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CNBC News Transcripts September 16, 2004
Copyright 2004 CNBC, Inc.
ANCHORS: GLORIA BORGER
So are Republicans in tune with the
issues most important to African-American voters? Joining me now is
former Democratic presidential candidate Reverend Al Sharpton.
Thanks
so much for being with me. You just heard the question that Michael
Steele asked. He wanted to know whether you had ever been asked to be a
running mate by John Kerry, whether he had a serious conversation with
you about that.
Reverend AL SHARPTON
(Democrat, Former Presidential Candidate): No, I did not, and I asked
that I not even play with that. I've never wanted to be vice anything,
so I would have eliminated that conversation before it ever got that
far. I made it clear in the primaries I was not trying to run for vice
president. And I respect Lieutenant Governor Steele, by the way. I
think he's a fine public servant. But I certainly disagree with his
rationale for support of George Bush. But I'm very happy he's concerned
about my career, but no thanks.
BORGER: What about his point that there aren't enough African-Americans
in the Kerry campaign? That the Bush administration has
African-Americans at the highest levels: national security adviser,
secretary of State, and that the Kerry campaign does not have top
advisers.
Rev.
SHARPTON: Well, first of all, that's not true. But, second of all, it's
a very shrewd word game he played there. In the Kerry campaign you have
senior advisers like Bill Lynch and Alexis Herman and others in the
campaign, and we all have had, including me, access to the top level of
the campaign. That's not a problem. The difference is you also have 39
elected officials that are members of Congress that are part of the
campaign.
What he's trying to equate is
Bush hiring some blacks and acting like they're there elected or
supported by the black community. The difference is that George Bush
does not meet with elected black leaders. He does not meet with black leaders
who lead black organizations. He meets with blacks he hired. You can't
make Condoleezza Rice or Colin Powell elected officials or leaders of
black organizations. So is he now saying that we should now have a
sitting president appoint black leadership? There's a difference
between black leadership and leading blacks. He talks to leading blacks
in his administration. They are not black leaders.
BORGER: But he is close to Condoleezza Rice, for example.
Rev. SHARPTON: Well, so what? What does that have to do with the issue you asked him about...
BORGER: OK.
Rev. SHARPTON: ....meeting with black leaders?
That has nothing to do with it. To say that you meet with somebody
black does not mean you're meeting with someone that is emanated from
the leadership circles and accountable to their constituency. That is
what the NAACP raised as an issue.
BORGER:
Well, let me ask you about the NAACP. The president chose not to
address the NAACP. Mr. Steele said that's because there have been
vitriolic name-calling against the president. But he did address other
African-American groups and that African-Americans are no monolith. Did
he make the right decision not to go to, you know, the NAACP? You
understand why he did that?
Rev.
SHARPTON: No, not at all. First of all, the NAACP is the oldest and
largest civil rights organization. You can't act like there's another
group like that. He addressed the National Urban League, which is a
credible group. He did not address other groups. He addressed the Urban
League. But to ignore the foundation group of the civil rights
movement, then you ought to expect the political consequences of that.
You can't act like every black group is interchangeable. That is
absurd. And I think if the president thinks that, he's more
disconnected from the reality of black America than even I thought he
was.
BORGER: Do you think the president is going to get less of the
African-American vote? And, don't forget, he only got 9 percent or 8
percent last time.
Rev.
SHARPTON: I don't think he'll get 8 or 9 percent this time. Let's look
at the record. Black unemployment is still double that of white; it has
gone up. We have a president--President Bush sent attorneys to the
Supreme Court to argue against affirmative action.
He has put right-wingers, who have a questionable judicial record when
it comes to race, like Pickering, on the bench. Let's not just forget
that. He has not only not helped our plight, he has gone on the
offensive when it comes to affirmative action and when it comes to
appointing anti-civil rights judges to the bench. I think his vote will
go down in the African-American community, not because he is Republican
but because his policies and positions have been repugnant.
BORGER:
OK. Thanks so much, Reverend Al Sharpton, former Democratic
presidential candidate and never a vice presidential candidate, right?
Rev. SHARPTON: Never.
BORGER: Thanks so much.
And
coming up, Bush and Kerry do a lot of talking these days, but are they
saying anything? The fine art of political communication--that's next.
And,
later, it doesn't take much to `curb the enthusiasm' of Larry David,
but find out why you could be on his list of pet peeves this season.
Stay tuned for our Below The Beltway report. That's right ahead.