Al Sharpton recently threatened Republicans.  Not with bodily harm or any such tricks of the trade that come from a Mickey Spillane novel. But with the threat that "Black Voters" should "Punish" them.

For a threat to be of any use, it has to have some kind of penalty behind it.  Unfortunately, this one does not.  Oh, the threat can be made, but it amounts to Ralph Cramden's "To the Moon, Alice" threat.  There is nothing to back it up.  And so it is with this one.

It is an empty threat.  If Blacks, like all other constituencies in the political process, forced a bidding for their vote, then threats like this would be taken seriously.  But when 95% of a voting block always vote for a single party, regardless of the platform, then the other party will not take them seriously.  (Nor the party being voted for.)

On many issues, the platform of the Republicans more closely mirror the values of Church going Blacks.  On others the democrats do.  But since they have decided to only listen to one side of the political spectrum, then nothing said, promised, or delivered by the other side seems to influence the vast majority to vote for them.  The only way to get them to vote Republican in National elections it seems is to become "Democrat lite".  America has already been accused of having 2 peas in a pod when it comes to political parties by outsiders.  The last thing it needs is for insiders to come to the same conclusion.

So while Sharpton made a headline, he was bluffing with no hole card.  And therefore, no chance of winning the hand.  If the statement had been made about democrats, who ignore them almost as totally as republicans do (for the opposite reason), the threat would carry a lot of weight. But the fact that Sharpton did not make it against democrats is the reason democrats will ignore them come general election time (the primaries are a different matter).

Money may rule politics, and we have had several articles here at JU of late about how it buys politicians.  But votes get you into office, and until there is a chance of getting your vote, politicians are not going to put much stock in what you want, say, or threaten.  They are too busy listening to the voters they have a chance with. At least before they are elected.