We wouldn’t want to imply that Al Sharpton’s counter-Glenn Beck rally was a flop, but it only drew 2,000-3,000 people. This despite the fact that Secretary of Education Arne Duncan skirted the law by urging 4,000 of his Washington, DC-area employees to attend.
The Washington Examiner blows the whistle on Duncan’s skirting of the law:
President Obama’s top education official urged government employees to attend a rally that the Rev. Al Sharpton organized to counter a larger conservative event on the Mall.
“ED staff are invited to join Secretary Arne Duncan, the Reverend Al Sharpton, and other leaders on Saturday, Aug. 28, for the ‘Reclaim the Dream’ rally and march,” began an internal e-mail sent to more than 4,000 employees of the Department of Education on Wednesday.
Sharpton created the event after Glenn Beck announced a massive Tea Party “Restoring Honor” rally at the Lincoln Memorial, where King spoke in 1963.
The Washington Examiner learned of the e-mail from a Department of Education employee who felt uncomfortable with Duncan’s request.
Although the e-mail does not violate the Hatch Act, which forbids federal employees from participating in political campaigns, Education Department workers should feel uneasy, said David Boaz, executive vice president of the libertarian Cato Institute.
So let’s picture this: You work for a very powerful man. He sends you a note “suggesting” that you attend a rally. You think about it and decide to blow off that very powerful boss.
One of the most powerful men in Washington, DC “suggested” that 4,000 of his employees attend Al Sharpton’s rally, yet generous estimates say the event drew only 2,000-3,000 people.
Source: Washington Examiner
