President Trayvon Soothes Racial Tensions With Historic, Healing, Lincoln-esque Speech

Earlier today, weighing in on the Zimmerman verdict for the first time, President Barack Obama said that "Trayvon Martin could have been me 35 years ago." That is, if Trayvon had led a childhood of luxury in Hawaii and then somehow attended Columbia and Harvard using financial means yet undiscovered by modern media.

Bryan Preston:

Barack Obama had a moment when he could have stood above all the factions in the black community, indeed all the factions arguing over the verdict in that trial. He could have spoken to and for more than just one American community. He chose instead to insert himself and race into the story from the world’s largest bully pulpit, while refusing to use that bully pulpit to stand up forcefully for the rule of law.

Mark Levin:

Ronald Reagan always talked up America, never apologizing for it, but reminding everyone all over the world what a great country we have. But Obama never does that, he says, even though he’s traveled all over the country and has seen what a great people we have. Levin points out that Obama doesn’t sound like a man who is honored to lead America as her president. Instead he has a chip on his shoulder and is intent to balkanize America with speeches like he made today on race.

Instead of acting like a president, he acts like Al Sharpton – all the while more and more black teens can’t get a job and more black adults are rolling on to welfare. Yet no one ever talks about it. Ever.

Ace of Spades:

On Twitter, I challenged Buzz Feed's Ben Smith, who had claimed Obama always spoke "incredibly" about race, to apprise me as to what specific insights and memorable sentences he recalls from any Obama utterance, whether on race or any other subject; as of this 6 o'clock deadline, he has yet to respond to me. Almost as if it's unfair to ask for evidence of the Lightbringer's alleged eloquence and perspicacity.

Dave Blount:

By whipping up mobs that are already out of control, while simultaneously denouncing stand-your-ground laws that had nothing to do with the Trayvon Martin shooting, Obama appears to be setting up a row of dominos that will inevitably fall when one of the sociopathic punks he so openly identifies with attacks someone with a gun who defends himself. The aftermath will be Newtown + St. Skittles, hyped to the last extreme of absurdity by the cultural Marxists who run the media, with the short-term goal of attacking our fundamental right of self-defense and the long-term goal of creating a social divide so deep that liberals will be able to keep exploiting it indefinitely.

A leader attempts to unite his people. A ruler divides and conquers.

Dymphna asks, "Why Is Obama Trying to Start a Race War?":

Perhaps because there is a disappointing lack of widespread “burn-baby-burn-and-bust-me-some-cracker-heads” outbreaks across the country, our President chose to make a surprise speech today. That is, the occasion was a surprise, but the speech was the usual narcissistic insertion of himself into the story in order to generate a crisis. The man loves crises but mostly all he’s managed to create are scandals. And they go on and on. So he needs the race riots he keeps begging for ... Pray that we survive the power of the vile hatred in evidence at the White House. For those of you who don’t pray, please keep your fingers crossed for our country.

This may well be a turning point. If this evil plan works, there won’t be a way back. Obama burns bridges; he has no skill at building them and doesn’t want to learn.

Hat tip: BadBlue News.