The White House defended President Obama’s record of trying to quell racial unrest Wednesday, arguing that some of the day-to-day work he has done may have gone unnoticed by the media because it did not occur in the middle of a crisis.
On Wednesday in an interview with radio host Steve Harvey, Obama suggested that Americans only worry about poor neighborhoods when there’s a crisis and fail to engage with their concerns and difficulties over time.
“People have a tendency, once the fires have been put out, and the cars aren’t being tipped over, you know there’s not some immediate crisis, then folks wanna go back and focus on, you know, whatever reality TV thing is going on,” Obama said Wednesday.
On Thursday, a reporter asked White House press secretary Josh Earnest whether that characterization also fits the way Obama has treated the issue of racial unrest.
Earnest pushed back, arguing that Obama has demonstrated a commitment to different aspects of the issue over time.
“It’s certainly appropriate for you to note that the president himself has chosen to speak out when there are flashpoints in this debate,” he said. “What’s also true is that the president has been focused on these issues for quite some times in ways that may not get active attention from the media.”
Earnest pointed to a visit to Baltimore Obama made on May 17, 2014, when he visited an organization called the Center for Urban Families, which is dedicated to providing job training skills for members of the community. He also visited a school to learn about early childhood education programs and spent time at a local business that worked closely with the Port of Baltimore.
“My point here is to indicate [that the] president is very visible when we have these flashpoints when the media is paying attention — for good reason,” he told reporters. “But what is undeniable is the president is focused on this issue when some of you guys aren’t.”
