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| JACKSON: "I was wrong" |
For
the attention was on the District of Columbia where former Rep. Jesse Jackson,
Jr., finally had to stand before a federal judge and have sentence imposed upon
him for the misuse of campaign funds to purchase all kinds of tacky memorabilia
for himself.
FOR
THE RECORD, Jackson got a 2 ½-year prison term, while wife Sandi (the former 7th
Ward alderman) got 1 year. There’s nothing that the Springfield-based Democrats
could have said on Wednesday that would have mattered by comparison.
As
it was, the Democrats had their annual breakfast of county party chairmen – and
all it turned into was a Bill Daley vs. Pat Quinn hissy fit. We’ve had them
before, and will have many more in the future between now and the March primary
elections.
None
of that will catch the public attention in the way of the Jacksons having to
appear in court – including the moment when Jesse, Jr., became tearful and said
the words, “I was wrong.”
Great
drama. Except that I doubt the people who have been most eager to see Jackson
go down to defeat will be satisfied.
BECAUSE
THE FACT is that federal prosecutors had recommended the four-year prison term
for the former Congressman. The ideologues who were anticipating Wednesday for
many months now were hopeful that the federal judge in this case (also named
Jackson, although not related in any way) would ignore the recommendation and
go harder.
Instead,
the judge went lighter, and went along with the Jacksons' desire to stagger their prison terms. He must report to prison by Nov. 1, while she must report within 30 days of Jackson completing his sentence.
With
the concept of time off for good behavior, Jesse, Jr., will do slightly more
than two years in federal custody. Admittedly, he will have another three years
of supervised release – which means he’ll still have federal law
enforcement-types scrutinizing his every action.
It’s
more than the 18-month sentence that Jackson’s attorneys asked for, but it is
not going to be perceived as enough for the ideologues – for whom they had
fantasies of something along the lines of that 14-year sentence received by former
Gov. Rod Blagojevich.
WHICH
IS WHY I expect the rhetoric is being spewed about in certain quarters about
how lenient this particular sentence is – even though I personally view it as
being more in line with common sense.
As
Jackson’s attorneys put it on Wednesday, the congressman’s actions, “are not a
Ponzi scheme.”
Besides,
I’m sure the ideologues (whose real objection to the couple is their relation
to the Rev. Jesse Jackson – whom they dream of incarcerating someday) will
revel in the fact that Sandi Jackson got a prison term, rather than her
preference for supervision and some sort of community service.
In
fact, the judge did her sentence in a way that she qualifies for no early
release – she’s going to do one full year in a federal facility.
NOT
THAT WE know yet where either Jackson will be detained. The Bureau of Prisons
decides that, and we don’t know yet if they will be willing to go along with
Jesse, Jr.’s, preference for a facility sort of close to the District of Columbia.
So
perhaps the Jackson critics will get their kicks from seeing the couple denied
their preferences? That strikes me as being pretty petty. Then again, much of electoral politics and government is about trying to accomplish something despite the pettiness of the people who we elected!
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| BLACKBURN: Over, before he began? |
Although
definitely more intriguing than the Springfield-based activity. Unless you were
anxiously awaiting the decision by Will County Auditor Duffy Blackburn NOT to
run, after all, for the Democratic nomination for Illinois comptroller.
So
now it seems clearer that departing Lt. Gov. Sheila Simon will be the Democrat
who gets her butt kicked by incumbent Illinois Comptroller Judy Baar Topinka
come November 2014.
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