Al Sharpton Officially Given His Own MSNBC Program

Unbelievable. A race-baiter with a long trail of crimes and misdemeanors and now a political pundit who said that he will never, ever criticize Barack Obama, gets his own cable news show:

Since Al Sharpton took over for Cenk Uygur in MSNBC's 6:00 time slot last month, he's been derided and ridiculed as a laughing stock totally unqualified to host a cable news program.


Ironically, that makes him a perfect fit at this farce of a news outlet, and on Tuesday, the folks at MSNBC rewarded his incompetence by officially giving him his own show (press release via TV By The Numbers):


REVEREND AL SHARPTON TO HOST “PoliticsNation” ON MSNBC


Program to Air at 6 pm ET Weeknights Beginning August 29th


NEW YORK – August 23, 2011 – Reverend Al Sharpton, the civil rights activist and minister, has been named host of “PoliticsNation,” a nightly program airing weeknights live at 6 p.m. ET on MSNBC. The announcement was made by Phil Griffin, President of MSNBC. “PoliticsNation” will debut on August 29. In his new role, Sharpton will lead a lively and informed discussion of the top headlines, bringing viewers his take on events in his signature style.


“I’ve known Rev. Sharpton for over a decade and have tremendous respect for him. He has always been one of our most thoughtful and entertaining guests,” said Griffin. “I’m thrilled that he’s now reached a point in his career where he’s able to devote himself to hosting a nightly show. ‘PoliticsNation’ is going to be an incredibly strong kick-off to our evening schedule.”


In addition to being a frequent guest on MSNBC throughout the network’s history, Rev. Sharpton has also served as an occasional guest host on several programs, most recently on “MSNBC Live at 6PM” and “The Ed Show.” He joins the network at a time where MSNBC has experienced tremendous ratings growth, consistently topping CNN in primetime programming.


"I am very happy and honored to join the MSNBC team as we collectively try to get America to ’Lean Forward,’" said Sharpton. "It is a natural extension of my life work and growth. We all learn from our pain and stand up from our stumbling and one must either learn to lean forward or fall backwards. I'm glad they have given me the opportunity to continue my forward lean."