'Sup.
At any rate, it's me. One of your constituents. One of the guys that voted for you ever since you first became a Congressman. In fact, I almost didn't vote for you the first time out, because of spite. What happened was that your dad, Al Sharpton, and others were at the 95th Street El stop, shaking hands and whatnot. I asked one of the guys there why should I vote for Jesse Jr. He said "Go over there and shake Jesse's hand."
Ummm... seriously? That's how you respond?
I almost walked away, determined to vote for anyone BUT you, Congressman. However, I stepped over to Rev. Al Sharpton. I asked him the same question. He actually gave a reasonable, responsible answer about giving you a chance. So, I dismissed the Old Guard response that a handshake from Jesse Sr. should be enough for me to vote for Jesse Jr.
Since then, I have supported you in every election. I'm even giving you the benefit of the doubt with regards to whatever role you played (or not) in the whole Obama Senator Seat thing. That was an unmitigated disasterbacle of epic proportions. Gov. Blagojevich is stewing in prison as a result of those shenanigans.
'Sup. How's my appeal coming?
But then, something happened.
More allegations started to pour in, more investigations started to pop up, news about an affair leaked. But that wasn't my biggest concern.
My biggest concern was that you went AWOL. No one knew where you were. It was as if we were suddenly playing a game of "Where's Jesse?" The Congressman that I voted for was missing in action, and we had no idea what was going on.
Then, news started to leak, drip by drip. You had (have?) medical conditions, and you had (have?) to seek treatment at places like the Mayo Clinic. Now, don't get me wrong. If there is something wrong with you physically, mentally, or spiritually, you SHOULD get help immediately. No one is doubting that. In fact, I'd wager that a huge majority of your constituents are praying Christians, who pray for your recovery and your return to work. My issue wasn't that you were, or are ill. My issue is the way in which it was handled, and the way the news was delivered to the public.
It may not be the actual case, but every time there was news released about your condition, it coincided greatly with political deadlines. It gave the impression that you wanted to hold off on releasing anything, so that your seat can be kept warm until after the election. And speaking of which, no one was asking you to hurry up and return to work. And when your surrogates say that you're the Derrick Rose of Congress, it was insulting. They also tried to compare your condition to that of Sen. Mark Kirk and Congresswoman Gabby Giffords. One of them even tried to compare your return to work to a radio host who had some sort of brain injury/stroke or something.
These are completely different issues. The Don Wade (the aforementioned radio host) is completely off the wall, because he's a radio host and not an elected official. The other two are elected officials. But here is the deal. They kept everyone abreast of their issues. Sen. Kirk even posted a video of him going through his remarkable recovery. As for Congresswoman Giffords?
She resigned.
She didn't hold up her Congressional seat while her recovery continued. She stepped down and allowed someone else to be appointed to that seat. Even if you argue that those moves are politically motivated, the fact of the matter is that she DID step down.
Congressman Jackson, if your condition is so severe that doctors are telling you not to return to work until they give the say so, then you owe it to us as your constituents to make sure that we have representation in Congress.
Even if that representative is NOT named Jesse Jackson, Jr. And we need to make sure that we're not getting a John Stroger/Todd Stroger bait-and-switch game getting run on us.
It bothers me that you did not campaign for your seat, because it gives credence to the thought that the Democratic Party takes the Black vote for granted. In an election where President Obama needs all of the support that he can from the Legislative Branch, you didn't feel that it was worth your time (or recovery) to tell us why YOU should continue to be the voice of my legislative district? Did you feel that your seat is so secure that you would be able to coast through Election Day and then make a decision about your status afterwards?
Sadly, this may be the case. You may well coast into another victory, without campaigning for your right to do so.
But at least I can say that if and when you do win, it won't be because of me. I voted because I need representation in Congress, and not a place-holder and a Congressman to be named later.
Get well soon and be blessed.
And when you're ready to get back into the fight, let us know. We'll be waiting.
Well Ty, that post was pretty damned gracious if you ask me. I hate the political demagoguery that dominated Black electoral behavior. I found myself typing my name in quite a bit as opposed to voting for unopposed (and disengaged) incumbents.
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