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McKelvey Crosses Political Lines to Endorse Bush
By George NelsonYOUNGSTOWN, Ohio -- Flanked by Republican Party officials, Youngstown Mayor George McKelvey, a Democrat, offered his support Monday afternoon for President Bush's re-election bid. "It's a courageous thing for him to do. It's a very meaningful thing for him to do for the Bush campaign," said Jo Ann Davidson, Ohio Valley regional chairwoman for the Bush-Cheney campaign. "He's a personal friend of the president's and to have him come forward as a mayor in one of our urban cities and say, 'I want to be a part of your campaign' was very exciting for him personally and for the Bush-Cheney campaign nationally."McKelvey said that while he had never publicly endorsed a presidential candidate in the past, the significance of this fall's election -- "an election which I view as the most important in my lifetime" -- motivated him to acknowledge his support for Bush. In announcing his endorsement, McKelvey cited Bush's "strong leadership" in the war on terror. He also said he believes the economy is recovering and will continue to approve, calling it "unfair at best" to blame Bush for the economic impact of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. "Furthermore, I cannot agree with those who criticize a tax policy which allows the American people to keep more of their own money, allowing them, not the government, to decide how to best spend their money," McKelvey said. McKelvey said he was confident that his public support for Bush's re-election campaign would strengthen his relationship with the president, which he was hopeful would result in "meaningful assistance for the Mahoning Valley" if Bush wins. He also questioned what this Democratic stronghold has received for its loyal support of the party's candidates over the past century. "During the campaign, they promise they will deliver the beef," he remarked. "After we give the our overwhelming support, not only do they not give us the beef, we don't even get the bun."The Democratic presidential candidate, Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry, reminded him of "the traditional politician who will say anything you want to hear to get elected." Bush, he said, despite Democrats' "demonization" of him, is a "kind, caring, God-fearing man" he is proud to call his friend.In addition to Davidson, the former Ohio House speaker, McKelvey was joined at the news conference by regional GOP luminaries including Clarence Smith, Mahoning County Republican Party chairman; Mark Munroe, Mahoning County Bush-Cheney chairman; fellow Democrat Mike Verich, a former state representative; and Youngstown Councilman Richard Atkinson. McKelvey said he had been doing "a lot of soul searching" during the campaign. He hadn't made up his mind when he attended a White House dinner in May, an occasion at which he said Bush did not ask for his endorsement and they did not discuss politics at all. "As you build a stronger personal relationship with an individual and get to the point where you sense their heart, you sense their soul, and you go away knowing what a good person they are, what a good man he is, that surely has an affect on you and your decision-making process," he said. McKelvey acknowledged he has been asked by several people to attend next week's Republican National Convention, including Ohio GOP chairman Bob Bennett, but he will be on vacation. He hopes to be able to work out the logistics of a trip so he can attend Aug. 31, the day of the Ohio Caucus meeting. Though he said nothing would give him a greater honor than to speak at the convention, he said he didn't think his family would tolerate that. "I got a 24-hour pass to fly from the Caribbean to New York and then fly back," he said. Later, he told reporters conference that he was willing to do commercials on a state or national level for Bush and was willing to speak at the convention, and that discussions about what he may do are continuing. "I'm willing to do whatever it takes to get President Bush re-elected as president of the United States," he said.McKelvey's endorsement comes after he had said earlier in the year that a presidential endorsement from him would be "meaningless" and not smart politics. He dismissed the suggestion that he might get some kind appointment in either the Bush or Taft administrations in return for the endorsement, noting that it is illegal to either solicit or secure promises. However, he said that if Bush wins in November, he hopes his endorsement helps secure support from the president for keeping the 910th Airlift Wing in Vienna Township. He also said he is going to seek additional infrastructure and job creation money for the area. "What motivates me in public life is what's best for my community," he said. McKelvey suggested that the area has "both bets covered" with his support of Bush. "The Democrats are going to deliver probably their traditional 60% of the vote, so if Kerry's elected he's sure going to deliver something to them, right?" McKelvey said. "If Kerry's not elected and Bush is elected, I guess I'm the go-to guy."McKelvey said he has had no contact from the Kerry campaign, and noted that when the Massachusetts senator came to Youngstown earlier this year -- putting up a stage on Federal Plaza "as the crow flies a block from City Hall" -- he didn't invite the mayor to stand on stage. "That's a very unusual approach to solicit someone's support," he said. "I saw him from a distance -- he came, he went, and I was irrelevant." McKelvey said the slight didn't cause him to make his decision, though he acknowledged it had some impact, though not an "overwhelming" one, on his choice. After watching the entire Democratic National Convention on television, McKelvey said that aside from knowing that Kerry fought in Vietnam he "hasn't a clue what he stands for, and I don't think many people in this country do." He said that as Bush moves closer to the political center, Kerry "continues to move further and further left to the radical fringe of the Democratic Party."Davidson said state GOP officials have been actively building a coalition of Democrats for Bush, but to her knowledge McKelvey is the first urban mayor in Ohio to come forward with his support for the incumbent president. "And let me just respond that the Bush-Cheney campaign certainly does not think this is a meaningless endorsement," she added. "We think this is a very important endorsement coming form a very important person who has stated his reasons very carefully today, and what it means for the Mahoning Valley to have this communication ability and relationship ability with the White House."Munroe agreed that McKelvey's endorsement could be an asset for the campaign locally."Clearly Mahoning County is obviously a very strong Democrat county. Anything we can do to help reassure area Democrats that a vote for President Bush is a good thing, is a quality vote, is a meaningful vote, is going to benefit the president's campaign and the endorsement of George McKelvey for President Bush is going to help us in that effort," he said. Democrats, Analysts, Dispute Value of EndorsementContact George Nelson at [email protected]"