There has been a plea deal with “possible” prison time for JJ Jr. AND for his wife Sandi. In my original post I said that it appears that Jesse threw his wife under the bus; and that may or may not be true. There was definitely a deal with prosecution; we just don’t know if they did it as a pair; or if Jesse took into consideration his wife.
At the same time; Jesse and Sandi may be looking at the fact that they have young children and it’s very common for the courts to take that into account when sentencing two parents. One is likely to receive probation to take care of the children. That would likely be Sandi Jackson; being the wife and having committed the “smaller” of the crimes. With that in mind I don’t really have a problem with leniency for one parent if the crime and circumstances warrant it. And since others have benefited from this common sense approach; I see no reason the Jackson’s shouldn’t either.
Some additional details have come out since that last post. While JJ Jr. definitely had HUGE political aspirations in that he wanted to be Mayor of Chicago or take over Barack Obama’s Senate seat; what brought his downfall was material stuff. Sandi Jackson’s main crime (though I am sure she got plenty of stuff herself) was hiding all the money from their tax returns.
They basically spent campaign money on stuff… like a 40K gold plated Rolex watch… furs… Eddie Van Halen’s guitar… Bruce Lee memorabilia… just stuff… really stupid stuff…
It’s really sad; and I mean that.
Now we’re seeing something I really don’t like one bit. It’s a campaign orchestrated by either Jackson or his friends to act as an excuse for what he did. I really hope Jackson has had nothing to do with this crap; but if he is behind it then they (the prosecution and judge) should throw the book at him; seeing as it proves he has little remorse or sense of responsibility.
What I am talking about is all the talk about his “bipolar” condition; and putting it forward as an excuse for what he did.
Remember Jackson was hospitalized last summer (about the time he became aware of the investigation) for treatment for “bipolar” and other medical issues. Now that’s timing…
[Charges against Jackson] “couldn’t be more unfortunate … I think things probably just got out of hand for them and they got involved in making decisions that just didn’t make a lot of good sense … [I wonder if the long list of luxury purchases were] an indication that his bipolar condition kind of was manifesting itself even then.” – U.S. Rep. Danny Davis (defending Jackson and his wife)
Danny Davis also said because of the “bipolar” aspect of the crimes it’s unfair to compare this situation to other Illinois corruption. Corruption that sent the perpetrators to jail I assume.
[Charges against Jackson have me] “absolutely astonished … It is just not the Jesse Jr. I knew … It’s a very sad ending for everybody.” – Delmarie Cobb, a Chicago political consultant
Cobb has made no secret of her opinion that the “bipolar” condition is what triggered Jackson’s behavior.
And it is no accident that the Davis quote includes a common medical description of “bipolar” disorder… “At a higher level, individuals may behave erratically and impulsively, often making poor decisions due to unrealistic ideas about the future” — Wikipedia.
Finally, dear old daddy, Jesse Jackson Sr. had announced that his son is under “tight medical supervision”. He added “He is struggling with the highs and lows of his bipolar disorder.”
Call me cynical, but I don’t think any of this is coincidence. JJ Jr’s “bipolar” disorder wasn’t really a problem or even noticed until the feds discovered $750,000 missing from his campaign fund. And then all of a sudden JJ Jr. has these emotional highs and lows and major panic attacks. Duuuhhh… But how do we know it’s “bipolar” versus an OH SHIT I’m going to prison panic attack?
All the attention being pushed toward the alleged mental disorder now is no coincidence either. It’s an orchestrated plan to hopefully mitigate his sentencing and start the path for his eventual return to politics.
In all the statements I’ve heard from the left concerning Jesse Jackson Jr.; I did find one I vehemently disagree with. That being his political career is over. That’s absurd and I think they know it.
Don’t get me wrong. We all make mistakes. But what really defines a man’s character is how he deals with those mistakes. The jury is still out of JJ Jr. and his response… but I’m not very hopeful.
At the same time; there are consequences to big mistakes. That doesn’t mean there is no forgiveness; but there is a price to be paid initially and long term. The left has always had trouble with the concepts of responsibility, consequences, and forgiveness. To the left simply verbally accepting “responsibility” means it would be unfair to then suffer consequences. And any liberal every suffering consequence for their actions indicates a hateful and unforgiving world.
Jesse Jackson Jr.’s career should be over. He should take responsibility for his actions; pay the short term price and move on and contribute in other ways (not politics) as a consequence of his actions. And we can only hope and pray that our society has reached that point of rationality. But I’ve seen no evidence of that.
With the horrible, immoral, and even criminal activity his daddy (Jesse Jackson Sr.) and Al Sharpton have gotten away with over their “careers”; I just don’t see how anyone with that name or connections could have his career declared dead short of being six feet under and or sentenced to life without parole.
And the “bipolar” excuse is meant to ease and speed up that return in a few years. If you have the gall to reject that excuse; then you’re a hateful, unforgiving &^%#!
I’m OK with that.
I really hope I’m wrong about Jesse Jackson Jr. and his response to this horrible time in his life. Diversity in life is an opportunity to truly grow. I just don’t see it happening; based on his lineage, upbringing, or his actions to date… but there is always hope for change.
Excellent post. I agree that his bipolar diagnosis (which doctor made that, exactly?) sounds fishy. I know someone with that disorder. They usually swing from being euphoric and thinking they’re God to ours of despair where they feel like scum. I suspect Tom Cruise is bipolar (he jumps on the couch on Oprah, then disappears from the media for weeks on end and won’t even talk to friends). I think Scientology attracts a lot if bipolar people by feeding the God complex and telling them they don’t need meds and shrinks are evil.
Before I believe JJ’s defense is more than convenience, I’d want to see history. It doesn’t just pop up in middle age.
Your post was keenly thoughtful, A.D. spot on.
You know, one more aspect of this is “The Boy Who Cried Wolf” consequence. When people who aren’t really afflicted with this illness fake it to excuse sleazy behavior; it numbs us towards those who really need our compassion and support.
I find that I have to remind myself that this is real and people suffer. I have the same reaction to doctors especially those associated with school administrators who diagnose A.D.D. left and right. I think it is highly over diagnosed; and I’ve seen the horrible effect those drugs have had on kids.
I, thank God this crap didn’t exist back when I was a kid (Kindergarten through about 3rd Grade). I have no doubt they would have me doped up if they could. Of course they would have had to get past my mother… so maybe I would have been OK after all.
And I may be wrong in this case. BUT; I think it’s valid to bring up the timing, circumstances and the character of the man (and that of the man who raised him) in voicing my skepticism.
ADHD is a real problem for a minority of people, definitely over assumed by lots of folks. For kids who try hard, have high IQs, and really can’t concentrate, it’s good there’s help. For kids who are getting misdiagnosed, the meds will mess up their sleep, make them anxious, even paranoid… It’s not something to play with. I also think school has gotten out of hand. It’s too long, with too much work. Essentially taxpayer supported daycare, with no recess, no breaks. Not like in our day.
And it begins…
Jesse Jackson Jr. appeared before a judge today and pleaded guilty. Sentencing isn’t until the summer; but the groundwork for an excuse and push for a light sentence is well under way.
“It turns out that Jesse has serious health issues … We are going to talk about them extensively with the court and those health issues are directly related to his present predicament. That is not an excuse. That is just a fact. And Jesse has turned a corner there as well.” — Reid Weingarten (Jesse Jackson Jr. lawyer)
When Reid says “That is not an excuse”… Actually that’s EXACTLY what it is. This is kind of like when a high profile crook or politician (redundant) says “I take full responsibility.” It means the exact opposite. They see those as magic words to make the consequences go away so they can get back to normal.
If I was the judge I would explain right up front that I am very interested in ALMOST ALL the evidence they have concerning Mr. Jackson’s alleged “health issues”. Show me anything and everything documenting this condition BEFORE Mr. Jackson stated this crime spree and BEFORE he found out he was being investigated. Any and everything after that is “cover my ass” bullshit.
If that (pre Oh-$hit!) evidence is lacking… Jackson should stick to the “father of two young children” shtick. For added effectiveness he might remind the judge that the grandparents (who would raise the children in his absence) are the same reprobates who raised him.
When the judge explained to Jackson that pleading guilty meant giving up the right to a trial, Jackson responded “I have no interest in wasting the taxpayers’ time or money.” Now! Now, he has no interest in wasting taxpayer time or money… Why couldn’t he have seen that light when he was in office? [stolen from Doug Powers]
On a side note…
“Jackson’s wife is expected to plead guilty to filing false tax returns, meaning she’ll probably either spend time in jail or as the next treasury secretary.” — Doug Powers (that’s funny)
Maybe bipolar disorder runs in the family. After all, his dad said he wanted to “cut his [Barack Obama's] nuts out.”
Oh, something runs in the family all right; but I don’t think it’s bipolar disorder. Can you imagine growing up watching your dad making his living by pushing racial division and outright extortion? What kind of chances does that give you of being a decent contributing member of society? Still, we can be more than what nature or nurture tell us to be.