Jesse Jackson Slams Black Votes Against Health Care

[newtothegame]

Source: CBS News

"You can't vote against health care and call yourself a black man," Jackson said Wednesday night, the Hill newspaper reports. Jackson made the remarks at an event hosted by the CBC Foundation to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Jackson's presidential bid."


Read more: http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2009/11/19/politics/politi...

---

?????

I didn't realize that the underpinning issue underneath all of healthcare reform was race; who knew?

[paulsby]

1. typical jesse jackson

it doesn't quite have the ring of hymietown, but it expresses the same tendencies. here's a hint, jesse. you are not "the emperor of black people" to quote south park. you don't get to decide who is and who isn't authentically black, which is of course an absurd idea in the first place.

[monmouth]

2. Poor guy just trying to be relevant....n/t

[No Elephants]

103. And to which large group are you more relevant than Jackson is to African Americans?

Not counting family members, of course.

[mddem9850]

119. I agree. True attention seeker

[dhcave]

3. Heavy Hands

Robbing someone of part of their identity for not agreeing with you is quite a weapon.

[No Elephants]

99. Oh, ffs. Saying something is not robbing anyone of anything.

[NOLALady]

4. I didn't realize that either.

Who said that race was the issue of healthcare reform?

[me b zola]

5. The OP has a habit of interjecting race and being divisive

The OP also sports an avatar of MLK, but doesn't seem too fond of civil rights.

[twitomy]

6. I think Jesse Jackson is interjecting race and being

divisive, not the OP.

[me b zola]

9. How is Jackson being divisive?

He's talking to black people about black people & their needs.


This thread sure is a magnet.

[Igel]

11. How's this?

Who does the representative in question represent?

His race or his constituents?

Does he stop and think, "Gee, my district is fairly conservative and against this, but most people who have my skin color are in favor of it. So instead of voting as my district wants, I'll vote for the community that really counts, those of my race."

That's Jackson.

He could have voiced the opinion that in spite of the congressman's district he should have supported the health care bill because it's simply the best thing for Americans--i.e., all the people living legally in the United States and territories--and that as a representative he should use access to additional information and foresight to see the consequences of doing nothing. But Jackson didn't. Instead he said there is something more important than being a representative *or* simply doing the right thing for all Americans, and that is racial solidarity, doing things that helps those of the same race.

Being all rah-rah for a group enforces group solidarity. It triggers outside criticism while saying that any outside criticism can only be wrong and racist. It's a two-fer for Jackson, for whom race and ideology are often inseparable.

[firedupdem]

12. +1

And if Davis has to behave like a republican for his "conservative" area, then just be a fucking republican. I'm sick of fake ass democrats. Jesse Jackson can say what he wants to black people about black people.

[CoffinEd]

16. Shades of Gary Franks

But at least he was a registered republican, unlike Davis who is playing one.

[paulsby]

15. he's talking to black people

and telling them who isn't black and who is, based on their political beliefs. how is that NOT divisive? if i said, "if you are a white man and you don't believe in string theory, you aren't a white man" would that be divisive? well probably not, because most people don't know from string theory. here's a better example "if you don't believe in the right to choose, then you are not a white woman" would that be divisive? jesse jackson is not (i quote again from south park) the emperor of black people. the idea that this grandstanding oft-discredited fool thinks that he is the arbiter of who authentic blacks are, is both a sign of his massive ego, and his massive disconnect from reality. he really has become a parody of himself. william shatner has played off that syndrome very well, and in fact cleverly exploits it and props to him. jackson just looks like an idiot.

[No Elephants]

100. The analogy is not "If you don't believe in the right to choose, then you are not a white woman."

That makes no sense. White women are not a group for which the right to choose is more significant than it is for women of color. The better statement for comparison would be, "Any woman who votes against a woman's right to choose, then you are not a real woman."

I'm not saying the latter is (or is not) a wonderful statement, either. IMO, men should also be for the right to choose. I'm saying only that it's mnore comparable to Jackson's statement.

Underlying what Jackson is saying is that there is a historical and a statistical correlation in this country between and among poverty and African Americans and poor health care (not only because of poverty, either), all of which is very familiar to most African Americans. So, if you vote against health care, you are not a real black person. You don't get it.

Now, the first statement could be considered sexist. However, women do have a more personal knowledge and a more direct experience with wombs and pregancy than do men. And African Americans do have a more personal and more direct knowledge and experience of what health care for African Americans really has meant and still means in this country.

[goclark]

86. Talking to Black People has been done

for hundreds of years .

He is Black, the audinece as I understand it was Black and quality Health Care is known to be a big problem among my people.

MLK I am sure would have said the same thing to a Black audience.
That would be "politically correct."

[No Elephants]

101. It would be interesting to keep track. Jackson, Sharpton, affirmative action. Which of those

thread topics is the biggest magnet?

[No Elephants]

97. You would.

[me b zola]

111. You are wrong.

[No Elephants]

96. I, too, have observed divergence between the posting behavior and the avatar.

Only once before, though. Then again, I tend to stay in LBN unless a moved thread link takes me to another forum.

[Moosepoop]

8. Perhaps not THE issue, but AN issue according to many minority groups.

From the article:

A handful of major minority and civil rights groups injected race into the health care debate last month when they launched a series of ads linking the decades-long push for health care reform to civil rights.

The NAACP National Voter Fund, National Council of La Raza, Campaign for Community Change, Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, PowerPAC.org and the United States Student Association said they were running the ads because "people of color have a special stake in health care reform." The coalition pointed out that minorities have higher rates of common problems like heart disease and cancer and also face higher insurance rates.

[No Elephants]

102. The opening poster is incorrectly implying that Jackson said that.

But, I know you don't believe everything you read here.

[FarLeftFist]

7. I think he meant FAT people shouldn't be against HC reform.

Because there's nothing funnier than a fat redneck holding a sign against HC reform, which is what most of the tea parties consist of.

[Ed76638]

10. Fuck Artur Davis

That bitch doesn't deserve the office of governor.

[TexasObserver]

13. Recommend

[Odin2005]

14. Jesse Who?

[The Northerner]

17. Jesse Jackson: You can't vote against healthcare and call yourself a black man

Source: The Hill

The Rev. Jesse Jackson on Wednesday night criticized Rep. Artur Davis (D-Ala.) for voting against the Democrats’ signature healthcare bill.

“We even have blacks voting against the healthcare bill,” Jackson said at a reception Wednesday night. “You can’t vote against healthcare and call yourself a black man.”

Read more: http://thehill.com/homenews/house/68451-jackson-you-can...

---

Ugh! Can someone tell Jesse Jackson that it's about policy not race.

The bill is lackluster, unconstitutional, and should be redone.

[WriteDown]

18. Watch out for castration. nt

[Captain Hilts]

19. Will that procedure be covered, or will it be like abortion?

[No Elephants]

110. Would sure cut down on the Viagra costs! (No pun intended.)

[No Elephants]

105. Disagreement = castration? LOL

[EFerrari]

20. So a discussion about race is inappropriate to a reception of the CBC?

What should the Congressional Black Caucus talk about at their receptions, in your opinion?

[noiretextatique]

22. not to mention

as with every problem in america, the healthcare crisis disproportinately affects african-americans.

[EFerrari]

23. Which was certainly his point. Agreed. n/t

[noiretextatique]

25. if only people knew what the hell is going on in this country

they wouldn't be so quick to misconstrue the realities of race in this country. the problem is not what jackson said, the problem is what he was talking about.

[EFerrari]

26. Americans never want to talk about race unless someone with some color to them

does something "first".

That seems to be the level of discourse that is comfortable.

[paulsby]

36. rubbish

EVERY problem? cmon. get real. apparently, racist and evidenceless racial accusations are ok if you depict african-americans as a victim. fascinating

[reggie the dog]

39. how was the Rev. Jackson being racist?

He just thinks that health care reform is so important to the black community that no self resepecting black should be against the plan. I disagree with him, and like Kucinich did I can understand holding out for real reform. But this does not make Rev. Jackson racist, certainly not a CBC meeting.

[paulsby]

42. i was referring to the previous post

claiming that every problem in the US negatively affects blacks disproportionately. that's false. i think jackson is a disgusting racist, but that wasn't the point of my post.

[reggie the dog]

44. Nearly every problem in the US dDOES effect

non whites disproportionately than whites. Much of this is linked to anther division along which problems effect one group disproportionatley, class division. Non whites are more highly represented in the lower economic classes to (yes there are white folks like me making 20 grand a year too who are in the lower middle class or poor class) but blacks are more highly represented in the poor classes than they are in the population as a whole. Non white poors are shit on that much more than poor whites because of racism.


Also why do you thing that Jackson is a racist? I thought the whole Rainbow Push Coalition was about fighting for the litte people, uniting poor people of all races into a political movement. Did I miss something?

[paulsby]

47. that's a different argument

and not what he said. i'll give one example. suicide. whites are 11.9 per 100,000 and blacks are 5.3 . that;'s JUST one example of where blacks are NOT overrepresented in a negative category compared to whites. simply put, it's false. fwiw, it also depends on WHICH "non-whites". for example, japanese americans exceed whites in nearly every positive category and are underrepresented in nearly every negative category. last i checked, they are "non whites". even if we accept arguendo that "non white poors are shit on much more than poor whites", they manange to outclass whites, blacks, etc. in plenty of categories. jackson has repeatedly proven to be a racist. from his "hymietown" days, to claiming that one is not an authentic black man if you disagree with him on policy.

[reggie the dog]

52. I rember the scandal with the hymietown days

and thought that he renounced those statements. The suicide totals are very interesting. Asians, especially from Japan, are accepted as whites for the most part. It is mostly the Latinos and blacks who are shit on. Poverty, housing, job security, wages, health insurance, violence in their neighborhoods, longer jail for the same crimes as whites who get less jail.

[paulsby]

55. he did renounce those statements

of course. what else would he do? and if it was isolated, i'd cut him some slack and give him the benefit of the doubt. but when he keeps doing stuff like that, it's pretty obvious. regardless of whether asians are accepted as whites, the point is that they are nonwhites that outclass whites (a counterexample). i disagreed with the claim that blacks were overrepresented in every bad category, and i already gave one example that proves that poster wrong (suicide). that's all i was sayin'. declaring blacks are the universal victim is ridiculous, or that they are disproportionately represented negatively in everything in US society is also ridiculous. dat's all

[reggie the dog]

59. instead of everything he needs to say

nearly everything, and also keep in mind that in some aspecets, other groups are behind blacks. Puerto Ricans are poorer than blacks in Chicago if I remember correctly.

[paulsby]

60. nearly everything would at least have been arguable

and not easily refuted. i woulda let it slide on by... it also breaks down by gender. some would say women are "always" overrep'd in victim class stuff, but that's clearly not true either. look at suicides again, for an example... rates per 100k white male 19.5 white female 4.6 nonwhite male 9.3 nonwhite female 2.1 black male 9.2 black female 1.7 !!!! hispanic 5.0

[reggie the dog]

63. as a techer I try to avoid words like always and never. just too hard to

back up with evidence.

[paulsby]

64. i would NEVER use such words

[reggie the dog]

69. good one

[FBaggins]

65. Self delete

sorrry... replied to wrong post

[No Elephants]

112. Suicide, unlike something like racial discrimination, is something the alleged "victim"

controls. Not really comparable.

You just keep lumping together things that are not at all alike as though they were equivalent or highly comparable.

BTW, no one but you said anything about females, so why don't you save your rebuttal attempts for when someone else actually raises the issue?

[No Elephants]

107. Actually, Jackson doesn't "keeps doing stuff like that." If you had been as public

an activist as he has for as long as he has, and scrutinized as closely as he has been, I'm guessing you would have more than a few mistakes in your column.

Then again, you think his calling out Davis's vote during a recent meeting of the CBC is racist and I think it makes perfect (non-racist) sense, though I am not crazy about the bill myself because it is far too industry oriented.

[No Elephants]

109. Oh, gawd, not the Asian bs again.

[FBaggins]

57. He judged someone by the color of his skin

What else would you call that?

[reggie the dog]

66. he didn't so much judge them by their color

as say how can any self respecting person with this skin color vote against something which could so help those who share the same skin color. I disagree with the idea but I honestly do not see racism. Sort of like if I say no self respecting american should have suppored the war in Iraq. As an American I have a certain right to say that which a French person really would not have because they would be perceieved as racist against Americans.

[FBaggins]

70. That's pure spin.

That isn't what he said.

And "ow can any self respecting person with this skin color vote against something which could so help those who share the same skin color." is ALSO offensive.

I know plenty of african americans who are otherwise progressive but don't believe that it is government's role to provide health care for its citizens. i may not agree, but I won't judge them for standing by their beliefs.

I know plenty of african americans who are otherwise progressive who are deeply religious and firmly "pro-life". I may not agree but I won't insult them by saying they aren't black if they don't change their mind.

I know plenty of african americans who are otherwise progressive who believe that homosexual sex is wrong and can't bring themselves to support gay marriage. If I don't agree... I can try to persuade... I CAN'T point at the color of their skin and say "you can't believe that".

Racism at it's core is the belief that people are inherently "different" because of the color of their skin. Not being a racist, I can't accept that this is different because of the color of Jackson's skin.

[reggie the dog]

72. I see what you mean.

[No Elephants]

113. No, he did not. He judged Davis by his vote, and for good reason.

See, for example Reply ##x 8, 86 and 100. And do some research on health care in this country in relation to African Americans. past and present.

[noiretextatique]

73. yes...every fucking problem

this shitty racist system has created a myriad of problems for african-americans, indians, latinos, etc.
one example:
medical care (plenty of studies out there about the variance between care provided for black women with breast cancer and white women with breast cancer.

another example: arrest, conviction and incarcerations rates.

another example: life expectancy.

have you lived one day as a black person? if not, you are the one who needs to get real. you have no fucking idea what you are talking about.

[paulsby]

75. ah, already resorting to personal attacks and

swearing. how incredibly mature. and i already gave a counterexample. a problem that is UNDERrepresented in the african american community. suicide. and i already posted the #'s. that disproves your absurd statement. there are of course other counterexamples, but if you make the claim "EVERY", then all i need is one to disprove your paternalistic theory about african americans in this country. hth

[kwassa]

81. What other counterexamples do you have?

Using a single statistic about suicide doesn't refute the overall truth of what she has said.

[paulsby]

82. it most definitely does

she said every. i offered a counterexample. that's how you refute a claim of every. you want another? fine. african americans are less likely to use crystal meth than whites. crystal meth abuse is one of the worst scourges we've seen in recent years in terms of productivity lost, lives ruined, etc. not only is this true statistically, but it's true anecdotally ime.

here's the stats. among high school students for example:
1.9 % of blacks, 4.5% of whites, and 5.7% of hispanics reported having used meth

whites and blacks were roughly even in mj use. roughly equal in heroin use. they were more likely to have used mj before age 13, though

http://www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov/drugfact/minorities...

dea arrest figures support the above (granted arrests include adults). black were disproportionately overrepresented in some drugs, and under represented in others, most notably methamphetamine 141/5367. they were significantly overrepresented amongst crack arrests 3161/695. crack arrests get a higher sentence than powder cocaine arrests, and thus this is argued to be racially disparate (which si undeniable) and racist (which is arguable, since more violent crime is associated with crack than powder cocaine) . i personally don't think ANYBODY should be sent to jail for drug POSSESSION, crack or otherwise. however, i think powder and crack cocaine, IF punished, should not get disparate sentences. thus. this is one area where blacks are disproportionately negative represented. and it's of course no doubt true there are plenty others. but as mentioned there are some where they are disproportionately positively represented, and thus the OP was false. that's all i said.

[FBaggins]

54. Which is why they disproportionally support it

but not universally.

I won't disparage those who disagree on legitimate grounds.

Telling people that they must behave a certain way because of the color of their skin is remarkably little progress for decades of struggle. I helps not a whit that the speaker is a particular race.

[noiretextatique]

74. sorry...i don't want any more clarence thomases

but you can be as high-minded as you like. a black fascist is stil as fascist. we don't need any more black people supporting regressive shit...white people are doing just great with that.

[FBaggins]

76. Well then let's just shoot 'em eh?

A black fascist is still a fascist... Yep

he's ALSO still black.

[AllTooEasy]

40. They can talk about anything...just don't be stupid about it, Brutha'

[EFerrari]

45. Stupid? I'd say taking Jackson's remark out of context

and dinging him for it is stupid. I don't agree with him about this particular bill but in general, yeah, he's right as rain.

[No Elephants]

116. "Just don't be stupid about it, Brutha?" Seriously?

[FBaggins]

49. A "discussion about race" isn't inappropriate... but THIS is.

Any statement that says that people should think alike, act alike, or believe the same things based on the color of their skin is inherently offensive. It doesn't matter the color of the speaker's skin or that of his audience.

My Jackson should look up the word "freedom" and try it some time.

Persuade... don't compel or bully.

[EFerrari]

53. Baloney. A community gets to talk about itself in its own voice.

Maybe YOU should look up the word "autonomy".

[FBaggins]

56. It's "allowed" to talk to itself in it's own voice.

And I'm allowed to tell him he's acting in a racially biased way. And any black man who is told that he must vote a certain way because of the color of his skin is entitled to call that prejudice exactly what it is.

He should be offended... and Jackson should be ashamed.

[EFerrari]

58. No, it's not "allowed". That's not the word. Maybe you really should

look up "autonomy" because you are unclear on the concept.

[FBaggins]

61. You're embarrassing yourself.

The meaning of the word directly rebuts what you're saying (even more ridiculous to offer the word in rebuttal to "freedom").

If you MUST vote a particular way because of the color of your skin... you DON'T have autonomy. Nor freedom.

[EFerrari]

62. Well, no. No one "allows" the black community to speak in its own voice

because that isn't a power anyone else has, capiche? Except some members of the 101st Chairborn who seem to believe Jesse Jackson needs their input on how to be black.

lol

What Jackson meant has gone so far over your head, it can't even see you from there.

[FBaggins]

67. Jesse Jackson is NOT "the black community" - he's one man

Nor is he "their voice".

seem to believe Jesse Jackson needs their input on how to be black.

What a ridiculous comment... especially after defending the guy who just told them how to be black.

You don't get it, do you? It's offensive to be told how to authetically be yourself... even by someone else "like" you in that way.

What Jackson meant

Is as clear as the nose on your face. What he later tried to SPIN it as meaning was dishonest and not believable.

Most african americans support the bill and for good reason. SOME won't support the bill and I have faith that they ALSO have good and valid reasons.

Why? Because I don't assume that blacks are stupid. Do you?

[EFerrari]

68. That's right. He's not "the black community", he is only one man.

Very well done.

[FBaggins]

71. "One man" who made an incredibly stupid

and insensitive remark. Rather than try to spin it he should apologize for that stupid remark - which would give him the cover (and coverage) he needs to say what he should have said.

Frankly... You can't call yourself a black man and ever tell a black man that he can't call himself a black man.

[EFerrari]

79. You still have no idea what he was talking about.

[FBaggins]

80. I'm sorry if English isn't one of your first two languages

To everyone else... he was quite clear.

He (and obviously you) wishes that there was more wiggle room... but he was quite clear.

[No Elephants]

115. What does being stupid have to do with it, whether black, white or any other hue?

Landrieu, Nelson, and the rest of the Purple Snakes are not voting against this because they are stupid. Neither are Republicans.

[No Elephants]

120. Jackson said nothing about "must." If I say, "If you never eat pasta, you are not a true

Sicilian," I am not telling people in Sicility that they MUST eat pasta.

[me b zola]

89. So a female speaker shouldn't be able to talk to women about the importance of childcare?

~and label it as an issue that is important to women? Not all parents responsible for obtaining child care are women. Not all women have or want children. Yet the issue effects most women and more often than men, and it is very much a women's issue. So would it be gender biased or "playing the gender card" if a female speaker spoke to a women's group and told them that a child care bill would be good for women and shame on any female legislature who would vote against it?

Members of a minority group not only have the right, but have the obligation to persuade leaders who are members of the same minority group to act in a manner that meets the needs of that group.

[goclark]

87. The Congressional BLACK Caucus is doing what they are suppose to do

Is the perfect forum to express such a view.

Jesse was 100% appropriate in that setting.
I have attending the CBLACKC many times.
Those attending are leaders in their community and know how to go back and express the views of the CBC in a meaningful way.

It's interesting how White people can try to tell Black people how to talk to members of their own race and/or those that are totally supportive of what issues are important in the Black Community and the USA.

There must be some on this thread that want Black People to not be encouraged to support the Health Care Bill.


Huum ~ let's hope they are Freepers.

[No Elephants]

106. A CBC reception while a health care bill is pending and only one member voted against it.

With this legislation being the most important domestic legislation since the Civil Rights Act.

Yeah. Can't imagine why Davis's vote leapt to Jackson's mind.

[Vidar]

21. One of the few times I disagree with Jesse.

[slackmaster]

24. It's called poisoning the well or the No True Scotsman fallacy

http://www.logicalfallacies.info/presumption/no-true-sc... /

[Name removed]

27. Deleted sub-thread

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Juan_de_la_Dem]

28. Actually Jesse, I was thinking " and call yourself an American"

[TexasObserver]

29. Recommend

[pampango]

30. When 95% of the progressive caucus votes for the bill & 99% of repubs vote against it,

it's not surprising to see Jackson come out in support of the bill.

I realize that some progressives believe that the Progressive Caucus sold them out by voting for the bill. Of course, perversely, I wonder if the insurance industry views the 99% of republicans who voted against it as "sell-outs" for not supporting an "industry bill". (Or do some think that the repubs are playing 3-D chess and voting against something they are really for because they are way out ahead of the poor Democrats in their strategy?)

It could just be that the PC, while many of its members - perhaps all - would prefer a much stronger reform bill, think it is the best we can get and better than killing it and starting from scratch in a possibly more hostile political environment. And it could be that Jackson agrees with them - both in terms of wanting something better, but realizing this is better than the alternative.

[GreenTea]

31. Thanks - You certainly wrote my exact thoughts much better than I

I did my abbreviated version.....that all caring people should vote for the bill because something needs to pass NOW...To get the ball (bill) rolling, get our foot in the door, to create a better bill now as well as better each year to come, until it becomes 100% single payer.....someday!

The Republicans tactic was/is to stall, stall, stall and which they know (along with the insurance corporations funneling money for distorting ads and political pay-offs) will eventually kill the bill, as they have for the past 50 or 60 years, republicans would of loved for the progressives to of killed the bill, and is the precise reason why they got a "republican", a "C" House cracker with a "D" after his name to insert the abortion bullshit purposely into the bill at the very last second....However, it passed anyway thanks to Speaker Pelosi....And Reid's Senate bill yesterday appears to be much better, surprisingly, than the House bill...the only ones who won't and didn't for it were the 39 Dems (some for diabolical reasons) and all the slimy republicans (minus 1).

Thanks for your eloquence. Again, exactly as I perceive it.

[reggie the dog]

50. come on dude

why not a c house asshole? You do know that there are uncle tom black republicans. How would you like it if people here reffered to them as niXXXXX?

[paulsby]

37. that's not the point

the point isn't that he supports the bill. the point is that it is not an element of being a black person in the united states, for them to have the same policy position as jackson. it's disgusting, equating racial identity, with a policy position. if some racist white said "if you are for affirmative action, you aren't a white man", it would be equally disgusting

[No Elephants]

118. More to the topic: All but one member of the Congressional Black Caucus voted for the bill.

[robcon]

32. A despicable comment by Jackson.

When a political vote defines "race" we know the score.

[pundaint]

33. How is jesse profiting from this

It's time we Democrats reject leaders who clearly lead only for their own benefit. Jesse could be the poster child for self-dealing in the name of a movement.

[EFerrari]

46. Nice slur, Rush. n/t

[paulsby]

34. disgusting but typical

sorry, but political leanings, let alone stance on a policy issue does not define one's race or heritage or make one inauthentic. that is SUCH crap

[undeterred]

35. Joe Lieberman will be so disappointed.

[DU GrovelBot]

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[TheCML]

41. I support health care reform

do i get to be an honorary black man?

[No Elephants]

121. No, but apparently you do get to make a nonsensical post.

[Freddie Stubbs]

43. Dennis Kucinich = Definitely not black

[AllTooEasy]

48. are you sure?

If Dennis and Michael Steele walked into Harlem, which one do you think would get his ass kicked?

[reggie the dog]

51. no shit???? you just figured out that Dennis was white?

Perhaps you are blind, I will give you the benefit of the doubt.

[No Elephants]

122. Dennis Kucinich voted against the bill because it is not progressive enough for him. I very much

doubt that had anything to do with Davis's reasons for voting against it.

[CoffinEd]

77. So where's the outrage from the CBC?

Oh, here it is:

Other members of the CBC found no fault in Jackson's words. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-Mo.) was in the audience. He called Jackson's criticism of Davis "accurate," but said he did not hear Jackson say "You can’t vote against healthcare and call yourself a black man."

"If it is an issue that disproportionately impacts black folks, race has to be considered," Cleaver said. Jackson, he added, "is expected by his constituency to call balls and strikes."

Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) called the remarks "vintage Jesse Jackson," but said Davis's vote against healthcare was consistent with a voting record more conservative than many CBC members.

"Artur Davis has a more conservative constituency," Waters said. "Since he's running for governor of Alabama, he reflects an even more conservative constituency."

Rep. Sheila Jackson-Lee (D-Texas) said each man was doing what he considered the right thing.

"People have a right to vote their constituency, and people have a right to."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From what I read, it appears that Davis is in favor of the Senate HCR bill. And if he truly has his sights on becoming governor of Alabama, then he's going to trend even more conservative in the future. Hell, he might even morph into Mike Steele (now that's a scary thought).

Frankly, I think this whole tempest in a teapot (Jackson's comment) is exactly that - a tempest in a teapot.

[goclark]

93. Jackson was talking to his Family that he has known

for more than 25 years.

He had every right to say what he did ~ every right.

I am in no way directing this at you ~ your words are allowing others to hopefully see the dynamics in the Black Community - thanks for posting what Maxine and what Sheila Jackson Lee said... "Rep. Sheila Jackson-Lee (D-Texas) said each man was doing what he considered the right thing.?


What would people think if he had said, " Black People should NOT vote for the Health Care Bill - it doesn't give enough to Black people, only to White people? --- now that would not be appropriate in any setting.

The man is FOR the bill, isn't that what DU wants to happen -- well most of DU I thought, sometimes I wonder.

I am speaking as an African American woman who has been in the struggle for Justice for over 40 years.

I totally agree with him, knowing the Health Issues that affect our community - perhaps at a higher rate than others -- Diabetes comes to mind ~ "There should not be one Black American that does not support the Health Care Bill."

Until they have walked in the shoes of a Black American, I wish people would leave this issue for BLACK people to decide if Jesse was right or wrong.

Thanks again for your Post

[CoffinEd]

108. No problem

I'm an African American male, and none of the black people I associate with are the least bit upset over Jackson's comment. Then again, I don't hang out with the likes of Clarence Thomas, Ron Christy, Ward Connerly, or the Steele boys (Shelby and Mike).

Honestly, being in Massachusetts, we're more interested in getting to the bottom of why Bill Belichick decided to go for the first down against the Colts. Now that's something to get your undies in a bunch about.

Just saying.

[goclark]

114. We are on the same page nt

[No Elephants]

123. Why would there be outrage from the CBC? Unlike many posters here they

understand why Jackson said what he said and therefore understood his comment was not racist.

[jody]

78. We Davis supporters and Alabama voters don't care what Jesse thinks.

to Artur Davis, the next governor of Alabama.

[last_texas_dem]

83. I agree that it's better to keep race out of it, but

I do question where Davis's opposition is coming from. It makes me think he's more concerned about winning higher office in conservative Alabama than representing or looking out for the interests of the constituency of his own district.

[jody]

84. Rep. Artur Davis is running for governor in Alabama.

[No Elephants]

104. I think this bill is too conservative and perhaps even unconstitutional. However,

I very much doubt that Davis voted against it for those reasons.

[fascisthunter]

85. Racists love shit like this

so they can jump on a black man and not any black man, but Jesse Jackson, their favorite guy to hate, it's a two-fer.

The bigot here isn't Jesse Jackson.

So, now that race is no longer the issue, let's talk about content... I disagree with the man, because this Bill is garbage.

[JonQ]

91. How is he not a racist?

He believes all people of a certain race are required to act a certain way.

[fascisthunter]

95. in spite of what black people have been through historically in this country

yes, his point is not racist. What wouldn't have been acceptable would be a white person telling a black person what he should or should not say to people of his own race.

I suppose you think Bill Cosby is a racist too since he addresses black Americans about black issues in black communities. You reveal more about yourself in your attempt to paint Jesse Jackson and you don't even realize it.

[JonQ]

117. Do you know what racist means?

I will define it for you:
It is a belief that race determines who you are as a person, that all people of a certain race fit a certain mold when it comes to base values, morality, intelligence, and so on.


I don't know if he hates whites or not, but he certainly believes that race should determine how you think. That is racism.

"What wouldn't have been acceptable would be a white person telling a black person what he should or should not say to people of his own race. "

And if a white leader told all white people how they should think if they want to be counted as white? Like for instance, no true white man would ever vote for obama, is that a racist statement?

"I suppose you think Bill Cosby is a racist too since he addresses black Americans about black issues in black communities. You reveal more about yourself in your attempt to paint Jesse Jackson and you don't even realize it."

Bill cosby attacks attitudes found among certain members of the black community, not all blacks and he doesn't believe black people should htink a certain way distinct from everyone else. As far as I can tell he promotes education, hard work and basic decency not because it is a "black thing" but because it is the right thing to do.

Your irrational lashing out and over the top defensiveness (and strawman arguments) reveal a lot more about your personality than I think you really wanted for us to know.

[JonQ]

88. So he gets to decide who is allowed to be black or not?

I wonder how a white politician saying "you can't be white if you don't agree with me on X" would have been received.

[lynne]

90. Jesse ceased being relevent about a decade ago -

- now he's just wind and noise.

[Bill McBlueState]

92. uh-oh, it's Angry White People time on DU

Every time Jackson says something, they come out in force.

[MellowDem]

94. Uh-oh, it's Blame Whitey time on DU

Every time something critical is said about a black man, it must be that Angry White People want to have their time. What a bigoted statement, one of the few that are consistently allowed on DU.

[No Elephants]

98. Good thing Jackson never said anything like that. Twist much?

[No Elephants]

124. Why does the headline say "votes," when only Davis's vote was involved?

(Sorry, but after reading all the crap on this thread, that is the best I can do."