Listen Live
Donate
 on air
    Schedule

    KCRW

    Read & Explore

    • News
    • Entertainment
    • Food
    • Culture
    • Events

    Listen

    • Live Radio
    • Music
    • Podcasts
    • Full Schedule

    Information

    • About
    • Careers
    • Help / FAQ
    • Newsletters
    • Contact

    Support

    • Become a Member
    • Become a VIP
    • Ways to Give
    • Shop
    • Member Perks

    Become a Member

    Donate to KCRW to support this cultural hub for music discovery, in-depth journalism, community storytelling, and free events. You'll become a KCRW Member and get a year of exclusive benefits.

    DonateGive Monthly

    Copyright 2026 KCRW. All rights reserved.

    Report a Bug|Privacy Policy|Terms of Service|
    Cookie Policy
    |FCC Public Files|

    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.

    • rss
    • Share
    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?

    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Warren Olney

      former KCRW broadcaster

    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Frances Anderton

      architecture critic and author

    • KCRW placeholder

      Dan Konecky

      Producer, To the Point

    • KCRW placeholder

      Lester Spence

      Johns Hopkins University

    • KCRW placeholder

      Amiri Baraka

      poet, playwright and community activist

    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Erin Aubry Kaplan

      journalist

      NewsNationalPolitics
    Back to To the Point