Monday, June 03, 2013

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.

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