It seems that Fox News is taking advantage of its recording of Jesse Jackson during the commercial break again -- this time revealing that the elder civil rights leader has let the n- word slip while criticizing Democratic-presidential-nominee-in-waiting Barack Obama, Fox News confirmed Wednesday.
Not that anyone should be surprised that the network is capitalizing on Jackson. It is the same one that labeled Michelle Obama a "Baby Mama," even though she was married when her children were born. It's also the one that let host Bill O'Reilly lead the charge for Pepsi to drop Rapper Ludacris as a spokesperson because he found his lyrics offensive; the list of it's infractions against blacks goes on and on. Yet, somehow Jackson thought they would treat him fairly, with kid gloves, and respect his privacy. ...
Rev. Jesse Jackson
Rev. Jesse Jackson speaks during a news conference in Chicago, Wednesday, July 9, 2008. Jackson apologized Wednesday for comments he made about Barack Obama's speeches in black churches during what he thought was a private.
AP
"It was very private," Jackson said. A spokesman for the Obama campaign said that the Illinois senator accepts Jackson's apology. Jackson's son, however, was less kind. "I'm deeply outraged and disappointed in Reverend Jackson's reckless statements," Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. said. Here, Jackson and Obama share a lighter moment in Illinois last month.
The Rev. Jesse Jackson issued an apology to Obama Wednesday after comments he made about the presidential candidate were picked up on an open microphone. After a Fox News interview on Sunday, Jackson said, "Barack, he's talking down to black people."
Skip Peterson, AP
In this Feb. 5, 2008 file photo, Rev. Jesse Jackson holds a campaign sign for Obama, D-Ill., in Chicago. Jackson said Wednesday, July 9, 2008 he's "very sorry" for comments he made about Obama during what he thought was a private conversation with a reporter. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
The major drawback from his statements is that one of the few chances African Americans get to have their say on an "unfriendly" network, it is overshadowed by Jackson's tirade.
"Do As I Say Not As I Do"
Jackson's remarks are a classic case of "Do As I Do, Not As I Say." After all, he is the same man who called for a ban on that very same word citing its negative connotation to blacks. Unlike some, he didn't want to eliminate it just from the vocabulary of whites or entertainers, he wanted us to stop using hate speech. Okay, he did add a footnote; not to use the word in public. Perhaps, he felt that by using the word in a rant about a man, of whom he is clearly jealous, that it was acceptable. But, if that was the case, then why didn't he mention his use of it during his series of apologizes when confronted about the first flap off air, stemming from the same interview.
"Keep Doing What You're Doing, You'll Keep Getting What You are Getting"
A former presidential hopeful himself, Jackson already came under fire this month for his crude off-air comment in which he said he would mutilate Obama, in what he thought was a private conversation during a taping of the same "Fox & Friends" news show. Of course, we all now know that his off camera remarks are out in the public light. His own son, Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr. called his initial comments unnecessary and politically motivated; begging the question, is the senior Jackson even relevant in today's political realm?
At the time, Jackson explained he was simply angered by the way Obama has been addressing blacks, especially black men, about parental responsibility. He claims Obama's rhetoric is harsh, blunt, even critical of black people when he really needs to be attacking overall issue of urban disparity.
However, looking at society as a whole is how African Americans have often approached forcing change in the African American community and we all know how well that has worked. Black marriage is down, our children are increasingly uneducated and we are still struggling financially as a community. So, has that tactic worked? Perhaps, Obama's idea of change and his directness are exactly what blacks need right now.
1. If a white person used the language Jesse did, he and Sharpton would be all over it, insisting that the person be fired, etc. It is time for Jesse Jackson to go away.
Dave at 10:20AM on Jul 17th 2008