POLITICS 88 : CAMPAIGN ’88 : Speaker Brown Sees Nunn as ‘Good Choice’

Sen. Sam Nunn (D-Ga.) would be a “good choice” as the Democratic vice presidential nominee in November’s general election even though his record on civil rights “is nothing to write home about,” Willie Brown, Speaker of the California Assembly, said Monday.

Brown, chairman of the Rev. Jesse Jackson’s presidential campaign, told reporters at a breakfast session in Washington that because of the wide respect Nunn enjoys, especially among supporters of a strong defense, he would be a plus for the Democratic ticket regardless of whether it is headed by Jackson or by Massachusetts Gov. Michael S. Dukakis.

The Speaker also indicated he agreed with recent statements by former President Jimmy Carter and Jackson adviser Bert Lance that Jackson himself, if he fails to win the nomination, would be willing to sublimate any personal ambitions to be on the ticket in the interest of winning the presidency in November.

“It shouldn’t surprise you we are all saying the same thing,” said Brown, who originally hails from Texas. “We good ol’ Southern boys talk all the time.”