Jackson and other nuts
When I was young and idealistic, I served on the county steering committee for the Jackson presidential campaign. Even then, however, I didn’t support Jackson because of Jackson but because of the progressive movement that had surrounded his campaign and was carrying it forward.
I was deeply offended when Jackson, in an unguarded moment, referred to New York as “hymietown.” His antisemintism was inexcusable.
But then, when he spoke at the convention, he won my heart again as he described the quilt that made up the American dream. He said, if I recall properly, that women were right when they said that they deserved equal pay for equal work. And that gay men and lesbians were right when they said they deserved to be able to live and love in peace and dignity. And workers were right when they said that their right to bargain collectively should be respected and protected. Each of these was a piece of the patchwork quilt that made up the American dream. But each was only a piece and none of them had a piece that was big enough to cover us and keep us warm. So we have to stitch together the pieces with a desire for justice and a willingness to stand up for one another. That thread would, if we let it, transform our pieces of fabric from small patches into a quilt that would cover everyone.
It was beautiful stuff.
And that is the pattern of Jesse Jackson. He is a mixture of the most base material (he admits to having a child out of wedlock during the 90s) and the most precious (consistently progressive and willing to put his body on the line). He is a tragically flawed figure.
If you had to pick a Shakespearean character to represent Jackson, his recent vile whisperings might lead you to Iago who also claimed to endorse and support Othello while whispering evil to the listening audience. But the truth is, I suspect, that Jackson is more like King Lear ranting about how ungrateful the next generation is and how they refuse to show their love through flattering speech.
I suspect Obama is secretly pleased over this latest flap. It has brought to the attention of the electorate that he isn’t afraid to be critical of African Americans and that he isn’t Jesse Jackson who, let’s face facts, hasn’t exactly won hearts and minds in the battleground states. By graciously accepting Jackson’s apology, Obama has floated above the controversy and made it clear to everyone that he is a statesman.
I think, however, that Jackson is done. Even his own son has repudiated his comments publically. “How sharper than a serpent’s tooth it is to have a thankless child.”