Tony Campbell is a political expert. He has worked on the Presidential campaign trail and in the White House, as well as served in the military and taught politics at the collegiate level. If something's happening in Washington, Tony's on it.

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Kissing The Ring

1 comment

July 10, 5:48 PM

by Tony Campbell, Politics Examiner

(picture: courtesy of AP / Charles Rex Arbogast)

In my June 20^th column, entitled “Turning the Page”, I wrote the following insight into the power struggle between Barack Obama and the old guard of the African-American political establishment:

“The civil rights / political leaders of the African American community are from the old school of pitched rhetoric versus the institutions of the United States. Leaders such as the Reverend Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton and yes, even Jeremiah Wright, have achieved gains for the African American community by emphasizing the differences between the races and extracting concessions from corporate and government institutions on their behalf. In trying to move beyond racial divisions, Obama has left himself open to attack from the old guard that has made its living by playing the race card for their personal benefit.”

Yesterday, the Reverend Jackson proved me correct in my prediction by attacking Obama on perceived slights to the African-American community. This is Jackson’s explanation for his “off the record” statement:

“I said it can come off as speaking down to black people. The moral message must be a much broader message. What we need really is racial justice and urban policy and jobs and health care. There is a range of issues on the menu."

Barack Obama has spent the last year and a half talking about these issues and how they affect Americans of every ethnicity. Make no mistake about it, Reverend Jackson made those remarks, not because of Obama’s failure to talk about issues, rather, to clearly send a signal that Obama should pay respect to Jackson.

This is all about Jackson’s ego and pride because for the first time in thirty years he is not the presumptive leader of the African-American political community. This was not the first Jesse Jackson head scratching moment of this campaign, and it will not be the last. The battle lines are drawn between the old and the new guards…this may be a better fight than the general election.

Topics: 2008 Election , Barack Obama , race and politics , Jesse Jackson

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Comments

Fire Palin and Staff

3 comments

October 13, 12:54 PM

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Topics: 2008 Election , John McCain , Elections 2008

The Undiscovered Country

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October 12, 9:30 AM

In Star Trek VI, Captain Kirk meets Klingon Chancellor Gorkon on the Enterprise. After a rocky diplomatic dinner, Gorkon says the following to Kirk, “You don’t trust me, do you? I don’t blame you. If there is to be a brave new world,... Read More
Topics: 2008 Election , Barack Obama , race and politics , Elections 2008

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8 comments

October 10, 12:46 PM

It is Friday and I am happy that this week in American politics is almost over. One of the things that has bothered me is the underlying current of racism in this election cycle. In an effort to bridge the racial gap for my readers, I would like to present... Read More
Topics: Barack Obama , race and politics , Elections 2008

Crying Wolf - continuing story of Black and White.

7 comments

October 9, 9:57 AM

Yesterday, in response to Senator McCain’s “That One” comment, I advised the supporters of Senator Obama to let it pass. Someone must have gotten my blog to the Obama campaign because Michelle Obama followed my advice by letting the... Read More
Topics: 2008 Election , Barack Obama , race and politics , John McCain , Elections 2008

Let "That One" handle McCain's comment

14 comments

October 8, 9:50 AM

I do not know why those words were spoken by Senator John McCain last night. It could be simply that John McCain does not agree with Senator Obama on the issues or it could be as Wolf Blitzer commented that McCain has a clear disdain for Obama. It was... Read More
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My dear friends… If I heard that line one more time, I would have been seriously blitzed. But seriously, tonight’s debate had the makings of an all-out slugfest, but turned out to be pretty one sided. Obama answered questions and McCain... Read More
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3 comments

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Governor Sarah Palin’s attack on Barack Obama and his connection with Reverend Jeremiah Wright is not the wisest course of action for her or the McCain campaign. The connection between Obama and Wright have been the focus of the MSM for several... Read More
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8 comments

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Governor Sarah Palin proved that she belonged on the Republican ticket tonight. Although there were questions not answered or sidestepped (bankruptcy and consumer credit), I thought she handled herself well on the big stage. This was not a game changer... Read More
Topics: 2008 Election , Joe Biden , Sarah Palin , V.P. debate