Deep in the Heart of Texas

THEY say everything about Texas is big. They say the United States is a part of Texas. They describe the United States as Texas and the other 49 colonies. When Democratic nominee Gov. Michael S. Dukakis picked Texas Senator Lloyd Bentsen to be his running mate, this gave Texans an option on two Texans: Vice-President George Bush or Bentsen?

Texans should be happy--anyway it goes, we win. I'm a Texan, too, y'all. But for Black Texans, it may not be so clear cut. Will Blacks still support Dukakis and Bentsen even though the Rev. Jesse Jackson isn't on the ticket? Here's what Black Texans say:

"I don't like the way they treated Jackson," said Jennie Jarmon, a cosmetologist in Houston. "I think he's a jack-ass for not picking Jackson. He had so much support behind me. He would have been a fine addition to the ticket."

"I think Dukakis could have treated Jackson better," said Jane Everage, a chiropractor in Houston. "I'm still going to support the ticket. I think Blacks will have to decide whether or not they will support the ticket without Jackson."

"Dukakis should have talked to Jackson more," Prarie View A&M student Michael Randon said. "I think he made a bad decision by not picking Jackson. Jesse has proven that he's qualified for the position."

Jackson supporters are complaining about the way Jackson found out. A reporter in the airport informed Jackson of Dukakis decision to pick Senator Bentsen as his running mate. Dukakis said that he phoned Jackson but the reverend was already on a plane going to Washington.

Twenty years from now, some one may look back and ask: was it a lousy phone call that may have lost the election for the Democrats?

JACKSON and Dukakis' friendship has been going down hill since they had dinner at the governor's home on July 4th. It is said that there were more fireworks in the Dukakis' home than there were in the sky.

"I don't like the way it came out," Houston Informer Editor George McElroy said. "I think Dukakis could have informed Jackson of his decision before the reporters got hold of it. I think eight years of Regan was enough." But he adds, "I think the grass-root person is going to stick with the Democratic party."

"I was hoping that Dukakis was going to pick Jackson," Prarie View A&M student Kevin Walls said. "I'm going to support the Democratic ticket because I'm a Democrat. I guess, in a way, it's good that Jesse wasn't on the ticket. Some racist idiot may have tried to kill him."

Some Blacks are saying that Jackson deserves to be on the ticket because he finished second in the primary. In 1984 Gary Hart finished second behind Walter Mondale, but the Colorado Senator was not selected.

There are also questions about whether or not Jackson could function as President if something tragic were to happen to Dukakis.

"I didn't expect Jackson to be on the ticket," said Doctor Frank Jones, Professor of Political Science at Texas Southern University. "The interviews of Jackson by Brountas was a way to placate Jackson supporters. I'm just concerned that Dukakis people could have been so callous with Jackson." But he too adds, "I think most Blacks will still vote Democratic.

"I think Blacks are smart enough to vote in November," Eddie Starks said. "I don't they will sit out just because Jackson isn't on the ticket. My first choice was Jackson as vice-president, but I've heared some good things about Senator Bentsen."

SOME Texans understand the strategic move made by Dukakis, and the fact that Jackson may hurt the ticket. "I think Dukakis made a pretty good decision," Rice student David Jackson said. "He has to get the conservative Democratic vote also. Besides Jackson has too many negatives. All he would do is hurt the Democrats' chances in November."

"Jesse doesn't have any experience," Steve Williams said. "The guy has never help public office in his life. He doesn't know anything about balancing a budget. Jackson seems obsessed about being the vice-president. He'll probably call Bush and ask to be his running-mate."

"I don't know enough about Bush or Dukakis yet," Lamar student Kim Starks said. "I'm not going to support Jesse just because he's Black. Jesse is a preacher, not a politician. He's not qualified. It's really stupid to vote for Jesse just because he's Black. He's a joke. He's never held any type of political office. He should take his bible back to the church, not the White House."

Bentsen has established some civil rights credentials early in his political career. The senator voted against the poll tax in 1949, a device used in the South too help disenfranchise Blacks by forcing citizens to pay for the right to vote.

"He's a fair senator," McElroy said. "He's been fair to minorities in Texas. He has a long-standing civil rights record. I think he's going to be a good vice-president."

"I don't know much about Bentsen, but I hear he's pretty good," Randon said. "I think Blacks will still support the Democratic ticket. There's no way I'm going to vote for Bush."

THE question about supporting the real Texan is really not a question. Texas' Republican Senator Phil Gram predicted that Texans will support a Texan president instead of a Texan Vice-President any day.

Well, Mr. Gramm I have to disagree. Bush is from several states: Massachusetts (where he was actually born), Connecticut, Maine and Texas. He's registered as a Texan. His address is a room at the Houstonian Hotel. Recently, Texan Democrats had bologna sandwiches in his hotel room, because its bologna that he is from Texas.

"Bentsen is a traditional Texan conservative," Professor Julian Davis, chair of the Public Affairs Department at Prarie View A&M and a Jackson delegate. "His positions are more in line with Republicans. He's really popular in Texas. He has made some attemps to recognize the New South."

"Bentsen will help Dukakis in Texas," Davis said. "I will go out on a limb and predict that Dukakis will carry Texas because of Bentsen."

"I'm not that crazy about Jesse Jackson anyway," Ray Ingram said, an engineer in Houston. "I'm going to vote for Dukakis because "I'm a Democrat. I also like the fact that Lloyd Bentsen is a Texan."

A Democrat has never won the White House without carrying Texas. Dukakis went with the odds, picking a very popular senator from Texas. Jackson had an incredible campaign. He proved that a Black man can be seriously considered for President of the United States.

But after talking to some Black Texans, it becomes clear that they will vote for what they believe in. Be it Democrat, Republican or Texan.

And that's the Texan way.