The Washington Post put conservative black minister E.W. Jackson on its front page again Wednesday, replaying its favorite “nutty” remarks. Reporter Laura Vozzella began: “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.”
Vozzella and the Post could care less that Jackson said back in June "I do not believe that yoga leads to Satanism. One of my ministers is a yoga instructor.” It’s all about baking religious Republicans as fruitcakes. Since the Democratic primary in June, the Post has almost completely ignored the candidate they (and Planned Parenthood) endorsed, abortion-loving Ralph Northam. A Nexis search shows there’s not a single Post article with his name in the headline in the last three months.
Notice that Vozzella the Partisan can't find enough space in this article to actually devote a sentence to what Reverend Jackson actually said,. The Huffington Post at least relayed the 2008 book passage:
"When one hears the word meditation, it conjures an image of Maharishi Yoga talking about finding a mantra and striving for nirvana," he wrote. "The purpose of such meditation is to empty oneself. [Satan] is happy to invade the empty vacuum of your soul and possess it. Beware of systems of spirituality which tell you to empty yourself. You will end up filled with something you probably do not want."
Christians can debate this concept, but many orthodox Christians are uncomfortable with the fact that yoga is intimately associated with Hinduism, not Christianity. But most Post reporters (like Vozzella) are more interesting in mocking Christians than understanding their concerns.
On abortion, he said "Planned Parenthood has been far more lethal to black lives than the KKK ever was." While it's obvious that black women cooperate with Planned Parenthood in "terminating pregnancies," it's also obvious that Planned Parenthood's "customer count" of black babies is a very large number...unless you think unborn black babies are subhuman, like the Post and its Planned Parenthood buddies. There is no math contest here.
The Post headline was "Jackson refuses to toe GOP line in Va. lieutenant governor race." The mischief makers must like the subliminal idea that the white Republicans want the black guy to obey their commands.
The paper does have a newsworthy story here – Jackson has rejected help from the state party establishment and is refusing to use the party's voter databases or share voter data he’s collecting. But it’s apparent they’re more interested in projecting the idea that Jackson’s going to hurt GOP gubernatorial candidate Ken Cuccinelli – even among conservatives:
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, Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli II, with moderates and conservatives alike.
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, which embraces his calls for limiting government, defending religious freedom, promoting school choice and defunding Planned Parenthood. 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, who is in a tight race with former Democratic National Committee chairman Terry McAuliffe.
This story underlines the usual daily modus operandi of liberal media operatives: the Republican Party is always portrayed as riven by internal feuds, which the media hopes to exacerbate, while you usually learn of Democratic inter-party fights after they’ve lost an election.
In this case, Vozzella is spotlighting how the Jackson camp is disappointed Cuccinelli is focusing much more on the economy than on social issues – and the Post and their pals in Terry McAuliffe’s campaign want to spend time “exposing” Cuccinelli as “extreme” – as if McAuliffe, Northam, and the Post don’t welcome abortion at any time before or even after birth.
