Obama's "ProfessorGATES" political damage meter......

[angus]

Anybody watching BookTV on CSPAN-2 just now?  Herr Doktor Professor Henry Louis Gates is on there right now.  I'd never really heard much of him before this contretemps, but now, watching him, observing his mannerisms and general demeanor, I'd have to say that I have no trouble believing that this guy flew off the handle in a fit of rage after being asked to step to the front door of his rented house by a man he obviously considers far beneath him in social rank.

A bit aristocratic (yeh, like I'm not), but brilliant.  I actually like Gates, but I don't know the situation. 

I could see one where he was absolutely correct in his actions and the cop overreacted.  I can also see the converse. 

I surf CSPAN sometimes just to see what they're doing.  BookTV is often brilliant.  Last night was a speech from Gates in 2006, and he was pushing his Encyclopedia Africana.  It was a good seminar.  Interesting.  The guy's clearly very well read, and I think thorough in his surveys.  But, yeah, aristocratic might be a good way to describe his demeanor.   

Whatever.  I think Obama was, more or less, correct about the cops being irrational.  I also think Gates was irrational.  But mostly I think Obama now wishes he had avoided the question.  Still, it would be hypocritical of me to claim Obama shouldn't use politically incorrect language. 

What's sad is that this is getting as much attention as Obama's actual policy speech.  (The good news is that the circus may actually diminish the odds of Obama's health care agenda being taken seriously.  But the unfolding chaos is notable.)  Imagine that your day started with you can't get into your front door.  A simple matter your keys just being bent or rusty, so you have to use the back door instead.  And by the next day, decisions you made, stemming from the fact that your key was rusty, led to a situation in which your city's police department are in a public shouting match with the President of the United States.  Bizarre.  A perfect confluence of a thousand small events.  Like, when a butterfly flaps his wings somewhere in China, and causes a tornado in downtown Omaha, Nebraska. 

The key is the butterfly, not Gates.  Gates' head is just too big to let him realize that.

[opebo]

The problem is, Gates screamed "Racial profiling," which it wasn't.

It was racial profiling, J.J.

Not even close; even Gates (and Obama) said it was appropriate to call the police when a passerby saw someone forcing the door.

No I meant it was racial profiling for the cop to abuse Gates for not sucking up to him.  He figured 'here's a n****r.  He'd better be-have.  If he don't be-have, I can knock him around a bit and lock him up over night.  Heh heh.'  He'd have had a tougher time profiling whether he could get away with knocking around a white.  'Hmm... lemme see, what kinda clothes he wearin'?  What kinda car's he drivin'?  I'm not sure.. better let him go.' 

We can only hope that some freedom fighter takes care of this fellow one of these days..  after all, they claim it is a 'dangerous job'.

[J. J.]

The problem is, Gates screamed "Racial profiling," which it wasn't.

It was racial profiling, J.J.

Not even close; even Gates (and Obama) said it was appropriate to call the police when a passerby saw someone forcing the door.

No I meant it was racial profiling for the cop to abuse Gates for not sucking up to him.  He figured 'here's a n****r.  He'd better be-have.  If he don't be-have, I can knock him around a bit and lock him up over night.  Heh heh.'  He'd have had a tougher time profiling whether he could get away with knocking around a white.  'Hmm... lemme see, what kinda clothes he wearin'?  What kinda car's he drivin'?  I'm not sure.. better let him go.' 

We can only hope that some freedom fighter takes care of this fellow one of these days..  after all, they claim it is a 'dangerous job'.

No, they just released the 911 call; the people breaking in were referred to as "two gentleman."

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

The problem is, Gates screamed "Racial profiling," which it wasn't.

It was racial profiling, J.J.

Not even close; even Gates (and Obama) said it was appropriate to call the police when a passerby saw someone forcing the door.

No I meant it was racial profiling for the cop to abuse Gates for not sucking up to him.  He figured 'here's a n****r.  He'd better be-have.  If he don't be-have, I can knock him around a bit and lock him up over night.  Heh heh.'  He'd have had a tougher time profiling whether he could get away with knocking around a white.  'Hmm... lemme see, what kinda clothes he wearin'?  What kinda car's he drivin'?  I'm not sure.. better let him go.' 

We can only hope that some freedom fighter takes care of this fellow one of these days..  after all, they claim it is a 'dangerous job'.

No, they just released the 911 call; the people breaking in were referred to as "two gentleman."

 

After they arrived on scene he's talking about JJ

[War on Want]

The problem is, Gates screamed "Racial profiling," which it wasn't.

It was racial profiling, J.J.

So, blacks are allowed to commit to disorderly conduct?

According to California Penal Code 647(Disorderly Conduct) nothing Gates did was deserving of that charge. All that Gates did was yell at the police officer, there was nothing "disorderly" about it, he didn't hinder the officer's ability to enforce the law or disturb the peace.

Gates was arrested under an obscure law written in the 1800's, and what he did didn't really even fit the definition.

The disorderly conduct law, while old, is hardly obscure.

Yes it isn't obscure because cops have been using it to their advantage. It isn't right.

[J. J.]

The problem is, Gates screamed "Racial profiling," which it wasn't.

It was racial profiling, J.J.

Not even close; even Gates (and Obama) said it was appropriate to call the police when a passerby saw someone forcing the door.

No I meant it was racial profiling for the cop to abuse Gates for not sucking up to him.  He figured 'here's a n****r.  He'd better be-have.  If he don't be-have, I can knock him around a bit and lock him up over night.  Heh heh.'  He'd have had a tougher time profiling whether he could get away with knocking around a white.  'Hmm... lemme see, what kinda clothes he wearin'?  What kinda car's he drivin'?  I'm not sure.. better let him go.' 

We can only hope that some freedom fighter takes care of this fellow one of these days..  after all, they claim it is a 'dangerous job'.

No, they just released the 911 call; the people breaking in were referred to as "two gentleman."

 

After they arrived on scene he's talking about JJ

That isn't racial profiling.  The cop had reason to believe that someone, of an unknown race, had just broken in.  What happened after that, wasn't profiling, i.e. "He's black, so he must be a criminal."

In theory, at least, he could have been disorderly.  (Now, if it were me, there would have to be a high threshold to get to the arrest stage.)

[The Vorlon]

Blip that will go away soon, I see no reason how this has any substantial impact either way.

I agree.  Though I'm sure some moron will bring it up in 2012, but nobody will care.

And the correct term is "Gatesgate", Vorlon. 

I stand corrected GatesGate or Gate^s maybe?

And since I haven't used the  superscript function for a while... let me say CBS News coverage is ra^ther interesting