Lynn Swann and Democrat Shortsitedness....again

Now comes a story that Lynn Swann, former Pittsburgh Steeler Super Bowl hero wide receiver and Hall of Famer, is considering running for the Republicans against the Democratic Governor Ed Rendell in 2006.

http://kdka.com/local/local_story_344115030.html

Now, I have no idea if he has a chance or not. But I have noticed this is something the GOP has pursued that the Democrats have missed the boat on. What they have done is in places they may otherwise face tough fights, the GOP has found celebrity candidates who already have high name recognition to run.

For example, look at Arnold Schwarzenegger in California. Other examples include the GOP running Hall of Fame wide receiver Steve Largent in Oklahoma, where he was from. Former Oklahoma quarterback J.C. Watts and National Champion for OU also ran and won in Oklahoma. As a party they have run Jack Kemp, former NFL QB, elected Ronald Reagan after his film career, run Senator Fred Thompson, another Hollywood actor in Tennesse and won. Sonny Bono won after recruitment from the GOP. Hall of Fame pitcher Jim Bunning is the Senator from Kentucky. Former Nebraska football coach Tom Osborne was elected in Nebraska for the GOP. Other athletes or celebrities who have considered running in the past or may consider it in the future include Troy Aikman, Mike Ditka, Karl Malone, Charles Barkley and Curt Schilling. All have expressed their GOP sympathies.

About the only ones I can think of for the Democrats is Bill Bradley, former NBA star. I have heard athletes such as Doug Flutie align themselves with the Democrats. Actor Ben Affleck supposedly may wish to run sometime in the future for office as well.

The thing is, the Republicans seem way more willing to capitalize on name recognition to win races. Even Katherine Harris, while not an athlete or celebrity, the GOP was smart enough to capitalize on her sudden fame when it occurred and strengthen their hold on Congress. The Democrats are so far behind in this regard.

I propose a new program the Democrats should start. That is to establish an office with a Director, employees and formal mission to search out young athletes and/or actors or musicians who, in general, support Democratic policies and bring them into the fold. I think this is something we must ask the party to do, or we risk losing them. Some of the people the GOP has recruited, Arnold comes to mind, haven't had well-defined ideaology at the time of their recruitment and in fact seem to lean left in many positions. But in Arnolds case, his involvement with the GOP started with Ronald Reagan appointing him to a commission on public heath and he has swung Republican ever since. Now he mostly drinks the Kool Aid. The result is the GOP has a Red Governor in a Blue state decades later. Its called forward thinking and planning and I think the GOP knows exactly what they are doing in this regard. While the Democrats get painted as the "Hollywood" party, it seems to me the celebrities actually getting elected the last few decades are all Republicans. There are additional examples aside from the ones I have mentioned.

Its too bad. Guys such as Barkley and Swann, you'd think, would have the background to sympathize with the issues and concerns the Democrats fight for. Yet, they were recruited by the GOP and now, if they're ever elected, would presumably support their agenda, not ours.

We must recruit celebrities to run. It may be a key to breaking through in a red state where an anonymous, not well known Democrat would have no chance. For example, imagine if Emmitt Smith was a Democrat and started out running for some lower offices as one in Texas. He is a hero there. Eventually he works his way up to a candidate for Governor, a position Dems have to write off as things stand right now. He could win.

My point is, there are plenty of athletes and celebrities who show concern and interest about political issues. Many don't have well-developed political ideaologies, some do. Some simply don't care, even the majority. But we must implement a program to contact and develop some of these leads (yes, I'll use that business term here) while they are still young and playing or acting or whatever and guide them to a place in the Democratic Party. This can be as a future candidate, an activist or simply a donor. It doesn't have to be as a candidate, we need them to get involved financially as well if that is more their style.

Now of course, there are some, even a lot, of active Democrat celebrities. Obviously, many donate money. But its my position we're not fully taking advantage of this group. We should be making contact with young NBA, NFL, MLB and NHL stars and bringing them into the party now if they show the inclination. We should groom them for potential involvement when their playing days are over. I really think this could allow us to win more races if we can even develop a few high name-recognition candidates every ten years or so with this type of program. If we can develop an additional list of active donors as well, this would also be a plus.

Why hasn't anyone made contact with Doug Flutie to gauge his interest as a candidate and help him prepare now for that eventuality? He willingly campaigned for Hillary Clinton when she ran for Senate in New York and he played for Buffalo. Why hasn't anyone contacted NBA star Grant Hill, who campaigned for Kerry in Florida this fall, and guaged his interest? Assuming he had some, it would be wise to begin planning for a political career for him when his playing days are over by perhaps getting him involved in activities during his offseason that would supplement his resume as a candidate years down the road. Both guys are very intelligent, involved and would make excellent candidates. They are just two examples, there are plenty more out there. We must, in my opinion, do a better job recruiting these people as the GOP does and using their name recognition to its full benefit. This could help strengthen the party in the long run.

GDoyle