McCandless on Jesse Jackson and The Great Black Hope

During his undergrad years at Emory, Christopher McCandless wrote for their newspaper, the Emory Wheel. I was reading a few of his 'dispatches from the wild' today, and found these words, written at the height of his idealism, somewhat prophetic given the recent election of Barack Obama as US Pres-Elect.


April 1, 1988
“No one can say ‘Jackson can’t win’”

“It seems that everywhere I turn I find people congratulating Jesse Jackson on the incredible feats he has accomplished in his drive for the Democratic presidential nomination. Most people are truly amazed, as I am, at the unprecedented success of his campaign, and appear to hold Jackson in high esteem.

However, when the question arises as to his actual chances for being the nominee most everyone gives him none. (...)

Some people might argue that Jackson ‘doesn’t want’ to be President. They maintain that Jackson is merely in the race to try to benefit the cause of black citizens. (...) Is it to become precedent that a black man can never be on the ticket because that ticket could then ‘never win’? Or is there supposed to be some ‘better time’ in the future for a black man to be on the ticket? When would this be, year 2000, year 3000?

The Democratic voters are the backbone of the party, and through their votes they have shown a strong interest in Jackson as the nominee. Let’s leave these ‘can’t’ win’ people to rot in their mire.”