The true extent of Jesse Jackson's animosity toward Smooth Barack became clear yesterday (though ol Ty broke that nonsense down for you back in March if you're keepin' score. Catch the too funny cartoon video of Smooth and J-Jack here...) when the ever present 'hot mic' picked up his whispered comments following an interview on Fox News. You can catch full coverage here if you haven't already been inundated by the virtual global microphones called the Internet and the TV news cycle respectively.Now less than 24 hours after J-Jack uttered his heartfelt, off-the-cuff remarks, he finds himself in the center of a self-created storm of controversy, desperately seeking to put the genie back in the bottle by going to every public forum he can find to explain himself. I'm thinkin that he might want to put a call in to Tavis Smiley who can help him get early induction into 'The Smooth Barack Haters Club'. That's the growing association that provides refuge and counseling to southside nation power brokers who perceive their worth diminishing now that another, upstart southsider seeks to become the biggest power broker on the planet....
So let's look at J-Jack's beef with Smooth. According to his whispered comments he thinks Smooth 'talks down' to southsiders when he takes them to task on such things as parental responsibility and self improvement. J-Jack is so incensed by this that he voiced his desire to cut Smooth's nuts off (that's the non-technical term for testicles, y'all. Otherwise known by the various sides as 'stones', 'jewels', 'balls' or 'cajones'). In my opinion, it's been the southside leaders who continue to look back and advocate for institutionalizing our continued over dependence on the government that need to be emasculated. Ol Ty's not sayin' that safety-net, equality and training programs aren't needed, y'all - don't get it twisted. I'm sayin' those programs need to be continually evaluated and modified to ensure they're having the desired effect. Can't say I'm seeing the biggest effect in the urban centers among southsiders, y'all. So I'm all for a different approach rather than the same-o, same-o.A little tough love at this point can't hurt. There are some things we need to hear that we won't like hearing. Smooth has been saying them. Cosby has been saying them. J-Jack? He still thinks the government can solve a core problem in the southside nation that is a direct result of the crumbling of the Nuclear Family concept. I touched on this a Monday. For an example of tough love, J-Jack has to look no further than his own namesake J-Jack, Jr. the new jack congressman from IL. J-Jack, Jr. laid his father out for his comments. Both rejected and denouncing his own father's words by sayin' in part, 'I thoroughly reject and repudiate his ugly rhetoric. He should keep hope alive and any personal attacks and insults to himself.' He was so hot he even referred to his own pop as 'Reverend Jackson'. Daaaaaang!
Of course, J-Jack, Jr. is doing his own positioning these days as national co-chair of Smooth's presidential campaign. He's a rising southside political star himself who may well be in position at some point to also make a credible run for president some day. The unfortunate thing is that the very name that propelled him to congress with its popularity in Chicago would likely be significant baggage nationally with small minded voters who tend to cling to guns and religion - y'all know the ones to which I am referring.I'm sure we'll see more of J-Jack in the next few days than we really care to, putting his comment into a 'broader context' like he did with his 'Hymietown' comment back in '84 - another off-the-cuff, private comment that became public. That's cool because I can't see this static between he and Smooth as anything but positive for Smooth in the long run since those rural democrats that flocked to Sister Hillary have no love for J-Jack. When it comes to looking back with the old school guard or moving forward with the new jacks into a new day where we determine our path, I'm with Smooth - it's time to knuckle up and turn the page.
Peace@Least,
Tyrone
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