To the outside world, Ms. Jarrett became an all-purpose ambassador. Before the Iowa caucuses, Ms. Jarrett tried to persuade black leaders that Mr. Obama could prevail; afterwards, she had to deal with their jitters. At one nerve-racking meeting last summer, Ms. Jarrett met in New York with black leaders, including the hip-hop moguls Sean Combs and Russell Simmons; Mr. Simmons grew so anxious that he had to leave the room, Ms. Jarrett said. They were worried that Mr. Obama was failing to fight back against attempts to stereotype him in racial terms.“She could have told the room, You’re right, I will talk to Senator Obama,” said the Rev. Al Sharpton. Instead, Ms. Jarrett was blunt. “There are those who are going to fight the race gap, but that’s not our role,” she said, telling the leaders to channel their energy into concrete tasks like voter registration.
Well, that's a bracing revelation. Sean Combs and Russell Simmons are considered Black Leaders; enough to merit inclusion in a meeting with other Black Leaders including Rev. Al and Ms. Jarrett.
Not that I'm not impressed by Messrs. Combs and Simmons and their successful business models. It's more than I've done. But would I honestly want either of them to have an opinion with sway in what Obama should do? Ms. Jarrett answered correctly.
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