Al Sharpton and Strom Thurmond

Interesting.

As I understand it, then, we have a guy who was a racist in 1948 and ran for president on the one hand, and a guy who is a racist and ran for president in 2004 on the other hand. Let's compare:

"White folks was in caves while we was building empires... We taught philosophy and astrology and mathematics before Socrates and them Greek homos ever got around to it." - Al Sharpton, 1994.

"We stand for the segregation of the races and the racial integrity of each race; the constitutional right to choose one's associates; to accept private employment without governmental interference, and to earn one's living in any lawful way. We oppose the elimination of segregation, the repeal of miscegenation statutes, the control of private employment by Federal bureaucrats called for by the misnamed civil rights program. We favor home-rule, local self-government and a minimum interference with individual rights." - Strom Thurmond, 1948.

Now, several things strike me initially:

• Both are full of crap
• Both were products of their age (although one renounced racism later in life)
• One of the two seems to be talking about philosophical principles
• One of the two seems to be homophobic
• One of the two has really bad grammar
• Both assume their race is better than the other race.
• Both were Democrats when they ran for president (Dixiecrat was a democratic party offshoot, remember)

So, bitter irony that the two are connected on more than just one level?

I have to say, it would really have been fitting had Sharpton's ancestors been slaves of Robert Byrd's ancestors.