From Jesse Jackson for Dems to keep our eyes on the real prize, which is November:
My point is I know that in November, whoever wins, Clinton and Barack are going to need each other. I saw in 1980 there was such a dog fight between Carter and Kennedy that they could not reconcile at the convention, and that opened the door for Reagan to get through to win. So, however tough this thing gets right up in here, keep one eye on the primary and an even bigger eye on the Super Bowl, which is in November.
If you want to read his whole interview with activist and blogger Gina McCauly, founder of the What About Our Daughters? site, it's at Essence.com.
9 comments:
I can't agree with this more! They need to work together and unite the party cause if we have another Bush type in the White House, we may all need to move to Canada. (Just kidding, I would never move but you know what I mean!)
I loved reading Jesse's interview. Lots of knowledge and wisdom dropped.
Yes, let's hope that the Clinton and Obama campaigns can both keep their eyes on the prize. The only thing that would be sadder than the ugliness that's already started to surface would be if it were to tear apart the Democratic party altogether and give one of the Republicans a shot at the White House. [Disclaimer: sorry, I'm making a big assumption that we are all supporting the Democratic primary winner -- my apologies for speaking in the royal "we"].
i was particularly struck by the 'transcend race' question--in particular, why this seems to be demanded of obama in a way that it has not been of past, white presidential candidates. i think it's important to ask ourselves what we really mean when we speak of 'transcending race.'
unity is critically important, given our times (nationally and internationally). and perhaps of equal importance is the willingness to ask difficult, sometimes painful questions (on certain political and social matters) in order for us to achieve a unity that is authentic and long-lasting.
So true.
In addition to the candidates' battle, I'm weary of the media assumptions in this race. White women for Clinton, blacks of both sexes for Obama... I guess that means white male Democrats must, de facto, pick John Edwards. As if this were anything close to a sensible way to select a potential president!
Why isn't the focus on encouraging voters of both sexes and all ethnicities to simply assess each individual and her/his merits?
Collaboration is the name of the game in my world--everybody is looking for ways for corporations, government, small businesses, and nonprofits to work together to meet their respective goals. If we've finally reached that conclusion in the business world, why is it taking so long to figure that out in the political world? Bill Clinton wrote an entire book, Giving, about such collaborations but then says, "I know you think it's crazy, but I kind of like to see Barack and Hillary fight. They're flesh-and- blood people and they have their differences - let 'em at it." Sigh.
The only "good" I see coming out of this campaign is that whoever our nominee is will definitely be battle-tested. And things will only be harder for him/her after the convention.
But for us voters, it's CRUCIAL that we keep our eyes on the November prize whether the convention goes our way or not. Like Lisa, I'm using the "royal we": Our country can't take 4 more years down this path.
A terrific post with great comments, Carleen. I'm right there with you and Lisa and the rest of the royal we. And "transcending race"....a lot to think about there. K.
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