The Humbling Tragedy of Jesse Jackson Jr.

[DonViejo]

Nov 21, 2012 6:20 PM EST

Once considered a potential presidential candidate, the congressman and son of the famous civil-rights leader resigned his House seat as he negotiates with federal prosecutors. James Warren reports.

Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr. prides himself on being a student of the Civil War and has for years visited historic battlefields. So when he sent his letter of resignation (PDF) to House Speaker John Boehner on Wednesday, he might well have felt like the besieged Gen. Robert E. Lee surrendering at Appomattox Court House.

What once looked like to be a new era in both Chicago and national politics that began with his 1995 special-election victory to a South Side vacancy has crashed amid political, legal and physical disarray. A born-to-the-political-manor princeling has thrown up a white flag—and the worst may be yet to come.

Jackson has been under an ethical cloud since the election in 2008 of Barack Obama as the first black president—a distinction the namesake son of the famous civil-rights leader was once considered a frontrunner to achieve. The congressman aggressively pressed Gov. Rod Blagojevich to appoint him to the Senate seat that Obama had held, and a House investigation into his dealings with the now-jailed governor had been ongoing.

But Jackson’s departure was reportedly tied to his negotiating a plea agreement in an unrelated criminal investigation involving illegal use of campaign funds to renovate his house. In his letter of resignation—where he said he was stepping down “to focus on restoring my health—Jackson acknowledged that “I am aware of the ongoing federal investigation into my activities and I am doing my best to address the situation responsibly.”

Past the criminal probes, the 47-year-old Jackson’s marriage was challenged by reports of an extramarital affair with a bikini model and Washington waitress and, several months ago, he was hospitalized with bipolar disorder. He took a leave of absence from the House of Representatives in early June—though he did not publicly disclose that fact for more than two weeks and, successfully won reelection in his heavily Democratic district despite not campaigning for a single minute.

complete article:
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/11/21/the-humbling-tragedy-of-jesse-jackson-jr.html

[graham4anything]

1. Equating a black hero with being a treasonous southern General defending slavery in the Civil War?

WTF does a bikini have to do with anything?

And the audacity of comparing Jackson with a traitor who tried to overthrow America defending slavery in the Civil War.

Telling a black person he is the same as slave owners in the south???

WTF is up with this article.

This article is vile and disgusting.

[Iggy]

2. "Tragedy"?

I'm not sure this is accurate.

Unless one is implying it's tragic Jackson was dumb enough to cause these problems-- particularly in a state where several major politicians have recently been busted for stupidity/corruption.

[vanlassie]

3. Appalling. Maybe the writer is unclear about just what bipolar disorder is, exactly.

But that would mean extending to him a benefit of the doubt... something else he would not seem to understand

[Tutonic]

4. Was this the Daily Beast or Daily Caller?

Why does the MSM continue to trash black pols for missteps and give a pass to others (e.g., David Petraeus, Gen. John Allen, Newt Gingrich). Hell, David Patreaus passed classified documents to has piece and now he stands to make millions. John Allen sent at least five inappropriate messages to a married woman and he's overseeing troops today and likely going to get a pay increase. Newt Gingrich dumped his dying wife for another one on her hospital bed (I know she recovered) and then ran for President. Jesse Jackson as guilty as he may be is going to get his ass beat like a dog that drug a skunk into the middle of the family dinner. We know that the man did something wrong--he has basically acknowledged that--but maybe, just maybe he really is bipolar. Why do we treat the black man like he's a dirty lowdown lying pimp stranded in the Bloomingdales Parking lot? Is our society stuck in the 1800s? Can we really move forward and stop the nonsense about creating a bigger narrative about the black man. Oh yeah did I mention that he has been diagnosed as severely bipolar? The reference to a bikini clad woman--WTF? How does this reveal anything about the man? Other than to say that the dirty N@#$r is at it again--chasin after every white woman that he sees. These scurrilous and defamatory articles need to stop being recognized.