I grew up as a kid loving Magic Johnson and the "Showtime" Lakers. Nothing thrilled me more than watching my hometown team beat up the rest of the League and win championship after championship. Los Angeles loved their team and all the players, but we loved Magic the most. I remember the day when my mom picked me up from school crying in the car. I thought something happened to my grandparents but it turned out that the world found out Magic announced that he had contracted HIV. Needless to say, it was a tragic day for any Laker fan.
Of course we all know that he can afford all of the latest drugs and in the last fifteen years has remained remarkably healthy. He is a tremendous asset to the community in L.A. and has done many great deeds, and if he wanted to, he could run and win a race for Mayor in a heartbeat.
So that is why I was shocked to see a piece in the Huffington Post this morning by Thomas Edsell who highlighted a series of coincidences that could point out that Magic's endorsement for Hillary was bought. As Edsell says, it isn't proof-positive that Magic switched from Obama to Hillary for a deal (and those involved deny it has anything to do with it) but a series of coincidences is always troubling, because generally I do not believe in multiple coincidences like that.
From The Huffington Post:
In June, Johnson, who is an extraordinarily successful entrepreneur, began talks with billionaire Ron Burkle about forming a joint investment fund of $750 million or more to take advantage of the growing and lucrative markets in inner city and minority-owned businesses, according to Eric Holloman, president of Johnson's Canyon-Johnson Urban Fund.
Burkle has been one of Bill Clinton's closest friends and supporters. Burkle and Bill Clinton were often seen together in and around Los Angeles, and Clinton frequently stayed at Burkle's mansion, which was the scene of much-reported partying. Burkle gave Bill Clinton a lucrative consulting job as a senior advisor to his investment firm, Yucaipa Companies.
When Hillary announced, Burkle became a strong backer and encouraged Johnson to support her.
This type of venture is right up Magic's alley, but is it enough to say that multi-millionaire Earvin Johnson would go from supporting Barack (to the tune of $2,300 early in 2007) to actively campaigning for Hillary (plus a $4,600 donation)?
Johnson's support for Hillary has been apparently unaffected by a separate development involving Bill Clinton and Burkle. In late September, well after Magic Johnson's Hillary endorsement and fundraiser, the relationship between Burkle and Bill Clinton was reportedly severely strained by a September 26 Wall Street Journal article detailing some of controversial dealings by Burkle's company, Yucaipa.
The WSJ story reported that a young Italian businessman had convinced Burkle and a Clinton aide to invest millions of dollars in a controversial and poorly-run venture buying up urban properties owned by the Catholic Church. Clinton, allegedly furious at Burkle, began the process of withdrawing from Yucaipa.
Hmmm, it makes one wonder, doesn't it?
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