Virginia GOP nominee compared Planned Parenthood to KKK
(CNN) - An outspoken and provocative conservative who emerged from Saturday's Republican Party of Virginia Convention as the party's nominee for lieutenant governor once compared Planned Parenthood to the Ku Klux Klan and blasted African-Americans for their "slavish devotion" to the Democratic Party.
E.W. Jackson, an African-American pastor and attorney from Chesapeake, made the comments in a self-produced "message to black Christians" posted on YouTube last year.
"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," he said in the video. "And the Democrat Party and the black civil rights allies are partners in this genocide."
Sensing an opportunity to tie Jackson to the rest of the Republican ticket in Virginia, especially conservative gubernatorial nominee Ken Cuccinelli, Democrats have already started highlighting those remarks and others in emails to reporters.
Cuccinelli, the state Attorney General, will face Democrat Terry McAuliffe, the former Democratic National Committee chairman, in the November election.
"Extremely divisive rhetoric from Jackson and Cuccinelli reflects the social agenda they would impose on Virginia. At a time when Virginians are looking for leaders who focus on jobs, the Tea Party has nominated a ticket whose careers have been defined by a radical social agenda," McAuliffe campaign spokesman Brennan Bilberry said in a statement.
Cuccinelli and Jackson were nominated at Saturday's GOP convention in Richmond, where Jackson beat out six other candidates for the number two spot on the ticket. Party activists tapped Mark Obenshain to be their nominee for attorney general.
Jackson, the founder of a nondenominational church, is a former Marine and graduate of Harvard Law School. But he is rapidly becoming known for a raft of controversial statements that have bubbled up online in the wake of his surprise victory on Saturday. He has publicly questioned President Barack Obama's faith and has been spearheading efforts to recruit black Democrats to the GOP since last year, when he unsuccessfully ran for Senate in Virginia.
"Shame on us for allowing ourselves to be sold to the highest bidder. We belong to God," he said in the video. "Our ancestors were sold against their will centuries ago, but we're going through the slave market voluntarily today."
As lieutenant governor, Jackson would hold the tie-breaking vote in what is currently an evenly divided state Senate. Republicans currently hold the lieutenant governorship and control of the 40-seat body. But with the unpolished Jackson as the GOP nominee, Democrats are now a safe bet to pick up the lieutenant governor's office and control of the senate.
Democrats will decide their nominee in a June 11 primary. To the frustration of establishment Republicans, GOP activists in the state chose to nominate their candidates at a convention instead of in a primary, a move that gave a relatively small group of conservative activists control over the nomination process.
A purple state, Virginia currently has a Republican governor, Bob McDonnell, but voted for Obama in the last two presidential elections.
Poll numbers so far show neither party with a sizable lead in the race, less than six months before Election Day. Because Virginia voters elect the governor and lieutenant governor separately, it's possible that the winners could be from different parties.
- CNN's Peter Hamby and Ashley Killough contributed to this report.
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Managing the earth in a responsible way includes the recognition that without abortions the worlds population would explode out of control.
And we have plenty of examples of this happening everywhere that abortion was outlawed.
Take the Philippines for example. Within 3 decades after abortion was outlawed in the Philippines it went from a prosperous productive country of about 30 million to a poor overpopulated third world country of 130+ million where mothers and their children were starving in the streets. That is what outlawing abortion does to a country.
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I'm not even sexually active, but I have to take birth control for hormone therapy. Without insurance, through Planned Parenthood the initial visit is still $80 and $30 per month afterwards for the medication I need. Now these 'pro-life' nuts want to shut it down when Planned Parenthood doesn't even perform abortions? What about MY life? I'm already here and I can't afford basic health care that I need.
GOP: This is why you're behind in the polls.
Lemme guess. Some of Cuccinelli "best friends" are black. This nomination could not be more obvious if the GOP just gave Jackson a shirt with a bit "T" on it.
Hint from a Virginia voter: There are more issues then abortion.
What an idiotic idea, to compare the right to abortion to a genocide. This guy needs to learn history and common sense.
Poor women desperately need to control their own bodies on this subject, since it has medical, family, and financial repercussions.
"we're going through the slave market voluntarily today"
Why is it that so many political activists think they can change minds by accusing people of not thinking?
He is right as far as numbers but his comparison had nothing to do with overall message and purpose.
These are the type of people we need to get out of politics not in. His mind is clearly not right, I fear people like this guy as much as I would fear the Taliban or Al-Queda or any other religious radical why on Earth would we want one for a governor or Lt. governor?
lol Gotta love it when the GOP shoots off their ignorant mouths and turns all the voters against them! Go GOP!
I am a voter in Virginia, and I can say, with reasonable assuredness, this ticket will not win. If anything, this guy seems a bit more "out there" than Cuccinelli.
Looks like the rebranding of Republican Party is going nowhere. They continue picking extreme fringe candidates with no chance of winning.
Glad I don't have to say a thing. The GOP gives itself a bad rep every time they open their mouths.
.......Well,..lets see what the gop continually says.........
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1. Legit rape
2. Death Panels
3. Transvaginal probes
4. Walking the Appalachians
5. WMD's in Iraq
6. Kenyan
7. Don't retreat,........RELOAD
...............now 8. KKK is Planned Parenthood
always remember God is in control of all. Kill one God rain down 10 more to that one, if you are pregant and wasn't planned by you how do we know it was not all in God's plan. Think about it now be about it.
The GOP loves these poor, underprivileged, fetuses....until the day they're born. Then they consider them freeloading liberals taking away their hard earned cheese.
Sorry guys, you can't have it both ways.
The GOP tent gets smaller every day.
Time to fold up the tent.
When I see the following line ... "Planned Parenthood has been far more lethal to black lives than the KKK ever was" ... I just don't see the huge deal. I don't see how pointing out a true comparision of numbers merits ... "Extremely divisive rhetoric from Jackson and Cuccinelli reflects the social agenda they would impose on Virginia. At a time when Virginians are looking for leaders who focus on jobs, the Tea Party has nominated a ticket whose careers have been defined by a radical social agenda." Jackson spoke from his heart and gets called "extremely divisive" and having a "radical social agenda." I just don't get it. I see someone trying to knock down a black man for speaking from his heart and happening to be a member of the GOP.
Another hysterical ring winger that is black and wants to get to the top any way possible. Apparently likes to thump the bible. Did he ever advocate any form of birth control so these abortions are a thing of the past.
Do any of you know what the leading cause of death is in the U.S. and in the world? Abortion! Far more deaths are caused by abortion than by any other means, including heart disease, cancer, and accidents. You people who tout abortion as a good thing and not the horrific holocaust, and yes, even genocide, that it is are just spiritually dead and blind.
gee, a black politician playing the race card – this is news? how is it the gop-ers can't tolerate government intrusion – such as gun control – but freak out with birth control and trying to mandate what women do with their own bodies? is this not the ultimate government intrusion???? what a bunch of hypocrites.
Truth hurts, indeed. 1/3 of all black children in this country never see the light of day. PP does not do "women's healthcare" as much as it is the largest abortion provider in the US.
And we subsidize them. Yet some people here call Jackson stupid? If killing 1/3 of the children conceived is NOT genocide, what is?
What this yahoo appears to not understand is that with the KKK, unlike planned parenthood, the KKK didn't ask for your permission or wait for you to visit before they dragged you to a tree and hung you up. No one, and I mean NO ONE is required to go to Planned Parenthood. It is an individual choice, something the republican party seems to have decided doesn't apply to women and their bodies.
What's rather pathetic is that Jackson doesn't quite get it that Planned Parenthood also provides so many other services to woman – including cancer screenings, contraceptives, and well check-ups (to name a few). Go ahead and attack woman again, Jackson – after the last election you would think you nitwits would get it.
Republicans: When are you going to stand up against the "right wingers" in your party? When are you going to say enough is enough. As an independent who has voted for both republican and democratic candidates – I'm getting sick of what the GOP has become! Moderate Republicans – stop letting your party get hijacked!!! The further right you go – less people will vote for you and more will vote for the center – which right now, happens to be Democrats.
Steve S
Where in the world do the GOP find these people???
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they're manufactured in the "GOP we need the minority vote but can't quite get fix the foot in mouth disease" factory. They obviously need to keep at it. This clown hurts them more than helping
I like this guy. Finally a voice of reason in that community.