Wednesday, July 09, 2008

Jackson's Obama attack not his first; also remember Jackson's "hymie" slurs?

This isn't the first time Rev. Jesse Jackson's gone after Sen. Barack Obama. What follows is a Sept. 21, 2007 post, Jesse Jackson, Obama & "Hymies."

John
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Wednesday a South Carolina newspaper reported:

Jackson sharply criticized presidential hopeful and Illinois Sen. Barack Obama for “acting like he’s white” in what Jackson said has been a tepid response to six black juveniles’ arrest on attempted-murder charges in Jena, La. Jackson, who also lives in Illinois, endorsed Obama in March, according to The Associated Press.
The entire story’s here.

Today we read that Jackson new denies saying Obama was “acting like he’s white,” but the newspaper that carried the original report is standing by its report. You can read that story here.

The above reminded me of 1984 and Jackson’s reference to Jews as “hymies” and his reference to New York as “Hymietown.”

When called out for making the anit-Semitic slurs Jackson at first vigourously denied doing that. Then when he learned there was a tape of his remarks, he decidiced to “have prayer” with his "Jewish bretheren."

Here’s the Washington Posts summerary of what happened:
Jesse Jackson's 'Hymietown' Remark – 1984

Rev. Jesse Jackson referred to Jews as "Hymies" and to New York City as "Hymietown" in January 1984 during a conversation with a black Washington Post reporter, Milton Coleman.

Jackson had assumed the references would not be printed because of his racial bond with Coleman, but several weeks later Coleman permitted the slurs to be included far down in an article by another Post reporter on Jackson's rocky relations with American Jews.

A storm of protest erupted, and Jackson at first denied the remarks, then accused Jews of conspiring to defeat him. The Nation of Islam's radical leader Louis Farrakhan, an aggressive anti-Semite and old Jackson ally, made a difficult situation worse by threatening Coleman in a radio broadcast and issuing a public warning to Jews, made in Jackson's presence: "If you harm this brother [Jackson], it will be the last one you harm."

Finally, Jackson doused the fires in late February with an emotional speech admitting guilt and seeking atonement before national Jewish leaders in a Manchester, New Hampshire synagogue.

Yet Jackson refused to denounce Farrakhan, and lingering, deeply rooted suspicions have led to an enduring split between Jackson and many Jews. The frenzy also heightened tensions between Jackson and the mostly white establishment press.
I've got travel connections now, but I'll say more about this post tomorrow.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

John, the South Carolina newspaper article you linked to is "no longer available". That was quick.

Anonymous said...

John,
Fox News advertised a shocking video of some new Jackson remarks that are exclusive to Fox, and Bill O’Reilly would reveal the video during his show.

In reality, he showed only a portion of the video, and said they withheld the rest, because they were not out to get anybody. (Or something like that, and it made no sense to me.) You can see panic damage control for Jackson from the Obama camp.

The reasoning seemed to be the remarks were not suitable for our ears, and not necessary to the discussion. He then had two black guests that downplayed the words as not important, and praised Obama, giving him lots of [free] TV time.

In my opinion, O’Reilly showed himself as a hypocrite. He rails against the liberal media for surpressing information. Maybe Jackson’s remarks are embarrassing, but it would give us another insight, as hearing Rev. Wright’s remarks did.

The next [free] TV time was about Obama allowing his children on a TV show. He decided after all the media attention, that was not a good decision, perhaps? What a loving family picture. It is not going to happen again! That was [free] exposure to both TV and print. What an operator!

Anonymous said...

On the Web:
Jesse Jackson lecturing us on morality
is like a lecture on navigation by the captain of the Titanic.

Anonymous said...

Is castration some kind of magical cure?

The potbangers wanted it for the lacrosse players, Jesse Jackson wants to do it to Obama, his friend, a man he supports.


Just wondering.

Anonymous said...

I think JJ lecturing BO on morality would be more like the iceberg lecturing the Titanic's captain on navigation.

Anonymous said...

Wright, Pfleger, Jackson, Sharpton. If these people are representative of religion in America today, I am relieved to be an agnostic.
Tarheel Hawkeye

Anonymous said...

Hawkeye - Don't forget the old guard; Swaggert, Robertson, Falwell, the Bakers et al. Shameful

Anonymous said...

Anon @ 3.33: Yes, indeed, all of those who use religion as a cash cow or as a tool to exploit the benighted masses for political reasons belong on the short list I included in my post. A lot of people talk the talk, but damned few walk the walk. I'll even go further back an include "Father" Coughlin.
Tarheel Hawkeye