Wrestling, Rap Leaders Registering Voters

[Khephra]

WASHINGTON -- The body-slamming promoters of professional wrestling and the mavens of hip-hop music are teaming up to bring their fans to what may be an unfamiliar place -- the voting booth.

The unlikely partnership between World Wrestling Entertainment and the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network -- called "Smackdown Your Vote!" -- wants to get 2 million more 18- to 30-year-olds to register and cast their votes in the 2004 presidential election than did in 2000.

"Wow. The WWE and hip hop together -- there goes the neighborhood, huh?" quipped WWE chairman Vince McMahon at a news conference Monday. He was joined by Rev. Run, aka Joseph Simmons, of the hip-hop group Run-DMC and wrestling stars Bradshaw and Maven, among others.

Known more for promoting bone-jarring wrestling spectacles than for his political savvy, McMahon said the two groups are forming a "tag team championship combination to go out and find these new people, sign them up and get them to vote."


more..............

http://www.newsday.com/news/politics/wire/sns-ap-smackdown-your-vote,0,7711877.story?coll=sns-ap-politics-headlines

[ButterflyBlood]

1. in addition

a lot of the bands i've seen play lately have told us to vote against bush in 2004.