Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., son of the civil rights leader, is prodding blacks in South Carolina to vote for Sen. Barack Obama in a radio ad launched by the campaign today. The Democratic congressman, who also represents Illinois and is a national campaign chairman for Obama, says the senator is continuing his father's legacy of leadership.
"Two decades ago, my father ran for president, calling on South Carolina and the nation to 'keep hope alive.' Today, Barack Obama has taken up the torch," Jackson Jr. says in the ad, which will air on 36 gospel and R&B radio stations across the state.
But the senior Jackson has recently been critical of Obama. The Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr. told a reporter at The State newspaper in South Carolina that the senator was "acting like he's white" because he was slow to address the case in Jena, La., where tens of thousands of people marched last month, protesting what they view as the overly harsh prosecution of six black high school students charged with beating a white classmate unconscious. The Reverend later said he did not recall making the comment.
Jackson Jr.'s radio ad goes a long way to ease any hard feelings.
"A lot of politicians call themselves our friends. But Obama has a heart that beats for our community," he says. "Once, South Carolina voted for my father, and sent a strong message to the nation. Next year, you can send more than a message. You can launch a President."
http://blog.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2007/10/23/post_146.html
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