punk goes way back before then. like early to mid sixties
i have over 3500 albums and specialize in psych and punk from all over the world, and even then political rants leaked into their songs. check out the sonics from seattle area.
p.s. although you were more likely to get a social message as opposed to political.
While there was some "Poor boy born in the rubble" tough guy, cops are down on me, type lyrics in the Standells songs, the Standells didn't write their songs, Ed Cobb (of the Four Preps) did.
There was a Rolling Stones, bad boy, stance adopted by a lot of bands in the mid 60s. Genuine political protest came later (and many of the songs from that era are completly devoid of politics, apart from maybe free sex and drugs).
The Monks included a stray comment about Vietnam in the lyrics of Black Monk Time but they were American ex-GIs who only played/recorded in Germany. The comment about his "brother died in Vietnam" is really more symbolic than literal, Gary didn't have a brother who died there.
No when you hear discussion of "punk" to far too many people it started in England in the 1970s or else they are talking about hardcore punk. It's like trying to say that "Heartbreak Hotel" and "In The Year 2525" are both "rock and roll". They may both be "rock" songs but they aren't both "rock and roll". The roll is gone in the hippy tune.
As difficult as it is to find a solid political (and especially leftist, say "Great Society" booster) content in mid-60s songs, it is virtually non-existant in 1950s rock and roll (especially wild rockabilly which is the punk of the 1950s).
The Ramones sure liked 60s garage punk (and they covered some songs) as did the Fleshtones, the Cramps, the Dictators (all New York bands pre-1976 even if it took several years to get albums released).
The New York Dolls were an influence on at least some of those bands and apart from that ill advised commie pose that Malcom Mclaren suggested, they were more about costumed dress (as womens) singing rock and roll (old and new).
Maybe the Stooges were political, maybe not.
The Velvet Underground were leftists, Nico later did some material in concerts that seemed too close to celebrating Nazism.
The Monks (covered over decade later by The Fall) weren't leftists in the modern sense either. One of the members (Eddie) even married a girl who escaped from Eastern Europe. They opposed communism.
Wow! Thanks for waking me up to the new stuff.
Back around '90, I was acquainted with Cecil English, Vancouver producer of Jello Biafra and the Dead Kennedys, and many other new groups. I was fronting production costs for some musician pals{palmy days!).
I like hanging out with musicians - they make me feel responsible and sober!
Personally, I'm a rockabilly and blues man. ;^)
I still want to talk about records some time, I have just been very busy. Please don't sell any good nuggets before letting me make you an offer!