On Saturday, NBC's Today actually had the nerve to give left-wing
activist and MSNBC host Al Sharpton a platform to condemn Rush Limbaugh,
with co-host Amy Robach wondering: "...is this something the Republican
Party needs to deal with right now?"
Sharpton mounted his high horse as he proclaimed: "They're going to
have to deal with it, one, because they have really made Rush Limbaugh
such a great part of the conservative movement....you can't have
him as a major spokesman in your movement and then he says something as
offensive and misogynist as this and you act like he's just an
entertainer." [Listen to the audio [1]]
What Robach failed to mention about Sharpton was the Reverend's own history of offensive remarks and actions. In 1991, Sharpton fueled anti-Semitism [2] in New York City when he denounced "the diamond merchants right here in Crown Heights."
In 1987, Sharpton defended Tawana Brawley [3]in
her claim that she was raped by several white police officers. Later,
when it was revealed to be a hoax, Sharpton, along with Brawley and her
lawyers, were ordered to pay damages to those falsely accused following a
defamation lawsuit.
When challenged on the Brawley case in 2007, on MSNBC, Sharpton refused to apologize [4].
On Saturday, hours before Limbaugh apologized for his comments about
Sandra Fluke, Sharpton bashed him not having done so: "...he's not even
apologized. He's doubled down on this and has gone through a three-day
tirade against this young lady that is offensive to everybody."
Robach didn't bother to question Sharpton's moral authority on the
matter, instead, she helpfully suggested that Republican moderate
Senator Olympia Snowe's decision to not seek reelection was the result
of incidents like these: "She's saying she's not going to be seeking
reelection due to what she calls, quote, 'The dysfunction and political
polarization of Congress.' Is there room for moderates in Congress
anymore?"
Sharpton replied: "That's become the question. The fact that you have
people like Senator Snowe leaving, the fact that you have this debate
around contraception." He added: "I think that it is that kind of
polarized atmosphere, kind of like push everybody's buttons kind of
politics that a lot of people say, 'Wait a minute, we need some adults
to come in the room or I'm leaving.'"
When did Al Sharpton become the voice of moderation and adulthood?
Wrapping up the interview, Robach promoted an upcoming protest being
led by Sharpton against voter ID laws in several states: "We know you're
leading a march, Reverend, this week from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama
to commemorate the historic civil rights march that occurred there in
1965. Why is it important, given especially the political environment
we're in right now?"
Sharpton ranted:
...this year we are faced in 34 states, voter ID laws, where they're actually changing how people can vote. 5 million people, according to the Brennan Institute, may be disenfranchised. So, this is the first time since the '65 march, in 47 years, that a large segment of the country may lose its right to vote based on state voter ID or early voting being eliminated....we're going to bring the nation's attention that voting rights are again at risk for many people, particularly in black and brown communities.
Here is a full transcript of the March 3 interview:
7:15AM ET
AMY ROBACH: Well, we head now this morning to politics. And the GOP has
a lot on its plate this morning. We're just three days away from Super
Tuesday and the fallout continues from controversial comments from
conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh. The Reverend Al Sharpton is the
host of Politics Nation on MSNBC. He joins us this morning. Reverend,
thanks for being with us.
AL SHARPTON: Good morning.
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Limbaugh Controversy; Rev. Al Sharpton Weighs In On Rush's Comments]
ROBACH: So, let's get right – let's get started with this contraception
debate, it reached a fever pitch this week, Rush Limbaugh with his
comments against Georgetown law student and contraception advocate
Sandra Fluke. Both Santorum and Romney came out and spoke out against
Limbaugh's tactics, but is this something the Republican Party needs to
deal with right now?
SHARPTON:
Yeah. They're going to have to deal with it, one, because they have
really made Rush Limbaugh such a great part of the conservative
movement. They've called him a great leader of the conservative
movement. They had him as an honorary member of Congress. So, you can't
have him as a major spokesman in your movement and then he says
something as offensive and misogynist as this and you act like he's just
an entertainer. You've made him a lot more than that, he has become
more than that in America. And then he's not even apologized. He's
doubled down on this and has gone through a three-day tirade against
this young lady that is offensive to everybody.
ROBACH: Well, and then we have Senator Olympia snow from Maine. She's a
moderate Republican. She's saying she's not going to be seeking
reelection due to what she calls, quote, "The dysfunction and political
polarization of Congress." Is there room for moderates in Congress
anymore?
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Decision 2012; Does Washington Have Room For Moderates?]
SHARPTON: That's become the question. The fact that you have people
like Senator Snowe leaving, the fact that you have this debate around
contraception. We're not talking jobs now in the Republican primary.
Super Tuesday in the Republican presidential nomination process is this
Tuesday. We're not talking jobs, we're not talking about how we rebuild
infrastructure. We're talking contraception in 2012. And I think that it
is that kind of polarized atmosphere, kind of like push everybody's
buttons kind of politics that a lot of people say, "Wait a minute, we
need some adults to come in the room or I'm leaving."
ROBACH: Yeah, and let's talk about Super Tuesday. The next contest
before that is Washington state. Today, Mitt Romney looks like he's
going to win that. Is that going to be enough to give him the momentum
he needs come Super Tuesday?
SHARPTON: No, I think that it will be just another caucus. But I think
what will happen is every – all eyes will be on Ohio, Tennessee, the key
states, major states on Tuesday.
ROBACH: Ohio, Ohio, Ohio again. We know you're leading a march,
Reverend, this week from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama to commemorate the
historic civil rights march that occurred there in 1965. Why is it
important, given especially the political environment we're in right
now?
SHARPTON: Well, National Action Network, our civil rights organization,
is partnering with others because this year we are faced in 34 states,
voter ID laws, where they're actually changing how people can vote. 5
million people, according to the Brennan Institute, may be
disenfranchised. So, this is the first time since the '65 march, in 47
years, that a large segment of the country may lose its right to vote
based on state voter ID or early voting being eliminated.
We're marching not only to commemorate, but to deal with the challenges
of today. So, I'll be leaving later today, we start tomorrow. Five days
we're going to bring the nation's attention that voting rights are
again at risk for many people, particularly in black and brown
communities.
ROBACH: Alright, Reverend Al Sharpton, we appreciate it, as always.
SHARPTON: Thank you.
ROBACH: Thanks for stopping by.
SHARPTON: Alright, thank you.
-- Kyle Drennen is a news analyst at the Media Research Center. Click here [5] to follow Kyle Drennen on Twitter.