Tom Benson is the car dealer who owns the Saints and an increasing number of properties in downtown New Orleans. His star has waxed and waned over the years but right now his public stock is pretty high because of a certain football game earlier this year. I’ve always considered Benson to be a malaka; mostly because of his repeated attempts to get taxpayers to pay for a new stadium for his team. Right after Katrina and the federal flood, Benson seriously considered moving the Saints to San Antonio but it didn’t happen in large part because then NFL Commish Paul Tagliabue recognized a PR nightmare when he saw one. So, we’re inclined to cheer not boo the former Commissioner here in NOLA. Guess I shouldn’t have called him the commish either since it conjures up images of Michael Chiklis when he had a chia pet on his head and I’d rather picture him as Vic Mackey…
Since 2005 Benson’s malakatude seemed to lessen. He stopped demanding a new stadium and kept the team in what many locals call the Sacredome. He hired Sean Payton who brought Drew Brees and eventually a championship to Debrisville. Benson is now older than the Grampian Hills so his grandkid, Rita, seems to be running the business side of the team, which other thanfawning local press coverage has been a big improvement. Tom Benson like most successful car dealers has a rough side: he’s always reminded me of ayat Archie Bunker. I keep waiting for him to call people dingbats and meatheads and I suspect he does so in private along with other cherce epithets. Aw, jeez…
In 2008, the Bensons bought the local Fox station and this is what may have inspired his reversion to serious malakatude. Benson has long been a major contributor to the Republican party, which is par for the course for an NFL owner but now he’s pitching in and helping the loathsomeGlenn Beck with his so called 828 event:
One of the ways that Glenn Beck is raising money is by way of an
auction. He’s auctioning off all kinds of stuff, like a scholarship to
Liberty University, dinner at the Glenn Beck mansion or a lunch date
with Karl Rove.But, there’s one recent addition to the auction
stands out. Tom Benson, the owner of the New Orleans Saints, donated “4
Plaza Level Tickets & Exclusive Pre-Game Field Passes to a New
Orleans Saints NFC South Home Game of Your Choice”Based on how
disgraceful Glenn Beck’s 828 event really is, any reputable business
person or organization should not be helping Glenn Beck raise money for
a book launching event. Moreover, given thatGlenn Beck called Hurricane Katrina victims “scumbags,” the use of The Saints to raise money for Glenn Beck is even stranger.
It’s not strange if you know anything about Tom Benson. He’s a car dealer so he’s used to shaking suckers down and sticking them with vehicles and car notes they can’t afford. He’s also a pro football magnate so he’s used to shaking down politicians to subsidize his team; not to mention raising ticket prices on the fans who love the team, not the owner. Additionally, the Gret Stet has moved way to the right in recent years so shacking up with Beck probably won’t hurt him. It does, however, make him malaka of the week.