# Obama Puts Foot In Mouth (Again) **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 24, 2012, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-puts-foot-in-mouth-again/616717 "2012-03-24T22:50:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2012, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-puts-foot-in-mouth-again/616717/1 "2012-03-24T22:50:05Z")
Obama’s public statements regarding the death in Florida remind me of his outburst during the H.L. Gates incident (Cambridge, MA). Before even knowing the facts, Obama opined “The Cambridge police acted stupidly”. Later, he was more concilatory…but I think this is typical of his impulsiveness and lack of mature judgement. Should the POTUS immediately be issuing opinions and judgements based upon hearsay and speculation? I was quite surprised by this-it seems he didn’t learn much from the Gates incident. ---
**Author:** ![Jenaroph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e8c25b/32.png) [@Jenaroph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jenaroph)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2012, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-puts-foot-in-mouth-again/616717/2 "2012-03-24T23:09:08Z")
> [@](#): > > “Obviously this is a tragedy. I can only imagine what these parents are going through. 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. > > I’m glad that not only the Justice Department is looking into it, I understand now that the governor of the state of Florida has formed a task force to investigate what is taking place. > > I think all of us have to do some soul searching to figure out how something like this happened. That means that we 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. If I had a son, he would look like Trayvon. I think they are right to expect that all of us as Americans are going to take this with the seriousness it deserves and we will get to the bottom of exactly what happened.” What part of his statement did you object to? ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2012, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-puts-foot-in-mouth-again/616717/3 "2012-03-24T23:12:42Z")
On the contrary, Obama learned a tremendous amount from the Gates incident, which is evident in his statement regarding Martin: > [@](#): > > “If I had a son he would look like Trayvon,” Obama, the country’s first African American president, told reporters, saying the fatal shooting of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin was a “tragedy.” > > “I think all of us have to do soul-searching to figure out how does something like this happen and that means we examine the laws and the context for what happened,” he added. He said Travyvon’s parents "are right to expect that all of us as Americans are going to take this with the seriousness it deserves and we’ll get to the bottom of what happened. > > “And I think every parent in America should be able to understand why it’s imperative we investigate every aspect of this and everybody pulls together, federal, state and local, to figure out exactly how this tragedy happened.” Note the focus on the tragic nature of the event, and the lack of any indication that he knows what happened or that he is taking sides. ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2012, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-puts-foot-in-mouth-again/616717/4 "2012-03-24T23:16:56Z")
If he hadn’t said anything, people would think he was being political. Now that he has said something, people think he is being political. What he said was fine, given the awkward position people place him in all the freakin’ time. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2012, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-puts-foot-in-mouth-again/616717/5 "2012-03-24T23:22:31Z")
Someone put his foot in his mouth, but it wasn’t the President, **Ralph**. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2012, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-puts-foot-in-mouth-again/616717/6 "2012-03-24T23:40:41Z")
Yes, Ralph, I’m curious too as to what part of the president’s statement you think demonstrates his foot in his mouth. ---
**Author:** ![Lightnin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightnin/32/180_2.png) [@Lightnin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightnin)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2012, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-puts-foot-in-mouth-again/616717/7 "2012-03-24T23:41:04Z")
**ralph124c** , are you, by any chance, active on the Hannity forums? 'Cause there’s a guy over there who is trying to claim exactly what you’re claiming. Anyhoo. Would you mind \*quoting \*for us \*exactly \*what part of Obama’s statement you object to? ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2012, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-puts-foot-in-mouth-again/616717/8 "2012-03-24T23:49:21Z")
> [@Lightnin](#): > > **ralph124c** , are you, by any chance, active on the Hannity forums? 'Cause there’s a guy over there who is trying to claim exactly what you’re claiming. > > Anyhoo. > > Would you mind \*quoting \*for us \*exactly \*what part of Obama’s statement you object to? How about using some common sense, and saying something like:“This is a serious matter, and needs to be thoroughly investigated by the local law enforcement authorities”. But no-he immediately implies that the victim was a wonderful, impossible-to-be-in-the -wrong -nice young man. And of course, the door is now open to such upright, objective characters such as Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson, and Louis Farrakan-who are busy stirring up hatreds. Farrakan is even speaking about “revenge”. Absolutely, Obama learned a LOT from the Gates incident! ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2012, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-puts-foot-in-mouth-again/616717/9 "2012-03-24T23:53:08Z")
> [@ralph124c](#): > > But no-he immediately implies that the victim was a wonderful, impossible-to-be-in-the -wrong -nice young man. Nowhere in the passages quoted above does he suggest any such thing. You should think about replacing Obama’s name with your own in the thread title. And then maybe use it as a signature. ---
**Author:** ![not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/not_what_you_d_expect/32/3246_2.png) [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/not_what_you_d_expect)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2012, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-puts-foot-in-mouth-again/616717/10 "2012-03-24T23:58:17Z")
I believe that President Obama was perfect in his response. His tone was serious, he acknowledged that an investigation must happen and he showed great empathy for what is certainly any parents worst nightmare. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2012, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-puts-foot-in-mouth-again/616717/11 "2012-03-25T00:03:40Z")
> [@SpoilerVirgin](#): > > On the contrary, Obama learned a tremendous amount from the Gates incident, which is evident in his statement regarding Martin. Indeed. As Joan Walsh [notes](http://www.salon.com/2012/03/23/if_i_had_a_son_hed_look_like_trayvon/singleton/) (correctly, in my opinion): > [@](#): > > Noting that he had to be careful not to “impair” the Justice Department’s investigation into Martin’s killing, Obama spoke directly to the suffering of his parents. “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.” > > He’s right; every parent should be able to understand that. Then he took the risky but necessary step of making the tragedy personal. Recommending we all “do some soul searching to find out why something like this happened,” he added, “But my main message is to the parents of Trayvon Martin.” Here, he paused for a long moment. “You know, if I had a son, he’d look like Trayvon. And, you know, 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 we’re going to get to the bottom of exactly what happened.” You could feel his personal grief as he closed out his remarks and stepped away from the cameras. I also agree with Walsh that when Obama said that the Cambridge police acted “stupidly” in the Gates incident, he was right, but probably a bit tone-deaf to the bleating that was sure to come from knee-jerk conservatives. As the OP of this thread handily demonstrates, however, that bleating will come no matter what Obama says. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2012, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-puts-foot-in-mouth-again/616717/12 "2012-03-25T00:05:23Z")
> [@ralph124c](#): > > How about using some common sense, and saying something like:“This is a serious matter, and needs to be thoroughly investigated by the local law enforcement authorities”. Did you even fucking bother to read or listen to what Obama said? Here: > [@](#): > > I’m glad that not only the Justice Department is looking into it, I understand now that the governor of the state of Florida has formed a task force to investigate what is taking place. How is that different from what you tell us he should have said? :rolleyes: > [@](#): > > But no-he immediately implies that the victim was a wonderful, impossible-to-be-in-the -wrong -nice young man. Where? > [@](#): > > And of course, the door is now open to such upright, objective characters such as Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson, and Louis Farrakan-who are busy stirring up hatreds. If _you’re_ not upset about racially-motivated and racially-excused murder, there’s something seriously wrong. But not with Obama. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2012, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-puts-foot-in-mouth-again/616717/13 "2012-03-25T00:05:35Z")
> [@ralph124c](#): > > How about using some common sense, and saying something like:“This is a serious matter, and needs to be thoroughly investigated by the local law enforcement authorities”. > But no-he immediately implies that the victim was a wonderful, impossible-to-be-in-the -wrong -nice young man. > And of course, the door is now open to such upright, objective characters such as Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson, and Louis Farrakan-who are busy stirring up hatreds. > Farrakan is even speaking about “revenge”. > Absolutely, Obama learned a LOT from the Gates incident! So, you don’t have a quote that supports your claim in the OP. Didn’t think so. Don’t tell us what you think he should have said. Tell us specifically what he did say that you fid objectionable. ---
**Author:** ![Sudden\_Kestrel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecd19e/32.png) [@Sudden\_Kestrel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sudden_Kestrel)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2012, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-puts-foot-in-mouth-again/616717/14 "2012-03-25T00:05:48Z")
> [@ralph124c](#): > > How about using some common sense, and saying something like:“This is a serious matter, and needs to be thoroughly investigated by the local law enforcement authorities”. > But no-he immediately implies that the victim was a wonderful, impossible-to-be-in-the -wrong -nice young man. > And of course, the door is now open to such upright, objective characters such as Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson, and Louis Farrakan-who are busy stirring up hatreds. > Farrakan is even speaking about “revenge”. > Absolutely, Obama learned a LOT from the Gates incident! I think you heard a different speech, **ralph124c** , because what you’re claiming President Obama said has _absolutely no similarity_ to what he actually said. Maybe a nap is in order. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2012, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-puts-foot-in-mouth-again/616717/15 "2012-03-25T00:27:52Z")
And what he’s saying Obama should have said is pretty much exactly what he _did_ say. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2012, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-puts-foot-in-mouth-again/616717/16 "2012-03-25T00:31:06Z")
Except that he said it both while black AND while Demoncrappic. ---
**Author:** ![Lightnin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightnin/32/180_2.png) [@Lightnin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightnin)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2012, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-puts-foot-in-mouth-again/616717/17 "2012-03-25T00:35:09Z")
By the way, it should be pointed out that Obama’s statement wasn’t issued as some sort of press release. It was, instead, in response to a direct question. Here’s exactly what the President said: [QUOTE=President Obama] Well, I’m the head of the executive branch, and the Attorney General reports to me so I’ve got to be careful about my statements to make sure that we’re not impairing any investigation that’s taking place right now. 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 I’m 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 what’s 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, he’d 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 we’re going to get to the bottom of exactly what happened. [/QUOTE] Now, would you care to point out \*exactly \*what part of that statement you find so offensive, **Ralphie**? ---
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2012, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-puts-foot-in-mouth-again/616717/18 "2012-03-25T00:45:28Z")
I think he (Obama) acted discreetly on this. Except…“If I had a son, he would have looked like Martin”??? Can somebody help me get my finger out of my throat, please? I think this is some pretty limp glurge, if I may be so bold. ---
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2012, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-puts-foot-in-mouth-again/616717/19 "2012-03-25T00:49:07Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > If _you’re_ not upset about racially-motivated and racially-excused murder, there’s something seriously wrong. If you have any proof that it was a murder, perhaps you should contact the Justice Department. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2012, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-puts-foot-in-mouth-again/616717/20 "2012-03-25T01:00:50Z")
That’s what investigations establish. Like the one that hasn’t been done yet. :rolleyes: Do you not think there’s probable cause even to start one? Why not? :dubious: [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-puts-foot-in-mouth-again/616717.md?page=2)