How did Jesse Jackson say Kerry fought against him and the Greens in Ohio?

[LittleClarkie]

According to his Majority Report interview on Friday? Can I get more details?

So far, the impression I'm getting is that Jesse agrees with some of y'all on site, which I take as being his opinion, one I differ from. However, if he presented reasons he felt that way about the Kerry organization, I'd like to know.

It's just that sometimes Jesse can be a bit of a grandstander, and I need to check out what he says sometimes to see if it holds water. (He blasted Kerry in Ohio during the campaign, for example, saying Kerry didn't appear at a rally. Except that Kerry hadn't been scheduled, and was already at a rally with Tubbs.)

So, if y'all wouldn't mind Just the facts, ma'am if you have them so that I may fact check.

Are my old journalist roots showing or what?

[autorank]

1. Here is what he said in Lafayette Park, 1/6/2005

I was there. He said "If you can't lead in 2005, you can't lead in 2006 and 2008." He was, in my opinion, referring to Kerry. He may have said something about non cooperation by Kerry but when this line hit, it was quite significant and I remembered it (I may be off a contraction but this is the meaning). There were people video and audio recording the event so his speech is somewhere (I hope, it was great).

I'm a Clark supporter too. I think Jackson showed up and Kerry didn't. I think that the message here was that Kerry had a direct interest and he wasn't leading, therefore he shouldn't be trusted to lead.

I am convinced that Jackson is on the way back and that he will be central to a new ***VOTING RIGHTS*** movement that will include, as he said at the rally, civil rights, womens rights, progressives/activists, greens, etc. converging into a single movement advocating the most fundamental right in a democracy, the right to vote.

I admire and respect Jesse Jackson and can tell you that he's got what we need, the experience, intellect, and charisma.

[davidwparker]

3. The more things change, the more they stay the same.

He began his career fighting for the Black vote and civil rights and and he's still having to do it. All the best to him.

[autorank]

12. When there were very few present at a rally, Jackson still showed up.

That goes for NOW President Kim Gandy too. The 1/6/05 Rally and March in DC starting in Lafayette Park was not a massive affair. Jackson was there. He made a wonderful remark in his speech noting that the crowd was small and there was no press. He said he understood how we felt due to the fact he was marginalized by the media.

You're right, he started out fighting for black voter rights and now he's fighting for everybody's voting rights.

[NYCGirl]

2. The Majority Report from Friday is archived here:

http://www.airamericaplace.com/archive.php?mode=show&id=7

From what I can tell from the Majority Report blog, Jackson and Boxer were on in hours 2 and 3.

[zulchzulu]

4. Jackson sometimes takes a cue from Donna Brazille...

I find Jackson to be pretty much a paradoxical enigma. He does some great things, but a lot of times I take what he says with a grain of salt.

Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson have been having many feuds over the years and it seems to me that Sharpton is usually correct with his assessment that Jackson is off the mark on several occasions.

http://www.tnr.com/120400/kintisch120400.html

Jackson was dissing Kerry for not being in Ohio for the recount when in fact the Kerry legal team had been there for weeks before his misstatement.

We need Jesse...but sometimes he plays the obvious race card like Brazille does...and it's pretty much a cliche at this point.

[LittleClarkie]

5. The more you play a card, esp. when it's not completely applicable

the more you marginalize that card. That's a shame.

It's the same way I feel about frivolous lawsuits. Certain tactics should only be used as a last resort, lest they lose their power, if you know what I mean. Sort of a "crying wolf" situation, you know?

[zulchzulu]

8. Exact-i-mondo

I still like Jesse, although sometimes I need subtitles to really understand what he's saying...he tends to slur/blur words to my ears.

[autorank]

13. Hello folks, Jackson did NOT play the race card.

I find this discussion intriguing. I was there. I went as a quantity one supporter thinking "If not now, when?" I heard every word Jackson said at the Rally. There was NO RACE CARD.

Jackson talked about the merging of different groups, black civil rights being one of several key groups.

THERE WAS NO RACE CARD PLAYED. I LISTENED TO EVERY WORD HE SAID FROM 10-15 FEET AWAY. NO RACE CARD PERIOD!

JACKSON SHOWED UP, NOBODY FROM THE DNC SHOWED UP. REP. MAXINE WATERS SHOWED UP AND SPOKE. NO OTHER MEMBER OF THE HOUSE OR SENATE SHOWED UP. KEY PLAYERS WORKING IN THE TRENCHES IN OHIO SHOWED UP BY BUS AND SPOKE. LOCAL DC ACTIVISTS SHOWED UP AND SPOKE, INCLUDING THE HIP-HOP COALITION.

NEITHER KERRY NOR A REPRESENTATIVE FROM HIS OFFICE SHOWED UP AND SPOKE. THERE WAS NO MESSAGE FROM KERRY'S LAWYERS NOR DID ARENBECK, OUR LAWYER, MENTION ANY OF THEIR PARTICIPATION

You know what, I think Jackson is exactly right. Kerry didn't lead on this issue and he does not ever again deserve the support of Democrats for national office.

As a matter of fact, no candidate that is not 100% behind ***VOTING RIGHTS*** for all Americans deserves the support of the Democratic Party.

[LittleClarkie]

14. He said that SOMETIMES Jackson plays the race card

He didn't say this was one of those times. We devolved into a general Jackson discussion.

We weren't meaning to imply, and neither do I think we did, that Jackson necessarily played THAT card THIS time. Just that Jackson the advocate sometimes plays that card a bit too much, diluting it.

[autorank]

15. Thanks for responding. About the race card...

I presume you are a Clark supporter so we have that in common.

The race card is played every year there is an election in almost every state of the United States. It's played by the Democratic Party. We would not win elections without the black vote and Latino/Latina vote. That's why I'm a little touchy (how could you guess) about criticisms of blacks who advocate black causes. It was blacks who were targeted in Florida 2000. It was blacks who were targeted in Ohio and elsewhere across the country in 2004.

For the life of me, I can't imagine why we are not screaming at the top of our lungs that the Republican tactic now includes outright attacks against the rights of blacks to vote. Don't we owe them that much for allowing us to win just about any election?

This country is so totally screwed up, it amazes me. This incredible civil rights violation takes place impacting all Americans with special targeting of blacks and people are not outraged.

If Boxer had not stood up, we would now be toast with blacks. Jackson was a key influencer in the process of getting her to stand up, not that she wouldn't have done it anyway...but he was central.

Thank God for him!

[politicasista]

6. Rev. Al slammed Jesse Jr. for supporting Dean in the primaries

saying something like Dean's policies were anti-Black.

[NYCGirl]

7. What does any of this have to do with Dean? NT

[zulchzulu]

9. All roads lead to either Dean or Kerry bashing at DU eventually

I have no idea why...

:spank: :beer: :scared: :shrug: :freak: :eyes:

[LittleClarkie]

10. Sort of like how all roads lead to Velma

on the Cartoon Channel.

(ahem, I guess you had to be there.)

[politicasista]

11. Rev Al was running for president in the primaries.

On the subject. There was an article I read that talked about that issue as part of the long Jesse-Al feud.