Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr: Perry sounds like Confederate leaders

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By Amanda Terkel
The Huffington Post

WASHINGTON — Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr. (D-Ill.) is calling out Texas Gov. Rick Perry® for his full-throated heralding of the 10th Amendment, saying his statements echo rhetoric used by slavery-defending Confederate leaders.

The 10th Amendment says the powers not given to the U.S. government by the Constitution are reserved for the states. It has become a Republican favorite, often invoked to argue that federal health care reform is unconstitutional.

While announcing his candidacy for president on Aug. 13, Perry promised, “I’ll work every day to try to make Washington, D.C., as inconsequential in your life as I can.”

But in a statement sent out to Democratic offices on Wednesday, Jackson — son of famous African American civil rights activist Jesse Jackson, Sr. — argued that Perry’s touting of the 10th Amendment had implications beyond Social Security or health care.

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