Springsteen Calls for Bush's Impeachment (9/15/03)

NewsMax.com ^ | 9/15/03 | Carl Limbacher and NewsMax.com Staff

[kattracks]

Aging rocker Bruce Springsteen added a little political spice to his Washington, D.C., concert at FedEx Field Saturday night when, according to concertgoer accounts, he called for President Bush's impeachment.

"It's time to impeach the president and get a man in there to get us out of this mess," the Boss allegedly roared, according to FreeRepublic.com's Kristinn Taylor, co-leader of the group's D.C. chapter.

Another concertgoer told an online Springsteen discussion group that Bruce "got a little political, which I thought was great, but he definitely seemed to lose a bit of the crowd around me when he suggested we impeach Bush."

Others thought the Boss was merely joking, since he suggested that Bush be replaced by fellow E Street bandmember Clarence Clemons. But Springsteen reportedly followed his impeachment exhortation with complaints about past and present elected leaders who have misled the country.

During a Boston performance this past Wednesday, Springsteen prefaced his rendition of "Born in the U.S.A." with a statement he termed "a public service announcement" about holding our political leaders accountable.

According to the Boston Herald, he closed the show by plugging Al Franken's latest Republican-bashing book.

Last April, Springsteen defended the Dixie Chicks after lead singer Natalie Maines said she was ashamed that President Bush was from her home state of Texas.

"To me, they're terrific American artists expressing American values by using their American right to free speech," the Boss insisted on his Web site.

Read more on this subject in related Hot Topics:
Bush Administration
Media Bias

[ml/nj]

What happened to high crimes and misdemeanors? Now a "mess" is grounds for impeachement?

ML/NJ

[Libloather]

I do not like his music anymore due to his political stance.

Try some Ted Nugent. 'Kiss My Ass' is a great song from the 'Spirit of the Wild' CD. You won't be disappointed...

[putupon]

I typed Springstein.

I meant to type Springsteen

You can't change the way it smelled,
even if you change the way it's spelled.

[Aquinasfan]

Springstein is a liberal loser.

It pains me to agree because he authored my favorite rock album, "The River."

[sgtbono2002]

Fill in the blank. ________ Bruce and the horse he rode in on.

[Wolfie]

Check out "Mansion On The Hill". Tells you everything you need to know about Springsteen.

[Consort]

Springsteen ain't important.

[reagan_fanatic]

Who's Bruce Springsteen?

[Skooz]

I never liked him or his crap "music", from day one. Nice to be right, after all these years.

Ditto. I never understood what all the fuss was about. "The Boss:" give me a break. Music to snooze by.

He's just deperately trying to remain relevent, long after his music is not.

[WillowyDame]

i never understood why people liked his music sooo much!!
why?????????????? it sucks. not just because he spewed this garbage. it just sucks!! Bruce Springstien

give me metallica, led zep, tool, system of down etc ..anyday!!that is musi!! not that boring wimpy thing bruce yaks.

Bruce Springstien sucks!! he has always loved the sound of his voice. mad mag. did a great parody of him in concert. where he would go on and on telling the bored-out-of-their-minds-audience the story behind each song he is about to sing. it was soo funny!

and his opinions REALLY does not matter!he is a drug-head anyway!!

GO AWAY, BRUCE!! YOU AREE SOOOOO OVERRATED!!!!!!!!
YIKES!!!!!!!!

[bankwalker]

How very 9-10...

9/10/2001 was the craziest day in the history of the USA.

[scabbage]

How about we "impeach" a moron who when he sings is barely understandable and looks like he`s got a problem with constipation?

[Junior_G]

This jerk made gazillions playing the patriotic I LOVE THE USA role

I read somewhere that he intended "Born in the USA" as something of a sarcastic swipe at America, and that he was a little amused that patriotic Americans had started treating it like an anthem. I can't validate that since I don't remember where I read that, but food for thought.

[Rummyfan]

Was at the concert..... this moment came when Springsteen was introducing the band and gave a big run up to Clarence Clemons, suggesting he should be the president. Springsteen did not mention the president by name.

Ah never mind.... I can't defend it.

[scabbage]

I think that music critic back in the `70`s should have said "I have seen the future of Rock and Roll and it looks pretty damn pathetic."

Remember when Springsteen was having a very hard time of it when he was starting out? He couldn`t get out of the smaller clubs? It wasn`t until MTV came along and lowered the bar for music quality that he seemed to have "made it." Coincidence? Anyway, I think Bruce is a bit confused here. Vietnam was started, run, and screwed up by DEMOCRATS Bruce, despite how many times liberals want to blame it on Nixon and/or Repulicans. yes, i know idiots like Jane Fonda can`t mention Vietnam without Nixon in the same breath, but I seem to recall it was started in the early `60`s while kennedy was Prez and then it shifted to that bonafide psychotic Johnson. Sort of like putting Gray Davis in power back then.

[sushiman]

You may be right . Look at the lyrics :

Born down in a dead man's town
The first kick I took was when I hit the ground
You end up like a dog that's been beat too much
'Til you spend half your life just covering up

[chorus:]
Born in the U.S.A.
Born in the U.S.A.
Born in the U.S.A.
Born in the U.S.A.

I got in a little hometown jam
And so they put a rifle in my hands
Sent me off to Vietnam
To go and kill the yellow man

[chorus]

Come back home to the refinery
Hiring man says "Son if it was up to me"
I go down to see the V.A. man
He said "Son don't you understand"

[chorus]

I had a buddy at Khe Sahn
Fighting off the Viet Cong
They're still there, he's all gone
He had a little girl in Saigon
I got a picture of him in her arms

Down in the shadow of the penitentiary
Out by the gas fires of the refinery
I'm ten years down the road
Nowhere to run, ain't got nowhere to go

I'm a long gone Daddy in the U.S.A.
Born in the U.S.A.
I'm a cool rocking Daddy in the U.S.A.
Born in the U.S.A.

[sushiman]

" Remember when Springsteen was having a very hard time of it when he was starting out? "

Yea , I remember he played at UCONN in the early 70's and was booed off the stage !

[Clemenza]

It wasn`t until MTV came along and lowered the bar for music quality that he seemed to have "made it."

Springsteen actually sold relatively well, earning muliplatinum status for The River, which appeared in 1980, before MTV. Before being signed to Columbia, he was the biggest club act in New Jersey, my father being lucky enough to catch him in those days.

Despite some good songs (I never thought he deserved the "Boss" rep, however), he was is and always will be an unrepentent lefty. What is it with former Altar Boys anyway?

[scabbage]

Just an extra thought I meant to add; I mention Vietnam because Bruce wrote a lot of songs about that and he seems to think this is the same situation in Iraq. How long was Vietnam? oh yes, about 11-12 YEARS. How long has Iraq been going on? Like Ann Coulter says, when WW2 was going on, did Republicans hound Roosevelt every two seconds saying "Where are the concentration camps? Where are the concentration camps?" Well in Iraq we found mass graves but that don`t count in the eyes of the `rats.

[Junior_G]

Wow. I hadn't actually paid attention to those screeched-out lyrics before. Born in the USA is quite the opposite of patriotic.