ABSTRACT
As PUSH/Excel faded from the national limelight, Jesse Jackson became an even more prominent public figure in the United States: he put PUSH/Excel behind him and became a presidential candidate. Jackson's unification and "economic violence" themes have strong appeal to many whites who are disaffected from the US economic system. Meanwhile, Jackson himself launched a full-scale bid for the presidency—an endeavor amazingly similar to PUSH/Excel in many ways. Of course, his charisma was now exercised not in a predominantly black society but in a society 90 percent white. Jackson's first foray into presidential politics got him onto the covers of the news magazines, and their portrayal of him reflected his image in the larger society. In contrast, an article in Black Enterprise described Jackson as a "maverick," a "gadfly," and a "manipulator of the media."
