Barack Obama and Jesse Jackson's Drunken One Night Stand

I'm about to do something I hate doing. I'm going to preface my argument with a statement. I hate prefacing things because it feels like making excuses or buying a Get Out Of Jail Free card, but this needs to be said: I like Barack Obama.

Okay? I like him. I like everything about Barack Obama, even though I know little to nothing about him, which is problematic. But you know what? Fuck it. I like his talk, his walk, his family, and his speeches.

He's made me like a politician, a rare feat. Even more remarkable, he's done this by using the same word bank of commonplace rhetoric like "hope" and "change" that feel so stale when other hunchbacked politirats use them. Barack gets away with it because Barack has style, and he also appears to mean what he says. He really seems ready to charge the gates of the White House with his army of dreamers.

This article isn't about how I don't like Barack Obama. Instead, it's about how I fear people like HIM for the wrong reasons. Considering even his own people know little to nothing about what he actually plans to do if he's elected President, it's safe to say that people plan to vote for him simply because - hey - this country needs big change. And considering we're entering year eight with a dumb white dude, you can't get bigger change than voting in a smart black guy.

So sit down, Fred. I like Barack. This article isn't about how I don't like him. Instead, this article is a plea for people to get their heads back on their shoulders. Like the rest of the pack, Obama is a politician. Yes, even though he's black and young. He may be a great guy, but let us examine his presence objectively, so if there is some kernel of hope in him, we can press him, cultivate it, and move forward into a new decade.

After all, a politician is only as good as their constituents, so it's up to voters to recognize the fact that Obama is unshaped in his policies, but willing to listen, so now is the time to mold him through demands and dialogue.

First, let's focus on what we DO know about Obama. It's difficult to say because he speaks in such general terms, and his policy ideas are nothing new for the Democrats: universal health coverage: check, helping the poor: check, diplomacy: check, etc.

It's actually easier to discuss Obama by focusing on something he rarely addresses: race. When Obama won the Iowa Caucus, Chris Matthews and other pundit fatheads crowed about a new era in American history. According to them, racism expired the moment Barack won. We've turned a new leaf and moved past all those ugly centuries of slavery.

Middle America loves Barack Obama because he allows us to look past our ugly history of racism. He's brilliant, well-educated, and a hell of a talented orator. So maybe all those lynchings weren't SO bad, right? Not only does Barack allow us to forget about slavery, but he encourages it. Obama very rarely talks about race issues. Obama has already written the civil rights movement as a moment in history. It's over. It's done.

His Iowa celebratory speech was a thing of beauty. In a rare moment, Obama addressed the issue of slavery, though you would have missed it if you zoned out for a second:

Hope is what I saw in the eyes of the young woman in Cedar Rapids who works the night shift after a full day of college and still can't afford health care for a sister who's ill. A young woman who still believes that this country will give her the chance to live out her dreams.

Hope is what I heard in the voice of the New Hampshire woman who told me that she hasn't been able to breathe since her nephew left for Iraq. Who still goes to bed each night praying for his safe return.

Hope is what led a band of colonists to rise up against an empire. What led the greatest of generations to free a continent and heal a nation. What led young women and young men to sit at lunch counters and brave fire hoses and march through Selma and Montgomery for freedom's cause.

Hope -- hope is what led me here today. With a father from Kenya, a mother from Kansas and a story that could only happen in the United States of America.

Any racist could hear this speech and miss that Obama was alluding to the Civil Rights movement. Obama has to allude. He can't be explicit in his oratory smoke signals to the black South. After all, militant black leaders tend to get...well...killed, or at best, cut before the primaries.

The race message, which was vague...something about hoses...is the meat message, squashed between the fluffy white presence of a Wonder Bread American History lesson. Barack talks about a student, the mother of a soldier, the Revolutionary War, and his own experience as a biracial person. Obama links himself to the civil rights movement via his father. He's half black, but his father wasn't from rural Louisiana. He was from Kenya, and his mom was from Kansas (and you can't get more white bred than that.)

Is he black enough? The question was portrayed as a thinly-veiled racist comment, but it's a valid consideration. IS he black enough? Obama must be deeply connected with the black community if he presumes he speaks for them. Obama's not that presumptuous, though. Instead of speaking for the black community, he generally ignores them, which has fueled his popularity among moderate Democrats. By remaining middle-of-the-road, Obama presents himself as a non-threatening "presidential" fellow.

White people love Obama because he's not interested in rehashing the past. He's a quick-fix solution to racial tension. No need for white guilt. No need for reparations. Whether he has the right to or not, Obama offers a collective "No sweat, man" to the part of America that still remembers the Rodney King trial or the little Jena Six incident. That's how he's able to gush about uniting the country and being the bridge between blue states and red states as though nationalism was a valid way to unite people with very little in common.

You can imagine how thrilled a poor southern black person must be when Barack stands at his podium in his thousand dollar suit, spouting ivy-league words to his white, northern audience, saying something about us all being brothers and sisters. In theory, that's a nice sentiment right up until the child of a wealthy white family is able to get medicine, and the child of a poor black couple dies from diarrhea. Then, inequality rears its ugly head again.

Obama's reluctance to address the issue of race is probably why it took so darn long for Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson to say a handful of kind words about him. Black southerners don't trust Obama because he's eager to move past the race issue whilst they're still living with it.

Ultimately, though, Barack won the brief affection of Jesse Jackson. I say brief because as recent as this week, an associate of mine participated in a panel discussion with Mr. Jackson and said he seemed less than thrilled with Obama. Maybe the lovefest is beginning to dwindle.

Jackson used to claim Obama didn't need to talk about race because the issue of race in America is "self-evident." Bullshit. It may have been self-evident to Jackson, a black man, who deals with matters of racial injustice every day. However, this topic should still be on the table, especially when people of color are so badly exploited and neglected in this country.

Calling race a "self-evident" topic is like me writing that it's obvious I should be elected president of the universe. I am fully convinced this is true, but you may take issue with my scope of reality. My experience tells me I should be president of the universe, but I am sure your experience tells you something much different.

The reality of the race situation comes to us from The Bureau of Justice Statistics. Nearly 17% of African-American men have been in prison at some point during their lives. Compare that with 7.7% of Hispanic and only 2.6% of white men, and you begin to get the picture. No matter how Obama spins it, race is still very much an issue in our "great united country."

Jackson is in all kinds of denial when it comes to Obama and the two share a complicated relationship. Jackson appeared ruffled when interviewed by Democracy Now! host Amy Goodman, who asked him if Obama had ever asked him for support in his presidential campaign. Jackson mumbled something about respecting Obama's desire to keep his distance, whatever that means. That's what a high school D&D nerd says after the hot cheerleader in his class drunkenly makes out with him at a dimly lit kegger..."we're keeping our distance, but we're totally dating now."

Truth: She doesn't want to be around him because he hurts her social status. Jackson could cost Obama the election because Jackson might "black up" the room. And just in case anyone doubted Jackson's ability to hurt Obama's presidential run, CNN panelist and Captain of the S.S. Douchebag, William Bennett, painted the picture all too clearly when he said, "Barack Obama has taught the country that you don't have to act like Jesse Jackson to win elections."

In other words, don't act black, Black Man, or we won't vote you to be our president.

It's sad because Obama's impressive early win is a result of decades of struggle from the Rainbow Push Coalition, which Jackson founded, the NAACP, and hundreds of grassroots efforts led by black citizens to gain social equality. Jackson ran for president in 1984 and 1988 when Barack Obama was still basking in his ability to legally drink alcoholic beverages for the first time in his life. The harassment Jackson withstood throughout his campaign makes Obama's efforts look like a cakewalk.

So it's not as though Obama fell from the heavens, a complete gift from the gods to unite America. It took men like Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton agonizing decades to build a foundation of possibility for men like Barack Obama to stand upon.
The least he could do is - ya' know - acknowledge the poor old bastards.

I know, I know. Running for president is hard work, and he has oodles of people to please, but Obama neglecting the civil rights issue is sort of like Hillary Swank not thanking her husband when she won the Academy Award. I guess she did it all on her own, but she's still a BITCH for not at least thanking him.

Okay, so we know Obama isn't - at least for the moment - interested in discussing his race, or the issue of race. He wants to be a uniter, whatever that means, the bridge to somewhere, the Great Black Hope, but what about his policies, those little ideas journalists sometimes talk about between discussing politicians' haircuts and wardrobe choices?

Under careful scrutiny, it becomes clear that Obama is hardly proposing a concrete progressive agenda. Look past his pretty words and frothing-at-the-mouth supporters, and you get the same pretty rhetoric and vague promises presented to us by the other Democratic nominees.

Obama said he wanted to cut the lobbyists out of Washington, but the Catch-22 is that he needs those lobbyists to GET to the White House. Then he said he wanted Universal Health coverage, and yet he's bringing the big insurance companies to the table, as though the insurance companies will be the ones to propose they cut themselves out of the privatized health industry action.

Right now, it's unclear if Obama will bring any real change to the Democratic party. The only thing anyone really knows is that he's young, good-looking, one hell of a writer, charismatic, and has pumped some real life into a movement that is part grassroots and part corporate in nature.

So why does everyone so easily assume he's the candidate of change and a really exciting progressive? Well, he's articulate, charismatic, and black. Everyone's thrilled to see a woman and a black man running in this race, but no one appears to look past these aesthetic qualities.

When asked about Hilary Clinton, comic Jamie Kilstein remarked, "You're not progressive just because you have a vagina." Well, the same goes for being black. I'm not impressed by the color of Barack Obama's skin. I've come to hear his ideas.

Those liberals shrieking "RACIST!!!!!!" any time anyone addresses Obama's skin color claim they're not voting for him out of a warped kind of white guilt, but rather because he seems like an Everyman - a sort of Average Joe - if you consider ivy league educated, wealthy men Average Joes.

And perhaps Obama IS the perfect Everyman candidate because he doesn't clearly represent anyone or anything. He's not black, nor is he white. While he's rich now, he claims to come from humble roots. He's anti-corporation sometimes, but he doesn't want to fully cut them out of policy-making, a juggling act that John Edwards has called "a total fantasy."

So who is Barack Obama? Right now he seems dangerously familiar, but occasionally exceptional. Just when I'm dozing off during his chunk of 30-second debate rebuttal where he faithfully recites his campaign script, he wakes me up with a beautiful oration in front of an audience of 30,000 screaming followers. Just when he seems like another passionless fossil, he comes alive in a way I have never seen a politician behave before.

Regardless of who he is, he is not the end of our shady past. Barack Obama is an extraordinary man, sure, but he is not the culmination of man. There is still vast intolerance and inequality in this country, and it cannot be forgotten that millions live in squalor despite the fact that one man was able to rise above the shit.

Perhaps there is a method behind his vagueness. Obama may long to lay low and avoid divisive issues like race just long enough to get elected, and then he'll become a champion of the disenfranchised minorities in this country. I buy into this campaign of hope because he appears genuine, but I think his supporters must lean on him throughout this election process.

A genuine man like Obama is kept honest by those people surrounding him. If we can get to him before the special interest groups, if we can keep him from being perverted by the sickness in D.C., there still yet may be hope to save the country. And if not - fuck it - at least you can tell your grandkids that you voted for a black guy.

Comments

[Querent]

Barack Obama hasn't been running as a Black man. He's been running as a progressive. I don't need him to prove to me that he is a Black man. That's not my issue. I need him to prove to me that he is a progressive. That's my issue. Barack Obama needs to give the Left a sign that he is one of us.

Is he Black enough? Yes.

[realpolitic]

Perhaps Obama sees himself as a leader and not necessarily a "black" leader. He has the intelligence and charisma and ambitions to unite us all. He can not repair our republic completely and solve all our racial wounds, but as others he can stride in that direction.

It is a new era in many ways and we must get used to black politicians and leaders not limiting themselves to the traditional civil rights issues. Barack Obama does not want to be president of black America, he wants to be president of all of America. Much of the civil rights movement initially was a movement to unite those in poverty across color lines to affect change. Later it became more of a black pride and solidarity movement.

With this said, I think Obama has a vision for America's place in the world where we can work alongside other nations and not always by pulling them where we want them to go. We can lead again through example and not bellicosity. We can influence through persuasion and not by military force or dictate. He speaks of an America where children can rise up through our traditional values of education, hard work, and strong supportive families. What is so threatening about this message? All children should find the excitement and wonder of learning and have the strong parenting to resist destructive peer pressure.

Must black politicians be limited to racial issues? Does Obama not want to act black? Perhaps to him he is being black in everything he does. Blacks can speak in full sentences and speak about changes to the tax code as well as civil rights issues. My question is why is everyone always trying to limit the role expectations of black males. Rap music limits black masculinity to thuggery. This post limits expectations of black poliiticians to civl rights agenda issues. I say let Barack Obama define himself, as millions of black children across the country can hear his message and have the freedom to define themselves, as well.

[Tellmethetruth]

White Americans seems mesmorized by Obama, like Oprah, because of a genunine ignorance of the Black Community in America. Obama is not a descendent of slaves as most African America, and therefore has not grown up with the scars of slavery, and segregation that makes up the "Black experience."

Obama instead has a white mother and white grandparents that raised him, giving him no experience of the African American community growing up until he met his wife Michelle who is actually the African American.

Obama's Kenyan father left him when he was 2 years old and Obama was never raised with any experience of Africa.

Obama is more comfortable in a white world than a African American world because that is the world for which he grew up in.

In African American Churches everyone who preaches and that is many, many people, including women, they all preach like Obama with the same voice and gestures similiar to Martin Luther King. Obama is not unique.

Obama has every reason to grow up confused about his identity, which explains the years of drug use, but what is he now? We are all confused. Is he going to bring African Americans and White Americans together? Or polarize the races among the Democrats? If so, this is a win for the Republicans.

Obama may be 1/2 genically Black, but 100% culturally White, and after going to Harvard, an elitist, given opportunities most Whites have never had. Obama's step father worked for the oil companies in Indonesia, and both his Kenya father and his step father from Indonesia were Muslims.

Obama may have known bigotry and prejudice, but he still had a priviledged existance compared to most African Americans in this country, mostly because he was able to take advantage of Affirmitive Action and he was raised as if he were White by White grandparents.

I suggest we all just watch him awhile before we elect him as President. I sure can wait another 10 to 20 years to see learn who he really is and what he can do and cannot do.

[Professornitpick]

A wonderful article. It is a fact that in this country black men can only advance if they are only looking out for the number one. Collin Powell, Justice Thomas, and Condi rice; are shining examples of this get out of jail free card for whites. There are always people like that, Thomas' record proves that he is anything but black, Obama does not 'rise' above the shit. His dad was a Harvard Doctoral Student: it takes some gall to compare him to those young black man in Bronzville-- the part of 13th ward in Chicago-- of which he was the state senator. The poverty is so astounding, that young men from that area are picked up by the cops for no reason at all, and held for seventy two hours. You can get a young (and not so young) person to work for an entire day doing the most physically challenging work for 20 dollars a day, not an hour, a month; so people who talk of hope should look into their own soul to see what did they ever do for their own constituents. It was a ward controlled represented. Dorthy Tillman, and Barack Obama. I think The boundary of Hyde Park and Bronzville are at 47th street. Hyde park is for rich people, and is home to University of Chicago.

I bought a few buildings in that neighborhood with an intention to renovate them for the people who lived there. It turns out the plan was not meant for the population that lived there, but the so called gentrification was being carried out to get black out of Chicago. When, during the time I owned those properties, I interacted with the poor people. What I learned was so disgraceful and hateful that I could not in good conscience be a part of it. I got out of that area in 2003.

[neworleanslady68]

Did anyone see the episodes of "West Wing" in which the Jimmy Smits character was running for president? There was such great discussion of the many dimensions of being a candidate who was a racial minority. He was trying to appeal to voters across racial lines and, to that end, he tried hard to avoid being pigeonholed as "the Hispanic candidate." That character was much like Obama in many ways.

In one episode, a young man in L.A. has been gunned down by overzealous police officers. The Smits character is very reluctant to make a statement about it because, he says, "Once I get painted as THE racial minority candidate, that's ALL I will be. I'm not touching it." His staff, however, tells him that if he does not weigh in on this story, he is going to face a massive revolt within the Democratic party. He refuses. Finally, his staff books a meeting with the boy's family, without Smits' permission. He goes, but the boy's family finds his arrival to their cause late and suspects it's politically motivated - and it's awkward.

Anyway, I thought it was such an insightful exploration of what it must be like to be a minority presidential candidate (whether by race or gender) and, as a result, actually feel cautious about or inhibited from discussing gender or race. Could it be that a white male liberal is somehow FREER to discuss race and gender than are, say Obama or Hillary Clinton? And how weird is that?

[pmcrimson]

Personally, my love of Obama is as much policy driven as personality driven. Yes, he does seem "authentic", but more importantly he spoke passionately on behalf of keeping habeas corpus before our own congress killed that right for detainees, he supported (possibly co-wrote, if I'm remembering correctly) a bill halting Kevin Martin's attempts to hand control over local newspapers to media conglomerates, he knows the Patriot Act needs major revising (something which Hillary apparently doesn't), and much more. I know there's always more to learn about a candidate and, Allison, your eloquent words are food for thought (as always), but I really do believe he has a progressive agenda.

Additionally, he demonstrates one mind-boggling power every other politician seemingly lacks: the ability to differentiate between what's symbolic and what's important. That's why he voted against the anti-flag burning amendment. (Any senator who voted in its favor is, in my opinion, a grossly pandering, anti-patriotic, anti-American, anti-Constitutional pack of sludge. I don't want any more politicians eager for token votes which morph non-issues into a Constitutional crises, diverting attention from the real and practical concerns like the war, health care, uplifting the poor and widening the middle class, creating a *real* energy policy that counteracts climate change efficiently, protecting civil liberties, working out the most practical and humane international policies possible, etc.)

In short, my vote for Obama is a vote against red herring shinanigans and for practical progressivism. I love his voting record, I love his platform, and I want him as my next president.

Regardless, great article Allison!

[Mickey777]

You like Barack Obama, but when asked "Why?", if all you can say is "because he's black", then you need to read this article. I am a white, caucasian female, grew up in politics, lost faith in our government and came to loathe politicians. He has given me "hope", with a good running mate (Sen. Joe Biden=experience), he may get my undecided vote.
You give good insight to Barack Obama. You do a good job to explain why his stance on "not making race an issue" is so important to all races, all genders, both sexes, racists and non-racists. I tried to "digg" this post (my first time to use "digg" - so I thought maybe I should submit as a comment here.

[LeftCoastLefthandedLefty]

Allison,

As a Black Man I will attempt to address a few of your points of confusion:

Obama's people (African-Americans) know all they need to know about him. He is a scholarly man who sees the issues of the day for what they are: Unjust wars are wrong; The economy is in trouble; and All people want the best future possible for their children. He has what us black folk call common sense. We do too, so we don't need him to feed us token speeches about things we all know are unjust. In the long run, that kind of political tact would be more harmful than helpful, to his candadacy and the nation as a whole. He is attempting to win an election, not prove a point (see Jesse Jacksons campaign)

His wardrobe choices are not a detractor in our eyes. As most people have probably figured out, Black people like our celebrities to wear flashy clothes. Check out the latest Puff Daddy video if you dont' believe me.

The begrudging endorsement of current Black political luminaries Sharpton and Jackson does not bother Black people. Remember Jesse Jackson only became the mainstream media's designated black spokesman because MLK was assasinated. He has done a lot of good in the intervening years, but he is no Booker T. Washington (the one true African-American autocrat I know of ---look him up). Al Sharpton is promenient in a similar vien to Jackson, but neither call all the shots in the Black community. Contrary to popular opinion Black people are extremely individually minded, and probably walk in lock step less than any other ethnic group. Frequently we come to similar conclusions about issues, but they are almost never dictated by the leader white america thinks they come from.

All kidding aside, I, on behalf of all African-Americans everywhere, appreciate you sticking up for us by out calling Barack Obama as a race-pretender, I really think you're hurting more than you're helping.

[Oijay]

Allison, I usually don't have any problem following your line of thinking, but this article sort of threw me off. I had to think about it. Now, that I've thought about it I'd say you've brought some important issues into the open, and it will hopefully inspire people to think about these issues. I can just imagine that this is a very difficult situation for Obama. I agree that he seems genuine, but in such a deceptive political arena I wonder if anyone is genuine. I certainly don't think his lack of experience should be a problem. The President can't know everything. That's why they have advisors.

[Northlite]

Many of us white folks who have been consistent in our support for civil rights for many years and taken ocassionally tough and even courageous stands against everyday forms of racism, who have already voted for black candidates, and who are more than willing to vote for Obama, either in the primaries or the general, can't stand Jesse Sr. or Al S. Though they may have done much more than I to advance civil rights, they veered off into becoming self-serving celebrity buffoons, the left's version of Rush and Buchanan on the right. And just as the right hurts itself with the moderates whose swings decide elections, so Obama is right to not get into the polarizing disrespect that Jesse and Al are both the creators and victims of.

[nellie]

If you're really interested in what Obama would do as president:
http://www.barackobama.com/issues/

Then it wouldn't be necessary to decide whether his race is important to you or not.

[jsm397]

Yes, white middle-class people love Obama because he looks to the future as do Black people. Yet, just because one looks to the future does not mean he has forgotten the past. Additionally, I doubt most Black Americans will ever forget the ugly history of America. Seriously! What your commentary fails to mention is that Obama cannot actively talk about issues of racism and discrimination because white people in general, including you, will not let him. As you so easily converse about the racist history of America. Ask yourself how many times you dismissed or became irritated by Jackson or Sharpton while they tackled the issue of racism. If Obama championed the issues of Jena 6 and Sean Bell, America would not vote for him. I don't care how eloquent he speaks. Clearly you are unaware that most Black people, including Obama, cannot speak up on the issues of race during business and/or work atmospheres. Not if you want to progress in this country. Furthermore, being Black does not mean being a Jesse Jackson type. Barack Obama is putting in his work now, so possibly as president he CAN address those exact issues. You say he can address these issues now on the the campaign trail. I say BULLSHIT! You question why Barack has not been more outspoken about America's ugly history or recent events. The question should be why America is still so irritated with Black people being outspoken about racism and discrimination. Ask yourself, why am I so able, as a White American, less susceptible to backlash than a Black American when dealing with the issue of race? Barack Obama cannot be the BLACK man because America is uncomfortable with BLACK people.

[poopdeck]

The very last apparition our country needs is a Savior.

[jade7243]

Sounds to me like Allison has "issues" and maybe has a copy of Shelby Steele's latest birdcage liner on her nightstand.

It's not Barack Obama's job to make you feel good about racial politics. It's his job to frame himself as leader of all of America. Last time I checked, NONE of the problems we face come with a Whites Only sign.

When high gas prices affect you, they hit me in the wallet too. Healthcare? just as big a problem for me as it is for you. Schools? Wages? Unions? Poverty? Buying a home? the military? the war? taxes?

White folks talk about being "color-blind." Black folks know you're really not. But we've reached a point where for any of us to get ahead, we have to work together. You folks finally understand what we've been telling y'all for centuries.

Now if you still have problems, vote for the white lady or one of the other white guys. But don't dump your white man's (or woman's) burden on Barack.

He's busy with Change you can believe in. The rest of us are Fired Up and Ready to Go.

OBAMA '08 ... Yes We CAN!


and by the by... Obama's net worth about $1.4 million. HIllary and Bill $34 million. Now who's rich?
and thousand dollar suits are provenance of former mayor Willie Brown of San Fran. Damn girl, at least learn a little something about the man.

finally, what the hell is up with the headline? a stupid ploy to sucker in readers.

[Nommo]

(Hope this doesn't post twice, it won't verbatim anyway)
Great post.
Obama is mythical America, at least the myth America likes to tout. He is, at the moment, a certain kind of relief from the myth that America has become and the challenge he presents is really profound.
Can't pigeon hole him, unless he winds up doing that to himself as politician. He certainly represents himself as a new wave, all those who complain about Sharpton and Jackson can endorse him without compromise.
My question is this. If you were wandering around a strange city and you had a choice between Hillary, Obama, and any of the others
for directions, who would you ask?
I am contending that, at his best, Obama can speak for far more than any of the others, if all others are real about what ails 'em.
Now that may very well be just a smidgen over the rest of 'em, but at some point the people of this nation are going to have to come to the ugly truth that we just should be in this together, are we going to have to sit around and wait for the white folk to realize that they have been and are being royally screwed to get up off the collective race donut that they have been on all these years?
And yes, Allison, a lot of Black people are angry. However they channel, modify, or hide it are various and sundry. But that anger is from having our humanity screwed over at every turn by another bunch of people too consumed with whatever to realize that we too are human.
It leaves us (ok, me, I am totally speaking me)
with less reason to have faith in anything whites say or do.
Doesn't even mean that I endorse BO for POTUS.
He'll just be the best barometer for checking the storm coming or going.