Dukakis Undecided on Jackson Ability

Democratic presidential hopeful Michael S. Dukakis said Wednesday he does not yet know whether the Rev. Jesse Jackson would meet his “first criterion” for a running mate--the ability to be a “first-rate President if something happens to the President.”

On Monday, Dukakis told reporters that “there are a number of people who, I think, could meet that criterion.” But asked at a press conference Wednesday whether Jackson, with whom he met Tuesday, is one of those people, Dukakis declined to answer.

“Whether or not he or anyone else meets the criterion will depend on the kind of process and thinking and reflecting and interviewing that I’m going to go through,” he said. “Obviously, at this point, I haven’t made a judgment.”

Defends Prison Furlough Program

Dukakis at a press conference also defended his record on prison furloughs and other topics on which Republicans in recent weeks have called him too liberal. Mostly, he repeated past statements, saying in response to questions about the furlough program, for example, that “the issue is, have we gotten results? . . . This state has cut crime more than any other state with one exception (Delaware) over the course of the past five years; that’s what makes a difference.”

The press conference, however, was dominated by questions about Jackson and the vice presidency.

Dukakis has been cautiously refining his public statements on Jackson and the vice presidency over the last two weeks. He has been seeking to assure Jackson and his supporters that the civil rights leader is receiving fair consideration for the post, while at the same time trying to allow himself room to explain his reasons should he decide to pick someone else, which is what most political experts think he will do.

Wednesday, Dukakis insisted that “Jesse Jackson is under very serious consideration” for the No. 2 spot on the Democratic ticket. And, he said, he would not rule out Jackson solely on the basis of Jackson’s lack of prior experience in government.

“We all have our strengths, we all have our weaknesses,” Dukakis said. “I don’t know that you have to have held public office in order to be qualified to be President. It helps, but there are other qualities as well” such as “experience in the community at large” that would be important, he said.

Earlier in the day, Dukakis attended a Statehouse ceremony marking the success of Massachusetts’ “ET (Employment and Training) program,” a training program designed to help people get off welfare and find productive jobs.

At least 50,000 people have been helped off welfare by the program, the Dukakis Administration claims. On Wednesday, Dukakis said that while he is proud of many of the governmental programs he touts on the campaign trail, “of all the things I’ve been involved in, ET is at the top of the list.”