Jesse Jackson talks of Democratic rifts

WASHINGTON, Feb. 21 (UPI) -- Jesse Jackson, who twice ran for U.S. president, said the Democratic Party must quickly heal the rift between its candidates once a nominee is chosen.

Jackson, in an interview Wednesday with The Politico, said the major trouble areas are the divide between black and Hispanic voters, the possibility that super delegates could determine who gets the nomination, and bad feeling between rival senators Hillary Clinton of New York and Barack Obama of Illinois.

So far, Clinton has received more support from Hispanics and Obama more support from African-American voters. But Jackson said he thinks the differences are "exaggerated."

"You just can't characterize things as Hispanics for Hillary and blacks for Obama," he said.

Jackson said it would be "very damaging" for the Democrats if Obama has the most pledged delegates when the convention opens in Denver Aug. 25, but super-delegates then give Clinton the nomination.

He said the Democrats must come out of the convention united. Jackson pointed to 1968 when the party was split over the Vietnam War and 1980 when supporters of Sen. Ted Kennedy, D-Mass., were unwilling to embrace President Jimmy Carter.