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The Who's Pete Townshend: 'I'm a Bit of a Neocon'
Newsbusters ^

Posted on 12/04/2012 8:49:01 AM PST by Sub-Driver

The Who's Pete Townshend: 'I'm a Bit of a Neocon' By Noel Sheppard Created 12/04/2012 - 9:33am

Most rock musicians are typically quite liberal.

Apparently not legendary Who guitarist Pete Townshend who dropped a political bombshell Tuesday saying, "I'm a bit of a neocon" (video follows with transcribed highlights and commentary):

During a six-minute interview with ABC's Jonathan Karl for the joint online program "Spinners and Winners" launched in January by ABC and Yahoo! News, Townshend said he thought Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney was going to win the election earlier this month.

"I thought he was throwing the money in such buckets," Townshend said. "And I thought Obama looked tired--because the hurricane must have come like a sock in the chops. I mean, the actual detail of having to deal with all of that stuff in the middle of a campaign."

"I try to stay away from American politics, I'm a bit of a neocon,' he surprisingly continued. "I like the idea of America as the world’s police force, and then we don’t have to do it."

"When we first started in 1967," Townshend elaborated, "a lot of our buddies were acid-heads who were trying to escape the draft. I felt denied the right in a sense to have a role in the future of the world as a soldier, as a mover, a shaker. When I found music, and I found a new way to speak and to express myself particularly to those young teenagers that we entertained when we started out, that became my politics."

As for the Who's anthem "Won’t Get Fooled Again,” Townshend said it's "an anti-politics song."

(HT The Weekly Standard)


TOPICS: Culture/Society; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
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To: Sub-Driver

Some won’t let go of their obsession with other people’s personal lives.


21 posted on 12/04/2012 10:31:39 AM PST by Revolting cat! (Bad things are wrong! Ice cream is delicious!)
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To: The_Media_never_lie

22 posted on 12/04/2012 10:32:07 AM PST by bmwcyle (Women reelected Obama)
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To: Sub-Driver
Very interesting.
23 posted on 12/04/2012 10:39:12 AM PST by Gay State Conservative (Benghazi: What Did Baraq Know And When Did He Know It?)
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To: ConservativeStatement
Then he said he met Obama, from what I recall: “Radiant, tall, never better looking, strong, well-rested, what you want from a President. My knees buckled meeting him.”

Dave can't be held responsible for this comment.While he was making it he was following,out of the corner of his eye,that cute little 22 year old Late Show staffer that was recently hired.

24 posted on 12/04/2012 10:42:53 AM PST by Gay State Conservative (Benghazi: What Did Baraq Know And When Did He Know It?)
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To: Freeeedooomm

You are wrong. He had no child porn on his computer, never downloaded a single image, and Scotland Yard apologized for the false impression their arrest of him created.


25 posted on 12/04/2012 10:47:40 AM PST by babble-on
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To: SargeK

Not mine


26 posted on 12/04/2012 11:00:34 AM PST by ßuddaßudd (>> F U B O << "What the hell kind of country is this if I can only hate a man if he's white?")
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To: babble-on

Imagine that...a famous celebrity being apologized to by the establishment after being caught red handed.

I bet you think Michael Jackson just liked being around children, right?

“The rock star Pete Townshend was yesterday cautioned by police and placed on the sex offenders register for five years following his admission that he accessed child pornography on the internet.

He was arrested in January as part of Operation Ore, the largest investigation into child pornography in the UK. He admitted using his credit card to access images but claimed they were for “research” for a book.”

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2003/may/08/arts.ukcrime

Did Scotland Yard apologize for making the celebrity confess to the crime?

It is amazing to me that we’re having this conversation. What hold does pop culture have on your minds?


27 posted on 12/04/2012 11:01:13 AM PST by Freeeedooomm
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To: Freeeedooomm

He was indeed working with an anti child porn group at the time. He was trying to prove that the British Banking Association was willing to process payments to child porn sites. He said in advance that he was going to put his card in the site, to prove it. He did so, but did not access a single picture, nor were any found on his computer. He was expecting to be let off completely, but when the day of the hearing came he was given a choice to either accept the “caution” or go to an open trial. The article you cite is wrong in saying that he accessed images.


28 posted on 12/04/2012 12:22:09 PM PST by babble-on
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To: babble-on

I thought he was researching child abuse for his bio. He says he was abused as a kid.


29 posted on 12/04/2012 12:52:11 PM PST by miss marmelstein
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To: ConservativeStatement

““Radiant, tall, never better looking, strong, well-rested, what you want from a President. ...””

Why in hell would we want a President who looked “well rested”?


30 posted on 12/04/2012 1:36:52 PM PST by rhoda_penmark
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To: rhoda_penmark

“Why in hell would we want a President who looked “well rested”?”

Why in hell would should anyone listen to and/or take seriously the political rantings of a comedian?


31 posted on 12/05/2012 3:39:10 AM PST by pieceofthepuzzle
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To: pieceofthepuzzle

Good point. Although calling Letterman a “comedian” is highly charitable. He’s just a sad old un-funny sack of crap these days.


32 posted on 12/05/2012 9:24:31 AM PST by rhoda_penmark
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