Gallup, NNPA: Al Sharpton is in First and Last Place

Al Sharpton is the Democrat most favored to win the White House in 2004 or he is the candidate who will probably come in last - and it all depends on the race of the person viewing his campaign to occupy 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

That's the conclusion of a special analysis conducted for the National Newspaper Publishers Association News Service (NNPA), which serves more than 200 Black newspapers, by the Gallup Organization. Based on interviews with African Americans, Gallup found Sharpton, president and founder of the New York-based National Action Network, easily leading the Democratic field with 22 percent -- 9 points ahead of runner-up, retired Army Gen. Wesley Clark.

Among Whites, however, Sharpton came in last, with only 1 percent. Among Whites, Clark received 22 percent -- the identical amount Sharpton received from Blacks -- and seven points more than former Vermont governor, Howard Dean, who had been the front-runner throughout most of the campaign.


http://www.bet.com/articles/0,,c1gb7772-8613,00.html

:shrug:

Brushing off the Al of 20 years ago I would love to see the man on a ticket.

Sharpton for Press Secretary. That would be great.

My suspicion is that the closet racists would cancel out most of the votes that a Sharpton ticket would gain us.

Is that a reason to not support Sharpton? Hell no...he'd be great in any office - despite the other obvious weakness of a Clark/Sharpton tik being no experience between them. Given the climate of hatred, and the dire need for us to win the next one, I think an untested strategy like that one wouldn't be right for this election. We couldn't even win with Ferraro on the ticket, even though the same logic would lead us to predict a Mondale victory that year. Instead we got a landslide loss.

IMO 2000 was the perfect year to do something like that, and if * gets re-selected, then our paternalistic white male party leaders should step back and let the minorities and progressives like Sharpton take a crack at it.

He has, at best, a checkered past that could easily be used against him in any Presidential campaign. Plus, I agree, the closet racists would come out and more than overwhelm any extra black vote we might pick up on a Sharpton ticket.

Wouldn't mind seeing Sharpton in some Cabinet position...but not as President. It'll just never work. I hate to say, but I do not think America is MATURE enough...for a black President.

Sad to have to say that in the 21st Century, but it's the truth. And, were you to have a viable black candidate...closet racists aside...you need someone with far less of checkered past than Sharpton has.

I doubt I will ever see a black Pres., but if I do...I hardly think Sharpton is the one we will see.