Sharpton's vicious attack on Dean

[doubles]

Dean had a six member cabinet. His staff was diverse, his cabinet was not.

Let's say I were governor of a state with a 4 member cabinet, is it then imperative to cover all ground, to hire a White, Black, Hispanic and Asian? What if my state had only one cabinet position, should that member then be a mixed race candidate?

My point is this, I expect diversity when we are speaking numbers. In numbers, I mean, greater than say 50 or 100 people. A company of 100 employees should not be lily white with zero diversity, even in a 97% white state like Vermont. When discussing figures with numbers below 10, it is foolish to expect diversity to be an issue. How can we fault someone having a cabinet of only six people, especially in a 97% White state like Vermont for not being diverse? I believe leadership should be at least as diverse as its populace, in corporations as well as governorships. One minority on a 6 member cabinet represents 17%; Vermont is a state with a 3% minority. I believe this attack by Sharpton was below the belt, mean, nasty and vicious. All the respect I had for Al Sharpton is gone, I am now convinced that the rumors started by the right that he is working for the Clintons and Clark are correct.

Even Carol Moseley Brawn attacked Sharpton in last night's debate for his vicious and divisive message that is doing nothing but helping George Bush regain control come November!

[Renew Deal]

1. The attack was bullshit.

I think Al lost a lot of the goodwill he gets from people watching this. He was OK when he was bashing Bush*. What he did to Dean the other night was the same kinda shit he does in NY. That's why his negatives are so high.

[Davis_X_Machina]

2. Clinton's cabinet looked like America, for which we praised him.

Dean's cabinet looked like Vermont, for which we condemn him?

[spooky3]

23. Clinton's cabinet did NOT look like America w/r/to gender

It was not over 50% female.

However, I would not accuse him of sexism with respect to those appointments.

[JasonDeter]

3. Al Sharpton proved why Jessie Jackson is sorely missed.

Al Sharpton is a opportunist with a "I don't get no respect" mentality. He's like Ann the man hands Coulter who has to be divisive to be heard.

[dfong63]

4. somone needs to sound the gong on rev Al's act

[donotpassgo]

5. Two Words...

TAWANNA BRAWLEY.

Mr. Sharpton, a man having NEVER HELD elective office, has staked his claim on filing false charges against the NYPD and if memory serves me right fanning the flames at Howard Beach.

I am a Puerto Rican, From NY, and WILL vote for Dean.

Sharpton will NEVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER get voted for an elected office EVER because he is toxic. You don't sow the seeds for racial healing by calling someone a cracker.

[economic justice]

6. Sharpton's aides

What does Sharpton's staff look like? I bet whites are represented? Not. I can't believe that Sharpton would dare talk about race and race relations with his despicable record in that department. Why listen to the guy? He doesn't walk his talk and is a hypocrite.

[Name removed]

7. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[beaconess]

15. Or at least anticipated that the question would come up

and had a better answer prepared than he did.

[Padraig18]

8. Carol was right; Al blew it and it showed!

Everyone's discussing Dean's 'caught in the headlights' expression after Sharpton played the race card; why is everyone forgetting Al's expression when Carol jack-slapped him publicly for playing it? Talk about a 'caught in the headlights' look--- Sharpton CLEARLY knew he'd stepped over the lines of decency.

[Cheswick2.0]

9. Gotta love Carol

Please send her a few bucks if you can to keep her in the race. She deserves to be in the administration of whoever wins the primary.

[Padraig18]

10. We sent her $50 yesterday morning!

:)

[bigtree]

12. don't forget me

I still believe that if Gov. Dean wanted to having a minority on his cabinet (which he apparently did according to the posters defending him to me), then he should have done it. He suggested in the debate that he thought it didn't matter, he had minority staffers below the level of the cabinet, good record on minority hiring.

But posters have waved around an article in which his chief of staff and a minority appointee (lower-level) claim that he tried but couldn't. Salary differences were cited. No problem getting whites who would accept the salary, but no luck recruiting blacks.

This says one of two things to me about Gov. Dean, or maybe both: Either Gov. Dean didn't try hard enough in the 11 years that he served as governor (he wants us to believe he can be an effective leader), or that Latinos and blacks didn't think serving with the governor was worth their time; a reflection on his appeal to them.

[Padraig18]

14. resume building:

Given the choice of Secretary of Elevators in VT for $80K, or Secretary of Elevators in MA for the same $80K, which do you think most would choose? IL has 'lost' many cabinet officers to other states for higher salaries or for the same salary in a larger state, like IDLE director Jeremy Margolis, e.g. .:shrug:

[bearfartinthewoods]

27. good points

[edzontar]

11. Al sucks, Carol rocks...

nt

[CWebster]

13. missed it but I understand carol really admonished Sharpton

Funny, I didn't hear about it here when the intent was try to build a case against Dean---that he was some sort of racist.

[bigtree]

17. Rev. Sharpton

never called, or insinuated that Gov. Dean was a racist. Nor have any of the other defenders of his statements on this board.

There have been, however vicious attacks on Rev. Sharpton's character and motivations in response to his query of Gov. Dean which bely the posters expressed concerns about a smear of the governor.

[CWebster]

28. Really?

What was the point?

Carol Mosely Braun understood it, even though you avoid it.

[bigtree]

32. Anyone who has read my post on this knows that i am not avoiding

anything!

The point of his query was that as the governor speaks about the value of diversity it can be pointed out that when he had the chance to demonstrate that support by elevating or persuading minorities to serve in his cabinet, he didn't succeed. For whatever reason. It is reasonable that some may make a negative judgement about that.

BTW, the article first appeared in a newspaper, so to refer to Rev. Sharpton as the incarnate of evil for raising it in the debate does not dismiss the point of his query; even if you don't relate, or agree with the point he was making.

[Padraig18]

22. She verbally jack-slapped Rev. Al!

And it stung--- you should have seen the look on Al's face when she went at him about it!

[dansolo]

16. Has Al ever hired a Jew?

I would be willing to bet that in his entire life, Al Sharpton has never hired a single Jewish person for *any* position. Hey Al, isn't there something about "He who is without sin..." And even worse, the type of thinking that Al promotes is what has given us Clarence Thomas and Condaleeza Rice, two of the most unqualified people I have ever seen in extremely high positions in our govenment.

[beaconess]

18. Not relevant

However, as soon as Sharpton begins positioning himself as the only candidate who is effectively speaking for Jews and Jewish issues in the non-Jewish community, his commitment to hiring Jews will become an issue.

[CWebster]

29. I see

only Afro-Americans can discuss race?

[bigtree]

19. Imagine

if Rev. Sharpton had started his question of Gov. Dean with:

Governor, I'd be willing to bet . . .

His 'charges were in the form of a question. Did you, governor . . .?

[peteyb]

21. You guys

are completely missing the point. Al Sharpton was not critisizing Dean so much for the lack of minorities in his cabinet, but his Hypocracy.

Dean put himself out there as a civil rights champion. He said that he was the only one talking about Race (which is insulting to aqny Democratic candidate) and he doesn't expect to get challenged on that ? Please.

Then to make things worse he tries to come back and say that he is second to noone when it comes to race, and then points to his endorsements. That's embarassing.

That's why even though I will vote for Dean if he is the nomineee, I am not a supporter. The arrogance of thinking he should be able to say anything without being questioned is a bit of a turn off.

[bigtree]

33. welcome to DU peteyb!

:hi:

[LuminousX]

20. Dean unscathed by attack

http://www.thestate.com/mld/thestate/news/local/7696562.htm

[bigtree]

24. This may be a reflection of the attitudes of the South

which is notable for ingrained resistance to issues of diversity in hiring and affirmative action.

Another view from the same article:

“I want the average Vermonter ... to walk into court and see a black judge and think nothing of it,” he (Dean) said. “I want the average Vermonter to go to the Environmental Board and see all different hues ... because race has nothing to do with that.”

But not applying that same theory in selecting his Cabinet will be a problem for Dean, said state Sen. Robert Ford, D-Charleston, who supports U.S. Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina for president.

“That’s not just going to hurt him here,” Ford said, “it will destroy him.”

The Democratic Party needs a nominee who can motivate and offer confidence to black and white voters, Ford said. Dean has proven an inability to do that.

[beaconess]

25. What was "vicious" about anything that Sharpton said?

Did he say anything that wasn't true?

[candy331]

30. Sharpton played the race card and you can spin it

anyway you want but that is exactly what he did and he knows it and he counted on the response that Dean showed, in fact I would bet on it but he was shocked shit-less when Carol lashed him, he didn't expect that. Anyone taking this serious is just refusing to see the light and I thought was the mode of the other side. Surely you know that race is a sensitive issue and none of the candidates are comfortable talking about it. Dean showed complete maturity and superb skill in controlling himself in the situation, he could have attacked Sharpton and I'm sure people who are anti Dean would have been on Sharpton's side, but Dean gave respect to a person who deserved no respect in that instance. Sharpton showed himself to be the ass he is and lost any hope of gaining any respect that he sorely needed. Dean saw the wiser course by not attacking Shartpon and possibly alienating blacks and Sharpton supporters.
DEAN showed a sign of true Presidential skill {self control} and Sharpton and those who try to make anything else of it are the losers.

[moez]

31. They were legitimate questions

They would be legitimate to ask of any candidate. Nobody would be bitching had he stung a right winger with these questions. But, God forbid he ask them of Dean.

Just because he's "your guy" doesn't mean he shouldn't have to answer for his record...

[bigtree]

34. Did Gov. Dean play the race card

when he insisted that he was the only candidate talking about race?

Did Ambassador Braun play the race card when she raised her diatribe against Rev. Sharpton.

Should we parse her words and point up inconsistencies in her record or rhetoric in our defense of Rev. Sharpton?

Statements like:
"Sharpton showed himself to be the ass he is" = alienating blacks and Sharpton supporters.

This a poster who speaks of "sensitivity", and "maturity". The poster's insults bely her concerns.

[messiah]

26. Who cares? Centrists individuals or groups will always back down

and always will ignore the black vote. Centrist will make sure there is no political left in this country ever.