Jesse Jackson, Jr. Photo credits: CBSlocal.com
There are those who argue that if Hillary Clinton could get over the bruises from the rigged Democratic primary and gracefully move forward to become the new administration’s secretary of state, her supporters ought to be able to fall in line.
I’m not there yet.
All it takes to reopen my wounds from the primary is the re-emergence on the national scene of the likes of Jesse Jackson, Jr.
A post the other day by John Nichols that seeks to canonize Jackson, Jr., candidate #5 in the Blagojevich scandal, set me off again:
Nichols writes:
“Jackson was as close as there was to a frontrunner in the competition for a gubernatorial appointment to the seat. He had been endorsed by the Chicago Sun-Times, the Chicago Defender and other newspapers, as well as Progressive Democrats of America and individual activists who had come to know him as a champion in the struggle for peace and economic and social justice.”
Continuing his accolade to the Illinois congressman who served as the national co-chair of the Obama campaign during the primary, Nichols asserts:
“Since his election to the House in a 1995 special election, Jackson has compiled one of the most consistently progressive and reform-oriented records in the chamber. He has clashed not just with the Bush administration and its economic-royalist allies but with Democrats who have chosen to compromise with those interests. As such, he has cost himself politically. Jackson's stands on principle have made it harder for him to raise money and to attain the powerful positions that are apportioned to those who go along to get along.”
After every boast Nichols makes about Jackson, Jr., I have a flashback to the day after the New Hampshire primary when a grim-faced Jackson angrily lashed out at Hillary Clinton with his egregious racist and sexist charges.
Here’s a news update for John Nichols: misogyny and racism are not the hallmarks of a progressive leader.
There are those who argue that if Hillary Clinton could get over the bruises from the rigged Democratic primary and gracefully move forward to become the new administration’s secretary of state, her supporters ought to be able to fall in line.
I’m not there yet.
All it takes to reopen my wounds from the primary is the re-emergence on the national scene of the likes of Jesse Jackson, Jr.
A post the other day by John Nichols that seeks to canonize Jackson, Jr., candidate #5 in the Blagojevich scandal, set me off again:
Nichols writes:
“Jackson was as close as there was to a frontrunner in the competition for a gubernatorial appointment to the seat. He had been endorsed by the Chicago Sun-Times, the Chicago Defender and other newspapers, as well as Progressive Democrats of America and individual activists who had come to know him as a champion in the struggle for peace and economic and social justice.”
Continuing his accolade to the Illinois congressman who served as the national co-chair of the Obama campaign during the primary, Nichols asserts:
“Since his election to the House in a 1995 special election, Jackson has compiled one of the most consistently progressive and reform-oriented records in the chamber. He has clashed not just with the Bush administration and its economic-royalist allies but with Democrats who have chosen to compromise with those interests. As such, he has cost himself politically. Jackson's stands on principle have made it harder for him to raise money and to attain the powerful positions that are apportioned to those who go along to get along.”
After every boast Nichols makes about Jackson, Jr., I have a flashback to the day after the New Hampshire primary when a grim-faced Jackson angrily lashed out at Hillary Clinton with his egregious racist and sexist charges.
Here’s a news update for John Nichols: misogyny and racism are not the hallmarks of a progressive leader.
I will never ever forget when Jackson made those statements after the New Hampshire primary. "Hillary's tears need to be examined." "Did Hillary cry for victims of Katrina?" "New Hampshire women are racists because they were dishonest with pollsters." That was the beginning. That, and also when Obama landed in New Hampshire the day after "winning" the Iowa caucus ~ he had a presser and stated "New Hampshire, I believe that if we win here, we will go all the way." I was never able to give Mr. Obama the benefit of the doubt regarding anything after that. It was the beginning of my shock and dismay towards his candidacy, from which I still have not quite recovered. Some things we can't forget, and those are just two instances from the recent election, from dozens of such instances, when Obama demonstrated his misogyny and sexist behavior towards women in general and Hillary in particular. He did not disavow Mr. Jackson's statements, an omission which spoke loudly and clearly me. I think it best we never forget, and take actions to raise awareness and understanding of just how deeply this vein of misogyny in our society runs. This hit a nerve with me, and I for one am not going to sit this one out; it is a fight I welcome and intend to wage for the rest of my life. Take note Mr. Obama. We will be silent no longer.
ReplyDelete