Dukakis, Jackson Unity Talk Likely : May Meet Today in Move to Head Off Disruptive Convention Confrontation

ATLANTA — Massachusetts Gov. Michael S. Dukakis, seeking to head off a disruptive confrontation at the Democratic National Convention, apparently has agreed to a unity meeting with civil rights leader Jesse Jackson amid signs both presidential candidates are making progress in settling their differences.

The meeting, which Jackson has pressed for since Dukakis announced last Tuesday that he had selected Sen. Lloyd Bentsen of Texas as his running mate, could be held as early as today, when Dukakis arrives with Bentsen.

With the convention scheduled to open Monday night, prominent Democrats here anxiously watched the preconvention maneuvering and expressed concern that failure by the two rivals to resolve their problems could cost Dukakis the election in November.

Jackson Conciliatory

And they watched with some relief as Jackson arrived in Atlanta on Saturday and adopted a conciliatory tone, saying: “We the people are going to have a great convention. There is hope about this convention. It is not about concessions. It is not about conquest. It is about common ground. Then, on to higher ground and victory.”

Former Democratic Chairman John C. White, who has been advising Jackson, said that “unity is always the beginning of a winning convention.” He noted that, in 1968 and 1972, the Democrats had divisive conventions that caused them to lose up to 20 points in the polls and helped defeat them in the elections.

Jackson, miffed at being passed over for a spot on the ticket and at having to learn of Bentsen’s selection from a reporter, has complained that he was being shut out by the Dukakis campaign.

Since selecting Bentsen, Dukakis has tried to relieve the tension with Jackson in telephone conversations but has not succeeded. Until Saturday, the Massachusetts governor had rejected requests for a personal meeting despite increasing pressure from Jackson and Democratic leaders, including former President Jimmy Carter, who said Dukakis could afford to be “generous” and reach out to Jackson.

In a television interview Saturday, Susan Estrich, Dukakis’ campaign manager, said that “the way to win in November is to reach out to Jesse Jackson. We’re going to reach out.”

She said it was “very possible” that Dukakis and Jackson will meet today and added that Democrats “are more unified, ready to win with an agenda for the future, than at any time recently.”

A source in the Jackson campaign said Dukakis and Jackson are expected to meet today.

Controversial Positions

In what could be a significant move to placate the Jackson forces, the Dukakis campaign agreed to continue negotiating with the Jackson campaign in an effort to reach a compromise that would incorporate in the party platform some of the controversial minority positions backed by Jackson.

In the past, Jackson has vowed to fight at the convention for a number of positions, including a freeze on defense spending and an increase in taxes on the wealthy, that Dukakis opposes and that would provide a potent political issue for the Republicans in the election campaign if adopted in the Democratic platform.

Despite all the signs of unity in preconvention maneuvering here Saturday, some of Jackson’s supporters are still expected to insist on platform positions that could generate heated debates and perhaps leave bruised feelings between the two camps.

Could Cause Consternation

Moreover, Jackson campaign aides could cause consternation in the Dukakis camp by having Jackson nominated for vice president. His aides picked up nominating papers Saturday for both President, the position he lost to Dukakis, and for vice president, the position he lost to Bentsen.

Earlier in the day, at a rally in Chattanooga, Jackson served notice once again that he was not to be taken for granted.

“At this point, we have not yet defined the relationship that I would have, nor that my constituents would have,” he said. “For us to win, there must be inclusion. There must be expansion of the party.

“Our delegation is fully informed and willing to use every convention rule, law and bylaw for us to have adequate, fair participation,” Jackson said Saturday. “Through the years, we have been locked out of the convention, or we did not have enough strength or we did not understand the rules. We now have the numbers and the knowledge to apply the rules effectively to keep opening up the party.”

But, after his “Rainbow Express” bus caravan rolled into Atlanta, Jackson sought to lower tensions, declaring that he felt “no acrimony or hostility” for Dukakis.

Emotional Speech

He said the issue between him and Dukakis involved a partnership with Dukakis. In an emotional speech before 6,000 supporters at Piedmont Park at the conclusion of his three-day trip from Chicago, Jackson declared:

“I didn’t seek a job, a title or a position. I seek a partnership. I seek equity. I seek shared responsibility. I don’t mind working. I’ll go out in the fields and pick some voters. I’ll come back and bale up some voters. But, when I get up to the big house, I want to count the cotton,” he said to thunderous applause.

“Our struggle began before Iowa,” Jackson continued in his thundering rhetoric. “It will continue after Atlanta. It is ancient in origin, endless in its destination.”

Then, after apparently winding up his speech, he suddenly returned to the podium.

‘Must Be Hopeful’

“We’ll be communicating. We’re going to have a good convention. We will deliberate. We will debate. We will arrive at a conclusion. We must be hopeful.”

Jackson--who has been at odds with Dukakis, particularly since Dukakis chose the conservative Bentsen as his running mate--continued to press for a “partnership” and “shared responsibility” with Dukakis while issuing veiled threats that, unless an agreement is reached, he could be a disruptive force during the convention.

A Jackson aide, who asked not to be identified, said the Jackson-Dukakis negotiations concern not only the platform but Jackson’s role in the campaign and then, if Dukakis wins, a role for Jackson people in the transition and the government. “The general principle is power sharing,” the aide said. “Jackson needs to be a part of every important decision.”

Top Aides Meet

Top campaign strategists Paul P. Brountas for Dukakis and Ron Brown for Jackson met for an hour in Brown’s hotel room Saturday and afterward described their session as a “positive meeting.” Both spoke in terms of working together to defeat Vice President George Bush, the expected Republican nominee, in the November election and said they hoped to schedule a meeting between the two candidates.

Aides to both Dukakis and Jackson worked feverishly, meanwhile, in hopes of resolving major disputes before the convention opens.

The two campaigns, in a move that could head off any divisive floor fights, said they were seeking a compromise on 13 minority positions supported by Jackson that were rejected by the platform committee.

The objective is to amend the minority positions, which include such controversial issues as tax and spending policies, so that the majority would agree to include them in the party platform.

Minority Planks

The 13 minority planks cover these subjects: budget; fair tax; military spending; education; women, infants and children/Head Start; Cold War; Middle East/Palestinian self-determination; Lebanon/Persian Gulf; nuclear testing moratorium; no first use of nuclear strike; Central American policy, comprehensive health care and Virgin Island self-determination.

Two platform representatives--Eleanor Holmes Norton for Jackson and Michael Barnes for Dukakis--worked out an agreement Saturday to issue the minority positions, but with the caveat that negotiations are still continuing in the 13 areas.

Along with the 13 minority positions, the campaigns issued a statement saying, “These minority positions are under discussion by the parties for possible agreement on language that may lead to their inclusion in the platform.”

“The hope is that both campaigns will agree on compromises on most of the planks so that amendments can be offered to the platform adopted by the platform committee and we can avoid floor fights on those issues,” a Democratic Party spokesman said. “Maybe it can be narrowed down to two or three issues they can’t agree on.”

Jackson to Speak Tuesday

The platform is scheduled to be presented to the convention by six different speakers preceding Jackson’s speech, which will conclude Tuesday night’s session.

Meanwhile, Dukakis was busy in the governor’s office in Boston for a third straight day, grappling with state budget problems. The governor has campaigned heavily on his ability to manage the state’s fiscal affairs but lately has had to deal with a series of increases in budget deficits.

Dukakis is scheduled to leave Boston today after a news conference, stop in Washington to pick up Bentsen and arrive in Atlanta in the afternoon.

Staff writer Ron Harris contributed to this story.