The Problem with Al Sharpton

[Freddie Stubbs]

Rev. Al Sharpton’s race for the Democratic presidential nomination should be considered a resounding success – for just about everyone except the candidate himself.

By sheer dint of will and force of personality, Sharpton imposed a vibrant Black presence on the party’s primary process. (Had Sharpton not run, Carol Moseley-Braun would not have been drawn into the race – ironically, as a counterweight to Sharpton.) “Big Al” was truly large on the stage, a daunting deterrent to the intrusion of the usual coded racial rhetoric into the Democratic debates or on the stump: Don’t even think about it, said Al, without having to move his lips. Sharpton gave voice – at times, brilliantly – to the core progressive principles of the Black political consensus, causing big-footed white men to step lightly and in the right general direction.

Sharpton’s candidacy has had a magical effect on the racial chemistry of the Democratic dialogue, in starkest contrast to the White Citizens Council-type language of the GOP. He caused the white candidates to repeatedly demonstrate, through their words and campaign schedules, that they valued Black voters.

In that sense, Sharpton’s very success detracted from his appeal. Black Commentator does not subscribe to the notion that fear of George Bush caused four of five Black voters in South Carolina to opt for a white candidate. There was never any possibility of Sharpton being the nominee, so “electability” was not a consideration. From the beginning, his candidacy promised African Americans the opportunity to send a message to the Democratic Party: you’d better pay attention to us. The frontrunners – and it seems that every white candidate but Dennis Kucinich has been a frontrunner at some point – had already gotten the message long before last Tuesday. They embraced Black South Carolina.

more: http://www.blackcommentator.com/76/76_cover_sharpton.html