Re: Obama and the Racism Card

This is written in response to Rich Lowry's op-ed "Obama and the Racism Card" from Townhall.com, Monday, August 4, 2008.

Rich Lowry attacks Jesse Jackson and Senator Barack Obama in an August 4th op-ed saying Barack Obama resorted to "hair-trigger" charges of racism of the sort Jackson has "built his career on". Lory then claims these charges have made Jackson "radioactive and anathema to the political center."

Lowry must mind Jesse Jackson's career with an attentiveness similar to that of Barack Obama's attention toward the McCain "Celeb" ad because their respective judgements of both is equally inaccurate.

Jesse Jackson has worked to improve he social and economic conditions of African Americans and other minority groups since the early late 50's. While in school, in the early 60's Jackson participated int he civil rights movement and was closely associated with Martin Luther King. He became a field director for the Congress of Racial Equality. In 1966 he helped found Operation Breadbasket, an African American self help program associated with the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. In 1971 he founded another organization called Operation PUSH. (People United to Serve Humanity), for self help human rights. As national president from 1971 to 1983 he promoted economic development, housing development, health care programs and economic excellence.

Jackson ran for president in 1984 and 1988 garnering 13 state primaries and caucuses in his second run. He formed the National Rainbow coalition, a political organization that is now merged with Operation PUSH to form Rainbow/PUSH. he spoke out for social and economic justice, peace, and environmental reforms. Jackson is still influential in politics and is an important voice inside and outside of America.

The resume of Jesse Jackson does not reflect the "hair trigger" behavior Lowry depicts and Jackson remains a key player in the political sphere despite claims from columnists and pundits of Lowry's ilk.

In order to conclude Jackson's activities are poisoned one must ignore hits career and his continued fight against the current inequalities that plague America. The Kerner Commission concluded in 1968 and then in 2008 that the United States remains two nations, one Black and one White. Rich Lowry, unable to appreciate this, finds it appropriate to attack Jesse Jackson with the kind of hair trigger charges he accuses Jackson and Obama of.

Barack Obama, who also appears blind to the divisive nature of this country, continues to preach change, new politics, and end to the divisive era, and moving past "racial guilt". Ironically, he uses the race card at his convenience, tearing down Bill Clinton after the president's Barack Obama-Jesse Jackson analogy, then Tavis smiley for even inviting him to the Black State of the Union in '07 and '08. Obama disowned both his church and pastors of 20 years to appease White America. Recently, he attacked John McCain, unwarranted, over an ad titled "Celeb" that likens Barack Obama to a celebrity such as Paris Hilton or Britney spears rather than a ready politician.

Barack Obama tried, unsuccessfully, to play the "race card", a divisive tactic that, when used appropriately, combats an divisive problem. McCain's ad had not one association with race in it though. Barack Obama claimed McCain was preying on people's fear of race, possibly because he cannot judge when race is being injected into an issue or not.

The difference between Lowry, Obama and Jackson is that Jackson knows what he is talking about. He is not lacking in assessment skills and judgement.