Path: bloom-picayune.mit.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!americast.com!americast.com!americast-post Newsgroups: americast.twt.news From: americast-post@AmeriCast.Com Organization: American Cybercasting Approved: americast-post@AmeriCast.com Subject: Jackson to press Clinton on promises Date: Sun, 8 Nov 92 15:50:37 EST Message-ID: \SE A;NATION \HD Jackson to press Clinton on promises \BY Joyce Price \CR THE WASHINGTON TIMES Jesse Jackson supports President-elect Bill Clinton's plans for revitalizing America but makes it clear he'll be watching closely to make sure the promises are kept. "We know he made these promises, so the next phase is to be vigilant to make sure those promises are kept," Mr. Jackson said yesterday at a news conference after a meeting between his Rainbow Coalition and Clinton campaign manager David Wilhelm at the Hyatt Regency Hotel. The meeting was called to analyze the election and set strategies for dealing with Mr. Clinton's first 100 days in the White House. Mr. Wilhelm said blacks played an "absolutely essential role" in Mr. Clinton's election. "We've established a dialogue for communication in the future," he told reporters. "I've expressed Governor Clinton's desire to have an administration as diverse as the people of this country. . . . Rebuilding the economy from the bottom up is what we're all about." Mr. Jackson said: "We're on the same team. We worked together to defeat Bush. Now we'll work together to help those who've been denied the American dream." During the campaign, Mr. Jackson and Mr. Clinton disagreed publicly on two matters: comments made by the rap singer Sister Souljah after the Los Angeles riots, and Mr. Clinton's decision to allow the execution of a brain-damaged murderer in Arkansas despite Mr. Jackson's plea for leniency. Asked about previous difficulties with Mr. Clinton, Mr. Jackson replied: "Much of this has been exaggerated. We left New York [site of the Democratic National Convention] and went to work. You see the fruits of our labors." Mr. Clinton, he said, "made adjustments" during the campaign to allay concerns he might ignore traditional Democrats, including blacks and Hispanics, in his bid to reach other voter populations. He did not elaborate as to the nature of the adjustments. Mr. Wilhelm acknowledged there were "some bumps along the way" in the campaign's relationship with Mr. Jackson, but he played them down. "No one worked harder . . . registered more voters . . . traveled to more states, talked to more voters than the Reverend Jackson," he said. Mr. Jackson said Mr. Clinton's appointment of Vernon Jordan to head his transition team is evidence that the president-elect is committed to improving the lot of minorities. "Their plan to put Americans back to work addresses the critical problems of unemployment in the African-American and Hispanic communities," Mr. Jackson said. He also ticked off other Clinton proposals that he said will benefit minority Americans and that he'll be keeping an eye on, including health care reform, "affordable housing," "education for the poor," D.C. statehood, reduced defense spending and "welfare reform that empowers women and children." "The Clinton plan will rejuvenate the economy," Mr. Jackson said, and will offer a "renewed commitment to African policy" affecting "Africa, the Caribbean and, indeed, urban America." Data presented by David D. Bositis, a senior research associate with the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, showed that blacks played a crucial role in Mr. Clinton's election and made the difference in some important states where the vote was close. Black turnout was up 13 or 14 percent from the 1988 election and represented 15 percent of the total vote cast, Mr. Bositis said. "Black voters were very, very critical," he said. This article is copyright 1992 The Washington Times. Redistribution to other sites is not permitted except by arrangement with American Cybercasting Corporation. For more information, send-email to usa@AmeriCast.COM