Jesse Jackson is mainstream; a corner of the mainstream. Let's try not to forget that he does speak in the moderated tones of black outrage. When it comes to black outrage, Jesse and Al have got all dimensions covered - at least all the dimensions that amount to anything in American politics. So his speaking on CNN sotto voce to another black commentator is the sort of inside baseball that enquiring minds want to know. In today's controversial case, he explained that Obama is talking down to black people, and so Jackson promised to cut his nuts off.
You can hardly blame Jackson because he is one of a host of folks concerned that Obama, in order to win, must of necessity alienate blackfolks enough so that whitefolks will feel comfortable enough to vote for him. It's the sort of zero-sum racial politics Jackson has always been involved in and the sort lots of Americans consider to be the norm. Anybody who assumes that African Americans are consumed with the politics of black outrage need only pay attention to Jackson and Sharpton.
Obama must be a bit stymied by this. I'm sure he'll finesse it, after all this is mere rhetorical sparring and not even in public, and of course Obama will win. Chalk one more up for what I've been saying for 5 years - the politics of social power triumphing over the politics of civil rights.
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