February 18, 2012

A year ago at the Wisconsin protests: Jesse Jackson Came town.

He compared the scene to the recent uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia.

There were people with signs: "This is what happens when nobody votes." And I wondered...
Who's she calling nobody? Well, the good people didn't vote, and look what the hell happened: "Adolf Walker/Union Buster."
There was a lady with a "Dread Scott" sign, and I asked her if "she meant to suggest a connection between Scott Walker and the era of slavery. She said 'Of course.'"

There was an American flag on the ground next to a sign that said "Never have so few ignored so many," but it was an American flag with a picture of a fish on it, so that meant whatever it meant.

There were signs likening Scott Walker to Stalin and to the Wicked Witch of the West.

Inside the rotunda, there were huge, chanting crowds...



... but I said "I've seen absolutely no anger, nastiness, or rudeness. Not even any pushing to get into a better position. Everyone is quite nice, really. You need to understand that. Even when my dear bodyguard is not close to me, I don't feel at all endangered." Later, I would not be saying that, but this was February 18, 2011.

At he end of the evening, Jesse Jackson gives what I call "a generic speech" outdoors to a crowd he'd kept waiting "a long, cold time." I thought he was grandstanding, making the day "in a state that is not his state, revolve around him." I said:
It was quite selfish, especially when you contemplate the Wisconsin citizens the protesters are trying to influence. Why would Jesse Jackson's generically left-wing speech sway the people of Wisconsin to throw their support to the employees who have well-paid jobs with excellent benefits that they don't want to lose?

28 comments:

Rob said...

And there he is a year later, on the altar at the Whitney Houston funeral. It's a blessing to Jesse Jackson that he doesn't have a clue how ridiculous he appears.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

Do not threaten the corrupt democrat/union money laundering apparatus or Jesse Jackson will pay a visit.

G Joubert said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
edutcher said...

Define irony:

Jesse Jackson, who only rose to fame, and later, power, only because he happened to be where Martin Luther King, relegated to a trash haulers' strike, was shot, now finds himself relegated to celebrity funerals and rent-a-demagogue appearances.

bagoh20 said...

Did Jesse bring a translator?

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

Just curious. Why this stroll down memory lane?

I'm not going to speak for the professor.. but I think its very easy to loose sight of what the recall is about.. The dehumanisation of Walker is purposely done so as to obfuscate the real reason behind the recall.

Look at the general election for example.. It will be really difficult (despite the awful job performance) to demonise Obama.. skin color being Obama's trump card..

If the republicans want to beat Obama they will have to focus on performance issues.. real economic issues.. the type interest groups in Wisconsin dont want voters to focus on.

So.. here is a context.. how does a governor become Hitler overnight?

Its educational (i believe) to go back and look.. I'm not saying people have a short memory.. but, I'm saying exactly that.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

If its disrespectful to the voters to believe they dont remember things.. its way more disrespectful, I believe, to try to pull the wool over their eyes with this Walker is Hitler nonsense.

Nonsense that will presumably pickup again.. once they find out who is going to be going up against Walker.

Chuck66 said...

Lem, good point about what the arguements should be. Right now the Democrats are saying you should vote for Obama in November because the Republicans will make it hard for you to have sex.

Republicans need to point out:

A) We have a $1,800,000,000,000 annual buget deficit.
B) We have a $15,500,000,000,000 national debt
C) We have $100,000,000,000,000 in unfunded liabilities in Big Entitlement
D) We are on course, according to the CBO, that by 2050, 100%, that is every penny, the federal government takes in will go only to debt interest payments.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

As if what you just enumerated was not clear enough.. on the need to remove Obama via the next election..

I hear talk of another "stimulus" and another debt ceiling raise.

There is practically no opposition to the runaway spending.. and so Obama is acting accordingly.. pedal to the medal.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

Thats 'pedal to the metal'.. not medal.

Obama already got a medal.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

Right now the Democrats are saying you should vote for Obama in November because the Republicans will make it hard for you to have sex.

Looking at the recall in Wisconsin in the context of the general election, I cant help but feel optimistic that Obama can be beat.

But when I see what Obama is capable of doing.. shit like the contraceptive maneuver.. its dispiriting.

I don't have much confidence that people will put it together.

Ann Althouse said...

I'm looking at each day of what was, for us, a immense and engrossing experience. Isolating each day and rereading what I wrote at the time, I'm getting some perspective and seeing the lines of causality.

I also want accountability, and that's what the recall election is about. The recall is happening now, so what happened a year ago is completely on point for decisions that are being made now.

Dan said...

and there is Jesse in the most recent Playboy magazine chumming with Hef! How did this guy get his job whatever that is?

traditionalguy said...

Why can't some rich guy go ahead and buy The Reverend Jackson an Illinois Senate seat from a Governor?

The man has child support payments to make.

Jesse used to be on CNN all of the time where he amde some money. but he must be Black Listed...oops, I mean he is not used for opinions anymore.

KCFleming said...

Jesse photo-bombs every griftable black and lefty event, glad-handing his way to the next payoff, like a corrupt Rhode Island mayor at a dinner for local developers.

He's given the same generic speech so many times, he bores even himself, but the sound of his own voice spurs him ever on, sewing random socialist phrases into a crazy quilt of Marxist cant.

Curious George said...

"It was quite selfish, especially when you contemplate the Wisconsin citizens the protesters are trying to influence. Why would Jesse Jackson's generically left-wing speech sway the people of Wisconsin to throw their support to the employees who have well-paid jobs with excellent benefits that they don't want to lose?"

Yes, how terribly unfair that a bunch of selfish lefty assholes trying to manipulate the people of WI are themselves used by another selfish lefty asshole.

That said Ann, watch the speech. These assholes cheer when their protests are compared to 60's civil rights marches. They actually believe it! They deserve this grifter Jackson.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

..and seeing the lines of causality.

..sewing random socialist phrases


Another Singer?

Ambrose said...

"He compared the scene to the recent uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia"

At least the Muslim Brotherhood haven't taken control of Wisconsin, yet.

Rusty said...

traditionalguy said...
Why can't some rich guy go ahead and buy The Reverend Jackson an Illinois Senate seat from a Governor?

The man has child support payments to make.


That's Jesse Jackson jr. His oldest son. The other two have the Budwieser concession at what used to be Comiski Park.
All rewards so that he would leave city hall alone.
mr. Jackson is all about the benjamins.

Larry J said...

To call Jesse Jackson a media whore is to do a disservice to whores. One of the most dangerous places on Earth is to be caught between Jesse Jackson and a microphone.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

When you are a successful status symbol.. like the Reverend.. a real job (even that of a politician) is tantamount to a demotion.

Mayor Bloomberg is a kind of a sad case.. he became a politician to get status.. if you doubt this, all you have to do is look at how he wants to literally nanny NYC.

Ego starved billionaire.

Methadras said...

How long have those marbles been in Jesse's mouth?

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

I also want accountability, and that's what the recall election is about.

Its not over until we win!

Petunia said...

So it was one year ago today that the protests really, truly, irrevocably jumped the shark.

Tyrone Slothrop said...

A few years ago Jesse Jackson officiated at a wedding at the hotel where I work. The bride and groom were a very tony black couple. The irony was that, since Jesse was not a licensed religious official in California, the actual ceremony was performed by an anonymous minister in a guest room before Jesse had his public moment of glory. As an aside, I was a little surprised at how tall Jackson is. (6'5"?)

bagoh20 said...

"I also want accountability,"

That's so cute.

AlphaLiberal said...

The scene you describe is nothing at all like the scene I experienced, Ann. You got out of your way to find little, unusual, single examples and then portray them as representative of the whole affair. They are not and this practice is dishonest.

What I experienced was a lot of good-natured and good-humored people who came out together to exercise their rights to prtoest the actions of their government.

These were/are regular folks, regular people that you falsely portray as part of your contribution to the right wing smear machine.

I actually came to this site after reading Dahlia Lithwick's piece on the new Republican requirement that women getting abortions be vaginally probed (raped) in a medically useless procedure. THought you might actually have something interesting to say about that -- if you could break ranks with the wingnuts. Fuck it. I don't give a shit what you have to say. You're a bad and dishonest person.

http://www.slate.com/articles/double_x/doublex/2012/02/virginia_ultrasound_law_women_who_want_an_abortion_will_be_forcibly_penetrated_for_no_medical_reason.2.html

jeff said...

"They are not and this practice is dishonest. "
I have to take AL at his word. If anyone is a expert at framing things in a dishonest manner, its him/her. Jesse Jackson is in the business of Jesse Jackson. 40 some years ago he rubbed some blood on his shirt and was off to the races. (so to speak) the persons comparing slavery to walker is not just doing her side no favors, but by not focusing on actual racism, but rather something like this, just feeds the idea that racism no longer exists. Which it does. Nice job, dumbass.