Just when Congressman Ed Perlmutter thought he was all alone in exploiting tragedy for political gain, Jesse Jackson…the undisputed King of exploiting tragedy for personal, financial, and political gain…is riding to Colorado and Perlmutter's rescue, arriving today.  

Also joining the train of shameful exploitation is ProgressNow Colorado, who sent out an email this afternoon encouraging Perlmutter to keep pushing his political agenda.

From their email:

Colorado Representatives Ed Perlmutter and Diana DeGette are leading the campaign in Congress to reauthorize the assault weapons ban that expired in 2004. Sign our petition asking Reps. Perlmutter and DeGette to keep fighting and other elected leaders to join them.

Perhaps most shameful in their exercise of exploitation is that ProgressNow Colorado used the email to fundraise, with a big DONATE button at the bottom. 

Raising money for political agendas off tragedies? That's bottom feeder territory. 

Sal Pace, John Hickenlooper and damn near everyone else may think Perlmutter is loopy, but to Jesse Jackson and ProgressNow, Perlmutter is A-OK.  

Per the Associated Press:

Jackson dismissed arguments that debating gun control wrongly makes the tragedy political. He says it's time to go from "mourning to marching" to address gun violence.

We are not going to comment on what all this means to Perlmutter electorally. It may matter, and it may not. What we can say is is that it is an outrage that Perlmutter has evaded any accountability in the press for using the Aurora tragedy to gin up a gun ban that he has long supported.  

Questions that reporters might wish to ask Perlmutter:  

  • Why didn't you introduce a gun ban while the Democrats controlled all branches of government?  
  • John Hickenlooper has said it is wrong to have a political fight before victims have even been buried. Why is John Hickenlooper wrong?  
  • And finally, why didn't you introduce a gun ban while the Democrats controlled all branches of government?  

Now that Jesse Jackson is bringing his own histrionics/rancor to Colorado, maybe someone will go to the trouble of asking Perlmutter these questions.  

And one more question: Mr. Perlmutter, have you no shame?