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Back to To the Point

To the Point

Barack Obama, Jesse Jackson and Political Expectations

In the studios of Fox News, Rev. Jesse Jackson did not know the microphone was on, but was recorded saying to another guest, "Barack's been talking down to black people." Then he added a crude remark about wanting to cut off part of Barack Obama 's anatomy.

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By Warren Olney • May 12, 2014 • 1 min read

In the studios of Fox News, Rev. Jesse Jackson did not know the microphone was on, but was recorded saying to another guest, "Barack's been talking down to black people." Then he added a crude remark about wanting to cut off part of Barack Obama's anatomy. Even Jackson's own son, Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr, a co-chair of Obama's campaign, said the original comments were out of line. Jackson apologized quickly for the crude way he criticized Obama, but the sentiment behind his comments is shared by other black Americans. Some say that Obama's unexpected success leaves them with a sense of "vertigo." Should he talk more about correcting the legacy of slavery and discrimination? Does his nomination mean that black "victimhood" is a thing of the past?

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    Warren Olney

    former KCRW broadcaster

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    Frances Anderton

    architecture critic and author

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    Dan Konecky

    Producer, To the Point

  • KCRW placeholder

    Lester Spence

    Johns Hopkins University

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    Amiri Baraka

    poet, playwright and community activist

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    Erin Aubry Kaplan

    journalist

    NewsNationalPolitics
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