An Apology for Honesty?

So here comes some of my political slant. Turns out that Jesse Jackson doesn't like the blackness of Barak Obama. In a recent story in the LA Times, it was noted that the Don Quioxte of black presidential candidates said "Barack, he's talking down to black people," and later "I want to cut his nuts off,".

Not a very strong endorsement for our probable next President of the United States, from arguably the figurehead of black advancement over the past 30 years. Now of course Jackson apologized and of course Obama accepted the apology, but was there really any other alternative for the two? So forget about the political rationale for the aftermath, let's focus on why Jackson said what he did.

Now I'm not a political guru by any means, so I have no idea what the history might be between the two, and oh yeah, his presidential aspirations were as mentioned above- sort of a joke. But I have tremendous respect for what Jackson stands for in principle and I believe that he truly speaks for the black American. And by the way, what in the world is an African American? And for that matter, the NAACP? Perhaps we should call Jackson a "colored person" since that organization still exists. I guess NAACP rolls off the tongue a lot better than the NAAAA, or NAABP. I say "black person" and I don't feel one bit racist. Now the Chinamen and Polaks, that's a different issue.

Oh yeah, I honestly look at reverend Jackson as one who really wants the advancement of black people- not your Colin Powell, Terrel Owens, Milton Bradley, Condoleezza Rice sorts of black people, but the black people who truly are in bad situations and are discriminated against and really do get off to a bad start or are the victims of the system. I'm sorry, but I still see flat out anti-black racism/discrimination regularly enough to agree that it's still an issue. I've seen it in the work environment, with people I work with, with family members, and to be completely honest with you, I've been guilty of it myself. Now what does that mean specifically? It can mean using ethnic slurs, imitating how people talk, prejudging, or simply making comments that just aren't the Christian way to talk about people. So the fact that he said that Obama talks down to black people actually rings true. I don't care whether Obama really will make a good president on various levels, but he is obviously sucking up to the black vote by talking down to "them".

Is that such a bad thing when you're trying to get elected to office? Is it lying? Overpromissing? Pandering? Don't get me started on that subject tonight- it's a reality of politics. But by Jackson's logic, McCain talks "down" to old people and veterans. Is Obama going to retire to Compton? Is McCain going to retire to Leisure World?

Barak Obama is apparently not the sort of black person that Jessie Jackson envisions as a champion for the black man's cause and I'm sure that has something to do with why he failed in the past. There was no way he'd get elected back then regardless of his style and Barak Obama would never have had a shot either, but he was just "too black" for America. Obama is black. He is intelligent. He is dynamic. He is articulate. If he gets elected, the black American will hopefully see an improvement in American attitudes, and who knows, perhaps some of his "crazy" planks will stick and truly improve the quality of life of "Jesse Jackson blacks" and others who are neglected in our great nation. It's a step in the right direction for improved social unity in our county, and Obama's "blackness" is a heck of a lot better than Bush/Clinton/Bush/Reagan/Carter/Ford, etc...