As WLA commenter Reg has pointed out, today Bruce Springsteen has declared his support of Barack Obama for President.
So, are we supposed to care who this or that celebrity endorses the presidential race? Of course not! What do you take us for???
Unless it’s The Boss doing the endorsing. (I see the news is on the front page of the LA Times website. Normally I’d be critical of such celebrity-related pandering. But, in this case…[see aforementioned point.])
Actually, Springsteen’s statement, posted at his own website, and bannered at Huff Post, was very thoughtful and articulate. To wit:
LIke most of you, I’ve been following the campaign and I have now seen and heard enough to know where I stand. Senator Obama, in my view, is head and shoulders above the rest.
He has the depth, the reflectiveness, and the resilience to be our next President. He speaks to the America I’ve envisioned in my music for the past 35 years, a generous nation with a citizenry willing to tackle nuanced and complex problems, a country that’s interested in its collective destiny and in the potential of its gathered spirit. A place where “…nobody crowds you, and nobody goes it alone.”
At the moment, critics have tried to diminish Senator Obama through the exaggeration of certain of his comments and relationships. While these matters are worthy of some discussion, they have been ripped out of the context and fabric of the man’s life and vision, so well described in his excellent book, Dreams From My Father, often in order to distract us from discussing the real issues: war and peace, the fight for economic and racial justice, reaffirming our Constitution, and the protection and enhancement of our environment.
After the terrible damage done over the past eight years, a great American reclamation project needs to be undertaken. I believe that Senator Obama is the best candidate to lead that project and to lead us into the 21st Century with a renewed sense of moral purpose and of ourselves as Americans.
“Still at the end of every hard earned day people find some reason to believe…”
By the way, Hillary Clinton just received the backing of Salsa icon, Willie" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen> Colon.
Hmmmm, and if you are not a fan of the “Boss?”
Whaaa? There are people who aren’t fans of the Boss?????
…a country that’s interested in its collective destiny and in the potential of its gathered spirit. A place where “nobody crowds you, and nobody goes it alone.”
Sorry, Boss. I don’t want or need any kind of village to take care of me and mine. We wouldn’t have this bloated welfare government if people took personal intiative. The best thing for the “collective destiny” is for people to work and provide for themselves and their families to the best of their abilities rather than redistributing wealth to lazy non-producers.
Still at the end of every hard earned day…
Just for some.
Perhaps more interesting in the annals of blue-collar blues and political elitism is the report up on Huffington Post and corroborated at New Republic by Alan Wolfe who also heard it, that back in 1995, pissed off at the Gingrich ascension in congress, Hillary – always empathetic – said to a group of political consultants discussing working class southern whites and how to draw some of them back into the Democratic Party, “Screw ’em! We don’t owe them a thing.” And that was as First Lady. It’s possible, of course, that bitter remark was tossed off after a couple of boilermakers. In which case it shouldn’t count.
This is a bit Off Topic, but…
Celeste, have you ever seen Globe Trekker on PBS? I just saw a show on it tonight about LA, and they had a nice segment on it about Homeboy Industries.
have just finished watching the next of the never ending series of democratic debates. obama’s performance reinforced the words expressed by the boss in his endorsement. this is the man who can help our nation at this pivotal time in its history — it truly is time for a change. as i listened to clinton attack obama in typical tired and hackneyed politics-as-usual style — i am certain we not only need but deserve the thought, reason and care barack obama has to offer.
The Boss is the true test of patriotism: if you don’t like The Boss, you don’t like America. With us or against us. End of story.