted that when he referred to their stupidity he did not mean to malign them. While “stupidity” is not a term of endearment, it can apparently be used without any negative connotations for the arresting officers — even when linked with the nation’s history of racism and profiling abuses.
The President said “I unfortunately gave an impression that I was maligning the Cambridge Police Department or Sgt. Crowley specifically. I could have calibrated those words differently, and I told this to Sgt. Crowley.”
The President said that he called Sgt. James Crowley to explain his intended meaning and expressed regret at the reaction of people. The President’s call is commendable and he indicated that he chose his words badly.
Others have not been so circumspect. Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick, who referred to the arrest as “every black man’s nightmare and a reality for many black men.” That may be a bit more difficult to explain in a complimentary way.
Despite the call, President Obama also stated last night that, while he is surprised by the backlash, “I think it was a pretty straightforward commentary that you probably don’t need to handcuff a guy, a middle-aged man who uses a cane, who’s in his own home.”
Crowley has threatened a defamation lawsuit against Gates and says that, when he asked Gates to come out of the house, Gates went ballistic and starting calling him a racist. He says that Gates told him “that I had no idea who I was ‘messing’ with” and “I’ll speak with your mama outside.” Gates denies the remarks.
Obama again stated that he does not know all of the facts and “I don’t know all the extenuating circumstances, and as I said, I respect what police officers do. From what I can tell, the sergeant who was involved is an outstanding police officer, but my suspicion is probably it would have been better if cooler heads prevailed.”
I still believe that there was no likely reason for this arrest. However, I also believe that it was a mistake for the President to make comments about a case when the facts are in dispute — particularly when a friend is involved.
Moreover, if stupid is not a negative reference, it changes many famous lines such as the statement of the College President that “Fat, drunk, and stupid is no way to go through life, son.” Or “stupid is as stupid does” in Forrest Gump.
For the story, click here.
“The Arresting Truth Of Being Black In America”
http://blog.lespayne.net/2009/07/22/the-arresting-truth-of-being-black-in-america.aspx
By the way I hope all is well,Buddah.
richinnj,
If we take the word of a practising Massachusetts appellate lawyer, the law Professor Gates was charged under is the “stupidest” …
http://blogdredd.blogspot.com/2009/07/stupidest-law-in-nation.html
Obama spoke the truth, which I guess some will define as being stupid for any POTUS.
I think this will turn out to be a teaching moment, albeit paid at an unnecessary price to the two main actors.
Off Topic, but HOLY CRAP! Any doubt about an attempted Neocon military coup now?
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/25/us/25detain.html?_r=1&src=twt&twt=nytimes
if this had been a white resident who explained to a black cop that he’s mistakenly locked himself out of his own home and if the president was also white this would be buried in the back pages of the local evening outrage.
maybe what this incident does is open a wider discussion on race relations which are abysmal.
Righty-o
RE: “stupid is as stupid does”
Well which one is it?
Does Obama simply look stupid or is he actually stupid?
N.B. THIS REFERS TO OBAMA’S INABILITY TO KEEP HIS MOUTH SHUT IN THE LAST MINUTE OF THE PRESS CONFERENCE.
Well at least a subject that he might be familiar with, personally. Like attorneys familiarity with stupidity on a daily basis of Judges ruling and sometime why.
As someone pointed out. Most cops are good. I may agree with that, the ones willing to cross that code of blue is rare though. I speak from experience dealing with cops on that one.
stu⋅pid –adjective
1. lacking ordinary quickness and keenness of mind; dull.
2. characterized by or proceeding from mental dullness; foolish; senseless.
3. tediously dull, esp. due to lack of meaning or sense; inane; pointless.
4. annoying or irritating; troublesome.
Any police officer who can’t figure out how to walk away from arresting a man in his own home in these circumstances has most certainly become temporarily stupid or temporarily insane.
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/stupid
I found a Massachusetts lawyer who has blogged about the statute under which Professor Gates was charged.
It was written in December of 2008 before the issue became hot.
Let me just say that he has no kind words for the statute.
http://www.mattcameronlaw.com/2008/12/an-idle-and-disorderly-statute-part-i/
People are misquoting what the president said in the original news conference.
He said he did not have the facts concerning the racial issues, but that a disabled fellow with a cane was no threat to armed and trained police.
The stupidity, and it most surely was, was for the trained professionals who teach other people how to avoid these types of things, could not avoid it.
Why?
A lack of professionalism or just a stupid mistake?
I see it as a stupid mistake, not a racial mistake.
In the final analysis, Officer Crowley and Professor Gates both acted stupidly and Mr Obama used a very poor choice of words.
THE END.
Now, let’s get back to passing health care reform.
“stupid is as stupid does”
Well which one is it?
Does Obama simply look stupid or is he actually stupid?
Stupid is as stupid does. What is stupid is continuing to talk about this like the president calling someone’s actions stupid really matters, instead of talking about the real issues. It was an inconsequential remark on a topic completely unrelated to the more than an hour of discourse before. Sometimes I think the administration likes when this sort of thing absorbs hours of news cycle, it pushes questions on things like infinite detention, two quagmire wars, and ridiculous levels of spending out of the discussion… and the other side just sees it as more fodder for “Yet another reason Obama is bad for America”.
Obama made a mistake in commenting on this for a number of reasons. He should not pretend that saying someone acting “stupidly” doesn’t mean what it means in ordinary language. He should not pretend that he had no idea this comment would not go over well. What he said later about this being a teachable moment was very good. It cools things down and allows time for information to come out. It is still my hope that these two men will resolve the issue between them and come forward together to show that people can make real mistakes, learn from them and be better people. Something very good would come out of this situation if they took this path.
Interesting that while this story is all over the national news, within the past week four police officers in Grand Prairie, TX were suspended for circulating a racist email about Mr Obama–even after diversity training) and a public official (don’t remember the city) was caught doing the same, but with little or no press. Both stories were carried on the Huffington Post but no place else that I saw.
This is the second time you’ve said that the president called the policeman stupid. He did not. In your last post on the subject you put the word “stupidity” in quotes, as if quoting the president.
The president said, the police acted stupidly. That’s a long way from calling the officer stupid. Commenting on behavior is not commenting on the officer’s state of being as a person.
Please quote correctly.
I am channeling Clinton here and trying to divine just what “stupid” means. I really thought I knew. The President’s call was a magnanimous gesture made necessary by his foolish one.
Professor, you are all right! A reasoned argument, then Classic Movie Line #4… priceless. Thanks!
I never meen stoopid as an isult.