Leading Salsa musician trumpets Hillary Clinton

Is a battle of the bands shaping up in the Democratic presidential tiff?

Or maybe a jam session featuring two contrasting -- but very talented -- musicians can be organized at the end of the primary season (or whenever the party finally decides on a presidential nominee) by Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean to bind the wounds inflicted by the "bitter" (we couldn't resist) fight between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.

We raise the prospect because, with Obama today being backed by Bruce Springsteen, Clinton countered with an endorsement from Willie Colón, a leading figure in the Latin music world and an activist for the nation's Puerto Rican community.

That later aspect of Colón's resume may actually trump the Springsteen announcement. Nationwide, The Boss obviously is far better known. But a key component of Clinton's strategy for coming-from-behind in her race with Obama is to score a smashing victory in Puerto Rico's June 1 primary, and Colón's name carries more clout in the island territory than Springsteen's.

Colón, 57, was born in New York and recorded his first album -- on which he played trombone -- at age 17. Since then, he's also enjoyed success as a composer, arranger and singer. The website for Fania Records, which specializes in producing and promoting Latin sounds, says his career "has covered all facets of music, as proved by his prolific discography, which boasts more than 30 million records sold."

Colón, in a release issued by Clinton's campaign, says: "Hillary has been on the side of our families for over 35 years -– she has been with us from the very beginning. I want a President who I can count on, someone who in tough times will be there for me -- that’s why I’m supporting Hillary Clinton."

Dean should start printing those "unity" concert tickets now.

-- Don Frederick

Photo: Ricardo Betancourt

Comments

[joe]

OBAMA LIES AGAIN AND MAINSTREAM MEDIA LIKE CNN HIDES IT!
VOTERS ARE SICK OF THE MEDIA EXCUSING OBAMA NO MATTER WHO HE OFFENDS!!!!

Sen. Obama referres to himself as 'a constitutional law professor on the campaign trail. TRUTH: He never held any such title! Obama changed website bio to reflect that he was a 'lecturer' rather than 'professor. Chicago Daily Herald

Obama gets 4 Pinocchio’s for 100 Years War-Wondered why the national media won’t call out Obama for his serial distortions on McCain’s Iraq comments, the Globe tried to help Obama rationalize it. Michael Dobbs scolded Obama in today’s Fact Checker

MSNBC-OBAMA: ANOTHER SUPER, EXAGGERATION
Washington Post caught Obama in a lie about the Kennedy family role.
The WashigntonPost Fact Check- Senator Obama CAUGHT LYING about Kennedy Role in Helping His Father Contrary to Obama's claims in speeches Kennedy family did not provide the funding for a September 1959 airlift of 81 Kenyan students to the United States that included Obama's father. According to historical records and interviews with participants, the Kennedys were approached for support for the program a year later, July 1960. family responded with a $100,000 donation, which went to pay for a second airlift in September 1960.

Judicial Watch:
By Klaus Marre-Obama ‘intended to leave no paper trail’ OBAMA REFUSES to cooperate in releasing 8 years of his state senate records. One main reason REZKO!

Politico reports, “During his first run for elected office, Barack Obama played a greater role than he acknowledges in crafting liberal stands on gun control, the death penalty and abortion– positions that appear at odds with the more moderate image he’s projected during his presidential campaign. The evidence comes from an amended version of an Illinois voter group’s detailed questionnaire, filed under his name during his bid for a state Senate. In response to a Politico story, Obama’s answers he never saw questioaire?

NBC- Aswini Anburajan
OBAMA LIES IN PENNSYLVANIA AD
It's unfortunate that Senator Obama is using false advertising to explain why he can be trusted to do something about energy prices. In his ad, Obama says, I'm Barack Obama, and I don't take money from oil companies or lobbyists, and I won't let them block change any more. Obama has been the recipient of more than $220,000 from the oil and gas industry just since as of Feb/08. Two of Obama's campaign bundlers are also CEOs for oil and gas companies, per his campaign Web site? Obama needs to answer to VOTERS about his dealings with one of his largest contributors Exelon, a big nuclear power company that he cut deals behind closed doors protecting them from full disclosure in the nuclear industry. Exxon, Shell, and others are among his biggest donors

Obamas record shows he infact did support the war when he got to the senate, voted twice against bringing America's troops back home. He voted for war appropriations giving our money to Halliburton and Blackwater where Texas woman, was gang-raped by her co-workers at a Halliburton/KBR camp in Baghdad, His latest bit of posturing S 433 allows the Bush Administration to suspend any troop withdrawal, if not suspended, keeps the troops in Iraq for a long time to come

Obama said he goofed on votes angered fellow Democrats in the Senate when he voted to strip millions of dollars from a child welfare office on Chicago's West Side. But Obama had a ready explanation: He goofed! Also announced he had fumbled an election-reform vote the day before, on a measure that passed 51 to 6. The next day, he acknowledged voting "present" on a key telecommunications vote. He stood on March 11, 1999, to take back his vote against legislation to end good-behavior credits for certain felons in county jails. "I pressed the wrong button on that," he said. Obama was the lone dissenter on Feb. 24, 2000, against 57 yeas for a ban on human cloning. "I pressed the wrong button by accident," he said. But two of Obama's bumbles came on more-sensitive topics, he backed legislation to permit riverboat casinos to operate even when the boats were dockside. The measure, pushed by the gambling industry and fought by church groups whose support Obama was seeking, passed with two "yeas" to spare -- including Obama's. Moments after its passage he rose to say, explaining that he had mistakenly voted for it.

Obama would later develop a reputation as a critic of the gambling industry, and he voted against a similar measure two years later. But he was clearly confused about how to handle the issue at the time of his first vote, telling a church group that he was "undecided" about whether he backed an expansion of riverboat gambling. And, months earlier, he had voted in favor of a version of the bill.

[Jane]

WILLIE COLON AT A GLANCE

Career: Signed to Fania label, 1967; released debut album El malo, 1968; released 15 albums as bandleader with lead vocalist Hector Lavoe, 1968-74; first gold record, Cosa nuestra, 1970; teamed with lead vocalist Rubén Blades; released bestselling album Siembra, 1978; released several solo albums, including Fantasmas, 1981; extensive production and arranging work, 1970s and 1980s; became community activist and entered politics, early 1990s; became member, President's Commission on the Arts and Humanities, 1993; ran for U.S. Congress, 1994; became spokesperson for CARE relief organization, 1997; ran for Public Advocate, City of New York, 2001.

Selected memberships: American Society of Composers, Authors & Performers (ASCAP); became first minority member, ASCAP National Board of Trustees, 1995; ASCAP Foundation.

Selected awards: Chubb Fellowship, Yale University, 1991; nominated one of 100 most influential Hispanics in United States by Hispanic Business magazine, 1996; EPA Environmental Quality Award, 2001; 100 Most Influential Latinos Worldwide by People en Espanol,2006.