Just what we needed:
The Rev. Al Sharpton has signed a deal to be talk radio’s Limbaugh of the Left
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Al Sharpton does his own Rush impressions
Looks like Al Sharpton is going on the radio, according to the NYP, May 27, 2005 — The Rev. Al Sharpton has signed a deal to be talk radio’s Limbaugh of the Left — he hopes. The controversial civil-rights…
Justin Faulkner
All I am going to say is that I don’t want to listen to a “Limbaugh of the left.” Maybe that will appeal to some people, but I’d rather stick with NPR (and keep Ken Tomlinson’s hands off of it).
Jeff
I’m no fan of Limbaugh or Hannity. I think they’re both pompous blowhards and if you injected both of them with truth serum, I don’t think they’d believe half of what they spew, they just know that being a conservative talk-show host is the best way to make a buck in radio.
That being said, I don’t think it’s fair to compare them to Sharpton. The only opposite extreme of Sharpton getting a radio show would be David Duke getting one.
Sharpton has, in the last couple years, sort of got a reputation of being a harmless, race-hustling blowhard, but the guy is an anti-semite, a bigot, and anything but harmless.
At a time when many on the left–and some moderates on the right–are correctly condemning some of the anti-judge rhetoric coming from the far-right and worrying about it’s potential to cause violence, Sharpton’s rhetoric HAS caused violence, riot, and murder. See Freddy’s Fashion Mart in Harlem.
The fact that he was given a prime speaking spot at the DNC last summer was disgusting. I told all my liberal friends during the Democratic primaries that I would make a $100 donation to the campaign of whatever candidate, during the primary debates, called Sharpton on his racist past, but none of them ever did.
Mr.Ortiz
Isn’t Randi Rhodes already the Limbaugh of the left? Whatever. This report is suspiciously short on details. He “has signed a deal”, with who? Air America is a possibility, but it will probably be a syndicated show that hasn’t been picked up by anyone yet.
Will he take on a broad spectrum of issues or focus on “Black” issues? The latter would limit his audience but solidify his position in the media as Spokesman for Black America.
I could go on, but I just realized I’m not that interested.
Side note: Somebody confused the NY Daily News with the Rupert Murdoch owned NY Post on this site yesterday. This story should dispell all confusion: Notice how Sharpton is described as a “failed” presidential candidate. Don’t think for a second that it was done without malice. Any non-NewsCorp paper would leave it at “former” and trust its readers to know that Al Sharpton was never President.
Nash
Just great, another outlet for reckless speech, this time from the left.
otoh, Jeff, your standards are a bit skewed if you think Rush’s influence is harmless, let alone his language. And, if you can convince many of us that he is not a bigot, more power to you. But it will be a hard slog for you. Perhaps your liberal friends should offer up a $100 donation to the campaign of your choice if you will call Rush on his racist present. Notice that I am NOT equating Rush with you, just saying your differentiation of him from Sharpton in terms of hateful, dangerous rhetoric is pretty weak.
Ideally, we permit any of these yelling heads to have their soapbox to yell from and all of us turn our backs and walk away.
Jeff
Nash,
Learn to read.
A) I never defended anything Rush said. I couldn’t tell you the last time I listened to him.
B) I never said he was “harmless”.
C) I called him a pompous blowhard, so I really don’t give a fuck if you think i can convince you or any of your friends that he is or isn’t a bigot.
D) All that being said, show me where Rush once led daily protests at a place of business, called the owner of that business a “white interloper” and then in turn, someone at one of those protests went and started a fire at this “white interlopers” place of business and killed someone.
For that matter, show me Rush’s equivalent of Tawana Brawley.
Really, I don’t like Rush, but I don’t think he’s as vile as Sharpton. If that’s somehow an endorsement of Rush to you, then you’re too stupid to reason with.
Non-Fat Latte Liberal
I don’t like Sharpton and I really didn’t think he deserved a speaking slot at the DNC. That said, the guy can really really speak. I might tune in now and then for that, his politics are crap but hearing a great rhetorician is fun.
Scott McArthur
If this gets him out of elected office then I am all for it. He is an liability for the Dems as a politician. As an amusing blow hard he is fine. Always fun to have another one on the radio. If anything he will help funk up the airwaves a little.
Regarding his anti semetic past – didn’t he publically recant, a couple of times?
Kimmitt
Sharpton’s a hell of an orator, but he doesn’t have skeletons in his closet — he’s got the Pirates of the fricking Caribbean.
carpeicthus
Please God no.
Jay C
Heh.
Not to want to defend Al Sharpton for his past (or much of anything else), but I think the reflexive Sharpton-bashers may be in for a surprise if Rev. Al does get his own radio show. Al Sharpton is surprising good at one thing; which is re-inventing himself. The man seems to have an innate skill at rolling out a new-model Al Sharpton every couple of years, and far from being a Rush-style blowhard, I think it’s more likely that he will go more for the “thoughtful statesman” persona on the radio than the “radical ranter” model – if nothing else, just to throw his critics for a loop.
Not that, IMO, it will make any difference: Rev. Al has just too much negative baggage to ever have much influence, or go much of anywhere (except maybe in NYC, on a strictly local level); which baggage (Tawana Brawley, Freddy’s Fashionmart, etc) will be duly trotted out and loudly flogged by his legion of critics evry time he opens his mouth.
ppgaz
Talk radio long ago descended to the intellectual level of the WWF. A deal for somebody like Sharpton should hardly surprise anyone. If you make money on the churn, what could be better than Limbaugh types exchanging sound bytes with Sharpton types?
Don’t you get it? If reasoned discourse were profitable, and popular, most of the existing power strctures in politics would be out of business.
Keep ’em yelling at each other, that way we can do whatever we want (say, fatten our wallets) and the lowing masses will never be the wiser!
Sound cynical? Okay, suggest another explanation, and I’ll consider it.
Meanwhile ….. “Michael Jackson!”
“Schiavo!”
“Saddam Hussein!”
“Koran abuse!”
“Michael Moore!”
“Swiftboats!”
“Defense of Marriage!”
“Gay agenda!”
“Right to Life!”
“Right to Privacy!”
“Tastes great!!”
“Less filling!!!!”
You know, you can turn the shit off any time you want to.
Let me repeat: You can turn the shit off any time you want to.
Nash
wow, Jeff, that’s some major anger you have going there.
You don’t think Limbaugh is as vile as Sharpton and I do. We are going to continue to disagree about that. But that doesn’t make me question your intelligence.
ppgaz
Rush Limbaugh had a tv show for a while, about 13 or so years ago.
He did an entire segment designed around making fun of Chelsea Clinton and her braces. Complete with a slide show of photos showing her looking particularly amusing with those braces.
The man was making a living … and getting roars from his audience … making fun of a teenaged girl.
That was the last time, and will remain the last time, I ever listen to anything that fat lying motherfucker has to say.
Libertine
I don’t like either of them to be perfectly blunt.
I would pay big money for MTV to do a claymation “Celebrity Death Match” between Rush and the good Reverend.
The Lonewacko Blog
“Air Tawana”
But, seriously, for some good that Sharpton might be able to do but won’t, see his efforts regarding Vicente Fox’s statement that Mexicans do the jobs that even blacks won’t do.
Start in Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, Vicente Fox, and… MALDEF, although Sharpton said some things after that. Some were bad, and some were good. But, I’m mainly waiting for him to meet Fox in Harlem to see whether his overall effect is going to be bad or good in this case.
The Lonewacko Blog
“Air Tawana”
But, seriously, for some good that Sharpton might be able to do but won’t, see his efforts regarding Vicente Fox’s statement that Mexicans do the jobs that even blacks won’t do.
Start in Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, Vicente Fox, and… MALDEF, although Sharpton said some things after that. Some were bad, and some were good. But, I’m mainly waiting for him to meet Fox in Harlem to see whether his overall effect is going to be bad or good in this case.