Pride and Prejudice

(10 of 10)

Party leaders are still worried about how the deal will look. If Mondale, say, seems to be snubbing Jackson, he risks offending a very prideful man and losing black support. But if he too eagerly embraces Jackson, he risks turning off large slices of the white electorate. Says one Mondale fund raiser: "The first question Jews ask me is whether Jesse Jackson is going to be on the ticket as Vice President. The second question is whether Jackson is going to have a Cabinet job." Jackson has shown no interest in either, but that has not let Mondale off the hook. Says Scammon: "If Mondale panders to Jackson at the convention, white Southerners and white blue-collar workers would turn away, in addition to the Jews."

Both sides are eager to cut their deal in private, and before the party faithful gather in San Francisco. Jackson could lose leverage if Mondale locks up the nomination before the convention, an increasingly likely prospect. As for Mondale, he cannot afford to be seen on bended knee in public. To beat President Reagan, the party needs a well choreographed but restrained love feast. Says Texas Democratic Chairman Robert Slagle: "I'm in absolute horror of a brokered convention. The last thing we need this year is to be playing Let's Make a Deal on national TV."

Much depends on how Jackson handles himself in the weeks ahead. If he is intemperate in his public utterances, if he locks himself into unrealistic demands, he could wound the Democratic nominee, discredit himself and further divide the races. But if he reaches a rapprochement with the party's candidate, then campaigns for him in a temperate and intelligent way, Jackson could greatly enlarge the role of blacks in national politics. In that way, Jesse Jackson's candidacy could turn out to be a powerful and positive force, a reminder of the diversity and promise of American politics. —By Evan Thomas. Reported by Hays Corey/Washington, B.J. Phillips/Atlanta and Jack E. White with Jackson, with other bureaus