Mixing heated anti-Bush rhetoric with visions for the future of America, Democratic Presidential Candidate Rev. Al Sharpton spoke to a standing-room-only crowd in Old Cabell Hall yesterday afternoon.
The crowd gave Sharpton standing ovations at the beginning and end of his speech, while frequently interrupting him for sustained bursts of applause during his hour-long speech and question-and-answer session.
"We cannot allow the Bushes of this world to ambush us and turn us in a backwards cycle," Sharpton said.
Sharpton said the 2004 presidential election could play a critical role in helping to end a political "non-military Civil War" in America.
"George Bush was not elected by the people, he was selected by the Supreme Court," he said. Sharpton added that redistricting attempts by Texas Republican state legislators and the recall of California Gov. Gray Davis further epitomize the conflict.
Sharpton did not withhold criticism of the war in Iraq, telling listeners he was the first candidate to speak out against the invasion.
"We were not in imminent danger; there were no weapons of mass destruction," he said. "I didn't go to U.Va., but I do know what imminent means. Imminent means immediate, present, right now."
Further enunciating his position on foreign policy, Sharpton told the audience that "having the biggest gun" or strongest military will not make other countries love America or keep it safe.
"You got to have policies that make people say we must protect America, because America is in the best interest of the world," he said.
Domestically, Sharpton said he would immediately rescind the president's multi-billion dollar federal tax cuts and use the money to fund public education. Sharpton said the tax cuts have only forced states and municipalities to increase their own income and property taxes.
The candidate further said he would prevent corporations like Enron from doing business offshore to evade paying taxes.
"There are no bigger pimps and welfare queens than major corporations that form offshore corporations and rob the American people," he said.
When questioned about higher education policy, Sharpton responded that the federal budget must be increasingly used to fund scholarships and incentives for underprivileged youth to go to college.
"We must strive to make education available to all in America," he said. "I have said that we need a constitutional amendment" guaranteeing equal access to education for all citizens.
According to Kristen Vining, University Democrats communications coordinator, the organization contacted every Democrat running for the presidential nomination over the past few months invited them to speak at the University, but Sharpton was the only candidate to accept their invitation.
University Democrats President Ian Amelkin offered nothing but praise for Sharpton's speaking performance.
"How could anyone be anything but thrilled? It was exuberant," he said.
Nonetheless, while many students in attendance praised Sharpton's strong oratorical skills, not all agreed with his political positions.
"I'll give Sharpton the fact that he is an entertaining speaker, but by entertaining I mean he forced me to laugh at his naive views," second-year College student Justin Collins said. "I am thankful he will only get about 1 percent of the vote."
At the end of Sharpton's speech, he donned a red t-shirt from the University Democrats reading, "I don't have to like Bush to love America" and invited all non-registered voters in the audience to join him on stage to obtain voter registration forms.
During an impromptu press conference following his speech, Sharpton floated the idea of his winning the Democratic primary in Virginia with the aid of young voters.
"The historic vote has been fairly conservative, but if you bring in young blood, you bring in the dissatisfied," he said. "As conservative as Virginia is, it is also the state that gave us [former African-American Governor] Doug Wilder."
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