Will Sharpton take down Dean?

[Sliverofhope]

Marc Levitt

Al Sharpton is none too pleased that Dean was in Harlem to get the nod from Gore. But that's not even the begining of Dean's troubles with the Rev:

"The day is past when black folks can be delivered," he said in a telephone interview. He called the Dean-Gore summit "drive-by campaigning in Harlem." And he's firing back.

"Howard Dean is a conservative," Sharpton says. "He's supported three-strikes-and-you're-out sentencing. He called welfare recipients 'lazy people' with no work ethic. Now he wants to keep troops in Iraq for years. How are folks in the civil rights community supposed to support things like that?"

Thus far I've been nodding in agreement with those who mock Dean's detractors for claiming he's both too liberal and too conservative. I kind of thought those were mutually exclusive. Now I'm not so certain. A troubling thought: what if he is too conservative on some issues to motivate non-white Democratic constituencies while being too liberal to capture the attention of centrists and Republicans? He would just be totally fucked. Read the article to get a sense of just how much Sharpton intends to hold tight control over the reigns of black Democratic power.

http://metajournalism.blogspot.com/2003_12_07_metajournalism_archive.html#107116456655389921

http://www.nydailynews.com/front/story/144906p-128023c.html

[Skwmom]

1. You nailed it.

Many conservatives won't get past the gay marriage and weak on defense issue. On the other hand, once liberals take a look at him, many of them won't be very motivated either.

[Sliverofhope]

2. Not my analysis

It's taken from a blog. I'm not even going to make a peep about any candidate. I just desire to post analysis from other people I find interesting.

[sandnsea]

23. That's it exactly

What's the point of his candidacy? I've never understood.

[Khephra]

3. If you read the accounts of that day

Gore and Dean met up in Harlem because Dean was already going to be there and their paths were crossing.

[killbotfactory]

4. Being attacked by Sharpton, oh heavens...

He has a lot of sway with swing voters. Bad news for the Dean campaign.

[pruner]

5. LOL

[arewethereyet]

6. I've admired Al for putting the issue of the automatic black vote...

... in very sharp relief. much is taken for granted and that could be very costly.

[chimpymustgo]

7. Uh oh. You don't want Rev. Al in your face. Watch out now...

Excellent post, Sliver.

[DuctapeFatwa]

8. Most voters agree with Dean's views as summarized by Sharpton

All Sharpton has going for him is intelligence.

Dean has money.

This is America.

[thinkahead]

9. Maybe we should ask these folks

what they think?

http://www.blacksfordean.com/endorsements.htm

[Gman]

22. There are 48 names on that list

including a few Congress persons. The rest are low level local and/or state officials plus a few entertainers and business persons. Probably the most distinguished is Christopher Edley, Jr.

That's a very, very long way from the kind of support in the AA community that Dean needs to win in November... he has a year, but he needs to start tomorrow.

[thinkahead]

29. This isn't about lists of people

It's about whether or not Sharpton is expressing a mainstream view amongst the African American Community, or he is just playing politics.

[Closer]

10. I'd like to see

where Dean referred to welfare recipients as "lazy people".

And I'm getting really sick of Rev. Al turning everything into a race issue. If he's even slighty insinuating that Al Gore or Howard Dean is a racist, he's a joke.

[Gman]

11. 60 Minutes ran a piece on Sharpton a few years ago

and pointed out how when he has run for office like he did for mayor of NYC, and lost, he withheld his support for the eventual Democratic nominee and ended up throwing the election to the Republican or maybe making it a lot closer than it should have been (I forget now).

When I first heard last year he was going to run that was the first thing I thought about. I'm sitting back and actually expecting him to do the same thing and try to cost the Democratic nominee the election. However, I this can be overcome if Dean or whoever and the proxies get out and works the AA community hard.

[Sliverofhope]

15. My point in posting this

was just to share this point. All factors must be considered in beating Bush. There is no reasonable alternative to his being defeated.

[chimpymustgo]

18. The NYC mayoral race was much more complicated than that.

Mark Green treated Sharpton like sh*t. His campaign was playing dirty, though Green claimed he was not aware of the dirty tricks. Al decided to make a point about black votes being taken for granted by the Democratic party. It's something we might want to give some consideration to.

[dsc]

12. This would be the same Shapton

that endorse D'Amato in 1986. The corrupt D'Amato, the conservative D'Amato. Yep that one.

[WhoCountsTheVotes]

13. This kind of thing hurts us all

If Dean is a leader, he will right now strongly and forcefully denounce the corporate media for marginalizing Sharpton, Moseley-Braun, and Kucinich. Dean knows how to be divise and whip people us, I'd like to see him pull the party together.

The Republicans killed us with their bull-shite "liberal media" talking point. If the Democratic party can't stand up to the real Corporate Media, we will never win. Let Dean take the "mantle of leadership" or whatever spin you want and tell them off, in public, by NAME.

Here are the NAMES:

Disney/CapCities/ABC
Westinghouse/NBC
FOX/Newscorp
GE/CBS
CNN/?

[mzmolly]

14. Riiiiiiiiight. Sharpton has as much credibility as

Santa...

[curse10]

19. oh, that's nice

:eyes:

[mzmolly]

25. nice thread too dontcha think? It's only the 251'st thread slamming Dean

today.

[curse10]

28. Oh no!

poor Dean!

[Sliverofhope]

30. I have no intention of slamming Dean

I just thought the idea of Sharpton having a Ralph Nader effect on the election, besides Ralph Nader having a Nader effect, was an interesting idea, and needed to be considered.

[cosmicdot]

24. why drag Santa Claus into this?

[mzmolly]

26. He he...

;) Tis the season.

[pruner]

16. I've said it before and I'll say it again…

Al Sharpton is clown shoes.

[Mass_Liberal]

17. Sharpton is smart and funny

but is not straight at all on certain things. He called Dean's agenda anti-black despite Dean being pro affirmative action. This is inflammatory and stupid and wrong. Al can be fulla shit sometimes.

[Scott Lee]

20. Al's fun to have at parties, but he gets a little embarrasing....

You know, the guy who jumps up on the table, pulls his pants down and swings from the chandelier to get attention. He thinks it's hilarious, but can't understand why everyone around him is frowning.

I like Sharptons suits, though. Nice fit.

[Padraig18]

21. I like Al, but I don't respect him.

He is a deeply-flawed individual.

[Jim Sagle]

27. Sharpton ain't nuthin' but shit.

[Alenne]

31. Oh please

If Dean does not get enough black support it won't be because of Al Sharpton. Most black people can and do make decisions based on facts and not just because Jesse or Al told us so.

How much support Dean gets from black people depends on Dean.

[frustrated_lefty]

32. Will Sharpton...

be witty? Without doubt.

take down Dean? Not bloody likely.

[tsipple]

33. Uh, No

Next question?

[unfrigginreal]

34. Smart moves there Sharpton

The people that you claim to represent will be much better served with another four years of Bush.