NEW YORK - Rev. Al Sharpton called on Hillary Clinton to drop out of the Democratic presidential race, likening her to an entertainer who doesn’t know when to leave the stage.
“Not dropping out would mean ruining the party,” the civil rights leader told New York 1 television on Thursday night. “I think Barack Obama’s the nominee. I think he’s won. The majority of Democrats have already decided.”
Sharpton, a failed Democratic candidate in 2004, has yet to endorse any candidate for the November election though he has been actively courted by Obama and Clinton.
He has natural ties to both Democratic candidates: his National Action Network is based in New York City and Clinton is a U.S. senator from New York state. And he has also championed causes for African Americans, and if elected Obama, a senator from Illinois, would be America’s first black president.
But his latest words suggest an endorsement might not be necessary in the nomination battle.
“As you know, I’ve been in the ministry of civil rights all my life, but had dealings with entertainers because of James Brown,” Sharpton said. “The worst thing in the world is when an entertainer doesn’t know when the show is over. The audience is gone, the lights are down, you’re getting ready to cut the mics off and you are still on the stage singing. It’s over, it’s all right, it’s over. Come sing another day, but this show is over for Sen. Clinton.”
Click here for more Reuters 2008 campaign coverage.
- Photo credit: Reuters/Mike Segar
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“The majority of democrats have already decided.” What PLANET are you from? If it were not for caucuses, disproportinate delegate allotment and not counting 2 whole LARGE states, Obama would have lost! And if the Wright controversy would have come out during the January and February voting, he would have been out PERIOD!
- Posted by Core DemocratObama may have the “math” to win the nomination, but Hillary has the “math” to win the General Election. And it is Hillary, NOT Obama, that is qualified and a uniter. Obama is the most polarizing candidate in memory. And the most unqualified! And NO way he will unite those of us that see him for what he is! This is not about Hillary. This is about Obama. He loses in November and rightfully so. He is not qualified to run the largest and most powerful nation in the world nor call himself a “uniter” of all. He needs a dictionary. Maybe Wright will loan him one.
Hillary, I’ve been reading a lot of blogs and many have said that you should run as an independent. I agree. Obama is not going to win in November. McCain is weak. The electorate is going to stay home in November because what’s the point. But, I believe that the electorate would get behind you because nobody feels safe with the other two. McCain will sink himself with his out-of-touch health plan that everyone can see through. Obama will sink himself because his inexperience is blaring and his arrogance is annoying. People are going to be looking for someone who can actually do the job. The party hasn’t done you any favors and has actually been working against you behind the scenes. You’ve had enough turncoat friends in the party…you owe them nothing.
- Posted by SusanSenator Leiberman has survived and done well as an independent after that idiot Gore snobbed him by endorsing Kerry. You would carry every constituency you now have with you even as an independent and lets face it, McCain or Obama can’t win without them. There is more than one way to skin a cat. Whatever you do, don’t accept the 2nd spot on the democratic ticket, because it will be a losing ticket. Those who supported you will not vote for a ticket with Obama in the number one position…people are pretty clear about that…and no, we won’t change our minds…You will never get the black vote, so forget about it and identify with the white working class as an independent…they will be there for you…the racial divide is what it is…the blatant racism against you is appalling…it won’t change…they couldn’t get beyond color and that is really unfortunate…it will probably take a few hundred years more…until they can let go of the victim mentality and stand up and take responsibility for themselves as we all have to, then they will remain locked in that victim mentality. Only leaders, like Bill Cosby, and others within the black community who stepped out of that victim mentality and claimed their equality, can lead their own community out of it. The Rev. Wrights of the world just perpetuate the victim mentality. Become a maverick and lead us out of this mess…we will be right behind you! The Democratic Party and the DNC is a mess and is so corrupt that it is impossible to get a fair shake from them. They are being held hostage by the black community and can’t make an objective decision because of the racism cry that would ensue…they would rather throw the election away that to talk honestly with a black man. This inability to talk honestly is the strangle hold that is choking the life out of the party. They will not be there for you, so you have nothing to lose. Leiberman did it and survived and won another term and so can you. Place yourself above the party crap and show them that you are a candidate that will not be jerked around and used, but can be the leader of a bipartisan movement that will take the reigns…women, white working class, hispanics and seniors and catholics will all be with you. Somebody has to start calling a spade, a spade, and name it what it is…racism! They will call you a racist anyway, so what do you have to lose…maybe the black community will grow from the wake-up call and start to emerge from the victim mentality…or maybe not…there is nothing you can do about it…choose the right moment to pull out of this primary and immediately start running as an independent….don’t let any time lapse…keep the light on ourself, declare that you are a victim of racism and run as an independent. The blogs support this!
I want to say some clear things here about Racism. Many of the comments posted has said that the only clear reason why Hillary supporters will not vote for Obama is because of a hidden racist feeling. Right off the bat, I voted for Hillary. And I am not racist. I am asian, Southeast Asian as a matter of fact. Southeast Asian, I will say, socially, are more leaned towards African Americans than white because many African American understand the pain and plight that many southeast asians had to endure during their own wars (supression, and treated badly by many peoples in government). And In America, it is a fact that African Americans were not always treated fairly. Thus, many southeast asians feels a bond with African Americans. However, to suggest that Hillary Clinton supporters won’t vote for Obama because of a racist feeling, that is just plain stupidity. Many of the media and many bloggers won’t say the obvious reason why Hillary Clinton supporters will not vote for Obama: We feel he is not ready and on John McCain we know he has crossed party lines and knows how the government works. Of course, there are always talk of trying new things bringing in new politics. That of course inspiring, but if you must talk about it, you must bring in substance. Ask any in the media, they will tell you, that Obama lacks substance. Fact has shown, there was a bias for Obama in the media and he has succeeded in most part, that no one can deny. Before Super Tuesday, we knew nothing about Obama because many in the media wouldn’t talk about Obama in a negative tone and then it all blew up. It is selfish to say for the mainstream media to write off the controversy of Obama because this is not the general election.
Also, we must give our respect for Hillary Clinton for paving the way for women to have an easier ability to become president of the united states. 100 years ago, women in this country were being supressed for being women. Currently, in other parts of the world, women don’t even have rights.
Hillary Clinton supporters not only look at Hillary as a great candidate, we do our research. We do plenty of our research of both candidates and we simply feel that she is ready to be president. Remember, the presidency is the hardest job in the world. Everything is on your shoulder.
Lastly, I want to remind all those that wrote comments and readers to stay by your vote and take responsibility for the candidate you vote for. Example, do not point the other way if your candidate faults. Man/women up and take responsibility on your part for hiring that person to be the president. Recently, many blame Bush on the war and the recession. I don’t blame him. I blame the voters that put him int he office because those voters made the decision to vote for him. And also, to only blame hillary for the war is ludicrous. You must blame all those other politician and their voters for voting the same way. I voted for Hillary in this election and I trust that if she becomes president, she will end the war and be a great president. I am not ready to vote for Barack Obama, he hasn’t yet suggested any substance to his claim of new politics. The controversies that have stirred with him are self-inflicted (bitter, church, etc.) Do not blame hillary for that, many of Obama supporters have and they had to basis to blame her for that. A reporter asked her a question on how she will deal with that, she replied.
And as for the new voters etc. that Obama is bringing into the election, it is great to see. But we must also emphasize that they know what they are wishing for. Many would say many young voters are energized about Obama, but many young voters do not face consequences that comes with their wishes. I hope that these young voters will take responsibility. I remember in the 2000 election, many young voters voted for change and new kind of politics and we end up here now. So, like I said earlier stand by your vote, if your candidate faults, man/woman up and take responsibility.
- Posted by NateCorrection Luckdress the media got Obama where he is
- Posted by Carl McQueenIt’s amazing how people keep repeating the absurd statement that Hillary is the stronger candidate. The last time I checked, she was behind in the popular votes and the delegates count. She started as the front-runner candidate, but she couldn’t run a smart campaign and she lost the lead. Tell me how will you run the country effectively if with all the Bill Clintons around you your campaign still falters.
And to those haters who think blacks got Obama to where he is today. They need to give credit where credit is due. Obama ran an intelligent campaign. He did not have the support of most blacks until he won the white votes in Iowa. He beat Hillary on her own turf. Those intelligent white voters in Iowa made Obama the candidate not black folks….Think about it and stop the racial mugging!!!
- Posted by LuckdressMichelle Obama’s Writings Display Disturbing Racism
Americans must ask: ‘Do we really want this woman in the White House’?
By Pat Shannan
Just what kind of “change” is Barack Obama offering and just how much influence has his wife, Michelle had over him in their married life the past two decades? It appears that Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama does not look into a crowd of Obama supporters and see Americans. She sees black people and white people, eternally conflicted with one another.
In her senior thesis at Princeton University, Michelle LaVaughn, the future wife of the Democratic presidential candidate, stated that America was a nation founded on “crime and hatred.” Moreover, she stated that whites in America were “ineradicably racist.”
The 1985 thesis, entitled Princeton-Educated Blacks and the Black Community, was written under her maiden name, Michelle LaVaughn. Michelle Obama writes that the path she chose by attending Princeton would likely lead to her “further integration and/or assimilation into a white cultural and social structure that will only allow me to remain on the periphery of society, never becoming a full participant.”
Not only does she see separate black and white societies in America, but emphatically elevates black over white in her world. As first lady, would she insist the White House be painted black? That’s been a standard joke in this venue since the civil rights movement of the 1960s, but this next ominous quote from her thesis suggests that she would in fact urge her husband toward just such an extreme position.
“There was no doubt in my mind that as a member of the black community, I am obligated to this community and will utilize all of my present and future resources to benefit the black community first and foremost.”
She seems to justify those feelings with what she claims to see on the other side of the issue: “Predominantly white universities like Princeton are socially and academically designed to cater to the needs of the white students, comprising the bulk of their enrollments.”
Michelle added in her thesis that to “whites at Princeton, it often seems as if, to them, [I] will always be black first.” However, it was reported by a fellow black classmate, “if those ‘whites at Princeton ‘ really saw Michelle as one who always would ‘be black first,’ it seems that she gave them that impression.”
Michelle Obama’s poll of black alumni concludes that other black former students at Princeton do not share her obsession with blackness. But rather than celebrate, she is horrified that black alumni identify with our common American culture more than they value the color of their skins.
“I hoped that these findings would help me conclude that despite the high degree of identification with whites as a result of the educational and occupational path that black Princeton alumni follow, the alumni would still maintain a certain level of identification with the black community. However, these findings do not support this possibility,” she wrote.
Most black alumni ignored her racist questionnaire. Only 89 students responded, out of 400 who were asked for input.
The thesis provides a trove of Mrs. Obama’s thoughts and world view seen through a race-based prism. For a potential first lady, this is a very divisive view that would do untold damage to race relations in this country in a Barack Hussein Obama administration.
During this presidential election year in which the term “transparency” has been frequently bandied about, candidates have buried a number of potentially revealing documents and papers. In Hillary Rodham Clinton’s case, there’s been a clamoring for tax records, White House memos and other material the candidate’s team has chosen to keep from release.
The 96-page, 1985 Princeton thesis, restricted from release by the school’s Mudd Library, has also been the subject of recent scrutiny. Commentator Jonah Goldberg remarked on National Review Online, “A
reader in the know informs me that Michelle Obama’s thesis is unavailable until Nov. 5, 2008, at the Princeton library. I wonder why.”
“Why a restricted thesis?” asked Pastor Louis Lapides on his website,
Thinking Outside the Blog. “Is the concern based on what’s in the thesis? Will Michelle Obama appear to be too black for white America or not black enough for black America?”
Will an Obama administration really offer constructive “change” or just an intellectually refined racism?
Pat Shannan is the assistant editor of American Free Press. He has been working in the alternative news business for more than 30 years.
Pay close attention to the 5th paragraph and you will see who is the true racist
- Posted by Carl McQueenHillary run as an independent and show everyone.
- Posted by mimiSharpton telling Hillary to get off the stage. He should have gotten off the stage after Tawana Brawley but did he Noooo unfortunately no such luck.
- Posted by mimi[...] Click here for more… [...]
- Posted by Sharpton to Clinton: Please leave the stage | Black Politics on the WebUh, Jerry,
I am also white. I request you get off it and rise above this.
I really don’t see any vitriolic hatred towards whites in anyone’s protests to Hillary’s comments.
No one is asking anyone to pay for the sins of their ancestors.
As a white person, I would like to think we are beyond this and clearly we’re not…and that was the desired impact of the comments, to polarize and divide.
Look beyond the hype, if you are a democrat be a democrat and unite behind the nominee whoever they are. I promise I will.
- Posted by ShaneThe Clinton are the heart of the Democratic party, they brought back the Democratic party after 12 years of Republican rule. Without them it doesn’t make any sense to vote Democrat. Thanks in part to the media, DNC, Kerry, Dashcle, Kennedy and other selfish individuals who put their own interest first above the interest of this country. If Mrs. Clinton is not the nominee. I will vote for Mr. Nader to go again CNN and Msnbc and nbc and other big corporations who keep us stripped from our hard earned money that includes doctors too.
- Posted by alice newtonIf Clinton is not the nominee, my husband and I will be voting for McCain–our first time ever voting Republican. Hillary is the strongest candidate of all and it’s too bad that the superdelegates don’t see that.
- Posted by janetUh, SHANE,
- Posted by JerrySorry to burst you jessie and sharpton bubble but if you read all of the papers ( not just the ones your leaders tell you to) you will find plenty of instances of black on white violence ( or is this ok becasue we are paying for our ancestors sins?) The Jenna six trial started because a bunch of black guys hauled off a white boy and beat the @@@@ out of him and he wasn’t even the guy that put the noose in the tree!!! Your vitrolic hatred towards whites without even knowing the people you are hating is getting quite tiresome for many whites. We don’t feel responsable for what happened by our forefathers and never will…and if we are going to be hated by blacks because of our skin color don’t be surprised when we fight back
History has shown that great societies (Greek, Roman, etc.) have fallen, due to foolishness and barbarism. Does anyone else see America headed that way? The only good thing this election did was show just how racist and sexist Americans are.
I am a die hard Obama supporter and the idea that so many Hillary supporters can’t bring themselves to vote for Obama (the only logical reason for most people is because he’s Black), shows America’s sad ignorance.
On the other hand, if Hillary were a man, I doubt that people would so critical of her. John McCain appears to be at that pre-alzheimer stage, and says things that make no sense, but people would rather vote for him than a Black man or a woman. That’s ignorant racism and sexism.
Hillary supporters seem to blame Obama for Hillary’s own shortcomings. He simply beat her at a game she should have played much better. He treated her with the respect a former First Lady deserved, but ran a much, much better campaign. Anyone else would have dropped out months ago, but Hillary chose to divide the party (just listen at yourselves).
Because of her tactics, if she gets the chance to run in 1212, there will be a massive effort to stop her. She may not even get re-elected to the Senate in 2010.
Both Clinton and Obama have similar policies and I think they will support one another. It’s the ignorant supporters who seem to be unable to put their personal prejudices aside. If McCain wins, the democratic party will be ruined forever, and with it- any chance that anything other than a white man will ever be elected.
Let’s use our common sense and vote for our common interests. As Dems, it certainly would not be in our interest to vote for McCain. His reversal of Roe V Wade would produce enough new citizens for WWIII when his policies produce it. Stop being emotional and vote rationally. The future of American society depends on it.
- Posted by DeanAl Sharpton is a cartoon character. I am thrilled he has joined the fray. That way, people can be reminded of what is in store for us with Obama and Co. as the Democratic nominee.
Clinton OR McCain
- Posted by valeriebut Nobama
Please let Hillary Clinton keep running. I understand that she intends to ask the Obama campaign to relieve her debt in order to get her to quit. NO WAY DO I WANT A DIME OF MY MONEY TO GO TO HILLARY
- Posted by Nelson PeeblesI want her to keep running and running and running until she runs out of money (HERS and BILLS) And, I want her to keep getting angrier and more mean spirited until she puts her foot in her mouth. Why? So that all of her supporters can realize that not only is she not presidential, she is not vice presidential. It has nothing to do with her qualifications. IT has to do with morals and ethics. NO WAY should Barack Obama take her into the White House. He’d have to hide the knives and the poison. Also, he’d have to sleep with one eye open to keep Bill Clinton away from his daughters.
Hillary should stay in the race. I feel that she is running for me. This is not a racial issue. If Colin Powell was running, this divide wouldn’t be happening. Powell has experience and the stature required to be president and he happens to be black. Blue collar whites, the so called Reagan Democrats, would be in favor of him–regardless of the party line. Of the three above mentioned traits that Powell has, Obama has just one: he is black. If he was in the Senate for longer and had done more for our country, I think he would be a great candidate. However, I am sick of women being told to move aside to let a man of any race and less experience have the job. Hillary, stay in through the Convention. You would be the best candidate to beat McCain.
- Posted by AmyIf it is that you are loyal to the Democrats and really do not want to see a continuation of the Bush years, WHY EXACTLY would you switch and vote for McCain? Think of it, the only reason is racism. If you said you would refrain from voting I would understand. However, it can only be hatred that would lead to you to choose the very thing you do not want. Only a racist desposition would lead you to force upon your country more years of Bushism because you do not want Barack Obama in the White House.
I am from the UK and we are watching. Indeed, the rest of the world is watching.
- Posted by Mary BarradySharpton is using Obama to further his own career. We need to quit listening to anything he has to say and focus on the race.
- Posted by AshleyIf Sharpton is such an expert on knowing when to leave the stage, why hasn’t he?
- Posted by Rich