Al Sharpton, our next president

Carolina Morning News ^ | April 25, 2003 | Bill Roe

[schaketo]

Al Sharpton will soon electronically file the necessary papers to seek the Democratic Party's nomination for president in 2004. Don't laugh.

Sharpton will be a formidable candidate in the Democratic primaries in the South and its border states. He will have the same type of appeal that the late Gov. George Wallace of Alabama had. Wallace's unprecedented support in early Democratic primaries put the country on notice.

Wallace's campaign was cut short when he was shot during a campaign stop in Maryland in 1972. His campaign was on a roll before the shooting ended his presidential aspirations.

How can Sharpton, who has never run for elective office, be a serious candidate?

Sharpton made national news when there was an alleged rape of Tawana Brawley by a group of whites. The charges were proved to be a farce but Sharpton played the race card like a Stradivarius.

He turned New York on its ear with inflammatory charges. Sharpton was fined for his actions, a fine that has yet to be paid. Lives were destroyed in the acrimonious court case but Sharpton came out a winner because of the national exposure he received.

Sharpton allegedly violated election laws even before the official campaign started because he apparently did not file the proper forms. He will run a campaign that will flout election laws and, when challenged, he will charge bigotry.

Working in Sharpton's favor is the weakness of the Democratic opposition. Sharpton will strengthen his appeal by saying that this will be the last time blacks will have the clout to influence national policy. The Hispanic vote will eclipse the black vote by the next presidential election.

Black voters, while loyal to the Democratic Party, are well aware that they are being taken for granted. A strong vote for Sharpton will send a message that cannot be ignored by the national Democratic Party.

Sharpton's campaign announcement will destroy Sen. John Edwards' campaign strategy in the Southern state primaries as Sharpton could possibly gain a simple majority in numerous Southern states.

He will also be a major factor in key industrial cities. Many moderate and conservative blacks will see the Sharpton circus as the last straw in their loyalty to a politically corrupt party. So far no group has been successful in controlling this man.

Sharpton may not be the presidential choice of Democrats but his strong vote in the primaries will make it hard to deny him the vice presidential nomination.

Sound crazy? They said the same thing about Governor Wallace.

Bill Roe of Bluffton is an investment banker and political observer.

[Paleo Conservative]

GO AL GO!!

GO AL GO!

[Las Vegas Dave]

Much better candidate than your Kucinich! </ humor>

[NYC GOP Chick]

Roadkill would do better than Dennis the Menace. :)

[NYDave]

Exactly.

[southernnorthcarolina]

Does anyone know... are delegates to the Dem Convention elected on a "winner take all" basis, or proportionally, for a given primary? I honestly can't see Crazy Al coming close to a majority in any primary, but with so many candidates, if no clear leader emerges early in the primaries, it seems possible he could win, say, the SC Dem Primary with 25% of the vote. Would he capture all the SC delegates in such a scenario?

No way Al can win the nomination no matter how the rules are set up, but he could sure make things interesting... he could maneuver his way into participation in every Dem debate (unlike most others, he won't drop out after he finishes 5th or 6th in a couple of primaries), or into a prime-time speech at the Convention, and generally wreak havoc and embarrassment. What a shame that'd be... It would be especially interesting if we have the first "open convention" -- that is, no candidate locking up a majority -- in decades. Normally, I wouldn't be inclined to tune in, but THAT could be entertaining... I might be tempted to pour myself an adult beverage, make a batch of popcorn, and watch.

[gcruse]

Al Sharpton, he's our man!
If he can't throw the election,
Nobody can.