Mediaboss Marketing

Candidates In 2004 George W. Bush, Jr. John Kerry Howard Dean Ralph Nader Wesley Clark John Edwards Bob Graham Carole Moseley-Braun Joe Lieberman Al Sharpton Dennis Kucinich Dick Gephardt

Other Features Severe Scandals Political Palindromes 2000 Candidates 1996 Candidates Other Politicians Clinton & The Intern Positive Ideas For Reform Historical Scandals Links What's New Who's Doing This?

2000 Candidates George W. Bush, Jr. Al Gore Pat Buchanan Ralph Nader Harry Browne Bill Bradley John McCain Steve Forbes Gary Bauer Alan Keyes J. Danforth Quayle Elizabeth Dole Dick Gephardt John Ashcroft Orrin Hatch

1996 Candidates Bill Clinton Bob Dole H. Ross Perot Ralph Nader Pat Buchanan Steve Forbes Richard Lugar Lamar Alexander Phil Gramm Robert Dornan Morry Taylor Alan Keyes Arlen Specter Libertarians

Other Politicians Gen. Colin Powell Pete Wilson John Ashcroft B-1 Bob Dornan H. Ross Perot Newt Gingrich Jesse Jackson

He grew up in a prosperous, suburban family (his dad was a landlord and businessman) and was a child prodigy as a preacher. By age 7, he was touring with gospel great Mahalia Jackson and Bishop F.D. Washington, the renowned Pentacostal minister of Brooklyn's Washington Temple Church of God in Christ as "the Wonder Boy Preacher."

At age 10, however, his parents divorced due to an affair his dad had with Sharpton's half-sister (ie his dad's step-daughter.) Sharpton's mother was forced to go on welfare, and at one point they went without electricity for 6 months. Al became an ordained minister shortly after his parents' divorce.

Al got involved in social activism during his teenage years, organizing several youth protests before he graduated from high school in 1972, and forming a national youth movement, named "National Youth Movement." After two years of college, he dropped out and worked as national touring manager for singer James Brown, where he met his wife Kathy. (They have two teenage daughters.)

Since then he has led numerous publicity grabbing protests following incidents of racial attacks and police brutality (such as the police assault of Haitian immigrant Abner Luoima) and formed a national action network (called "National Action Network") with 20 chapters around the country. In other words, like Pat Buchanan and Jesse Jackson, he is a political figure famous for incendiary talk and not much else.

"...they will say that Al Sharpton cannot get the majority of the white vote. The fact is--no Democrat has gotten the majority of the white vote in many years. Bill Clinton didn't get the majority of the white vote. The Democratic Party has been able to put together a coalition of a sizeable portion of the white vote, the overwhelming majority of black votes and Latino votes. That has been their winning strategy..." -- Sharpton

Read the original here:

Skeleton Closet - Al Sharpton, The Dark Side