Tuesday, July 19, 2016

Trump Criticizes Obama's Body Language During Speech About Baton Rouge, While Allowing That "There Is Something Going On" With Police Treatment of African-Americans


From Yahoo News:
Donald Trump continued to criticize President Obama’s response to the deadly shootings of police officers in Baton Rouge, La., saying America needs a “cheerleader” for law enforcement as commander in chief. 
“I think we need strength,” Trump said in a phone interview with “Fox & Friends” on Monday, a day after three officers were killed and three others wounded by a lone gunman in what Louisiana officials say was an ambush. 
“I think we also need somebody who could be a cheerleader. He’s been a great divider in this country. I think race relations now are as bad as they’ve ever been.” 
On Sunday afternoon, Obama condemned the killings in a statement from the White House. 
“The death of these three brave officers underscores the danger that police across the country confront every single day,” Obama said. “And we as a nation have to be loud and clear that nothing justifies violence against law enforcement. Attacks on police are an attack on all of us and the rule of law that makes society possible.” 
But Trump said the president’s “body language” told a different story. 
“I watched the president. Sometimes the words are OK. But you just look at the body language — there’s something going on,” Trump said. “There’s something going on. There’s just bad feeling.” 
The presumptive Republican nominee admitted that his experience with police is different than it is for African-Americans. He said “there’s something going on” within that situation as well. 
“It’s probably something that we really don’t know and maybe we can’t feel it unless we’re black,” Trump said. “There’s something going on there also. And that has to do with training and that has to do with something, but there is something going on that maybe we can’t recognize it and we can’t see it unless you’re black. But it’s an experience, there’s no question about that. And perhaps it’s a difference experience.”
And Trump is right here. African-American experience with Police, and authorities in general, is different. I have Black people in my family, and I have witnessed them being treated differently because of the color of their skin. Sometimes they are treated better, or, more deferentially, but often they are treated with mistrust, or even contempt in various forms.

This is simply true, from my experience.

And it is good and reasonable for Trump to acknowledge it.

It also shows that Trump watches the world with enough humility to be able to see that others have different experience than he does.

As for his comments on Obama's body language during his speech on Baton Rouge, Trump is absolutely right about that too.

Something is going on with Obama and it doesn't look good. Here are a few of my observations:

1) :30 second mark - Obama has noted "we don't know the motive" of the killer, and then says,
"Regardless of the motive, the death of these three brave officers underscores the danger that police across the country confront every single day." 
AND THEN, he purses his lips and nods his head off to the right, almost wincing. It is a quick, but distinctive, and telling, facial gesture. HE LOOKS LIKE A CHILD BEING FORCED TO DO SOMETHING HE DOES NOT WANT TO DO.

2) Right after that, he launches into a recitation of the following words,
"And we as a nation have to be loud and clear that nothing justifies violence against law enforcement. Attacks on police are attacks on all of us. And the rule of law that makes society possible." 
Then he says,
"Earlier on, I spoke to Governor Edwards..." 
NOTE THAT HERE HIS TONE OF VOICE CHANGES. The first two sentences have the sound of a recitation. Then, the tone of voice suddenly becomes one of a man telling you his own experience. The recitation part betrays the voice of a tired man having to recite a litany he either no longer believes in, or never believed in. Obama is signaling to us HE DOES NOT BELIEVE WHAT HE IS SAYING.

3) Then, once again, when he tells of how he talked to Governor Edwards, he says,
"(I) offered them the full support of the Federal Government and reiterated my full support of Law Enforcement in Baton Rouge and for Police Officers across the country." 
AGAIN, this part sounds like a recitation. The change in voice from the man testifying about his own experience ("Earlier on I spoke to Governor Edwards...") to, suddenly - the reciting of a litany he does not believe in - IS JARRING. There is an emotional Doppler Shift quality about it. Listen to the tone he uses to say the words, "Baton Rouge." He inflects upward on Baton Rouge. And then, unnecessarily downward on the words, "... and for Police Officers across the country." This is the sound of a child reading an unfamiliar passage aloud to a classroom full of equally bored schoolmates. He is saying, "All of us are bored by this, I know. But the teacher is forcing me to read this, so I will. And I will do so with the minimum amount of effort, and the maximum amount of rebellious/disinterested posturing."

Obama hates us. That is what's going on.

Of course, that's my opinion. I could be wrong. But it is what I believe from having observed this man for 9 years now.

Fuck Obama.

I can't wait for him to leave our national presence.

9 comments:

Epaminondas said...

At this point, IMHO it would be wiser tactically to allow others to deconstruct Obama on this subject and say nothing. When HRC puts Michael Brown's mother on the podium as the moral equivalent of Pat Smith, mother of a Benghazi hero, we have something to go after without any quarter.

Pastorius said...

Your point is well taken. But people are suspicious of Obama. Trump has broadened the public discourse on many subject, merely by having the audacity to bring them up. He may be successful with this one too. Especially as he is being reasonable on the subject and Obama is not.

Anonymous said...

CBS: Apparent Norovirus Strikes California Delegates At GOP Convention About a dozen in CA delegation felled by norovirus now, moving them offsite as a precaution to keep from spreading.


*****Coincidence? ...or... is the opposition REALLY playing dirty?

Pastorius said...

Or is it NOT the opposition, but rather, elements in the GOP itself?

Anonymous said...

Let's see...

The party of Joe Biden calls out Trump's wife for plagiarism.

The party of Cindy Sheehan calls out Patricia Smith for blaming HRC for her son's death.

And it's totally OK for Joe Soptic to say "Romney killed my wife" in a DNC ad.

Always On Watch said...

Anonymous,
Point well taken!

Always On Watch said...

Epa,
Wait? Really? That's what the GOP did in 2008 and 2012 -- and look where we are today.

Passivity didn't cut it then and won't cut it now.

Nicoenarg said...

Trump should not change, the RNC should change to be more like Trump. Pu$$ification didn't help in 2008, 2012 or even 1938-39. It never helps.

Anonymous said...

Boston cops warned to check their cars after officer's vehicle was tampered with behind station and his wheel fell off as he drove away

Boston cop was driving away from the station when his wheel fell off
Mechanics found his vehicle was tampered with and lug nuts loosened
Officer wasn't injured but police are warning to all cops to check their cars
Comes in the wake of high profile attacks on officers around the country

*****

WeaselZippers: BREAKING: Shots fired at police in Brooklyn, NY