Rep. Jackson Did The Right Thing

Let me preface my remarks by saying I've always been a fan of the Jackson family. I voted for Jesse Jackson twice for president in Democratic primaries, and I had the honor of attending two state conventions as a Jackson delegate (which I am still proud of). And when his son Jesse Jackson Jr. was elected to Congress, it made me very happy. He was just carrying on his father's legacy of serving the American people and trying to make this a better country.

But the last few months have been disturbing. I'm not talking about Rep. Jackson's legal problems or his close affiliation with former-governor Blagojevich, although those are also somewhat disturbing. Nor am I necessarily talking about his illness (diagnosed now as a bi-polar disorder). If that could have been medically-controlled, it would not have disqualified him from serving in public office.

The thing that has disturbed me the most is that he has not been able to effectively do his job for months now -- and it was beginning to look like that would continue. It was not that the people of his congressional district were getting poor representation (there are a lot of representatives who represent their districts very poorly). It was that they were getting no representation at all -- and that is unacceptable.

I was seriously considering writing a post asking Rep. Jackson to resign his seat in Congress, but it looks like Rep. Jackson has also come to that same conclusion. Speaker Boehner's office announced yesterday that Rep. Jackson has submitted his resignation, and he will not take the oath of office when the new Congress meets in January. Now Governor Pat Quinn must call for a special election to fill the vacancy -- and that special election must take place within 115 days of Jackson's resignation. By resigning now, Jackson has assured that his constituents will not have to go an extended length of time without representation in the new Congress.

This resignation does not present any opportunity for the Republicans to gain a seat. That congressional district voted heavily for President Obama in both 2008 and 2012, and Rep. Jackson (being the only Democrat on the ballot) easily won re-election in spite of his problems. Any Republican who tries to run for this seat will just be wasting his/her money, and I doubt the national Republican Party will even pay any attention to this special election (let alone spend any money on it). The only question is which Democrat will replace Re. Jackson.

I wish Rep. Jackson well, and I hope he is able to take care of his medical and legal problems very soon. Whether he is able to return to politics in the future will be up to the people of Chicago (and Illinois). But for right now, Rep. Jackson has made the right decision -- the decision that best serves the people of his district. I applaud Rep. Jackson for making this difficult decision -- and for putting the needs of his constituents above his own desires.