As Karl Rove, Mitch McConnell, Paul Ryan and other conspired to make President Obama a one term president Al Sharpton rose to the challenge to foil their plan. Rev Sharpton became a friend and ally to President Obama, and a leader for African-Americans. His proactive moves including his October 15, 2011, “Match for Jobs and Justice” at the Martin Luther King Memorial was the beginning of the mobilization of African-Americans to the polls for the 2012 Presidential Election.

The result of his hard work was President Obama reelection on November 6, 2012, and chaos within the Republican Party. Many including Mitt Romney are still baffled and are trying to figure out how President Obama won against their well-planned strategy to win by any means necessary. Mitt the answer is simple African- Americans couldn’t and didn’t sit out the 2012 presidential election. African-Americans leaders like Sharpton sounded the alarm to inform us that the Republicans wanted to TAKE THIS COUNTRY BACK to get us to the polls in 2012 at his October 2011 rally in Washington, DC.

Vera Richardson

Author of Screwed by Former Governor and Attorney General Eliot Spitzer