The Boss on Obama: He's the One

Via Alan Chitlik at Backstreets 

While Hillary Clinton saturates her stops in Pennsylvania and Indiana with the "Small Town" sounds of John Mellencamp--borrowed, mind you, without the blessing of Mr. Cougar himself--opponent Barack Obama this morning secured the backing of the true bard of blue-collar America. (At least according this Garden Stater.)

That's right, ladies and gentlemen: the Boss has finally thrown his red bandanna into the ring.

In a statement posted earlier today to his official website, Springsteen wrote that "Senator Obama, in my view, is head and shoulders above the rest... 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."

Despite decades spent tackling thorny issue of class and race in his lyrics--and decades of gratuitous celebrity endorsements--Springsteen was reluctant, until recently, to participate in the political process. The rocker was initially thrust (unwillingly) into the campaign spotlight in 1984 when President Ronald Reagan praised his then-chart-topping single "Born in the U.S.A." at a stop in Hammonton, N.J. "America's future rests in a thousand dreams inside your hearts," said Reagan, whose staff had already appealed to the Boss's management for his support--and been rebuffed. "It rests in the message of hope in songs so many young Americans admire: New Jersey's own Bruce Springsteen." Unfortunately for Reagan, Springsteen wasn't particularly honored, and at show in Pittsburgh three days later, he introduced "Johnny 99," a song about an unemployed auto worker who turns to murder, with a barbed reference to the Gipper. "The President was mentioning my name the other day, and I kind of got to wondering what his favorite album must have been," he said. "I don't think he's been listening to this one." Still, when Democratic challenger Walter Mondale soon claimed that Springsteen had, in fact, endorsed him, manager Jon Landau denied it and Fritz was forced to issue a correction. It wasn't until announcing his support for John Kerry in 2004 that Springsteen first pumped his first for a Dem.

That said, last time around Springsteen didn't break his silence until August--long after the Democratic race was already decided. What drove him to take a side in this year's Democratic primary? Apparently, the Boss was peeved by the reaction to Obama's controversial comments about working-class voters who "cling to guns or religion"--and, as someone who's spent "the past 35 years" chronicling the bitterness of small-town America (listen to "Born in the U.S.A.," lately?), he felt that his voice could provide a counterbalance. Hence the lines in Springsteen's statement about how Obama's "comments and relationships... have been ripped out of the context and fabric of the man's life and vision... in order to distract us from discussing the real issues." Coincidentally, that's exactly how the Obama campaign--which immediately blasted the Boss's endorsement to reporters--wants the good people of Pennsylvania to view the whole Bittergate debacle.

All of which raises the inevitable question: could Springsteen--a popular performing artist, but a performing artist all the same--actually sway the white working-class types Obama is struggling to win over? I'm going to say no. Sure, as someone raised in the orbit of Philadelphia (albeit on the eastern side of the Delaware), I'm well aware of the Boss's power over the City of Brotherly Love. And compared to Clinton--whose most prominent musical supporter is the rather fancy foreigner Elton John--Obama definitely wins the heartland hero sweepstakes, hands down. But the fact is, very few voters really follow a celebrity to the ballot box--especially not the steel-toe, cheesesteak crowd potentially offended by Obama's remarks. Just ask President Kerry.

That's not to say, however, that there won't be a "Springsteen effect"--only that it'll work on the media, not the voters. With both Obama and Clinton prepping behind closed-doors for this evening's debate in Philadelphia, the cable-news yakkers will have little to do for the rest of the day except obsess over Springsteen's statement--especially the part that casts Obama as the victim and Clinton as the villain for trying to "distract us from discussing the real issues." And as new storylines go, that one certainly doesn't hurt Obama.

Actually, if the folks in Chicago know what's good for them, they'll get the Boss on "Meet the Press," stat. May we suggest a talking point? "I saw the future of politics," he could say, in a twist on Landau's famous line about Springsteen himself. "And its name is Barack Obama."

Will that happen? Doubtful. But I wouldn't be surprised if Clinton stops using the song "The Rising" at her rallies. It's author:

Bruce Springsteen.