Tribes

Let me get this straight. Our beloved, metro-sexual, post-racial savior goes on MTV, BET, and CMT for a series of those "cherry-picked" townhalls where all of the beautiful people are selected for -- um, you know -- the content of their character as the result of a casting call:

Seeking—Audience Members: males & females, 18+.

To apply, email townhallaudience@mtvnmix.com and put “Town Hall” in the subject line. To ensure that the audience represents diverse interests and political views, include your name, phone number, hometown, school attending, your job and what issues, if any, you are interested in or passionate about. Also, provide a recent photo and short description of your political views. Submission deadline: Oct. 14. No pay.

My guess is that Sunny Jim got a little nervous in the service about having a friendly face pick up the mike and express his or her exhaustion about The Child-Emperor forcing the populace on a diet of weenies and beans. So what does Mr. Unity do when addressing one of these stacked-deck audiences? Why, he proceeds to slice-and-dice and, of course, lay the blame off on on someone else, i.e., the "old people" not lucky enough to make the casting call (emphasis, of course, added):

Asked about what the questioner saw as an increase in racial tension Thursday, President Obama said a "tribal attitude" can come as a result of economic hardship.

"Historically, when you look at how America has evolved, typically we make progress on race relations in fits and starts," he said at a town hall event with young Americans.

He then suggested that the recession has played a part in driving racial antagonism while he has been in office.

"Often times misunderstandings and antagonisms surface most strongly when times are tough. And that's not surprising," Mr. Obama said, arguing that Americans are less worried when things are going well.

He added that anxiety over not being able to pay bills - or having lost a job or a home - sometimes "organizes itself around kind of a tribal attitude, and issues of race become more prominent."

He also said, however, that "I think the trend lines are actually good."

"This audience just didn't exist 20 years ago," Mr. Obama said, surveying the multiracial room of young people to whom he was speaking. He said the interaction between races among young people today is "unprecedented."

"We've got a little bit of everybody in this country," the president said, arguing that "our strength comes from unity, not division."

The president, referencing his own experience, added that "as you get older, your mind gets a little more set." He said that's why the tolerance of young people is so important. "You guys are going to be the messengers," said the president.

Yeah, right, Mr Post-Racial, Mr Divide-and-Conquer. BET? Isn't that the Black Entertainment Television cable channel?

Just checking

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