Under the Sun | It's not about color

0 Comments | Philadelphia Inquirer, The, March, 2007 | by Harold Jackson

Jesse Jackson has to see the irony of the 2008 presidential campaign, which at this early juncture has some distinct similarities to the 1984 Democratic primaries that included his candidacy.

Twenty-three years ago, Jackson was trying to overcome opposition to his campaign by prominent African Americans who supported a white candidate, Walter Mondale. As the front-runner, the former vice president represented the Democratic Party establishment, of which those blacks had labored long and hard to become a part.

Today, Sen. Barack Obama (D., Ill.) has the same potential as Jackson in 1984 to garner a huge number of African American votes. But some blacks among today's Democratic establishment, including Jackson and Al Sharpton, another former presidential contender,...