The race-baiter as comic relief

Of all the nauseating aspects of the Democratic presidential sweepstakes, perhaps the worst is the spectacle of Al Sharpton being treated as a respectable personage, instead of the race-baiting demagogue he is. Check out this history lesson from Jeff Jacoby and then ask yourself whether a Republican candidate with these sorts of racist credentials would be hosting Saturday Night Live. As Jacoby says, the esteem that the other Democrats in the field accord Sharpton is a moral and political disgrace. It also helps explain why Democrats are increasingly unable to obtain the votes of mainstream (not just Confederate flag-displaying) white voters under the age of 65.