By DeWayne Wickham
Special to I Messenger Media
NEW YORK – It was Amateur Hour at the Apollo, but what went on inside the world- famous New York showhouse was mostly the work of polished professionals.
The opening act for the wannabes standing in the theater’s wings was none other than Jesse Jackson, a man who has worked a thousand stages. And Jackson again thrust himself to the center this time with a supporting cast certain to catch the attention of Bill Clinton.
Having broken with tradition and named his running mate before the Democratic convention now underway in this city, Clinton expected to bask alone in the media spotlight.
But before he could get unpacked, Jackson sat in one of the Apollo’s mezzanine boxes as politicians paraded across the stage below to praise him.
“I come here … out of respect to a family and a man,” said New York Gov. Mario Cuomo. “The family is the Jackson family and the man is Jesse Jackson.”
Like Rep. Charles Rangel before him, Cuomo took to the Apollo stage to sing Jackson’s praise – and, in the process, join the two-time presidential candidate in sending a biting message to Clinton.
Last week, when Clinton named a fellow Southerner, Sen. Al Gore, as his running mate, Jackson complained the ticket was “too narrow.” Given the momentum built among the party faithful in recent weeks for Clinton’s candidacy, it hardly seemed to matter that Jackson was grousing again. But now that Cuomo and Rangel, one of the most respected members of the Congressional Black Caucus, have picked up on Jackson’s concern, Jackson once again has found a way to cast his large shadow over this convention.
Cuomo told the raucous audience that by raising his concern, Jackson is telling Clinton that while he supports the ticket, he doesn’t want “a charade” or “an empty victory” brought on by Clinton turning out not to be as progressive as his campaign rhetoric has suggested.
And in a warning that seemed to mirror Jackson’s concern, Rangel looked up at Jackson and said: “Before this campaign is over, we’ve got to make certain when that train goes down Pennsylvania Avenue, if we don’t have firstclass tickets, we ain’t riding.”
His words brought a wide grin to Jackson’s face – and probably a wrenching pain to Clinton’s gut. To say that Jackson has stolen the moment is probably an overstatement. But to conclude that, one way or the other, he will play a key role in the convention, and the fall campaign hardly requires a leap of faith.
Without Jackson solidly in his camp, it seems Clinton will be incapable of building the broad coalition he needs to win in November.
DeWayne Wickham
Dean emeritus at Morgan State University’s School of Global Journalism & Communication, journalist, columnist, author
Credit: DeWayne Wickham
DeWayne Wickham covered Jesse Jackson for many years as a veteran staff writer for major newspapers. Here are his memories of this Civil Rights icon: “Early in his career, people complained that Jesse showed up when things were in turmoil. He Jackson) would say, ‘I’m a tree-shaker, not a jelly-maker.’ Nothing explains his life better than that, what he said about himself.
“Over the decades, he helped transform America. If it had not been for Jesse Jackson, there would not be a President Barack Obama. Jackson’s campaigns in 1984 and 1988 did not get him a nomination to the White House, yet it resulted in massive registrations of new Black voters. They went to the polls and elected scores of Black elected officials at state and local levels. I think we owe more to him than we can ever repay.”
