April 16, 2003

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The Bush/GOP Cash Connection to the National Baseball Hall of Fame Board of Directors

(Before reading this sixth expose on the partisan politics of the National Baseball Hall of Fame, read
http://www.buzzflash.com/contributors/03/04/10_baseball.html
http://www.buzzflash.com/analysis/03/04/12_baseball.html, http://www.buzzflash.com/analysis/03/04/13_baseball.html,
http://www.buzzflash.com/analysis/03/04/15_baseball.html,
http://www.buzzflash.com/analysis/03/04/15-2_baseball.html)

We encourage you to send this BuzzFlash series exposing the partisan Republican politics of the National Baseball Hall of Fame to your local sportswriters. Keep writing and calling the National Baseball Hall of Fame. They aren't planning to reschedule the "Bull Durham" celebration -- and the Board of Directors is standing by the partisan political decision of Dale Petroskey, the Hall of Fame President and GOP shill. Tell the National Baseball Hall of Fame that baseball belongs to all Americans, not just Republicans. You can find contact information at: http://www.baseballhalloffame.org/contact/email_info.htm.

A BUZZFLASH BREAKING NEWS ANALYSIS

Sixth in a Series on the Partisan Scandal at the National Baseball Hall of Fame

Some readers ask why we continue to write editorials exposing the partisan political bias of the National Baseball Hall of Fame, while the lying and plundering of Iraq continue on.

Our answer: The opinion of the American public, in this day of omnipresent television and advertising, is swayed heavily by the manipulation of symbols. Karl Rove understands this and masterfully, in his Machiavellian manner, manipulates patriotic and cultural images to sway public thought.

That is why we have now written six news analyses on how the National Baseball Hall of Fame's cancellation of a long-scheduled "Bull Durham" festival was much more than an isolated impulsive act. It is highly unlikely that it was just an individual action taken by the Republican operative who serves as President of the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

No, Dale Petroskey, the Marvin Bush friend and former Reagan aide who summarily canceled the "Bull Durham" event, is not going to suddenly reschedule it. He has made that clear. All he has done, in response to the onslaught of negative fan response and hostile press, is say that he should have called Robbins and Sarandon before he turned his blistering pro-Bush propaganda letter to them over to the Associated Press.

But BuzzFlash readers owe it to our Constitution and to America not to let the Republicans steal another symbol of this great land, just as they have looted so many other American treasures for their own selfish purposes. Baseball belongs to the people of this great nation, not to Bush-Reagan lackeys like Dale Petroskey.

Petroskey most likely did not act without the knowledge of at least some National Baseball Hall of Fame Board members, even though some press reports are saying that the Board is claiming Petroskey's decision was his alone. It's a little hard to believe that Petroskey, being a good Republican "yes" man, would just, without clearing it, write up an incendiary letter to Robbins and Sarandon, a few weeks before an event, release it to the press, and only THEN tell the Board. That's not how Republicans operate. They are very hierarchical about taking actions that deviate from the norm.

BuzzFlash speculated in our last commentary on the National Baseball Hall of Fame scandal that Petroskey might have received a phone call from Marvin Bush, George's brother and apparently Petroskey's good friend. Petroskey also might have been asked to cancel the event and release his poison pen letter by a Republican board member with close ties to the Bush administration. And it is not hard to find one of those on the National Baseball Hall of Fame Board of Directors.

We can only speculate on these scenarios and cannot, of course, confirm that they occurred, because we can assure you that Dale Petroskey and the Board members in Cooperstown are not talking to BuzzFlash.com. We don't think Marvin Bush would answer our calls either.

But we did do a little research about Republican campaign contributions among some of the National Baseball Hall of Fame Board Members. Let's just say the research only strengthened the likelihood that our speculation about how the "Bull Durham" cancellation unfolded might be a home run, so to speak.

Take the recent campaign donation history of National Baseball Hall of Fame Chairperson Jane Forbes Clark. There's not a Democrat on her political giving list. Bush stayed over at her "Cooperstown mansion" in 1999 when he visited the Hall of Fame (on one of those "non-political" political visits) and she was described in the local paper as "a major GOP contributor." (http://www.thedailystar.com/news/stories/1999/07/26/bush.html)

The following political contribution reports are from OpenSecrets.org.

Recent Federal Political Contributions of Jane Forbes Clark:

Then there's National Baseball Hall of Fame Board Member William DeWitt, Jr. The DeWitts are longtime Ohio supporters of the Bush family and their campaign contributions show their extensive pocket book loyalty to the GOP.

Recent Federal Political Contributions of William DeWitt, Jr.:

And here's just a little more background on the DeWitt/GOP/Bush financial relationship. There's much more, but this is just a little hors d'oeuvre:

More on William DeWitt, Jr.

From the Republican National Committee newsroom, here's a partial list of members of the 2001 Presidential Inaugural Committee (http://www.rnc.org/newsroom1/1222_101.htm):

• Bill and Kathy DeWitt of Cincinnati, OH, Co-Chairs of the Presidential Inaugural Committee.  Mr. DeWitt is the Co-Chairman of Reynolds, DeWitt and Company, a Cincinnati-based investment firm. He also served as Co-Chairman of the Ohio Bush-Cheney Finance Committee.  Ms. DeWitt is an active volunteer of several civic and charitable organizations in the Ohio area.
• Mercer and Gabrielle Reynolds of Cincinnati, OH, Co-Chairs of the Presidential Inaugural Committee.  Mr. Reynolds is the Co-Chairman of Reynolds, DeWitt and Company.  He also served as Co-Chairman of the Ohio Bush-Cheney Finance Committee.  Ms. Reynolds is an active volunteer with several civic and charitable organizations in the Ohio area.

OpenSecerets.org identified key Republican donors who were rewarded with ambassador positions -- including the business partner of our friend Mr. DeWitt (See: http://www.opensecrets.org/bush/ambassadors/reynolds.asp). Here is the article:

* * *

THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION
Embassy Row

President Bush nominated a wealthy contributor and former business partner as ambassador to Switzerland, one of the most desirable posts on the world map.

Reynolds and another famous investor, William DeWitt, Jr., own the successful investing firm Reynolds, DeWitt & Co. The two have enjoyed a long business relationship with Bush: They bailed out Bush's struggling oil company in 1984, and involved him in their 1989 purchase of the Texas Rangers baseball team. Bush ran the franchise, with the endorsement of Reynolds and DeWitt, and made millions in the process.

Reynolds and DeWitt raised more than $3 million for the Bush campaign and served as co-chairmen of the Bush-Cheney inaugural committee, which took in a reported $40 million, according to the Associated Press.

Reynolds himself donated $208,673 to Republican candidates and party committees in the 1999-2000 election cycle, including $155,200 in soft money. His wife, Gabrielle, and immediate family contributed another $142,500, all to the GOP. Reynolds also contributed $100,000 to the Bush-Cheney inaugural fund and $5,000 to the Bush-Cheney recount effort. The employees and family of Reynolds, DeWitt & Co. accounted for $953,027 in contributions (including $518,500 in soft money), all of which went to the GOP.

* * *

Ah yes, and then there is the former president and CEO of Wal-Mart who serves on the Board of Directors of the National Baseball Hall of Fame. David Glass has got a lot of money to toss around, and he apparently enjoys tossing it at Republican candidates and the Republican National Committee, as does his wife:

Recent Federal Political Contributions of David Glass and His Wife:

The only consistent donor to Democrats that we could find on the Board Hall of Fame was John Harrington, former CEO of the Boston Red Sox. But his donations were relatively small, and living in Massachusetts, he doesn't have much of a choice, does he? George Steinbrenner, who is on the board, surprisingly didn't contribute much and gave to both major parties.

So does the fact that some extremely heavy Republican donors are on the Board of the National Baseball Hall of Fame, including its chairperson, mean the fix is in? We'll let you decide.

But Petroskey's act was so brazenly unconscionable, so politically partisan, so un-American that you just have to think the White House was directly behind it. It's just almost inconceivable to think that Petroskey would freelance walking into a minefield like this unless he knew that the troops behind him were covering him and backing him up with the big guns, like ensuring him that he would keep his job.

* * *

Also see the Following BuzzFlash and Other Web Articles About the Republican Scandal at the National Baseball Hall of Fame:

A National Baseball Hall of Fame Voter and Sportswriter Lectures the Hall's President on Our Sacred American Constitution
http://www.buzzflash.com/analysis/03/04/15-2_baseball.html

Did Marvin Bush Call Dale Petroskey and Ask Him to Cancel the "Bull Durham" Event at the Hall of Fame to Get Back at Two People Who Criticized King Bush?
http://www.buzzflash.com/analysis/03/04/15_baseball.html

Before the 2000 Election, Republican Head of Baseball Hall of Fame Invited GOP Operative to Speak on Upcoming Presidential Election. No Democrat Spoke.
http://www.buzzflash.com/analysis/03/04/13_baseball.html

BuzzFlash Unearths National Baseball Hall Of Fame News Release Announcing Ari Fleischer Lecture
http://www.buzzflash.com/analysis/03/04/12_baseball.html

Bombard the Baseball Hall of Fame
http://www.buzzflash.com/contributors/03/04/10_baseball.html

Cooperstown Muffs One
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/04/12/opinion/12SAT4.html

Reagan/Bush Surrogate at Hall of Fame Makes a Non-admittance of Mistake Sort of PR Meaningless Acknowledgment
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/04/12/sports/baseball/12fame.html

Robbins, Sarandon get Rose treatment from Hall of Fame
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/baseball/news/2003/04/09/hall_bulldurham_ap/

"If the lords of baseball care about Cooperstown and what it stands for, they will demand Petroskey's resignation immediately"
http://www.suntimes.com/output/iraq/cst-nws-jay13.html

National Baseball Hall of Fame Welcomes Ari Fleischer
http://www.baseballhalloffame.org/whats_new/press_releases/2002/pr2002_01_17.htm

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