For those still following the absurdity unfolding around the family of ex-Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., we now have word that his decision to run for reelection (without campaigning) and then promptly resign will cost the taxpayers over $5 million — as if the taxpayers have not paid enough to the family of Jesse Jackson.
Some of us have long been critics of Jesse Jackson, Jr. and his family who have been the focus of corruption and misconduct allegations. Then there was the disappearance of Jesse Jackson Jr. as investigators looked into his use of campaign contributors allegedly to fix up his house and to buy a Rolex watch for a mistress. At the same time, investigators were looking into his wife, who serves on the city council. No one bothered to inform his constituents when their member disappeared and left only speculation for weeks on his whereabouts. Nevertheless, weeks later, Jackson checked himself into the Mayo Clinic and announced that he would still run for reelection even with a diagnosis of having bipolar disorder. He won handily without showing up to campaign in a district that clearly does not give a wit about substantial allegations of misconduct. (Ironically, Jackson took office in a special election after his predecessor Mel Reynolds left office in a sex scandal involving an underage campaign worker). He promptly promised his constituents that he would serve vigorously in Washington. However, once elected, Jackson reportedly demanded a disability pension in return for giving up his seat — essentially holding a seat hostage according to those reports. He then resigned a couple weeks after the election — triggering the need for two special elections.
The Illinois State Board of Elections calculated those elections cost $2,700 to $4,000 per precinct. With 590 precincts in Jackson’s 2nd Congressional District, an election would probably cost around $2,575,000. That comes to $5.15 million for both a primary and general election.
Just to give you an idea of the cost imposed by the Jacksons on the taxpayers, that cost would have save the entire page system. The over 200 years of page service in the House of Representatives was eliminated to save $5 million a year. It is also the equivalent for the federal subsidy for 20 million free meals for poor children.
Yet, again, Democrats are silent in criticism of Jackson or his family in fear of angering Jesse Jackson Sr. We will simply pay millions while Jesse Jackson Jr. has yet to be indicted for the alleged misuse of campaign funds. Keep in mind that the Justice Department prosecuted the late Sen. Ted Stevens (R., Alaska) for the use of lobbyist money to fix his home. The investigations into Jackson and his wife are continuing and Jackson is reportedly trying to reach a plea bargain. In the end, the criminal investigations, special election costs, and other collateral costs will make bring the final tab for taxpayers likely over $10 million even without the possibility of a criminal trial. Of course, common people can go to jail for years for stealing less than $1000, but they are not (it seems) part of America’s ruling class.
Many are awaiting the results of the reported plea negotiations with Jackson and the Justice Department to see if he will get one last deal from a less than grateful American people. [Update: How the dipolar analysis would factor into a criminal case is still unclear. There is an interesting conflict in the original position of Jackson that his illness would not prevented him from running for reelection and resuming his work in Congress. Yet it is likely that the illness will be used as a defense on any corruption or fraud charges. That creates a bit of a conflict. Being reelected certainly gave him a bargaining chip as part of the reported plea negotiations. However, it also contradicted a position that his illness did not make him responsible. By resigning, it would certainly help Jackson argue that the illness left unable to function adequately. It may also end the congressional inquiry into his involvement in an alleged effort to buy the Senate seat vacated by President Obama.
He may have a difficult time on the merits. The test of insanity as a defense is extremely high even with a diagnosis from the respected Mayo Clinic. If he cannot make a direct insanity defense, the most likely impact of the illness would be on mitigation of sentencing. If the case is a strong as suggested, he could opt for a plea and push for leniency on sentencing. The question will turn on his ability to function before he disappeared — with accounts of his schedule and behavior in and outside Congress. Courts commonly have defendants with some form of mental illness, but such illness rarely amounts to an absolute defense.
There is also the problem of others who may have been aware of any of the alleged criminal conduct from his wife to his accountant to his staff. The prosecutors may bring a huge amount of pressure on them to turn and testify for the prosecution if a case moves to the charging stage.]
Source: ABC
Shano
You’ve a quiverful of complaints. Can’t say I disagree with all of them. Maybe there is a solution. Bring back the fairness doctrine and all elections to be publically financed. Period. And outlaw ALEC if only to make me happy.
yes, we realize the people love Jesse jackson or he would not have been elected. The people elected a dead man in Missouri, I believe.
Congress gets courted by every special interest group in America. These groups spend millions in campaign donations to get people elected, Multinational corporations write our tax code. Congress has obligations. It is all very insider, isn’t it?
It is why we can never, ever have a ‘peace dividend’, and the reason for the long deadly battle to turn drug abuse victims over to doctors instead of the criminal justice system and private prisons.
It is the reason we are the only industrialized nation that does not label GMO ingredients in food. etc etc etc et al. The whole system of legalized bribery of politicians is corrupt. It distorts markets, denies innovation, and rewards intrenched interests whether they deserve them or not.
OT OT OT OT OT
Let a few time user bring some good news. BTW, it is prescripted now, like I presume Obama’s is also.
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/11/22/give-pot-a-chance/?hp
Excerpt:
“Give Pot a Chance
By Timothy Egan, former NYTimes staffer and prize winner.
SEATTLE – In two weeks, adults in this state will no longer be arrested or incarcerated for something that nearly 30 million Americans did last year. For the first time since prohibition began 75 years ago, recreational marijuana use will be legal; the misery-inducing crusade to lock up thousands of ordinary people has at last been seen, by a majority of voters in this state and in Colorado, for what it is: a monumental failure.”
You do have a reading problem, don’t you stupid!
Eyeore,
“I understand Id’s outrage and was ready to “second” it. But the Wiki article is pretty devastating.”
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You certainly noticed that I did not take a position on any of the points in what could be called a smear campaign, nor a position on him or his family.
I only opposed the blogging of this injustice done to our sense of justice. (If that makes sense).
Alleges and investigations do not a condemnation make.
Wiki I take no position on, but note that it has been used both for and against on poor grounds. Just as the blog was based on poor and tendentious grounds.
I scroll down to answer you directly without knowledge of intervening comments
Yep.
Eyesore,
You should pluck your eye out and cut your right hand off. Follow your biblical authority.
Shano,
You do not have a clue do you? You are just one of them folks aren’t you? Get a life.
Prof Turley,
Will you please offer some facts regarding JJJr asking for disability in exchange for resigning?
I have been unable to find anything regarding this except on a lot of right wing Fox sites. And the source is a “report” from unnamed sources.
It’s clear you don’t like the Jackson family. I’m not crazy about them either. But that does not excuse you publishing the disability story based on what appears to be nothing.
Do you have some more substantial?
Shano
Please explain how congresspersons have “tenure”.
Congress does participate in social security.
All (I think) public employees get pensions. On what grounds should congresspersons be denied pensions? Are they now illegal?
I’m not sure about the insider trading business, but your statement that they are not subject to the same laws as citizens is hogwash. Don’t depend on some da*n fool in NO. Use your brain and look something up!
And just because Turley SUGGESTS something, does not make it so. JesseJr ran for monetary reasons? Yeah, that’s why most of us work. I’m not clear on what judicial advantage he gained. His election proved his constituents love him. That’s it. Let’s see if there will be a national groundswell to protect him from prosecution.
Catch Me If You Can 1, November 23, 2012 at 5:03 pm
Idealist707,
You don’t like Turleys article is exactly why?
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Cause the main stream criminals are too exceptional to resign.
The ones you support.
Support the fat cats!
Shano said:
“Look at this debacle. Jackson won his election so he could have leverage for judicial and monetary reasons?”
That’s a NEON sign of a man lacking in honor. Jackie Chiles lawyering too.
Idealist707,
You don’t like Turleys article is exactly why? He called he as he saw it. If you want to protect corrupt politicians you are doing a fine job. How’s the weather? Do you have a problem with a spade being called a spade?
Eyeore,
You’re an eyesore posting the way you did. Carry on you dufus.
Eeyore ; I posted it because I agree with it. (I did get it from a friend in New Orleans, haha, so that explains that!)
We have created an elite class for these politicians. How can they not be subject to the same laws the citizens are subject to? They can legally trade on insider information on Wall Street? If you or I did that we would be charged with a crime.
The majority of the people in Congress are millionaires, unlike the majority of citizens. We should demand major reform of our political system, not that it is possible with all the entrenched interests. But people may wake up.
Look at this debacle. Jackson won his election so he could have leverage for judicial and monetary reasons? Waste of tax dollars, obviously.
Wiki has an interesting article on Mrs. JJJr.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandi_Jackson
Looks as if she did a pretty good job contesting Daley when she was first elected to City Council (compensation is over $100K/yr) but the couple’s campaign kittys will make your head spin. Not mentioned in the Wiki article is the controversy regarding her (lack of) attendence to City Council meetings. However, this is not unusual behavior for aldermen. Nor for Congresspersons, I might add.
I understand Id’s outrage and was ready to “second” it. But the Wiki article is pretty devastating.
Shano
Forgive me – I’m going to ask you to do the work. Maybe it will stick in your brain better if You Do It. Go to snopes and read about the “congressional ReformAct of 2012”. It is complete bulls**t and has been floating around the ‘net for Years. Sickening that you pass this around.
Think like a lawyer instead of a politician. By winning re-election, Jackson, Jr. is in a much better position to negotiate a plea bargain. He can now “offer” to resign from Congress, which gives him a major card to play in negotiations with the prosecutor. If he had resigned earlier, or lost the election, he holds an empty hand. My take on it is that by resigning, the negotiations toward a plea must be well under way and near resolution.
I find JT’s blog truly reprehensible. Every sentence reeks of one or several faults: allegations are convictions, implications of wrong doing are made rather than correctly labeling them as the usual exploiting of the system to one’s own advantage, condemning for not campaigning (since when did that become reprehensiable)? Obams missed many sure states too), investigations become grounds for condemnation with no trial yet to report, nor apparently no
specific grounds given or the quality of evidence presented. Hia wife, holding a position in government is denigrated because she is someone being investigated.
And simply, there are so MANY MANY corrupt politicians (frankly we suspect them all), SO WHY IS JJJr A CAUSE FOR SUCH MORAL OUTRAGE from the Professor’s side?
Are there really no other politicians who have lanced the public coffers in different fashions with earmarks, etc. and who deserve to serve as principles to be attacked for the greater good?
The district that elected him is also in toto dismissed for its indifference to his alleged misconduct. That he sought treatment at Mayo Clinic voluntarily is turned into something despicable as though he were a fugitive from justice. His alleged seeking a plea bargain is also used against him as an implication of his admission of guilt, rather than the accepted standard way of handling overcharging from the prosecution’s side.
I could go on, but this is overlong anyway.
My feelings for JJJr are immaterial. I won’t give them. I look only for objective treatment of his situation than evidenced here in JT’s blog.
As for bosses, I wonder if the Daleys of Chicago were not far worse than JJJr in caring for their people.
And like all sufferers of illness, I wish him well.
Darren Smith 1, November 23, 2012 at 2:27 pm
I say go ahead with the public denouncement and prosecution. If the jackson family makes a fuss about it, they will get over it or they will not. Either way it doesn’t really matter in the long term.
Dr. King was a highly Honorable man. Jesse Jackson is in my opinion just an opportunist and a charlatan who I lost respect for decades ago. Eventually people will forget about the Jackons as being the pillars of civil rights and Dr. King will endure because he was genuine and a distinguished example of being true to his cause and the cause of justice.
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Tru dat, which is why the government should not have assassinated Dr. King … according to a court case.
Do not underestimate the power of the dark side young
VaderSkywalker.