ABSTRACT
Black presidential campaigns must be unidirectional, encompassing a medley of organizational approaches simultaneously. Jesse Jackson found in 1984 that the Democratic Party constituted a powerful constraint in the realization of his political objectives for the black community. The critical role played by the media in presidential politics constituted a formidable institutional constraint on the political effectiveness of the Jackson campaign. Blacks should also avoid the danger of becoming so caught up in party politics that they overlook the importance of other arenas of political activity in the development and implementation of public policy, including the enormous influence wielded by labor unions and private corporations. The central message to the black electorate must be that the black presidential candidate is not involved in a horse race but a quest to change the fundamental relations of the black community to the broader social, economic, and political order.
