When asked about the campus protests at Missouri and Yale that have garnered numerous headlines in the past week, outspoken New Jersey Governor Chris Christie is placing the blame squarely on the shoulders of President Obama.
“I think part of this is a product of the president’s own unwillingness and inability to bring people together,” Christie said to prospective voters in Iowa.
Despite Christie’s accusations of the President not being able to “bring people together,” it is the division rather that is bringing people together, in droves.
Earlier this week after walkouts by school staff and a strike by the college football team, University of Missouri President Tim Wolfe turned in his resignation after accusations that he did not adequately address perceived racism on campus.
Wolfe’s resignation began a week of student protests and more resignations at Missouri which snowballed into demonstrations at Yale and a larger debate over “safe spaces” and “trigger warnings” that contribute to the ongoing battle for free speech and equal discussion on college campuses.
Christie is calling the actions of the students in Missouri and at Yale a direct consequence of Obama’s contribution to divisiveness in the country and disregard for the civic order that he has condoned.
The GOP presidential candidate has never been one to hold back on making blunt statements and engaging in boisterous debate, but to some, his recent comments connecting the President to race protesters has been seen as a last-ditch attempt to bring attention to his floundering campaign.
Raw Story described Christie’s passionate comments as one “blowing a racist dog whistle to attract attention to his collapsing presidential aspirations.”
While is is true that Christie was demoted to the “happy hour” debate this last go round, his accusations that Obama has encouraged the recent protests and behavior from students isn’t completely wrong.
Following the “witch hunt” style protests and demands that forced University of Missouri’s’ President Wolfe to resign without any due process or civility, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest was quick to praise the students for “speaking up and speaking out.”
“I think this also illustrates something that the president talked a lot about in the context of – in his campaign,” Earnest said referring to the power of the students to push out the University president.
Drawing contrast between Obama’s administration of encouraging mob-rule and “lawlessness,” Christie said that his administration would be one of justice “as a way of life.”
