What exactly was the Rev. Jesse L. Jackson thinking when he sat in front of a TV camera and a microphone - at, of all places, a Fox News affiliate! - and whispered as an off-air aside that he wanted to castrate Sen. Barack Obama for "talking down" to black people?
In an appearance on "Fox and Friends," an off-air Jackson in front of a "hot mike" said in hushed tones to the man seated next to him, UnitedHealth Group Vice President Dr. Reed Tuckson: "Barack's been talking down to black people on this faith-based and I want to cut his n--- off."
Did the civil rights giant merely want to make a strong point about the senator's policy priorities? Or was it sour grapes from the contender for the Democratic Party's presidential nomination in 1984 and 1988 toward the man who won the gold ring on his first try? Some black leaders are hoping it was just a "moment" and not a cause for alarm.
Jackson's crude comments drew a strong rebuke from none other than his son, Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. Less forgiving than Obama, who said he "of course" accepted the reverend's apology, Jackson's son, a national co-chair of the Obama campaign, declared he was "deeply outraged and disappointed" in his father's "ugly rhetoric."
Like many members of his generation, Jesse Jackson Jr. represents a new wave of leaders who seek to move out of a racial corral in which seats are limited to those who spew the same old orthodoxy of victimization without responsibility. Sure, we all want equal justice under the law, but we also need healthy families and communities.
Obama's campaign, pivoting to the center to broaden his general-election appeal, initially sought to downplay Jackson's remarks. But it soon found itself in a firestorm and quickly issued a statement clarifying Obama's stand on issues Jackson raised in his apology. The campaign wanted the world to know that the senator "also discusses our responsibility as a society to provide jobs, justice, and opportunity for all. He will continue to speak out about our responsibilities to ourselves and each other, and he of course accepts Reverend Jackson's apology."
Jackson's larger comments, not the crude reference to a certain part of the male anatomy, reflect generational thinking about the role of government and the moral response needed to help a community on the brink of despair.
Is there a disconnect growing between Obama and the old-guard African-American political and religious establishment? Yes, but it's not divisive. It's about the new era of taking responsibility for our own individual actions as well as depending on a society in which all the doors are open without discrimination.
How much of Jackson's resentment toward Obama's emphasis on faith-based programs and personal responsibility is shared by other black leaders, including members of the Congressional Black Caucus? Hopefully, not many. But quite a few members are worried that faith-based institutions, along with nonprofit charitable foundations cannot take on some of the systemic problems facing black males without some governmental guidance and assistance.
Will Jackson's comments force Obama to expound upon his stand on governmental responsibility versus personal responsibility on the campaign trail? Let's hope so; it's a discussion he should have with all voters.
Is it time for new leadership to reject the heretofore obligated resurrection of old battles and push for new solutions that move forward on a new path of reconciliation? I think so.
Most black people are downright conservative in their thinking and values, yet when it comes to discussing problems in the black community, so many politicians automatically offer governmental programs and federal grants as a cure-all. Those days are long gone.
Black people, like all other hard-working Americans, want opportunity - a hand up, not a hand-out. As James Brown wrote and sang: "I don't want anybody to give me nothing - just open the door and I will get it myself." Sadly, those doors were shut for centuries for many people of color, but things have improved remarkably over the last few decades.
Obama has not talked down to black people. He is just speaking the truth to a community suffering from an escalation in black-on-black crime, rising unemployment and a general feeling of hopelessness that leads so many of our young members to drop out of school before graduating. He earned this right when, freshly graduated from Harvard Law School, he eschewed a lucrative career in a top-flight law firm and instead went straight to one of America's toughest neighborhoods to help organize and empower the people there who lived on the margins of society.
Speaking truth with compassion is not "talking down." It lifts people up and out of their circumstances. But sometimes people who are listening outside the church or crowd get the wrong impression about black people - those old stereotypes that stymied many for generations must not be resurrected. Stereotypes that some blacks are lazy and looking for help and not willing to work hard like others. These old, twisted stereotypes are dangerously false, and Obama has tried to address the ills without blaming the victims.
Presidential candidates always come into black neighborhoods late in the day to promise those with so little with things they have no intention of delivering once in office. I say it's about time one of them respects the black community enough to speak truth and address some lingering problems without treating people like victims.
Ever since Obama captured the party's nomination, many black leaders are expressing their excitement at the prospect that a biracial candidate may win the White House, as well as their apprehension as to how this achievement may affect their own status. They are nervous, asking themselves and each other: What gains might be made, and what setbacks could occur should Obama win? In a country that can boast about electing its first biracial president, might affirmative action programs be diluted and enforcement of civil rights laws be jeopardized?
The disconnect between an older ideological generation that came of age in a deeply racist and intolerant America and the younger generation seeking to create better opportunities for all Americans is now quite visible. Let's hope this conversation is not as short-lived as the broader conversation on race relations in America.
Donna Brazile is a political commentator and former campaign manager for Al Gore.
