The notable quotes gaffes of Al Sharpton, or Al Sharpton-isms, are mostly about race, rights and anything that bothers him, which really doesn't narrow things down, but it sure keeps his name in the headlines. Unlike other politicians, such as John McCain or Sarah Palin, Al Sharpton makes people laugh with his wit, which comes out when he's passionate about something, not because he does not know what he's talking about.
Though the Reverend Al Sharpton has made a career of sticking up for and speaking about what he believes in, his comments are not free of controversy. That's however what can be expected when brushing off a California governor as a silly stunt man or comparing tax cuts to mass suicides.
They may not always be politically correct, (some may be taken as racist or offensive), but notable quotes from Al Sharpton always tell it like it is, and that in itself is pretty darn notable as well. Check out this list of Famous al Sharpton quotes and tell us which ones you think are the best and worst.
Al Sharpton-ism: Al Sharpton Quotes And Gaffes,
To Governor Dean...
"I wanted to say to Governor Dean, don't be hard on yourself about hooting and hollering. If I had spent the money you did and got 18 percent, I'd still be in Iowa hooting and hollering."
If I were president...
"If I were president, I would go in and say, 'We were wrong.' Tony Blair and George Bush had a meeting, acted as though it was a world summit. Two guys in a phone booth acted like the whole world had met."
We decided we'd ride this donkey as far as it would take us.
"It is true that Mr. Lincoln signed the emancipation Proclamation, after which there was a commitment to give 40 acres and a mule. That's where the argument, to this day, of reparations starts. We never got the 40 acres... We went all the way to Herbert Hoover, and we never got the 40 acres. We didn't get the mule. So we decided we'd ride this donkey as far as it would take us."
James Crow Jr., esquire
"We have defeated Jim Crow, but now we have to deal with his son, James Crow Jr., esquire.'"
It tastes good but it'll kill you.
"George Bush giving tax cuts is like Jim Jones giving Kool-Aid. It tastes good but it'll kill you."
It's better to be a new Democrat...
"I want to welcome him to our list of candidates. And don't be defensive about just joining the party. It's better to be a new Democrat that's a real Democrat than a lot of old Democrats up here that have been acting like Republicans all along."
--Welcoming Gen. Wesley Clark to the Democratic presidential race
That's like saying...
"That's like saying, 'I'm honest but I ain't never been around no money.'"
--After Howard Dean said he's not a racist but had never lived in a racially diverse community
If George Bush had selected the court in '54...
"I suggest to you tonight that if George Bush had selected the court in '54, Clarence Thomas would have never got to law school."
Mr. Bush will not be in a Sharpton administration...
"Mr. Bush will not be, in a Sharpton administration, the head of missing persons. He can't find bin Laden. We don't know if Hussein is living or dead, and we can't find the weapons of mass destruction."
I was born in deficit spending.
"I understand deficit spending. I was born in deficit spending."