Rev. Jackson unnerved by Senator Obama’s move to the Center?
Jul 10th, 2008 by David Anderson
By now you have likely seen or heard Rev. Jesse Jackson’s before air remarks saying that he felt Senator Obama was talking down to black people. Rev. Jackson was talking to a friend before air time and did not know the microphone was hot. It was not an attack on Senator Obama.
To me the larger issue is this incident illustrates why I have felt Rev. Jackson and others are inadvertently stumbling blocks to the advancement of minorities. I do not disrespect the civil rights work done by Rev. Jackson. The sacrifice he and others have made has been to my good. The issue is that we need to go to the next level. Rev. Jackson seems stuck in the past. Senator Obama is trying to look to the future. He understands that we will give nothing back on Civil Rights, but that today’s issues of equality are education, the disintegration of the family, and strengthening our community organizations.
On these issues I agree with Senator Obama.
David, this is a conversation that needs to be had within the black community. The fact that it is in the open, I feel, is cathartic and in the end, will do a lot to better the future roles of blacks in society….
As I have said all along, what needs to happen to fix racial problems in America, is that “we” see people as the individuals they are, saints or sinners, and treat skin color as simply another human deviation such as hair or eye color. No one would ever consider that someone was talking down to blue eyed people because they criticized Lieberman’s actions in the Senate….
Obama, by being himself is accomplishing just that….
And I am ecstatic that within my lifetime, I lived to see it happen….
Anyone know if the Obama camp released a four page memo with talking points to the media on why Jesse is a racist?
Oh wait, they flip flopped on that policy too! Damn. What’s left of his platform? Iraq. Give him till next week. Ho hum. What a fraud.
Somehow I’m not suprised that Jackson would make those remarks. He has a habit of escalating things to the extreme level.
David, your insight and vision here expresed are remarkable, as I would also say to you, kavips, for your response. Both of you have given meaning to the concept of our melting pot here, a heritage of which all Americans are aware, but to which not all of us have entirely subscribed, for example the late Jesse Helms and the like. Obama has subscribed, and wishes to lead more folks to an understanding and benefits for all of such a subscription.
Once again we are distracted from real issues by personal attacks. Jackson’s remarks no more reflect African Americans then Perry’s reflect those of anyone else. ( Sorry Perry couldn’t resist, just kidding). But what they do reflect is the ignorance of the man who spoke them and nothing else. This should not have gotten the coverage it did on a day when Iran is testing missles and threatning to choke a major shipping lane.
FrankKnotts brings up a good point about deviations from real issues in the world of politics. I agree that Iran’s nuclear testing is more important.
The question is not whether or not Obama is talking down/up/to to black people but whether he is capable of dealing with nations like Iran.
There is no evidence that this one term junior senator has any ability at all to deal with dangerous nations like Iran.
The world is a dangerous place right now, and Obama and Michelle can preach all they want about community activism, but feel good rhetoric of hope and change (which he has not defined what he is bringing, which is smart politics because American’s have no consensus on what we are hoping to change to) is not going to have the same impact on history that a nuclear Iran will have in 2015 when U.S. intelligence predicts it will have missiles capable of reaching U.S. soil.
“A black president? How the hell is a man supposed to make a living race-baiting if there’s no racism? This heinous plan must be soundly rejected. Racism forever!”…………..J. Jackson