In what for him is an unusual stance to take, Al Sharpton blasted blacks Thursday, for what he called blind support of the Democratic Party in general, and former President Bill Clinton in particular.

Sharpton's diatribe came in a speech at the Urban League's annual conference in Washington.

"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?"

"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.

"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.

"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."

In my opinion, Sharpton is certainly moving in a positive direction -- especially when compared with Jesse Jackson, but Sharpton is still out for himself, everyone else be damned.

No matter how he dresses himself, he's still suspect in my book.

Posted by: mhking at 05:23 AM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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