European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - March 31, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Pago 10 the stars and stripes . Rosenthal Jackson showing what a real politician can do that night new York gov. Mario Cuomo was making a Willy speech. Sen. Bill Bradley Una spending a quid evening with his family. While those two intellectual stars one democratic party were doing what comes naturally to hem Jesse Jackson was doing what he happens to prefer making history this time by rolling up Michigan and gov Michael Dukakis. You have to hand it to the governor or Massachusetts. Jackson May have won Michigan hut the very tent Day Dukakis Cam right Back punching. Thai happened in Connecticut when a reporter asked him what made him More qualified than Jack son to be president. The governor summoned up his political courage and said right out i m Fiat going to answer that question so Here vie have the slain of inc democratic party As it enters the critical phase of the nomination Campaign the most noted democratic officeholders have decided they arc too modest Loo frightened or Loo Del Icagic 10 right to become president Cuomo Bradley Sam Nunn of Georgia. One Democrat who does wan to Lead the country Dukakis decides he is Good enough to take on Mikhail Gorbachev bul not Jesse Jackson. He May be right. After that piece of Post primary Usilla Nimitz it is of to him to prove otherwise. But just As the democratic party is making George Bush look stimulating Here comes Jesse. He is not troubled by inc Vapours like the elegant non Candi dates he is no afraid like mighty Mike to Lell us cd ally Why he. Is belter than any competitor. If Jackson keeps rolling picking up delegates a couple More important states and is percent to 21 percent of the White vote he Wilt win the right to demand it place on the ticket if he cannot eel the presidential nomination his Delegate strength could put across another Man maybe even the demure Dukakis. Then surely Jackson will have he right to name a vice Percsi denial candidate himself. Nervous do Morais say that Good of Jesse would t do that to us he is too mature and responsible now. They say Why Jesse knows a Black would kill the Lieke. Ready Jackson May come to the defensible belief dial it is neither immature nor irresponsible to think thai the qualities that made him a historic figure in the primaries would do the same on election Day. Jackson has shown to his everlasting credit the Tonti about America millions of while americans arc ready to Vole for a Black candidate. But Jackson has Cut himself off from the support of even Mure White americans liberals and centrists Tom Wicker who would be eager to Vole for a Black candidate. They Sec Jackson As the candidate of inc left and As a Man willing to late any reasonable risk except to renounce All Black bigots at Home and third world zealots abroad. Jackson could win these White voters. All he has to do ii hop talking in simplistic slogans Slop acting As if every third world country represents Vir Lue against Western Devi try Stop giving twisted Fig ures about economic conditions in the United slates Stop sending the mixed social message thai individuals must help themselves bul that it is All society s fault. He would have to Cut himself off publicly from the Black racist Farrakhan and Lead a Black movement away from the Farrakhan of the world. He would have to Stop seeing this As something White people try to Force him to do because he is Black but something he must do because it is right. He must come to see that it is one thing to advocate a palestinian slate another to embrace an Arafat sworn by covenant to the destruction of Israel this would not Only Calm jews but also help Jesse tinder stand the Middle East More clearly. Jackson is moving and i think May do those thing in Lime. Bul time is Short Tor this Campaign to win the White voters who tear anti Smilic implications in the Misc Vered Farrakhan connection and those who Are no Mare ready to vote for a candidate or the distinct left than icy were when George Mcgovern gave them that Opportunity. Incidentally in t Mcgove crr ism something Dukakis also ought to give a Little worried thought at the Washington dinner where Cuomo spoke there was talk among democrats tired of Livin with Dukakis and scared of dying with Jackson of drafting Cuomo or Bradley. There we even More anger at inc governor and the senator for Silling it out. Cuomo himself graciously stuck it to ill the democratic Candi dates with a dig or two. Meanwhile in Michigan Jackson had better things to do with his Lime. Bravo Jesse Jackson. What a real live politician can do. I it of pc rime nowt a Neh Lafof  democratic party leaders fear Jackson Victory Jesse Jackson s nearly 2-to-l Victory in Michigan has thrown a lot of democratic party leaders most of them Anonymous into an orgy of weeping wailing and gnashing of Leeth. Having finally perceived the truth of what they Hail been any pretending to believe shut Jackson is a real candidate winning a lot of delegates these nameless Lead ers now Tell reporters that their party faces a terrible dilemma Jackson might win the nomination in inc primaries in which Caw a Black 31 the lop of inc ticket would mean inevitable democratic a Cecal in november. Hut if these unnamed leaders same Haw Stan Jackson Attil nominate some one Rise infuriated Blacks will desert inc party which therefore would lose in no vember anyway and face a future with out one of is largest and certainly most reliable Voi ing Gjoci. Baloney. Even after Michigan. Jack son is not Likely to win the nomination in the primaries. Michigan was a caucus slate where in a Low turnout strongly motivated Jackson supporters gave him an advantage of the same kind pal Robertson briefly gained in the Towa Republican caucuses. Thai won t be True in no Voik Pennsylvania Ohio califor Nia new Jersey and other major Stales still to express a preference. Under the democratic parly s system of proportional representation More Over All candidates can win some delegates in each state. With Michael Duka Kis and Albert Gore very much in the race and Paul Simon hanging on it will be hard for even a charismatic candidate like Jackson to move from his 597 delegates to the 2,082 needed for Nomi Nal Ion. The task is complicated by the i46 super delegates mostly officeholders who Are theoretical uncommitted bul unlikely to swing massively to Jackson if any Large number of them is subtracted from the available total As they must be Jackson s ability to pick up about 1.500 Storc delegates becomes even More questionable. But suppose he docs granted thai he will have done so Only among democratic primary and caucus participants yet the very fact of his Victory would suggest Hal he would not be so certain a. Loser tit november As unidentified leaders now insist. So does their own admission that voters a listening to Jackson s Sci Sage that he Speaks powerfully to the real problems of real people. I have signed my name to several columns suggesting Hal a Black could not Yel win a National election in this coun try. I still question it but if Jackson can carry the democratic electorates not Only in Michigan but also in he two most populous Stales plus Ohio Penn Sylvania and new Jersey i m willing to think again not least because 1 re member Nany leaders telling me in the Spring of i960 that a roman Catholic could t win. Besides the republicans Are not nominating Ronald Reagan bul apparently a candidate still vulnerable loan undisclosed Rote in the Iarj cons a scan dal and whose main asset in Republican primaries his clutch on Reagan s coat tails could be a liability in a National election. If anyone s inevitable it s hardly George Bush. Suppose on the other hand thai democrats do openly choose the first Black Percsi denial nominee and Liat he does lose. That still would fulfil an important party role giving voice to the formerly voiceless. It would break Dawn one of the most formidable remaining barriers la Equality of citizenship it would transform politics in i98b, owing to Jackson s Sharp departure from the established often irrelevant norms of Public discourse and political vision. It might therefore open an even greater future 10 the party of Franklin Roosevelt Truman Kennedy and Johnson. Bul what is actually Likely to happen it that no Democrat will win in the Prima Ries and that there will be a brokered nomination and a Compromise Candi Date. In Hal event Jackson surely will have enough delegates and inc political ability to assert his own interests and any transparent Stop Jackson tactics designed to deprive him of his due will surely backfire. The ticket finally chosen May in clude Jackson in one place or another bul ii j More important thai it be fairly chosen. If it is and if he and the Ether candidates arc the mainstream demo Crais they say they arc such a ticket should drive no one from the party and might be a Promise rather than a disaster