Add "Jesse Jackson" To The List of People Who Still Haven't Figured It Out

Ahh, Jesse Jackson. You've done it again.

"See, Barack been, um, talking down to black people on this faith based ... I want cut his nuts off ... Barack ... he's talking down to black people."



I heard about this on the news this morning as I was getting ready to leave. Of course, I couldn't remember what he'd said from the video clip but as soon as I got online I searched for more information.

Turns out, Jesse Jackson was taping an interview for FOX News about Barack Obama when he said the comment above and apparently more, thinking the microphones were off.

Of course, that doesn't excuse what he did.

Jackson's defended himself by saying that he disagrees with the way Barack Obama talks "down" to black people and doesn't like how Obama tells black men that "fatherhood doesn't end at conception". Jackson says that Obama should be focused on other problems in the black community like unemployment.

Jackson issued a statement shortly after clips of his inappropriate rant were shown on the O'Reilly Factor last night, apologizing to the presidential hopeful and stressing his support in the campaign.

Deep breath.

Jesse Jackson should have known better than to even make personal comments like that to a news reporter in the first place, and especially not on a network like FOX News. I want to clarify that I believe in full use of the First Amendment in its entirety and as an individual Jesse Jackson has the right to say whatever he wants to say and feel however he wants to feel. But if he wants to project an image of professionalism about himself, saying he wants to cut Obama's nuts off isn't quite the way to establish that image.

Having said that...

If you read my post about Ralph Nader accusing Barack Obama of talking white, you'd know how I feel about stereotypes being assigned to how a person speaks. Jackson implies that Obama speaks to blacks as if they are stupid. Barack Obama speaks how any educated person would speak, and he shouldn't have to (and would lose support if he did) talk to America the way we would talk to our friends. Obama should listen to Lupe Fiasco's "Dumb It Down", where Lupe says "They told me I should come down, cousin, but I flatly refused, I ain't dumbin down nothing". You don't know what condescending is until you sit in a room with a bunch of business professionals who think you won't know what a merger and acquisition is just because you're not nearing your late 40s. That's some condescending speech.

And while we're at it...

Sure, there are many problems in the African American community, but Barack Obama does RIGHT by calling out all of the deadbeat fathers out there who leave their wives and girlfriends to raise their child(ren) alone, including my own father. Jesse Jackson sounds like he felt personally attacked by Obama's comments.

So you stuck around to raise your son. You don't deserve a medal for that, Jackson, you don't even deserve a Hancock "good job", because that's what you're supposed to do. Get over yourself.

Jesse Jackson, if this is some attempt to get yourself in the limelight because there's a new poster boy for African Americans, you should feel ashamed of yourself.

And if that was really just how you felt, you should be even MORE ashamed of yourself for broadcasting such personal feelings in a very public venue to someone you don't even consider a friend.

How convenient that your first appearance on the O'Reilly Factor in the show's 11 year run is because you badmouthed Barack Obama.

Way to go.