Campaign Profile: Al Sharpton

 

Kerry Sheridan

The Reverend Al Sharpton became the only African-American presidential candidate seeking the Democratic presidential nomination³ in 2004 when Carol Mosely-Braun withdrew from the race January 15.
Rev¹. Sharpton has been a controversial fixture⁴ of New York politics for more than 30 years, and an outspoken⁵ advocate for minority causes who has often found himself at the center of heated racial conflicts. As Kerry Sheridan reports from VOA's New York Bureau, Al Sharpton is making his first run for president into a mission - using his reputation to draw attention to issues that affect African-Americans.
"Thank you very much. What a pleasure it is to be here hosting Saturday Night Live," Reverend Al Sharpton said as the TV show guest host. "For me it's a wonderful opportunity to reach out to a broader audience. Maybe tonight, people can finally get to know the real Al Sharpton, President Al Sharpton."
The Reverend Al Sharpton does not mind poking⁶ fun at himself. He knows his chance of winning the presidency⁷ in 2004 is slim.
After making three failed bids for elected office - once for mayor of New York City and twice for a Senate seat - Al Sharpton is embarking⁹ on his first campaign for president with a clear message: He says he'll be the one who stands up for minorities, the one who speaks out against Republican George W. Bush and the political machine.
In a recent debate, he brought up the injustice¹⁰ suffered by some blacks whose votes were not counted during the 2000 Florida election, and criticized Al Gore¹¹'s endorsement¹² of Democratic rival Howard Dean as "bossism."
"We waited four years - after some of were disenfranchised, after some of us in Duvall county couldn't vote - so we could express ourselves, and we're not going to have any big name come in now and tell us the field should be limited and we can't be heard," he said. "The Republicans ... the Republicans shut us up four years ago, Al Gore, no Democrat² is going to shut us up today. Let the people decide on the nominee¹³. Bossism shouldn't happen. I know Governor Dean and Al Gore love the Internet - www.bossism[.com] doesn't work on my computer."
If there's one thing about Al Sharpton that most can agree on, it's that he is an expert at stirring up emotion. The controversial black leader gained notoriety in 1987 when he came to the defense¹⁴ of a black teenager named Tawana Brawley, who claimed she was raped¹⁵ by several white men - a claim that was later revealed to be a hoax¹⁶. After a young black man was murdered in a Jewish section of Brooklyn in 1989, Mr. Sharpton led racially charged protests in the streets. And when a West African immigrant named Amadou Diallo was shot 41 times by white police officers who suspected him of reaching for a gun, Mr. Sharpton waged a public campaign against the police practice of racial profiling.
Kadiatou Diallo, the mother of the slain¹⁷ Amadou Diallo, won't say whether she supports Al Sharpton's bid for the presidency. But she does say his ability to bring attention to a cause is something that sets him apart.
"I think for civil rights causes - he advocate(s) that all the time - to bring the public awareness¹⁸ around an issue he is effective on that, and I think it's a good thing to really have a unique voice for people in the minority communities," she said.
Minority communities, particularly in New York, are where Al Sharpton draws most of his support. As a young boy, the Brooklyn native had a love for preaching in front of friends and family members, and he was ordained¹⁹ as a minister at the age of ten.
Much of his presidential campaigning so far has involved making television appearances and delivering guest sermons at various black churches around the country, places where he has traditionally been well-received.
In those appearances, Al Sharpton encourages blacks to register to vote. He supports tax cuts for the poor and middle class, abortion²⁰ rights, better health care coverage²¹ and gay marriage.
He takes a particularly strong stand against the U.S. occupation of Iraq.
"I am opposed to occupation. I think it is an oxymoron to say you are against the war but for occupation," he said. "That's like somebody breaking in your house and you call the police and say, 'They have broken in to you, but they can stay here.'"
Al Sharpton's one-liners and his comedian²²'s sense of timing²³ make him a likeable person, but voter polls show he has only a small following. According to one recent poll surveying 1,300 registered voters nationwide, only five percent said they would like to see Al Sharpton win the Democratic nomination.
Even among African-Americans, support for Al Sharpton is minimal²⁴. The most recent poll conducted by the Joint²⁵ Center for Political and Economic Studies, which conducts research on policy issues of concern to minorities, revealed just 37 percent of African-Americans have a favorable view of Al Sharpton.
David Bositis, an analyst²⁶ with the Joint Center, says Al Sharpton hasn't been able to extend his base of supporters beyond the northeastern United States, and as a candidate, he won't be able to come close to the last black candidate to run for president, Jesse Jackson.
"This is not an issue election. The main thing that African-Americans want is to replace George W. Bush," he said. "That's it. Period. And all of the Democratic candidates will be acceptable so long as they potentially can fit that bill. Al Sharpton is obviously not going to fit that bill."
But the possibility of losing doesn't faze Al Sharpton. He is pushing forward, framing his campaign as a movement.
"Sharpton's New York campaign will be the setting again of the plate that will not only affect '04, but will affect '05, will affect '06 on into the new millennium²⁷," he said. "This is the beginning of a movement that will unite blacks, whites and Latinos to retake this city and state to move on toward progressive politics."
The notion of such a movement, and the potential for a ground-swell of influence by black voters united for the same cause is what draws New Yorker Jim Greene to support Al Sharpton's message.
"I'm not voting for Al Sharpton, I'm voting for the movement, all right? The other people are candidates, what are their real goals? You see Al Sharpton's got a movement here going," he said. "I would like to compare what Al Sharpton is doing right now with the birth of the conservative party for example, okay? You start off not wanting to win but you make a point. So it became such that when election time came, your endorsement became critical."
Some election observers believe that Al Sharpton is running purely²⁸ to improve his public image. Others say he won't have any impact on the outcome of the race. But one thing is certain - Al Sharpton will use his campaign to raise the volume of minority voices in the United States, which is, after all, what he does best.

注释：
reverend [5revErEnd] adj.（对牧师的尊称，前面与the连用）尊敬的
nomination [nCmi5neiFEn] n. 任命权
controversial [7kCntrE5vE:FEl] adj. 有争议的
outspoken [aut5spEukEn] adj. 坦率的
advocate [5AdvEkit] n. 律师
conflict [5kCnflikt] n. 冲突
reputation [7repju(:)5teiFEn] n. 声望
presidency [5prezidEnsi] n. 任期
embark⁸ [im5bB:k] vt. 开始，从事
endorsement [in5dC:smEnt] n. 认可
disenfranchise [7disin5frAntFaiz] v. 剥夺……公民权
controversial [7kCntrE5vE:FEl] adj. 有争议的
notoriety [7nEtE5raiEti] n. 出名，有名（多指坏的方面）
hoax [hEuks] n. 骗局
Jewish [5dVu(:)iF] adj. 犹太人的
profile [5prEufail] vt. 画……的轮廓
unique [ju:5ni:k] adj. 唯一的
preaching [5pri:tFiN] n. 说教
abortion [E5bC:FEn] n. 流产，堕胎
oxymoron [7Cksi5mC:rCn] n. 矛盾修饰法
comedian [kE 5mi:diEn] n. 喜剧演员
faze [feiz] v. 扰乱
millennium [mi5leniEm] n. 一千年
Latino [lA5ti:nEu] n. 拉丁美洲人
endorsement [in5dC:smEnt] n. 支持

1 rev   

v.发动机旋转，加快速度

参考例句：

• It's his job to rev up the audience before the show starts.他要负责在表演开始前鼓动观众的热情。
• Don't rev the engine so hard.别让发动机转得太快。

2 democrat   

n.民主主义者，民主人士；民主党党员

参考例句：

• The Democrat and the Public criticized each other.民主党人和共和党人互相攻击。
• About two years later,he was defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter.大约两年后，他被民主党人杰米卡特击败。

3 nomination   

n.提名，任命，提名权

参考例句：

• John is favourite to get the nomination for club president.约翰最有希望被提名为俱乐部主席。
• Few people pronounced for his nomination.很少人表示赞成他的提名。

4 fixture   

n.固定设备；预定日期；比赛时间；定期存款

参考例句：

• Lighting fixture must be installed at once.必须立即安装照明设备。
• The cordless kettle may now be a fixture in most kitchens.无绳电热水壶现在可能是多数厨房的固定设备。

5 outspoken   

adj.直言无讳的，坦率的，坦白无隐的

参考例句：

• He was outspoken in his criticism.他在批评中直言不讳。
• She is an outspoken critic of the school system in this city.她是这座城市里学校制度的坦率的批评者。

6 poking   

n. 刺，戳，袋 vt. 拨开，刺，戳 vi. 戳，刺，捅，搜索，伸出，行动散慢

参考例句：

• He was poking at the rubbish with his stick. 他正用手杖拨动垃圾。
• He spent his weekends poking around dusty old bookshops. 他周末都泡在布满尘埃的旧书店里。

7 presidency   

n.总统(校长，总经理)的职位(任期)

参考例句：

• Roosevelt was elected four times to the presidency of the United States.罗斯福连续当选四届美国总统。
• Two candidates are emerging as contestants for the presidency.两位候选人最终成为总统职位竞争者。

8 embark   

vi.乘船，着手，从事，上飞机

参考例句：

• He is about to embark on a new business venture.他就要开始新的商业冒险活动。
• Many people embark for Europe at New York harbor.许多人在纽约港乘船去欧洲。

9 embarking   

乘船( embark的现在分词 )； 装载； 从事

参考例句：

• He's embarking on a new career as a writer. 他即将开始新的职业生涯——当一名作家。
• The campaign on which were embarking was backed up by such intricate and detailed maintenance arrangemets. 我们实施的战争，须要如此复杂及详细的维护准备。

10 injustice   

n.非正义，不公正，不公平，侵犯（别人的）权利

参考例句：

• They complained of injustice in the way they had been treated.他们抱怨受到不公平的对待。
• All his life he has been struggling against injustice.他一生都在与不公正现象作斗争。

11 gore   

n.凝血，血污；v.（动物）用角撞伤，用牙刺破；缝以补裆；顶

参考例句：

• The fox lay dying in a pool of gore.狐狸倒在血泊中奄奄一息。
• Carruthers had been gored by a rhinoceros.卡拉瑟斯被犀牛顶伤了。

12 endorsement   

n.背书；赞成，认可，担保；签(注)，批注

参考例句：

• We are happy to give the product our full endorsement.我们很高兴给予该产品完全的认可。
• His presidential campaign won endorsement from several celebrities.他参加总统竞选得到一些社会名流的支持。

13 nominee   

n.被提名者；被任命者；被推荐者

参考例句：

• His nominee for vice president was elected only after a second ballot.他提名的副总统在两轮投票后才当选。
• Mr.Francisco is standing as the official nominee for the post of District Secretary.弗朗西斯科先生是行政书记职位的正式提名人。

14 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

15 raped   

v.以暴力夺取，强夺( rape的过去式和过去分词 )；强奸

参考例句：

• A young woman was brutally raped in her own home. 一名年轻女子在自己家中惨遭强暴。 来自辞典例句
• We got stick together, or we will be having our women raped. 我们得团结一致，不然我们的妻女就会遭到蹂躏。 来自辞典例句

16 hoax   

v.欺骗，哄骗，愚弄；n.愚弄人，恶作剧

参考例句：

• They were the victims of a cruel hoax.他们是一个残忍恶作剧的受害者。
• They hoax him out of his money.他们骗去他的钱。

17 slain   

杀死，宰杀，杀戮( slay的过去分词 )； (slay的过去分词)

参考例句：

• The soldiers slain in the battle were burried that night. 在那天夜晚埋葬了在战斗中牺牲了的战士。
• His boy was dead, slain by the hand of the false Amulius. 他的儿子被奸诈的阿缪利乌斯杀死了。

18 awareness   

n.意识，觉悟，懂事，明智

参考例句：

• There is a general awareness that smoking is harmful.人们普遍认识到吸烟有害健康。
• Environmental awareness has increased over the years.这些年来人们的环境意识增强了。

19 ordained   

v.任命（某人）为牧师( ordain的过去式和过去分词 )；授予（某人）圣职；（上帝、法律等）命令；判定

参考例句：

• He was ordained in 1984. 他在一九八四年被任命为牧师。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He was ordained priest. 他被任命为牧师。 来自辞典例句

20 abortion   

n.流产，堕胎

参考例句：

• She had an abortion at the women's health clinic.她在妇女保健医院做了流产手术。
• A number of considerations have led her to have a wilful abortion.多种考虑使她执意堕胎。

21 coverage   

n.报导，保险范围，保险额，范围，覆盖

参考例句：

• There's little coverage of foreign news in the newspaper.报纸上几乎没有国外新闻报道。
• This is an insurance policy with extensive coverage.这是一项承保范围广泛的保险。

22 comedian   

n.喜剧演员；滑稽演员

参考例句：

• The comedian tickled the crowd with his jokes.喜剧演员的笑话把人们逗乐了。
• The comedian enjoyed great popularity during the 30's.那位喜剧演员在三十年代非常走红。

23 timing   

n.时间安排，时间选择

参考例句：

• The timing of the meeting is not convenient.会议的时间安排不合适。
• The timing of our statement is very opportune.我们发表声明选择的时机很恰当。

24 minimal   

adj.尽可能少的，最小的

参考例句：

• They referred to this kind of art as minimal art.他们把这种艺术叫微型艺术。
• I stayed with friends, so my expenses were minimal.我住在朋友家，所以我的花费很小。

25 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

26 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

27 millennium   

n.一千年，千禧年；太平盛世

参考例句：

• The whole world was counting down to the new millennium.全世界都在倒计时迎接新千年的到来。
• We waited as the clock ticked away the last few seconds of the old millennium.我们静候着时钟滴答走过千年的最后几秒钟。

28 purely   

adv.纯粹地，完全地

参考例句：

• I helped him purely and simply out of friendship.我帮他纯粹是出于友情。
• This disproves the theory that children are purely imitative.这证明认为儿童只会单纯地模仿的理论是站不住脚的。