Tension in Atlanta

If Michael S. Dukakis wanted to demonstrate to American voters that he is a Democrat who will not be pushed around by specific party factions, he has made his point. If Jesse Jackson wanted to show Dukakis that he will not have his movement and support taken for granted, he has made his point.

Now it is time for the two campaigns to make peace and dissipate the tension that hovers over Atlanta as delegates gather for the 1988 Democratic National Convention opening Monday. It is not in the interest of either man, or the country, to have the 1988 Democratic National Convention in Atlanta degenerate into bitter feuding between factions of the party.

There must be a relative degree of amity within the party, and general support for the Dukakis-Bentsen ticket, if Democrats are to be competitive this fall with the Republican slate led by Vice President George Bush. The voters deserve a campaign that focuses on issues and that is not dogged by the distractions of lingering intraparty animosities.

But even the most unified Democratic convention will have spats, and this convention should be no exception, even if the Massachusetts governor and Jackson seem to be able to mute their differences. Put 4,161 delegates into a cramped, steamy arena for hours on end with few decisions to make and there will be disagreements on platform issues; there will be perceived slights on the part of some groups, and all-around frustration and short tempers. Even if the Dukakis-Jackson frictions are patched over, there will be the risk that little rifts will be magnified into gaping canyons by the focus of media attention.

As for the tensions of the past week, there is no question but that the Dukakis campaign unnecessarily insulted Jackson by botching the announcement of Sen. Lloyd Bentsen of Texas as Dukakis’ running mate. There is a conspiracy theory: that it was done intentionally to put Jackson in his place and to show that Dukakis will not allow himself to be manipulated. Intentional or not, that point could have been made well enough without the perception of insensitivity on Dukakis’ part.

On the other hand, Jackson has been talking in riddles about what he expects from the Dukakis campaign, referring hazily to inclusion, partnership and shared responsibility. There are veiled threats about Dukakis not being able to win without him. In picking Bentsen, Dukakis reached out to one wing of the party, Jackson said, and now he has to reach out to the other--the party needing both wings to fly.

Dukakis, in fact, will have to appeal to all of the party’s many factions if he is to win the election, including the conservative Democrats who supported Ronald Reagan in 1980 and 1984 and Jackson’s supporters of 1988. While Dukakis is a centrist in general, he also is a progressive on many specific issues of importance not just to blacks but to all Democrats who consider themselves liberals.

Those who talk about the Democratic Party returning to its true liberal roots are dreaming about a party that never existed or, if it did, that could not now win a national election. The party always has been a coalition that bridged a broad spectrum of political interests and ideologies, like a rainbow. Dukakis’ job now, as the leader of the party, is to hold that fragile coalition together through a process of inclusion, partnership and shared responsibility for all.