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Pelosi, Clinton in WWE smackdown
| I hearby swear and attest that the following story is real. You just can't make this stuff up. |
In an effort to capture the elusive youth vote, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) will get into the ring tomorrow with two World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) competitors, superstar Chris Nowinski and the brawny womenâs champion, who goes by one name â Victoria.
| Put your money on Hillary, she fights dirty. |
Joined by Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle (D-S.D.), Pelosi and Clinton are hosting the first âNext Generation Democratic Summitâ for some 250 young leaders on Capitol Hill. Democrats hope to gain coveted airtime on one of two TV shows â âSmackdownâ or âRawâ â that are popular with the 18- to 29-year-old male demographic. Those shows have a combined audience of about 19 million, said WWE spokesman Gary Davis.
| Going for the coveted wrestling vote. Hey, don't laugh, if they believe wrestling is "real", they'll believe anything. |
The summit is part of the WWEâs nonpartisan âSmackdown Your Voteâ program, which has also sponsored events with Republicans such as Rep. Bob Ney (Ohio). The lawmakers and young leaders will discuss higher education, the economy and national security, according to Pelosi spokeswoman Jen Crider. âItâs important that we reach out to this group because their participation is crucial to the Democratic ideas we believe in,â said Tim Ryan (D-Ohio), the youngest Democrat in the House. âBut in the short run, their participation can turn the election in 2004.â Both parties recognize the importance of the âSmackdown demographic,â according to Ney, who has already held two WWE voter-drive events this year. âOur young people are our future, and itâs so important that we reach out to them and they become engaged early on in the democratic process.â
| Yeah, I can just imagine the appeal John French Kerry is going to have to this crowd. |
Posted by: Steve 2004-04-20 |
