What Today’s Democrats Can Learn From Jesse Jackson

Danielle Wiggins, a historian at Georgetown University, says Jesse Jackson’s 1984 and 1988 campaigns used rhetoric, tactics and policy that would greatly benefit Democrats today.

You can watch this episode of Right Now With Perry Bacon above or by following this show on YouTube or Substack.

Jesse Jackson died this week at age 84. In addition to his decades of work as a civil rights activist, Jackson ran for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1984 and 1988, finishing as the runner-up in his second try. In the latest edition of Right Now, Danielle Wiggins, a historian at Georgetown University, says that Jackson’s campaigns, with their emphasis on economic populism, are a model that Democrats should embrace today. Wiggins, who specializes in Black history and political thought, also discusses Jackson’s role in 1960s activism as an aide to Martin Luther King, Jr., his decades of subsequent work on issues of race and equality, and where civil rights causes stand today.

Right Now With Perry Bacon is a twice-weekly show about national politics with a focus on the radicalism of the Trump administration and tactics to combat it. The program, hosted by New Republic staff writer Perry Bacon on Substack, features in-depth discussions with experts and politicians. It goes beyond the daily headlines to explain why things are happening and put them in a broader context.

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