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"Hello Mr. Limbaugh, Mayor George McKelvey Here"
"COMMENTARYBy Andrea WoodYOUNGSTOWN, Ohio -- No busy signals for George McKelvey yesterday afternoon when he called radio's Rush Limbaugh Show. No surprise there given the Youngstown mayor's endorsement of George W. Bush's re-election and the program's role in energizing Republican Party troops.But what jarred this listener, accused by McKelvey frequently -- and publicly -- of possessing no journalistic integrity when The Business Journal questioned the convocation center land deal, was the vehemence of his attack on the national media.Not once was the war on terrorism mentioned, nor McKelvey's belief that his grandchildren would be better protected by keeping Bush in the White House. Instead, the mayor tossed red meat to the right-wing media cabal that insists liberals control the media -- make that the mainstream media -- and Hollywood leftists are ruining the country. "On the 800-line, we have George McKelvey, the mayor of Youngstown, Ohio, intoned the nation's No. 1 radio talker. Youngstown? Isn't that a Democratic stronghold? Gee, what's on your mind?Well, Mr. Limbaugh, "I've been a Democrat for 30 years...mayor for the past seven," McKelvey began. "In the last few days, the Democrats have gone back to their playbook..but actually they've added pages, Mr. Limbaugh. The new page is the wheelchair bound will walk again if Sen. Kerry is elected president. That's a new one. The draft is a new page where they're asking people to believe the draft is a President Bush idea. They are, with their friends in the mainstream media," not telling the American people that the sponsors of the draft bill in the House and Senate were all Democrats.So what convinced a Democrat of 30 years to support George W. Bush? Limbaugh asked.Gosh, Mr. Limbaugh, "It was a cumulative thing," the mayor explained. Observing the Democratic primaries, recognizing the tax-credit programs created by the Republicans that benefit Youngstown, having dinner at the White House (no mention of the close friendship between Bush and McKelvey that quickly developed). "I find him to be a wonderful God-fearing man," McKelvey said. "I know that upsets some people when I say God fearing, but I'm not afraid to say that."But what broke the camel's back for me as a Democrat was when Sen. Kerry stood on the stage of Radio City Music Hall and said the Hollywood leftists, the left coast wackos, represent the heart of America."After establishing that McKelvey voted for Al Gore in 2000, Limbaugh observed, "It feels to me that the shift to the fringe left upsets you about your party.""I sincerely believe that Hollywood has hijacked the campaign of Sen. Kerry," McKelvey agreed.The mayor accused the news media of ignoring the fact director Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11 is "one of the most egregious pieces of propaganda in history" by continuing to call it a documentary. "I cannot believe there is such a thing as journalistic integrity. I believe it's an oxymoron in the mainstream media today.. .I don't believe there is such a thing as objectivity any more."McKelvey reported to Limbaugh's national audience that Kerry is returning to the Mahoning Valley tomorrow to go duck hunting. It will be the fourth time the presidential candidate will have visited the Mahoning Valley, which perhaps signals a lack of confidence in that this Democratic stronghold will give Kerry 60% to 70% of the vote, he opined.Limbaugh suggested that Kerry was countering the National Rifle Association and seeking to insure high turnout among Democrats. Alerted that little time remained for him to make additional points, McKelvey refired his media salvo. "Actually I'm more upset with the mainstream media, Mr. Limbaugh, than I am with the Kerry campaign," he said."How do you know the different between the two, mayor? I can't tell the difference any more," Limbaugh claimed.The mayor related that he did not believe that ABC's Nightline program had interviewed former Viet Cong soldiers to confirm Kerry was a war hero. Yes, "That did happen," Limbaugh said. "I'm out of time."But plenty of time remains -- 13 days to Election Day -- for McKelvey to court right-wing radio. Laura Ingraham's talk show? Better yet, how about Michael Savage?--------------To respond to this commentary, contact Andrea Wood at [email protected]"