Sharpton to be W&L speaker (Al Sharpton @ school founded by & named after Robt. E. Lee)

Richmond Times Dispatch ^ | 5-1-03 | CALVIN R. TRICE

[putupon]

Sharpton to be W&L speaker

BY CALVIN R. TRICE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER May 01, 2003

LEXINGTON - Presidential hopeful the Rev. Al Sharpton will highlight the speakers' list next week for the start of Washington and Lee University's famous Mock Convention.

Sharpton will speak at 4:30 p.m. next Thursday at the Lee Chapel during the spring kickoff for the 2004 Democratic Mock Convention. The kickoff is scheduled for May 7-9, W&L student organizers said.

The event is part of the quadrennial, schoolwide research project that will culminate in the university's 23rd mock nomination convention in January. The project has a record of uncanny accuracy predicting the nominee for the party not in the White House.

Sharpton, a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination, will be the only White House hopeful among the speakers. The kickoff has been used to attract candidates to the project, said Michael Denbow, the convention's political chairman.

"Traditionally, our convention had been right in the heart of the primary season," said Denbow, a junior from Louisville, Ky. "It was hard to attract a live candidate to come to our convention."

Sharpton in 1991 founded the National Action Network, a civil-rights organization advocating for the rights of middle-income black Americans. He has campaigned unsuccessfully for the New York Senate and for New York City mayor.

He is considered a long shot for the Democratic nomination next year.

Also scheduled to speak during the three-day event are author and political consultant Dick Morris and Democratic activist Donna Brazile, organizers said.

The Mock Convention typically involves more than 90 percent of the W&L student body researching presidential politics in all 50 states and U.S. territories, Denbow said.

Regarded by some as the nation's most accurate mock convention, the event has successfully predicted the presidential nominee for nonincumbent parties 17 of the last 22 times. Since 1948, students have made the right pick all but once, W&L said.

Contact Calvin R. Trice at (540) 574-9977 or ctrice@timesdispatch.com

[putupon]

an amusing little irony here

[Ed_in_NJ]

Can't these people find anyone with a little more credibility/substance than Al The Fraud?

Monica Lewinsky, maybe?

[CatoRenasci]

Now y'all know the boys and girls down at W&L are just funnin' having Reverend Al come and talk trash -- everyone'll go on over to their frat house or sorority, liquor-up a bit on W&L's traditional bourbon and branch, and get a real hoot out of the talk. Minks know how to do this, nice and politely - thank you - but hootin' inside and at the after parties in private. The only one who doesn't have a clue is Al, who's been set up, if you ask me.

[Captiva]

Can't these people find anyone with a little more credibility/substance than Al The Fraud?

For some reason Al with the cool hair has a huge following amongst 'disenfranchised' African Americans. Please start listening to the Tom Joyner morning show.
These people vote as one huge block (legal or not).
The Reverend will have all of them in his camp one to two months prior to the election.
At this point he will pull a Rev. Jesse Jackson - type Wall Street Shakedown and get whatever he wants from the DLC and tell his sheep to vote the Dem ticket.

[jpthomas]

In the interest of historical accuracy, Washington & Lee wasn't founded by Lee. He was offered and accepted the position of president of what was then Washington College shortly after the Civil War, a post he held until his death in 1870. Washington College was founded in 1749 as Augusta Academy, and changed its name to Washington College in 1796 after our first President gave the school its first major endowment. The trustees of the university voted to add Lee's name to the school after his death in 1870. Source: The Liberty Hall Ruins

[let us cross over the river]

Thank you for posting the correction re: R E Lee as founder. We just visited Lee Chapel this past October. How awesome the Lee in Repose statuary is. Of course, Jackson Hall at VMI was a sight to behold also.

[Mike Darancette]

Hangin' with "Marse Robert"

I wonder if they will keep the Flag flying?

[amused]

Go Al Go! ping

If you would like on or off the Go Al Go ping list, please freepmail me.

[Grampa Dave]

Go Big Al! Go!

[Grampa Dave]

Great news. Big Al's computer geeks have stopped the DUDNC hackers from bringing down his web site.

Now you visit big Al's web site and donate some green backs to help big Al buy some votes. http://www.sharptonexplore2004.com/

[amused]

Cut to the chase ;-)

http://www.sharptonexplore2004.com/contribute.htm

[amused]

Well today big Al disappointed me a little. He was crowing about his "victory" over the Navy dealing with Vincennes, Puerto Rico.

[Grampa Dave]

Yes, but if you go directly there, you will miss the fun of reading What's Up for Big Al!"

[WaveThatFlag]

Interesting, because he did three months at Rikers Island for his hijinx, and last time I checked the navy is still bombing Vincennes.

[putupon]

Washington & Lee wasn't founded by Lee.

my apologies, I knew that once but it was 6:23 AM EDT when I posted and the coffee hadn't finished perking.

[aposiopetic]

Ping -- haven't seen either of you lately but thought you'd be interested.

[Romulus]

Thanks for the ping.

The only one who doesn't have a clue is Al, who's been set up, if you ask me.

I remember the stemwinding speech of the 1976 Mock Convention, delivered by Rep. Don Riegle, who'd somehow got the idea that the Convention's purpose was a demonstration of affection and support for the Democrat party. All these years later I still savor his consternation at having his right-baiting, red-meat populism received with hoots and jeers. At one point he departed from his text: "Say, I thought you fellows were supposed to be Democrats." Response: gales of laughter.