Obama riots

The Obama riots were a series of racially motivated conflagrations that erupted nationwide in the last half of President Barack Obama's second term. Initially elected as America's first "post-racial" president many African-Americans became increasingly disillusioned as Obama's presidency progressed. Critics charged Obama personally inflamed the rioters and lawless elements responsible for the destruction of property, businesses, and jobs in several American cities.

Patrick H. Caddell and Douglas E. Schoen noted early on in the Wall Street Journal, "Rather than being a unifier, Mr. Obama has divided America on the basis of race, class and partisanship." Mary Frances Berry, former head of the U.S. Civil Rights Commission, acknowledged that the Obama administration attempted to polarize America around the issue of race as a way of diverting attention from an anemic recovery and other issues. Caddell and Schoen further stated, "Mr. Obama has also cynically divided the country on class lines. He has taken to playing the populist card time and time again. He bashes Wall Street and insurance companies whenever convenient to advance his programs, yet he has been eager to accept campaign contributions and negotiate with these very same banks and corporations behind closed doors in order to advance his political agenda... President Obama's divisive approach to governance has weakened us as a people and paralyzed our political culture."

"Police acted stupidly"

President Obama attempted to mitigate the fiasco his off the cuff comments created about the integrity of law enforcement in the performance of their duties, by inviting his good personal friend and the arresting officer to a White House Beer Summit.

In the opening months of his presidency, Obama's close personal friend Harvard Professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. was arrested on misdemeanor disturbance charges. Gates boasted to the arresting officer, "Do you know who I am?"

Asked about the incident at a prime time press conference, Obama attacked the police and said the arresting officer was "acting stupidly." Polls shortly after revealed the public's revulsion of Obama's disrespect for law enforcement and the elitist attitude of his friends and administration. Obama's personal popularity and approval ratings declined significantly with the greatest declines among poor people. The Pew Research Center noted "Some of the larger declines are among members of his own party."

Obama condemns an innocent Hispanic

In March 2012 a white Hispanic killed a 17 year old youth, Trayvon Martin, who violently assaulted him. President Obama's immediate response was to issue a public statement saying, "Trayvon Martin could have been me." A jury found Trayvon Martin's killing was in self-defense.