AIKEN, S.C. – Democrats shouldn't look to the middle for leaders who imitate Republicans, presidential candidate Al Sharpton (search) said Sunday.
"Bush didn't beat us —- we beat ourselves," Sharpton told a crowd of about 150 at Smith-Hazel Recreation Center. Sharpton said too many Democrats are "imitating Republicans" and "take for granted those who have always been with" the party.
Sharpton is one of seven Democrats campaigning in seven states, including South Carolina, that will hold presidential primaries or caucuses Tuesday to select delegates to the party's national convention.
Sharpton, who is black, has been campaigning heavily in South Carolina, where blacks could make up as much as half the voters in Tuesday's balloting.
He said among the things he would do as president is rescind the North American Free Trade Agreement (search), which he said is "inherently set up to export labor" and responsible for high unemployment in the state.
Sharpton called for a New Deal-style, five-year, $250 billion infrastructure improvement program to put people back to work. He also said the minimum wage should be increased.
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