Posted on 02/17/2010 3:05:13 AM PST by BIOCHEMKY
The guy who put populist politics on the charts with a song title "Pink Houses" John Mellencamp performed at the White House last week, as part of a program titled: "In Performance at the White House: A Celebration of Music from the Civil Rights Movement."
The Rock-and-Roll Hall of Fame member sang the song "Jim Crow" with veteran folkie Joan Baez -- as well as a terrific song version of "Keep Your Eyes on the Prize" -- on a night that also featured performances by Smokey Robinson, Natalie Cole, Yolanda Adams, the Five Blind Boys from Alabama and Bob Dylan, among others.
That was powerful company, but Mellencamp was up to it.
For the past quarter century, he has been penning and performing smart, often very political songs -- focusing on the farm crisis, economic hard times and race relations. He's been a key organizer of Farm Aid and other fund-raising events for good causes, and he's been a steady presence on the campaign trail in recent years, appearing at the side of numerous Democratic presidential candidates, including Barack Obama.
So, could Mellencamp perform in the U.S. Senate?
Could he be the right replacement for retiring Senator Evan Bayh, D-Indiana?
Forget the blah-blah-blah about celebrities in politics. We crossed that bridge decades ago.
The question is whether this celebrity makes the right connections with this state.
Mellencamp certainly has the home-state credibility. Few rockers have been so closely associated with a state as Mellencamp with Indiana.
Mellencamp has a history of issue-oriented political engagement that is the rival of any of the Democratic politicians who are being considered as possible Bayh replacements.
And Mellencamp has something else. He has a record of standing up for disenfranchised and disenchanted working-class families in places like his hometown of Seymour, Indiana.
In other words, he's worthy of the consideration that has led to talk of a "Draft John Mellencamp" movement. In fact, he might be just enough of an outlier to energize base votes and to make independent voters look again at the Democratic column.
Mellencamp's not making any campaign moves.
He's a savvy player who has been around power politics for a long time -- he counts Bill Clinton as a pal -- and he's smart enough (and humble enough) to know that the leap from rock star to senate candidate is a long one.
But John Hall, the songwriter and leader of the band Orleans, is now a two-term Democratic congressman from New York.
And the Republicans have run more than a few actors for jobs like senator, governor and even president.
Notably, President Ronald Reagan's 1984 reelection campaign wanted to use the song "Pink Houses" at campaign events. And John McCain's 2008 presidential campaign did indeed use it, even as Mellencamp explained that the Arizona senator might not fully "get" the point of the song about working families living on the backroads of America.
So Mellencamp has already crossed some partisan and ideological lines.
That's more than can be said for most Senate prospects -- be they Democrats or Republicans.
Populist, my ass. Mellencamp has shat all over his small-town working class roots. The guy is a total ass to “little people” and interviews like a, dare I say it, like a retard. He certainly hasn’t written any good songs in 25 uears, and if you look at his friends mentioned in the article, he would be quite the enemy to Hoosiers and all Americans. As a person he is not very likeable, and in the political area he is a gold-plated moonbat moron.
However, looking at the current Senate, not just the junior Senator from Minnesota, the bar is set very low, so he would fit right in. There are enough morons in Bloomington and other cities to eek out a win, perhaps.
The slide continues ...
Love his music. Hate his politics. The New "Dixie Chick"?
John, don't fight Conservatives, because Conservatives Always Win!
He didn't make it. Actually, the Democrat central committee thought the field was clear for them to make a decision on a candidate there being NO ONE having the requisite number of signatures.
Boy were they surprised when they woke up and there she was ~ Mrs. DIppolito had magically obtained all that she needed as the Sun rose into the sky!
This will probably play out over the next few months. Some Democrat will pay off her back rent, tidy up her lawsuits, find Mr. Dippolito ~ wherever he might be ~ and all will be well and she'll drop out of the campaign. Then the Central Committee will appoint a candidate.
Or, maybe not. This ol'gal has it in her power to put a Republican Senator into office, in which case I would imagine some Republican will pay off her back rent, gidy up her lawsuits, find Mr. Dippolito, and all will be well and she'll campaign like a trouper.
I know that we live in a celebrity-oriented culture, but the Dems seem particularly vulnerable to falling in love with a celebrity on the first mention of a possible candidacy. Come to think of it, Obama was a lot like that. Then you wake up the following morning & have to chew your arm off...
Just what we need, another rock star candidate.
As if we really need another mellenhead in Congress...
It’s not a matter of corruptibility, he is a moron with nary a thought in his head, much less an independent thought. He would be a lock-step lemming for whatever the Dim leaders wanted (another Julia Carson).
Mellencamp couldn’t independently order from a restaurant menu.
Cougar is an extreme leftist and probably even to the left of Obama.
If people want a lefty singer, songwriter who has some actual talent they should draft John Prine. As a writer of lyrics he vastly exceeds a whole trainload of John “Cougar” Mellencamp types.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0z1wNrPHGlQ
That was my first thought.
Johnny Cougar for Senator? I’d rather have Keith Richards.
Yeah, but his wife is smokin...!!!
Writing music is at least one more thing than Obambi can do.
Using the Obama standard I think lefty Mellencamp is over-qualified to be a Senator.
I went to one of his concerts about 15 years ago, and was not too far from the stage.
No sooner did his concert start than he started railing against corporate sponsorship, saying that the signs around the pavilion were not his and that he would never sell out and go “commercial”.
I yelled at the top of my lungs: “Hey John, what color is your limousine?!” That got a pretty good chuckle from everyone around me.
Fast forward a few years, and he’s selling Chevys.
It would be great if Mellancamp was the RAT nominee. Someone with T party support would clean his clock in an election.
The Midget from Minnesota and Mellencamp could sing duets.............
Hey Pauly! Have you seen the video linked at #53?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.