You know, Joe, the "work to be done" invariably starts with one's own side. It might start with realizing that decrying the leaders of the other side as "race pimps" doesn't raise the inclination to meet halfway either. It might go on with the realization that there is a reason why nothing short of sainthood on the other side is acceptable, while the biggest, most vicious and influential "race pimps" invariably sat, fat and ugly, on the White side of the negotiating table. The next step would then be to realize that the pervasive White racism, even with the well-intentioned, is the reason why race can be utilized for personal and political gain on the other side, and ending / reducing White racism / privilege as much as possible is the only way to put an end to the "race pimps'" role.
There's a slightly hilarious side to all this: Biden should not enjoy Black support because... 1972! Jackson is disreputable because... 1968!
There's a big difference between remembering that Jesse Jackson incited riots in 1968, and Biden thought busing was a terrible idea in 1972, and was eventually proven to be spot on right.
I brought up why busing WAS a terrible idea in the area of unintended consequences. Financially strapped school districts wasted a lot of money on it they could have used improving the schools they had, while white folks fled the public schools in droves. Not because they were racist (although some of them were), but because they just didn't like their kids being used as pawns in some game of "social justice". Biden pointed out that this was a terrible idea. It turned out to be one, most districts eventually abandoned the concept. Yet we are going to be angry at Biden for so.
Um, no, Jackson is disreputable for everything he's done since 1968, from shaking down Budweiser to get distributorships for his kids, to his other kid who went to prison for shaking down people and trying to bribe his way to a senate seat. And for some reason, Sharpton evaded taxes he still hasn't paid back and for some reason, he isn't in jail.
There's really no excuse for these guys. say what you want about white people, when we catch our politicians being crooks, we send them to jail. Which is why Jesse Jr. got a slap on the wrist and Blago is still in prison.
The other problem is that "ending / reducing White racism / privilege" usually ends up punishing white folks who didn't have a lot of privilege or advantage to start with. The rich folks who benefit from it aren't the ones who get punished by policies like affirmative action or busing. Nope. It's usually the working class white kid who busted his ass to get good grades, and then found his college slot was given to a minority who didn't get as good an SAT score. And then you all wonder why that kid's parents go off and vote for Trump.
I do want to make one final point. Yes, America is racist as all get out and we really, really need to address that. Funny thing, though. Hispanics and Asians have to face a lot of the same racism. You don't see them producing characters like Jackson and Sharpton.
