Cries of fascism and dictatorship are often overblown. Not so in the case of Jesse Jackson, Jr.
Illinois Democratic Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr. told The Daily Caller on Wednesday that congressional opposition to the American Jobs Act is akin to the Confederate “states in rebellion.”
Jackson called for full government employment of the 15 million unemployed and said that Obama should “declare a national emergency” and take “extra-constitutional” action “administratively” — without the approval of Congress — to tackle unemployment.
“I hope the president continues to exercise extraordinary constitutional means, based on the history of Congresses that have been in rebellion in the past,” Jackson said. “He’s looking administratively for ways to advance the causes of the American people, because this Congress is completely dysfunctional.”
Let’s put aside the disgustingly unconstitutional piece of advice for one second, and concentrate on Jackon’s economic plan. He actually wants to pay the unemployed – to do what exactly? – and at $40,000 per head. That comes out to $600,000,000,000 – that’s 600 Billion dollars. And that’s only if we go with the 15 million number for unemployed. That figure is undoubtedly a low-ball figure of the number of Americans actually unemployed. In reality we’d most likely have to double that figure and then some. So Jackson is suggesting that we simply pony up over a trillion dollars a year to guarantee full employment. And again, what are we employing these people to do?
The more important issue is that Jackson considers mere political opposition to a favored policy to be, in effect, treason. That’s right, anyone who dares disagree with the Obamamessiah is an active rebel against the United States government. And, since those people opposing Obama were elected to office – and, by the way, were elected more recently than Obama – isn’t Jackson implying that a majority of the people of the United States are in active rebellion? Good to know what Jackson thinks of his fellow countrymen.
In the end, Jackson wants to crush out dissent and utilize the machinery of the state to co-opt the marketplace and guarantee certain economic outcomes. Gee, if only there were a word to describe this kind of desired polity.
But remember, the tea partiers are extremists.
H/t: Creative Minority Report.
Does he first need to burn down the Capitol and accuse the banks?
His Dad when Reagan was elected said that fascism had come to America. I await with eager anticipation Jesse’s fiery condemnation of his son’s remarks! (Crickets chirping.)
People actually elected Jackson? Oh, Illinois. That explains it.
Sad but true cmatt!
“People actually elected Jackson? Oh, Illinois. That explains it.”
Well, to be more precise, people in the 2nd Illinois Congressional District — which includes portions of the South Side of Chicago and some southern and decidedly less affluent suburbs — elected Jackson.
Jackson, known among political junkies as Triple J or just Trips, also came perilously close to actually buying the Senate seat that Governor Hairdo attempted to sell a couple of years back. (The mere thought of Trips as the next U.S. Senator was probably all the motivation the federales needed to slap the cuffs on Blago before it could happen.)
“I hope the president continues to exercise extraordinary constitutional means, based on the history of Congresses that have been in rebellion in the past. He’s looking administratively for ways to advance the causes of the American people, because this Congress is completely dysfunctional.”
Jackson Jr. took an oath to “support, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.” Making those comments effectively breaks that oath. He should be impeached.
Also, Triple J already has a serious primary challenger lined up — former Congresscritter Debbie Halvorson from the neighboring 11th Congressional District. My guess is that these remarks were more an attempt to rile up his “base” to vote for him than anything else. Instead, he’s practically handed his opponent oodles of campaign commerical material.