Richard Cohen – Sharpton is to the debates what the clown is to the rodeo

[pruner]

Stupid Remark, Stupid Reaction

By Richard Cohen
Thursday, November 6, 2003; Page A33

…

Sharpton is to the debates what the clown is to the rodeo. He is the genuine wit up there on the stage, and his gifts -- language and timing -- have landed him a spot as a guest host on "Saturday Night Live." It's hard to imagine Wes Clark in a similar role.

…

For some people, the Confederate flag is a loathsome symbol. But we all know what Dean meant. And we know Dean is not a racist. Contrast what he said with what Ronald Reagan said and did in 1980, when he began his campaign with a homage to states' rights at the Neshoba County Fair -- in the very Mississippi county where in 1964 three civil rights workers were murdered.

Reagan took much grief for that -- and well he should have. It mattered greatly that he was the standard-bearer of a party that was following the "Southern strategy," a thinly disguised appeal to white bigotry.

Dean is in another category altogether, but you would not know it from the way he was treated by fellow Democratic presidential candidates Tuesday in Boston. Sharpton was the most indignant, demanding that Dean "apologize." This was an odd word for Sharpton to utter, because that's precisely what he refused to do after falsely accusing Steven Pagones in 1988 of raping the infamous Tawana Brawley. Had Dean been faster on his feet, he might have turned to Sharpton and said, "You first."

It's hard -- nay, impossible -- to meet Sharpton and not like him. He is personable and, in a way, scary smart. But he does not belong on the platform with the other candidates, because he is not trying to unseat George W. Bush as president but Jesse Jackson as the titular leader of black America. In fact, it was probably the recent endorsement of Dean by Rep. Jesse L. Jackson Jr. that set Sharpton off. Sharpton accused Dean of promoting "an anti-black agenda," a far worse slur than anything Dean said about the Confederate flag.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A6689-2003Nov5.html

disclosure: I'm a Deaniac & am in agreement with the opinion expressed in this editorial.

[grytpype]

1. Nice to see a Dem getting the benefit of the doubt.

[FrenchieCat]

2. Nice to see a Republican

Having something nice to say about Dean....like they have been for weeks....mmm. Hel-lo, do they have to pick our candidate and slap us in the face too?

[ClintonTyree]

6. Regardless.............

from where it comes, the truth is still the truth.

[sandnsea]

3. Confederate Flag - States' Rights

Same damn thing.

And on Al, no clown, no rodeo. The clown is a sharp, talented individual that keeps the bulls from killing the cowboys. Just like Al is keeping the elephants from trampling the donkeys. He needs to keep speaking up every time the donkey lays down in front of the elephants, like when it wants to start carrying a Confederate Flag.

[Julien Sorel]

4. LOL

Clever :thumbsup:

[JNelson6563]

8. aside from your own sound-byte reply

Curious to know your thoughts on this part of the article:

But he does not belong on the platform with the other candidates, because he is not trying to unseat George W. Bush as president but Jesse Jackson as the titular leader of black America. In fact, it was probably the recent endorsement of Dean by Rep. Jesse L. Jackson Jr. that set Sharpton off. Sharpton accused Dean of promoting "an anti-black agenda," a far worse slur than anything Dean said about the Confederate flag.

Julie

[Julien Sorel]

5. Your obsession with Sharpton is becoming unsettling.

Dean stepped out of line and Sharpton put him back in his place. I realize that in your eyes it's kind of like the Joker manhandling Batman or something, but Dean was simply out of his league, and he learned a lesson. It't time to move on.

By the way, you, and lots of other people, should realize the disparity of talents the two men have. Dean had to know the attacks were coming, he had a couple of days to prepare for the debate, and Sharpton, with a tiny staff and his own wits, whooped the entire Dean organization. If that doesn't give you pause, nothing will. Dean is a shrewd guy, but he's a second-rater who's caught lightning in a bottle. Lightning doesn't last.

[DuctapeFatwa]

7. What do you consider Rev Sharpton's "place" to be?

I would have to disagree with you about who slapped who down, but I would be very interested to hear more on your view.

[CWebster]

9. Billy's on his mission.

[loudnclear]

11. Dord out Constitution allow Sharpton to be running or not?

Is this a democracy or not? Since Al is not a "real threat" to win the Presidency, who so much ado?

[CWebster]

10. Funny that Carol Mosely-Braun

Didn't seem compelled to "spank" Dr Dean and "teach him a lesson". In fact, she spoke of unity in Dean's defense rather than jumping on Sharpton's stage.

"Context is everything in life as well as politics. When the Confederate flag was an issue during the South Carolina primary in 2000, it was already framed in such a way that it became a matter of conscience. But the way Dean used it -- a shorthand reference to the white, working-class Southern men who have abandoned the Democratic Party -- was altogether different.

The Bush administration has messed up the occupation of Iraq. The federal bench is being seeded with Bush-appointed reactionaries. The fight against abortion has become a fight against common sense, and little is being done to regulate corporate greed. Yet the Democratic presidential candidates spend their time squabbling about a Confederate flag decal, absurdly letting Al Sharpton function as the party's conscience.

Bush had a good night. "