Asks Mickey Kaus with regard to Barack Obama's perceived arrogance and condescension. And the answer is, of course he did.
Isn't there a better way to phrase it that doesn't set up Obama as a commanding know-it-all?Kaus is referring to Obama's admonition to some Georgia black youth and to the Spanish controversy--as I did yesterday. (For the record, I disagree with Kaus about the "stay in school" message.)
The problem with Jesse Jackson controversy, however, is a combination of factors: the source of the criticism and the over-reaction of the critique--but mostly the source. If Jackson thinks that Obama is condescending to blacks only then he must have missed the senator's Bitter, Clingy comments. And the desire to castrate someone because of their condescension is just a little...ahem...nuts don't you think? And if some old white guy had conjured that particular slavery/lynching imagery, folks would be picketing in front of his house.
The bottom line? Both Jackson and Obama have a tendency to step on their...tongues. Jesse has just been doing it longer and thought that he could get away with it forever. Wrong. There's a new kid in town.
But someone who would continuously blackmail (heh) corporations in the name of "racial justice" in order to line his pockets wouldn't instinctively know when it's time to have a seat and would usually have to be forced out of the spotlight. That's probably what will happen to the reverend now, especially since his own son has repudiated him. (And, no, I haven't ruled out the possibility that this whole thing is an elaborately staged event. Chicago politicians and all that.)
DC Thornton makes the case for the right reverend to sit down. Twenty-four years overdue, IMO.
UPDATE (July 11, 2008, 9:46 AM PDT): I'm listening to Rush Limbaugh's radio program right now. It's something I rarely do, but Glenn Reynolds pointed out that Mark Steyn was guest hosting, so I pulled up the KFI (LA) site to listen. Mark just pointed out that, after making the nutty statement, Jackson makes a little knife motion. And upon further review, I can see that he does. This makes me suspect even more that this whole thing was some sort of one-act play.
