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Why Jesse Jackson attacked Barack Obama
The Times (UK) ^ | July 10, 2008 | Daniel Finkelstein

Posted on 07/10/2008 7:27:52 PM PDT by Uncle Ralph

  "Shocking". That's how the New York Post describes Jesse Jackson's attack on Barack Obama.

But I don't think it is shocking. I don't think it is even mildly surprising.

Barack Obama represents an existential threat to Jesse Jackson. If he succeeds he badly undermines Jackson and his methods. Jackson needs Obama to fail, even if he must avoid having anything to do with the failure.

Why?

I tried my best to explain the reason a couple of months back in The Times:

[African-American writer] Shelby Steele argues that there are two political strategies adopted by his fellow African-Americans - bargaining and challenging. He starts bluntly with the assertion that blacks "possess a largesse of moral authority that whites can simply never have. And this amounts to a currency of power."

African Americans, Steele posits, have the ability to bestow upon whites something they crave and cannot bestow upon themselves - racial innocence.

Bargainers make this deal: "I will not use America's horrible history of white racism against you, if you will promise not to use my race against me." Bargainers grant whites their innocence up front as a gesture of trust. And in return? Eternal gratitude.

Steele believes bargaining is a spectacularly successful strategy. Everyone wins. It works to combat racism because it grants whites "a good reputation to protect... The beauty of bargaining is that it turns the black desire to live without racism into a white self-interest." And bargainers themselves are able to achieve iconic status: Sidney Poitier, Oprah Winfrey, Colin Powell, Bill Cosby, bargainers all.

And Barack Obama too, of course. He is a classic bargainer.

Each of these figures had another choice - being a challenger. As Steele puts it: "Challengers put all whites in the position of having to chase after their racial innocence. The challenger's code: whites are incorrigibly racist until they do something to prove otherwise."

And challenging can be incredibly successful too. It's just that not everyone wins. Only the challengers do, and in certain very limited ways.

Challengers - figures such as Jesse Jackson and the firebrand Al Sharpton - build their power and their careers by setting themselves up as arbiters.

If Obama wins, and is allowed to portray himself not just as a success story but as a black success story, he undermines Jackson's strategy. In fact he undermines Jackson's political reason for being.

No wonder Jackson is keen to tell other black leaders that Obama looks down on African Americans.


TOPICS: Politics
KEYWORDS: jackson; jessejackson; obama

1 posted on 07/10/2008 7:27:53 PM PDT by Uncle Ralph
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To: Uncle Ralph
Bargainers make this deal: "I will not use America's horrible history of white racism against you, if you will promise not to use my race against me." Bargainers grant whites their innocence up front as a gesture of trust. And in return? Eternal gratitude.

This assumes that "all Whites" are guilty from the get-go.

2 posted on 07/10/2008 7:34:46 PM PDT by Old Sarge (CTHULHU '08 - I won't settle for a lesser evil any longer!)
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To: Uncle Ralph

Because if Obama wins, then Jesse’s jig is up?


3 posted on 07/10/2008 7:35:45 PM PDT by Vigilanteman ((Are there any men left in Washington? Or are there only cowards? Ahmad Shah Massoud))
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To: Old Sarge

whatta joke.

too complicated.

people hate each other.


4 posted on 07/10/2008 7:37:07 PM PDT by ken21 ( people die + you never hear from them again.)
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To: Old Sarge
This assumes that "all Whites" are guilty from the get-go.

"whites" are so old-millenium.

5 posted on 07/10/2008 7:38:36 PM PDT by the invisib1e hand (please consider the environment when purchasing the New York Times)
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To: Uncle Ralph

eNews Reference Directory of News around the world.
 

6 posted on 07/10/2008 7:41:27 PM PDT by enewsreference
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To: Vigilanteman

You can’t say “jig” cuz that’s racist! LOL

Seriously, I think this was a set-up so that senator Obama could have his “Sistah Soulja” moment like President Bill Clinton did. As a matter of fact, I see the press already describing it that way! Guess they got the talking points memo from Axelrod...


7 posted on 07/10/2008 7:42:52 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet (McCain could never convince me to vote for him. Only the Marxist Obama can!)
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To: enewsreference

All of that depends on:

1. White people feel guilty.

2. White people give a rat’s a** what black people think of them.

Mercifully, I am free of both of those personality flaws.


8 posted on 07/10/2008 7:46:14 PM PDT by johnnycap
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To: Uncle Ralph
I don't need to bargain with a person who spent 20 years in a church that preached racial hatred to be absolved of sins I didn't commit. Being a member of a particular race shouldn't give you moral authority over anyone. Assuming it does is inherently racist.
9 posted on 07/10/2008 8:16:56 PM PDT by eggman (Read it on Free Republic tonight, see it on the network news when the DNC sends them the copy.)
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To: All

Remember, Jesse Jackson was Clinton’s “spiritual advisor” during the Lewinsky perjury scandal. It elevated Jackson’s profile substantially.

He’s in the Clintons’ pocket. Don’t be surprised if Hillary has begun her campaign to defeat Obama.


10 posted on 07/10/2008 9:12:02 PM PDT by Owen
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To: Uncle Ralph

Jesse Jackmail has made $Millions off the Racist Market. He feels his nuts getting cut.

Pray for W and Our Troops


11 posted on 07/10/2008 9:26:49 PM PDT by bray (Drill Congress!!)
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To: Uncle Ralph

Jesse Jagoff is just an attention whore....he’s been out of the news too long and figured it’d make some headlines and get him back on the race-pimp circuit.


12 posted on 07/10/2008 9:32:57 PM PDT by RasterMaster (Rudy McRomneyson = KENNEDY wing of the Republican Party)
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To: Uncle Ralph
There is a competition among prominent black race hustlers to be, as Al Sharpton once said, "The "the biggest n***** in town".

Jackson ran for President several times and was never remotely close to actually getting anywhere, and now along comes this upstart celebrity fad, this "rock star", this inexperienced little empty suit, and he's taking the goofball Democrats (and the Democrats' biggest base constituency, permanently victimized blacks) by storm. You better believe Jackson doesn't like it one bit. That should have been him up there.

There used to be a similarly bizarre competition between Schumer and Spitzer, each of whom envisioned himself as "the first Jewish President". (I bet Chuckie is still laughing his cheeks off over Spitzer's ignominious downfall.)

It's all part and parcel of the rats' "identity politics". They derive their power in part by balkanizing America.

13 posted on 07/10/2008 9:52:36 PM PDT by Lancey Howard
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To: Lancey Howard

Re Spitzer and Schumer vying to be the first Jewish president.

Look at them as two leftist assw*pes trying to outpiss each other.

I do not consider either of them to be Jewish, real Democrats, or honest Americans. Spitzer is disgraced; Schumer is still one of the biggest threats to America’s security.

This is the opinion of an American Jew, and I approve its publication. MadMax


14 posted on 07/10/2008 10:03:50 PM PDT by MadMax, the Grinning Reaper
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To: Uncle Ralph


15 posted on 07/11/2008 7:35:45 AM PDT by Grampa Dave (America's Mugabe, the Obamination.will bring Mugabe Change to America!)
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To: Uncle Ralph

Good explanation.


16 posted on 07/11/2008 6:26:12 PM PDT by apocalypto
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