Jul 11, 2008 8:00 am US/Central
Jesse Jackson's Daughter: No Family Dispute Exists
CHICAGO (CBS) ―
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Jesse Jackson Jr. and the Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr. (File)
CBS
When TV cameras caught the Rev. Jesse Jackson whispering a disrespectful comment about presidential hopeful Barack Obama, some of the harshest criticism came from Jackson's son, Illinois Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr.
Rep. Jackson quickly released a statement that said "I'm deeply outraged and disappointed in Reverend Jackson's reckless statements. …I thoroughly reject and repudiate his ugly rhetoric..."
The tough tone surprised some, but not another Jackson family member, WVON Radio's Santita Jackson.
"The congressman and Rev. Jackson have a political disagreement," she said. "That's all I chalk it up to."
Santita Jackson, a radio show host, says her father and her brother have very different roles. Her father's an activist preacher, but her brother's a politician – and national co-chair of Obama's campaign.
"And I think people who are in that position don't want anything that might rock the boat a bit," she said.
Political consultant Don Rose said of the father-son disagreement, "You do want the public to know you're not just under the old man's thumb. You have thoughts of your own, ideas of your own, and you're willing to take him on where necessary."
And some who know father and son, say Obama's campaign reflects a significant, generational divide, a shift to the post-civil rights era.
DePaul University journalism professor Laura S. Washington said, "Rev. Jackson believes his generation, the civil rights stalwarts, have not gotten the credit and have not been brought into the Obama fold properly. Jesse Jr. would say, 'it's our turn, we think differently.'"
"Jesse Senior's style is confrontational. Jesse Junior and Obama are not accomodationist, but believe in finding common ground," Rose said.
Both Jackson Jr. and Obama believe that style has been key to forming a successful presidential campaign.
CBS station WBBM-TV reports this may be why Obama has a good chance to win the presidency in 2008, while Jackson's surprising success 20 years ago, still fell far short of the White House.
Graciously accepting Jackson's apology without a counterattack shows respect. But the whole controversy also illustrates differences between the two men, and most political commentators are saying it may actually help Barack Obama.
As for Jackson family strife, Santita Jackson insists there's none. She says, in their family, they don't take political differences personally.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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