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WHY WE NEED AL SHARPTON'S VOICE: HE GOES OFF ON REPUBLICAN DISRESPECT SHOWN TO PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES
HUFFINGTON POST, September 1, 2011--A fired up Al Sharpton angrily criticized John Boehner for rejecting President Obama's request to address Congress next Wednesday.
Sharpton spent two segments of his Tuesday show on the controversy. (Obama and Boehner eventually agreed to have the address next Thursday instead.) In the second segment, he brought on liberal radio host Bill Press and GOP consultant Matt Mackowiak to discuss the rejection. Sharpton virtually ignored Press, boring in on Mackowiak instead.
Mackowiak said that the security concerns surrounding the Capitol made it impossible to have the speech on the Wednesday. Then, he said that Obama was showing "disrespect" to Nancy Reagan by requesting a speech on the same night as the Republican debate, which is being held at the Reagan Library in California.
"You're really not going to say this to me now," Sharpton thundered, cutting him off. "You know you're on PoliticsNation ... that is patently ridiculous what you just said!"
Later, Mackowiak and Press argued about whether the House has done enough around job creation. Mackowiak said that the chamber has passed many jobs bills, but Press said the bills were really giveaways to the rich.
"If you call a pig a goat, it's still a pig!" he said. "And it'll still go oink oink," Sharpton replied, picking up the anti-Mackowiak baton.
"...I'm built a little different," he continued, starting to point to various parts of his face. "My eyes are back here, my nose is here, my mouth is here. Something about this doesn't taste right, when it gets here it doesn't smell right, and when I look at it it doesn't look right, Matt. Y'all are playing a game of disrespect here!"
Sharpton spent two segments of his Tuesday show on the controversy. (Obama and Boehner eventually agreed to have the address next Thursday instead.) In the second segment, he brought on liberal radio host Bill Press and GOP consultant Matt Mackowiak to discuss the rejection. Sharpton virtually ignored Press, boring in on Mackowiak instead.
Mackowiak said that the security concerns surrounding the Capitol made it impossible to have the speech on the Wednesday. Then, he said that Obama was showing "disrespect" to Nancy Reagan by requesting a speech on the same night as the Republican debate, which is being held at the Reagan Library in California.
"You're really not going to say this to me now," Sharpton thundered, cutting him off. "You know you're on PoliticsNation ... that is patently ridiculous what you just said!"
Later, Mackowiak and Press argued about whether the House has done enough around job creation. Mackowiak said that the chamber has passed many jobs bills, but Press said the bills were really giveaways to the rich.
"If you call a pig a goat, it's still a pig!" he said. "And it'll still go oink oink," Sharpton replied, picking up the anti-Mackowiak baton.
"...I'm built a little different," he continued, starting to point to various parts of his face. "My eyes are back here, my nose is here, my mouth is here. Something about this doesn't taste right, when it gets here it doesn't smell right, and when I look at it it doesn't look right, Matt. Y'all are playing a game of disrespect here!"
The official Congressional Historian has said that this rejection of a President's request to address Congress was unprecedented.
Angry? Yeah, we should be angry. It was a slap in the face.