The murder of the 16 year old honor roll student in Chicago has

[Raven]

prompted calls for Obama to stay home from the Olympics meeting and go to Chicago. This was a brutal, mindless murder and I suspect that Obama will find himself criticized no matter what he does. I'm torn. What do you think?

[MichiganVote]

1. I think that Obama is where he needs to be for the nation.

[Avalux]

2. It was a horrible murder. But why should Obama go to Chicago?

Who is saying he should go there? :shrug:

[Raven]

5. WBZ Boston talk show tonight with conservative Dan Ray (the host)

and Eugene Rivers a black pastor from Boston. Both agreed that Obama should stay home and "show some leadership".

[BrklynLiberal]

8. Oh...that explains it. They are just setting up yet another situation in which Obama

can be criticized...

Great sources...x(

[BlooInBloo]

9. Oh. Well. If conservatives say so.... Then DUers will clearly agree - just like with other things.

[Avalux]

16. No. Local Chicago leaders can deal with the murder.

Obama is showing leadership by going to Denmark; if he is successful in bringing the Olympics to Chicago, it will be a huge boost to the area's economy and help the US economy overall.

[NOLALady]

27. I have to wonder if

dan ray and eugene rivers called for GWB to "show some leadership" when New Orleans was drowning.

[Raven]

29. What surprised me was the criticism coming from Rivers who

is a liberal and has a long history of community organizing in Boston. Dan Ray is an asshole and I would expect that crap from him.

[CakeGrrl]

38. Do they expect him to do this with EVERY murder of a young black bystander?

It's a damned shame what happened to that young man, but things like this have BEEN happening for years and years in Chicago and everywhere else.

Everyone wants their time in front of a mic to bitch about SOMETHING the President ought to or ought not to be doing.

:eyes:

[babylonsister]

3. Who made the calls?

I haven't heard about this student.

Brutal, mindless murders occur daily. Probably in Chicago, too.

[BrklynLiberal]

7. and in many, many other cities as well....

[BrklynLiberal]

4. I am not in favor of the Olympics in Chicago..however, I do not see how

the President going to Chicago...or every other city in which there is a mindless killing..will be of any use to anyone.

[Nay]

6. Huh? A president of the US is now supposed to run around the

country attending to local murders? That's idiocy.

[emilyg]

You know better than that. It's an

epidemic and needs to be addressed. How many more young people need to die?

[Thrill]

13. What is the President supposed to do? Go to every city where

there is a brutal murder??

[Raven]

19. I know better than what? I asked a question

[Phx_Dem]

22. Agreed. Sad, but there are horrible murders every day. A family of 5

was killed about a week ago in Florida or somewhere. Maybe they don't count since they didn't live in Chicago.

I don't get it.

[Clio the Leo]

10. The violence involves students living in Altgeld Gardens....

..... anyone familiar with Barack Obama and his past to the degree they should be already knows the answer to the question.

[Raven]

14. Please explain to those of us who don't know.

[Clio the Leo]

18. Sorry.

But your hitting a MAJOR sore point I have with many here at DU.

Your answer is here......

http://www.amazon.com/Dreams-from-My-Father/dp/B001HXOO88/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1254275648&sr=8-2

[Jackeens]

20. Hey Raven, he was a community organiser there.

Some info here:

http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/01/22/a_defining_time_of_advocacy/

http://www.newsweek.com/id/167634

http://news.medill.northwestern.edu/chicago/news.aspx?id=104417

[Raven]

21. I knew that and that is why I'm torn about what he should do...

I suspect that he is itching to be there and do what he can. On the other hand, he can't minister to every tragedy like this.

[Thrill]

11. Huh? Obama is the President of the United States. Not the Mayor or Chief of Police

jeesh

[Barack_America]

12. A 16 year old honor roll kid was killed with a Samurai sword in my neighborhood.

Under Bush.

And it didn't even make the national news, let alone prompt cries to Bush to step in.

Why was that?

Oh yeah, 'cuz Bush wasn't black.

[handmade34]

15. President Obama should not drop everything to go to Chicago

this young man's death is tragic and will be dealt with by officials in Chicago.

[Rick Myers]

17. He was supposed to go to Belgium, I think...

For the Olymic Organizing Comittee meeting.

[Raven]

23. Yes, and by going some will say he turned his back on his

community in a time of need and others will say that by not going he draws more attention to our violent culture and will lose the games.

[BlooInBloo]

25. Yes.... "some will say". Concern, noted.

[Raven]

26. What do you mean? Do you think I'm some sort of a troll?

[BlooInBloo]

28. I would never say that.

[NOLALady]

24. Why would anyone expect Obama to go to Chicago?

There are brutal mindless murders every day. No one ever expected any other President to cancel plans to address brutal mindless murders.

[d_b]

30. I suppose for the same reason

Bush was expected to go to Texas every time white folks beat someone to death...

??

[FrenchieCat]

31. Let me know when it can get any more stupid than this post.....

The President can't even tell school kids to study and work hard
without it being a national debate on how he may be trying to indoctrinate school kids.

Now, he should not try to bring Chicago the revenue that it needs (because at the end of the day,
gangs and shit are due to poverty and lack of jobs), and instead he should go to Chicago
and do fucking what exactly? Meet everyone up and Grant Park and tell them that this situation is a problem?

I'm so tired of everyone believing they know what this particular President should do,
when the last one totally had already fucked us before anyone woke the fuck up.

[Raven]

32. Amen! I don't think any of my prior posts have been called stupid

and maybe this one was. I was reporting what I heard discussed on talk radio tonight and what will probably be all over the news tomorrow. This President is not being held to the last president's standard, the chin bar is a lot higher. It does not help when the likes of Rev. Rivers piles on and I do think that because this is his home town and his community, this will be a tough decision for Obama.

[HopeOverFear]

34. tell it, Frenchie!

[Traveling_Home]

33. I'd like to see Arne Duncan on the issue - not the Prez nt

[Tarheel_Dem]

35. Ask yourself if this would have made national news if the president were white?

Your first problem is listening to rightwing radio. Your second problem is that you feel the need to share the idiocy you hear on rightwing radio. Your third problem is that you've bought into the shit your hear on rightwing radio. And DU's problem is that it continues to allow the rightwing to control every fucking debate.

Half the problems we face as the opposition party is from reactionary leftists who can't make up their own minds.

[Cali_Democrat]

36. I don't remember Bush being told to go back to Texas when murders occurred there

Why the double standard?

Oh I forgot, one President has a darker complexion.

[izzybeans]

37. This is Mayor Daley's responsibility.

He's put all his eggs in the Olympic basket. Meanwhile school children are dying in his streets.