ABC’s Jon Karl just reported that Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr., the Chicago Democrat who “hasn’t been seen in Congress since summer” — or on the campaign trail at all — because he’s been in the Mayo Clinic dealing with mental health issues, was handily re-elected by his constituents.

This is shameful. Jesse Jr. has big and serious and very sad problems, and should have withdrawn to deal with them, and let another Democrat run for that safe Democratic seat. But it’s also shameful for the voters of that district: that they would rather re-elect a mentally ill man who hasn’t shown up for work in about half a year, and has given no indication of when he might do so, than vote for someone of the other party.