Al Sharpton - What kind of person would you nominate for Federal Rerserve Chairman?

Thursday, January 22nd Democratic Presidential Debat ^ | 1-22-2004 | Transcript

[dogdayafternoon]

During the Democratic Presidential debate I saw Thursday, Jan. 22nd, Peter Jennings asked Al Sharpton about what type of person he would potiently nominate for Chairman of the Federal Reserve. His response was unbelieveable, it was cheap entertainment...I was laughing hysterically. This guy is shear entertainment. I found the transcript to this portion of the debate and thought I would share it. Enjoy:

JENNINGS: If during your term as president, if you become the nominee, and you have the opportunity to nominate someone to be chairman of the Federal Reserve Board, what kind of person would you consider for the job? You can name someone in particular, if you have someone in mind.

And maybe just take a minute or so to give us a little bit about your views on monetary policy.

SHARPTON: I think, first of all, we must have a person at the Monetary Fund that is concerned about growth of all, not setting standards that would, in my judgment, protect some and not elevate those that cannot, in my view, expand and come to the levels of development and the levels of where we need to be. I think part of my problem with how we're operating at this point is that the IMF and the policies that are emanating there do not lead to the expansion that is necessary for our country and our global village to rise to levels that underdeveloped countries and those businesses in this country can have the development policies necessary.

JENNINGS: Forgive me, Reverend Sharpton, but the question was actually about the Federal Reserve Board.

SHARPTON: I thought you said IMF, I'm sorry.

JENNINGS: No, I'm sorry, sir. And what you'd be looking for in a chairman of the Federal Reserve Board.

SHARPTON: Oh, in the Federal Reserve Board, I would be looking for someone that would set standards in this country, in terms of our banking, our - in how government regulates the Federal Reserve as we see it under Greenspan, that we would not be protecting the big businesses; we would not be protecting banking interests in a way that would not, in my judgment, lead toward mass employment, mass development and mass production. I think that - would I replace Greenspan, probably. Do I have a name? No.

[Ken522]

That is an AUTOMATIC DISQUALIFICATON for Candidate Sharpton ... next!

[Eastbound]

Professor Cory? Is that you?

[leprechaun9]

That really is a silly question. The obvious answer if Jessie Jackson, since he is so good at extracting money out of innocent parties!

[Dog Gone]

No, Sharpton serves a great purpose. Democrats will never publicly admit that their candidates are idiots, but the rest of America basically catches on eventually.

[TruthShallSetYouFree]

Could be Casey Stengel.

[Eastbound]

(Not you, dogday. To Sharpguy, of course.)

[GreenHornet]

Could be Casey Stengel.

..........or Norm Crosby.

[TruthShallSetYouFree]

Great Casey Stengel quote:

"The secret of managing is to keep the guys who hate you away from the guys who are undecided."

I think I'll keep it for my tagline.

[Diplomat]

Thank you kindly, I needed a good laugh after a long day at work. I was so happy to read today his repeated assertion that he will not drop out. God bless him.

[OldFriend]

How many of the stooges on that stage could tell you exactly what the Federal Reserve Chairman does.

[GreenHornet]

Quote from Norm Crosby:

"Ignorance of the law excuses no man; not that all men know the law, but because tis an excuse every man will plead, and no man can tell how to confute him."

[John Beresford Tipton]

Da Kingfish is back in town!

[dogdayafternoon]

Glad you liked it, it's pretty incredicled a guy with these 'credentials' is amoung the Nominees. This dovetails into what Ken522 said: "No, Sharpton serves a great purpose. Democrats will never publicly admit that their candidates are idiots, but the rest of America basically catches on eventually." Nobody, at least that I've heard, on the Democratic side has really questioned Sharpton and therefore he's amoung the finalists for the Nominee. A guess there really aren't any standards!

[Major_Risktaker]

How about a Link to news article please.

[TN4Liberty]

Sadly, despite this answer, Sharpton sounded like the brightest guy there.

[weegee]

And yet the media calls our President "Dumbya" and a moron.

This too will get a pass by the lamestream media.

[dogdayafternoon]

Hear you go - The Sharpton bit starts about 1/3 of the way down:

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,109293,00.html

[fhayek]

IIRC, the President of the United States does not appoint the head of the IMF. Shouldn't someone running for president know that?

[dogdayafternoon]

Has old Al been hanging out with Marion Barry?

[dagnabbit]

Al should have used a "lifeline" and called Lyndon LaRouche on that one.

[11B3]

If he's been hanging out with Marion, then that explains his answer. They should step back from the crack pipe, and learn about the subject matter.

[BenLurkin]

You may be a cinema aficionado, so . . .

Q. Al Sharpton - What kind of person would you nominate for Federal Reserve Chairman?

A. Someone like the Richard Pryor character from this Movie:

[dogdayafternoon]

The Debate (if you want to call it that) went to break after Al enlighted us on the Federal Reserve - don't know if it was because Al had to run back stage or not - but am willing to bet there is plenty more fun to come. The debates are laughfests.

[dogdayafternoon]

I like the pryor tie in...Al does have the 'hair on fire' look!

[Dolphy]

How many of the stooges on that stage could tell you exactly what the Federal Reserve Chairman does.

I don't think any of them would have done much better than Sharpton. I wonder if the questions are prepared for specific candidates and if they had the purposeful intent of making Sharpton look foolish.

[fourdeuce82d]

Clicked on the link...it was the front page for Fox news, didn't see a link to the transcript itself- help?

[hosepipe]

[ Da Kingfish is back in town! ]

LoL...onstage.. The Mystic Knights of the Swa....

[Amelia]

Glad you liked it, it's pretty incredicled a guy with these 'credentials' is amoung the Nominees.

What does "incredicled" mean?

I doubt any of the nominees would have had a coherent answer for the question, actually...but I notice Sharpton was the only one who was asked.

[Amelia]

I wonder if the questions are prepared for specific candidates and if they had the purposeful intent of making Sharpton look foolish.

That was my thought as well. It's really a shame, because often it seems that Kucinich and Sharpton have put more thought into some of their positions than the others, but they're getting no media attention (except as the "class clowns") and going nowhere fast in the polls.

Not that I'd want either as president, mind you....

[dogdayafternoon]

"incredicled" doesn't mean anything really just something I yell whenever my keyboard malfunctions.

[Sonny M]

How many of the stooges on that stage could tell you exactly what the Federal Reserve Chairman does.

To be honest with you, they all should be able to. Wesley Clark used to teach economics at west point for gods sake (from what I understand, he was actually pretty good, and was in depth about supply side and keynesian). Dean, Edwards and everyone else have advisors/tutors to explain things to them and teach them what they need to know so as not to embarass themselves.

The bad part here, is not that Sharpton didn't know and does not know what the FED does or is, its that he was to lazy to even bother to learn, and he doesn't even seem to know anything about the IMF.

[Sonny M]

I don't think any of them would have done much better than Sharpton. I wonder if the questions are prepared for specific candidates and if they had the purposeful intent of making Sharpton look foolish.

I would have been absolutely stunned if none of them could have answered better then Sharpton. These guys have people tutoring them on everything from facts (the liberal version at least) to how to dress to the issues.

Either Sharpton doesn't expect to be treated on serious policy issues, or he was just to damn lazy to learn some kind of basics about this stuff.

[isom35]

"maybe I cant explains it to ya, but i can sure spells it out for ya" that sharpton make a whole lotta sense.

[kabar]

Either Sharpton doesn't expect to be treated on serious policy issues, or he was just to damn lazy to learn some kind of basics about this stuff.

Sharpton is in the race to be the heir apparent to Jesse Jackson. He wants a bigger piece of the action. Everyone knows he is not a serious candidate. Blacks ought to be angry that this cartoon character is represented as their leader.

[Dolphy]

I would have been absolutely stunned if none of them could have answered better then Sharpton

When you have one guy who doesn't know what the Defense of Marriage Act is and another who claims he is against the war and for the troops despite his opposite votes, I wouldn't have been stunned at all. Lieberman is probably the only one who could have answered that question.

[sheik yerbouty]

"Do I have a brain" No!" ...The Graft Zeppelin!

[Sonny M]

When you have one guy who doesn't know what the Defense of Marriage Act is and another who claims he is against the war and for the troops despite his opposite votes, I wouldn't have been stunned at all. Lieberman is probably the only one who could have answered that question.

Kerry has been saying he's for the troops but against the mission since he started campainging and as a way to distract from his "yea" vote. Ironically, or not so, the DNC came up with the idea of using that line from republicans during the Kosovo conflict, and Kerry is pretty polished in a way to make it sound nice (though considering how many lefties are hoping for our service men to die over there, its pretty safe to say its a lie and a talking point).

Edwards on the other hand, simply didn't care, he should have known about the Defence of Marriage act, for gods sake he's a lawyer and was a very well known and excellent one at that, it sounded like he had rehearsed what he was going to say well in advance, and still didn't know it, i.e. he had bad info and memorized it, or he went by what ever BS he heard and winged it.

Either way, there's no doubt that all of them, except for Sharpton and Kunich have definatley been tutored on this, and studied it, and know there talking points, walking around in congress alone should give them the basic info, whats the point of them having advisors and people to write there speech, tutor them, and giving them there talking points if they're just going to "wing it" through the campaign. They all would have been able to answer that question.

[OldFriend]

You are right and I should have excluded LIEberman from my charge that none of the stooges could have defined the purpose of the Federal Reserve Chairman.

[OldFriend]

I thought Jennings asked to loaded but irrelevant questions. The question to Sharpton about the Fed.........knowing he'd have no clue and appear clueless and the question about Islam to Edwards. He wanted to hurt Edwards with that question, since there really is no answer other than, LAW ABIDING PEOPLE, NO MATTER THEIR RELIGION ARE TREATED FAIRLY, THOSE WHO WANT TO KILL US OUGHT TO BE HUNTED DOWN AND CAPTURED AND/OR KILLED.

[tracer]

"I thought you said IMF, I'm sorry."

Brokeclaw should have asked Al what he thinks that the letters "IMF" stand for....

[StriperSniper]

LAW ABIDING PEOPLE, NO MATTER THEIR RELIGION ARE TREATED FAIRLY, THOSE WHO WANT TO KILL US OUGHT TO BE HUNTED DOWN AND CAPTURED AND/OR KILLED.

It's really that simple. That sounds something like what Dennis Miller said this morning on the ESPN show 'Fly Fishing the World', "We're a patient people who'd rather be fishing, but we're not to be trifled with."

[tracer]

"JENNINGS: If during your term as president, if you become the nominee, and you have the opportunity to nominate someone to be chairman of the Federal Reserve Board, what kind of person would you consider for the job? You can name someone in particular, if you have someone in mind."

SHARPTON: I without hesitation would appoint to that prestigious post the Harlem attorney of my beloved Uncle Amos and Aunt Sapphire -- an extraordinary man named Algonquin J. Calhoun.....

[LandofLincoln]

Not to worry. The president does not "choose" the Chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank. He is "told" who to pick by the shareholders of the Federal Reserve Bank. And if you dare go against the shareholders, you will end up like the President who signed Executive Order EO11110.

[Ed_in_NJ]

LOL! Some very humorous possibilities, there!

[tracer]

Of course, Al would fill out his cabinet with charter members of "The Mystic Knights of the Sea".....

[mabelkitty]

I've got a better one:

Edwards: I don't know about the Defense of Marriage Act - I'm not in the House??????!!!???

Really? So you skip votes in the Senate because you don't want to read what the House sends over? You ignore agency briefings because you can't understand them? Why is he here?

or

Clark: I'm here to bring value back to the Democratic party. This is about family values.

Really? Are you admitting a Republican has to bring family values to the Democratic party because they don't have any?

My take: Jennings deliberated on questions in order to slow down the debate and limit the questions due to time constraints - this stemmed the blood flow among the seven candidates.