Are we witnessing a crack-up within the key demographic President Obama must count on to have any hope of re-election? Al Sharpton has come out firing at Maxine Waters and other black Dems for their criticism of President Obama's perceived indifference to black unemployment. Last month, long-time congresswoman Waters told the audience at a Congressional Black Caucus event that she and other black leaders were ready to attack President Obama as soon as African-Americans "tell us it's all right and you unleash us."
On his MSNBC show last night, Sharpton accused those who spoke of "unleash us" of being "hypocrites." According to Sharpton, such people didn't make a peep when Bill Clinton implemented the reinstitution of the federal death penalty and welfare reform. Sharpton issued a blunt warning: "I'm not telling you to shut up. I'm telling you don't make some of us have to speak up." View video after the jump.
Sit back and watch internecine warfare erupt!
AL SHARPTON: Let me say this. To those who are trying to distort what the President said and those that can't get past themselves for the good of the people: don't be a hypocrite! Don't take a position with this president that you never took before. I remember, as I sat there, looking at some of those who have been on the scene a long time.
When the last Democrat was in the White House, Bill Clinton, there was a lot that I disagreed with. He brought the crime bill, that brought back the death penalty in the federal government. He brought the welfare reform bill, which hurt, in my opinion, a lot of our communities. He did things that I felt was detrimental to our community. Even had an arch-conservative, Dick Morris, run his re-election. You said nothing! You didn't have any kind of loud voice. Now, you go from who some of you call a black president to a real black president, and you talk about "unleash us" and let me at 'em and all of that. And then when he responds you act like he hurt your feelings or he doesn't know who he's talking to. Let's be fair: if you gave a pass in the past, why are you so vociferous now? I'm not telling you to shut up. I'm telling you don't make some of us have to speak up!
