Jesse Jackson had a complicated relationship with Jerry Brown

from Dan WaltersCalMatters

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The the death of the Reverend Jesse Jackson this week sparked a flood of memories about his decades-long career as a civil rights advocate and political figure.

That’s why it’s timely to recall an episode from his tumultuous relationship with Jerry Brown, whose celebrity was comparable during the heyday of the 1970s and 1980s – particularly one day in 1979.

Jackson had founded PUSH (People United to Save Humanity) in 1971 after breaking away from Martin Luther King’s organization during a power struggle following King’s assassination.

In 1979, PUSH held a convention in Cleveland. Brown, then in his second term as governor of California and planning a second presidential campaign, was invited to speak.

So I found myself on a red-eye flight from California to Cleveland with Brown, his state welfare director, Marion Woodsand a reporter from the Los Angeles Times whose name I can’t remember.

I had covered Brown’s first bid for the White House in 1976 for the Sacramento Union and was curious how his lust for the spotlight would play off Jackson’s equally strong penchant for attention.

That day, the PUSH program was half political gathering and half religious service, with music and singing, all broadcast over a network of radio stations.

Brown seemed surprised, or perhaps confused, by the unusual format, but he immediately took the podium and delivered his remarks. I can’t remember the contents.

Shortly thereafter, Jackson adjourned the session by asking for money, calling out various sums and asking those willing to answer the requests to “come on down,” as a choir rocked the hall with energetic renditions of spirituals.

At one point, Jackson turned to Brown and offered to make a donation. Brown stared straight ahead, neither answering nor giving. This was not surprising given Brown’s image as a flintlock.

The session ended, and Brown and his group, including the Times reporter and myself, were invited to Jackson’s hotel suite for some food, drink and conversation. Listening to Jackson and Brown banter about politics and philosophy was worth the trip. But the day wasn’t over.

On the way back to the airport, our small convoy of cars driven by Cleveland police officers detoured to City Hall, where Brown met with the city’s young, politically ambitious mayor, Denis Kucinichafter which the mayor jumped into the lead car with Brown and led us on a whirlwind tour of the town, turning at his brother’s house, the brother running out to shake Brown’s hand.

While waiting to board our flight back to California, I asked Brown why he hadn’t donated to Jackson and if he had brought money. He reached into the watch pocket of his waistcoat (Brown often wore three-piece suits back then), pulled out a $100 bill and said he didn’t feel obligated to give.

Brown actually ran for president again in 1980, but his campaign failed in the Wisconsin primary a few months later. Jackson ran for president in 1984, delivered thunderous address at the Democratic convention in San Francisco and failed to win the nomination. He tried again in 1988.

When Brown made his third bid for the White House in 1992, his relationship with Jackson became a problem. At one point, Brown suggested that Jackson might be his teammate, but that’s what happened drew condemnation from the New York Jewish community because Jackson mentioned the city using an ethnic slur.

Meanwhile, Kucinich, who had been mayor of Cleveland for only two years, suffered political and personal financial setbacks and recovered in Southern California. He returned to Ohio and served 16 years as a congressman. Like Brown and Jackson, he also made an unsuccessful bid for the presidency.

This article was originally published on CalMatters and is republished under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivatives license.