Obama Defends #BlackLivesMatter Movement
“A legitimate issue that we’ve got to address.”
At a White House forum on criminal justice reform Thursday, President Obama offered an unsolicited defense of the #BlackLivesMatter movement.
Janell Ross of the Washington Post:
President Obama defended ‘Black Lives Matter.’ But why did he have to?
Obama chose to weigh in on the simmering controversy over the phrase “Black Lives Matter.” More specifically, he gave his take on the idea that the phrase is a threat, a verbal affront or some kind of intentional effort to devalue the lives of others. This idea seems to have started with a few not-exactly disinterested police union heads and law enforcement officials, boiled over on a number of conservative blogs and has reverberated with a certain share of the white American public…
Here’s what Obama said, from Wesley Lowery:
“Sometimes, like any of these loose organizations, some people pop off and say dumb things but … on the other hand though, it started being lifted up as ‘these folks are opposed to police, they’re opposed to cops and all lives matter,’ so the notion was that somehow saying black lives matter was reverse racism or suggesting that other people’s lives don’t matter or police officers lives don’t matter,” Obama said. “And whenever we get bogged down in that kind of discussion, we know where that goes, that’s just down the old trap.”
Obama went on to suggest that organizers of Black Lives Matter — which he declared a “social media movement” — do value all lives and do support good law enforcement. But he added, repeating a line he has used often when discussing issues of race and policing, that concerns about policing and profiling in minority communities are real and valid.
“I think that the reason that the organizers used the phrase Black Lives Matter was not because they were suggesting that no one else’s lives matter … rather what they were suggesting was there is a specific problem that is happening in the African American community that’s not happening in other communities,” Obama said. “And that is a legitimate issue that we’ve got to address.”
Here’s a video of Obama’s remarks:
Of course, there are no coincidences in Obama’s world. His sudden outspokenness on this issue comes on the heels of a report that the Democratic Party, which has been criticized by its own candidates for having too few primary debates, will hold a special event devoted to the movement.
Amanda Sakuma of MSNBC reports:
Black Lives Matter to host Democratic presidential town hall
Major groups associated with the Black Lives Matter movement will host Democratic presidential candidates for a town hall focusing on social and racial justice.
The Democratic National Committee approved the extra forum for 2016 hopefuls on Wednesday, but remained steadfast against adding another candidate debate to the schedule, according to letters first obtained by the Washington Post.
The letters, sent from the DNC to prominent activist groups the #BlackLivesMatter network and Campaign Zero, affirm the party’s support of the growing social movement and heed their request to hold a forum that explicitly addresses issues of race and social justice.
“We believe that your organization would be an ideal host for a presidential candidate forum — where all of the Democratic candidates can showcase their ideas and policy positions that will expand opportunity for all, strengthen the middle class and address racism in America,” Amy K. Dacey, chief executive officer of the DNC, wrote in the letters obtained by the Post. “The DNC would be happy to help promote the event.”
It’ll be fun to see who gets to moderate that event.
Featured image via YouTube.
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Comments
Is there a terrorist group anywhere that Obama won’t legitimize?
rather what they were suggesting was there is a specific problem that is happening in the African American community that’s not happening in other communities,”
Gee, maybe he should stop by Chicago, maybe they can help him find out why it’s happening in AA communities rather than in other communities.
This pompous preening peacock is beyond the pale. “black lives matter” is racist from it’s inception. Black lives only seem to matter to race baiters, and only when the life lost is a black at the hands of a white. Or nearly white, in the case of George, who at the very least was caucasian, but I digress.
Big cities, such as Chicago, lose many black lives daily. Some week-ends they lose as many as are lost at a mass shooting in a gun free zone. When Chicago goes a day without a homicide, that makes the news. The day Michael Brown committed suicide by cop, a 9-year-old black boy was shot in his backyard by black gang members who thought he was a look out for another gang. See, they are willing to corrupt children as young as 9 into their wicked lives.
If black lives really mattered then all those black men wouldn’t be fathering children, only to abandon the mother and the child. And all those black women wouldn’t be having children they are financially, emotionally, and spiritually unable to parent to adulthood. Margaret Sanger targeted the black churches and black pastors into supporting abortion, for “the good of the child”. How racist is that? Your black baby is better off dead than alive. All lives matter, even the lives of galactically stupid race-baiters, such as our very own President Barack Hussein 0bama.
AWESOME rant!
What a joke this fool is.
To even ATTEMPT to legitimize the so-called Black Lives Matter movement means that you accept its core premise that black people ALONE are unfairly targeted by police and that other minorities like Asians are somehow UNDER targeted by police.
Here’s a novel idea. STOP BREAKING THE FUCKING LAW.
At this point there is ample evidence to quantitatively demonstrate that the so-called ‘black community’ commits crimes at a significantly higher rate than ANY other demographic.
And oh, by the way, a white person is STILL more likely to be shot by police than a black person.
The issue you have to address, Chairman Zero, is: Why can’t black people get their sh!t together?
The barriers have been removed and… nothing. They can’t accomplish anything. So they try to convince us there’s an invisible monster that’s holding them back.
“Janell Ross of the Washington Post:
“President Obama defended ‘Black Lives Matter.’ But why did he have to?”
(continuing)
Because when Obama is not compulsively lying, he’s compulsively defending liars.
Look, you’re supposed to the President of the United States! YOU are the reason for this Black Uprising. YOUR corrupt administration is doing everything possible to destroy this country.
If Black Lives Matter, then only half of your life matters. The other half would be on the target list.
He really has no credibility. As leader of the pro-choice/abortion/congruence/diversity cult, Obama recognizes neither individual dignity nor intrinsic value.
http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2015/10/heather-macdonald-explodes-criminal-justice-myths.php
The invaluable Heather (clanswoman) Mac Donald on crime, race, and incarceration.
It’s all a myth, you see. Propagated by racists.
#constitutionmatters
When is POTUS going to endorse that one?
You are kidding, right!?
Quit killing each other. Quit aborting your babies. There problem solved.
Election season around the corner….gotta Lyndon Johnson all those nice little sheep to the polls.
You know what illegitimate issues? Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, Tamir Rice, and all of Obama’s other bastard sons.
*were* and *are*, of course. I wish I could edit.