Voters and the Boss

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Do Democratic primary voters in Pennsylvania or Indiana care about the political endorsements of celebrities -- even working-class icons like Bruce Springsteen? I wonder. Springsteen will probably stage a bunch of concerts- slash-Obama rallies in the fall. He did this for Kerry in '04, of course, and look what happened. Maybe he has a certain influence. Not with the serious Pennsylvania dumbasses (i.e., the racist flannel-shirt rubes in the "Alabama" sections of the state) but maybe with the 50-something middle-classers who bought his records and cassettes in the '70s and '80s.

"At the moment, critics have tried to diminish Senator Obama through the exaggeration of certain of his comments and relationships," Springsteen said on his website. 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."

comment #1

MDOC says ...

Just checking in with an update from PA. We used to respect Springsteen for his working class NJ roots. But then in 1996 we figured out what "Born in The USA" really meant and that was that. There's only one celebrity whose opinion we could trust, Number 5, The Intimidator. But once Dale died, we try not to think about the complex issues. We just pray and shoot our guns.

comment #2

BurmaShave says ...

Springsteen for Senate used to be a joke. Now it's not. He needs to do something he's absurdly eloquent for a person of his type. Usually they're wishy-washy and inarticulate about their art but he's wham-bam and tells it like it is.

I'm also interested to hear more about Springsteen describing Obama as having a vision of America he described in his music.

comment #3

Mgmax says ...

We should just fucking nuke Pennsylvania.

comment #4

Richardson says ...

Is there really somebody going to a Springsteen concert who doesn't know that he's going to support any Democrat running? Are there real people in the world who have been holding out this long, only to be overwhelmed by the sheer rhetoric power of Bruce Springsteen's endorsement?

Depending on Bruce Springsteen to win over the working class.. has that ever worked for the Democrats?

comment #5

MDOC says ...

Mgmax,

Considering Pennsylvania has voted Democrat in the last 4 presidential elections, the state should probably be of some use to the folks here. But since they are leaning towards the wrong Democrat, the state is full of rubes and idiots. Forget PA Obama supporters, it was a done deal from the start, mainly due to the enormously popular Govenor Ed Rendell's early support for Clinton and demographics (PA's huge elderly population). Don't forget, Hillary's dad played football for Penn State, plus he was a Republican. So don't nuke us please, Jeff will be singing our praises come general election time as we do our part to stop the villainous John McCain.

comment #6

iamanerd says ...

Raised in Alabama, so I'm pretty sure Jeff meant the "Mississippi" part of Pennsylvania!

comment #7

iamanerd says ...

Raised in Alabama, so I'm pretty sure Jeff meant the "Mississippi" part of Pennsylvania!

comment #8

corey3rd says ...

Who is John Cafferty supporting?

comment #9

alynch says ...

Is Jeff just randomly throwing together words that bother him and using them to describe people who disagree with him? Dumbasses! Racist! Flannel Shirt! Rube! Alabama! Don't forget cretin, Jeff.

comment #10

Zimmergirl says ...

MDOC rules.

comment #11

MrClever says ...

These people are dumbasses for not being weak-willed enough to be influenced by what a singer has to say? This is an outrageous statement to make. Perhaps it's because I just woke from a nap and haven't put on my prescription-strength cynicism-ignoring glasses.

If someone has a substantive, seriouis reason for not wanting to support Sen. Obama, then they're a rube and a dumbass? And I've read on this site that the Clinton campaign has been called a venomous, vicious collection of vipers. How is this attitude any different?

comment #12

Craptastic says ...

Wow.

comment #13

Jeremy Smith says ...

The Intimidator was #3.

comment #14

Walter Sobchak says ...

Jeffrey Wells - the one-man living, breathing example of how Democrats manage to lose presidential elections.

"If we're going to win back the White House, we really need to make a stronger effort to win the votes of those gun-toting, bible-waving, pickup truck-driving rural hayseeds".

comment #15

Craptastic says ...

Is anyone else watching Uma on Letterman? She's gone nutso. When did she start talking like a 1940's actress? I keep waiting for her to say "Daaaaaling".

comment #16

christian says ...

Well, it's an uphill battle with a thoughtful audience question like this from the PA debate:

"I want to know if you believe in the American flag."

And God, Apple Pie, Sports, Money and TV.

comment #17

thegreatmags says ...

! don't you EVER talk about BRUUUUUCE!

comment #18

Movie Watcher says ...

Springsteen supporting Obama, not that big a surprise. MDOC, who gives a shit about nascar? Why do you watch cars go around in a circle? I'd rather watch the grass grow. Pennsylvania will go to Hillary, unfortunately. Obama just can't win the the 'Alabama' part of the state. Springsteen's endorsement won't equal too many votes.

comment #19

Movie Watcher says ...

sorry about the extra 'the'...watching nascar screwed me up!

comment #20

Mgmax says ...

I mean, what the fuck, people? What are we doing letting a state full of racist hicks like this pick our presidents anyway? What did they ever do for democracy?

comment #21

Rich S. says ...

Sometimes I wonder which outcome of the election would make this website more entertaining.

If McCain wins, Jeffrey will just chalk it up as Bush III and the triumph of Gorilla Nation and quickly lose interest. So that's no fun.

If Hillary wins, then Jeffrey will burst into flames and rage, rage against the dying of the light. But I think this will only last a couple months, unless Obama continues to act as the loyal opposition, in which case Jeffrey may stay interested a little longer.

The most interesting outcome would be an Obama victory. Because no matter how smart or prepared Obama is, we aren't heading into a "golden age" any time soon, and President Obama will be taking quite a bit of heat for at least the first year of his administration.

Will Jeffrey stay invested enough in his chosen one to actually stick by him and defend him? I'm sure he will take great offense to the first few media assaults, but how long will that last? And what if Obama actually does screw something up, if for no other reason than because his inexperience? Will Jeffrey admit the mistake, or try to pass blame?

Fascinating stuff for the denizens of HE.

comment #22

p.Vice says ...

Burma, the full implication of Springsteen's statement should be obvious -- "meet me in the land of hope and dreams". Springsteen has always written about the clash between reality and illusion that is distinctly embedded in the American way of life (particularly the "blue-collar" class), and Obama is the first candidate in a long time who has broached the idea of uniting the promises imbedded in political rhetoric with frank talk about the reality of our current state of affairs and what it's going to take to turn things around.

I seriously doubt this "endorsement" will affect a lot of votes, but Springsteen's agenda has always been to lead by example, and rational-minded political engagement, regardless of affiliation, is definitely something we need more of.

comment #23

chicbn872 says ...

Wow, now that I know I am a "gun-toting, bible-waving, pickup truck-driving rural hayseed", I definitely will vote Democrat in November. I'll also tell all the people I grew up that still live in PA, who I assume are "gun-toting, bible-waving, pickup truck-driving rural hayseeds", to vote for Obama for sure now. Once I tell them that an elitist leftie insulted them, I'm sure they will see it the elitist left way.

comment #24

Dave Polands Gut says ...

Anyone that thinks Bruce Springsteen will effect anyones vote is delusional.

These Hollywood far lefty's live in a fantasy world where they think they can effect anything.

Really Boss? Thats your views on war, economy, healthcare? Seeing as you are really educated and give more than 50% of your wealth to charity we must believe u. LOL

comment #25

gruver1 says ...

Wells to Craptastic & Walter Sobchak: Only on HE discussions do guys like you say, "Whoa...did you just coarsely and bluntly describe the racist leanings of the Pennsylvania knuckle-dragging lunchbucket set...the ones who live in the working-class towns in the center and western regions of the state? Wow...how could you do such a thing, even if they exist?" Lots of people out there have called a spade a spade. Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell said "there are some folks in our state who are going to have trouble voting for a black candidate." SNL's Tracey Morgan said, "We live in a racist country...the end." But the news show chatterers never just SAYTHIS, and after a while we get to thinking it's about this, that or the other thing. It's not always adult or admirable to mince words and tapdance around the truth of the matter. But only on HE talkbacks do people say, "My God...you can't say that about Pennsylvania's working people!" Trust me, there are such things as blind spots, as people who have not developed themselves with higher education, as things like resentment, rigid thinking, dipstick tribalism and, yes, bitterness.

comment #26

bb says ...

I'm just happy that the Boss came out with his endorsement so I could finally make my decision.

It takes a really, really smart person to heed the political advice of a "classic" rock act.

comment #27

alan says ...

Is it just me, or did p.Vice just type something thoughtful, eloquent, and -- wowzers -- positive?

comment #28

Fred Mounts says ...

Alan, it's not just you. I almost passed out.

And Jeff is bringing up higher education again?

comment #29

Rich S. says ...

Thanks for giving my earlier post such careful consideration, Jeffrey. By the way, Tracy Morgan's name does not have an "e" in it. Though, oddly enough, Tracey Walter's does!

comment #30

Josh Massey says ...

Wait, did you just call Barack Obama a spade?

comment #31

goodvibe61 says ...

PVice basically hit the nail on the head.

For those uninitiated with Mr. Springsteen's writing, suffice to say that remarkably few American artists of the past 25 years have addressed the notion of exploring the ideals that form the foundation of our country vs. the realities that individuals and our communities actually go through. His is as unique and fascinating an American vision as I've seen in my adult lifetime. Certainly his work has earned him the right to throw in his two cents on the election.

Somewhere up in this thread a couple people inquired about what Springsteen meant when he said that Obama has "the vision of America" that Springsteen has described in his music. I'd just say that the evidence of this is explicit in a majority of the records that Springsteen has released throughout his career, and that if you're interested you would undoubtedly discover those similiarities if you ever decided to give his work a listen or two.

Peace!

comment #32

SaveFarris says ...

"Will Jeffrey admit the mistake, or try to pass blame?"

Are you kidding?!? Obama could set fire to the Bill of Rights and Jeff would say it's Bush's fault for not properly fortifying the National Archives Building.

comment #33

DavidF says ...

Digging the Brucelove from p.Vice and Goodvibe61.

Until 2004 Bruce's "vision" was always implicit rather than explicit--until finally he had enough. The Vote for Change move failed in terms of ousting Bush and to that extent I'm not sure why Springsteen felt compelled to throw his hat in the ring this time.

That said, he has been consistent in what he believes America can be, as others have already said here, and I think he's earned the right to say, "I think this guy can make it happen."

Can I paste a quote to prove it? Yeah, I can:

My father said "Son, we're lucky in this town,
It's a beautiful place to be born.
It just wraps its arms around you,
Nobody crowds you and nobody goes it alone
You know that flag flying over the courthouse
Means certain things are set in stone
Who we are, what we'll do and what we won't"

It's gonna be a long walk home...

comment #34

bents75 says ...

As someone who currently resides in the greater Philadelphia area, I'd have to say Wells' Alabama generalization is undeniably true.

Forget everyone inbetween Philly and Pittsburgh - I'm of the opinion anyone in the Pittsburgh area also has just as much of a rube-like inclination.

Shit, there are too many people in the Philadelphia area that fit this mold for my taste. I went to Penn State and it's a relatively small liberal college town of about 10 square miles, completedly surrounded for hundreds of miles in every direction by the most back-country weird ass bumpkin folk you're liable to meet anywhere in this country. Needless to say, you don't venture very far from town unless you have a really humorous reason for doing so.

There's just nothing out there but woods, mountains, farms, and the occasional Walmart.

comment #35

Josh Massey says ...

The most prejudiced and closed-minded people are always the first to accuse others of being prejudiced and closed-minded.

comment #36

Mgmax says ...

Robert Scheer attempts to counteract the view of Bay Area liberals as condescending snobs who think the flyovers are too stupid to understand their own interests:

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/04/15/EDHF1060SL.DTL

comment #37

Rich S. says ...

Good article, Mgmax. Scheer settles it. I'm definitely not voting for Bush/Cheney in '08.

comment #38

rocco_d says ...

It's time Jeff answers for his unflinching hatred for the common man. I can see the Digg headline now "LA blogger hates white people". That should get a nice run-up to the front page, no?

I'm sure Jeff will delete this quickly, but I might as well put it out there...

I may not know you personally, Jeff, but you can add me to the list of people who've written you off for good. Ask yourself, how many times has this happened in the past few years...how many people have you alienated? Do you think that's normal? Ever question the commonality in all of your shattered relationships?

You are a walking, talking contradiction. You call yourself liberal, but you hate the common man. You call yourself an environmentalist, yet you drive a CO2 producing beast from the stoneage because what it really comes down to is behaving however you like while convincing yourself you're a good and thoughtful person.

I can't really say if you're a good person in real life, but if your blog truly is a window to your soul then you're nothing but a bitter, narrow-minded , wannabe aristocrat. Bigot and hypocrite are adjectives that go without saying.

Those quotes you display at the top? They read like awkward entries in a yearbook from someone who didn't really like you but wanted to say something nice. Nearly everyone of them has a qualifier...it's very sad. Why are you so unhappy?

I used to recommend you as one of the most interesting and insightful places on the web...that stopped when you ceased being a journalist and became a whiner and gossip monger. Now this is just a place for you to rant and regurgitate your vile outlook on life.

For the past year or so there's been nothing compelling beyond my own sentimentality and the strength of your commenters that makes this site worth reading...these forces are not enough to overcome the repetitive, rote misery that now exists in everything you write.

Thanks for banning me, Jeff, and waking me up. I sincerely hope you start living and stop stewing in your little mousehole. You've become the underground man, the caricature that Dostoevsky invented 150 years ago. Congratulations.

Ciao.

comment #39

christian says ...

"The most prejudiced and closed-minded people are always the first to accuse others of being prejudiced and closed-minded."

That's almost as logical as saying those who despise child molesters are themselves child molesters at heart.

Try again. This time, use thought.

comment #40

T. S. Idiot says ...

Meanwhile, back in the reel world, Dave Kehr and his followers take Tom O'Neil to task for daring to be a moron:
http://www.davekehr.com/

comment #41

christian says ...

O'Neil proved himself to be a genuine fool with his bizarro diss of SUNRISE. But then, a guy who puts TITANIC and PEGGY SUE GOT MARRIED in his top ten list might not get SUNRISE. Of course, Coppola would.

comment #42

Arizona Joe says ...

Wells is right about the gun totting, Nascar loving people in the main. But it's not just in Pennsylvania. It's in my native Ohio, and here in suburban Phoenix. It's the "What's the matter with Kansas" phenomenon with powerless people or even middle class citizens voting against their own self-interest.

I have attended several Springsteen concerts, one in Pennsylvania, and even met the man briefly. But in 2008, Springsteen's music is irrelevant, especially to young people, and I find that the long, epic songs do not age well. Some songs like "Bad Lands" and "Promised Land" I still like very much, but they are exceptions.

I thought during the Kerry campaign he was inefficacious. Maybe that had more to do with Kerry. However, I think the real problem is that Springsteen did more playing than talking about issues.

I think if he buttressed "Promised land" with addressing the candidate and the issues, like he did on his website, that might be effective.

What Bruce needs to do is to rehearse his campaigning, if he is going to do any effectively, i.e., do some calculated, anecdotal rhetoric about Obama, and then launch into an impassioned song, like he does in his stage act.

The military is about to come apart at the seams from overwork in Iraq, and that will surely happen if some foreign power becomes aggressive. The subprime meltdown will cause a deep recession or worse. The dollar is worth less than it ever has. There is evidence of global warming, and a comity of nations who believe the truth of it. Oil is $110 a barrel, with a concomitant global food shortage that has real lifestyle consequences for the breadbasket of America and outward.

This all happened during a Republican watch. The emperor has no clothes. The wizard is a feckless, craven man behind a screen. America as we know it no longer exists. The neocons, mainstream conservatives and the Republican Party did this. Why this is not patently evident to both the dipsticks and educated people, I don't know.

I think neither Obama nor Mrs. Clinton have all the answers. However, the modus operandi of the country has to change, or people and events outside this country are going to mandate changes on us.

John McCain's idea to pander a gasoline tax cut to encourage us to buy more of the terrorist's resource does not herald progressive thinking.

comment #43

Edward says ...

Hey, this is a political discussion, if ya want to talk movies go somewhere else.

comment #44

Josh Massey says ...

Christian, if you couldn't see how my comment fit into this discussion, I'm not going to hold your hand and explain it to you.

comment #45

Richardson says ...

"But only on HE talkbacks do people say, "My God...you can't say that about Pennsylvania's working people!" "

I'm guessing that has more to do with the fact that, other than posting here, you only interact with people who have their head buried up Hollywood's ass and, thus, don't think there's anything wrong with being condescending towards people like that.

comment #46

goodvibe61 says ...

Regarding the way that Mr. Springsteen's art reflects the ideals of Mr. Obama, one of the things that clicked to me was a performance Bruce gave a few years back.

You might remember it. It was about 10 days or so after the towers fell. It had been announced there was gonna be a benefit, put on by movie stars and rock stars, for the people directly devastated by the attacks. I remember thinking about the potential for this "event" to be a bunch of self serving garbage.

The evening of the show my family and a bunch of friends sat down to watch it. When the show started, there was no intro, no opening explanation of what the show was gonna be. All that happened was there was the black screen changing to a shot of the twin towers and the statue of liberty, then it cut to the darkened soundstage. The lights came up, and it was Springsteen, who performed this, which as I've watched the campaigns develop this winter I've thought is an excellent example of why Mr. Obama has sighted Mr. Springsteen on the campaign trail:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zld2cSIVUO4

The sense of utter loss, combined with the idea of a rebirth, or a rising up from the ashes. It was, is, and will continue to be a message that I believe we'll always hear from these two guys..

comment #47

christian says ...

Is America ready to listen?

comment #48

rr3333 says ...

Bruce for VP

comment #49

Mgmax says ...

The good news is, the instant Obama is elected the economy will miraculously rebound and the security situation in Iraq will become more nuanced. It'll say so in The New York Times!

comment #50

Mgmax says ...

"The sense of utter loss, combined with the idea of a rebirth, or a rising up from the ashes. It was, is, and will continue to be a message that I believe we'll always hear from these two guys.."

I remember hearing it at the end of Wagner's Ring cycle, too.

comment #51

Walter Sobchak says ...

Sobchak to Wells:

With some due respect, I'm fairly certain you missed my point. What I meant to do was point out the electoral difficulties faced by a group of people, (such as yourself and many "liberals") who have the attitude, "we really need to win over and gain the support and enthusiasm of people who are stupider and less sophisticated than we are....we've got to befriend the hayseeds!"

BTW,
Tracey Morgan also said "My name is Brian Fellows!" That doesn't make it true.

comment #52

tommysunshine says ...

So the inhabitants of Planet Burma Shave are dreaming of Bruce Springsteen running for Senate. Given Burma thought that the failure of Hudson Hawk was down to the end of the cold war, what will be the boss's policy on Iraq? To bombard Baghdad with DVDs of Striking Distance?

comment #53

Titus Pullo says ...

"Raised in Alabama, so I'm pretty sure Jeff meant the "Mississippi" part of Pennsylvania!"

I think Ed Rendell described some of the rural areas as being like Alabama, probably where Gruver got that.

I like Springsteen, but not his music, I need a bigger visceral punch from rock music. His support isn't gonna do Obama any good, I mean seriously. In defense of 'regular guys', it's pretty hard to be smart in a country in which you have a media engaged in a relentless campaign to keep this country mired in stupidity. Last night's debate is example # 1,0034,401.

comment #54

lawrence20086 says ...

He looks so familiar. I saw his profile on the celebrities dating site Wealthy Kiss.c o m last week. It's said he is interested in dating hotties on that site!

comment #55

Spicer says ...

I am a moderate, a registered independent. When I hear guys like Limbaugh say liberals are elitists who hate the very people they say they champion, I think he is full of hot gas. And then I read the comments on here and it would suggest he is actually right about that.

comment #56

Jimmycrackcorn says ...

Sobchak says: "What I meant to do was point out the electoral difficulties faced by a group of people, (such as yourself and many "liberals") who have the attitude, "we really need to win over and gain the support and enthusiasm of people who are stupider and less sophisticated than we are....we've got to befriend the hayseeds!""

I think you've got Jeffrey all wrong. He doesn't want to win over or befriend the hayseeds. He wants the Democrats to repudiate the "bubbas" in the red states completely, at which point all the elitists in the blue states will feel proud that the Dems have finally spoken the truth about the racist droolers and get out there and win the election without any red-state help.

comment #57

Rich S. says ...

Jimmycrackcorn, you're almost there. I don't have the time to find the post, but at one point, Wells was half-seriously advocating the secession of the "Blue States." He does not care a whit about the "regular guy." He wants to create some kind of progressive Democrat utopia with Obama as its god-emperor.

comment #58

Josh says ...

OMG!

The Boss backed a far left liberal candidate?????

who would have guessed!!

comment #59

Josh says ...

Spicer says ...
I am a moderate, a registered independent

Honestly, moderate? A moderate to what exactly? Is it because you dont have the stones to actually think for yourself and take a position?

Find me next time you're at Barnes and Noble the book "Best Moderates in American History"

comment #60

Mgmax says ...

How many people did moderates kill in the 20th century, compared to hard leftists?

comment #61

bozance says ...

Let's give a tip of the hat to Danny Federici... best wishes to friends and family

comment #62

bozance says ...

Let's give a tip of the hat to Danny Federici... best wishes to friends and family

comment #63

bozance says ...

Let's give a tip of the hat to Danny Federici... best wishes to friends and family. Bummed.

comment #64

bozance says ...

Let's give a tip of the hat to Danny Federici... best wishes to friends and family. Bummed.

comment #65

bozance says ...

sorry, I will never post again.

comment #66

christian says ...

Sorry to see you go, rocco. But I feel your pain.

And any voter who would go from Nader to McCain is not one who has a real clue. Even "moderate" Dems who would for McCain and keep the disastrous GOP policies in motion are operating under some whacked priorities.

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