Al Sharpton and the GOP  

Several people have linked to this business about Al Sharpton's ties to Roger Stone and the implication that Sharpton is somehow giving aid and comfort to the enemy. I don't know why it is that people are so outraged by this, but I have a feeling it has less to do with the belief that Sharpton is working with the GOP (come on...) than the hatred mainstream Dems harbor for Ralph Nader, the patron saint of third party spoilers.

The problem is, how else to you expect a vocal minority to operate? I think it's pretty obvious to even the casual observer that the black vote is taken for granted by the Democratic party. Sure, there's a little attention paid during the primaries to which candidate will get black folks to the polls, but the perception at least is that there's zero chance that population will vote Republican.

The Voice makes Sharpton sound vengeful:

In his 2002 book, Al on America, Sharpton wrote that he felt the city's Democratic Party "had to be taught a lesson" in 2001 - insisting that Mark Green, who defeated the Sharpton-backed Fernando Ferrer in a bitter runoff, had disrespected him and minorities. Adding that the party "still has to be taught one nationally," he warned: "A lot of 2004 will be about what happened in New York in 2001. It's about dignity." In 2001, Sharpton engaged in a behind-the-scenes dialogue with campaign aides to Republican Mike Bloomberg while publicly disparaging Green.

But isn't this just how the political process works? Black voters have specific political interests, and at least some feel those interests aren't being addressed by the Democratic party. Sharpton's run (like Nader's, although I have less sympathy for his cause) is about drawing attention to his issues - issues that deserve attention. If the Democrats fail to respond (as they didn't with Nader) then of course voters will look elsewhere for representation.

To imply that this is somehow treasonous is really just presumption on the part of white liberals - it's about the simplistic (and racist) belief that somehow the Democrats know better than the Republicans what's best for blacks. The truth is, black voters' interests will find a home in the American political system, and if that helps the Republicans, Democrats will have no one to blame but themselves.

MORE: A post from Haggai on electability and insufferability, per this week's Kinsley.