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Jesse Jackson Saw Greatness For Bernie Sanders Back In The ‘80s
When he ran for president in 1984 and 1988, the Rev. Jesse Jackson had precious few prominent endorsers. Many African-American officials turned elsewhere during his first run. Though black leaders were more supportive four years later, the predominantly white Democratic establishment was spooked that he’d torpedo the ticket. They actively worked against him.
But there was one white official who was not scared of Jackson: Bernie Sanders.
As then-mayor of Burlington, Vermont, Sanders had pursued numerous progressive policies, from property tax reform to rent control legislation. He was a proud democratic socialist, though hardly a national figure. Jackson was someone with whom he shared ideological symmetry.
Sanders’ endorsement emphasized the civil rights leader’s notions of social and economic justice. “We are going to give our support to a candidate for president who has done more than any other candidate in living memory to bring together the disenfranchised, the hungry, the poor, the workers who are being thrown out of their decent-paying jobs and the farmers who are being thrown off of their lands,” Sanders declared in ‘88.
Roughly three decades later, Sanders revisited that moment. In the lead-up to the 2016 Democratic primary in South Carolina, he recalled how he’d been virtually alone among white politicians in supporting the first major black presidential candidate, while also talking up the many years he’d been advocating for racial justice during local, congressional and presidential races.
But there was one white official who was not scared of Jackson: Bernie Sanders.
As then-mayor of Burlington, Vermont, Sanders had pursued numerous progressive policies, from property tax reform to rent control legislation. He was a proud democratic socialist, though hardly a national figure. Jackson was someone with whom he shared ideological symmetry.
Sanders’ endorsement emphasized the civil rights leader’s notions of social and economic justice. “We are going to give our support to a candidate for president who has done more than any other candidate in living memory to bring together the disenfranchised, the hungry, the poor, the workers who are being thrown out of their decent-paying jobs and the farmers who are being thrown off of their lands,” Sanders declared in ‘88.
Roughly three decades later, Sanders revisited that moment. In the lead-up to the 2016 Democratic primary in South Carolina, he recalled how he’d been virtually alone among white politicians in supporting the first major black presidential candidate, while also talking up the many years he’d been advocating for racial justice during local, congressional and presidential races.
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http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/jesse-jackson-bernie-sanders-candidate-confessional_us_573cc7ffe4b0aee7b8e8d156
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