President Obama, who last year said if he had a son, he’d “look like Trayvon” Martin, has broken his subsequent silence on the case in a big way. Obama not only said that Trayvon Martin “could have been me 35 years ago,” but that things would have turned out very differently had Martin been white.
Joy Reid tweeted much of Obama’s statement:
Obama: "when Trayvon Martin was shot, I said that could have been my son. Another way of saying that is that Trayvon could have been me."
— Joy Reid (@JoyAnnReid) July 19, 2013
Obama: disparities in our laws including "everything from the death penalty to our drug laws." #trayvonmartin
— Joy Reid (@JoyAnnReid) July 19, 2013
Obama: black folks understand the challenges faced by black boys. They get upset when the context is being ignored and denied.
— Joy Reid (@JoyAnnReid) July 19, 2013
Obama: If Trayvon had been white, both the outcome and the aftermath might have been different.
— Joy Reid (@JoyAnnReid) July 19, 2013
Obama: "beyond the protests and vigils are there concrete things we might do." #trayvonmartin
— Joy Reid (@JoyAnnReid) July 19, 2013
Obama: "If Trayvon was of aged and armed, could he have stood his ground on that sidewalk?"
— Joy Reid (@JoyAnnReid) July 19, 2013
Obama joined those pushing the misconception that Zimmerman’s acquittal was due to Florida’s “stand your ground” law, which it wasn’t.
Reid continued:
Obama: "And do we think he would have been justified in shooting Mr. Zimmerman because he felt threatened, because he was being followed?"
— Joy Reid (@JoyAnnReid) July 19, 2013
Obama "I don't think it's particularly productive when politicians try to convene discussions" on race.
— Joy Reid (@JoyAnnReid) July 19, 2013
Really? “Beer summit,” anyone?
Obama’s full statement:
Transcript of Obama's remarks on race http://t.co/sRvTsDdxan
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) July 19, 2013
Did all that come from the same president who Jay Carney expects everybody to believe is not involving himself in the DOJ’s decisions regarding the Zimmerman investigation? We remain skeptical.
Related:
Family photo of Trayvon Martin as an Obama
Is Team Obama capitalizing on Trayvon Martin’s death?
Obama: ‘If I had a son, he’d look like Trayvon’; GOP Rep. Allen West weighs in
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