Al Sharpton Suggests Republicans Have 'Lost Control' Of Sarah Palin

Huffington Post: Al Sharpton Suggests Republicans Have 'Lost Control' Of Sarah Palin
On the heels of being linked to former Alaska governor Sarah Palin, Reverend Al Sharpton spoke to New York Magazine's Daily Intel blog about the comparison made by Weekly Standard writer Matt Labash in remarks published by Politico on Monday.

Labash suggested that Palin is "becoming Al Sharpton, Alaska edition" as a result of her "appeals to victimhood and group grievance." He said the only difference between the two is "she wears naughty-librarian glasses instead of a James Brown 'do." The larger piece from Politico examined criticism of Palin coming from within the conservative community.

The Daily Intel relays what Sharpton had to say in the wake of the comparison:

Reverend Al, for his part, says he refuses to be baited into getting offended. Instead, he tells us, "I would look at it with some curiosity, but it's a funny circumstance to see them in. A lot of the establishment in the civil rights community didn't know what to make of me [either]."
Sharpton reportedly suggested the question that remains is whether Republicans are attempting to distance themselves from Palin "and therefore remove themselves from somebody they have lost control over."

Labash told Politico, "The appeal of conservatism is supposed to be people taking responsibility for their own actions."

Palin is currently mulling a presidential campaign for the next election cycle. She recently said she could be expected to make her plans known for 2012 in the upcoming months. It remains to be seen how criticism coming from the right could affect the former governor's political ambitions.