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Obama 'Won't Back Off One Bit' on His Tough-Love Message
abcnews ^ | 07/13/08 | Sunlen Miller

Posted on 07/13/2008 8:04:24 AM PDT by TornadoAlley3

Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., says that he won’t back down on his “tough love” message to African Americans -– a subject that prompted Jesse Jackson's angry open-mic gaffe this past week.

Obama told reporters aboard his plane to San Diego that Americans need to recognize that there is a problem when more than a half of African American children are growing up without a father in the house.

“That is a problem and I won’t back up one bit in asserting that that’s a problem that we have to be honest about," he said.

Obama’s tough love message to African American fathers came most notably in a Fathers Day speech last month in which he told fathers that “any ol' fool” could conceive a child –- but it takes a man to be father.

Many, including Jesse Jackson, took issue with the speech, and the manner in which Obama spoke to his audience. This week, Jackson sparked a controversy when Fox News Channel released a video in which Jackson was caught with a hot mic saying that Obama was “talking down to black people.”

Obama confirmed that Jackson’s feelings were well known to him before the tape was released –- communicated to him from Jackson himself.

“I had spoken to him before, a few days before what he said was released," Obama said, "and we had actually discussed some of the concerns he had raised about my fatherhood speech.”

Obama said that he told Jackson be believes that there are structural inequalities in the country that have to be dealt with.

“My argument is simply that it’s not an 'either-or' proposition, it’s a 'both-and' proposition," Obama said. "The government and society as a whole has an obligation to deal with poverty, particularly poverty that’s deep-rooted not just in the inner cities, but in rural communities all across America.”

Obama said his conversation with Jackson was not met with a lot of open resistance on the other end of the phone.

“In my conversation, I think it would be hard for him to disagree with that since many of the things I have said are the things that he has said in the past,” Obama said.

The presumptive Democratic nominee has since accepted Jackson’s apology for his remarks, but confirmed they have not spoken since the controversial tapes of Jackson were released.


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: blackfamily; blackvote; jesse; jessejackson; nuts; obama; toughlove
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Obama said. "The government and society as a whole has an obligation to deal with poverty, particularly poverty that’s deep-rooted not just in the inner cities, but in rural communities all across America.”
1 posted on 07/13/2008 8:04:25 AM PDT by TornadoAlley3
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To: TornadoAlley3

Obama said that he told Jackson be believes that there are structural inequalities in the country that have to be dealt with.

Oh boy


2 posted on 07/13/2008 8:05:15 AM PDT by TornadoAlley3 ('GOP' : Get Our Petroleum)
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To: TornadoAlley3

...Blacks aren’t fools...they know they might have to take a little “tough love” tongue lashing but after that they’ll receive more programs....that’s why BHO will get 110% of the black vote.


3 posted on 07/13/2008 8:11:26 AM PDT by STONEWALLS
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To: TornadoAlley3

children of ALL races are growing up in single parent homes.

yes, that is a problem. but it is not just african american, it is beyond racial boundaries.

that is what a major concern I have with him is he is only interested in a small segment of society. This nation as a whole has to become united and deal with the big picture.


4 posted on 07/13/2008 8:11:50 AM PDT by television is just wrong
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To: TornadoAlley3

“structural inequalities”

Kinda like changing from “global warming” to “climate change.” Just giving racism a new, improved name.

Once a racist, always a racist, Hussein.


5 posted on 07/13/2008 8:13:01 AM PDT by EggsAckley (If you shoot at mimes, should you use a silencer?)
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To: TornadoAlley3

Well, that is...unless his handlers tell him it’s costing him votes.


6 posted on 07/13/2008 8:14:40 AM PDT by airborne (God gives us countless opportunities! It's up to us to use them wisely!)
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To: TornadoAlley3
And to show that he means business, O'Bama has named his SECRETARY OF TOUGH LOVE AND FAMILY VALUES:

Miss USA Crystle Stewart (seen here last week) has no idea whether she'll take the crown at the Miss Universe contest on July 14, but she's already decided who's got her vote in the White House race -- Barack Obama.

7 posted on 07/13/2008 8:18:50 AM PDT by They'reGone2000 (And I DON'T want to have to change my name to They'reBack2008!)
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To: TornadoAlley3; seekthetruth; ExTexasRedhead; seenenuf; flaglady47
"The government and society has an obligation to deal with poverty.....in the inner cities, in rural communities all across America, blah, blah....."

Polished Obama-speak for Karl Marx's raw dictate to take from the rich and give to the poor.

The Communism camel has got its nose under the tent at one end while at the other end the captured damsel awaits the Sheik of Hope and Change to come rescue her from her evil captor, Khoda Khan Bush.

Leni

8 posted on 07/13/2008 8:21:46 AM PDT by MinuteGal (Stay Home or vote Barr for Obamination, more Taxation, Regulation, Litigation and Ginzburgization)
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To: TornadoAlley3

I’m sure the black vote is going to flee the “tough love” message straight to McCain’s open arms.


9 posted on 07/13/2008 8:35:04 AM PDT by ProtectOurFreedom
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To: TornadoAlley3
Maybe Barry can lecture Jesse about responsible fatherhood, and then Marion Barry can lecture Barry on his relationship with cocaine. It could become a whole lecture series.....with knives and thrusts.
10 posted on 07/13/2008 8:45:53 AM PDT by SERKIT ("Blazing Saddles" explains it all.....)
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To: SERKIT
I said it the second I saw the tape of Jackson saying he wanted to cut Obama's nuts off. This was a staged event so Obama could have his Sister Solgha (sp?) moment. Look at how Jackson paused and looked out of the corner of his eye to make sure the reporter was hearing him and to gague his reaction.

Come on JJ jr. is on Obama's campaign team for Pete's Sake. And this follow-up is just more evidence that Obama is going to play this like a fiddle. He may be an inexperienced, empty suit but his team is very politically saavy.

11 posted on 07/13/2008 8:59:15 AM PDT by marlon
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To: marlon

Agree with you completely, marlon. That was the fakest whispered insult I’ve ever seen. JJJ’s immediate rebuke to his father was completely unnatural as well. I’m amazed at the people whohave fallen for it.


12 posted on 07/13/2008 9:01:25 AM PDT by 9YearLurker
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To: TornadoAlley3

So in other words, black people can’t improve unless the gummint gives them money, jobs and things? GREAT MESSAGE JESSE! All this man knows how to do is benefit from the misery of others. If blacks universally heeded Obama’s message—one of the only constructive things he has had to say—Jesse Jackson would have no job and would have to go back to his post office box church and be just some racist inner city preacher. If blacks universally improve their lot in life Jesse is unemployed. His survival and relevance DEPEND on blacks being an underclass. Jesse wants to cut Obama’s nuts off becasue Obama threatens Jesse’s leveraging of minority strife for his own selfish gain, That and the fact that Jesse Jackson is in fact himself a deadbeat, runaway baby-daddy himself and Obama slammed him by saying that. Jackson is, apparently, “any ol’ fool”. For God’s sake, even Jackson’s KID condemned what Jesse said.

But mainly, Jesse is honked off becasue Barack Obama is a major party candidate and Jesse’s presidential campaigns have all been as disastrous as Dennis Kucinich’s. Jesse has long viewed the being first black major party candidate as HIS birthright, and Obama went and stole all his mojo!

—PP


13 posted on 07/13/2008 9:10:45 AM PDT by VideoPaul
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To: TornadoAlley3

He won’t back off till he thinks he has the white vote sown up. What a phoney this jerk is.


14 posted on 07/13/2008 9:18:57 AM PDT by beckysueb (Drill here! Drill now!)
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To: TornadoAlley3
Luckily for Obama, the MSM won't skewer and roast him for saying it's better to have a father involved in parenting. The media went after Quayle with a vengeance.

Even Hillary attacked Dan Quayle for saying fathers are important.

Hillary Clinton... panned [Dan Quayle] as typical of "an Administration out of touch with America" and its growing ranks of single mothers.

15 posted on 07/13/2008 9:36:46 AM PDT by syriacus (Democrats got THEIR "change" in Election 2006. Are WE better off now?)
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To: TornadoAlley3

Hussein restating the obvious which has been repeated thousands of times for decades does little to fix what was broken by government policies foisted on the taxpayer by the RAT party; ie. handouts to buy and breed rat party voters and supporters. This is part of the african culture now and they are dang proud of it. Transforming the US into a 3rd world shiXhole such as those covering the african continent that obama is so proud of is what it is all about. Mugabe obama will rule with his racist fist.


16 posted on 07/13/2008 9:45:11 AM PDT by Neoliberalnot ((Hallmarks of Liberalism: Ingratitude and Envy))
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To: VideoPaul
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ltLX7mPBQvo

Pastor Manning on Jesse/Obama comments

17 posted on 07/13/2008 9:53:46 AM PDT by TornadoAlley3 ('GOP' : Get Our Petroleum)
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To: marlon

If you mean “politically savvy” in the fact that they’re all two-bit Chicago thugs that play dirty.


18 posted on 07/13/2008 10:00:27 AM PDT by Baladas ((ABBHO))
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To: syriacus
The more I think about it the more I believe that comment was planned. If not they are going to use it to “carve” out the middle whitey ground.

Obama needs the middle. Watch out! There goes the blacks under the bus. Not to the back, but UNDER the bus.

They will still vote for him. So watch him start to demonize blacks. Especially if his numbers start to go down.

19 posted on 07/13/2008 11:27:39 AM PDT by cruise_missile ('')
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To: syriacus
Hi syriacus, nice post!

Even Hillary attacked Dan Quayle for saying fathers are important.

Great analogy! Just imagine what would have happened if McCain had dare challenge young men to take responsibility for their, er, actions.

20 posted on 07/14/2008 3:37:46 AM PDT by REPANDPROUDOFIT
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