Every Top Republican Invited to MLK Anniversary Event Said No

Mediaite ^ | 08/30/2013 | by Matt Wilstein

[SeekAndFind]

Conservative commentators have had a lot to say over the last 24 hours about the fact that Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), the only African-American in the Senate, was not invited to yesterday’s March on Washington 50th Anniversary celebration. According to Bill O’Reilly, it was strange that “no Republicans and no conservatives were invited” to the event. As it turns out, that’s just not true.

As the Washington Post’s Ed O’Keefe reported today, “not a single Republican elected official stood on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial on Wednesday.” But it’s not because they weren’t invited. While Scott’s office has confirmed that the senator was not invited, many of his senior colleagues were.

Here’s a run-down of the top Republicans who were invited to the March on Washington anniversary event, and why they reportedly decided not to show.

• Former Presidents George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush: It was notable that the two former presidents, Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton, who spoke at the event were both Democrats, with the Bushes nowhere to be seen. The 41st and 43rd president were both invited, but chose to decline because of health reasons. In a statement, George W. Bush said, “There on the National Mall our President, whose story reflects the promise of America, will help us honor the man who inspired millions to redeem that promise.”
• House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH): The top Republican in the House declined his invitation because of a scheduling conflict. He is currently in Jackson Hole, Wyoming and had no public events scheduled for Wednesday. Boehner did attend an official congressional commemoration of King’s “I Have a Dream” speech on July 31st.
• House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA): According to the Grand Forks Herald, Cantor spent Wednesday touring oilfields in North Dakota with Rep. Kevin Cramer (R-ND) and meeting with the North Dakota Petroleum Council lobbying group.
• Senator John McCain (R-AZ): Despite having voted against making Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day a federal holiday in 1983, the event committee did invite McCain to speak, but he declined due to unspecified “scheduling conflicts.”

The Rev. Leah D. Daughtry, who served as executive producer of the commemoration, told the Washington Post’s O’Keefe that her committee began inviting members of Congress to attend four or five weeks before the event.

“We had a very concerted effort, because this is not a political moment. This was about us coming together as a community, so we wanted to be sure that we had all political representations,” Daughtry said. “We attempted very vigorously to have someone from the GOP participate and unfortunately they were unable to find someone who was able to participate.”

[photos via House.gov, Senate.gov]

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[PA Engineer]

House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA): According to the Grand Forks Herald, Cantor spent Wednesday touring oilfields in North Dakota with Rep. Kevin Cramer (R-ND) and meeting with the North Dakota Petroleum Council lobbying group.

Seems Rep. Cantor was working at something more important than PROG political theatre that day.

[Leaning Right]

...but by not going, the Republicans might be re-enforcing the message already ingrained in the heads of many Americans — THEY DON’T CARE ABOUT BLACK PEOPLE

Right you are. In this environment, with the stakes so high, the GOP needs to be both clever and nimble. The GOP is neither.

The lib's certainly did not want any Republicans at the MLK event. The Republicans obliged them. You cannot win a war, political or otherwise, by doing what your enemy wants you to do.

[I want the USA back]

It was a democrat event. It was designed to crown 0bama as the successor to Martin Luther King.

While MLK was not perfect (nobody is) he was a force for calling people to their consciences. Blacks did get a raw deal in the USA.

0bama is not a worthy successor to MLK.

[elpadre]

The line-up of speakers made it clear it was a political rally for the Democrat Party - reminiscent of the Wellstone Funeral. The Republicans recognized the nature of the event and wisely stayed way and took away an opportunity of being called names and the left trying to ridicule them, IMO.

[nanetteclaret]

Obama is a perfectly worthy successor to MLK Jr., who was a COMMUNIST, plagerizer, and womanizer.

[jeffc]

It’s not an MLK celebration as much as an attempt to make King Zero MLK’s heir apparent. Anyone participating will be assumed to be endorsing that.

[montag813]

Nice try, Mediaite...but NONE of those invited GOP’ers were BLACK!

[Troublemaker]

McCain turned down a chance to be in front of the media/people? I have a hard time believing that.

[a fool in paradise]

John Fitzegerald Kennedy and Robert F. Kennedy chose not to attend the 1963 March on Washington either. They tried to have the event canceled, then treated the whole thing like a siege while they managed it from the Justice Department.

[a fool in paradise]

If I recall, MLK’s conservative niece was not invited to speak either. She is a prominent critic of abortion.

[a fool in paradise]

Republicans were scheduled to attend then UNINVITED from the Wellstone Memorial Rally.

[a fool in paradise]

Al Sharpton is a known antisemite (”Jew them down”). Al Sharpton is a know liar. He was busted in court for slander in a fraudulent “hate crime” case.

That Al and other bigots should be permitted face time at this event reveals it to be phony.

[SeekAndFind]

RE: NONE of those invited GOP’ers were BLACK!

Sen. Tim Scott was invited.

[Steve_Seattle]

There were an estimated 20,000 people at the event, so I guess about 60 million Democrats didn’t show up either.

[TBP]

They were invited at the last minute to stand around, but not to say anything.

[TBP]

“We had a very concerted effort, because this is not a political moment.”

Pantalones en fuego!

[edwinland]

Boehner, Cantor, McCain??

The headline claimed that they invited REPUBLICANS.

[PghBaldy]

MLK was surrounded by Black Muslims in 1963, FWIW, so it would have been appropriate.

[PghBaldy]

No matter what the GOP did, it would have been painted as the bad guy. In a way, their not going made it all the more apparent what it was - a DNC rally.

[dalereed]

No american should honor that dead communist!!