Question of the Day: Is Jesse Jackson Jr. Stupid?

Last month Jesse Jackson Jr. came to Congress brandishing his new iPad and proposed that the government provide every child with ‘one of these devices.’ This month Jesse Jackson Jr. declared iPads as evil, anti-American machinations that are to be blamed for ‘eliminating thousands of American jobs.’ In one month’s time Jesse Jackson Jr. (or ‘Triple J’ as he’s known in wrestling circles) went from ideal Apple spokesperson to an anti-advancement, technological fear huckster.

So it begs the question, did Jesse simply make a mistake or is he just plain stupid?

The decision for Rep. Jackson must have been tough. On the one hand it’s a known fact that technology is evil and its advancement should be curtailed via Congressional interference. Jesse is simply following in the footsteps of Woodrow Wilson who delayed the release of the polio vaccination in fear that it would cause job losses for hundreds of polio researchers. On the other hand, Jesse just bought a brand new iPad and, like a fifth grader with a new bicycle, he wanted to show all his friends at school how awesome it was.

Flip flopping on your stances is a normal part of politics. John Kerry received a mountain of criticism in 2004 for being a ‘flip flopper’. But he changed his mind on complicated issues like the war in Iraq and the death penalty for terrorists. The alarming issue with Rep. Jackson’s flip-flop is that he went from one incredibly stupid idea to another incredibly stupid idea all based around one commercial computer product. If he can’t come to a firm decision on the iPad how will he be able to tackle more complex issues like the new Verizon iPhone, or AppleCare Protection Plans?

So to figure out if Jesse Jackson Jr. is stupid you have to ask the question: Presented with the same problems Jesse faced, what would a stupid person do? If you gave a stupid person an iPad would he stupidly go to Congress and demand the Constitution grant everyone an iPad? Perhaps.What if said stupid person was told, ‘that’s a stupid idea.’ Would he question his own logic and apologize for wasting everyone’s time or would he get mad at the iPad itself and try to destroy it? Its hard to say what a stupid person would do in that situation but it’s more likely the latter.