We all do it. Occasionally we say something monumentally stupid and look like an idiot.

Not me, of course. But I have seen it happen.

But somehow Reverand Al Sharpton has a talent for being an ass in front of millions of people without ever paying a price in credibility. If he were a harridan instead of a charlatan he would be a great addition to The View. Instead, he has to settle for being a well-paid Leftist shill on MSNBC.

Sharpton has been a malevolent figure in American politics for decades, going back to his days promoting antisemitic violence and racist conspiracy theories as a racial grifter in New York. Now he spews his nonsense and hatred for big bucks. Plus his “charity” throws about a million a year at him. Big corporations throw money at him to keep in his good graces:

NAN’s counts many large corporations among its financial supporters including AT&T, Viacom, Walmart, Comcast Corporation, McDonald’s, Coca-Cola, Home Depot, the NBA, Verizon, Macy’s, NASCAR and, Best Buy. ⁵⁷ Sharpton has used what Peter Flaherty, president of the National Legal and Policy Center in Virginia, a corporate watchdog, said was “quite clearly a shakedown operation” to secure corporate funding for NAN. ⁵⁸ Between 2003 and 2006, Sharpton threatened boycotts against General Motors, Chrysler, and American Honda. Within a year of each threat, all three companies began to donate to NAN and sponsor the organization’s events. ⁵⁹

Rev. Al managed to put on display both his venality and his ignorance in one shining moment while commenting on Donald Trump’s 89th or so indictment this week. Watch:

Speaking of riots and American history, I also remember @TheRevAl deliberately inciting a massive pogrom against Jews in New York City that directly led to the brutal murder of Yankel Rosenbaum. Sharpton marched in solidarity with violent thugs who chanted “Death to the Jews!”

— Sean Davis (@seanmdav) August 2, 2023

Now of course we all know that Rev. Al cares deeply about what our Founders thought about anything and everything, having displayed his reverence for all things America.

But appealing to Madison and especially Jefferson as examples of staid proceduralists who would never challenge authority was pretty remarkable.

Now I should admit something up front: I am not at all a fan of revolution as a means of political reform, and if I for a second believed that Donald Trump actually tried to perpetrate a coup to remain in power I would be first in line to condemn him. Frankly, I think Jefferson’s take on the desirability of political violence is insane. He even thought the French Revolution was a good thing, although in later years his ardor cooled a bit. Adams and Jefferson were confreres in fighting for independence, but not in admiring the regular use of political violence as a means of making change.

Someday I will write about why I think the American War for Independence wasn’t truly a “revolution,” but needless to say I think we can all agree that the Founding Fathers were not wedded to the idea that the government is always right and that people should always submit to the results of an unfair process.

At least find a plausible example, Al.

Unfortunately, as you can see, there is no point in having a debate on the finer points of political history and process with Reverend Al. If he couldn’t come up with a better example, or avoid obvious hypocrisy with a more adroit example, there is no point in taking what he says seriously.

Except, of course, millions of undereducated and morally vacuous people do. How many people nodded along as he mouthed this nonsense? You can see how the utter degradation of our public schools has empowered idiots. If you don’t know history at all, would you get how stupid this is? Look at those man-on-the-street interviews where college students can’t name the decade in which the Civil War took place and weep.