The Sharpton Primary
Democratic presidential candidates are falling all over themselves to secure the support of Al Sharpton, whose own 2004 campaign and his role in the recent Don Imus controversy have elevated his profile as a national civil rights leader. John Edwards, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton will all attend the reverend's annual National Action Network convention this week.Democratic presidential candidates are falling all over themselves to secure the support of Al Sharpton, whose own 2004 campaign and his role in the recent Don Imus controversy have elevated his profile as a national civil rights leader. John Edwards, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton will all attend the reverend’s annual National Action Network convention this week.
AS CHAOS UNFOLDS, FIND SOLID GROUND…AP:
Democratic presidential contenders are scrambling for support in what’s being dubbed the Al Sharpton primary. The civil rights leader livened up the 2004 Democratic primary with his pompadour hairdo and sharp, witty oratory. This election, the high-profile Sharpton, fresh from the fight over Don Imus’ derogatory remarks, is attracting all the party’s major candidates this week for his annual National Action Network convention.
The solid attendance — starting with John Edwards on Wednesday and continuing with Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama later this week — reflects Sharpton’s prominence in the party, concern that he might run again and the Democrats’ effort to appeal to the base, particularly black voters.
No wonder the event was being called the Sharpton primary.
In this time of unprecedented challenges, independent journalism is more vital than ever. At Truthdig, we expose what power wants hidden and give you the clarity to make sense of it all.
Your donation helps ensure that truth telling continues.
The MSNBC host reminds the president that the Queen of Soul "took orders from nobody but God."
A new generation of young black radicals is opting for revolution—a generation that sees through the facade of the corporate state and has rejected as sellouts Obama, Sharpton, Jackson, Dyson and others among the African-American political elite.
It is absurd to have to say this, but New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, activist Al Sharpton and President Obama are in no way responsible for the coldblooded assassination of two police officers in Brooklyn on Saturday.
While acknowledging the outrage that followed the death of 18-year-old Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo., on Saturday after the unarmed teenager was shot in a police car by a still-unnamed police officer, on Tuesday activists like the Rev. Al Sharpton emphasized the need for calm and justice as the case is investigated.
If it’s spring, it must be time for Barack Obama’s annual drive-by of black America, where he piously lectures them on the state of their lives. He didn’t disappoint this year, treating the nation to two speeches on civil rights in a single week.
You need to be a supporter to comment.
There are currently no responses to this article.
Be the first to respond.