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Outside of the president, Al Sharpton might possibly be the most powerful man in America right now. And no, that isnt an overstatement.

Think about what the 60-year-old activist and MSNBC host has going for him right now:

Power Indicator #1: Sharpton has been to the White House to advise President Barack Obama, his senior advisor Valerie Jarrett, or both. No big deal, right? Plenty of MSNBC hosts have visited over the past six years.

Care to guess, according to the White House Visitor Log, just how many times Sharpton has visited since Mr. Obama took office? Five times? Nope. 15 times? Try again. 25 times? Getting warmer. Hes visited at least 35 times. Quite the feat considering Sharpton is an unelected official living about 250 miles away from DC.

Do you think any other civilians have that kind of frequent access?

Power Indicator #2: Nobody controls him. Need proof? Just look at all the protests happening Tuesday night around New York after his former BFF, Mayor Bill de Blasio, asked him to cease and desist until after the two slain Brooklyn officers were laid to rest later in the week. This isnt a compliment, but Sharpton showed once again he doesnt take orders from anyone.

His approval rating among blacks stands at 69 percent (yes, Quinnipiac conducts polls on Sharpton despite him not receiving one vote to represent any district or state). And when city residents were asked in the same poll who their most important leader was, Sharpton finished first, beating even President Obama and longtime Rep. Charlie Rangel in the process.

Talk about polarizing: Almost 80 percent of black people say hes been a positive force for the city. Almost 60 percent of Democrats feel the same way. But 81 percent of Republicans say hes been a negative force. How does Sharpton become the epicenter in every story involving race? Simple: He looks at those numbers and knows he can play one side against the other and puts himself in a position of power accordingly. Understand: The only contingent Sharpton cares about is that of the African-American community. Protecting his brand among blacks is the only thing that matters.

Power Indicator #3: Sharpton has a national television platform for a full hour Monday through Friday on MSNBC. For Sharpton, its just a daily trip to the podium. Opposition? Dissent? Youre kidding, right? Sharpton is almost never challenged by his guests because theyre booked based on the premise of agreeing with the host on whatever topic is being discussed. And as stated here on a few occasions, echo chambers never make for compelling television, and the Nielsen numbers for Sharptons PoliticsNation especially reflect that sentiment.

Despite being in the middle of many of the biggest stories of the year, the Revs return on investment is equal to whatever the ruble is trading at these days. On Monday, for example, on a day where his name was front and center again following the reaction to the execution of two police officers in Brooklyn, Sharptons program couldnt generate even half the audience in the key demo of Wolf Blitzer on CNN, who finished a distant second to Foxs Special Report (guest anchored by John Roberts that evening). Overall, Sharpton gets beat anywhere from 2-1 (CNN) to 3-1 and even 4-1 by Fox. So despite the spotlight he seems to generate outside of 30 Rock, he cant seem bring that interest over to his program. And heres why

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Al Sharpton Arguably Now the Most Powerful Person in America