A COUPLE OF NIGHTS ago, I heard — for about the hundredth time — yet another political analyst proclaim, “And Al Sharpton should do well in South Carolina.”
Why? Because of his stance on health care? His plan for Social Security? The Rev. Sharpton has strong opinions about those and other issues, including racial profiling and the war in Iraq. But none of that went into the analyst’s prediction that he would have a good showing in the Palmetto State.
The pundit simply assumed that because the reverend is African-American, many in South Carolina’s large black voting population would blindly vote for Al Sharpton.
That’s offensive. Anyone willing to take the time to find out will learn that black voters are far more mature than that.
While the Rev. Sharpton has forced Democratic presidential candidates to debate issues important to black and poor people, his campaign is rather shallow. Whether they say it or not, many African-Americans know that.
I see it as little more than self-promotion. The Rev. Sharpton has said his campaign is bigger than he is, but I’m not buying it. Those who have said his aim is to snatch the mantle that once belonged to the Rev. Jesse Jackson are right.
It is clear to me the Rev. Sharpton is operating under the false hope he is going to morph into the Jesse Jackson who had two improbable runs at the nomination in 1984 and 1988. In ’84, the Rev. Jackson registered a staggering number of voters and won four states. But 1988 was far more impressive — and historic. That year, the Greenville native won nine states and finished second to Michael Dukakis. Democratic power brokers, although they weren’t happy about it, had to give him a seat at the table.
Don’t expect the Rev. Sharpton to get an invitation. It doesn’t happen just because you enter the race; you’ve got to have a campaign and a message that have some depth and substance. And the Rev. Sharpton isn’t there yet.
While I certainly defend the Rev. Sharpton’s right to run, he doesn’t have what it takes to catapult himself to the level of respectability he seeks. For one thing, he doesn’t have the heft the Rev. Jackson did. The Rev. Jackson had a solid history that sprang out of the civil rights era and his relationship with the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Although the Rev. Sharpton has his own body of work, mostly in New York, he still must combat the negative fallout from the Tawana Brawley debacle that pushed him onto the national stage.
If the Rev. Sharpton does fairly well in South Carolina, it will be because he has paid a lot more attention to this state and spent more time in black communities than any other candidate.
Still, many African-Americans, while they might cheer the Rev. Sharpton on, know he can’t win.
Rep. Todd Rutherford, who visited our editorial board with members of the Legislative Black Caucus Wednesday, said he respects the fact the Rev. Sharpton is vocal in making other candidates respond to issues they wouldn’t otherwise address. Rep. Rutherford said it is important to have a black voice in the debate. Unfortunately, few African-Americans have the stature that would allow them to enter a presidential race and be heard, he said.
But the Rev. Sharpton’s notoriety doesn’t buy him much in my book. His is a campaign about power and exposure, not being a serious candidate for president.
Yes, the media flock to him for his one-liners and his wit. And, yes, some people say they like him because he keeps things lively. Still others praise him for how he moves them with his eloquent speeches and preaching.
But there are many African-American voters in South Carolina who make it clear that while they like the Rev. Sharpton, they won’t waste their vote on him. They would rather vote for a candidate they think better represents them and who has a chance of beating George W. Bush.
Folks around the country predicting how well the Rev. Sharpton will do in South Carolina might want to do a roll call of some of the state’s leading black politicians. Rep. Jerry Govan, chairman of the Legislative Black Caucus, is a Kerry supporter. Congressman James Clyburn, who had supported the now-departed Rep. Dick Gephardt, endorsed Sen. Kerry on Thursday. Rep. John Scott backs Sen. Joe Lieberman.
I’ve heard some people say that if African-Americans actually use their heads and choose the candidate they think is best instead of backing one person, that could dilute the strength of the black vote.
But Rep. Govan said Wednesday he is proud that black leadership is “all over the map.”
He said that sends the important message “that we cannot be marginalized or taken for granted.”
Reach Mr. Bolton at (803) 771-8631 or at wbolton@thestate.com.
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