E.W. Jackson Has Been an Unmitigated Disaster for the Virginia GOP

[DonViejo]

by Jamelle Bouie Nov 4, 2013 5:45 AM EST

Ken Cuccinelli’s gubernatorial implosion may be distracting pundits, but E.W. Jackson’s risible candidacy for lieutenant governor is an even bigger embarrassment for the state party.

Right now, all the attention in the Virginia gubernatorial race is focused on Ken Cuccinelli’s losing campaign and Mark Obenshain’s competitive race for attorney general. The other statewide race, between state Sen. Ralph Northam and Bishop E.W. Jackson for lieutenant governor, has gone off the radar, and for good reason. There’s no question that the far-right candidate will lose in a landslide. Jackson’s not a candidate as much as he is a sideshow, an example of the base-driven politics that has crippled Virginia’s Republican Party in the general election.

To wit, here’s a short round-up of Jackson’s statements and positions in just the last week of the campaign. On guns, Jackson says, “Every person who has a concealed weapons permit and was trained to use a firearm…should be allowed to bring that firearm to school.” On rights for gay and lesbian Americans, he says, “How in the world can we expect our military to be blessed by the hand of almighty God if we allow our military to become the equivalent of Sodom and Gomorrah? God is not pleased.” On the right-wing grassroots, he says, “It was God’s plan to beget the Tea Party.” And on the question of education, he says Obama will “force schools to start teaching all children homosexuality.”

Cuccinelli has worked hard to avoid any association with Jackson; of all the events the attorney general held over the weekend, none featured the conservative clergyman and anti-gay activist. The irony, of course, is that Jackson’s candidacy is the direct result of Cuccinelli’s decision to push for a convention as opposed to a primary. Given his strong support among rank-and-file Republicans, odds are good that Cuccinelli would have won a primary for the Republican gubernatorial nomination. And he would have walked away from the contest with a sensible nominee; Jackson, as his sparsely attended events and low fundraising attest, is a niche product for a handful of voters. In a fair election against a capable opponent, he would have fallen far short of victory. As it stands, Jackson is now one of the faces of the Virginia GOP, and his presence on the ticket has been an unmitigated disaster.

Like Cain or West, Jackson’s career—and income—is earned with outrageous statements about government, Obama, and other African-Americans.


full article
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/11/04/e-w-jackson-has-been-an-unmitigated-disaster-for-the-virginia-gop.html

[FSogol]

1. Jackson is a true nut case. Kudos to the Republicans for going full crazy.