* Politics and baseball: Strange bedfellows

Rev. Jesse Jackson is no stranger to the national pastime. In the past he has agitated for the hiring of more minorities for management positions, which is a good thing

Nevertheless, he seems to have angered many by his comparison of Barack Obama to Jackie Robinson.

According to newspaper reports

“Barack Obama has the capacity to hit,” Jackson said a breakfast panel just before the opening of the Democratic National Convention. “But he is in the situation where he can’t hit back, which Jackie Robinson could not do. He had to be able to run the bases, even though the crowd was jeering the first African American on the field.”

He added

that party skeptics need to have “a Pee Wee Reese moment” — a reference to the Kentucky-born Brooklyn Dodgers shortstop who famously embraced Robinson on the field when the African-American broke baseball’s color barrier in 1947.

“When they have a camera put in their faces, they will have an opportunity to put their arm around our guy so that he can run the bases,” Jackson said. “Hillary Clinton will have a Pee Wee Reese moment. Bill Clinton will have a Pee Wee Reese moment. Ed Rendell will have a Pee Wee Reese moment.”

Jackson’s comment have spurred a number of blasts from both the political and baseball community. Yes, they agree, as the first African-America presidential candidate (who stands a chance of winning his party’s nomination), Obama does face skepticism, even hostility, from a segment of the population. But, as Dugout Central points out (quoting at length):

It must be hard to campaign with thousands upon thousands of angry white people lining up to spew racial slur after racial slur in your direction. Harder still must be the countless hotels and eateries that have turned him away based on the color of his skin. Apparently Mr. Obama eats on the bus while his advisors and Secret Service detail dine indoors. Add to this the dozens of would-be Presidential rivals who are continually trying to injure or spike Mr. Obama with their cleats as he tries to spread his message of hope and a new vision of our country, and you can understand what it is that makes him such a special candidate.

Wait. Something is not right with this. Oh, that’s right…

Barack Obama has never had to deal with any of this. He is respected and loved by millions of Americans and currently has the kind of celebrity status that very few people can ever lay claim to. I would imagine that any idiot in the crowd who dare call Obama a name would suffer a serious beat down; not by Obama’s Secret Service, but by his countless supporters who would step up to have his back at every turn. And if Mr. Obama is injured or hurt, it will most likely be from his own misstep or clumsiness, not a rival competitor out to draw blood.

Very few men (and I mean VERY FEW) should be held as high in our collective regards as Jackie Robinson. Jack Roosevelt Robinson is nothing less than a true American hero. He was born to a family only slightly more than a generation removed from slavery. He served his country proudly during the Second World War even though the Army tried to relegate him to second citizen status. When given the chance he performed at the highest of levels in his chosen profession, all while being a well respected leader in his community. It just so happened that Jackie’s community was the entire nation. All of this was achieved with class and dignity under a cloud of hatred and ignorance that no one today, black or white, has ever had to come close to dealing with.

Sorry. I know. People turn to sports to escape from the burden of political news.