The Jacksons: Jesse Jr vs Jesse Sr
” ‘Thunder’ struck again.” is the premise for Jesse Jackson Jr’., column in the Chicago Sun Times. Sr feels that Obama ”virtually ignored the plight of African Americans in this country.” His son takes issue with that and more:
As a national co-chairman of Sen. Barack Obama’s presidential campaign, I’ve been a witness to Obama’s powerful, consistent and effective advocacy for African Americans. He is deeply rooted in the black community, having fought for social justice and economic inclusion throughout his life. On the campaign trail — as he’s done in the U.S. Senate and the state Legislature before that — Obama has addressed many of the issues facing African Americans out of personal conviction, rather than political calculation.
It is a testament to his deep commitment and new vision that Obama is poised to become the first black man to make it all the way to the White House. Taking him there will be the character, the judgment and the principles that are propelling his rise.
So often, the place where a candidate begins a campaign points to the direction where he intends to take the country. It is a hint of things to come.
Obama launched his presidential campaign at the Old State Capitol in Springfield, where Abraham Lincoln delivered his famous speech calling on a divided nation to come together. Arguing that slavery was morally wrong, Lincoln professed this: ”I believe that this government cannot endure, permanently half slave and half free.”
Lincoln’s words were not just poignant, they were prophetic. His campaign defined the challenge and changed the country, setting in motion an immortal, inevitable clash of armies and ideas. In the clamor and convulsion of the Civil War, President Lincoln rallied the nation, freed the slaves and saved our Union, ushering in ”a new birth of freedom.”
Almost a century and half later, Obama stood only steps away from where Lincoln warned of a ”house divided.” Like Lincoln, Obama called on us to come together and ”to face the challenges of this millennium together, as one people — as Americans.” He called on us to join with him to conclude a war without end, to solve the health care crisis, to build better schools, to create better jobs and to provide greater opportunity and justice for all. He said, “I want us to take up the unfinished business of perfecting our union, and building a better America.”
Clearly, African Americans — as all Americans — are listening and responding. On the same day that Jackson’s column appeared, the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies released the results of its latest national survey of likely black presidential primary voters. The study found that many African Americans were paying close attention, with nearly 75 percent having a favorable view of Obama.
They see the light.
Ouch! That’ll make for an uncomfortable dinner conversation!
Lynn Sweet has more
