Sharpton Offers Fixes for Democrats

Rev. Al Sharpton delivered an impassioned address to a crowd of Northwestern students, taking on President Bush, the Democratic Party and even today's generation of college students. The ordained minister and former presidential candidate lamented what he called the Democrats' failing to challenge Bush on his record in office. He also suggested the best way to rejuvenate the party is to push substantive ballot initiatives important to ordinary people like minimum wage, health care and public education, which will attract voters regardless of the candidate's perceived level of charisma. During the hour-long talk, Sharpton also encouraged students to get involved in the political process and challenge society's inequalities, saying that the civil rights and women's movements were not fads that had come and gone.