Jesse Jackson, “Zionists”, and Job Security
Photo Courtesy New York Times
A few days ago the New York Post ran a column by Iranian-born journalist Amir Taheri highlighting comments made by the Rev. Jesse Jackson describing the radical change of influence Israel would have under a Barrack Obama presidency. Taheri writes,
The most important change [says Jackson] would occur in the Middle East, where “decades of putting Israel’s interests first” would end.
Jackson believes that, although “Zionists who have controlled American policy for decades” remain strong, they’ll lose a great deal of their clout when Barack Obama enters the White House.
“Obama is about change,” Jackson told me in a wide-ranging conversation. “And the change that Obama promises is not limited to what we do in America itself. It is a change of the way America looks at the world and its place in it.”
Soon after, Jackson released a statement suggesting that the New York Post column misrepresented his views on America’s partners in the Middle East.
If Obama wins, would it mean the end of Jesse Jackson’s self-elected role as the representative of “black America?” What would he possibly complain about?
A few months ago, Jackson expressed his frustration about Obama “talking down to black people” by commenting on FOX News that he wanted to “cut his nuts off.” So, is it over for Jackson? Will he simply be remembered as the unsuccessful heir of the Martin Luther King, Jr. legacy?
If Obama wins, will Jackson retire from public life? We can only hope so. The great tragedy of Jackson’s career as a religious figure is that he’s ending it on such a pathetic note. It’s sad that it’s nearly impossible to mention his name in any context, black or white, with a contagion of people rolling their eyes.
Anthony Bradley, 36, is assistant professor of apologetics and systematic theology at Covenant Theological Seminary (Creve Coeur) and Research Fellow at the Acton Institute for the Study of Religion and Liberty. He holds a PhD in Historical and Theological Studies from Westminster Theological Seminary and is frequently called upon by members of the broadcast media for comment on current issues and has appeared on NPR, CNN/Headline News, and Fox News, among others. 
As time has gone on, Jackson has become more and more of a fringe character. He, along with Sharpton and some others, don’t seem to recognize that the world is changing around them. They keep harping on the same old grievances, playing the same game they’ve played for the last 30 years or more, and it doesn’t cut it anymore.