Posted by Dan Ewert : 4/10/2002 12:30:00 AM (Archive Link)
I mentioned in the previous post that part of my dislike for Jesse Jackson stems from his affair and the child he had through it. Let me clarify. While I don’t like this, I also don’t find it overly troubling only because he confessed to it. Granted, he only did so because a tabloid was about to break the story, but at least he did come clean, ask for forgiveness, etc. He said some fine words. What really aggravated me about the situation were his actions. He told the public that he was going to take some time off from his projects and time out of the spotlight so that he could reconnect with his wife and family whom he had so terribly disgraced and sinned against. He said this on a Friday. By Sunday evening, he announced that he was going back to work because he couldn’t let his people down. Right. This just demonstrates how important his family really is. This sort of attitude probably led to the affair in the first place. I also can’t help but think about what a boost this was to his already over-inflated ego. Most likely, there were supporters calling in from all corners of the country saying how they couldn’t do it without him, about how was too integral to the civil rights effort to take a break. I’m sure he loved it. These sweet nothings whispered in his ear re-ignited his feelings of self-importance and he believed all of it. This, in combination with his own personal love of the limelight, certainly led him back to the national stage. The Machiavelli in me sometimes wonders if his announced intent to reconnect with his family was only him fishing for compliments… and boy did he haul in a great catch.