Chad’s Morning Brief: Republican Candidates Turn to Iowa, Texas Police Officer in the Middle of a Controversy, and Other Top Stories
Your Morning Brief for June 8, 2015.
Harley's, Puppies, and Republicans
Former Texas Governor Rick Perry and Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker ditched SUV's and their drivers for Harley-Davidson's on Saturday as the two were among a group of Republicans in Iowa. According to the AP, the two Governors rode in separate groups to the Roast and Ride.
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and former Texas Gov. Rick Perry cruised to an afternoon presidential forum on Harley-Davidson motorcycles, leading separate rides of hundreds — many military veterans among them — as their Republican competitors chatted up would-be supporters over barbecue and potato salad.
"What a great day this morning was — out there on a Harley-Davidson, riding by the heartland of America," Perry said. "That is what America's all about. Living freedom, riding free."
Perry's ride raised money for the Puppy Jake Foundation, an Iowa-based group that trains service dogs for wounded veterans.
Walker, wearing a black "Born to Ride" T-shirt, said, "You've got to have fun on campaigns — or would-be campaigns — along the way."
Beyond fun, candidates gained a valuable and unscripted opportunity to connect with voters at an event dubbed a "roast and ride" by its host, freshman Republican Sen. Joni Ernst. It served as a prime political gathering with the state's straw poll losing its relevance and its annual steak fry for Democrats ended.
"I think in Iowa it is extremely important to do this," said Ernst on retail politicking. "Iowans want to see their candidates, they want to reach out and shake their hand, they want to ask that question face to face."
Indeed, before giving brief speeches from a stage flanked by bales of hay, the Republicans contenders crisscrossed the sprawling outdoor venue trailed by packs of curious voters. They sliced meat, posed for pictures and made small talk with anyone who would listen.
Just two months before the first nationally televised debate, Walker is expected to announce his candidacy in the coming weeks. Perry launched his presidential bid on Thursday. The Saturday attendees included recently declared candidates Sens. Marco Rubio of Florida and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson and former tech executive Carly Fiorina.
Both Walker and Perry rode in on Harley's but Perry pulled it off a bit better than Walker. If either wins the nomination, they should ride up to the stage at the convention on a Harley. The visuals alone would give them a bump over Hillary Clinton.
Police Officer on Leave for Pulling His Gun
Yesterday I shared a story out of the Dallas-Ft. Worth area about a police officer in McKinney that is on leave after a video surfaced showing his actions this past Friday night. Here is what I wrote:
The Dallas Morning News is reporting that a McKinney police officer has been places on administrative leave after an altercation was caught on video Friday night.
On Friday night, police responded to a complaint call regarding a group of teenagers that were using a subdivision pool in McKinney. According to the complaint the group of teens did not have permission to be at the pool and refused to leave. The pool is meant for residents of that subdivision. According to the Dallas Morning News, other callers to the police complained that the teens were fighting and by the time officers responded to the pool they found a large crowd of teenagers.
During a press conference on the matter on Saturday some parents complained that the police “seemed to only target black” teenagers. Some complained of racism by the police in a city that is 75 percent white. The Dallas Morning News described a chaotic scene at the pool party.
In the video, the officer can be heard yelling, “On your face,” as he pushed the girl to the ground. As he leans on the girl, he points to others standing nearby and yells, “Get out of here, or you’re going to jail.” The incident can be seen around the 3 minute mark of the profanity-laced video.
At one point, the cop turns on two black teenagers and pulls out what appears to be a gun, pointing it at them. Two other officers intervene before the officer turns back to the teenage girl. He is also seen pulling her hair.
The video also shows several teenagers sitting on the grass with their hands cuffed behind their backs while the officer pushed the girl to the ground. Conley said the 14-year-old girl was released to her parents. No other teenagers were arrested. One adult, who was not identified, was arrested for interfering in the police investigation, Conley said.
I really fear that this Summer will be extremely dangerous for police officers and citizens. For the past few years we have heard about "unruly teen mobs" during the Summer and the number of those stories have seemed to increase over the last few years.
After the protests in Ferguson and Baltimore and the distrust that some have with police, I wonder what stories we will read about this Summer.
While racism still exists in this country and while there are some bad cops in world, the rhetoric has been turned up against the police. The vast majority of cops in this country are good people who just want to protect their community, but you don't hear about that on cable news or from the Obama administration. Instead the race card is played and cops are automatically blamed and accused of being racist these days.
The facts don't support the rhetoric. But watch, we will see more stories of "angry teens" and "mobs" confronting police officers this Summer. I wonder who will be called the bad guy?
Other Must Read Links:
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