Just How Extreme is the Virginia GOP Slate for 2013? They Are Down Right Insane

In a post this morning this blog noted that the Republican Party nominated the most extreme slate in Virginia history for its 2013 statewide ticket.  Ken Cuccinelli has already shown himself to be a ultra far right  nutcase who seeks to restore the sodomy laws, end all abortions regardless of the circumstances and restrict minority voting rights.  What's frightening is that Cuccinelli - or Kookinelli - may be the sanest of the trio nominated yesterday.  By far the most batshit crazy is Lt. Governor nominee Bishop E. W. Jackson.  The man belongs in an insane asylum and his hatred for gays makes Kookinelli's pale in comparison.  Blue Virginia has compiled some of Jackson's positions:

E.W. Jackson: "Planned Parenthood Has Been Far More Lethal To Black Lives Than The KKK Ever Was." In September 2012, E.W. Jackson posted a video in which he called on the black community to end their "slavish devotion" to the Democratic Party. In the video, he said: "The Democrat Party has created an unholy alliance between certain so-called civil rights leaders and Planned Parenthood, which has killed unborn black babies by the tens of millions. Planned Parenthood has been far more lethal to black lives than the KKK ever was." [Bishop E.W. Jackson Message to Black Christians, 9/8/12]

E.W. Jackson Would "Permanently Defund Planned Parenthood." According to his website, E.W. Jackson said he sought to "permanently defund Planned Parenthood," saying: "It is an act of grave injustice to force citizens to pay for the destruction of unborn babies, whether through state or federal taxes. All funding for abortion and the organizations that provide them must be halted." [Jackson for Lieutenant Governor, accessed 5/18/13].  

E.W. Jackson: Gay People Are "Perverted" And "Very Sick." In October 2012, Right Wing Watch reported about E.W. Jackson's appearance on a radio show with Peter LaBarbera and John Kirkwood. Jackson said about gays and lesbians: "Their minds are perverted, they're frankly very sick people psychologically, mentally and emotionally and they see everything through the lens of homosexuality. When they talk about love they're not talking about love, they're talking about homosexual sex. So they can't see clearly." [Right Wing Watch, 10/25/12]

 E.W. Jackson: Homosexuality "Destroys Families, It Destroys Societies; It Brings The Judgment Of God." In October 2012, Right Wing Watch reported about E.W. Jackson's appearance on a radio show with Peter LaBarbera and John Kirkwood. Jackson said: "Homosexuality is a horrible sin, it poisons culture, it destroys families, it destroys societies; it brings the judgment of God unlike very few things that we can think of." [Right Wing Watch, 10/25/12] E.W. Jackson: Homosexuality Tries To "Poison" And "Sexualize" Children. In October 2012, Right Wing Watch reported about E.W. Jackson's appearance on a radio show with Peter LaBarbera and John Kirkwood. Jackson said of homosexuality: "Look, it also attempts to poison our children, divide them from their parents and the teaching of the church and basically turn them into pawns for that movement so that they can sexualize them at the earliest possible age. It really is insidious and I agree with you, it is a super sin." [Right Wing Watch, 10/25/12]

E.W. Jackson: Gays And Lesbians "Want To Destroy" Culture; Said They Were Forcing Christians To Change Their Beliefs. In October 2012, Right Wing Watch reported about E.W. Jackson's appearance on a radio show with Peter LaBarbera and John Kirkwood. Jackson said of homosexuality: "They've got to transform the culture in order to make their lifestyles fully acceptable to everyone. I used two words to describe what they're trying to do: authoritarian and totalitarian, and I believe that. I believe that they are of a mindset that says we want to destroy in any way we need to anyone who dares oppose this agenda, that's a very, very dangerous approach.

One can only wonder what sane Republicans to the extent there are any left will think when they realize just how insane and how extreme Jackson is in his views and beliefs. 

Meanwhile, Attorney General nominee  Mark Obenshain is less obsessed with gay hating than Jackson, but he ought to terrify every woman in Virginia.  Here are highlights of two of Obenshain's postions:

Obenshain Co-Patroned "Personhood" Bill With Cuccinelli. Obenshain has repeatedly supported "personhood" legislation that would outlaw all abortion and many common forms of birth control. [HB2797, 2007; HB1, 2/23/12]

Obenshain Introduced Bill Requiring Women to Report Miscarriages to the Police
In 2009, Sen. Mark Obenshain introduced legislation that would require women to report miscarriages to the police within 24 hours or face a Class 1 misdemeanor. According to the Virginia Legislative Information System, the bill "Requires that when a fetal death occurs without medical attendance upon the mother at or after the delivery or abortion, the mother or someone acting on her behalf, within 24 hours, report the fetal death, location of the remains, and identity of the mother to the local or state police or sheriff's department of the city or county where the fetal death occurred. The bill also specifies that no one shall remove, destroy, or otherwise dispose of any remains without the express authorization of law-enforcement officials or the medical examiner, and that a violation of this section is a Class 1 misdemeanor." [SB 962, 2009]

Obenshain Co-sponsored Restrictive Voter ID Bill. In 2013 Obenshain sponsored a bill requiring photo identification. Acceptable forms of ID include a government-issued photo ID that includes their address, a photo ID from a Virginia college or university, or a workplace ID featuring a photo.  Regular Voter ID cards would not be sufficient.

Too many Virginians have refused in the past to understand that the Republican Party that they or their parents grew up is dead and gone.  It has been replaced by a party controlled first and foremost by Christian extremists and those who would trample on the rights of other citizens.  The party of logic and reason and small government is dead.  Today's GOP wants to micro manage everyone's sex life and inflict extreme religious beliefs on all citizens.

 

The True Ugly Face of Religion

Yesterday we saw Islamic barbarism in London.  Last weekend we saw what was likely the result of Christofascist barbarism when a gay man was shot to death in New York City's West Village.   Clerics of both religions preach hate and violence.  Muslim leaders in the United Kingdom are thankfully speaking out against yesterday's barbaric murder in London.  But here in America hate merchants like E.W. Jackson, Republican nominee for Lt. Governor refuses to apologize for his extremist rhetoric.  Sadly, few Christian leaders have denounced Jackson.  The bigger question for adherents of both religions is what will they do beside talk?  Will they confront jihadists and extremists like Jackson?  Will they go on an offensive against their foul co-coreligionists?  Or will they act like the "good Germans"  and after perhaps a few words yield the field to the hate merchants?  My money is unfortunately on the latter.  It's a cynical view, but realistic when one looks at the fruits of both Christianity and Islam over the centuries: wars of religin, endless bloodshed, hatred and persecution of others.  Yesterday's murder victim is just the latest death in the countless millions who have died because of hate based religious belief.    Andrew Sullivan summarizes yesterday's horror in London:

The monster who paraded around on the street after hacking a soldier to pieces is chilling in many ways. But everything points to a religious act of terror, motivated by the same Jihadist rage that captured the Tsarnaev brothers. For these men, “our land” is not Britain; it is the land of Islam in their minds.  .  .  .  .   this was a religious sacrificial murder, authorized by God in the eyes of the killers.

Sadly, Andrew fails to acknowledge that hatred is not unique to Islam.  Here in Virginia the GOP has just nominated a trio of hate merchants motivated by religious fervor.  The face of E. W. Jackson below is different from the London murderers only by degree.  In both instances, the poison of religion is what powers the hatred and language that fuels violence.  Huffington Post looks at Jackson's refusal to rescind and of his awful statements:

The Virginia Republican Party took a post-convention victory lap on Tuesday in a parking lot outside gubernatorial candidate Ken Cuccinelli's headquarters. While the gatherers had come to propel the top of the ticket to a November victory, it was Cuccinelli's newly minted sidekick who stole the show. 

Jackson made no attempt to soften the edges on Tuesday, despite whispers from Virginia Republicans that his selection may doom Cuccinelli's chances. Instead, Jackson charged forward with gusto.

"I don't have anything to rephrase or to apologize for," Jackson told reporters. 

For those new to the blog, here are a few of the statements that Jackson feels no need to apologize for:

E.W. Jackson: Gay People Are "Perverted" And "Very Sick." In October 2012, Right Wing Watch reported about E.W. Jackson's appearance on a radio show with Peter LaBarbera and John Kirkwood. Jackson said about gays and lesbians: "Their minds are perverted, they're frankly very sick people psychologically, mentally and emotionally and they see everything through the lens of homosexuality. When they talk about love they're not talking about love, they're talking about homosexual sex. So they can't see clearly." [Right Wing Watch, 10/25/12]

 E.W. Jackson: Homosexuality "Destroys Families, It Destroys Societies; It Brings The Judgment Of God." In October 2012, Right Wing Watch reported about E.W. Jackson's appearance on a radio show with Peter LaBarbera and John Kirkwood. Jackson said: "Homosexuality is a horrible sin, it poisons culture, it destroys families, it destroys societies; it brings the judgment of God unlike very few things that we can think of." [Right Wing Watch, 10/25/12] E.W. Jackson: Homosexuality Tries To "Poison" And "Sexualize" Children. In October 2012, Right Wing Watch reported about E.W. Jackson's appearance on a radio show with Peter LaBarbera and John Kirkwood. Jackson said of homosexuality: "Look, it also attempts to poison our children, divide them from their parents and the teaching of the church and basically turn them into pawns for that movement so that they can sexualize them at the earliest possible age. It really is insidious and I agree with you, it is a super sin." [Right Wing Watch, 10/25/12]

E.W. Jackson: Gays And Lesbians "Want To Destroy" Culture; Said They Were Forcing Christians To Change Their Beliefs. In October 2012, Right Wing Watch reported about E.W. Jackson's appearance on a radio show with Peter LaBarbera and John Kirkwood. Jackson said of homosexuality: "They've got to transform the culture in order to make their lifestyles fully acceptable to everyone. I used two words to describe what they're trying to do: authoritarian and totalitarian, and I believe that. I believe that they are of a mindset that says we want to destroy in any way we need to anyone who dares oppose this agenda, that's a very, very dangerous approach.

Will there be some that take this rhetoric to heart and act?  Words can and do have consequences.

 

Restarining Order Issued Against E.W. Jackson For Alleged Murder Threat

"Bishop" Jackson - certifiable loon?

In a brief editorial the Richmond Times Dispatch - one of the most conservative newspapers in Virginia - basically said that "Bishop" E.W. Jackson was a religious extremist and unfit for office.  And that was before Politico published its bombshell that in 2006 a court issued a restraining order after Jackson threatened to murder his daughter's roommate.  That's right, the bogus "bishop" threatened to kill someone.  Jackson is the quintessential dream candidate of The Family Foundation - which ought to speak volumes as to why (i) candidates should never be selected via a state convention rather than a primary, and (ii) the Christofascists need to be driven from the Republican Party.  Here are highlights from Politico:

E.W. Jackson, the Republican candidate for lieutenant governor of Virginia, was accused in 2006 of threatening the life of his daughter’s roommate, according to a Belmont, Mass., police report and a separate temporary restraining order filed in Middlesex County Court.

Those two documents, shared with POLITICO by a source opposed to Jackson’s election, detail the surprise GOP nominee’s involvement in an explosive personal feud involving his daughter and two other women. The roommate took out restraining orders against both E.W. Jackson and a third party . . .

The incident is the latest twist in a candidacy that’s been highly unorthodox from the start, and highlights the minimal scrutiny Jackson received before the state party’s stunning vote to nominate him last spring for lieutenant governor.

A candidate who had been taken more seriously during the primary would likely have had to address his past involvement in such a sensational legal episode prior to winning the nomination. Jackson, a fiery conservative preacher known for his incendiary rhetoric, electrified delegates at the state convention and snatched the nomination from several better-known candidates.

On April 10, four short-term restraining orders were issued by civil courts in Middlesex County and Malden, Mass. The Middlesex County Superior Court granted a temporary restraining order against Jackson and a third party to Jackson’s daughter’s roommate, to be adjudicated at a later date. The dueling restraining order requests mirror each other in some respects, featuring alleged threats of violence and invasions of privacy in multiple directions.

The issue of the restraining order isn't the only reason why Jackson is unfit for office.  Here's a quote from the Richmond Times Dispatch editorial:

E.W. Jackson, the Republican nominee for lieutenant governor, says humans who do not accept Jesus follow “some sort of false religion.” Many Christians probably agree with him. Many believers of other faiths apply a comparable standard to their religion, too.

Although Jackson spoke in a church, his words were inappropriate for a political candidate seeking a secular office. He is not running for bishop. Even if he were, his attitudes would attract opposition from co-religionists.

Of course, Jackson did not run for bishop.  He set up his own motley church and gave himself the title of "bishop."

Terry McAuliffe Condemns Anti-Gay Rhetoric of Ken Cuccinelli and E. W. Jackson

As Blue Virginia is reporting, Terry McAuliffe, Democrat gubernatorial nominee apparent has condemned the extreme anti-gay statements of both his opponent, Ken "Kookinelli' Cuccinelli and the truly mentally disturbed GOP candidate for Lt. Governor, E. W. Jackson.  As previously noted, until nominated by The Family Foundation and other theocratic types   the Virginia GOP at the Republican convention last weekend, Jackson was best known for providing a black face for anti-gay hate groups  such as FRC and NOM.  In the U. S. Senate priamry last year, Jackson garnered only 5% of the primary vote.   Here are highlights from Blue Virginia:

Terry McAuliffe's campaign denounced the extreme anti-gay rhetoric of Ken Cuccinelli and E.W. Jackson on Wednesday, saying the attacks “do not represent Virginia values and have no place in political discourse.” The statement is in response to numerous anti-gay comments by Republican gubernatorial candidate Ken Cuccinelli and newly-nominated Lieutenant Governor candidate E.W. Jackson, such as Cuccinelli's remark that the "homosexual agenda" brings "nothing but self-destruction, not only physically but of their soul.

McAuliffe spokesman Josh Schwerin stated, “While we can have earnest disagreements about public policy issues, the manner in which Ken Cuccinelli and E.W. Jackson have demonized fellow Virginians who happen to be gay is divisive, dangerous and is damaging to the Commonwealth.”

Schwerin added, “While Terry McAuliffe is focused on important issues like growing Virginia’s economy and creating jobs, Ken Cuccinelli and E.W. Jackson have focused much of their careers on waging divisive, social battles, that will alienate mainstream Virginians, and deter families and businesses from locating in the Commonwealth."
The statements from Cuccinelli and Jackson have drawn heavy scrutiny from across the political spectrum, including Republican Lieutenant Governor Bill Bolling, who said Jackson’s anti-gay statements were “indefensible.”

The piece also has a summary of the anti-gay venom and hate previously spewed by Kookinelli and Jackson.   If Democrats - e.g. women, gays, blacks and rational people do not turn out in November, I shudder to contemplate what these hate filled three stooges might do to Virginia.

In Leaked Audio, Cuccinelli Affirms Support For E.W. Jackson

Homeschool Tele-Townhall from Jack Hertzfedlt on Vimeo.

E.W. Jackson has to be one of the most insane and delusional nominees for statewide office in Virginia's history.  One would think that anyone who hopes to come across as rational and of sound mind would be running screaming away from Jackson.  But not Ken Cuccinelli, the GOP's gubernatorial nominee.  In a leaked audio, Cuccinelli has affirmed his support for Jackson.  This event confirms what I have long maintained: Cuccinelli is a crazy and as much of a religious extremist as Jackson who clearly wants a theocracy.  Talking Points Memo looks at Cuccinelli's lapse in what he thought was a private conference call with home school extremists.  Here are highlights:

Ken Cuccinelli, the attorney general and Republican nominee for governor in Virginia, told supporters recently they should have no question about his support for E.W. Jackson, the GOP's polarizing nominee for lieutenant governor in that state.

Cuccinelli made his comments over the weekend in private conference call with a group called Homeschoolers for Ken after a woman asked why he hadn't "linked up" with Jackson or made a formal endorsement. TPM obtained audio of that call.

"I am calling to find out why so far you have not linked up with E.W. Jackson for lieutenant governor. I'm really excited about him," the woman said. "I'm very encouraged by his pro-life stance. I feel like the two of you are on the same page and I'm wildly excited that you could both be elected, but I'm not sure what will happen if you don't endorse him and I just want to know why there hasn't been a linkup."

Cuccinelli responded by disputing the notion there was any split between him and Jackson, and promising they will spend more time campaigning together in the final weeks of the election.

Of course I'm supporting both Mark and E.W.," Cuccinelli said. "I don't think there's ever been any question about that. And there shouldn't be on this call."

Cuccinelli previously made attempts to distance himself from Jackson, including during a radio interview in June where he said he "absolutely" wants to be judged separately from Jackson and added, "E.W.’s going to have to introduce himself individually to the rest of Virginia.

Since winning the lieutenant governor nomination in May, Jackson has made negative, national headlines for past statements criticizing gays, accusing President Barack Obama of harboring “Muslim sensibilities,” comparing Planned Parenthood to the KKK, praising the Constitution's original clause to count blacks as three-fifths of a person, and for his efforts in the late 1980's to fight desegregation in Boston.

Listen to the audio of the conference call below, which was posted on Vimeo under an account using the name "Jack Hertzfedlt." Cuccinelli begins discussing his support for Jackson at about 26:50.

Virulently Anti-Gay E. W. Jackson Continues to Rile False Moderates in Virginia GOP

Make no mistake about it.  E.W. Jackson, Ken Cuccinelli and Mark Obenshain are all extremists and were nominated as the GOP ticket for 2013 because of the religious extremists who now control the grass roots of the Republican Party of Virginia.   Leading this effort is the insidious organization known as The Family Foundation whose membership ranks are comprised of homophobes, Christian dominionists, theocrats and white supremacists.  Jackson secured the Lt. Governor nomination because the religious fanatics out number the white supremacist element.  Now, Republicans are falling all over themselves to distance themselves from Jackson who holds their views but has learned that some tings aren't openly said except behind closed doors when the media isn't present.  Earlier in the week 2nd District Congressman Scott Rigell stated that he would not endorse Jackson feigning that Jackson's anti-gay views are "too extreme."  This from the man who was personally endorsed by anti-gay hate group founder Lou Sheldon.  Entertainingly, Jackson is now challenging Rigell and in the process will hopefully force the media to focus on Rigell's own anti-gay agenda.  Here are highlights from the Virginian Pilot:

E.W. Jackson, the Republican nominee for lieutenant governor, said Wednesday that he's disappointed U.S. Rep. Scott Rigell refuses to endorse him because of strong anti-gay comments, but the Chesapeake minister said he's not backing off his past statements.

Jackson, who said he's tried to contact Rigell, said his speeches and pronouncements about the evils of homosexuality should be seen as a preacher talking about what he believes the Bible says - not a political candidate's views on how he would govern.

Jackson, who has repeatedly spoken out against homosexuality, has called gay individuals "frankly very sick people psychologically, mentally and emotionally."

In a broadcast last fall, he referred to homosexuality as a "horrible sin" that poisons society, destroys families and "brings the judgment of God unlike very few things that we can think of."

Rigell, a Virginia Beach Republican, said earlier this week that he would not endorse or campaign for Jackson because he disagrees with what he considers the candidate's strident statements about gay people.  However, Rigell tempered his objections late Tuesday, saying that while he won't campaign for Jackson, he will vote for him in November. The congressman did not offer further explanation.

Contending that Republicans could lose if they don't support all their candidates, Jackson said he's trying to get in touch with Rigell and also wants the backing of U.S. Rep. Randy Forbes, R-Chesapeake, who hasn't said whether he'll endorse the minister.

Both congressmen have stated their support for Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, the GOP candidate for governor. Cuccinelli and Jackson were selected May 18 at the GOP state convention in Richmond.

If he is elected lieutenant governor - which could make him the tie-breaking vote in a split state Senate - Jackson agreed that his views about gay people could come into play.

The hypocrisy of Rigell and Forbes is that Ken Cuccinelli is equally anti-gay and anti-abortion as Jackson.  He is only somewhat more discreet than Jackson to whom the concept of discretion is an unknown phenomenon.  Jackson may say it, but Cuccinelli believes it and will act on his anti-gay agenda if elected Governor.  Personally, I hope Jackson continues to run his mouth and force Virginia Republicans to take positions on social issues.  The public needs to understand just how extreme today's GOP has become.

Extremist E.W. Jackson to Run for U.S. Senate from Virginia

Next year's Republican primary for the GOP nomination to run against Senator Tim Kaine is shaping up to be one of crazy versus crazy.  Failed GOP gubernatorial candidate Corey Stewart has already said that he will be running - most likely on a neo-Confederate agenda - and now self-proclaimed "bishop" E. W. Jackson is reported to be preparing for a run for the GOP nomination as well, in Jackson's case most likely as a Christian Taliban candidate.  The lunacy will no doubt be off the charts, but such is the nature of today's Republican Party of Virginia that sane and normal individuals are simply not welcome.  We last saw Stewart when he nearly defeated Ed Gillespie in the 2017 GOP gubernatorial primary.  Jackson, of course, lost resoundingly to Ralph Northam in the 2013 Lt. Governor contest.  Tim Kaine must be smiling if this is the best the GOP can field against him.  A piece in the Washington Post looks at Jackson's insanity/ego driven announcement.  As for Jerry Falwell, Jr.'s, remarks, if there is a swamp that needs draining, part of it is located in Lynchburg and goes by the name of Liberty University.  Here are article highlights:

E.W. Jackson, a firebrand minister who says yoga leads to Satan and gay people are ill, plans to announce he is seeking the Republican nomination to challenge U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) next year, according to Jackson’s finance director.

Jackson will announce his candidacy on Dec. 11 in the Chesapeake area, said Steven Thomas, who said he is raising money for Jackson’s campaign and filled the same role during Jackson’s 2013 losing bid for lieutenant governor.  A website registered to Jackson was updated Tuesday and announces “EW Jackson for U.S. Senate.”

Jackson has a history of controversial comments from calling gay and lesbian individuals “very sick people” to suggesting the practice of yoga invites Satan to possess one’s soul.

He will face Corey Stewart, the bombastic Republican official from Prince William County who ran for the GOP nomination for governor earlier this year in the mold of President Trump. Several other Republicans are weighing whether to jump into the race.

The Senate field is expected to solidify this weekend when Virginia Republicans gather for their largest annual event — dubbed the Advance — at an Allegheny Mountain resort in western Virginia.

In an interview on WAMU radio last week, Virginia GOP Chairman John Whitbeck said the party will remain neutral, but noted, “It’s not going to be just Corey Stewart in this race by himself.”

Stewart, who declared in July, on Tuesday announced the endorsement of Jerry Falwell Jr., the influential head of Liberty University and ally of President Trump. . . .  Trump needs Stewart “in the U.S. Senate to help clean up the swamp in Washington,” Falwell said.

In response to the endorsement, Stewart said,“Virginia’s awakening is happening, and Mr. Falwell’s endorsement is proof positive conservative Republicans will take back Virginia.”

In addition to Stewart, the only other candidate who filed federal paperwork to run as of Tuesday is Ivan Raiklin, an Army veteran who recently jogged an average of 22 miles a day to bring awareness to suicide among veterans and to kick off his campaign.

Republicans turned off by Stewart’s approach are looking to another candidate, Del. Nick Freitas (Culpeper), who said Tuesday he is considering a run for the nomination.

The two-term state lawmaker is former head of the Culpeper County GOP and moved to Virginia in 2009. He served in the Army special forces as a Green Beret and is currently a defense contractor.

John Norton Moore, an international law expert who has taught at University of Virginia School of Law on and off for a half century, is also considering a run, he said in an interview Monday.

Freitas, Moore, Raiklin and Stewart will host small parties in hotel suites at the GOP retreat, a sign to party activists that they are interested in running for public office.

GOP Establishment Avoids "Bishop" E. W. Jackson

Many in the reality free GOP base always whine that if the Republican Party would just nominate sufficiently conservative candidates, the GOP would roll on to unprecedented victory.   Well, these folks got their wish when the Virginia GOP - well, actually a coven of extremists orchestrated by the Christofascists at The Family Foundation - nominated Ken "Kookinelli" Cuccinelli, "Bishop" E. W. Jackson, and Mark "Mr. Miscarriage Law" Obenshain for the party's statewide ticket.   And the polls are showing this "dream ticket" significantly down in the polls.  Faring worse of all is "Bishop" Jackson who the few sane Republicans in Virginia view as radioactive with good reason.  For his part Jackson views those not qualified for a forced commitment in a mental institution with equal disdain.  Here are highlights from a Washington Post article on the latest on "Bishop" Jackson:

Virginia Republicans have been keeping their distance from E.W. Jackson ever since the fiery minister, who has compared Planned Parenthood to the Klan and linked yoga to Satan, won the GOP nomination for lieutenant governor.  Turns out the feeling was mutual.

The Chesapeake pastor has rebuffed the party’s suggestion that he tone down his rhetoric and steer clear of hot-button issues — much to the delight of his grassroots supporters, the frustration of some GOP loyalists and the surprise of almost no one.

More unexpectedly, Jackson has refused the party’s nuts-and-bolts logistical help, choosing not to tap into resources that include the GOP’s trove of voter data and more than 40 field offices around the state, according to four Republican operatives.

While the top of the ticket mostly talks jobs, Jackson has pushed his “liberty agenda,” which calls for limiting the federal government’s reach, promoting gun rights, and resisting “Obamacare.” And as he rejects the party’s messaging and logistical aid, some Republicans fear that he could not only handicap his own prospects but hurt the GOP nominee for governor . . . . 


Jackson’s continued outspokenness — last month he called the Democratic Party the “anti-God party” for supporting abortion rights and gay marriage — could reflect on the whole Republican ticket and turn swing voters away, the GOP strategists said.

At the same time, Jackson’s decision to pass up basic ground-game help could discourage the Republicans’ tea party wing . . . . If the party base sees Jackson struggling and concludes the GOP establishment snubbed him rather than the other way around, it might not turn out in droves for Cuccinelli, . . . 

Said another strategist: “There’s a very strong anti-establishment vein in this. They are laying the groundwork actively to blame somebody else — the establishment — for losing.”

Some of Jackson’s grassroots supporters applaud his decision to resist the party’s attempt to shape his messaging — or muzzle him, as they see it. “This election, November 2013, is Armageddon for social conservatives in Virginia. If we don’t win . . . we could become the next California on marriage,” said Steve Waters, a Richmond-based political consultant who has done work for Jackson. “And I think E.W. will talk to that, and has talked to that.

“Instead of working with the party and doing a little bit of trust-and-verify, they’re going their own way.”

One can only hope that "Bishop" Jackson - I use quotation marks on bishop since Jackson set up his own small church and gave himself the title - goes down to a truly historic defeat.  The man is crazy.  And the GOP can thank The Family Foundation for the fact that he's the Lt. Governor nominee. 

Virginia GOP Congressman Scott Rigell Won't Endorse E. W. Jackson

Scott Rigell on left; E.W. Jackson on right

Ken Cuccinelli isn't the only Virginia Republican trying to disingenuously distance himself from the utterly insane, gay hating E.W. Jackson, the Virginia GOP's nominee for Lt. Governor.  Now Congressman Scott Rigell, who won re-election in Virginia's 2nd congressional district in 2012 largely to gerrymandering, is saying that he will not be endorsing Jackson for Lt. Governor.   Rigell - who helped lead the breakup of an Episcopal Church parish over the ordination of gays and who was personally endorsed by anti-gay hate group founder Lou Sheldon - claims that Jackson's anti-gay rhetoric is too extreme and offensive.  Yet meanwhile, Rigell says he will be endorsing Ken "Kookinelli" Cuccinelli who holds basically the same anti-gay views as Jackson and who has even tried to uphold Virginia's sodomy statute not withstanding the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Lawrence v. Texas.  Is Rigell an idiot, or does he merely think that Virginia voters are idiots who can be easily fooled?  Here are highlights from the Virginian Pilot on Rigell's impossibly inconsistent position:

U.S. Rep. Scott Rigell, who has long espoused conservative views on social and fiscal issues, said this week that some members of his party are becoming too extreme and interfering with solving larger problems.

To that end, the Virginia Beach Republican said he won’t endorse his party’s lieutenant governor candidate, E.W. Jackson, in the November election because of comments Jackson has made about homosexuals.

Rigell, who opposes gay marriage but not civil unions for same-sex couples, indicated during a meeting with The Virginian-Pilot editorial board that Jackson’s anti-gay comments were unacceptable to him.

In the Virginia statewide election, Rigell said he supports the GOP candidate for governor, Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, but won’t campaign for Jackson.

“His views with respect to the gay and lesbian community and homosexuality in general are not my own. I’m going to leave it at that,” Rigell said Monday. “What he said and, indeed, how he said it. All of it.”  The congressman said he did not want to elaborate on his objections.

Rigell was a cosponsor of legislation in 2011 urging President Barack Obama to uphold the federal Defense of Marriage Act . . .

[Jackson] has called gay individuals “frankly very sick people psychologically, mentally and emotionally.”  “Homosexuality is a horrible sin, it poisons culture, it destroys families, it destroys societies; it brings the judgment of God unlike very few things that we can think of,” Jackson said in an October 2012 broadcast interview with an anti-gay activist.

Rigell said he’s also more convinced – particularly after the recent state party convention – that not enough astute people are running for office.    “I am just seeing this disconnect,” he said. “We need high quality candidates across the commonwealth and across the country to set aside their personal life and have a season of public service.”

The last remark is ironic since it is the GOP base comprised of Christofascists and Tea Party cretins who are putting this lunatics on the ballot in the first place.   As might be expected, some of the spittle fleck Neanderthals of the local GOP base are not happy with Mr. Rigell based on their comments on the story. 

TownHall.com: E.W. Jackson All Wrong for Virginia GOP

Virginia GOP's triumvirate of bigotry and insanity

I have to say that there is some definite entertainment value in seeing even far right crazies jump on the band wagon of decrying the nomination of E.W. Jackson as the Virginia GOP's candidate for Lt. Governor.   What's telling of course, is that GOP gubernatorial candidate Ken Cuccinelli is just as nuts as Jackson, albeit more discrete as to when and where he lets loose his verbal batshirtery.  Now TownHall.com - not exactly a rational site in most instances, although not as utterly insane as World Net Daily, a/k/a Wing Nut Daily - has joined in the Jackson bashing and lamentation that Jackson may drag down Cuccinelli and the likewise insane Mark Obenshain.  Here are excerpts from the anti-Jackson piece:

Any conservative, who thinks E.W. Jackson winning Virginia's 2013 Republican Lieutenant Governor nomination is a good thing, needs to have his or her head examined. A former marine, lawyer and minister, Jackson has made incendiary remarks in the past about gays, blacks and Democrats and yet refuses to retract anything he has said.

This “firebrand” won’t help the Republican ticket of Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli for Governor and Mark Obenshain for Attorney General in a state that has become more purple than red and in which the race for governor remains rancorous and tight. Jackson referred to gays and lesbians as “sick” and “perverted” people and compared homosexuality to pedophilia. Defending traditional marriage is one thing; encouraging hate is another.

Jackson assailed Democrats for being “anti-God” and said Planned Parenthood “has been far, far more lethal to black lives than the KKK ever was.”

Jackson’s excuse for his offensive comments was he made them as pastor of Exodus Faith Ministries, the church he founded but now as a candidate he vowed only to about jobs and the economy. But Jackson is still the same person. As a native Virginian, born and raised in Richmond, I know something’s wrong when the Richmond Times-Dispatch, one of the most conservative paper’s in the country, is daily deriding Jackson as a right-wing nut. 

For conservatives who need their memories jogged, after decades of Virginia voting Republican in presidential elections, President Obama won Virginia in 2008 and again in 2012. Mitt Romney lost because he lost the minority vote to Obama. Looking at these results, not to mention Tim Kaine’s victory over George Allen in Virginia’ 2012 Senate race, one would think Republicans in the state would learn their lesson and nominate candidates that would attract -- and not repel -- more voters.

As political analyst Larry Sabato said: “Cuccinelli brought this problem on himself.” Cuccinelli successfully got the Virginia GOP to change the nomination rules from a primary to convention format to ensure his victory over Lt. Governor Bill Bolling for the gubernatorial nomination before Bolling decided not to run.

Aside from the Jackson fiasco, I have read precious little about Cuccinelli taking his message beyond Virginia’s white electorate. With polls showing an exceedingly close race between Cuccinelli and Democrat Terry McAuliffe, every color vote will count in Virginia. Have Virginia Republicans learned any new tricks? If Jackson is the best they’ve got, then the GOP is more doomed than I thought.

The column author - a black woman - is 100% correct.  There is bound to be much more fun between now and November.

Ken Cuccinelli and E. W. Jackson -"In Agreement on Issues"

While Ken "Kookinelli" Cuccinelli is busy lying to the Washington Post that he's not talking about social issues when reporters are out of view, E.W. Jackson is running his mouth and stating that he and Cuccinelli are in agreement on the issues.  Anyone who has even remotely followed Jackson's remarks so far knows Jackson is all about social issues 100% of the time whether it be ranting against abortions, gays and other aspects of the Christofascist agenda.   A piece in Politico looks at Jackson's statements that underscore Cuccinelli's efforts to hide his extreme agenda.  Here are highlights:

E.W. Jackson, the GOP lieutenant governor candidate in Virginia who’s made headlines since his selection earlier this month, said in a radio interview Friday that he and gubernatorial candidate Ken Cuccinelli see eye-to-eye on the issues.

“Look, we are in fundamental agreement,” Jackson said, when asked on the radio station WMAL whether he and Cuccinelli would “run as a pair.” “I’ve heard that this ticket is probably more homogeneous than almost any ticket in the history of Virginia, so there’s no stark disagreement between us.”

Jackson, the pastor and lawyer chosen for the nomination by delegates at the Virginia GOP convention in mid-May, quickly came under fire for controversial comments he’d made on race, gay issues and abortion. Democrats have used his nomination as a way to bring the GOP candidates’ positions on social issues to the forefront in the campaign.

Cuccinelli has worked to put some daylight between himself and Jackson since Jackson was chosen for the GOP ticket. Following the revelations about Jackson’s past statements, Cuccinelli said he would not defend his running mate’s remarks and that voters should evaluate each candidate “on an individual basis.”

Cuccinelli and Jackson are both dream candidates from the prospective of The Family Foundation, a virulently anti-gay Christofascist organization which now all but runs the Virginia GOP.   Cuccinelli may be trying to play it coy, but he is just as extreme as Jackson and a real threat to the civil liberties of gays, women and minorities.   Thank you Mr. Jackson for blowing Cuccinelli's efforts at a stealth campaign to fool Virginia voters.

E.W. Jackson says Cuccinelli Suggested He Run

It is almost becoming comical to watch the utterly insane "Bishop: E. W. Jackson being a constant bur in Ken "Kookinelli" Cuccinelli's back side.  Kookinelli is trying desperately to run away from the social issues that motivate the Virginia GOP base - and which Kookinelli swore fealty to in order to secure his nomination and backing of The Family Foundation - and at every turn it seems he runs into Jackson who is like a huge flashing neon light on social issues.  Now Jackson is saying that Kookinelli urged him to run for the Lt. Governor nomination.  The Washington Post looks at Kookinelli's latest effort to dance away from the totally untethered from reality Jackson.  Here are excerpts:

E.W. Jackson, the Republicans’ choice for lieutenant governor, said Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli II helped plant the seed for his candidacy for Virginia’s second-highest office.

Jackson said he met with Cuccinelli (R) in 2010, when the Chesapeake minister was running for the U.S. Senate. During a brief conversation at a hotel in Suffolk, Jackson said, Cuccinelli suggested that he consider a run for lieutenant governor.

“He said essentially: I think you’d make a good candidate for lieutenant governor. Have you thought about it?” said Jackson, recalling that Cuccinelli had not yet decided to run for governor. “I do remember him suggesting that if it worked out . . . he would be proud to have me as a running mate.”

Cuccinelli’s campaign acknowledged that the men met three years ago, but spokeswoman Anna Nix challenged Jackson’s recollection.

Democrats and others have since focused on Jackson, calling some of his past comments on gays and abortion “extreme.” Cuccinelli, who is running against Democrat Terry McAuliffe, and Obenshain have distanced themselves from Jackson’s remarks, referring reporters to the minister when asked about his past statements.

It was his message of limited government and of gun and property rights, his opposition to abortion and support for traditional marriage that not only secured Jackson’s spot on the ballot but also energized conservative Republicans in the state.

On Twitter, Jackson has called the federal health-care law “slavery-care,” questioned whether Obama’s Middle East policy is anti-Semitic and criticized the president’s support of gay marriage.  During the interview, he initially denied the “slavery-care” tweet. But when presented with a copy of it, he said that he didn’t remember writing it but that he could have.

The Insanity of the Virginia GOP Slate Speaks Volumes

For years now I have been arguing that the Republican Party - especially here in Virginia - has been taken over by far right religious extremists.  Why?  Because I saw it when it first began in earnest years ago and the insanity and refusal to separate religion from the civil laws caused me to resign from the GOP.  I could not remain in a political party that sought and continues to seek to destroy the separation of church and state and impose a fear and hate based religious dogma on all citizens.   With last weeks nomination of Ken Cuccinelli, E. W. Jackson and Mark Obenshain, the Christofascist take over of the Republican Party of Virginia is complete.  The Family Foundation ("TFF") finally fully controls the levers of power in the Virginia GOP.  Sane and rational Virginians ought to be terrified.  These are NOT nice people.  They have an agenda that is anti-democracy and anti-constitutional rights for all citizens.  E.W. Jackson in particular is the perfect candidate from the perspective of the "world view" of the folks at TFF.  An article in the Washington Post looks at the GOP's extremism and what it may mean in the coming election.  Here are highlights:

As midnight approached on the eve of the Republican convention in Virginia, party loyalists were tipping beers and listening to country music at a rollicking fete hosted by Pete Snyder, a front-runner for the nomination for lieutenant governor.

Down the hall at the Marriott in Richmond, a minister also running for Virginia’s second-highest office, E.W. Jackson, was lingering at his own party, where a Bible and a cross were displayed at the entrance. The ballroom was largely empty. If the excitement at Snyder’s gathering suggested momentum, the quiet at Jackson’s spelled a looming return to obscurity. 

Twenty-four hours later, after delivering a thunderous speech that seized the convention, Jackson was the Republican nominee and the party’s first black candidate for statewide office since 1988. 

Jackson’s words — sometimes eloquent, sometimes raw, often impassioned — are causing anxiety for many Republicans as the resurfacing of his past statements about homosexuality and abortion have threatened to disrupt the campaign. 

Instead of promoting their new ticket, Republicans have answered for Jackson’s once calling gays “perverted” and “sick” and saying Planned Parenthood has been “far more lethal” to blacks “than the KKK.” 

“The Republicans I’m talking to are saying, ‘What the hell are they doing in Virginia?’ ” said Michael Steele, former chairman of the Republican National Committee. “Is this, ‘101 ways to lose an election’? You’re coming out of the gate with comments everyone has to explain. You’re wasting a lot of time and energy batting that back when you should be doing other things to get the guy known.”

Although unknown to many Republicans, Jackson in recent years has built a following among the most activist of Virginia’s conservatives, many of whom were delegates at the convention. But Republicans are now concerned, Steele said, that Jackson will turn off the party’s own voters. “You can’t have a situation where Republicans say, ‘You know what? I can’t have this’ and they stay home or vote for the other guy,” he said. 

Jackson seems uninterested in moderating himself. He paused between whirlwind campaign stops this week to tell reporters that he doesn’t have “anything to rephrase or apologize for.”  .   .   .   .  Jackson became a Republican in the early 1980s, explaining that Democrats’ embrace of the gay rights movement violated his religious beliefs. In 1989, he joined the opposition to a proposal to ban discrimination against gays and lesbians in Massachusetts.

Helena Dobson, president of Chesapeake’s local NAACP chapter, said she has no relationship with Jackson.

While much of the focus is on Jackson, Ken "Kookinelli" Cuccinelli holds identical views - he's simply a bit more discrete in saying things in public.  A gay activist friend once went under cover to an event at Liberty University and heard Cuccinelli speaking to a closed audience and described Cuccinelli and his views as "very frightening."  One can only hope that someone will secretly film Cuccinelli as happened with Mitt Romney.  Romney would like a flaming liberal in comparison.  The extremism of this ticket needs to be fully exposed.

Ken Cuccinelli and E.W. Jackson Tell Crowd They’re "Running Together"

I have long maintained that Ken Cuccinelli is just as insane and extreme as "Bishop" E. W. Jackson, the only difference between the two being that Jackson is less discrete about voicing his batshitery outside of closed events beyond the media's view.  Over the weekend, however, Cuccinelli and Jackson appeared together at with Mark "Miscarriage is Abortion" Obenshain near Roanoke and any illusions being spread that these three extremists are not one in the same in mindset out to be totally dispelled.  The Washington Post captured the true picture of this ticket.  Here are highlights:

Republicans Ken Cuccinelli II and E.W. Jackson this weekend disputed the notion that their respective campaigns for governor and lieutenant governor are not working together.

Cuccinelli, the sitting attorney general, and Jackson, a Chesapeake minister, sounded a message of unity and cooperation at a breakfast event Saturday near Roanoke. State Sen. Mark Obenshain (R-Harrisonburg), who is running for attorney general, also attended.

“Would you please greet a man who I have the utmost faith in and honor for,” Jackson said as he introduced Cuccinelli, according to audio posted on YouTube. “We are friends. We are working together. Don’t believe the rumors. We’re working together.”

Cuccinelli told the audience,“It’s great to be here with the whole ticket. As E.W. said, we’re running together. We’re running hard.”

After keeping the outspoken Jackson at a distance and stressing economic themes meant to attract independent voters, Cuccinelli is moving to shore up his conservative tea party base, the observers say.  

After the event, Cuccinelli tweeted photos of himself, Jackson and Obenshain.  “@KenCuccinelli: Had a great time in Salem this morning at the GOP Breakfast with the Republican ticket!” he tweeted.

Anyone who seriously believes that jobs and Virginia's economy are Cuccinelli's top agenda is either insane or on mind altering drugs.   This trio's whole agenda boils down to social issues and dragging Virginia back when gays had to be in the closet to survive, all abortions were illegal (even in cases of rape), and women were chattel property of their husbands.  As for minorities, they are expected to know their place, shut up and do as they were told by their white betters.  Jackson may be black, but for power and elective office, he is apparently willing to sell his soul.
 

GOP's "Bishop" E.W. Jackson Says Non-Christians Engaged "False Religion"

All three of the Republican nominees for statewide office this year - Ken Cuccinelli for Governor, "Bishop" E.W. Jackson for Lt. Governor, and Mark Obenshain for Attorney General - are all insane extremists in my view.  But "Bishop" Jackson (pictured at right) truly takes the batshitery and bigotry to new levels.  Indeed, if one isn't a far right religious extremist and/or Kool-Aid drinking "Stepford Wife" robot , I candidly do not how anyone can support Jackson's candidacy.  Now, Jackson has made statements that insult non-Christian Americans and accuse them of engaging in a "false religion."  The Washington Post looks at this latest lunacy from Jackson.  Here are excerpts:

 At a morning sermon Sunday in Northern Virginia, Republican lieutenant governor candidate E.W. Jackson, a Chesapeake pastor, said people who don’t follow Jesus Christ “are engaged in some sort of false religion.”

Jackson offered that view while describing a list of the “controversial” things he believes, and that must be said, as a Christian.

“Any time you say, ‘There is no other means of salvation but through Jesus Christ, and if you don’t know him and you don’t follow him and you don’t go through him, you are engaged in some sort of false religion,’ that’s controversial. But it’s the truth,” Jackson said, according to a recording of the sermon by a Democratic tracker.  

As for non-Christians, “I would expect they would be offended,” Ahlemann [the church's pastor]  acknowledged. “It’s not our purpose. And [Jackson] said he did not set out to offend people. It’s his purpose to proclaim what the Bible said as a preacher. That was not a political speech. That was a Bible sermon...Those of us who are Bible-believing Christians are very proud of what he had to say.”

Historically, it is a fact that this nation was founded by individuals who were Christians and wanted this to be a Christian nation. That’s truth. That is historical fact,” he [Ahlemann] said.  Jackson did not respond to a request for comment.

The historical truth is that the Founding Fathers did NOT want a Christian nation.  Most of the Founding Fathers were very distrustful of organized religion and the bullshit recited by Ahlemann is a myth fabricated by the Christofascists as a ploy to allow them to trample on the religious freedoms of others.

Ken Cuccinelli More Extreme then E. W. Jackson on Gay Sex

GOP Lt. Governor candidate "Bishop" E. W. Jackson has been getting lots of media coverage because the man is batshit crazy and says all kinds of lunatic things that underscore his extremism - e.g., birth defects and disabilities are "caused by sin."  But when it comes to anti-gay extremism, despite the horrible things Jackson says about gay citizens, Ken Cuccinelli is even more extreme, especially in terms of his desire to outlaw gay sex and to re-criminalize homosexuality.  A piece in Mother Jones looks at just how extreme and anti-gay Cuccinelli is in this regard.  Here are excerpts:

E.W. Jackson, the Republican candidate for lieutenant governor in Virginia, holds awfully extreme views on gay rights and has no qualms about venting them. On his now-dormant personal Twitter feed, as my colleague Tim Murphy pointed out, Jackson frequently aired his hatred toward gays: When President Obama declared June "LGBT Pride Month," Jackson tweeted, "Well that just makes me feel ikky all over." In October 2009, he tweeted, "The 'homosexual religion' is the most virulent anti-Christian bigotry & hatred I've ever seen."

Yet there is one crusade on which Jackson says he doesn't intend to join Cuccinelli: banning gay sex.
Buried in a recent National Review profile of Jackson, who is conservative minister, is this paragraph:

After chatting with attendees, Jackson sat down with me for an interview. While his sermon ended with flair and bombast, he was soft-spoken and earnest as I questioned him about how his religious beliefs interact with his political views. Christian values make us free, Jackson told me, and people should live as they see fit as long as they don’t hurt others. While he opposes same-sex marriage, he said he wouldn’t support any sort of ban on gay sex. He also said there shouldn't be any legal sanction of a religion, and that he would oppose a constitutional amendment naming Christianity as America’s official religion.

The emphasis above is mine. Jackson saying he doesn't support banning gay sex is a significant break from Cuccinelli. Remember, in 2003 the Supreme Court's ruling in the Lawrence v. Texas case struck down anti-sodomy laws at the state level. But Virginia kept its gay-sex ban on the books after Lawrence. Then, in March, the US Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit deemed that Virginia's anti-sodomy law was unconstitutional. A month later, Cuccinelli, who is Virginia's attorney general, raised eyebrows when he asked the 4th Circuit to rethink its decision. 

Cuccinelli explained his opposition to gay sex in 2009: "My view is that homosexual acts, not homosexuality, but homosexual acts are wrong. They're intrinsically wrong. And I think in a natural law-based country it's appropriate to have policies that reflect that...They don't comport with natural law." This is a long-running fight for Cuccinelli. As far back as 2004, when he was a Virginia state senator, he warned of a plot by the LGBT community to "dismantle sodomy laws" and "get education about homosexuals and AIDS in public schools."

On this issue, though, Cuccinelli and his running mate appear to see things differently. Ken, you might want to call your office.

 Cuccinelli is a frightening menace and MUST be defeated in November.  And women and minorities need to understand that they are in his sights to as he seeks to impose a far right white Christofascist regime on Virginia.
 

Washington Post: "Bishop" E.W. Jackson Is Too Extreme, Vote for Ralph Northam

A study n lunacy: Obenshain, Cuccinelli and Jackson

All three of the Republican Party of Virginia' nominees for statewide office are ideologue extremists.  None of them is fit for office outside of some far right religious organization.  Yet of the three nominees - all more or less hand picked and nominated by the theocrats at The Family Foundation who would happily overthrow the U.S. Constitution - "Bishop" E. W. Jackson, in my view, is most assuredly in need of a mental health intervention and involuntary commitment.  That someone as mentally deranged as Jackson could be nominated by a heretofore respectable political party speaks volumes about how far the Republican Party has fallen.  In an editorial, the Washington Post slams Jackson and more otr less endorses Hampton Roads' own Ralph Northam for Lt. Governor.  Here are excerpts:

TO E.W. Jackson, the Republican candidate for lieutenant governor of Virginia, Democrats are agents of the antichrist. Homosexuals are “frankly very sick people psychologically, mentally and emotionally” who “poison society” and invite God’s wrath. Jews, Hindus, Buddhists, Muslims and others who don’t follow Jesus are adherents of “false” religions. Slavery and the Ku Klux Klan were no great threat to African Americans compared to that posed by Planned Parenthood and the welfare state.

 Mr. Jackson has made demagoguery his oratorical stock in trade for some time; before mounting his current candidacy for lieutenant governor, he ran last year for the GOP nomination for the U.S. Senate.  Lately he has been trying to take it all back, insisting that his past remarks — the bit about Democrats pushing the Antichrist’s agenda was a year ago, and the disparaging remark about minority religions was this week — were simply in the context of his day job, not a reflection of his political views.

Even fellow Republicans aren’t buying his 11th-hour conversion to love, tolerance and acceptance. The National Rifle Association and some tea party types have endorsed Mr. Jackson, but other conservatives are keeping their distance. Apparently appalled by his bombast, seven of the eight Republicans in Virginia’s congressional delegation have withheld support, including Rep. Frank Wolf, who represents part of Northern Virginia.

It would be easy to ignore Virginia’s race for lieutenant governor.  . . . . But the lieutenant governor does have one important task: preside over the state Senate and cast the deciding vote in the event of a tie. 

Mr. Jackson is an embarrassment to the Republican Party, which nominated him in a sparsely attended party convention based on little more than stirring oratory. If elected, he would be an embarrassment to Virginians.

The Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor is Democratic state Sen. Ralph Northam, a pediatric neurologist. In contrast to Mr. Jackson, Mr. Northam, a fiscal conservative who represents a district encompassing parts of Hampton Roads and the Eastern Shore, is a calm, collected fellow, well respected by members of both parties. Four years ago, Republicans in Richmond tried to get him to switch parties; Mr. Northam graciously declined. Unlike his combustible opponent, Mr. Northam has a reputation for considered judgment. Wouldn’t that be a desirable quality in an elected official?

Not to sound like a broken record, but it is urgent that gays, blacks, women and other minorities go to the polls en mass on November 5th and vote against the GOP extremist.  It is the best way to send a message to the Virginia GOP and the nation as a whole that whacked religious nut cases  favored by the Christofascists and Tea Party will be DOA in general elections and, more importantly, that the Christofascists and Tea Party are no longer welcome in the GOP or anywhere else in secular society.

E. W. Jackson Typifies the Insanity of Today's Republican Party

Just two days after his nomination for Lieutenant Governor of Virginia the insane batshitery of E. W. Jackson is beginning to get picked up by the national media.  The LGBT community has known about Jackson's insanity for some time especially given his willingness to be co-opted by NOM and other anti-gay hate groups to lend a black face to their staged attacks of gay rights.  Politico has a piece on Jackson's extremism and BuzzFeed has put together an article titled "The 10 Most Anti-Gay Statements From The Republican Nominee For Lt. Governor Of Virginia."   What's missing, however, in this coverage is the realization that Jackson is mainstream in terms of today's GOP base.  The party has gone virtually insane and just maybe the trio of extremists nominated by the Virginia GOP on Saturday will wake the media up to this reality.  Here are highlights from the Politico piece:

The newly minted Republican nominee for lieutenant governor of Virginia once compared Planned Parenthood to the Ku Klux Klan and bemoaned black voters’ “slavish devotion” to the Democratic Party — past statements that are likely to inflame the culture-war politics of the state’s 2013 elections.

“The Democrat Party has created an unholy alliance between certain so-called civil rights leaders and Planned Parenthood, which has killed unborn black babies by the tens of millions. Planned Parenthood has been far more lethal to black lives than the KKK ever was,” Jackson says in the video.

And on the website of an advocacy group founded by Jackson, Staying True to America’s National Destiny, the activist organization describes abortion as “the equivalent of an idolatrous offering to the god of ‘sexual license.’”  “It is no different than in times past when pagans offered their babies on an altar of fire to assure their own good fortune,” the STAND website says.

The emergence of Jackson as a standard-bearer for the Republican Party could have implications beyond the race for lieutenant governor. Republican gubernatorial candidate Ken Cuccinelli has sought in recent months to keep his campaign message focused on jobs and economic concerns, while Democrats have assailed him for his staunchly conservative record on abortion and gay rights. The selection of Jackson for the GOP ticket may help keep social issues in the foreground of the 2013 debate.

A Jackson adviser did not respond to emails seeking comment. Republican Party of Virginia spokesman Garren Shipley defended the candidate as a person of faith and predicted the 2013 elections would not hinge on social issues.

The BuzzFeed piece list 10 unbelievably ugly things that Jackson has ranted about gays.  Readres need to read the whole piece to fully understand how extreme Jackson is in fact.  Here are a few samplings:

1. “I believe there is a direction connection” (between being gay and being a pedophile).

4. Gays are “frankly very sick people…”

9. Gay marriage is a “sledge hammer used to shatter our Judeo-Christian culture.”

10. Homosexuality is “killing black men by the thousands” because of HIV. Pro-gay rights liberals have “have done more to kill black folks whom they claim so much to love than the Ku Klux Klan, lynching and slavery and Jim Crow ever did…”

The man is insane yet he is the nominee of a major political party.  Welcome to today's GOP.  One can only hope that Jackson proves to be an anchor tied around the necks of the rest of the GOP ticket.

Can You Still Win an Election If You’re Anti-Gay?

The entire Virginia GOP statewide ticket - Cuccinelli, Jackson and Obenshain - is horrifically anti-gay although none of his ticket mates reach quite the foaming at the mouth level of Lt. Candidate E.W. Jackson.   A column in the National Journal suggests that this virulent level of homophobia and anti-gay preaching could prove damaging for the GOP ticket and for Jackson in particular given the rapid shift in societal views on gays.  A shift that seems to be causing the anti-gay crowd to become more hysterically vocal and, hence the appeal of Jackson to the audience at the recent GOP state convention where attendees were largely devotees of The Family Foundation.  Here are some highlights from the column:

For a moment last week, Ari Fleischer found a subject more worthy of derision than Benghazi or the Internal Revenue Service. President George W. Bush’s former press secretary took aim at a fellow Republican named E.W. Jackson.

A day earlier, Jackson had improbably won the GOP’s lieutenant-governor nomination in Virginia, taking advantage of a party convention controlled by conservative activists who didn’t mind the Chesapeake-area minister’s relative anonymity. (Only a year ago, Jackson won less than 5 percent of the vote in a GOP Senate primary.) They also didn’t seem to know, or care, that Jackson had a long history of antigay rhetoric, the most incendiary of which includes saying that gay men and women are “very sick people psychologically, mentally, and emotionally,” calling them “perverted,” and comparing homosexuality to pedophilia.

That’s what drew Fleischer’s ire. “Jackson’s antigay slurs are indefensible,” he tweeted.

That a prominent Republican—one whose president only nine years earlier had successfully used gay rights as a wedge issue during his reelection campaign—would offer such a blunt, caveat-free condemnation is a testament to how gay politics has changed in a decade. And Fleischer’s comment is indicative of the fact that Jackson’s week-old campaign is already under siege, so much so that some operatives are speculating he might yet drop out of the race.

All of which suggests that gay politics is nearing a critical threshold: Candidates with a known bias against homosexuals might now face close to the same impenetrable barrier to office as politicians biased against blacks, Jews, or women. Candidates known to be racist, anti-Semitic, or misogynistic are all effectively barred from winning elections in the 21st century—and homophobes might be joining that list.

[F]ew doubt that antigay slurs carry far more consequence than they did just several elections ago. A Gallup Poll released last week found that 59 percent of Americans consider gay relations morally acceptable—a 19-point shift toward that viewpoint from a survey in 2001. Of the 20 moral issues Gallup polled over the 12-year span, no other issue had such a large swing in its favor. “If he had said this six or eight years ago, I don’t know if we’d be having this conversation, quite frankly,” said one Republican strategist in Virginia, who requested anonymity to speak candidly. “I do think it’s moved forward to a point where this has potential to be a real disqualifier as a candidate.”

To some analysts, the shift is about more than how the public views gay men and lesbians. There’s a larger ongoing evolution, they say, in which voters are far less tolerant of intolerance, period.  .  .  .  . The source added, “White women are not going to go for that. There is a large group of white men who won’t go for that. There are a lot of Republicans who don’t go for that. This is a question about humanity.”

In an off-year election that could hinge on base turnout, Republicans point out that Jackson might prevail. If he does, antigay politics may not yet be a disqualifier. But if he loses, don’t be surprised if conservative activists do a little more homework before picking their candidates in the future.

Many of us will be working hard to turn out the Democrat base which needs to understand that the Virginia GOP isn't just anti-gay.  It's anti-minorities, it's anti-women and it's anti-modernity and equality under the law.