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shawa CNO
Joined: 03 Sep 2004 Posts: 2004
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Posted: Fri Jul 29, 2005 1:22 pm Post subject: Sharpton Slams Blacks for Blindly Supporting Clinton |
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CNS NEWS
Quote: | Sharpton Slams Blacks for Blindly Supporting Clinton, Democrats
By Marc Morano
CNSNews.com Senior Staff Writer
July 29, 2005
Washington (CNSNews.com) - Former Democratic presidential candidate Al Sharpton blasted blacks Thursday for what he described as their blind support of the Democratic Party without demanding anything in return.
Sharpton, during his remarks at the National Urban League's annual conference in Washington, noted that his fellow Democrats, including former President Bill Clinton, have taken African-American voters for granted and failed to act in the best interests of the black community.
"The whole network of incarceration (of African-American men) happened under this president and the last president. So it wasn't just George Bush. Bill Clinton -- I wish Hillary had hung around -- Bill Clinton built a lot of jails and passed the omnibus crime bill," Sharpton said shortly after Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) had addressed the same panel discussion, entitled "The Black Male: Endangered Species or Hope for the Future?"
Sharpton noted that African-American men make up 6 percent of the U.S. population but 44 percent of the nation's prison population.
"And just because Bill can sing "Amazing Grace" well doesn't mean the omnibus crime bill was not a bill that hurt our people," Sharpton told the several hundred people gathered at the Washington Convention Center.
Clinton enjoyed significant African-American support and was affectionately referred to by many in the black community as America's "first black president."
"We must stop allowing people to gain politically from us if they're not reciprocating when dealing and being held accountable," said Sharpton, referring to the allegiance that African-American voters maintain to the Democratic Party.
Sharpton said many politicians who court the black vote "come by and get our votes 'cause they wave at us on Sunday morning while the choir's singing. And we act like that is reaching out."
The problem is these same politicians "never addressed why they sit here in Washington with an epidemic proportion of HIV AIDS in our (black) community, unemployment in our community and they do nothing to deal with eliminating those problems," Sharpton explained.
"Imagine me going to a convention of whites who half of them were unemployed and I smiled, waved, sing a hymn and leave. They would whip me in the parking lot before [I left]," he said to laughter and applause.
"As long as we allow people to get elected off of us and deliver nothing to us, then part of our problem is that we have such low political self esteem," he said. "Every time we give them support for no support, we add to the marginalization of black men."
Sharpton said the situation has "gotten so bad that we hold black leaders accountable and give white leaders a pass."
'People emulate what they see'
Sharpton also took aim at black popular culture. Noting that in some U.S. cities, black male unemployment exceeds 50 percent, Sharpton said black music and movies only aggravate the situation.
"We come out in response to that with movies like (the 2005) "Hustle and Flow" and tell our kids that the personification of black men is a black pimp of a white prostitute that wants to be a rapper who shoots the rapper and at the end of the movie, [a] black woman he had as his prostitute has his baby and the white prostitute becomes the head of the record company and makes the money while he's in jail. That don't make sense," Sharpton said to applause.
"People emulate what they see ...We cannot succumb to a generation that acts like it's all right to celebrate being down. It's one thing to be down, it's another thing to celebrate being down," he explained.
Referring to gangster rappers, Sharpton said, "We've gone from 'black and proud' to groups now calling themselves "Niggers with an attitude."
Sharpton told the panel discussion of how he has confronted rappers about their lyrics only to be told that the rappers simply "reflect the times." Sharpton said black art and culture used to project its "hopes for the future."
"In slavery we wasn't singing, 'you a low down cotton pickin ho.' That would've reflected the times," he said to more laughter and applause.
"In the civil rights era, we sang "We shall overcome" we didn't sing 'You in the back of the bus, got gum on your show, no good MF.' I mean we've been down before. We never romanticized it and put melody to it and acted like it was all right," he added.
Sharpton concluded his discussion with a call for the black community to help itself and return churches to "the center of our community."
"Even if we [are] not responsible for being down, we [are] responsible for getting up," he said. "And if we wait on those who knocked us down to lift us up we'll never get up 'cause if they wanted us up we would have never been down," he said.
See Related Story:
Sen. Clinton: GOP Erasing Century of Civil Rights Progress |
_________________ “I love the man that can smile in trouble, that can gather strength from distress, and grow brave by reflection. ‘Tis the business of little minds to shrink; but he whose heart is firm, and whose conscience approves his conduct, will pursue his principles unto death.” (Thomas Paine, 1776) |
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shawa CNO
Joined: 03 Sep 2004 Posts: 2004
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Posted: Fri Jul 29, 2005 2:02 pm Post subject: |
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Sharpton sounding a little like Bill Cosby.
As for Shrillary's remarks, it's the same old "look what we Democrats have done for you, and George Bush wants to take away" routine.
IMO, the Dems programs destroyed the black family by nurturing black dependancy on the government programs, negating the role of fathers in the black community.
George Bush has done more to create a better future for Blacks, by going to the root of the problem.
First education, by his 'No Child Left Behind' program which demands accountability for schools to EDUCATE instead of just passing students along to eventually become dropouts. This program is already seeing results in higher scores for black students, which eventually will increase their ability to obtain good paying employment.
Another program to encourage home ownership for Blacks is having great results. More Blacks now have the pride of owning homes than ever before, instead of relying on government housing which are havens for drug peddlers and crime, a hopelessness in which poverty breeds more poverty and DEPENDENCE that the Libs count on!! _________________ “I love the man that can smile in trouble, that can gather strength from distress, and grow brave by reflection. ‘Tis the business of little minds to shrink; but he whose heart is firm, and whose conscience approves his conduct, will pursue his principles unto death.” (Thomas Paine, 1776) |
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coldwarvet Admiral
Joined: 03 Jun 2004 Posts: 1125 Location: Minnetonka, MN
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Posted: Fri Jul 29, 2005 2:37 pm Post subject: |
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The left wing strong holds continue to splinter, labor and minorities in this week alone. _________________ Defender of the honor of those in harms way keeping us out of harms way.
"Peace is our Profession"
Strategic Air Command - Motto
USAF 75-79 Security Police |
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PhantomSgt Vice Admiral
Joined: 10 Sep 2004 Posts: 972 Location: GUAM, USA
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Posted: Sat Jul 30, 2005 11:18 am Post subject: |
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I never could understand why African Americans supported the Democratic Party. Maybe the question should be: "So what has your party done for you?"
If it were left up to the White Democrats slavery in the US would have entered the 20th Century.
If it were left up to White Democrats, minorities would never have homes they could call their own and would be provided government housing by their Liberal White Democratic benefactors. I'll give you a place to live if you give me your vote.
White Democrats have never appointed an African American Secretary of State, let alone two and one a woman.
Oh well just keep supporting them as they have supported you.
_________________ Retired AF E-8
Independent that leans right of center. |
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