Tuesday, November 13, 2012
The recently re-elected Congressman is reportedly leaving the Mayo Clinic after several weeks, but a spokesperson from the clinic says he doesn’t know where Jackson is.
Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr. has departed from the Mayo clinic, according to the Chicago Tribune. A spokesperson from the clinic reported the information earlier today, but said he’s not sure where Jackson went, reports say. The newly re-elected Congressman has been at Mayo since October. He previously spent several weeks during the summer there, during which he was diagnosed with Bipolar II disorder. All throughout, Jackson has eluded nearly all media outlets. In addition to his illness, Jackson faces a federal investigation for allegedly misusing his campaign funds and is reportedly in plea deal talks that could involve jail time. After nearly six months on a leave of absence from Congress, it’s uncertain what Jackson’s future plans …
Thursday, November 8, 2012
A legal advisor to Jackson may have told the congressman not to resign before the election, according to CBS 2 reports.
A fear of losing federal health insurance may have been the determining factor in Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr.'s decision to remain in office, according to a CBS 2 report. Jackson had been considering resigning from the position before the election, but he and his wife were talked out of the idea by a trusted legal adviser, CBS 2 Chief Correspondent Jay Levine reports. The prospect of losing the health insurance "just when he needed it most" was part of the reason Jackson reconsidered, the legal adviser told Levine. Read more about what Levine learned from Jackson's adviser. Jackson is currently the subject of a criminal investigation regarding his campaign spending and a congressional ethics investigation. Sun-Times columnist Michael …
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
Unofficial results show the 17-year congressman took the race by a wide margin, even without making an appearance in his district since June.
Jesse Jackson Jr. will remain the 2nd District congressman after defeating his opponents in the general election. Jackson took more than 60 percent of the vote, with more than 60 percent of precincts reporting across Will, Cook, and Kankakee counties, as well as the City of Chicago, around 10 p.m. Wednesday. Jackson's Republican opponent Brian Woodworth was frank when it came to discussing the congressman's absence from the campaign trail. “I don’t really have anyone to concede to, do I?" Woodworth said. “From what I can find in my records, I’ve actually performed better than any Republican in the past against Jackson.“ Woodworth did take major leads in Will and Kankakee counties, leading Jackson by more than 10,000 votes in the latter …
Monday, November 5, 2012
A quick run-down of what issues are most important to the candidates.
A lawyer and college professor from Bourbonnais, Woodworth has trailed far behind incumbent Jesse Jackson Jr. in the polls, but has maintained higher numbers than Republicans typically get in the Second District. Woodworth says he is "not a Washington insider." Here are some of his plans for the Second Congressional District, if elected: To learn more about these plans and more, visit Woodworth's campaign Website, Brian Woodworth: Republican for Congress. A longtime postal worker from Matteson, Lewis has been an active voice on Patch for months, responding articles and drawing attention to his campaign. Of all the candidates, Lewis has been the most openly critical of Jackson, most recently accusing him of secretly campaigning through …
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr. has no plans to celebrate on election night
While he has been absent from his congressional district for several months, U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. has somehow found time to vote. Jackson voted absentee and has no plans to hold an election-night event, political consultant Kevin Lampe told the Tribune. The congressman is seeking re-election despite a tumultuous year of federal investigations and time-spent at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota. Jackson has been on medical leave since June 10 and has mostly dodged the public eye all the way through October. Jackson was seen sitting with former Congressman Patrick Kennedy in August and more recently was seen drinking at a bar in Washington D.C. before returning to the Clinic, according to the Tribune. It was reported in August that …
Friday, September 7, 2012
The congressman's chief of staff confirmed Jackson is home with his family.
Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr. is home with his family nearly three months into his medical leave of absence, according to his Chief of Staff. "He's home with his wife and children and he's convalescing," Rick Bryant told the Chicago Tribune Friday. Jackson had been at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota for several weeks and was diagnosed with Bipolar II disorder, according to clinic staff. The U.S. representative's return comes just at the end of a five-week summer recess for Congress, and Bryant said he's hoping Jackson will be back in action as early as Monday. Bryant also said Jackson had made plans to drive from Minnesota to his home in Washington D.C., but did not confirm whether the congressman did so upon checking out of the clinic. Sign…
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
In much the same way we executed the Minutes with the Mayor series on Chicago Heights Patch and Homewood-Flossmoor Patch, we're planning to ask the candidates questions from their potential constituents.
The race for the Illinois Second District Congressional seat is arguably one of the most important races of the year for those of us who live in the district. With Election Day just two months away (sooner for you early voters) it's becoming increasingly important to know more about these candidates and their plans. Incumbent Jesse Jackson Jr. has had a rough year to say the least, and his opponents, Brian Woodworth and Marcus Lewis, are looking to unseat a man who has held the same spot for nearly 18 years. Over the past two months we've heard plenty of comments on Jackson's health, but we have not heard much about the candidates' platforms and plans. What makes these three so different from each other? Are any of them deserving of …
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Jackson's opponent, Marcus Lewis, says his comments on mental disorders were misunderstood.
A candidate in the general election for the Second District Congressional seat said Chicago Heights Patch misinterpreted his comments about incumbent Jesse Jackson Jr. Independent candidate Marcus Lewis recently told Patch the news of Jackson's bipolar disorder diagnosis disqualifies him as a candidate for Congress. In these comments, Lewis seemed to cite an example of how the public would react if it learned the president of the United States had such a disorder, but Lewis claims he was not referring to a president in his example, but rather a candidate for president. "You wrote it wrong," Lewis said. "I was talking about a person running for office, not someone already in office. I was talking about Jackson as a candidate, not as a …
Friday, August 17, 2012
Second District Congressional candidate Marcus Lewis did not bite his tongue when discussing U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr.'s recent behavior.
Does Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr.'s recent bipolar disorder diagnosis make him unfit to serve the Second District? His Independent opponent, Marcus Lewis, said it does. "This man is disqualified," Lewis said in a phone interview Thursday. "If you need medication to keep this in check, then yes, you can live a normal life, but not as a congressman." Lewis likened the situation to if the public found out the president of the United States was suffering from a mood disorder, saying that people would not be OK with being led by someone with such a disorder. "(Jackson) is dealing with worldwide issues, making important decisions," Lewis said. "We can't judge him the same way we would anyone else." Jackson's recent medical leave turned heads, …
Thursday, August 16, 2012
U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr.'s opponent also says he considers political analyst Dick Simpson's election prediction good news.
When is it good news to hear that your election opponent will beat you by a wide margin? When you're Brian Woodworth. The Republican candidate in the 2nd District Congressional election is calling political analyst Dick Simpson's prediction of a Jackson victory relatively good news. "At first they were saying Jackson would beat me with 75 percent of the vote," Woodworth said. "Now they’re saying Jackson will win with 50 to 60 percent of the vote. I’m going to count that as a victory." Woodworth also met the recent news that Jackson suffers from bipolar disorder with a demand. "I think he needs to engage in a public debate," Woodworth said. "I think it’s necessary, I think the voters need to have an opportunity to judge his cognitive …
NotBuyingIt
8:01 pm on Saturday, November 24, 2012
Well Cabbage, that's ONE way of looking at it... more ›