Pride and Prejudice

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At rally after rally, Jackson cried, "Hands that picked cotton will pick the President! From the guttermost to the uttermost! From the outhouse to the White House!" And the audiences would pick up the chant: "Run, Jesse, run! Run, Jesse, run!" Jackson, 42, finally heeded the chant—against the wishes of many black leaders. Established black politicians like Atlanta Mayor Andrew Young, Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley and Harlem Congressman Charles Rangel feared that Jackson would split the liberal vote for Mondale and thereby nominate the more conservative John Glenn. They feared that Jackson knew too little about conventional politics, that he was too freewheeling and flamboyant. They feared he would fail and embarrass an entire race. Not a few whites agreed.

They were wrong. Early polls showed that Jackson could take only about 40% of the black vote. But in the most recent three big primaries—Illinois, New York and Pennsylvania—Jackson won between 74% and 89% of the black vote. In New York, he came within two percentage points of beating Gary Hart. Many political experts predicted that Jackson would have about 150 delegates with him going into the Democratic Convention. It now appears that he could have twice that many. "Whether I win or lose," Jackson declares, "American politics will never be the same."

Jackson has overcome a lack of funds (he has raised about $2 million, compared with about $15 million for Mondale and $3 million for Hart) and a campaign organization that does not deserve the name. The black church is Jackson's base and a principal source of his funds (collected by passing the hat to parishioners, who drop in wrinkled dollar bills as Jackson exhorts, "Don't make change, just drop it in the bucket!"). On the Jackson campaign, schedules are merely suggestions, and Secret Service agents joke that the candidate runs on "J.S.T"—Jesse Standard Time. Although he has not bought a single television advertisement, he has become a fixture on the evening news, sopping up a fortune's worth of "free media."

A major breakthrough for Jackson occurred when the eight Democratic contenders squared off for their first national debate, which came before the New Hampshire primary. Jackson more than held his own; he was poised, reasonable and witty. He added to his credibility as a candidate by playing peacemaker when Hart and Mondale squabbled at the New York debate. Says Minerva Johnican, a Memphis city councilwoman and Hart supporter: "Jesse really surprised a lot of people. Previously, other black leaders thought he was an opportunist, out for himself and himself only. I think the perception of Jackson has changed."

Jackson has extraordinary appeal among young blacks, but he has also been able to win over middle-class and older blacks, many of whom were dubious. They see him as an alternative to Michael Jackson and "Mr. T" of television's The A-Team as a black role model for their children. Says retired Schoolteacher Jessie Adderley, 75, mother of the late jazz musician Cannonball Adderley and grandmother of Brown and Yale students: "Black youngsters looking at Reverend Jackson will have the feeling now they have a chance. Maybe now they will buckle down and apply themselves."