[A-List] US elections: Al Sharpton

["Michael Keaney" <michael.keaney@xxxxxx>]

'Keeping the dream alive'

Paul MacInnes profiles Al Sharpton, the flamboyant reverend and civil rights
activist with a flair for the limelight
Guardian Online
Wednesday January 28, 2004


Al Sharpton will not become the 44th President of the United States of
America. When it comes to the flamboyant Reverend this is one thing that
most people can agree on. Much more controversial are the reasons why and,
in particular, the issue that continues to divide America; race.

Trailing in all the polls, and lagging far behind in funding (with only
$280,000 raised compared to Howard Dean's $25m), Sharpton has also pulled
together a series of left-wing policies that will never threaten the main
contenders. Yet he could still influence the outcome of the primary contest
by galvanizing the ethnic minority vote that is traditionally so important
to the Democrats.

Since entering the national consciousness in the 80s Sharpton, who has never
held public office, has been an outspoken defender of African-Americans.
Rarely have his interventions been without controversy, and his critics -
including those within the black community - question his motivations. Yet
there is no arguing that the "Rev" has been bound up in the struggle for
racial equality throughout his life.

Born on October 3, 1954 in Brooklyn, New York, to relatively affluent
parents, Sharpton's early life was centred around the Pentecostal church. It
is unproven, but widely held, that he made his debut as a preacher at the
age of four. By the age of 10 he was ordained as a minister. At the same age
his parents divorced, his father moving in with his step-daughter. By the
age of 14 Sharpton had dropped out of school, and become the youth director
of Jesse Jackson's Operation Breadbasket.

Launched by Martin Luther King's Southern Christian Leadership Conference as
a means of offering financial stability to poor African-Americans, Jackson
turned Operation Breadbasket into a pressure group for affirmative action.
It signalled a change in the direction of the civil rights movement, and
Sharpton saw himself as part of a new generation. He founded his own
organization, the National Youth Movement, in 1971.

Two years later, Sharpton changed direction, revealing an instinct for the
limelight that some suggest is his abiding characteristic. Walking backstage
at a concert in New York, Sharpton introduced himself to James Brown. The
Godfather of Soul took the teenager under his wing and he soon became
Brown's tour manager. Sharpton describes Brown as his 'father' and still
counts him, alongside other prominent figures such as lawyer Johnny Cochran
and Donald Trump, as a political supporter. It was also through Brown that
he met his wife, Kathy Jordan, working at the time as a backing singer.

In 1985, the trial of Bernie Goetz for the murder of four black men in the
New York subway, made Sharpton's name. Sharpton demanded Goetz's trial and,
when he was cleared of all major charges, denounced the verdict.

In 1987 a teenage black girl, Tawana Brawley, was found in a rubbish bag,
bruised and covered in racist graffiti. She claimed to have been abducted
and raped by a group of white law enforcement officers. Sharpton immediately
took up her cause, organising a series of marches, but also publicly naming
one of the men he believed responsible for the crime. Two juries disagreed,
however, Ms Brawley was exposed as a hoaxer, and Sharpton was left facing a
sizeable lawsuit.

The legacy of Sharpton's years as an activist is mixed. For many people,
read whites, Sharpton is best encapsulated by Tom Wolfe's caricature in the
Bonfire of the Vanities of the devious opportunistic Reverend Bacon who
turns racial disharmony to his own personal advantage. Neither are
accusations of racial incitement Sharpton's only problem. The National Youth
Movement, for example, collapsed amidst charges of fraud (none were proven).
Then there was the video footage that seemed to show Sharpton discussing a
cocaine deal with an undercover FBI agent. Sharpton said he was only
stringing the agent along and that unscrupulous editing had attempted to
smear him.

It is through these very criticisms, however, that Sharpton derives some of
his political appeal. For many black Americans, Sharpton is decried because
he speaks out too loudly. Instead of the Brawley incident, they point to the
death of Amadou Diallo, an innocent civilian who was shot 41 times by New
York police officers. Diallo had attempted to pull an item from his pocket
which police claimed to be a gun; it turned out to be his wallet. Under
Sharpton's instigation a series of mass arrests confronted mayor Rudolph
Giuliani with an issue he could not ignore. This year, Diallo's parents were
finally awarded compensation.

In the three attempts he has made to stand for public office, for the senate
in 1992 and 94 and against Rudolph Giuliani for mayor of New York in 97,
Sharpton has polled as much of two thirds of the black vote. The issue of
race will remain central to his Presidential campaign - his slogan is "Keep
the dream alive!" - and he has already embarrassed Howard Dean over his
track record in hiring ethnic minorities. Today, he can legitimately claim
to wear Jesse Jackson's mantle.

To broaden his base, Sharpton is pushing to the left of the political
spectrum. "There's a vacuum in the left, and I represent that now," he says.
"It's not just the black community, it's students environmentalists,
anti-death penalty people, anti-tax cuts for big business."

Proposing the provision of universal health care and a constitutional
amendment ensuring Americans the "fundamental right to suffrage" (an idea
seemingly inspired by the Florida recount, often a subject for left-wing
conspiracy theories), are proof of this political direction. Naturally,
Sharpton also intends to fully repeal the Bush tax cut.

Another tactic will see the Rev target specific local issues, such as the
foreclosure of farms in Iowa, the crumbling state of rural buildings, or the
absence of a vote in congress for the residents of the District of Columbia.
It was in DC that Sharpton concentrated his early efforts, campaigning
heavily in what was a non-binding primary. He trailed behind Howard Dean,
but polled 34% of the total.

Slimmed down after a hunger strike while serving time in a Puerto Rican jail
(he was protesting at US bombing runs in the area), and coiffed in a style
not dissimilar to close friend Don King, the youngest candidate in the
Presidential race certainly looks the part. Neither would many deny
Sharpton's oratorical skills; he leaves everyone from college kids to the
audience of the Fox News channel enthralled.

At the latest count, however, Sharpton remains last in terms of funding, and
claims between only 2 and 5% in polls of Democrats nationwide. It is
difficult not to believe that, for however many reasons, this has something
to do with the colour of his skin.

Key quotes

"I've been indicted. I've been stabbed. And now I've been sued. I have every
base covered being a great civil rights leader."

"If I said I want to be the new Michael Jackson that would have been all
right. We're allowed to sing and dance. But how dare I say I want to be the
president of the United States?"

On specific policy areas, Sharpton proposes the following:

Gun control

Sharpton would reinstate a ban on assault weapons and also limit legal
amounts of ammunition with more stringent clip limitations. Everyone who
bought a gun would be required to learn how to fire a weapon safely. He
would pass strong trigger lock and gun storage legislation.

Iraq

All American troops would be brought back from the Gulf. Rapprochement would
be sought with the UN, and the US would admit it was wrong to pursue a
unilateral policy. Rebuilding in Iraq would be opened up to all American
allies of the past 50 years.

Environment

The US would rejoin the Kyoto treaty.

Economy/tax

The Bush tax cuts would be reversed. Sharpton would also increase tax for
those earning $150,000 a year or more, while decreasing payments for the
band between $25,000 and $75,000. Child tax credits, and earned income tax
credits would also be increased.

World trade

Sharpton would withdraw the US from the World Trade Organisation.

War on terror

Suspected terrorists would be prosecuted in US criminal courts. The Patriot
Act would be repealed for infringing on civil liberties. "Saudi charities
that finance terrorism" would be aggressively investigated. Also, the
administration would: "Quit making enemies just for the sake of looking like
a bully to appease the right wingers and neo-cons."

Education

Sharpton proposes to alter the US constitution in order to make the right to
education a human right. Disagrees with the Bush No Child Left Behind
scheme, and would alter it to address the individual needs of
under-performing children.

Health

Another amendment to the US constitution would enshrine the right for "every
American to have health care of equal high quality". He also supports the
provision of prescription drugs under Medicare, and would approve stem cell
research.

Welfare

Will implement safeguards "to ensure that the poor are not penalized for
being poor". Opposes Bush plans to encourage people to supplement their
state pension by investing social security funds in the stock market, and he
would not change the qualifying age for pension benefits. Sharpton endorses
homosexual marriage.