Public Sacrifice of Jesse Jackson, Jr- More Proof that Journalism is DEAD!

Somewhere Harold Ford, Junior and Kendrick Meek are hiding in a corner. Bad news comes in threes and 2008 has been a very bad year for Black political progeny. We kicked off the year with revelations that Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick used 8 million dollars of the public's money to cover up his tawdry affair with his chief of staff. Over the course of the year, Kilpatrick has been an embarrassment of riches for bloggers and journalists. In contrast, Jesse Jackson, Jr. managed to make it through the entire year and a hotly contested political primary without causing himself or his candidate significant public embarrassment, unlike his father, Jesse Jackson Sr.

Despite this year-long public display of self control, however, JJJ finds himself "fighting for his name" as 2008 comes to a close. The questions we ALL ought to be asking is WHY?

Folks today I am going to challenge the conventional "wisdom" masquerading as news. Why? Well because I like a challenge and second Al Sharpton is now tangentially involved so that's gravy on top of being challenged. In addition, after reviewing his press conference, CNN interview and subsequent attempts to speak to any "journalist" who will listen, I have concluded that JJJ is not equipped to mount any meaningful defense. Is it possible that instead of being a cunning politico, he just naive?

So we'll note some things that would point to him not being nearly as corrupt as people think he is (in this narrow instance-we reserve the right to declare him corrupt in all other matters). We'll also point out some very interesting questions journalists aren't asking- If they won't we will.  So let's talk about Senate Candidate No 5 shall we?

The Goat-The Slaughter

Jesse Jackson, Jr's only crime appears to be that at the age of majority he didn't run down to the closest courthouse and petition to have his name changed. Over the past week, we've seen the Cable News Industrial Complex downright giddy over the "revelation" ( more on that later) the Jesse Jackson, Jr. is Senate Candidate No. 5 listed in the law enforcement indictment in support of the criminal complaints against Illinois Govenor Blagojevich.

Upon "learning" that Senate Candidate No. 5 was JJJ, a chorus of "The apple doesn't fall far from the tree," and "Where there's smoke, there's fire" and "He's shady like his daddy" swept through Da Nets. Cliches are cliches for a reason. Sure children often walk in the footprints of their parents, but many attempt to avoid the piles of manure their parents stumbled over.

We all know people who make it their mission in life to be the exact OPPOSITE of their parents. Children of alcoholics who won't touch booze. Children of divorce who vow never to get married and do that to their children. Children of parents who can't keep house who develop OCD-like standards of cleanliness in their own homes. If I shook many of your family trees hard enough, you have a few demwitted and ethically challenged branches fall out. That doesn't mean you are guilty too.

JJJ had to know what people thought about his father. While he clearly has benefitted from his name, he also appears to have attempted to chart out his own course. He had to know that if he even appeared to be the shakedown artist his father is believe to be, he was toast. I also think he wanted to outdo his father. Do what Senior couldn't do in a way that senior couldn't. In fact, I find the fact that the fundraiser at the center of this debacle might have been an associate of Senior, makes it more likely that Junior didn't go to this fundraiser for help, but I digress.  Back to WHY being Senate Candidate No. 5 because such a "Scandal."

I've read the affidavit in support of the criminal complaint against Blago, and for the life of me can't find anything that indicates that Jesse Jackson, Jr. ever "sent" anybody to speak to the Governor or any indication that Blago spoke directly with JJJ about "pay to play." There is mention of "his people," but we all have "people". I encourage you to read the criminal complaint. Begin at page 54. Pay particular attention to paragraphs 102, 103, 105, and 115 (a).

The affidavit never indicates that Senate Candidate No. 5 offered anything to Blagojevich. In fact, it was Blagojevich that sent his emissaries, not to Senate Candidate No. 5, but to those Blagojevich believed to be close to Senate Candidate No. 5.

If anything the affidavit makes JJJ look like a victim, a stooge.  While he's out publicly campaigning for the seat, SOMEONE is privately attempting to sabotage his efforts. In fact, despite public opinion polls, and newspaper endorsements, JJJ isn't even in consideration. I find it far more interesting that the public's desire, as indicated by polls, endorsements etc, are irrelevant to the desires of some nameless, faceless power brokers who desire otherwise.

If JJJ knew He Coudl Buy the Seat, Why Was He Campaigning So Hard To Get It? In the weeks prior to becoming Senate Candidate No. 5, nobody was hustling harder public to get the seat.  JJJ was sending out emails, racking up endorsements from local papers and making the case. If Blagojevich knew JJJ had something to offer and could be bought, why wasn't JJJ Senate Candidate No. 1???/

The fact that Senate Candidate No. 5 is FIFTH and not FIRST would indicate that Blago didn't think Senate Candidate No. 5 could offer what Blago wanted most. If Senate Candidate No. 5, could, then we wouldn't have been taken through all of Blago's ham-fisted attempts to extract money or personal benefit from Senate Candidates Nos 1-4 and 6.

Where is the BEE and the CRIC?

Furthermore what makes me believe that Jesse Jackson isn't crooked, or at least in this narrow instance, is that not a single member of the Black Elite Establishment has rushed to his defense. Not even his own Daddy. Sure Senior pointed out that he was not the "emissary," but that's it. This is hardly a resounding defense of his beloved child.  Paging Michelle Balfour! Paging Michelle Balfour!Its a dad gum shame that William Balfour and R. Kelly  have more ardent defenders  in Chicago than Jesse Jackson, Jr.

Wasn't it the Congressional Black Caucus  that martialied its resources to defend Dollar Bill Jefferson's storage of $90,000 in some boxes of Totinos Pizza Rolls and Morton's Fish Sticks? Where is the knee-jerk defense of Jesse, Jr??? Where's the press conference from the NAACP or local pastors that Michael Vick and Kwame Kilpatrick got? Hmmm? The BEE and the CRIC love to reward and defend bad behavior so why the radio silence?

I mean this is a huge media spotlight and we know the BEE and CRIC love the light, so where are they? So far the only person defending JJJ is his lawya' and he's paid to do that.   Instead of defending JJJ, the vultures are circling to get him to withdraw his name from consideration. Now less than Earl Offari Hutchison says that JJJ must drop out. That ALONE makes me suspicious.

Why do the BEE and CRIC appear to have no problem with JJJ being relegated to a lowly congressional seat for all of his days?  If he could be bought, the CBC, CRIC, and BEE would be clamoring to have their puppet in the US Senate wouldn't they?  You would think they would be clamoring to have a memebr of the CBC in the Senate. Hmmm Let that marinate in the cerebral cortex for a minute my friends.

Scandal of Their Own Making

Scandals sell newspapers and garner viewers. Somehow the news media has  managed to turn a common law enforcement practice into some grand mystery that only journalism could solve-a mini-scandal of their own making.  JJJ wasn't referred to as Senate Candidate No. 5 because he somehow was attempting to hide his identity. He didn't draft the affidavit. His wasn't the only name excluded. If you ever have the misfortune to be discussed by someone being wiretapped by the FBI, you will thank them not to include your name in their affidavits if you've done nothing wrong.

Despite the fact that "journalists" are trumpeting the hard work and elbow grease to discover the identities of the people in the affidavit, any high school student who conducted a Google Search could have figured this out. The FBI left more than enough detail and cross references with political columns in the Chicago Sun Times published based on information fed to them by Blago's staffers.  BREAKING NEWS: The Identity of Senate Candidate No. 5 revealed!There wasn't any real attempt to conceal identited so why is the disclosure of the names breaking news?

The Story They Aren't Covering

I encourage you to read the full affidavit yourself. It is an extremely good read. I found the portions dealing with the Senate vacancy quite entertaining, yet likely embarrassing for all those who were mentioned by name and discussed.

The far more salacious and what I think is a TRUE BLUE news story is why Blago was getting pressure NOT to appoint Senate Candidate No. 5. Where was that coming from and at whose behest? Now that's something I would actually want to know. In addition, I would like to know why  President Elect Obama didn't think the national co-chair of his presidential campaign ( or any other Black folks besides Valarie Jarrett) was  an acceptable replacement.

Ultimately, JC became a legend in his own mind and his crew stabbed his a$$ to death - includin' his boy Brutus who had been his homey from way back. As his life dripped away, JC looked over to Brutus and dropped the immortal quote, 'Et tu, Brute?', questioning how even his boy could dog him so coldly.

Now as Jesse Jackson, Jr. continues to plead for his political life and more details emerge about the events leading up to the 'Let's Make A Deal' ruckus surrounding Smooth Barack's vacant senate seat, one thing is clear: Despite J-Jack, Jr. being a co-chair of Smooth's national campaign and publically layin' out his pop for his 'off mic' comments about wantin' to cut of Smooth's testicles for talkin' down to southsiders, Smooth conspicuously left Jr.'s name off his short list of 'acceptible' candidates for his senate seat. Daaaaaang - et tu, Smooth? Et tu?... Tyrone Malone

Now THAT"S a story I want to know. That's some intrigue and cloak and dagger, Julius Caesar-like drama I'd love to get to the bottom of. Somebody clue me in.

How Could JJJ NOT Know What Was Going On?

In addition to the whole "apple doesn't fall far from the tree" analysis going on, there is my personal favorite, "Where, there's smoke, there's fire" and "If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, its a duck." So what about the whole "he's guilty by associating" with ethically-challenged people argument.

Well that's an easy one. If you were a political fundraiser and had been a patron of a lowly congressman wouldn't you take  the opportunity to upgrade to the the United States Senate?  A fundraiser or lackey or supporter wouldn't need Jesse Jackson, Junior's permission to go about doing something that was in their best interest. If you have the misfortune to ever be in the public eye or wield any amount of power or influence no matter how insignificant, you would be surprised who will be drawn into your orbit and what they will attempt to do in your name... even when you don't want them to.

Whether it was an attempt to live vicariously through JJJ or a belief that he would carry out their interests on a larger stage, or the cache of being able to claim to be a close associate of Senator Jackson, it  is highly plausible, even logical, that people who had an interest in seeing Jackson in the Senate would take independent action to see that happen.

Even If the ASSUMPTIONS Are True-He's Done Nothing Wrong
But lets take another look at this whole "He's tained FOREVER" meme.  Even if he directed his emmisaries to  hold a fundraiser to raise $500,000 in political contributions for Blago in order to curry favor with the Governor, that isn't illegal. Even if the assumptions were, true, political fundraising to curry favor is quite common.

Does anybody remember a certain 20 MILLION dollars a certain candidate was asked to raise in campaign contributions to appease his opponent and urge her to exit stage left quietly? Has anyone ever pulled the campaign contribution records of  US Ambassadors? Ambassadorships are notorious for going to large political contributors. Have any of you received an invitation to sleep overnight at the White House? I'm still waiting for my invitation. Go look up how much some government contractors have donated to BOTH political parties.

The truth is that politicians routinely dole out positions and legislation that benefit donors. You didn't think they handed over that $700 BILLION dollars because it was good for the country? NAH they did that because it was in the best interest of their Wall Street donors.

Not only that, but many high profile politicians control their own political action committees where they get to dole out money to the political candidates of their choice. You didn't think all those "Super Delegates" were making their decisions out of the kindness of their hearts didya?

"While it would be unseemly for the candidates to hand out thousands of dollars to primary voters, or to the delegates pledged to represent the will of those voters, elected officials serving as superdelegates have received about $890,000 from Obama and Clinton in the form of campaign contributions over the last three years," the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics reported today.Boston.com

So even if the cliche-based assumptions about Jessie Jackson Junior were true, his assumed behavior falls well within the parameters of modern politics. You would know all this if journalists engaged in actual journalism and sought to educate instead of titillate.

Proving a negative is darn near impossible so in the minds of many JJJ is a dirty politician by birth and that seems highly unfair.Maybe he is a crook, but let him establish his crookedness on his own merits. Not because of who his Daddy is and not because "journalists" keep attempting to remain relevant by attempting to relive the days of Watergate. Truth be told, on the activities related to the Senate appointment, I don't think the prosecutors will be able to make anything stick. Why? because they had to rush to shut down a federal criminal investigation prematurely. Why did they have to shut it down before they could get the goods? Because the Chicago Tribune, in their infinite wisdom as journalists decided to blow the FBI's cover.

Members of Fitzgerald’s team are livid the scheme didn’t advance, at least for a little longer, according to some people close to Fitzgerald’s office. Why? Because had the plot unfolded, they might have had an opportunity most feds can only dream of: A chance to catch the sale of a Senate seat on tape, including the sellers and the buyers.

The precise timing of Tuesday’s dramatic, pre-dawn arrest was not dictated by Fitzgerald, nor was it dictated by the pace of Blagojevich’s alleged “crime spree.” It was dictated by the Chicago Tribune, according to people close to the investigation and a careful reading of the FBI’s affidavit in the case. WSJ

Gee Thanks a bunch Journalists!!! Way to look out for the common good!

What's in a Name?

So why spend an entire post on JJJ? Well first, because after reading the affidavit, I think he is being treated unfairly and that irritates me. But what irritates me more is that yesterday Caroline Kennedy paid homage to my favorite pompadoured preacha and he preceded to brag about it and issue his seal of approval for Caroline Kennedy's "qualifications" to be in the United States Senate.

One of the people she called is the Rev. Al Sharpton, who promptly put out a press release. Of course he did -- he's Al Sharpton; he's not going to take a call from Caroline Kennedy without making sure the world knows that's how important he is. In his statement Sharpton says:

"I feel compelled to state that I unequivocally disagree with those that say she is not qualified and could not bring needed leadership to this state and country. My knowledge of her in the area of education and on behalf of children generally, the fact that she has written several books, and her other civic involvement more than qualifies her to be Senator."

He also feels compelled to let everyone know he invited Ms. Kennedy "to dine with me at Sylvia's this week in Harlem and reminded her that I took Senator Obama there during his campaign so it's a good luck stop since he did all right."

What a guy: in a few short paras he lets everyone know Caroline Kennedy is sucking up to him for support; that he regularly chats with the governor, that he's in tight with Obama, and that any photographers in the crowd can catch him and Caroline chowing down in Harlem this week.Is Al Sharpton the Best Caroline Kennedy Can Do?

Who are we kidding? If Caroline Kennedy was named Caroline Jackson, or Caroline Jenkins, we wouldn't even be entertaining the notion that she should be appointed to that vacant seat. She's in contention because of her last name.

If Caroline Kennedy's last name is enough to qualify her for the US Senate, then Jesse Jackson, Jr's last name should not disqualify him from the US Senate. Ironically, of all the Senate Candidates listed in in the affidavit, JJJ appears to the only one with any experience serving in a federal legislative body. Despite the fact that many believe his name pretty much precludes him from ever winning state-wide office, he still went for it.

In the words of Fresh from Crunk and Disorderly, "Something in the milk ain't clean" as it relates to this whole Senate Candidate No. 5. I encourage my fellow bloggers to do more than parrot the meme from mainstream media. There are some secret agendas as work in this whole melee, including those of the MSM.

SO what are your thoughts on the matter? Chicago readers please provide your added insights to bring some clarity to the matter. For instance, did the Tribune have an axe to grind with JJJ. Why was Valrerie Jarrett the only Black name on the list of acceptable replacements and who would have reason to put pressure on the govenor NOT to appoint JJJ? In your experience does JJJ parrot his father or does he tend to strike out in his own direction. Do SHARE!

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