Michael Jackson Fans Raise Money To Defeat Peter King

There is, it turns out, a political price to pay when you make bold statements calling out Michael Jackson for some of the nefarious moments of his personal history.

Fans of Jackson are mobilizing to raise money for an opponent -- any opponent -- to run against Rep. Pete King, R-N.Y., following the critical remarks the congressman made about the recently deceased pop icon.

Over the weekend, King said that the media had gone far over the top in glorifying Jackson, who he deemed a "low-life" pervert who "may have been a good singer" and "did some dancing."

Now, an ActBlue fundraising site has been set up by "A fan of Michael Jackson" titled "Michael Jackson Fans AGAINST Peter King."

"Peter King ought to let Jackson rest in peace, and focus on the needs of his constituents. As we mourn the loss of an American legend, political grandstanding is not what we need right now!" the page reads. "Fans of Michael Jackson and his legacy stand united against Peter King's hateful words. Please donate here to show Peter King that true MJ fans won't stand for the smearing of a pop sensation!"

The fund is being set up to benefit the Democratic nominee for New York's third congressional district -- a reliable Republican stronghold. The problem is that at this time, there is no Democratic nominee. And King has flirted with a run for New York's governor's chair in 2010. Still, it will be interesting to see the extent to which Michael Jackson devotees can mobilize politically. Who would have thought that the King of Pop's legacy would become a partisan issue?

Get HuffPost Politics On Facebook and Twitter!

Comments

[justoverit333]

I think King was a little over the top with his comments.
He could have let his feelings be known, without bashing
the dead.

[msk325]

Lwilkinson, Mario Reyes' family took money after he was hit and killed by a drunk Donte Stallworth. So there are people out there who would rather take money than see legal actions take place.

[msk325]

Hey Lwilkinson, ever hear of a family who took money after learning that their family member was hit and killed by a drunk driver.... I do. The drunk driver was Dante Stallworth, and he settled with the family and only served 18 days in jail. There are people out there who would rather take money rather than allow the law to handle it.

[LWilkinson315]

That is totally different- those are wrongful death cases... In MJ's case you have a claim of someone touching your child- violating them. Your child comes home and tells you "Mommy, Michael made me touch his no no spot and he touched mine" are you going to sit there and shift through the Yellow Pages looking for a lawyer? Oh heck no- not me. And i sure would not take 20 million from him to make the case go away

[BlueFloyd]

EVEN pat buchanan thought these comments were in bad taste and inappropriate.

THAT is saying something!

[LWilkinson315]

I do not know any parent that would go lawyers first before going to the cops after learning someone has harmed their child. I do not know of any parent that would take a 20 million dollar pay off from someone they beleived harmed their child. BUT I DO KNOW parents who would kick _____ after learning someone harmed their child. Thats just the way it goes

[msk325]

Do you know of a family who took a settlement after learning that their family member was hit and killed by a drunk driver??? I do... and the driver was Dante Stallworth. So there are people out there who would rather take the money than to see the law handle it.

[Nomccain]

This guy must have a political death wish, although I agree that people's faults are seldom aired during the funeral process and mourning period unless they are generally awful. To me, Michael Jackson was simply an excentric and gifted musical figure and entertainer. That's all! He may have also been involved in many good things we weren't priviliged to know about with his giving. However, He brought a lot of the criticism upon himself by bizzare behavior and conduct and paid a huge price for it. I also think the media attention to his death and funeral have been obnoxious to say the least, but in t he days of news coverage 24/7, what would these idiots have to talk about if they didn't have something to run
their mouths about round the clock. It's absurd!

[Angel4ever]

Funny how after a statement that suggests MJ fans are made up of African Americans, Woman & Democrats That a Republican takes a stand. Well, I hope he likes standing, because his seat will be gone.
I am livid, but should not be, he proved how people use others, for their own personal gain.Inste­ad he disgraced himself & it did not work to his advantage. Such a hypocrite to say we should honor Fireman & Policemen but not Michael., & call me a fool? I'm sorry, I honor MJ's profession, not his personal life as I do Fireman & Policeman, but their personal life is not perfect. As a Teen, I could not walk by a Fire Station without being whistled at & rude comments were made. Stoped by a Policeman once, for speeding, did not get a ticket, but was asked out. He was wearing a Wedding ring! I have lots of word to call them, but I won't because I have class & I am only stating my personal experence.
However, I feel Peter King owes Michael, his family & the world an apology.

[olmossy]

What about the rumor that King was speaking for the entire Republican Party ?
MJ fans shouldn't reserve their anger to just one loudmouth.

[PWM]

He is typical of Republicans.

[OldHeathen]

I am Liberal. I also agree with King, for I know this much, MJ's actions were not Appropriate!!
It is one thing to champion children's causes. MJ's actions ( the one's we know off )speak of broken bounderys at the least, and we all know what the worst could have been. MJ was serving his own needs , not the needs of the children and that by definition of child abuse. And nobody pays 20,000,000­.00 dollars and leaves their good name languishing in the mud hoping never to discuss the issue again unless that is the best outcome one could hope for. My thoughts and prayers go out for ALL children who are abused at the hands of any adult.

[BlueFloyd]

the problem is you cant just throw around the words and accusations in a media/public forum that you do in private. mj was never convicted of any of it, and thus, it is actionable defamation. pk should be sued. that will teach him, and he calls himself a lawmaker?? he is an opportunistic joke.

[nimbyorc]

It is not possible to defame a corpse. A lawsuit trying to protect the reputation of a dead person is rarely actionable. King's a lawyer; he is aware of this. That's why he's so callous. He never would have said it while MJ was alive.

[lwilkerson50]

I agree ... hope the fans and family go after him - they need to hire Palin's attorney.

[LWilkinson315]

If someone harmed MY Child- I would NOT accept a 20 million dollar PAY OFF! WHAT KIND OF PARENT DOES THAT!!!! You would want to see the court system take that person down and if that does not work you resort to street justice. Michael, Bubbles the Chimp, Tito, security, whoever- someone at Neverland Ranch would have gotten a beat down. Thats why as a parent myself I NEVER believed those charges against MJ

[msk325]

Second, King is absolutely right that we should be honoring the people who sacrifice their lives for others and our country over anybody, including pop stars/rock stars. Jackson made a few good songs as a child and teen, and we are worshipping him as if he were our savior. Meanwhile, men and women of the armed forces are protecting our country and get booed when they come back home, or worse, get forgotten about after they serve. This country is so backwards it makes me sick. And no, I am not anti-America, I am a disabled Marine. I am just sick of seeing those who make the ultimate sacrifice by dying while trying to protect this country get treated like their sacrifice was just "hoo hum whatever". I commend King for standing up and speaking the truth, trying to set the "morals" of the American people straight, and sticking to his guns. The sooner the American people get their morals/priorities straight, the better of this country will be!

[LazarusLong]

Amazing how some people complain about the morals of the American people and how they need to be straightened.

Did you ever stop to think that maybe this is what America really is !?

[BlueFloyd]

he spoke the truth? really? he spoke in rumor and innuendo; proabably the same junk that many of us had been saying in private for years. Except mj was enver convicted of any of it, and what pk did was slander him. the jackson family, always opportunistic, should jump all over this with a defamation suit.

[amoment]

Didn't Elvis marry a 13 or 14 year old? Perhaps some of you heard that Elvis was a pedophile but either I never heard it or have forgotten. Also, Peter King has to remember that all of this about Michael Jackson is not about memoralizing him... it is about making money. Lots of people made money from his fame and pain and continue to do so even in death. If King wants to speak out on something he should speak out about how over the top capitalism is.

[MotherTrucker]

Michael Jackson did more for charity than Peter King could ever accomplish.

Who is really backwards here? You, a disabled marine are complaining that Jackson has received love and attention from his fans that were actually sad that he lost his life early (yes, 50 is too early to die, IMHO).

Yes, we should honor those who sacrifice their lives for others. MJ devoted his life to various charities and services. But I guess that will never be good enough for you.

King didn't "stand up and speak the truth". He babbled about tabloid rumors that were never found to be truths. If you actually cared about truth, you would see the fact surrounding the cases. MJ was never found guilty of anything and his accusers were proved to have tried to extort money from him (first case successfully settled for money even though they couldn't prove anything happened).

I suggest getting better informed before you make such comments. And I agree with your last point. Except, add "truth and facts" to your "Morals/priorities" and you will be better off.

I know, adding silly facts to republican talking points is an oxymoron. lol

[PWM]

Good point. MJ didn't send over 3000 of our young men to die in a useless and immoral war.

[ObamAtomic]

You are ? msk325,
Take your complaints to next table,a Bush aide will be with you shorty.
:)

[ObamAtomic]

Can you handle the truth?
"Those who make the ultimate sacrifice by dying while"
Chenney was building his little house of horror?
Why you hate MJ?

[lwilkerson50]

He should be complaining about Cheney and any others who justify the war and that want to keep troops over there.

[RiceStarz]

As the media bangs on about what killed Michael, we all know that a broken heart did.

http://www.thesilencedtruth.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=65&Itemid=59

http://www.usnewslink.com/framedjackson.htm

Please spread these links to Kings office, the Media and to every TR@// who dares disparage Michaels image on this very sad day of international mourning.

Thank you

[topkatnc]

I was blown away with the kindness of MJ...Thank­s for the links...MJ gave more than he got...RIP.­..

[RiceStarz]

http://www.thesilencedtruth.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=65&Itemid=59

Please read and pass along, especially flood King's inbox with this link. Send to the MSM and strongly suggest that they cover Michael's contributions to humanity beyond his music.

[pickensc]

Thank you for posting the links. You MUST know that the MSM has always known this though, but they know it doesn't sell as well as the trash they print instead

[LeftCoastLarry]

This is a fun story. It has always amazed me how the right-wing­-lunatic-f­ringe manages to politicize EVERYTHING!

[personalpolitical]

Hahahahaha

[BPCentrisAmerican]

King always crosses the line, he's one of those politicians who's big face is always in the camera, which isn't always a good thing. He could have made his point without bashing a rock icon, regardless of his own feelings. I thought MJ was weird to, so does a lot do people, but I've heard anything that harsh as what King said, he never knows when to shut up. The fact is this a huge problem with GOP politicians trying get noticed lately.

[idisVA]

King can kiss his seat goodbye - a for a statewide office, not in my lifetime