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tered, and perhaps cost them the election in November.
But what will that gain him?
He will have shown no grace in defeat, and proved to those skeptical of his political expertise that he does not know how to compromise, or how to sublimate his personal agenda to the needs of a national party with a wide range of political views.
However, if Rev. Jackson supports the Dukakis/Bentsen ticket, and campaigns for it while not surrendering his vision and his long-range goals, he will gain prestige and credence as a man who understands the realities of the political system and is willing to work within it to accomplish his agenda.
After his rousing speech to the convention Tuesday night, it appears that Rev. Jackson has thrown his support behind the party. The Democrats, of course, are elated. It remains to be seen if the coalition stays together through the fall campaign season. It would behoove all involved to keep a united front.
Rev. Jackson has come farther than many would have thought possible, just one year ago. He has proven that the son of a teenage mother, born into poverty in Greenville, South Carolina, can aspire to the Presidency. It was not to be — this time.
But Rev. Jackson will be part of the American political scene for many years to come. In his journey in quest of the Democratic presidential nomination, I’m sure that he has learned much. By his success in the primaries, he has proven that his constituency extends beyond blacks and Hispanics — the core of his Rainbow Coalition.
He has captured the imagination of America with his challenges to what we can become.
If his performance in Atlanta this week demonstrates that he has learned how to compromise when necessary, how to accept defeat with grace, he will emerge as a strong figure in the future of the Democratic party. He will have earned the respect of even the most jaded skeptics in the party.
If not, in his selfishness Rev. Jackson will deal a blow not only to himself, but to his constituents and his political goals as well.
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