Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-IL), who admits to owning an iPad, blames the Apple Inc. product for ‘eliminating thousands of American jobs,'” Real Clear Politics reports.
A few short weeks ago I came to the House floor after having purchased an iPad and said that I happened to believe, Mr. Speaker, that at some point in time this new device, which is now probably responsible for eliminating thousands of American jobs. Now Borders is closing stores because, why do you need to go to Borders anymore? Why do you need to go to Barnes & Noble? Buy an iPad and download your newspaper, download your book, download your magazine. – Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-IL, Chicago) from the House floor, Friday, April 15, 2011
RCP reports, “Ironically, it was only last month that Rep. Jackson was promoting the Apple iPad and Amazon on the House floor.”
Full article, with the video, here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews readers too numerous to mention individually for the heads up.]
No, just another moron period.
Some books I’d prefer to have on an iPad – particularly reference books. But others I’ll still want to hold in my hand and feel the pages between my fingers. There’s something special about having shelves filled with your most loved books that will never disappear.
I think its inevitable that every physical book sold in the future will come, for an additional fee, with an a digital copy bundled, downloaded from store X, Y or Z.
Poorly run companies ultimately fail, as is the case with Borders, but technology isn’t to blame here.
And to try before you buy and everything else you have the local library.
I don’t understand how this is news? Thanks fir more political fodder MDN. Mac news is NOT whenever someone mentions Apple or it’s products.
Yes, MDN frequently pokes a stick into the political hornet’s nest. It gets attention and site hits when one dumbass thug beats up on another dumbass thug. IMHO it’s a total waste of time and concern. Good luck getting a dumbass thug to increase their intelligence quotient or insight.
However, anything related to Apple is indeed news here and fair game for commentary by MDN and readers.
i am sure apple is responsible for slavery as well. What a moron. Mr. Jackson , Unions are to blame.
Just like the flipcharts put the blackboard and chalk manufacturers out of jobs. Life and technology are changing at the speed of light. For the last 15 years or so, Rev. Jackson’s voice has been largely irrelevant to the African-American community.
But … take a high profile liberal making some assinine
This guy would have stood up in Congress in 1905, and would have claimed Henry Ford destroyed millions of jobs in the horse and buggy industry by creating the car.
Borders hasn’t recorded a profit since 2006.
Rep. Jackson’s iPad bashing, given his initial iPad comments, just makes me want to shake my head.
iPads are affecting my industry (printing) tremendously. Eventually I’ll have to change professions, so what… that’s progress. Me slinging mud on Apple does no good.
Holding back true progress or making inane negative comments does Jackson’s constituents a disservice.
Yeah, OK Whatever Rev. Jackson.
I love Apple products and, as long as there are enough of us around to keep Apple R&D going, that’s all that matters to me. It does not impress me when a politician or actress or pundit owns an Apple product. In fact, I would rather not have Apple products associated with a fairly large cross section of the U.S. But that’s life. You have to take the bad with the good.
Wow. Talk about coincidence. This week, the movie “Atlas Shrugged” premiered, and in the movie the Federal Government prevents companies from growing and innovating in order to prevent “economic unbalance.” And from the mouth of this politician….
Jeese Jackons Jr. should go back to the cotton field!!
Jesse Jackson Jr. should go back to cotton field!!
Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr. is a horse’s ass.
There’s no point in pursuing this further. The fact that his opinion was even reported is ludicrous.
If this even has the remotest hint of truth I hope Apple is forking on iGovernment! Maybe it would put politicians out of work…
It’s both the friggin’ Republican and Democratic politicians that were to be blamed for the sorry state of affair in American decadence. It is not far-fetched to say that the American political system in its present form is very corrupt. Democracy is okay but it was the wrong people who were at the apex of the political pyramid that screwed up everything. Political corruption is legally recognized in the United States: lobbying to fill the pockets of politicians is the worst form of crime against the American citizens. Lobbying is akin to the indulgence system in the papal hierarchy during the height of the Roman Catholic papal power. It stinks and it corrupts.
Now don’t get me wrong. I am not against any religion or political system. These are powerful instruments that can be easily abused by the wrong type of people. Absolute power corrupts.
Stupid groid has his head up his lib dem anal cavity
Apple pays a ton of employees, more every year.
Apple creates huge traffic in malls.
Apple pays premium dollars for select real estate.
Apple creates many jobs making accessories for their products.
Apple generates big time sales tax revenue.
Apple is growing and leading an industry.
Jessie Jr. is pretty much retarded.
We need to hear the speech in context in order to understand the drift of the Senator’s point. He is not against the iPad per se. He is using the iPad to illustrate the point that times are changing, and what is Congress doing to create more jobs, or to protect existing ones! Steve Jobs does well in creating iPad (his point), but China is producing it and benefitting from it! So what policies would Congress create to ensure Americans are looked after? In that light, that is a good speech!
Please don’t screw up the opportunity for all the intellectually lazy to post diatribes against ‘libs’ and politicians by using facts!
Jackson is absolutely right…there ought to be an outdated business model protection subsidy implemented immediately…this should be overseen by the OBM czar.
Sent from my iPad.
well, he is still living in traditional life. we are in 21st. he forgot something that ipad could create new job as well. not just selling fscking device but creating specific type of job by ipad. if you don’t know what I am talking, you are way behind in modern life.
So now the little boy that runs MDN out of his Mommy’s basement has stooped to inflammatory posts just to troll in the vitriol.
It was too obvious when it was in the “take”. He has figured out how to spew his hatred anonymously, while sitting back and laughing at those he despises.
I think Dvorak would agree with JJ 3rd. That doesn’t mean the are right. The economic issues that are killing the dead tree publishing industry existed long before iPad or even Apple was around.
one word…….idiot.
So the anti-Apple onslaught continues. I guess the thought is that even the insignificant mud slingers can weight to the overall effort.
Done with MDN. The fish in the comment pool need to stagnate