With hundreds of Tea Party activists protesting behind him, the [intlink id=”236143″ type=”post”]Rev. Jesse Jackson[/intlink] told reporters that those among the conservative grassroots protesting President Obama’s health-care bill have fears that are “not well-founded.”
“Some of them are very upset,” Jackson said when The Daily Caller asked him his opinion on the Tea Parties. “But their fears are not well-founded. Some of these people have Medicare and Medicaid cards in their pockets. Some of them are veterans and they’ll be the first beneficiaries of the bill.”
Jackson, whose son is a Democratic congressman from Illinois who spent part of Sunday presiding over the House of Representatives, waved and grinned at the assembled Tea Party protesters during an afternoon visit to the Capitol. When he arrived on the Hill Sunday afternoon, he declined to answer questions from The Daily Caller, only choosing to make himself known to the protesters until he was booed.
On his way out, he made his presence known again to the protesters, who erupted into a “kill the bill” chant as he stood above them on a walkway to the Capitol, smiling and waving. His son, Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., stood several feet back, grinning.
Jackson, asked about reports that several protesters hurled racial epithets at black members, said “it’s ugly” but “we must not react to that.” The civil rights leader said he’s seen “worse.”
“This is just oil on a hot stove,” he said.