I think there are two items worth noting about yesterday’s meeting of “civil rights leaders” with President Obama, a meeting whose purpose was “to address the jobless rate in the hardest-hit areas of the nation, particularly in black communities, where the unemployment rate is well above the national average.”
Item 1: Three “civil rights leaders” met with the president: Marc Morial of the National Urban League, the Rev. Al Sharpton of the National Action Network, and Benjamin Jealous of the NAACP. Perhaps a whole host of other “civil rights leaders” were invited and were snowed out, but it nevertheless says quite a lot (and none of it good) about the president and his party that Al Sharpton is regarded as a leader worthy of respect and inclusion in the highest councils of government.
Item 2: Coming out of the meeting, Sharpton said
We’re not looking for a race-based program. We’re looking to make sure everyone is involved.
Is this the same Al Sharpton who favors race-based school assignments, race-based college admissions preferences, race-based hiring and promotion, race-based … well, you name it? If so, then it’s either a good thing he’s not a leopard, or it’s no longer true that leopards can’t change their spots.
I believe that Benjamin Jealous should be Benjamin Envious. That fits better with their style.