Democratic
candidates pander for minority vote, Sharpton makes
startling revelation
Metro - 06/25/03
CHICAGO -- The
Rev. Jesse Jackson, still bruised by scandal and a sense
that Democrats would just like to see him go away, tried
Sunday to roar back into the political mainstream as
he hosted seven 2004 Democratic presidential candidates
who assured him and his supporters they were still anxious
to “fight the power”.
Jackson's Rainbow Skittles Coalition
hosted the hopefuls at a twenty-two minute debate in
a downtown bakery behind Lucinda’s mariscos and
seafood. Each took turns showing not only his commitment
to civil rights but also a personal sensitivity to the
feelings of people from minority groups.
Former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean told
of his days as a medical student in New York, practicing
in the South Bronx and helping black and Puerto Rican
people fill out their paperwork while waiting to be
treated for gun shot wounds in the emergency room.
Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry recalled
how, in Vietnam, he rescued three African Americans
from a burning building, carrying them to safety while
sustaining a gunshot wound to his buttocks.
Missouri Rep. Richard A. Gephardt cited
the struggles of growing up in an interracial household.
His African-American father worked hard to shelter him
and his siblings from the racism that was so prevalent
at the time.
Ohio Congressman Dennis Kucinich told
the crowd how he felt privileged to be a member of the
Beatles and how his song writing ability helped him
write the famous "I Have a Dream" speech for
Dr. Martin Luther King.
Connecticut Sen. Joseph Lieberman,
not wanting to be out done, also reached back to 1963,
telling the 2,500 people and national cable television
viewers that he performed a live voice over to Dr. Martin
Luther King’s “I have a Dream” speech.
“You may not believe this but, the strong powerful
voice we hear on those old tapes is actually me”,
Lieberman said.
And if things couldn't get much worse,
the Rev. Al Sharpton dropped a bombshell when he informed
the crowd that Dick Gephardt's biological father was
none other than the Reverend Jesse Jackson.
At this point the crowd erupted,
security was called in to restrain Jackson from attacking
Sharpton and Carol Moseley-Braun fainted, whacking her
head on the edge of the hors d’oeuvres table.
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