Iowa Isn't Quite What You Think: Remember Jesse Jackson in '88
| Thu Jan. 3, 2008 9:39 PM PST
There are a lot of reasons not to compare Barack Obama and Jesse Jackson, but Obama's romp in Iowa tonight does bring to mind 1988, when Jesse Jackson and his Rainbow Coalition captured 11 percent in the Hawkeye State—coming in behind Dick Gephardt, Paul Simon (both veteran pols from neighboring states), and Michael Dukakis, but still astounding in a state where conventional wisdom had pegged Jackson as a quasi-fringe candidate (and where, as commentators never tired of pointing out, the black population was less than 1 percent). Back then, as I recall, some of the things that worked in Jackson's favor were cadres of passionate field organizers; some really smart strategizing that the campaign never got credit for; a deep, deep anger over the way ordinary people had been hung out to dry in the farm crisis; and, well, that thing that just might make Iowa a useful participant in the primary sweepstakes after all (okay, go ahead and flame), which is that people there seem to insist on making their own choices, conventional wisdom be damned.
Update: Yes, I'm confused too: some sources I've seen say Jesse got 11 percent, some say 9, and he's entirely missing from the Wikipedia entry; what's up with that?
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Comments
Everyone is saying that Obama represents hope.
I have to ask - but what are his proposals that will fulfill that hope? Wasn't Bill Clinton the Man from Hope (now that's Huckabee)?
Where's the beef? I can't name one proposal that Obama has put forth. Not one. (And I have been paying attention!)
That's scary.
What people need to know about Obama is that he employs on his staff a man named Zbigniew Brzezinski, who worked in the Carter administration. Z.B. wrote a book called "The Grand Chessboard," which is one of the most fascist and insulting books I've ever read. The man is like Dick Cheney, intelligent, but totally absent compassion. His book is a layout of our current strategy to subvert the rest of the world to American Imperialism and expand our Empire until there is one world gov't...this is done by manipulating all the countries in what he calls Eurasia, through various means of war, economic manipulation, etc. I know Kucinich would not have given Obama his endorsement were he familiar with these facts..unless, like Obama, Kucinich is not the man he appears to be. But I believe he is--that's why he's being silenced through a new level of corporate favoritism.
On Jackson and Obama: No comparison. Jackson was a "Saul Alinsky dude".
Obama appears the consummate politician.
On Brezinski's book: He was writing for Kissinger's (former)clients. Carter already had a tough time convincing the Hawks he was tough enough: But they booted him out, anyhow,after stalling SALT 2 in the Senate.
Submitted by Suez (not verified) on Sat Jan. 5, 2008 10:28 AM PST.
Because Bernie old chum, Obama is NOT...I repeat NOT a Muslim!!!
And if he were a Muslim, what would that signify? Would he automatically become a 'radical Muslim' or a terrorist? You guys need to stop jumping for the bait regarding his faith. The reaction is as if someone called him a thief or a murderer - being Muslim would not be a crime. And if his faith were a concern to you because he is a politician, now you know how concerned I am with the presense of so much Christianity in current politics. Judge not the guys faith but whether or not he can seperate that from his duties to our diverse culture and state.
