Interviewing Jesse Jackson at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on Aug. 25, 1996, I found the civil rights leader and two-time Democratic presidential hopeful obsessed with what he considered political apostasy by his friend Bill Clinton.
After twice vetoing "tough love" welfare reform, President Clinton on Aug. 22 signed the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) of 1996 — infuriating Jackson, who felt it sent "economic shocks" to the poor by capping benefits and requiring work for eligibility for federal assistance.
If Jackson felt so strongly about this measure, I asked, why didn't he simply challenge Clinton in the Democratic primaries over welfare reform?
"He only signed the bill a few days ago," shot back Jackson, adding"It was too late to challenge him" — a strong signal that had he known Clinton would sign the legislation, he would have definitely opposed the president in the primaries.
That was vintage Jesse Jackson — "Action Jackson," always in motion and on the political make. At a time his finest hours as both a civil rights leader and presidential candidate were behind him, Jackson — who died Tuesday at age 84 — still knew how to draw attention and recognition.
Clinton, well-experienced in dealing with Jackson, knew what to do. The man once dubbed "president of Black America" was given a convention speaking slot on prime-time television and used to inveigh against the welfare bill — which was one of the "crown jewels" of the Clinton-Gore team's reelection campaign.
"In 1968, the tension within our party was over warfare," he told the convention, "In 1996, it's welfare. Last week, over the objections of many Democratic Party leaders and the opposition of millions of Americans, Franklin Roosevelt's six-decade guarantee of support for women and children was abandoned."
Strong medicine, all right, but Jackson then made clear that Democrats "have the right to express ourselves and that's the Democratic Party." And, of course, he vigorously supported the Clinton-Gore ticket.
When he sprang on the scene in the early 1970s, the charismatic young Jackson was seen as the future heir to fellow clergymen and premier civil rights figures Martin Luther King Jr. — whom he worked for — and Adam Clayton Powell Jr.
Through Chicago-based organizations such as Operation PUSH and later the Rainbow Coalition, Jackson was a force to be reckoned with.
"I came to know Jesse Jackson when he formed a remarkable friendship with [Chicago philanthropist and insurance multimillionaire] W. Clement Stone," said Tony Culley-Foster, who worked as personal assistant and adviser to Stone from the 1970s to the 1990s.
He told Newsmax: "At a challenging period for civil rights in the U.S., Mr. Stone advised Rev. Jackson to advocate non-violence and told him charges of racism in major U.S. businesses and threats of national pickets would not go far in the U.S.
Mr. Stone said he should talk and work more with diverse local and business leaders and his national network of private, public and voluntary sector leaders."
"Rev. Jackson appreciated and activated the advice, and from that day forward, he called Mr. Stone 'my other God Father.'"
There was always talk in Chicago that Jackson would follow the path of Powell, who was a New York congressman and pastor, and seek office. Talk of Jackson for Congress or for mayor was rampant.
In 1984, soon after the end of his first presidential bid, he surprised observers on all sides by changing his voting registration to his native South Carolina and hinting he would seek the Democratic nomination against onetime segregationist and Republican Sen. Strom Thurmond. The senator told friends he wanted to face Jackson, but Jackson finally decided not to enter the race.
In November and December 2000, in what appeared to be a scenario from the '60s and '70s, Jackson led marchers with picket signs in front of the Supreme Court to demand a federal investigation into what he called "voter disenfranchisement" of Black voters in Florida that narrowly tipped the state's electoral votes to Republican George W. Bush over Democrat Al Gore.
When the high court ruled 5-4 in a ruling resulting in Bush's victory, Jackson charged that the five justices participated in a "coup d'etat" and called for national demonstrations to protest the "legitimacy" of Bush.
"The issue here today is not about Black and white; it's about wrong and right," he declared.
Jackson made headlines in 2008 when an open microphone on Fox News picked him up saying of Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama: "Barack's been talking down to Black people … I want to cut his nuts off!"
Following outrage by Democrats that included his own son — who said he would "always love" his father but would "thoroughly reject and repudiate his ugly rhetoric" — Jackson apologized.
On Election Night, observers nationwide commented on his tears as the trailblazing candidate of 1984 and 1988 watched America's first Black president claim victory.
Trailblazer that he was for Black Americans in politics, Jackson himself never held office. That would be the achievement of two of his six children: Jesse Jr., representative from Illinois' 2nd District from 1995 until his resignation amid corruption charges in 2012, and Jonathan, who has represented the neighboring 1st District since 2022.
For the elder Jackson, the most fitting characterizations are "Action Jackson" and "force of nature" — long after center stage and "the prize" belonged to others.
John Gizzi is chief political columnist and White House correspondent for Newsmax. For more of his reports, Go Here Now.
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