I am tempted to say that President Obama rushing up to New York City to embrace Al Sharpton during the opening days of his campaign is evidence of a weakness in his re-election prospects. But it is much worse than that.
Barack Obama is failing to demonstrate leadership on racial issues, and leadership in general, by paying such homage to Sharpton. I thought the whole point of electing a black president was to allow the nation to rise above everything that Sharpton represents.
Sharpton has been fined hundreds of thousands of dollars for violating campaign laws as result of Complaints filed by the National Legal and Policy Center. But that is nothing morally compared to the incidents that Sharpton has orchestrated over the years, such as the Tawana Brawley episode, calculated to increase racial animosity. A detailed account of these incidents can be found in our Special Report titled Mainstreaming Demagoguery: Al Sharpton’s Rise to Respectability by Dr. Carl Horowitz of ourt staff.
Yes, I do believe in a “statute of limitations” for public figures. After a decent interval, people should be allowed a second chance. Sharpton, however, remains unrepentant and unapologetic for the Brawley hoax. That should preclude his political rehabilitation.