Posted on 11/29/2012 10:07:58 AM PST by Kaslin
To paraphrase an old saying, Chicago truth is often stranger than political fiction. Two weeks ago on my afternoon show, I teased Andrew Malcolm about Jesse Jackson Jr’s plea bargaining and imminent resignation from Congress, reminding him that Jackson first took office in a special election after former Rep. Mel Reynolds resigned after being charged with having sex with an underaged campaign volunteer. After pointing out that Reynolds tried running in a primary in 2004 to get his seat back from Jackson, I joked that Reynolds now had his shot at returning to Congress.
And, sure enough …
Mel Reynolds, an ex-con convicted of bank fraud and having sex with a 16-year-old girl when he was in his 40s, wants to replace the embattled Jesse Jackson Jr. in Congress.
Standing in front of signs that read “Redemption” Reynolds held a news conference on Wednesday saying he would run in a special election after Jackson resigned in disgrace last week in the midst of a federal investigation.
It was Reynolds who Jackson replaced 17 years ago —in a special election — after Reynolds himself resigned in disgrace after his conviction.
“It’s what you do after the mistakes,” Reynolds said, adding that his crimes were “almost 18, 20 years ago,” and shouldn’t be a life sentence. “I want to serve.”
As a man of faith, I believe in redemption. I also believe in common sense. Reynolds not only ended up with the conviction for his sexual crime, he also got convicted of campaign-finance fraud, which tacked on a few more years to his sentence, which Bill Clinton commuted just before leaving office himself. That’s not to say that Reynolds didn’t learn his lesson — only Reynolds can truly know the answer to that question — but the voters of his district aren’t required to give him his job back, either. If Reynolds wants to “serve,” there are plenty of opportunities to “serve” right in his own community that don’t involve campaign funds and positions of public trust in the political arena.
Mark Brown of the Chicago Sun-Times isn’t too inspired by Reynolds’ version of “redemption,” either. He cites a long history of dishonesty from Reynolds that goes far beyond his convictions, and concludes:
At his press conference, Reynolds said he shouldn’t continue to be punished for his past “mistakes”— a reference to his convictions for having sex with an underage campaign worker and for financial and campaign fraud.
“You know, all of us have fallen short of our dreams in life on occasion, but it is part of the Judeo-Christian spirit to give people the opportunity to show what they can do,” he said. “The most important thing, I believe, for a person when they make mistakes is what they do after they’ve made mistakes.’’
I agree, but Mel Reynolds has had his chances — plenty of them — and hasn’t done anything to earn another shot at the taxpayers’ dime.
Reynolds isn’t claiming redemption; he’s claiming an entitlement. One might expect a man who has been redeemed to have approached the rest of his life with a little more humility.
I’m sure he would have no problem winning it back in such heavily Dem district....the Dems have no shame....Gerry Studds, Barney Frank, Bill Clinton, Ted Kennedy.....their bad boys get high fives when they get in trouble, especially when they beat the rap.
He’ll win in a landslide. Hell, they re-elected Jackson in a landslide, a man they hadn’t seen nor heard from in 8 months, who by all accounts had a mental breakdown and was under federal investigation, and gave his mistress a $60,000 Rolex. Character doesn’t matter in that community when they vote. Only color does.
Definitely a shoo in or a shoe in as the case may be. He has name recognition plus “The Man” tried to take him down.
‘Rats do not care about character.
It is always a matter of Party loyalty.
Democrats get a free pass for whatever they do. If it’s bad enough, they get to rise rapidly in the party ranks.
I'm sorry but giving up their office is not punishment enough. Corruption amongst politicians needs to be attacked with crushing penalties. Violating the public trust by using office to enrich yourself at the expense of the honest citizenry needs to be punished severely. This wink-wink "resign and we'll call it even" stuff only encourages more corruption.
When it’s a democrat, it’s a mistake. A crime is not a crime.
When a normal person is accused of anything, he’s automatically guilty.
Any FR’s helpimg any of these candidates ?
He has street cred.
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