Don Before the Big Hair
Posted on 06/02/2004 11:08:08 PM PDT by John Lenin
By MICHAEL RUBINKAM, Associated Press Writer
PHILADELPHIA - Don King, the wild-haired boxing promoter, is touring the country with Republican National Committee (news - web sites) chairman Ed Gillespie to tout President Bush (news - web sites)'s re-election.
"Only in America," as King often says — and he did at a stop in Philadelphia Wednesday.
"People understand that George Walker Bush is the man with the plan to make America better," King, sporting an American flag tie and plenty of diamond-encrusted jewelry, told a group of black business leaders at a downtown jazz club. "Sometimes, just sometimes, it ain't too bad to be in the Bushes."
The latter line is the flip side of Jesse Jackson's warning at past Democratic conventions for Americans to "stay out of the Bushes."
King's rap sheet makes him an odd choice for Bush front man. He was convicted in the 1967 beating death of a man who owed him money and spent nearly four years in prison. In 1954, he killed a man who was robbing a numbers house he operated in Cleveland, but it was ruled self-defense.
King also has beaten tax evasion and fraud charges, faced numerous lawsuits from boxers and their handlers and endured three grand jury investigations and an FBI (news - web sites) sting operation — all while cementing his status as one of the world's top boxing promoters.
Republicans see King as a way to reach the ever-elusive black vote. Bush managed just 9 percent of the black vote in 2000, matching Ronald Reagan (news - web sites)'s percentage in 1984 and faring just slightly better than Republican Barry Goldwater's 6 percent in 1964.
"I said to him, you know they are going to come after us, they are going to attack us, and they are going to try to smear us," Gillespie said Wednesday. "But the fact is, I know the man, he is a friend of mine, and I'm proud to stand with him today."
Republican National Committee spokeswoman Tara Wall, who called King a "patriot," said the GOP supports "those who support us. Don King has come out to support us and he supports President George Bush. That's something he chose to do on his own and we're glad to have him."
In May, King attended a Republican fund-raiser in Washington and shook hands with Bush.
King and Gillespie, who began their "Economic Empowerment Tour" in Detroit last week, also plan stops in New York and Miami. The duo was joined in Philadelphia by Miss America (news - web sites) 2003 Erika Harold, who is black.
"Where have you see a Republican chairman standing up with us in the heart of the ghetto? We're going to talk about how we can make that change, to educate and uplift and enlighten our people," King told reporters.
The Democratic National Committee (news - web sites) avoided commenting on King, instead saying that blacks in the city have been hurt by Bush's economic policies.
Not at all. The AP has been on an agenda to make Bush 43 a one term President. When I read an AP story of Jesse Jackson doing something for the Democrats, not one word is mentioned that he's spent the last 18 years avoiding paying his taxes.
Don Before the Big Hair
Well OK...I guess!
Most people know Don King did time for murder. It's no secret.
Neither is it a secret about Ted Kennedy and Chappaquidick. Maybe the press should mention that every time they mention Teddy's name. ; o
Jackson is no prize and the Democratic Party should be ashamed to have him as a front man but it is not an excuse for the GOP to put King on a stage supporting Bush.
Lots of blacks were in the numbers racket in Cleveland, I used to buy mine at a little store on Harvard and Lee Roads.
For crying out loud this is funny. Geeze.
It would be fun. King knows how to talk the sound bites and knows how to have fun. Jackson, as you well know, is a boring, stuttering, pretentious windbag.
Right, and we all know Fat Uncle Ted has yet to do time for something he did decades ago, yet he's lauded as some hero set upon a pedestal by the press for outrageous Bush bashing Senate floor statements.
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The Dems are going to point at him and say there goes George Bush and Don "Convicted Felon" King............
I simply do not see where this is going to help Bush.
Hmmm...
You can have Sharpton I'll take Don King. Good luck !
Why? I am surprised that King isn't a Kerry man. Look I think you are a bit too high on your horse.
Hey, Marion Berry got caught smoking crack and they elected him Mayor. doh
I really fail to see the humor.
The Democrats have Al Sharpton
The Republicans have Billy Graham
The Democrats have Ted Kennedy
The Republicans have Bob Dole
It is about respect and honor and I do not see how King brings respect and honor to the Bush Campaign.
Good point. This is brilliant strategery. When it comes to promoting, there aren't any better than King. The DNC will be afraid to touch this one, for more reasons than one.
I'd love to see Fat Uncle Ted and Jesse Jackson point at him, both felons in my book.
And with his record for mayhem, he won't be taking no crap from JJ or the Sahrp one.
The DNC won't touch this one, they didn't even supply the AP with a comment.
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Well, would we rather have Sharpton?