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2014 Man of the Year: Al Sharpton

Rev. Al Sharpton / AP
December 31, 2014

Resist we much? We just can’t.

Al Sharpton is the funniest man on MSNBC, and by default the funniest man in cable news.

On a network populated with no small share of buffoons, Sharpton’s ultra-pro-Obama boosterism and alarmingly frequent mispronunciation of names, places, and objects has made PoliticsNation a must-watch for anyone who needs a good, hearty laugh.

Sharpton wears many hats: He is a civil rights activist by day and newsman who covers his own activism by night. He’s also a YouTube sensation, drawing nearly two million viewers to the Free Beacon channel’s various videos of his strange, repetitive analysis and teleprompter assaults.

But it’s not just his value as a talented comedian that makes Sharpton a force in our culture.

He makes us think about whether everything we do is truly racist.

He makes us turn the volume down on our television sets.

He makes us all take a step back and think, "The president actually goes to this man for advice," no doubt helping to contribute to the drubbing MSNBC’s party of choice took in 2014.

But most of all, Sharpton makes us laugh. Whether in silence, gaping at the screen wondering if it’s his turn to talk, or in dialogue, pondering a "counter-tourism" unit and dangerous "chaffic" jams, Sharpton never goes a show without eliciting a smile.

It’s not an easy task to bring the American people joy every weeknight. We are thankful for tuning in, and for that, Reverend Al, you are a 2014 Free Beacon Man of the Year.