Jesse Jackson: Obama bridges black-brown divide

Jessie sounds like he is trying to convince himself that is true. I guess we will find out in Texas wont we. If Obama doesnt win one of Texas/Ohio/Penn there is no way he will get the nom and Hillary has to win all three.

Jesse is right.

Barack is breaking down that which divides us like no presidential candidate has ever done before.

!GOBAMA!

I sure hope that Jessie Jackson doesn't get on the band wagon with Barack as it can do nothing but hurt him. If he wants to support him them he would be better off saying nothing. I for one am for Barack as I think that he is the best canidate, not because he is of color. (I am white) He will bring a healthy change to our country and we need it. On the other hand I am totally against Hillary, not because she is a woman but what she has represented in her life time. My wife has said to me many times had I been a "yellow bellied snake draft dodger" she would never have married me, her and Bill belong together for sure, but NOT in the White House

It's interesting that Jackson sees his "rainbow" as primarily black and brown when he says, “When all the dust settles, these blacks and browns are fighting for the same minimum wages to be raised, and health care, and public education, and affordable housing, and public transportation." So much for the other colors of Jackson's "rainbow." But then, we knew that all the time, didn't we?

Why should Latinos trust Obama when his track record in actually doing what he says is so poor? Latinos, unlike rich white folk, can ill afford to be let down. How does voting for Obama, change the ugly realities of race and conflcits of culture in the neighborhood? As you can see, there are many more questions then answers. Again, Latinos can ill afford to be foolish in their choices. maybe Obama needs to get specific as do his followers about our concerns but I just don't think Latinos would be a priority for Obama. Maybe the Latinos are better off pursing thier own collective agenda for change in this election and more powerfully in future elections as our numbers grow.

Clinton won FL and CA due to earily absentee ballots. well lets see what happens to the absentee ballots in Taxes which start coming in on Monday. An remenber Obama beat Hillary on the actually same day vote count in FL.

Jackson can't wait for Obama to be president can he? He really thinks that he will have a big part of what happens. If Obama happens to get elected and that is big if then he would be a fool to have Jackson play a big part. There is not a white man nor probably a black man alive that doesn't know what Jackson really is. Probably the biggest racist on the planet. He just hides it real well. You can tell by his actions when he yells racism everytime something happens to a black person whether justified or not. Take the Duke situation a couple years ago. He didn't take long to get there to yell racism but he sure as hell didn't say anything when the true facts came out did he? He has too many examples to go into detail here but just one suggestion to Obama, if you let this guy get too close to you and you get elected then you will not get anything done.

I believe Obama is the next President of the United States.

Say No to Bush/McCain!!!

Barack Obama for president!!

I wonder if the Magic Obama can bridge the divide between Jesse and his wife? You know, the one he shamelessly cheats on and fathers a child with another woman on?

Jesse's wife is supporting Hillary, not Obama.

Does anybody besides the occasional black individual consider Jesse Jackson still relevant? Get a flippin job and quit thriving off of the impoverished ghetto you exploit, Jesse!

It has become almost a favorite pastime to attack Jesse Jackson in the media and on public forums etc. It's yet another of the myriad ways that blacks in America have been belittled and scoffed at.

It's about time that this stopped because it does nothing to help to resolve racial tensions in America. It is in great measure thanks to men like Jackson that men like Obama could have emerged in the first place.

Unquestionably Jackson helped to lay the foundation for the level racial tolerance in America that we enjoy today. It enabled Obama to run relatively free of opposition due to the race issue. If Obama wins, Jesse is one of the first he should thank and express gratitude to for his victory. He was the trail-blazer before him who paved the way for the Illinois Senator's run today.

“Barack has in a great way reframed the issue from black, white & brown to a future vision,” Jackson said. “He is a conduit through which a more mature America can express itself.”

That is the truth in my opinion. I totally agree with James (previous post) also. I am white and nothing Jesse Jackson stands for is against me. It's not a zero-sum game to me, it's just about human values.

James, Jesse Jackson is attacked and belittled in the media because he's a hypocrite, not because he's black.

He called himself President Clinton's "spiritual advisor" during the Lewinsky scandal and we now know that he was carrying on an extramarital affair that produced an illegitimate child at the very same time.

He rails against corporations and "big business" while using his political connections to get his sons a Budweiser distributorship and other businesses that his family otherwise wouldn't have a sniff at.

He was never elected a "leader" of the black community in any capacity yet he continues to presume to speak for all African-Americans.

I agree with you that Jesse was the trailblazer, not Obama. I'm still waiting for an explanation of what the Tribune thinks is "historic" about Obama's primary wins. Jesse won primaries way before Obama. But that doesn't make Jesse any less of a public fraud.

The important thing to keep in mind is that Hispanics are not a monolith, and many see the struggles between Blacks and Whites in this country as one which they have been happy to stand on the sidelines and watch. while at the same time benefiting from the advances made in civil rights by Blacks. This is especially true of Mexicanos, who feel like they don't owe anybody anything, and do not have ties to the Black community the way that Puerto Ricans and many Caribbean Hispanics have.

Jeff, I take your point, and don't deny it. However I also view it like this: "Let he who hath not sinned the be the first to cast a stone." Show me a man or woman who will never succumb to temptation, and I will show you a liar pretty much. Well, Shakespeare said it best: "None are so firm as cannot be seduced."

I also know how smear works: by placing the private life of the one to be smeared under a microscope to expose all the chinks in his or her armor. Of course they were gonna dig up all the dirt they could on Jackson, but that is simply par for the course.

But how about all the good he did? In instrumentally negotiating the freedom of American citizens who had been seized by the Taleban somne years ago, at great risk to his own life, for example? He has also shown great kindness to inidividuals (like indeed Bill and Michael Jackson) who had been villified in the media at great risk to his own personal reputation.

I'd say that the knives that have been sharpened against Jackson were produced as a result of those very risks he took in his commendably selfless desire to help a fellow brother. However you want to spin it, he didn't have to do that. He didn't have to care.

So no, he was not a saint, but I think the good outweighs the bad and in any case it does not good to keep dwelling in the past.

Jeff, I take your point, and don't deny it. However I also view it like this: "Let he who hath not sinned the be the first to cast a stone." Show me a man or woman who will never succumb to temptation, and I will show you a liar pretty much. Well, Shakespeare said it best: "None are so firm as cannot be seduced."

I also know how smear works: by placing the private life of the one to be smeared under a microscope to expose all the chinks in his or her armor. Of course they were gonna dig up all the dirt they could on Jackson, but that is simply par for the course.

But how about all the good he did? In instrumentally negotiating the freedom of American citizens who had been seized by the Taleban some years ago, at great risk to his own life, for example? He has also shown great kindness to individuals (like indeed Bill and Michael Jackson), who had been villified in the media, at great risk to his own personal reputation.

I'd say that the knives that have been sharpened against Jackson were produced largely as a result of those very risks he took in his commendably selfless desire to help a fellow brother. However you want to spin it, he didn't have to do that. He didn't have to care.

So no, he was not a saint, but I think the good outweighs the bad and in any case it does not good to keep dwelling in the past.

Why don't Jackson talk about Michelle Obama's history of overcharging minorities in a hospital she works for?

Obama's don't fool me any.

The Black community is desperate to attempt to join together "black-brown". They see the numbers, "browns" outnumber "blacks" and political influence of "browns" will soon overtake "blacks". It's that simple. That's why there is such a push for a "black" President now, the feeling is it's now or possibly never, as the U.S. will have a "brown" President before we ever have a "black" one. There is more of a racial divide between blacks and whites than between browns and whites. These are just observations of the culture in which we live.

Jessie Jackson is a hypocrite. The Obamas are hypocrites as well, crying foul over "racism" (unfairly) regarding the Clintons, all the white Obama and his wife use their race to get the black community to their side. Michelle Obama said "blacks better wake up" and vote for Obama....

Jesse Jackson has made a million dollars from his lifetime work--of dividing people by race. And of course if anyone points this out he calls them a "racist".

Obama is the same kind of race hustler, only smoother. He blathers unity to a White audience, then preaches Black solidarity to a Black audience.

Point taken, James. He has, indeed, done a lot of good with his public life. It's just hard for me to reconcile some of his rhetoric with his actions. He said Obama should be down in Louisiana marching with him for the Jena 6 and other things like that.

Jesse has done more good than bad. There are charlatans that have used the public spotlight to foment racial anger in the last two decades that are much worse than Jesse. Al Sharpton is MUCH worse than Jesse. The man still owes the Duke La Cross players and the people defamed by Tawana Brawley an apology.

"JESSE SPEAKS"

MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS, UPDATE YOUR DRIVERS LICENSES IF YOU MOVED.

MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS, UPDATE YOUR VOTING REGISTRATION IF YOU MOVED.

MY BROTHERS, SISTERS, AND ALL YOU "SAGGY BOTTOM NO BELT WEARING" VOTERS BY A BELT AND GET IN LINE, DON'T BE SHY.

MY BROTHERS, SISTERS GO OUT AND GET A NEW CELL PHONE THAT ISN'T PART OF AT&T AND VERIZON WIRELESS, STOP LETTING YOUR GOVERNMENT LISTEN TO YOUR RAP MUSIC, YOUR LOVE SONGS, YOUR TASTE FOR FREE AND OPEN SOCIETY.

BLACK HISTORY MONTH IS GOING TO END IN TWO WEEKS, AND NO ONE IS EVEN GOING TO CARE FOR ANOTHER 11 MONTHS.

Obama need to throttle Jesse, he is a *racist* that can drive away white voters - not a uniter. imho.

I worked in South Texas, at a local hospital. Every race was represented in the work force. However, I noticed there was a strong desire to divide and conquer the brown and black. The browns were played against the blacks and vice versa. This is part of the years ago machinery to keep one in power.Throw a few bones to a group, watch them fight it out. Then repeat process.Very effective way to divide and conquer. The prison system in California utilizes this approach to manage the brown and black inmates. The blacks and browns do need to unite and we can change the divide and conquer mind set. Go Obama.

Jessie does not speak for Latinos.

Why should Latinos trust Obama when his track record in actually doing what he says he will do is so poor? Unlike rich white liberal ivory-tower folk and college students that have taken his lofty kool-aid, Latinos can ill afford to trust in a “bonehead” candidate.

Talk to me Obama, be concrete about the ugly realities of poverty, hate, race, and cultural conflict in the neighborhood and how you are different from Hilary in your solutions; and just to say that you were are community organizer and legal services attorney (badges) is not enough. I would also like to see some of your original thinking; stealing Hilary’s plans or playing off the romance of heroes like MLK or others does not cut it.

Judging from the comments it doesn't look like Obama is getting many "browns" to jump onto his bridge. They have that annoying habit of thinking for themselves, eh, Obama? Good thing for him the limousine liberals that are his backbone never do that.

Obama is black and at the same time white. that make obama the right candidate. when obama look at white he seens himself and when he looks at black he sees himself. so he will do every thing to make his dream come through to make that bridge across the race to be smooth. he loves every body and every race. the hispanic knows clinton brandand that is why they vote clinton but they are not clinston servant like the way clinton is banking on us. bill is not hilary. www.euroshoppingplaza.com

Obama is of mixed white and black and represent all americans, whites, blacks,latinos, asians. together if we help obama, he will buid a unified america for all of us, and stop the war in iraq, God Bless America