LIE OF THE WEEK: 07-11-2008

Rev. Jesse Jackson on his remarks about Senator Obama "talking down to black people":

"My error was responding to a question before a live mic."

THE TRUTH: Actually, his error was not that he spoke his actual views on a live microphone. His error is having those views at all. Rev. Jesse Jackson is a demagogue who is dealing with a couple of issues here: First, he's jealous that Senator Obama is the actual first African-American candidate who is actually has viable chance of becoming president, unlike Rev. Jackson's two presidential runs in the 1980s. Second, he needs to realize that blaming the problems of the African-American community on racism is self-defeating and is a major reason for the issues in that community. People who believe themselves to be without fault as their world crumbles will not do anything to repair that world as they wait for those "oppressing" them to be held accountable and fix their situation. Just because Rev. Jackson had a prominent role in the civil rights era of the 1960s when racism truly was the problem in America does not justify his continuation of the same fight 40 years later, long after the entire world has changed. Senator Obama should distance himself from Rev. Jackson and instead work with other leaders in the African-American community who are speaking the truth, such as Bill Cosby. The last thing we need is for their to be any role in an Obama administration for this type of demagogy politics.