Posted on 08/11/2005 4:21:40 AM PDT by jimbo123
President Bush's controversial nominee for ambassador to the Netherlands, Ameriquest Capital founder Roland Arnall, might be regretting his company's high-profile sponsorship of the Rolling Stones' U.S. concert tour.
Arnall's mortgage company is spending millions of dollars to tout the Stones tour and Ameriquest's sweepstakes for travel, lodging and concert seats - never mind that Mick Jagger is releasing a tune apparently attacking Arnall's patrons in the Bush administration.
The lyrics of "Sweet Neo Con" include such broadsides as: "Democracy's our style/ Unless you are against us/ Then it's prison without trial./ But one thing that is certain/ Life is good at Halliburton."
The billionaire mortgage mogul - a former bigtime Democratic donor who, with wife Dawn, changed parties and has raised and given more than $12 million to Bush - is already coping with enough trouble. He's facing Senate scrutiny over Ameriquest's allegedly deceptive sales tactics to low-income, credit-risky customers, and trying to settle lawsuits in 30 states for more than $300 million.
A Democratic Senate aide gloated yesterday: "The same day the White House announced billionaire Arnall's nomination, his company announced it would set aside millions to settle with 30 states for predatory lending. Either this was the Bernie Kerik vetting team or Bush's 'ownership society' run amok. Either way, it shows how this President will do anything to put his corrupt friends in high places."
The aide added: "The one redeeming factor in this whole mess is that Arnall will be paying for 10 lucky winners to hear Jagger sing 'Sweet Neo Con' in person."
Glad it's not that "song"--but sorry to hear the NFL is crawling under the covers with this piece of slime. I hope the heat gets turned up very high.
It was a great promotion, a well-known band that America has had a long history with. Then the Stones decided to get political.
I imagine Drudge's scoop the other day brought out the Pepto at the NFL's offices. I'm sure there is frantic communication going on right now.
Any type of endorsement deal is going to have clauses preventing the party from embarrasing the sponsor, or causing a general disturbance. The NFL right now either has to get the Stones to drop the song, tone it down, or drop them and find a last minute substitute.
SD
I thought the Stones' last tour was their farewell tour.
My former boss went to their last tour (the one they claimed was their farewell tour), and said that at 40-something, he was the youngest in the crowd by at least 15 years.
I thought so, too. Now for a few bars of "How can I miss you, if you won't go away?"....
"Farewell tour" is nothing but a marketing gimmick nowadays. I saw Ozzy's "farewell tour" in the early 90s, and the show ended with a large array of lights spelling out "See You Soon."
SD
Hasn't Cher done three or four farewell tours?
Ok folks:
EMAILS to the NFL?
EMAILS to Ameriquest?
lets let them know that sponsoring anti-american speech will make us exercise our freedom of wallet!
SD
Nobody gives a damn what the Rolling Stones think or say. As far as public policy or any kind or rational thought are concerned, they are irrelevant.
Stuffed all of their info into the Postage Paid Envelope along with an exhortation to watch who they associate themselves with. Maybe they can have M Jagger write a tune in response to the terrorists in London or something like that...
Put it in the mail!
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