Yesterday, both Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton spoke at a Jefferson-Jackson Dinner sponsored by the Indiana Democrats. As it turns out, this is merely one of many Jefferson-Jackson dinners attended by the candidates.
I am shocked and outraged.
As you may not be aware, the Jefferson-Jackson dinners are hosted to honor and celebrate the legacy of Thomas Jefferson and Andrew Jackson, both of whom were prominent American politicians. You may also not be aware that both Jefferson and Jackson were racists and slaveowners, and both of them were also firm advocates of Indian removal.
Both Clinton and Obama have long ties to both of these men. Obama frequently quotes Jefferson, while Clinton loves Jefferson so much that she married a man whose middle name is Jefferson. They have also both expressed their admiration for Andrew Jackson in the past. Additionally, both Obama and Clinton have attended several Jefferson-Jackson dinners over the course of the campaign–this was not a one time occurance. Heck, Obama even had campaign events in Jackson, MS.
But their ties go beyond merely quoting and showing support for these men. I have recently learned that both Obama and Clinton actually belong to an organization founded by Jefferson, an organization which also boasted Andrew Jackson as a member.
This is clearly a problem for both campaigns, and I hope that enough people express their outrage so that both Obama and Clinton are forced to renounce and reject Andrew Jackson and Thomas Jefferson, as well as any organization that those men belonged to.
