Jesse Jackson's Obama problem: He needs Barack more than Barack needs him

There's a telling moment in Barack Obama's first book, Dreams From My Father, in which the future presidential candidate heads back to his father's homeland in Kenya, only to find a huge number of relatives jockeying to know him because they hope he can give them something.

He eventually finds out from a cousin that his father was taken advantage of by some of these same relatives, who glommed onto him after he returned from studying abroad (and fathering Barack) and rejected him when he was forced out of his well-paying government job. "If everyone is family, no one is family," the relative warned the younger Obama.

I was reminded of that moment earlier this week, when Jesse Jackson's blunt comments about Barack Obama were aired by Fox News.

I'm sure you may have read lots of commentary on this. I was traveling to Indiana when the whole mess broke, or I would have posted something sooner here. I'm writing this now, in the dead of night while chilling at my mother-in-law's Indiana home, because I just want to get these ideas out somewhere.

I don't think Jesse made his statement on purpose. It was too embarassing to him personally, and it played into a strategy conservative race-baiters such as Bill O'Reilly have been trying to leverage for months -- ginning up a rift between Obama and established civil rights leaders.

What Jackson's comments do reveal -- besides his ongoing inability to govern his mouth -- is his inability to find a place for himself and similarly old school black leaders in Obama's movement.

Obama doesn't need him to get black votes -- black people are ready to vote for a black man who has a realistic shot at winning the White House, regardless of whether Jesse, Al or Julian Bond like him. Still, these leaders can't look like they're hindering his campaign, or they may lose their constituency (not exactly a resume-builder for a black civil rights leader to hamper efforts by anyone to become the first black president).

Just like Ralph Nader before him, Jesse isn't sure how to relate to a black candidate who doesn't talk about traditional black issues in traditional ways -- particularly when they don't need his help to reach black people. I wrote about this last year in my piece about race identity and Obama; many of those who support Obama primarily because of his race may be disappointed when he gets elected and doesn't advocate for minority issues in the ways candidates of color traditionally have.

"If you have something, then everyone will want a piece of it," Obama's aunt tells him in the book. "So you have to draw the line somewhere."

The question many civil rights leaders have now is, where is Obama drawing the line with them? And if they're stuck on the outside when he gets elected president, what does that mean for them -- and the struggle to free black folks from oppression?

Right now, I'd bet next week's pay that Jesse isn't going to like the answer to either of those questions when they finally come. At least then he'll have a good reason for making comments about cutting off pieces of Obama's anatomy.

Comments

[Taylor]

So, Rev. Jackson made a mistake! You say that Sen. Obam does not need him,
is it your opinion that he also does not need the millions of people that Rev. Jackson and his organization register to vote? Does anyone really
belive that putting down Rev. Jackson
will make whites like him and vote for him?

[beltwaybandit]

Jesse Jackson has a long...and documented...history of making highly inappropriate comments. Some of those are actually steeped in the very racial context that he claims to be fighting against (remember the infamous "Hymietown" reference to NYC?).

Eric's reference to "race-baiters" is comical, given Jackson's and Sharpton's long history of being race-baiters themselves.

Jesse Jackson is a racist. He's demonstrated it time and again.

He's an extortionist, with his long history of blackmailing corporations on racial issues but backing off if they agree to essentially pay off Jackson's Rainbow Coalition.

None other than Jesse's own son, Jesse Jackson, Jr., threw him under the bus within hours of his stupid, threatening comments.

This is a Jesse Jackson issue, plain and simple. It makes anything Don Imus ever said look like child's play.

It's time for the media, including Eric Deggans, to stop even remotely explaining or apologizing for Jesse Jackson and for the nation to sweep him off the playing field once and for all.

He adds NOTHING to the game.

Obama can win without him, and probably can not win with him.

[Oscar]

I think one of the things that Rev J. is having a hard time coming to grips with is that Barack is running to be president for all people, not just black people.

Barack's message of hope and unity often time requires telling people what they don't want to hear. Jesse and the others aren't comfortable being scolded by another african-american and are ticked off. (ask Bill Cosby how welcome he is at the Jackson household)

Obama is going to win this election and transform race without ever picking up a basketball or a golf club. That idea alone is enough to make a whole bunch of people black and white a bit nervous.

BTW, Bill O'Reilly is a race baiter. Just because there are some on the left does not excuse his actions.

[calebism]

What appears to be the consensus from the informed and thoughtful is that this incident, for various distasteful reasons, is probably a slight net gain for Obama. This is the extent of my concern, in that I am mostly focused on the necessity of Obama gaining office. I think most of his supporters feel roughly the same way. I personally feel sorry for Rev. Jackson's indiscretion.

[Billy]

You say: "it played into a strategy conservative race-baiters such as Bill O'Reilly have been trying to leverage for months"

And Jesse is not a "liberal race-baiter"????? Please. He has a track record for decades of using race and racial issues to boost his personal profile and bank account.

Just google Jesse and "extortion" for further proof.

I find most of your reporting fair and unbiased. But when you get into politics and, more specifically, racial issues...a bias on you part is very apparent.