New York Times…where the hell have YOU been?
Personally, Mo’Kelly thinks this article was unnecessary. It alleges the silence of Sharpton in the debate over the alleged sexual assault of a Black housekeeper by Dominique Strauss-Kahn is both noticeable very “new” in nature.
Only if you haven’t been following Sharpton since Barack Obama became president would you see this as anything “new.” Ever since the inauguration, it’s been obvious Sharpton has taken a very conciliatory tone in regards to the federal government specifically and issues of race more broadly.
Publicly, Sharpton would say he has “grown” but professionally it’s obvious that his access to mainstream acceptance (read: MSNBC) and political relevance (read: presidential confidante) are tied to softening the rigidity of his outward demeanor.
Some in African-American circles would allege that Sharpton has sold out. No, he just made a business decision which best suits his longevity. There is a difference. You can’t be an MSNBC host and protesting “the man” on a corner in Harlem whenever it suits you. Can’t have it both ways and Sharpton understands that. You can’t go on a poverty concert tour by way of a bus, simultaneously complaining about not being invited to the White House and expect to be taken seriously by the White House.
Let Mo’Kelly know your thoughts about this piece…
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In the three months that the city and a good portion of the world buzzed about the hotel housekeeper and the French man of power, voices big and small spoke up for one side or the other, or simply urged that justice be found in a courtroom. There were news conferences, rallies, protests, cable-TV exhortations.
But one New York staple has been silent throughout the debate over the housekeeper, Nafissatou Diallo, and the French man of power,Dominique Strauss-Kahn, a voice many would have expected to be among the loudest: the Rev. Al Sharpton, the provocative civil rights activist.
He has apparently said nothing publicly, issued no position statement. He has not shown up at rallies centered on the case.
Why?
“It’s a good question that I’d like to know the answer to,” said Assemblyman Eric A. Stevenson, a Bronx Democrat who has been outspokenabout seeing the case go to trial. “I’ve wondered, ‘Where is Al Sharpton?’ ”
On the face of it, it seems precisely like the sort of sensational and polarizing case that Mr. Sharpton, a master of sound bites, has habitually inserted himself into, at megaphone volume: Ms. Diallo, a housekeeper at the Sofitel New York, accusing Mr. Strauss-Kahn, then the managing director of the International Monetary Fund, of raping her when she arrived to clean his room. And then the case collapsing after her credibility came into question, with the charges being dismissed.
FULL STORY HERE.
The Mo’Kelly Report is an entertainment journal with a political slant; published at The Huffington Post and EURWEB.com. For the most recent posts of Mr. Mo’Kelly, visit https://mrmokelly.com. Mr. Mo’Kelly can be reached at [email protected].
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