By Pamela Gentry, Senior Political Analyst

July 31, 2009 – President Barack Obama’s approval rating among African-American fell in a recent survey conducted by  the nonpartisan Pew Research Center. The survey indicates one of the largest drops in the president’s approval rating since taking office in January.

 Some of the drop may be connected to the timing – the poll was conducted as the controversial remarks surrounding the situation with Cambridge Police Stg. James Crowley and  Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates played out.

Participants were surveyed Wednesday to Sunday, July 22-26.  The suvey included White, Black and Hispanics praticipants.  Obama’s overall job approval was 54 percent, seven points lower than mid-June.  The poll of 1,506 adults has a margin of error of plus or minus three percentage points.

Among the 124 blacks surveyed, the poll showed Obama’s overall job approval at 93 percent in mid-June and 85 percent in July. Among 1,170 whites polled, 52 percent approved of Obama’s job performance in mid-June, and in July, 48 percent.

During the White House briefing on Thursday, press secretary Robert Gibbs told reporters the president isn’t watching and worrying about falling poll numbers. 

“Look, the president doesn’t spend a whole lot of time focused on polling,” Gibbs said. “The president isn’t fixated on the ups and downs in polling. If we were, we’d have quit two years ago this summer, if ever even run for president.”

No doubt the recent comments by Obama regarding the Crowley-Gates incident had an impact. When he remarked the Cambridge police “acted stupidly” when they arrested the Harvard scholar in his home  re-igniting the issue. 

In a gesture to bring the two together the president invited Crowley and Gates to the White House for a beer on Thursday. Following the Rose Garden meeting, Obama released a statement saying, “I have always believed that what brings us together is stronger than what pulls us apart.”

“I am confident that has happened here tonight, and I am hopeful that all of us are able to draw this positive lesson from this episode,” he said.

Crowley held a press conference, still excited from his visit to Pennsylvania Avenue with his family and told reporters, he and Gates had “a private and frank discussion,” but with  different perspectives.

“I think what you had today was two gentlemen who agreed to disagree on a particular issue,” Crowley told reporters. “I don’t think that we spent too much time dwelling on the past. We spent a lot of time discussing the future.”

Gates, who has been measured in his remarks about the incident told The New York Times he and Crowley had come together “through an accident of time and place” and can now take the opportunity “to foster greater sympathy among the American public for the daily perils of policing on the one hand, and for the genuine fears of racial profiling on the other hand.”

Let’s hope this discussion leads to improving the overriding problem; racial profiling.

By Pamela Gentry, Senior Political Analyst

July 30, 2009 – President Obama’s “beer summit” with Cambridge Police, Sgt. James Crowley and Harvard University professor Henry Louis Gates will trump the president’s entire day of meetings on foreign policy and national security, health care reform and the rescuing the economy.

Why?

Because the president will convene a meeting to defuse a political football that’s been tossed around since he remarked at his news conference the Cambridge police “acted stupidly” arresting Gates for disorderly conduct in his own home.

Since the incident took place the charges against Gates have been dropped and Crowley has become the “poster police officer “for demonstrating the power of a badge and a gun.

 While Crowley and the Cambridge Police continues to claim “victim status” in all this, the real victims could be the 47 million Americans without health care.  Let’s hope Obama can get back to his top domestic policy issue as soon as these three brews are served.

 Don’t get me wrong. I think the invite was a nice thing to do.  But I also think it’s time for the Cambridge Police to have a little “summit” of their own.  While no one appears to be blameless in the break-in-gate, another Cambridge resident felt she  too needed to step forward and set the record straight. 

For the first time Lucia Whalen, the passer-by who called 911 to report a possible break-in held her own news conference Wednesday.  Whalen said, she feared for her own safety after information circulated she had reported seeing two Black men breaking in. 

Once the 911 tapes were released it was clear she had not made mention of race in her description of the two men entering the house, even after being prompted by operator.  So why did the he police reported indicated she reported a possible break-in by two Black men?  That’s something the Cambridge Police need to check out.  

Since the president extended the invite daily briefings have included question about the details of the gathering.  So for all you beer drinkers; according to The Associated Press, it will be Bud Light for Obama, Blue Moon for Crowley and Red Stripe for Gates.

Cheers!

By Pamela Gentry, Senior Political Analyst

July, 23, 2009 – President Obama has stirred up a firestorm with his criticism of Cambridge Police officers who arrested a friend of his, Harvard Professor Henry Louis Gates Jr., in his own home.  Obama said, the police “acted stupidly” – and the comment has dominated headlines over health care reform ever since. 

I think the president gave his “opinion” and I wasn’t aware that was not allowed by the commander-in-chief.  He made every attempt to say his opinion may be biased because of his friendship with Dr. Gates – not to mention he repeated that he wasn’t there – but felt the officers could have moved on once they determined it was not a robbery in progress.

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 Understanding that Gates was pissed, I bet the officer was as well. Sgt. James Crowley, the arresting police officer wasn’t letting Gates off easy.  It was his power play once he discovered who Gates was, and neither wanted to lose face.  Crowley defends his actions, and I’ll defend Gates and the president.   

This story was national news before Obama spoke out because the arrest of Gates was unnecessary and seemed a bit harsh under the circumstances. Now all of a sudden the Cambridge Police are the victims? 

 I know race is always a touchy topic, but why can’t we discuss it?  Is Obama going to have to pretend racism doesn’t exist and avoid any mention of the plight of African Americans and Latinos when race relations are up for discussion?

Obama is a constitutional lawyer, the first Black to head the Harvard Law Review and the first African-American president, and he acknowledged the progress that has been made in race relations over the years.  But if anything comes of this incident, I hope both Blacks and Whites will understand – the discussion is still front page because feelings about race are still raw emotions in this country.

 I’m not sure if having a Black president will help heal the wounds or scar those who see the “good old days” slipping away.

Full Video Coverage: Watch President Obama’s Entire Speech

More on the Story: Cop Says He Won’t Apologize for Gates’ Arrest