OPINION
As a reader of history there always seems to be themes running through trying to understand a nation and its people. Long ago I discovered the story of the underclass is the history of prize fighters beginning with the Irish immigrants. The great John L. O’Sullivan, and James J. Corbett were Irish immigrant fighters. The next generation in that era was Jewish fighters who often fought under Irish names. The advent of African American fighters wasn’t until the time of Jack Johnson. Italian and Sicilian fighters Rocky Marciano and Rocky Graziano. And today it’s Russian immigrants, a lot of Latinos and people coming out of the third world in general are great fighters both boxing and MMA.
Being a fight geek, the life of Jack Dempsey has always been intriguing because of a moment in Jack’s career. My uncles always talked about Dempsey and how the Irishman was accused of draft dodging in the First World War. The evidence that was presented was a famous picture of Jack Dempsey as a working man, dressed in working man’s clothes, working with a shovel. The problem was the closer you looked at Jack’s feet. As in the photo at right, Jack is wearing patent leather shoes. It turned out to be quite a problem and Jack eventually landed in a courtroom. But the term “slacker” was always applied to Jack until he redeemed himself during the Second World War.
Every picture tells a story.
Here’s our current slacker, Michael Bennet. Notice Michael fishing in a recent ad. Many of my angler friends have pointed out Michael in the Arkansas river with a fly rod is the equivalent of the Manassa Mauler in the coal yard. They say he has no idea what he’s doing with the rod in his hand as if the prop man just handed him the rod. Turns out he got a one day fishing license just to shoot the ad and to save public lands in Colorado. And if you don’t believe him just ask the guy in the water with him. That ad has been pulled along with a companion ad promoting Michael Bennet hiking in the mountains. I think of Grand County as my second home, I’ve spent a lot of time there hiking, skiing and biking. I have yet to see anyone hiking along the trails in khaki pants. Maybe that works for the Country Club or walking around Cherry Creek. But it’s hardly mountain attire. Thinking of fish, Bennet looks like a fish out of water in that picture.
Now if you go to chase this down you see a picture of Michael on the web only it’s Michael waist up. Along with a limp hand on the fly rod and Michael being pictured hiking from the waist up. It’s hardly being a slacker but it does cast some interesting thoughts on how the Democrat Party tries to tell you that Bennet is fighting for public land as he’s standing in the river with a fly rod in his hand.
Back to the Mauler, and you need a license to fight. Would Jack have a one day fight license, or better yet, a one day union card to work as a working man? You don’t think Michael Bennet is trying to pull one over on you do you? Remember the great line, how can you tell when a politician is lying? And you know how to answer that question as well. It is when their lips are moving.
Michael’s campaign spent $600,000 on the ad. According to what I read doubling to the $1.2 million that he’s spent since mid-July. Wonder if that includes the $14.46 one day fishing license. He could have spent $22 more to get the license for the year. Wow.
I think its’ interesting. Probably will have no reflection whatsoever on the outcome of this entire fiasco. Chalk one up for the slick advertising of the Democrat Party. The commercials, of course, have been yanked down. Remember the great ending of the ad, “I’m Michael Bennet. I approve this message and I caught that fish.”
The mail-in ballots will soon be in your mailbox. Have a nice day.
— Peter Boyles