Yesterday, the Rev. Al Sharpton kicked of the three-day National Action Network Convention in Midtown, welcoming Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele. Steele gave the keynote address, "One thing I've learned is that you can't please everyone. But you can certainly make them all mad at you at the same time."
That was in reference to claims that he spent thousands at Los Angeles bars and a bondage-themed club. Steele also said, "I work every day in this job, as I like to put it, to turn the elephant... Now, I don't know if you ever had to turn an elephant, but the end you have to start with is not necessarily the best place to start." The Daily News, which wondered if Steele was "comparing some in his own party to an elephant's rear end," reports, "Aides later stressed that Steele was not referring to anyone in particular and was only talking about his efforts to better position his party."
U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Seblius spoke yesterday as well; others on the slate are Education Secretary Arne Duncan and Bill Cosby. And while education and health care reform will be discussed, Sharpton told MyFoxNY that civil rights and racial inequality are a top priority, "The average African American student is four years behind the average white student in reading and mathematics. The challenge of the 21st century is equality- how do we make life equal for everyone."
