Sharpton Paid To Campaign For Kerry

The Associated Press reports that Al Sharpton was paid $86,715 travel and consulting fees by the Democratic National Committee to campaign for Kerry and other Democratic candidates.

From California Yankee.

Sharpton For Six Minutes? I Think Not.

The word up at Blogger’s Roost is that Al Sharpton was to have 6 minutes … he took 20. Looking at his speech copy (943 words), and assuming a speech rate a bit faster than average, it’s probably closer to 7 or 8 … but still not anywhere close to 20.

Full Speech Text (At Least What He Didn't Ad Lib): Al Sharpton

The Reverend Al Sharpton’s Speech Before the Democratic National Convention Wednesday, July 28, 2004 (via DNC):

Good evening, Mr. Chairman, Assembled Delegates, Honored Guests and Friends: Throughout the history of this nation, Americans have fought to protect our freedoms at home and to secure our nation against foreign and domestic threat.

We gather tonight in Boston where 228 years ago, people fought to establish American freedom. At that time, the first person to die in the Revolutionary War was a Black man from Barbados, Crispus Attucks, who is buried not far from this Fleet Center. Forty years ago, in 1964, Fannie Lou Hamer and the Mississippi Freedom Democratic party stood at the Democratic National Convention in Atlantic City fighting to preserve voting rights for all Americans and all Democrats, regardless of race or gender. Hamer’s stand led to Dr. King marching in Selma, which inspired the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Twenty years ago, Rev. Jesse Jackson stood at the Democratic National Convention in San Francisco, again, appealing to the preservation of those freedoms.

Tonight, we stand with those freedoms at risk and our security as citizens in question. I have come here tonight to say, that the only choice we have to protect and preserve our freedoms at this point in history is the election of John Kerry as the president of the United States.

I stood with both John Kerry and John Edwards on over 30 occasions during the primary season. I debated them. I watched them. I observed their deeds. I am convinced that they are men who say what they mean and mean what they say.

I am also convinced that at a time, when there is a vicious spirit in the body politic of this country that attempts to undermine America’s freedoms - our civil rights, and civil liberties - we must leave this city and go forth and organize this nation toward victory for John Kerry and John Edwards in November. This is not just about winning an election, it’s about preserving the principles upon which this nation was founded.

Look at the current view of our nation worldwide and the results of our unilateral foreign policy. We went from unprecedented international support and solidarity on September 12, 2001, to hostility and hatred as we stand here tonight. How did we squander the opportunity to unite the world for democracy and to commit to a global fight against hunger and disease? We did it with a go-it-alone foreign policy based on flawed intelligence. We were told that we were going into Iraq because there were weapons of mass destruction. We’ve lost hundreds of soldiers. We’ve expended over 200 billion dollars at a time when we face record state deficits. And when it became clear, that the weapons were not there, the president sought to shift the purpose of the war and to challenge our patriotism.

We are also faced with the prospect, in the next four years, that two or more of the Supreme Court Justice seats will become available. This year, as we celebrated the anniversary of Brown vs. the Board of Education, this court voted 5 to 4 on critical issues of women’s rights and civil rights. It is frightening to think that the gains of the civil and women’s rights movements of the last century could be reversed if this administration sits in the White House for four more years.

This is not about a party. It is about living up to the promise of America.

The promise of America says that we will guarantee quality education for all children, and not spend more for metal detectors than computers in our schools.

The promise of America guarantees health care for all of its citizens, and does not force seniors to travel to Canada to buy prescription drugs they cannot afford here.

The promise of America provides that those who work in our health care system can afford to be hospitalized in the very beds that they clean everyday.

The promise of America is government that does not seek to regulate your behavior in the bedroom but to guarantee your right to provide food in the kitchen.

The promise of America is that we stand for human rights - whether it’s fighting slavery in Sudan, AIDS in Lesotho, or police brutality in this country.

The promise of America is one immigration policy for all who seek to enter our shores, whether they come from Mexico, Haiti, or Canada.

The promise of America is that every citizen’s vote is counted and protected, and election schemes do not decide elections.

I often hear the Republican party preach about family values, but I can tell them something about family values. Family values don’t just exist for those with two-car garages and retirement plans. Family values exist in homes with only one parent in the household making a way against the odds.

I stand here tonight, the product of a single parent home, from the depths of Brooklyn, New York. My mother was a domestic worker who scrubbed floors in other people’s homes for me. And because she scrubbed those floors, I was proud to stand as a presidential candidate.

Those are family values.

I recall that a few days after the September 11 terrorist attacks I was in a radio station that played “America the Beautiful,” as sung by Ray Charles.

As you know, we lost Ray several weeks ago, but I can still hear him singing: “Oh beautiful for spacious skies, for amber waves of grain, for purple mountains majesty, above the fruited plain.”

We must leave here committed to making Ray Charles’ song a reality and to making America beautiful for everyone.

Good night, God bless you all, and God bless America!

Al Sharpton to Host 'I Hate My Job'

AP: Al Sharpton to Host ‘I Hate My Job’

“I’m the working man’s (Donald) Trump,” Sharpton said. “He brings people into the penthouse. We bring them into the house.”

Since his campaign ended, Sharpton has been aggressively seeking out media jobs and has signed a deal with CNBC as a commentator, and possibly develop a talk show.

An ordained Pentecostal minister, Sharpton isn’t abandoning politics, however, and scoffed at the idea that being the featured player in a reality show is somewhat undignified for a once and perhaps future candidate.

His campaign for president attracted more attention after he was host of “Saturday Night Live.”

“A lot of politicians don’t do it because they can’t do it,” he said. “I can do it.”

FEC to Sharpton: Return $100,000

CNN: FEC to Sharpton: Return $100,000

Federal officials on Thursday ordered Democratic presidential candidate Al Sharpton to repay the $100,000 in public matching funds that he received this year for his White House bid.

The six-member Federal Election Commission decided unanimously to take action against Sharpton and his presidential campaign committee after an investigation determined that he had exceeded a $50,000 limit that candidates may spend on their own campaigns.

But Sharpton’s campaign disputed the ruling.

“We expected this. They’ve been under pressure from these right-wing hate groups for months now,” said Sharpton campaign manager Charles Halloran. “We planned all along to appeal this decision and have met extensively with counsel. The statutes are clear and convincing about the reverend’s donations to his own campaign, and we’ve followed them to the strict letter of the law.”

Halloran also said the campaign was considering legal action against the commission.

Sharpton to drop out?

[Cross-posted at BrendanLoy.com]

Al Sharpton is talking on Larry King Live; says he’ll decide in the next day or so whether to drop out. Says he wants to make sure his constituents’ issues are represented to the greatest extent possible, whatever that entails.

Asked how enthusiastic he is for Kerry and what his strategy is, he says, “It’s easier for Edwards, who probably wants a job, than it is for me, who wants to get people jobs.” Heh. Heh heh.

Sharpton and Kucinich Sticking It Out

AP, via MSNBC.com, reports:

As better-financed and more popular candidates drop out of the Democratic presidential race one after the other, two constants remain: Dennis Kucinich and Al Sharpton.

Both are winless after more than a dozen state contests, holding in single digits in the polls, with no expectation of doing better down the road. But each professes a unique sense of purpose and vows to stay in until the end.

For Kucinich, it’s to shine a light on his opposition to the Iraq war and his plan to bring U.S. troops home.

“It is at the convention where I will win the nomination, based on the emergence of Iraq as the defining issue,” the Ohio congressman predicted last week.

Sharpton, the only black candidate remaining, wants to help tailor the party platform to reflect minority concerns.

Kerry and Edwards Take to Virginia

Washington Post reports on how John Kerry and John Edwards are trying to woo voters in Virginia.

Virginia Gov. Mark R. Warner endorsed Sen. John F. Kerry for president yesterday, as Kerry and Sen. John Edwards campaigned among constituencies that could prove crucial tomorrow in the state’s first Democratic presidential primary since 1988.

The candidates made separate visits to African American churches in the Richmond area, where they appealed for the support of traditionally Democratic black voters. Edwards then traveled to Tennessee, which also holds a primary tomorrow. Kerry, a decorated military veteran, drove on to a rally in Chesapeake, a stronghold of Virginia’s large military community.

Edwards, who is from North Carolina, is looking to Virginia and Tennessee to turn the race for the party’s nomination into a one-on-one battle with Kerry, while the Massachusetts senator, coming off a sweep of the caucuses in Michigan, Washington and Maine this weekend, seeks his first victories in the South.

Wesley Clark has also been making the rounds in Virginia, as has Al Sharpton. Howard Dean was not in Virginia at all, instead focusing on Wisconsin, his “must-win” primary.

Dems' Favorite Songs

Fox News has a list of the Democratic candidates' favorite songs. The list is quite telling I think:

Former Sen. Carol Moseley Braun-- "You Gotta Be," Des'ree.

Al Sharpton-- "Talking Loud, Saying Nothing," James Brown. He called it "James Brown's song about the Republican Party."

Sen. John Edwards-- "Small Town," John Mellencamp.

Sen. John Kerry -- "No Surrender," Bruce Springsteen.

Former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean -- "Jaspora," Wyclef Jean.

Sen. Joe Lieberman --"Don't Stop Thinking About Tomorrow," Fleetwood Mac; "My Way," Frank Sinatra.

Rep. Dennis Kucinich -- "Imagine," John Lennon.

Rep. Dick Gephardt -- "Born in the USA," Bruce Springsteen.

Sen. Bob Graham -- "Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes," Jimmy Buffett.

Al Sharpton has Foreign Policy Instincts

From Slate:

Moralism and multilateralism: Sharpton wants more transparency and consistency in U.S. relations with other countries. In his book Al on America, he says we "cannot out of one side of our mouth call one nation evil and then enter into a partnership with another nation that can be considered equally or even more evil." He renounces a role as the world's "supercop" and argues that instead of relying on its military, the United States should "invest in other nations." Sharpton also accuses President Bush of sending young black men off to war while doing little for their welfare at home.

Humanitarianism and Africa: Sharpton argues that the United States owes a "moral debt" to Africa. He regards recent U.S. policy on AIDS abroad as insufficient and chides economic policymakers for subjecting African nations to a "debt service they can never pay." He advocates a new Africa policy focusing on debt relief, investment, and "fair trade." Sharpton visited Sudan in 2001 in an effort to stop the human slavery that persists there. He proposes to make America's "selective" humanitarianism more consistent by moving aggressively to eliminate the Sudanese slave trade.

Dictators and Latin America: Sharpton wants an immediate end to the embargo on Cuba, which he says has an "anti-Latino flavor." After visiting Cuba in 2000, Sharpton met Fidel Castro and called him "one of the three most impressive people I have ever met in my life." Sharpton says they had a "talk about the human rights violations—of which I personally saw none." He argues that the United States has "continued to demonize Castro at the expense of good, sound foreign policy." He also believes we've treated Mexico with heavy-handed superiority. Current immigration laws are "biased," he says, and the United States needs a more "respectful relationship" with Mexico.

Candidates Argue Taxes

The 2004 Democratic hopefuls spent Monday night discussing how much of Bush's tax cuts should be repealed. Kerry, Kucinich, Mosley-Braun and Lieberman all agreed to repeal only those cuts effecting the rich, while Howard Dean lined up with Dick Gephardt and Al Sharpton to advocate reversing the Bush cuts across the board.

"I think it's very important that Democrats not promise more than we can deliver," Dean said. "We can deliver health care for every American, or we can have the tax cuts."

Source: NH Primary Monitor

AP - Sharpton criticizes Bush for reluctance concerning Liberia

AP Reports:

"It seems this administration's foreign policy is different, absolutely different, when it comes to people of color," said Sharpton. "I can't imagine that there wouldn't be intervention in Europe if thousands were dying in war."

"Why are we dragging our feet?" Sharpton asked. "What was the meaning of Bush's trip (to Africa)?" Sharpton said he had hoped the trip indicated that Bush would make Africa a priority of his administration.

Sharpton, speaking in front of the Liberian U.N. Mission, said the mere presence of American troops as a peacekeepers would stop the killings on the streets of Monrovia, Liberia's refugee-choked capital city of 1 million.

"I do not believe in military invasion but I do believe in humanitarian outreach, especially when all factions are asking America to come in," Sharpton said.
Sharpton said he had met with all sides during the p

The Buzzwords Of Al Sharpton

The series of Buzzword articles at Slate continues tonight, with those of Al Sharpton. Read it here.

Constitutional Right
Example: "If Charlton Heston can have a constitutional right to carry a rifle, why can't grandma have a constitutional right to health care—and therefore the pharmaceutical industry, and for that matter the medical services industry, have to be governed by a constitutional commitment to give Americans those rights?" (NPR's Morning Edition, June 13, 2003).
What it means: To guarantee entitlements, we must write them into the Constitution.
What it hides: The government doesn't pay for Heston's rifle.
Subtext: If the furnace is busted, we lefties might as well go crazy with the thermostat.

Sharpton's Face The Nation Interview

Sharpton was on CBS' Face The Nation yesterday. For those who missed it, or those who simply want to relive it, here's the full transcript. A key segment:

BALZ: Reverend Sharpton, you have repeatedly refused to apologize for your involvement in the Tawana Brawley case in the late 1980s. I'd like to ask you a question today. What did you learn from that experience, and how are you different today from the Al Sharpton who was involved in that episode?

SHARPTON: What I learned is that if you stand for something that you believe in -- and I've stood in the last 17 years, 16 years since then (unintelligible) -- you're going to get criticized. You're going to get hit. But if you believe in it, and you stand your ground, but you make sure that you're careful to expose the people and raise the people -- the bigger issues and not just get caught up in the rhetoric of the moment. I stand by what I believe. I just learned how to put what I believe forward more than the rhetoric around what I believe.

SCHIEFFER: But, Reverend...

SHARPTON: And I think that's what I've learned.

SCHIEFFER: Well, Reverend Sharpton, you were wrong, though. I mean, a jury found that the charges...

SHARPTON: I do not believe I was -- a jury -- a jury...

SCHIEFFER: ...were not true and that you, in fact, had to pay money in a libel settlement because of that.

SHARPTON: Well, first of all, Bob, a jury said in the Central Park jogger case a year later that I was wrong, and it was just overturned 13 years later. Juries can be wrong. I stood by what I believed. Juries are proven wrong every day. That's why we have appeals courts and higher courts and then the Supreme Court. So just because a jury made a ruling at one point does not mean that I was wrong.

Sharpton Bashes Bush On Southern California Campaign Stop

From the San Francisco Chronicle:

Civil rights activist and Democratic presidential hopeful Rev. Al Sharpton denounced President Bush for invading Iraq without international support and mocked him for failing to find Iraqi weapons of mass destruction, Saddam Hussein or Osama bin Laden.

"They said they're going to war because of weapons of mass destruction. They can't find the weapons," Sharpton said during a campaign stop at the First African Methodist Episcopal Church. "Bush said after Sept. 11 we've got to go and get bin Laden. Yet he can't find bin Laden. He can't find bin Laden, he can't find the weapons. Now we've got to take pride that Saddam Hussein is still alive; we can't find him.

"I promise you if I'm elected, President Bush will not be in charge of the missing persons bureau," Sharpton shouted to cheers, laughter and applause.

Sharpton Makes Campaign Stop

From the Shreveport Times (LA):

Civil rights activist the Rev. Al Sharpton was in Shreveport on Wednesday night to raise funds for his 2004 presidential campaign.

The Rev. Artis Cash, pastor of Shreveport Christian Church, said the fund-raiser was in response to a promise he made when Sharpton visited the city June 3. "This is not a IMAC presentation. I promised the Sharpton camp that I would get people together for a fund-raiser, and I am keeping my word."

CANDIDATES' Rx: REV. SHARPTON

Here is the transcript of the PBS Newshour medical care interview with Sharpton.

The basic premise of the Sharpton presidential campaign, when it deals with health care, starts with the support of this amendment because, firstly, if we can make every American have the constitutional right to high-quality health care, then the programs that fund it starts on the basis that we guarantee Americans that right. For example, a couple of years ago, when veterans discovered that the administration was backing up on the longstanding but unwritten commitment that people that served in the armed forces would have lifetime health care, they couldn't argue from a legal premise because there was no constitutional right. There was no legal premise to fight from. I think that it is very important that we establish the legal premise and the programs emanate from that foundation.