Who is funding Al Sharpton?

Republicans, of course. Two Words for you:


DIRTY TRICKS

Dirty tricks have always played a role in politics, but when the New Right bloomed in the long shadow of mid-century liberalism's triumph, subterfuge and skullduggery became a central and permanent fixture of American politics. Listing every political dirty trick perpetrated by movement conservatives would be impossible, because most of them are still secret, but some examples are worth pointing out in the particular context of this essay.

One of Pat Buchanan's most legendary dirty tricks was getting Nixon to scare white voters away from the Democratic party by anonymously funding the campaigns of black and radical candidates. Part of Nixon's overall (and overtly racist) Southern Strategy, Buchanan's cynical little ploy worked like gangbusters. Nixon won by one of the biggest landslides in history. That his victory was so short-lived is a cold and mitigating comfort.

Jump ahead to the 2000 elections, which were, without a doubt, the dirtiest, most crooked national elections since the turn of the century, although the jury's still out on 2002. Continuing the Buchanan/Nixon ploy of playing the leftist fringes against the Democratic center, Republicans in the southwest poured millions into the Green Party's coffers.

On the other side of the political bell curve, Buchanan showed he's still got what it takes to shake things up by taking advantage of the newly-minted Reform party's open primary and getting himself nominated leader of the party started by Ross Perot... prompting a disgusted Perot to swear off politics forever. Immediately upon "winning" the nomination (he stacked the convention) Pat appointed a black, female communist as a running mate, and flew to Alaska, where he kept quiet for much of the campaign season. This knocked a party with solid double-digit support back into the under-one-percent club, theoretically herding many fiscally-conservative/socially-liberal voters back to the GOP.

Flash forward four years. Throughout this primary season, comedians and commentators have joked that Republicans might try to cater to their racist base by making sure black, flamboyant, baggage-encumbered Democratic presidential candidate Al Sharpton's presence is felt throughout the Democratic primary process. Now, thanks to an in depth Village Voice investigation,

www.villagevoice.com...

we know that this is, indeed, the case. Their investigation also helps explain where Sharpton gets the money to keep on keeping on, despite having yet to garner more than a single digit in any state's percentage of delegate support.
The right-wing saboteur in this case is Roger Stone, the longtime Republican dirty-tricks operative who led the vicious mob that shut down the Miami-Dade County recount in 2000. The veteran GOP consultant has volunteered his services to an all-too-willing Sharpton, even helping him reach the state matching fund minimums securing donations from friends, family, and political operatives, most of whom have long track records of supporting causes and policies that stand in absolute opposition to Sharpton's various positions. [Especially ironic is the donation Stone secured from a couple that performs a "nostalgic" blackface act for conservative audiences throughout Florida.) Anything to help keep the ebony scandal-magnet front and center throughout the Democratic campaign.

The many issues surrounding the central question of race in American life are of incalculable importance to the future of the West. For a plethora of reasons too obvious to list here, Al Sharpton is far too compromised and polarizing a figure to effectively bring these issues to the fore. Democrats of conscience must come together and hold Sharpton accountable for the company he keeps, and the destructive rhetoric he spews without heed to the consequences. Especially valuable would be the intervention of Michigan's John Conyers, Harold Ford of Tennessee, and Harlem representative Charles Rangel. It's time to flush the Reverend down the crapper and into the sewers, where his Republican-funded Democrat-bashing and his increasingly irrelevant racial demagoguery belong.

I've always wondered why it is that they call themselves Reverends, but they never seem to preach, nor have I ever seen their churches....and Al....please go to a hairdresser and get something done to that funky A s s hairdo if you want people to take you seriously!

I doubt this is a trick than the Democrats haven't used themselves although they can't play the race card though.

Often they like to put up dummy 'right wing extremist' type candidates for example and then have the media point at them. I have also seen them fund so called 'moderate' candidates for right wing parties too.

They wallow in the mud which they created.

Here's a piece I found on Sharpton;
"THE REVEREND FLIM FLAM"
www.nypost.com...

Fine dining, 1st class hotels and lining his pockets being his main interest, might explain the company he keeps.

Sharpton should make a rap album after this is all over with a video too.

Hey BT, just "who" is funding Clark, Edwards, Dean, and Kerry?
You being selective in your condemnations?
Here's one for an example: Kerry
www.opensecrets.org...

Please, before you say no big deal, as par, research the name of the 'giver'.



regards
seekerof

[Edited on 4-2-2004 by Seekerof]

Originally posted by Seekerof
Hey BT, just "who" is funding Clark, Edwards, Dean, and Kerry?
You being selective in your condemnations?
Here's one for an example: Kerry
www.opensecrets.org...

Please, before you say no big deal, as par, research the name of the 'giver'.

regards
seekerof

[Edited on 4-2-2004 by Seekerof]

Of the World Bank Group, right? He's an Iraqi as well?
That link has him giving $1000 for the 2004 election cycle. I highly suspect he spends more than that at the Nexxus Gold Club in DC on one lap dance!
( side note: that is a TREMENDOUS club! )

But Seek & Neo: why the pretzel logic? I'm merely pointing out what should be a highly suspect happenstance. We are talking Roger Stone people!! That would be the equivalent of James Carville taking over Karl Roves slot.
Neo - the Dems started that mud raking tactic? Got an example? Because the only ones I've seen of that variety got an elephant tattoo.

I doubt this is a trick than the Democrats haven't used themselves although they can't play the race card though.

Often they like to put up dummy 'right wing extremist' type candidates for example and then have the media point at them.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Oh yeah, thats exactly the same thing as playing the race card...

[Edited on 7-2-2004 by KnotI]