Once again, Obama defends Reid - Comments Were “Inartful” but Not “Mean-Spirited”

[jefferson_dem]

Once again, Obama defends Reid
Posted: Monday, January 11, 2010 6:07 PM by Mark Murray

Filed Under: White House, Democrats, Barack Obama From NBC's Mark Murray and Michelle Perry
In an interview with TV One's Roland Martin, President Obama once again defended Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid for what he said about Obama in 2008.

"Harry Reid is a friend of mine," Obama said. "He has been a stalwart champion of voting rights, civil rights. He is spending a lot of his political capital in the middle of an election to provide health care to every American, and that is going to have a great impact on African Americans and Latinos around the country."

More: "This is a good man who has always been on the right side of history. For him to have used some inartful language in trying to praise me and for people to try and make hay out of that makes absolutely no sense."

And: "He has apologized recognizing that he didn't use appropriate language, but there was nothing mean spirited in what he had to say and he has always been on the right side of the issues. And the fact that we spend days o this instead of talking about the unemployment rate or talking about how we deal with critical issues like energy and health care is an indication of why I think people don't understand what is happening in Washington. I guarantee you the average person -- white or black -- right now is less concerned about what Harry Reid said in a quote in a book a couple of years ago than they are about how we are going to move the country forward. And that's where we need to direct our attention."

http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2010/01/11/2170786.aspx

[CBR]

1. The Prez loves the word "inartful"! nt

[Solomon]

6. Because it's the most diplomatic way of saying

you fucked up. In a way that always leads to dialog instead of war.

[CBR]

8. True. Diplomatic and honest concurrently. nt

[janx]

12. Yes, he does, and he's specifically right in this instance.

When he was growing up, what word do you suppose his grandparents used to refer to black people?

[FrenchieCat]

2. Tis true....this is just another media engineered distraction.....

they get on my fucking nerves!

[TheKentuckian]

3. I've got them filed under stupid, lame, inept, and sooooo yesteryear

Sometimes even old black folks get looked at crossways when they say stuf like that but he wasn't being racist, in my opinion. Not in intent, actually the reverse he was trying to honestly compliment, he's just in the 50's or something.

Hell, I say black and think "African American" is goofy but think people can call themselves whatever they like, so I'm probably antiquated myself.

[BeyondGeography]

4. This story's going nowhere

Who will tell the media?

[tularetom]

5. Once again repubs demonstrate their contempt for black people

Obviously they think that African Americans are going to rise up in indignation at Harry Reid's statement. Unfortunately it appears that black people are smart enough to know who is on their side and who is just trying to use them. And I suspect, in spite of his old timey language, Reid is a far better friend to them than Michael Steele or the rest of his redneck republican pals will ever be.

If I were black I would be highly offended that somebody thought I was stupid enough to fall for this obvious and inept attempt at pandering.

My father who would be 93 if he were still alive, never got past the "colored people" phase of referring to blacks. But he didn't have a bigoted bone in his body. I suspect Reid has a similar background.

[goclark]

10. I'm African American and I agree with you

What Reid said was what many in his age group probably said or thought at the time.


This is mild compared to what we have been called.

I have great hopes for the current generation ~ "...not judged by the color of your skin but by the content of your character."

Those are powerful words.

[CakeGrrl]

7. Well said once again, Mr. President

it's a damned shame he has to keep resetting the MSM when it veers off into its frequent distraction mode.

[Cha]

9. Good on ya, Pres Obama..point out, once again

how the "media" likes distractions more than real issues important to our country and even the World.

[depakid]

11. What else is he supposed to say?

:shrug:

Fortunately, it looks like we're not going to have this embarrassment around very long after November 3rd.