Jesse Jackson Jr. Should Thank G-d He’s Not a Republican

Under a cloud of personal and political scandal, Jesse Jackson Jr. resigned from Congress today.

Dave Weigel asks on Twitter: “How much will Jesse Jackson Jr cost Illinois by forcing a special election when he could have quit three weeks ago?“

The answer is simple: Doesn’t matter. He’s a Democrat.

We all saw how during the 2012 election the media used dumb responses about rape and abortion from a couple of senate candidates to beat the Republican party as a whole to death with. So can you imagine what the media would’ve done to him and the GOP if Jesse Jackson Jr. were a Republican?

Keep in mind that this story actually started months ago when Jackson just stopped showing up for work.

Imagine a high-profile Republican Congressman with a famous father who pretty much vanished off the face of the earth only to pop up in various stages of rehab and depression as a cloud of ethical scandals swirled around him.

Just close your eyes and take a moment to imagine it.

During the presidential campaign, this would’ve been a blockbuster story like few others. Reporters would’ve hunted Jackson down for quotes and photos, anything that moved the story would’ve become that day’s Driving Narrative, the corruption angle would’ve been played up as a GOP problem, and all of it would’ve been tied to Mitt Romney like a ship’s anchor.

But because he’s a Democrat… Nothing. Just dutiful reporting.