In the 1980s, when the Democratic Party was shifting away from its New Deal roots toward a more market-friendly, business-centric approach, Jesse Jackson emerged as a powerful voice for a radically inclusive, social-democratic vision. His presidential campaigns in 1984 and 1988 represented a pivotal moment in the party's evolution - one that still echoes today.
Reclaiming the Party's Progressive Roots
What Jackson's campaigns really represented was an effort to reclaim the Democratic Party's progressive legacy and push it in a more universalist, egalitarian direction. As Jacobin's Lily Geismer writes, the New Deal had fundamentally remade the party, shifting the balance of power away from employers and toward workers. But by the 1980s, a new generation of Democrats were eager to jettison this mantle, embracing a more market-oriented, "Atari Democrat" approach.
The Rainbow Coalition
Jackson's answer was the Rainbow Coalition - a multiracial, cross-class alliance that aimed to advocate for the poor, the working class, and marginalized communities. As The Guardian recounts, in his iconic 1984 convention speech, Jackson called on the party to "spread the message that all of us count and all of us fit somewhere." He pushed for reallocating defense spending to social programs - a message he argued would "bring the whole nation running" to the Democrats.
Lasting Impact
While Jackson ultimately fell short in his presidential bids, his vision left a lasting mark. As Manning Marable wrote in the New Left Review, Jackson's campaigns represented "a new stage of development in Afro-Americans' struggle for equality" - one that foreshadowed the rise of a new, more diverse and progressive Democratic coalition. The party may have rejected Jackson's approach in the 1980s, but his influence can still be felt in the social-democratic policies championed by figures like Bernie Sanders and the growing strength of the party's left wing.