GOP's Target for Recruitment: Russell Simmons

GOP Chairman’s Latest Target for Recruitment: Russell Simmons
Date: Sunday, June 19, 2005
By: Michael H. Cottman



Even Russell Simmons is talking to Republicans. And he’s workin’ it.

Simmons, founder of Def Jam Records and the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network, recently met with Ken Mehlman, chairman of the Republican National Committee, who has been barnstorming his way through black communities with talk of inclusion.

The hip-hop industry’s most influential spokesman and one of America’s most successful businessmen, Simmons said he was so interested in Mehlman’s message that he blew off a meeting with Howard Dean, chairman of the Democratic National Committee, that was scheduled for the same day.

"I had a great meeting with [RNC Chairman Ken Mehlman]," Simmons said last week during an interview on MSNBC's political talk show, "Hardball."

"I was on my way over to see Howard Dean," Simmons said, [But] "I had so much fun with Ken that I never even got to meet Howard."


Simmons, who has urged young people to vote in all elections, said "I sat with [Mehlman], and I felt there needs to be an effort on one of the parties to reach out and speak to the young people and to all the people who are struggling, especially the young."

Luis Miranda, a spokesman for the Democratic National Committee, said there was "never" a meeting scheduled with Dean and Simmons on the day Simmons met with Mehlman, but we are working to schedule one," Miranda told BlackAmericaWeb.com.


Simmons is the latest high-profile black American to meet with Mehlman. For the past few months, Mehlman has been visiting black neighborhoods talking to blacks about the Republican Party as part of his "Conversations with the Community" tour.

He has already traveled to a number of black areas, including Prince George's Community College, the New Jersey African American Chamber of Commerce and Howard University, along with an appearance on "The Tavis Smiley Show."

Some suggest that Simmons’ meeting with the GOP is strategic -- to work both major political parties to ensure that America’s black youth are afforded the educational resources they need and deserve.

And there’s also speculation that Simmons is sending a not-so-subtle message to Democrats to let them know he’s willing to work with Republicans to advance his youth-oriented agenda.

Simmons’ meeting with Mehlman comes at a significant time for Democrats as President George W. Bush and GOP leaders are asking black Americans flat-out if Democrats are taking them for granted.

"People like Russell Simmons are smart enough to understand the importance of sitting down with all players in politics," Hilary Shelton, director of the NAACP’s Washington, D.C. bureau, told BlackAmericaWeb.com, "and the Republican Party is an important part of our political process."

Aides to Mehlman say the chairman plans to continue his conversations with black Americans across the country.

"We will reach out to those who government has failed the most, including African-Americans and Latino Americans, and we will say, ‘If you give us a chance, we will give you a choice,’" Mehlman said last week in a speech to a multi-racial group in New Jersey.

In the past few months, Democrats have expressed concern that Mehlman is effectively working the proverbial room, courting black ministers, black organizations –- and black people period –- in an effort to convince blacks to defect from the Democratic Party, where most blacks are traditionally aligned.

Moreover, Democratic consultant Donna Brazile, the former presidential campaign manager for Al Gore, has warned Democrats that some blacks are listening to Republicans and may embrace Mehlman’s message.

Like Simmons.

"Russell Simmons has a long and distinguished history helping those in poverty and in need," Tara Wall, a spokeswoman for the RNC, told BlackAmericaWeb.com. "Chairman Mehlman shares Simmons' desire to empower our community. He wanted to meet with him and look for ways they can work together in reaching out to the African-American community."

Mehlman’s efforts in reaching out to blacks can be attributed in part to increased support from a coalition of conservative black ministers who say Republicans have helped them care for under-served residents in their communities through government faith-based initiatives and federal funding.

Among black voters, Bush received a modest turnout in both presidential elections, though Bush did manage to increase his support from nine percent in 2000 to 11 percent in 2004, according to a poll by Zogby International. Republicans insists they are making gradual but significant inroads into the black community.

"I think Mehlman will continue to reach out to African Americans, and he should," Shelton said in an interview. "His efforts continue to show signs of success."

But Shelton posed this question: Are GOP outreach efforts sincere, or just window dressing?


"The challenge for Republicans is to do more than reach out to African-Americans," Shelton said. "The challenge for Republicans is to bring African-Americans to the table; to elevate African-Americans to decision-making positions within the party, and to hire African-Americans for staff positions in Washington."