POLITICS 88 : Jackson Bows to Power of TV, Makes Big Ad Buy in New York

Democrat Jesse Jackson is finally using the most potent tool of modern politics to stitch together his patchwork-quilt campaign for President.

For the first time in two runs for the White House, Jackson will mount for New York’s primary a large-scale television advertising campaign.

Jackson already has bought close to $550,000 in TV time--$435,000 of it in New York City, including Spanish-language television. That is enough, according to figures from a major Democratic time-buyer, to buy nearly 1,000 rating points of commercial time, or roughly enough so that an average viewer will see 10 Jackson ads.

Equal to Gore’s Buy

“Now he’s in the ballpark,” said Democratic consultant Bob Squier. Jackson’s ad buy is roughly equal to that of rival Albert Gore Jr., the Tennessee senator. Massachusetts Gov. Michael S. Dukakis may spend three times as much by Tuesday’s primary.

Most of Jackson’s money will be used to air an anti-drug commercial shot by Hollywood film-maker Spike Lee, director of the hit movie “She’s Gotta Have It.”

But it remains an open question among political professionals whether a half-million dollars’ worth of ads can win Jackson new voters beyond his core supporters.

“If I were them, I’d save some of that money for western Pennsylvania,” said Ed Reilly, pollster for former Democratic candidate Richard A. Gephardt, referring to the state primary immediately following New York’s. New York is too expensive, and too divided, for such a media buy to make much difference, Reilly argued.

But others, such as political scientist Norman Ornstein, said they thought Jackson’s media gamble worth the risk. “If he doesn’t do well in New York it is only going to get harder,” Ornstein said.

Reflects Success, Burdens

This debate over Jackson’s ads signals a sea change in how professionals view his campaign, reflecting both its success and its burdens.

Since his stunning landslide triumph in Michigan last month, Jackson’s candidacy has become something more than it was before and something less: It is now recognized as a major-league campaign in contention to win ; but in a sense, that makes it just another campaign, running by all the same rules with all the same limitations.

Previously, second-place finishes could be perceived as victories for Jackson, and triumphs for civil rights. But now that he is a serious contender, to win Jackson must finish first.

Hence, Jackson in New York must do everything he can to win, including spending money on advertising even if the risk that it will do little good is high.

“I think New York is his best chance to win of all the states left,” said Robert Beckel, who managed Walter F. Mondale’s presidential bid in 1984.

‘No Point’ in Saving Money

Even though Jackson’s ads may only affect small numbers of voters “at the margins of the margins . . . there is no point in saving the money for later,” said Ornstein, a political scientist at the American Enterprise Institute, a Washington think tank.

Jackson’s anti-drug spot, dramatically shot with a wide-angle lens by filmmaker Lee, shows the candidate walking in Harlem, the street cleared by a cordon of police.

“This street is one of the worst narcotic trafficking streets in the world: crack, heroin, PCP, cocaine. These illegal drugs are destroying our neighborhoods and killing our kids.”

The camera then cuts to Jackson in affluent Tarrytown, N.Y., where, he notes, drugs are also a problem. Then back to Harlem:

“As President,” Jackson says, walking toward the camera, “I’ll not only say no to drugs, I’ll say yes to a war on drugs. This will be part of not only my domestic policy, but my foreign and defense policy. We the people can win the war on drugs.”

Twofold Purpose of TV Spot

The purpose of the drug spot, media consultants agreed, is twofold:

First, it will inspire his core black support to turn out and vote. The drug issue is potent in that community, and showing that he can afford ads enhances his campaign’s credibility.

Second, and more important in terms of winning New York, the anti-drug theme emphasizes Jackson as a non-threatening candidate to whites.

It is the issue on which Jackson has unparalleled authority, and on which he enjoys support even from conservative Republicans.

“The issue for Jackson now is acceptability to whites--period,” said Democratic media consultant Jim Margolis. “That’s the whole ballgame.”

Reassuring White Voters

Persuading whites that Jackson is not a frightening candidate “also takes the edge off with whites who might only vote to stop Jackson,” said David Axelrod, media consultant for the suspended campaign of Illinois Sen. Paul Simon.

The drug spot will dominate Jackson’s New York City ad campaign. Of that purchase, $50,000 is for Spanish-language television, roughly twice what Dukakis is spending on the Spanish market. Jackson also is spending $40,000 on Spanish-language radio.

Upstate, Jackson will spend $113,000 to run three other ads. They are a testimonial from a farmer shot in Iowa, an ad noting how Jackson had met with Soviet leader Mikhail S. Gorbachev, and a song written by Nashville musician Rick Blackburn played over footage of Jackson campaigning.

Jackson has run ads before, but in reality, most viewers never saw them because his purchases of air time were so minuscule.

Unless an ad reaches 500 rating points--meaning that it is seen roughly five times by the average viewer--most political consultants feel it will have no impact. In Illinois, for instance, Jackson spent just $35,000 on television in the entire state.

TV Ads Were Symbolic

Essentially, those spots were symbolic, intended to show the press and party establishment that Jackson was a legitimate candidate.

“There is something about commercials that authenticates a candidacy,” said Axelrod, the Simon campaign consultant.

“We were not on (the air) to convince anyone,” acknowledged Jackson campaign manager Gerald Austin. “It was designed to convince you guys (in the press) that we were a real campaign, we have TV spots.”

There is no question Jackson’s campaign is real. The question now is: Will he win?