Rev. Jesse Jackson vs. Senator Barack Obama - Old Black Power disses New

Oh he’s gone and done it now. Rev. Jesse Jackson is scrambling to retract comments he made Sunday, his son is blasting him for those same comments and Senator Obama – campaign and all – are quiet.

What is the issue here? What was said?

Well it’s hard to be sure. What is known is that Rev. Jackson took offense at the speech made by Senator Obama. In a moment where his microphone was hot, and he believed it was off, Rev. Jackson let loose with comments Wolf Blitzer believes he cannot repeat on CNN air. According to Jim Tapper of ABC News the words were along the lines of

“…crude and disparaging remark along the lines of wanting to rip Obama's genitals off…”

Actually finding the remarks, via video or transcript, has proven to be difficult at this point. I have no doubt that they will surface at some point soon though. And I think that is the only reason that today, 3 days later, Rev. Jackson has made an apology.

This is not a sincere apology, it’s polispeak. He is protecting his political clout and image. Were he really sincere he would have apologized Sunday when he knew his comments were heard. The point is that Rev. Jackson does not like Senator Obama. I say that because it was almost 1 year ago when

“Jackson sharply criticized presidential hopeful and Illinois Sen. Barack Obama for “acting like he’s white” in what Jackson said has been a tepid response to six black juveniles’ arrest on attempted-murder charges in Jena, La.”

It seems that Rev. Jackson spares no words or feelings when he disagrees with Senator Obama, which I gather is a common event. Still that did not prevent him for making his ‘sincere apology’



Of course the real interesting point comes from the same source as it did a year ago. Rep. Jesse L. Jackson, Jr., D-Ill, had the following to say

“I'm deeply outraged and disappointed in Reverend Jackson's reckless statements about Senator Barack Obama. His divisive and demeaning comments about the presumptive Democratic nominee -- and I believe the next president of the United States -- contradict his inspiring and courageous career. Instead of tearing others down, Barack Obama wants to build the country up and bring people together so that we can move forward, together -- as one nation. The remarks like those uttered on Fox by Revered Jackson do not advance the campaign's cause of building a more perfect Union.

Revered Jackson is my dad and I'll always love him. He should know how hard that I've worked for the last year and a half as a national co-chair of Barack Obama's presidential campaign. So, I thoroughly reject and repudiate his ugly rhetoric. He should keep hope alive and any personal attacks and insults to himself.”

Perhaps it’s me, but I think that Junior knows how dad feels and speaks over family get togethers.

Now if you are what caused all this, here you go

"There's a reason why our families are in disrepair," Obama said in a Father's Day speech at Apostolic Church of God on Chicago's South Side. "And some of it has to do with a tragic history, but we can't keep on using that as an excuse. Too many fathers are AWOL, missing from too many lives and too many homes. They've abandoned their responsibilities. They're acting like boys instead of men.”

Now in my opinion I can understand that Rev Jesse Jackson is upset with Senator Obama. The thunder, and more importantly political clout, he once held is being shifted to the younger, more popular, Senator.

As I said back in September

“And will the media stop saying that Rev. Jackson and Al Sharpton are leaders of African Americans. There was no vote… Some might say that both reverends are the lapdogs of the news media, which is far worse than being accused of ‘acting white’”

I feel it’s even more true today. Unless Rev. Jackson wants to attack Bill Cosby, myself, and dozens of other Black bloggers and individuals that agree

“Too many fathers are AWOL, missing from too many lives and too many homes.”

The saddest part of this is that the net outcome could be harm to Senator Obama’s chances in the general election. He already has difficulty with older Democratic voters, and if this becomes the story I think it might once the video of his comments is aired, it further damages another segment of the Obama base. Hillary and Bill Clinton must be dancing.