The Village Voice last week published an extended attack on Al Sharpton, at once accusing "the Rev" of: cheating on his wife with a campaign worker; lavishing gifts on said mistress that may have been paid for with National Action Network/campaign funds; lying throughout his recent presidential campaign about still living with his wife; hypocritically slamming Jesse Jackson for his affair while simultaneously carrying on one of his own; and finally, of being a liability to Democratic causes at a time when serious progressive politics are as important as ever.
The multi-pronged attack came as a surprise, as the Voice traditionally has been, for lack of a better term, Sharpton's bitch. Former Voice writer Peter Noel for years was essentially Sharpton's surrogate in the New York media, while the paper for as long as I've been reading it has generally given space to whichever cockamamie cause Al's been involved in at the time. Sharpton, for what it's worth, denies the affair.
At any rate, this fascinating broadside was enough for me to renege on my post-election pledge to stop reading the Voice.
Posted by Stephen Silver at December 11, 2004 07:07 PM