Al Sharpton: Gingrich Campaign Is Willie Horton II

AL: NEWT IN DISREPUTE

Sharpton: Gingrich 'Baiting The Far Right' Using Race





*** BONUS CLIP BELOW: BAGHDAD JIM DEFENDS BARNEY ***


Now that he's once again considered conservative and viable, it's no surprise to see Newt Gingrich's establishment / Beltway liberal friends turn against him. The ferocious nature of this sudden shift may be startling to the former House speaker, however.

In the latest example, Al Sharpton has abruptly decided to throw everything including the kitchen sink at Newt, accusing him of race-baiting and a divisive campaign strategy.

Given their strange history of palling around, however, this one may sting a bit.

Gingrich and the race-baiting reverend have a history of appearances together for reasons that must have made sense at the time (kind of like teaming up with Nancy Pelosi over global warming). Now, it's Sharpton accusing Newt of racial trickery, even labeling his tactics Willie Horton II!


From yesterday's syndicated Keeping It Real With Al Sharpton:

AL SHARPTON (6:51): Newt Gingrich, at the request of President Obama toured some inner city poor area schools with me and Secretary Duncan. And he knows thses kids have parents that work and that are not making money illegally. For him to say, read his quote so that peolple will understand that maybe haven't heard it. Read what he said Smokey.


FONTAINE: This is a direct quotes (Fontaine proceeds to read quote)


SHARPTON: Now He’s (Newt Gingrich) been to South Philly with us, he’s been other places. This is like when we saw the welfare queen imagery used in another Presidential Campaign, or saw the whole question of Willie Horton.

And this is now where we are getting into this cheap kind of race baiting kind of poor ah ah criminals kind of behavior and we need to call it out. There’s no one better to cal it out than me cause I went on the tour, risked ah people criticize, I’m glad I went now. Cause I can say I know he (Newt Gingrich) knows better. Y’all are playing poverty and race politics.


SHARPTON (13:20): Smokey the real outrage to me of Newt Gingrich’s statement and let’s remember now, despite you me whoever’s feelings, newt Gingrich according to every poll is now the frontrunner of the Republican Party. So we’re not just talking about some former Speaker who is given to saying scurrilous things. We’re talking about someone who is the standard bearer, at least right now, appears that he will be the standard bearer of their Party. And to say this when I know he has had experiences that would tell him and show him better means that a strategy that works for the far right of that Party is to bait people. And that is something that we need to address early and often, because if not we going to have an ugly campaign season against this President. We may have it anyway, but we at least need to identify that’s what’s happening.

Bonus clip! Dems are determined to bolster Barney Frank's damaging legacy:

STEPHANIE MILLER (30:34): We were actually reacting to the ah you know the right wing talking point that the housing crisis was all Barney Frank’s fault.

REP JIM MCDERMOTT (D-WA): Ha ha ha ha!

MILLER: A lovely parting gift for his thirty years of service

REP MCDERMOTT: Ha ha ha ha!

MILLER: You like that one, okay. Your thoughts?

REP MCDERMOTT: Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! They have to have someone to blame it on and ha ha ha ha ha Barney’s got broad shoulders. But it’s baloney.

MILLER: Exactly! I mean just give us your thoughts on that. Cause I think that you know it really is ironic that here’s a guy you know at least got some financial regulation accomplished and they’re making him the scapegoat of all this.

REP MCDERMOTT: Well they’re (Republicans) whole strategy right now is to deregulate the government as a way of recreating the economy and the financial regulations that he (Barney Frank) did was just trying to get us back to some sanity. I mean we learned what happened in the thirties and we gradually eroded it over time and Barney tried to bring us back to where it makes sense.

This from a guy who openly supported Saddam's regime.