The Rev. Jesse Jackson has found himself in embarrassing situations of late. Recently, he famously whispered to a fellow guest on Fox News that he believed Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama was "talking down" to black people by putting a big emphasis on black men living up to their responsibilities as parents.

Mr. Jackson expressed his skepticism crudely. His words were televised. He has apologized to Mr. Obama twice in recent weeks for his comments.

The underlying assumption of Mr. Jackson's words is that Mr. Obama is out of step with black America. But if the result of one of the most comprehensive surveys of African-American attitudes is to be believed, it is Jesse Jackson who is out of step. Radio One, the country's largest broadcast company serving urban audiences, commissioned a poll of 3,400 African Americans between 13 and 74.

The results of the survey at www.BlackAmericaStudy.com would be illuminating to Mr. Jackson and all those who assume African-American attitudes about a host of issues have remained static since the heyday of the civil rights movement.

Mr. Jackson would be surprised to find that 84 percent of African Americans polled agree with Mr. Obama that blacks need to be more responsible for themselves and that the federal government can't fix the most nagging problems that plague many black families.

Mr. Jackson also would be surprised to learn that 54 percent of those surveyed are optimistic about their future and that 70 percent are planning for their futures as constructively as they can. As for structural problems like access to health insurance, 83 percent have some form of it. A majority of blacks also agree that things have gotten better since the civil rights struggles of the 1960s that Mr. Jackson helped lead.

It would do Mr. Jackson well to expand his horizons about black Americans and question many of his own premises. Mr. Obama is doing well with black voters. Perhaps, in all humility, Mr. Jackson should ask himself "why" and adjust his own attitudes accordingly.