How Sharpton Gets Paid To Not Cry ‘Rarcism’ At Corporations

How Sharpton Gets Paid To Not Cry ‘Racism’ At Corporations

http://nypost.com/2015/01/04/how-sharpton-gets-paid-to-not-cry-racism-at-corporations/
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How Sharpton gets paid to not cry ‘racism’ at corporations

Want to influence a casino bid? Polish your corporate image? Not be labeled a racist?
Then you need to pay Al Sharpton.
For more than a decade, corporations have shelled out thousands of dollars in donations and consulting fees to Sharpton’s National Action Network. What they get in return is the reverend’s supposed sway in the black community or, more often, his silence.
Sony Pictures co-chair Amy Pascal met with the activist preacher after leaked e-mails showed her making racially charged comments about President Obama. Pascal was under siege after a suspected North Korean cyber attack pressured the studio to cancel its release of “The Interview,” which depicts the assassination of dictator Kim Jong-un.
Pascal and her team were said to be “shaking in their boots” and “afraid of the Rev,” The Post reported.
No payments to NAN have been announced, but Sharpton and Pascal agreed to form a “working group” to focus on racial bias in Hollywood.

Sony exec Amy Pascal leaves her hotel after a meeting with Sharpton.​

Sharpton notably did not publicly assert his support for Pascal after the meeting — what observers say seems like a typical Sharpton “shakedown” in the making. Pay him in cash or power, critics say, and you buy his support or silence.
“Al Sharpton has enriched himself and NAN for years by threatening companies with bad publicity if they didn’t come to terms with him. Put simply, Sharpton specializes in shakedowns,” said Ken Boehm, chairman of the National Legal & Policy Center, a Virginia-based watchdog group that has produced a book on Sharpton.
And Sharpton, who now boasts a close relationship with Obama and Mayor de Blasio, is in a stronger negotiating position than ever.
“Once Sharpton’s on board, he plays the race card all the way through,” said a source who has worked with the Harlem preacher. “He just keeps asking for more and more money.”

Horse in the race

One example of Sharpton’s playbook has emerged in tax filings and a state inspector general’s report.
In 2008, Plainfield Asset Management, a Greenwich, Conn.-based hedge fund, made a $500,000 contribution to New York nonprofit Education Reform Now. That money was immediately funneled to the National Action Network.

The donation raised eyebrows. Although the money was ostensibly to support NAN’s efforts to bring “educational equality,” it also came at a time that Plainfield was trying to get a lucrative gambling deal in New York.
Plainfield had a $250 million stake in Capital Play, a group trying to secure a license to run the coming racino at Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens. Capital Play employed a lobbyist named Charlie King, who also was the acting executive director of NAN.
Sharpton has said that most of the Plainfield contribution went to pay King’s salary.
King’s company, the Movement Group, was paid $243,586 by NAN in 2008, tax records show.

Harold Levy, a former New York City schools chancellor who was a managing director at Plainfield at the time, has denied the contribution was made to curry favor with Sharpton or anyone else. But a year later, as the battle for the racino license heated up, NAN raked in another $100,000 from representatives of the AEG consortium, which was the successor company to Capital Play.
One AEG member e-mailed another in 2009 saying, “Sharpton lobbied [then-Gov. David Paterson] hard over the weekend on our behalf,” according to the state inspector general’s 2010 report on the corrupt racino licensing process.

Harold Levy, a former Plainfield director, denied the company donated to NAN for Sharpton’s favor.​

In order to discredit SL Green, one of the rival bidders whose plan included a Hard Rock Hotel, an AEG executive sent another e-mail outlining tactics to conscript local leaders to its cause.
“We are going to need it, and we are going to need . . . Sharpton to piss on hard rock,” according to the undated e-mail cited in the IG’s report.
Sharpton denied he lobbied on behalf of AEG.
The donations, meanwhile, came at an opportune time for Sharpton, as NAN was deep in debt to the IRS in 2008. It owed $1.3 million in unpaid federal, state and city payroll taxes including interest and penalties.

AEG viewed its payments to Sharpton as more of an insurance policy so he wouldn’t scuttle its chances by criticizing the group, said a source familiar with the racino controversy.

Cost of doing business
Sharpton raised $1 million for NAN at his 60th birthday bash in October, with donations rolling in from unions and a corporate roster of contributors including AT&T, McDonald’s, Verizon and Walmart.
Companies have long gotten in line to pay Sharpton. Macy’s and Pfizer have forked over thousands to NAN, as have General Motors, American Honda and Chrysler.

NAN had repeatedly and without success asked GM for donations for six years beginning in August 2000, a GM spokesman told The Post. Then, in 2006, Sharpton threatened a boycott of GM over the planned closing of an African-American-owned dealership in The Bronx. He picketed outside GM’s Fifth Avenue headquarters. GM wrote checks to NAN for $5,000 in 2007 and another $5,000 in 2008.
Sharpton targeted American Honda in 2003 for not hiring enough African-Americans in management positions.
“We support those that support us,” Sharpton wrote to the company. “We cannot be silent while African-Americans spend hard-earned dollars with a company that does not hire, promote or do business with us in a statistically significant manner.”

Two months later, car-company leaders met with Sharpton, and Honda began to sponsor NAN’s events. The protests stopped.
Sharpton landed a gig as a $25,000-a-year adviser to Pepsi after he threatened a consumer boycott of the soda company in 1998, saying its ads did not portray African-Americans. He held the position until 2007
As for Sony, Sharpton denied that his meeting with Pascal resulted in a donation to NAN.
“I have had no discussion with her about money.” Sharpton told The Post. “There was never even a remote discussion about money.”

 

Maybe your thread should be why no one likes Amy Pascal. I have never seen someone ask for so much drama in my life.

 

Just in case People want to get the full story


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Sony bosses face racism allegations after the latest email to be published by cyber hackers.

While the two previous leaked emails embarrassingly criticise Angelina Jolie and suggest that Michael Fassbender is not universally known, Sony Pictures chairperson Amy Pascal and film producer Scott Rudin now face more serious claims.

Pascal attended an event last November hosted by DreamWorks Animation head and major Democratic donor Jeffrey Katzenberg – attended by Barack Obama.

According to Buzzfeed, she emailed Rudin for advice on what to ask the President.

“What should I ask the president at this stupid Jeffrey breakfast?” she wrote in an email.

“Would he like to finance some movies?” replied Rudin.

“I doubt it,” she wrote. “Should I ask him if he liked DJANGO?”

Rudin responded: “12 YEARS.” Pascal then listed other films that Obama might like, according to whether or not they were directed by someone black or whether they featured black actors.

“Or the butler. Or think like a man? [sic]” wrote Pascal.

“Ride-along. I bet he likes Kevin Hart,” commented Rudin.

A spokesperson for Sony Pictures could not be reached when approached by The Independent.


http://www.independent.co.uk/news/p...ack-obama-in-hacked-leaked-email-9918084.html

 

The Post owned by News Corp had been hating Sharpton for years. They do not want him to be close to real power hense the harping in his media.

 

Stupid thread.

The Right wing uses similar tactics x100 to keep conservative politicians in line by threatening to label them LIBERAL if they don't vote a certain way on upcoming legislation.

If you allow others to define who and what you are, that's exactly what they will do.

If you need someone like Al SHarpton to come out and NOT say you're a racist, guess what???

You might have a problem.:smt096:smt005:smt039:smt009

 

True A.

 

#rushlimbaugh

 

Recently came across this article...Agree or not?


Al Sharpton Arguably Now the Most Powerful Person in America

by Joe Concha, December 24th, 2014

Outside of the president, Al Sharpton might possibly be the most powerful man in America right now. And no, that isn’t an overstatement.

Think about what the 60-year-old activist and MSNBC host has going for him right now:

Power Indicator #1: Sharpton has been to the White House to advise President Barack Obama, his senior advisor Valerie Jarrett, or both. No big deal, right? Plenty of MSNBC hosts have visited over the past six years.

Care to guess, according to the White House Visitor Log, just how many times Sharpton has visited since Mr. Obama took office? Five times? Nope. 15 times? Try again. 25 times? Getting warmer. He’s visited at least 35 times. Quite the feat considering Sharpton is an unelected official living about 250 miles away from DC.

Do you think any other civilians have that kind of frequent access?

Power Indicator #2: Nobody controls him. Need proof? Just look at all the protests happening Tuesday night around New York after his former BFF, Mayor Bill de Blasio, asked him to cease and desist until after the two slain Brooklyn officers were laid to rest later in the week. This isn’t a compliment, but Sharpton showed once again he doesn’t take orders from anyone.

His approval rating among blacks stands at 69 percent (yes, Quinnipiac conducts polls on Sharpton despite him not receiving one vote to represent any district or state). And when city residents were asked in the same poll who their most important leader was, Sharpton finished first, beating even President Obama and longtime Rep. Charlie Rangel in the process.

Talk about polarizing: Almost 80 percent of black people say he’s been a positive force for the city. Almost 60 percent of Democrats feel the same way. But 81 percent of Republicans say he’s been a negative force. How does Sharpton become the epicenter in every story involving race? Simple: He looks at those numbers and knows he can play one side against the other and puts himself in a position of power accordingly. Understand: The only contingent Sharpton cares about is that of the African-American community. Protecting his brand among blacks is the only thing that matters.

Power Indicator #3: Sharpton has a national television platform for a full hour Monday through Friday on MSNBC. For Sharpton, it’s just a daily trip to the podium. Opposition? Dissent? You’re kidding, right? Sharpton is almost never challenged by his guests because they’re booked based on the premise of agreeing with the host on whatever topic is being discussed. And as stated here on a few occasions, echo chambers never make for compelling television, and the Nielsen numbers for Sharpton’s PoliticsNation especially reflect that sentiment.

Despite being in the middle of many of the biggest stories of the year, the Rev’s return on investment is equal to whatever the ruble is trading at these days. On Monday, for example, on a day where his name was front and center again following the reaction to the execution of two police officers in Brooklyn, Sharpton’s program couldn’t generate even half the audience in the key demo of Wolf Blitzer on CNN, who finished a distant second to Fox’s Special Report (guest anchored by John Roberts that evening). Overall, Sharpton gets beat anywhere from 2-1 (CNN) to 3-1 and even 4-1 by Fox. So despite the spotlight he seems to generate outside of 30 Rock, he can’t seem bring that interest over to his program. And here’s why…

From a critical perspective, Sharpton is as awkward to watch as anyone on television. He’s simply terrible in a host role despite more than three years of at-bats to improve. If you can find even one notable critic who believes otherwise, please send along that review.

So if the ratings are bad and the delivery even worse, why and how does Sharpton still have a program on the air? Answer: Because Comcast and NBC — and this is just an educated guess — must be petrified to fire him (by, yes, the race card being turned against them). Remember, Sharpton gave his crucial blessing to the Comcast/NBC Universal merger a few years back. Not long after, he was magically given his own show at 6:00 p.m. on MSNBC. Reciprocity at its finest.

Power Indicator #4: Unlike the rest of us, he’s excused from paying taxes. Per a November story in the ultra-right-wing New York Times, he owes $4.5 million (and growing) in current state and federal liens against him and his National Action Network. More on that:

Mr. Sharpton and the National Action Network have repeatedly failed to pay travel agencies, hotels and landlords. He has leaned on the generosity of friends and sometimes even the organization, intermingling its finances with his own to cover his daughters’ private school tuition.

Sounds pretty serious. So will he be prosecuted? No. Will he still have the president’s ear? The Rev knows he’s teflon on this given his friends at the top of the food chain in D.C., and willingly flaunts being above the law and even common decency.

And nobody dares challenge him.

The president notwithstanding, Sharpton appears to be the most powerful man in America right now. Just ask Amy Pascal at Sony if she agrees. As we see time and again, he can do and say whatever he wants, and even has a national megaphone on one cable network to spread his message. The White House might as well be a second office listed on Sharpton’s business card. Meanwhile, debts of all stripes and sizes simply go unpaid. Bill de Blasio wins with 72 percent of the vote, or 72 percent more than Sharpton received, but guess who really runs the show in the Big Apple?

Regardless of whether you agree with Sharpton or not, he owns the kind of political power that no other unelected public figure in this country has seen possibly since Capone. And before you say it can’t last forever, keep in mind he is coming up on three controversial decades as a public figure.

In other words, he ain’t going anywhere.

Only in America.

Follow Joe Concha on Twitter @JoeConchaTV

---

 

There is a ton of truth in this but at the same time can make a statement that most "religious figures" get away with a lot of the same stuff,, the mega church pastors flaunt yea flaunt their wealth in much of the same way

More pressing question is how has this negro gotten away with that perm for 30yrs,, haven't someone pulled his coat on that wig

 

Just like owning a shovel, duct tape, handcuffs and a rifle don't make you a serial killer, having a TV show and visits to the WH don't make you the 'most powerful man in America'.

THis is a hit piece IMO.

Come on, Bliss!!:freehug:
lol

If you ever listen to Sharpton's radio show, he catches heat from a new, younger generation of civil rights activists who want the old-guard to step down and give the new bloods their shot.

Sharpton has juice, but it's nowhere on the level of Limbaugh or even Hannity in terms of their influence over a particular constituency.

His detractors talk like AMerica is 50% Black.:smt005

 

I know right

Those are the same people who believe racism ended with the election of obama

 

:smt036 @ wig.

Hes not really a preacher anymore. Plus he has a direct hotline to the Prez, no other preacher has that luxury, not even Jessie.

 

Well damn, @ your first line, it would be highly suspect if you did own it all - sitting in your car trunk

I think were it not for Obama, he would have likely taken a back seat to the new activists.

Before this MSNBC show (I don't watch it - got rid of my cable), I used to watch him on a local cable do his show from a barber shop. (I actually enjoyed it). And I listened now and then to his show on AM radio.

From what I have further read on this, he can never be terminated from MSNBC. It's set in stone in his contract with Comcast.

He was able to negotiate that because Comcast were vying for FCC approval for their powerful acquisition and merger with NBC. He threatened using the lack of Black TV on the cable giant, to stymie it with the President. He negotiated an inclusion of 4 black-themed TV stations, with him getting a consultants salary along with Comcast providing the tab for the stations. Did you notice an uptick of Black-themed channels appeared almost in succession on Comcast over the last few years. That's power.
He apparently also negotiated to head a Black owned TV station (him as CEO).....
So if that actually comes to fruition, I might then believe what I have read on his power.

BTW, how is Hannity and Rush more powerful, when Obama won two elections? 54% of the population turned out to vote. They lost, so their followers weren't moved off their asses, obviously.

 

He lost me with that nonsense. Al Sharpton the most powerful man in America? Maybe in the minds of Fox News viewers...to anyone else? Nope.

He and Jesee Jackson are still relevant because Limbaugh, Hannity, et al love making them the Black bogeymen every time someone on the right says or does something racist. Folk hero Cliven Bundy talks about how the negro was better off under slavery? "GRAGHBLAHAH SHARPTON JESSE JACKSON GRAHGBHLBA!" House Majority Whip caught giving a speech to a European-American rights group founded by David Duke? "GRAHBLABLAH AAL JESSE SHARPTON GRABLAHBLALA!" It starts to wear thin after a while.

 

And even if America was even close to being half Black, most people under 30 40 45 could really care less about him.

 

I don't think Jesse is even a blimp of Al's Exposure.

"Anyone else..nope"

?? How can you say he is "only to FOX news viewers", when he is the go-to guy for Obama, and the go to guy for anything negatively race-related in this country for the AA community? Al is who they call. He is the one people wait to hear from. He takes the podium. Read the numbers - 80% of those surveyed positively believe in Al Sharpton, so it's not Fox viewers giving him that power.

Race (and racism) runs this country, it's inbred in all politics, it wins and loses elections. It creates or destroys cities, neighborhoods, relationships. It's the one thing that moves or stops this country. (as Spike Lee said, "it's as American as apple pie). So yes he does wield power when he is the man appointed by Obama to be on the Nation's race panel, and he is ADVISING Obama on who to pick as the the next Attorney General.

www.businessinsider.com/al-sharpton-says-hes-helping-White House-pick-the-next-attorney-general-2014

""We are engaged in immediate conversations with the White House on deliberations over a successor whom we hope will continue in the general direction of Attorney General Holder," Sharpton said in a statement."

 

If Sharpton is so mighty and powerful, why has never won an elected office? He's run for a Senate seat several times and never won. He ran for mayor of NY and didn't win. He ran for President and never, ever even came close to winning, even in South Carolina which has a pretty large Black population.

He says that he's helping to pick the next Attorney General. Yeah, I'll believe that when I see it. And isn't that 80% just for the city of New York? They'd probably get different numbers if they stepped outside of the five boroughs. And I'm that the President has many go-to guys and that a bunch of them probably hold a lot more sway than Sharpton does.

 

This is true, too. I wonder how many elected Democrats have ever publicly apologized to Al Sharpton because they had the nerve to "step out of line" and criticize him?

 

That's possible. He must be lying then. Go figure.

And good point on him not being elected. Of course, that was before Obama. If he ran in NY, can you win elections with just the black vote? IDK.

Yes, that was a NY survey, I thought the article made it clear.

 

Curious how an apology form Steele constitutes him wielding more power than Sharpton? Did you read how many times he has gone to the WH as Obama's guest? Limbaugh having power over the Conservative sector (not enough to win any general elections though) is NOT American power. I have listened to some of his shows and frankly it's mostly one long Rush infomercial. He constantly toots his own horn, his side-businesses. he vets his callers who only see to revere him and they always manage to mention his books that they claim they have read, plus he babbles ad nauseam about Obama, rather than about the the issues. Less 'power', more 'entertainment" imo.