Sharpton Shops Candidates

Jan. 25, 2007 — -- Al Sharpton, the New York civil rights activist known for snappy sound bites, made the rounds on Capitol Hill Thursday, dangling an endorsement over the heads of Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y. and Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., and other 2008 contenders.

The outspoken Sharpton, whose office put out a press release announcing his Washington meetings, emerged saying he has not yet made up his mind which Democratic candidate he will endorse -- or if he intends to take another symbolic shot at the White House himself.

Sharpton told a swarm of national news media that he's trying to create a dialogue about civil rights and urban issues, deflecting any talk of his own ambitions.

But when pressed by reporters if he might also be a candidate, Sharpton said, "If someone picks up a strong agenda, I will not [run]."

Sharpton Meets With Sen. Clinton

Clinton emerged from a 15-minute closed-door meeting in the U.S. Capitol to tell reporters, "I was happy to meet with Rev. Sharpton here today to talk about the issues that are important to our country." She added, "His commitment to the 21st century civil rights agenda is one that I share, and I look forward to continuing the conversation."

Standing beside Clinton, Sharpton declared, "I'm very happy that my hometown senator is in the race!"

Clinton's husband, former President Bill Clinton, enjoyed enormous popularity within the black community. At the 2001 annual dinner hosted by the Congressional Black Caucus, an event attended by the president every year he was in office, Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson, D-Texas, declared that Clinton "took so many initiatives, he made us think for a while we had elected the first black president."

But Sen. Clinton and the other Democratic contenders, including Obama -- who aims to be the nation's first black nominee from either major party -- will have to earn their own rave reviews.

Sharpton told reporters he wants to hear more substance from the current field of Democratic candidates on issues like public education, health care and economic disparity.

"I'm talking to them about looking at the entire criminal justice system and [making] sure it's part of the debate," said Sharpton. "That's why I ran last time, to make sure it was part of the debate."

Sharpton and Obama

After meeting with Obama, Sharpton told reporters that the two had had a very good, candid talk about substantive policy issues, such as civil rights.

"I was trying to get the process beyond just the surface stuff but real stuff," said Sharpton.

Sen. Obama said he assured Sharpton his agenda would speak to the issues of "the dispossessed," and said that he hopes the work he and the Rev. Sharpton are doing will lift higher the next generation of African-Americans.

"Any of us who are in this fight for the nomination have to be held accountable and speak to these issues," he said. "That's part of what the Democratic Party should be about."

But when reporters asked whether Obama had won his vote, Sharpton quickly replied, "I'm not making any endorsements today."

Later, when asked by a BBC correspondent about news stories suggesting the senator isn't "black enough" for the African-American vote, Obama said, "I feel pretty confident that once folks know who I am, people will think differently."

However, that question angers some in the Democratic Party.

"This recent effort to question Sen. Obama's authenticity as an African-American leader is deplorable," said Jamal Simmons, a Democratic Party strategist, who has thrown his support behind Obama.

Simmons also dismissed the importance of any endorsement from Sharpton, arguing many other black leaders are withholding their endorsements until very late in order to cement their status in influencing the agenda of the candidates.

Sharpton was also scheduled to meet with Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del., who is also making a bid for the 2008 Democratic nomination.

Sharpton's meeting with Obama was scheduled for later in the afternoon Thursday. But Sharpton will be hard-pressed to endorse the senator, despite his potentially history-making run.

It seems, for now, that Sharpton is content to keep the dialogue -- and the cameras -- rolling.