Rev. Jesse Jackson. Turncoat or GOP infiltraitor?

[Discord]

I been watching RevJJ talking about the TS case, and admit I've been very dismayed at some of his positions. But I still wonder, after watching Rev. Al Sharpton talking on the issue as well, if they are just expressing their religious views on the subject, but maintaining their liberal views on the surrounding issues of the case. They both have a golden opportunity to have some real impact if they can push some liberal issues while they have the ear of the Conservative Christian community. Just wondering what others are thinking reguarding this?

[dad]

1. JJ does not always support liberal issues

when they conflict with religion. I remember a while back he took the Republican position against gay marriage too.

[Discord]

2. at least he's consistent.

:shrug:

[Teaser]

3. Why do you people have to do this?

Seriously, when someone goes off the reservation on a single issue, you turn on them like a rabid dog.

I don't like Jackson. Haven't in years. He has the demagogue gene for sure. But he has still been a faithful liberal and Democrat and as such he is owed something better than

"Rev. Jesse Jackson. Turncoat of Infiltrator"

which is one of the most false dichotomies which I've ever been unfortunate enough to read.

[Cuban_Liberal]

6. "...when someone goes off the reservation on a single issue, you turn...."

No shit!

[Discord]

7. So you would prefer a "faithful liberal and democrat"

Go onto talkshows, radio, and stand with the schindlers and doing press confrences supporting a case in which is both unconstitutional and supporting the call to "reform" the judicial branch of gov't?
That he is showing he cares more about religion than the constitution, the rights of the citizens, the right to privacy, in essence supporting the case for B*'s 10 nominations, and the support of known false claims made by the media...

I don't know... sounds like just about enough for me to give him due consideration for having turned farther to the right than the left.

[livinginphotographs]

18. Exactly.

Both Jesse and Rev. Al are staying consistent with their beliefs. Just because we disagree with them on one issue is not reason enough to throw them away.

This simplistic black-and-white thinking is pretty ridiculous, IMO.

[TexasSissy]

19. "Faithful liberal and Democrat" joining a GOP praying circus on TV?

Give me a break. I'm all for speaking one's mind, even if it isn't the party line. Dems are much better at tolerating this than conservatives. But actually joining the praying circus, standing next to the Operation Rescue guy who recommends bombing abortion clinics, is going too far.

JJ is out, as is Tom Harkin and others who joined the GOP on this and didn't maintain the separation of powers position upon which this country is built.

[Tomee450]

22. How absurd

Jesse Jackson is first a Baptist minister. He is doing exactly what ministers do. They do not refuse to meet with their enemies but remember Jesus' instruction to forgive and do good even to those who have hurt you. What kind of world would this be if people never talked to the opposition? All of these attacks on Jesse are so unseemly and childish. The people who attack Jackson should keep quiet about the antics of Tom Delay. After all he, like they, demand absolute adherence to the party line or else punishment is to be meted out. I am discovering that some so called progressive are no different from the right wingers. They are just as intolerant. All of the good works Jesse has done for the party is to be forgotten because he, a minister, did exactly what he was supposed to do, that is, minister to the sick and dying. If in doing so, the media covers him, he is not to be faulted. These attacks are just disgusting. I never believed I would see so much intolerance among Democrats.

[TexasSissy]

28. I didn't demand absolute adherence to the party line or else, did I?

What I said was....joining the circus show of radical Christians on TV, standing next to an abominable man who recommends bombing abortion clinics, standing and praying with people who moments before called Michael Schiavo a murderer, is going too far. I believe that to my core.

He could have (and did) make his point in a more dignified manner, on TV talk show, etc.

I see what you're saying about talking to the enemy...but he joined them as friends. He stood next to them, and bolstered their position, and urged others to join.

That is called a turncoat.

[chelsea0011]

4. You know, he was invited down there and being a man of "god"

I think his postion is what should be expected.

[Discord]

8. but look at the differance between his comments and stance

as compared to Rev. Al Sharpton position.

[BrainRants]

5. I spoke with a few of my Repub friends, and they were

wondering when Jesse Jackson would get into this whole mess. This is a common thread among them, they tend to demonize him and my impression was they were waiting for him to come down on the other side instead of acting as a broker (which he's pretty damn good at).

His position and involvement may have caught us by surprise, but it caught them by surprise more and diffused a lot of the babbling from the right...IMHO...to our advantage.

I think his involvement is a positive.

[SemperEadem]

12. thank you for seeing the whole picture

and not the knee-jerk, simpleton reaction most reach for first.

If any of his so-called 'liberal detractors' took the time to watch Tavis Smiley's State of Black America which ran on C-SPAN last month, they would have heard Jackson comment on how he thought just how insignificant the gay marriage issue is in light of all of the other heinous things which * and his ilk have been shoving down the throats of Americans. It brought down the house.

[Discord]

16. Well, I'm very torn. I sincerely am having a hard time

with this. I was a big supporter of JJ for a while. I didn't always agree with him, but I thought that he was outspoken and did more good than harm. But these days more and more, I am starting to wonder if the balance is swaying the other way.

[Tomee450]

24. Please explain

exactly what Jesse Jackson has done lately to alter your opinion of him. I haven't seen in radical change in Jesse's views. I certainly don't believe he should be blamed for expressing how he feels in the Schiavo case. There are many people who share those views, including me.

[Tomee450]

23. I agree.

I watched that fourm and agree with your assessment.

[MXMLLN]

20. I think that his involvement is a positive too ...

His and other liberals involvement has made this less of a conservative vs. liberal situation.

[winston61]

9. shameless publicity whore

[Tomee450]

25. Jackson is a decent man of compassion

He is a minister whose faith leads him to believe that all life is precious and worth fighting for. The world would be a much better place if there were more Jesse Jacksons.

[dbonds]

10. JJ thinks he is going to bring these people into the fight for

Universal Healthcare. I'm assume he believes in the fight, but he does have liberal causes in mind too. I am not assuming that is what he is doing, he said so directly in interviews.

[tx_dem41]

11. How about neither?...

instead how about someone who holds a sincere feeling and mixes it in with a large ego.

[QC]

13. No! He's a witch! Burn him! Burn him! n/t

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

14. Either way, he's just plain wrong. Just like the repugs.

[Walt Starr]

15. Turncoat

EOM

[Heidi]

17. Politician. (eom)

[peacetalksforall]

21. JJ plunged to the bottom of my rankings of loyal Americans. He could

have talked sense to people. No wonder I sense that everyone who tries to be guided by reverends is sadly conflicted by opposing and evolving political statements and activism by the reverends.

What a disappointment. I would like to know if he has verbalized his teachings referencing Michael S.

There doesn't seem to be a day that goes by that we are not disappointed by a Democrat.

[Tomee450]

26. If this one incident could so

alter your opinion of Jackson, I doubt if you really had a high opinion of him in the first place. A man does a lot for the Democrats but disagrees with them on certain issues becomes some kind of monster. Doesn't make sense to me.

[peacetalksforall]

27. He used to be a hero...in the past I've posted messages saying that

we should send him to negotiate. He has been successful in many of his endeavors and I've hung on his words in the past. Something is changing. It may be just me.

Why should I be privately or verbally critical of the religious people hanging around the Schindlers and give JJ a pass when he is doing and saying things that are hardly different from the other reverends?

He is gradually disappointing me. He has amazing insight and a talent for expressing it and he knows world issues. I would prefer he stick with issues for 'the all of us'. Instead, this time, he joined the rr (religious right) on this Sciavo issue. I didn't pursue researching every word he may have spoken down there - I don't approve of what I did hear. The combination of this think that's bothering me about him and the Sciavo contribution is a grand disappointment.

I never had a problem with him in the past. I've been developing a problem. So I jut observed how he went on this one and the gloating of the right wing. Who's right on this?