FR EXCLUSIVE: Springsteen Called For Impeachment of President Bush at DC Concert

Kristinn | September 13, 2003 | Krsitinn via Angelwood

[Angelwood]

Rock star Bruce Springsteen called for the impeachment of President George W. Bush at a nearly sold-out concert at FedEx Field just outside of Washington, DC tonight. During the introductions of his back-up band, The E Street Band, Springsteen said of saxophonist Clarence Clemons, "It's time to impeach the president and get a man in there to get us out of this mess." The audience cheered in response.

At a recent concert at Fenway Park in Boston, Springsteen touted liberal comedian Al Franken's new book and encouraged people to read it. In the Spring, Springsteen issued a statement defending the Dixie Chicks after they told a foreign audience that they were "ashamed that the President of the United States was from Texas."

At least Springsteen chose to make his statement about impeaching President Bush in the nation's capital. However, his timing just two days after the nation marked the second anniversary of the September 11 attacks is sure to make his remarks even more controversial than otherwise, especially because the nation's capital was a target.

Springsteen was silent during the eight years of Bill Clinton's presidency: A time when children were gassed and burned to death at Waco; our national security was betrayed to the communist Chinese government in exchange for millions of dollars for Clinton's campaign coffers; and when Clinton lied under oath and obstructed justice in a civil rights lawsuit filed by one of the "little people" that Springsteen champions.

Springsteen's current album and tour are based on the September 11 attacks and he has several songs about the bravery of those who gave their lives responding to those attacks. Springsteen's tour is scheduled to end at the beginning of October with three dates at New York City's Shea Stadium.

[No Dems 2004]

It's not men like Bill Clinton (or Bruce Springsteen) that make us glad that we were born in the USA!

[sauropod]

Most awesome. What instruments?

[freeperfromnj]

We should freep him the next time he's in Asbury Park at the Stone Pony.

[cubreporter]

Guess he was looking for more attention by doing the political thing at his concert instead of some good music.

[sauropod]

Hey Doofus. I have had the honor to stand side by side with Angelwood at many different events.

What have YOU ever done?

[NEW YORKCITYGOPMAN]

As a Republican district leader and State Committeeman for the New York City and NY State GOP organizations, I obviously don't like Bruce Springsteen's politics. He's done some decent things now and then on issues like food banks and hunger and he seems to be a person willing to help individuals who are hurting. But this is the issue: if you know an entertainer has a certain viewpoint and that he or she tends to spout this viewpoint in public, should you pay your money to see him or simply boycott the perfomer?

Since about 1970, I have attended over 300 major rock concerts, covering groups from America to ZZ Top, with many stops inbetween. Most of the shows I have seen have NOT had political outbursts in the middle, but some have, including those by Mr. Springsteen, U2 and The Alarm.

Free speech is NOT the issue. Of course Mr. Springsteen can say what he wants at his shows or elsewhere. But will that fan sitting in nosebleed seats at a Springsteen show ALSO be able to be heard? It is NOT so much a question of free speech rather one of access. If you are famous, if you are rich, if you are a cultural icon, you are obviously going to have more access to the media than the average Joe Blow. That is why Free Republic, to a degree, levels the playing field. I could send this message to one friend, sure, but hopefully many people are now able to read this post, so I am getting SOME access to the public. But not as much as Springsteen can have all the time.

By the way, here is a multiple choice question I have for my Free Republic friends.

If Bruce Springsteen joined either a Free Republic thread
or a conservative chat room on the NET, dealing with
ANY major topic or policy, how long do you think he could hold his own, before he realized he was going, down, down, down and NOT experiencing any Glory Days?

A) indefinitely
B) 1 hour
C) 5 Minutes
D) he knows not to even join becuase he knows he would
get creamed (he's really not terribly bright)

Anyway, I love rock music, the excitement, the music, the energy. I don't always like the politics of some of the performers views on politcal and social issues. I have seen Springsteen live in concert about 10 times. He is a marvelous performer. I am not going to call him a has-been or put down his music because of his iditotic remarks on BUSH or anything else. I go to his shows for the great music, but there is a bit of the lousy politics, too. One could say, I am a very tolerant person, in that I pay money for someone whose politics I don't like. Or maybe, I am a hypocrite. How can you call yourself a conservative, a good American, NEWYORKCCITYGOPMAN, when you pay your hard-earned money to fund such left wing artists as Bruce, U2 and Chrissie Hynde, not to mention the Clash?

So if we like a rock performer, but we don't like his politics, should we go to the shows as I do, or just NOT go? I think, if one has deep principles, as I feel I do, and I know most of my Free Republic friends do, too, maybe we should NOT attend the shows of such artists. And similarly, maybe we should only attend the shows of artists whose views are similar to ours, like Ted Nugent.

In July Springsteen was boasting that a lot of different political views are shared by fans at his shows, and he liked that. I guess he's not saying that now. I'm supposed to see him at Shea Stadium in October, but maybe I should give this one some thought.

[sauropod]

paltalk has been taken over by the muzzies, no doubt about that.

[sauropod]

Sorry Underpants Jim. Your flacking for Godgov and distortion of what actually happened at WACO besmirches anything you have to say.

You are not credible.

[Fresh Wind]

Why listen to crap like springsteen when you can listen to real music?

Why, indeed? Loose Mainspring is just a better than average bar band singer who got lucky. There are so many better choices in music (e.g. Chopin), there is truly no need to waste one's time on this man's junk.

[sully777]

Little bio about Bruce is in order:

He was once another boardwalk hippie-druggy loser destroying the reputation of the once famous Asbury Park. Asbury Park was to NJ as San Fran was to CA in the late 60's/early 70's.

His first album was a cheap rip off of Dylan. His second album was a cheap rip off of Dylan meets Woody Guthrie meets The Coasters. One song Rosalita does not make a musical genius.

He writes songs about his father being a "working man". His father wasn't a working man. In fact, his father was somewhat lazy; his mom supported the family.

He writes songs with misinformation regarding place names in Utah, and Texas, and Louisiana to name a few (eg. "...drive that dusty road from Monroe to Angeline--should be Abilene stupid stoner).

He writes songs about an unobtainable sexual longing for a girl named Mary: His real life sister's name is Mary.

He thinks he is an incarnation of Woody Guthrie: I'd say he's just a woody.

He wrote one or two songs for Southside Johnny's debut album I Don't Want To Go Home. The album was a critical success within the industry thanks mostly to Miami Steve's writing and production. Bruce turns around and steals key musicians (eg. Miami Steve Van Zandt and Max Weinberg) from the SJ's band for his upcoming album Born To Run (which is a weak production at that point). Give you a hint at how important Miami Steve is to Bruce's songwritng "genius", Born In the USA's major hits are written with Steve. When Steve leaves for a solo career Bruce's career begins to deflate rapidly. The album prior to Born In the USA is Nebraska--Bruce's own creation which smell like the red tide in Rumson!

Th upshot of Bruce is a loser that clawed his way to the top. Once at the top he found the personna he carefully crafted with his spinmasters boxed him into a stereotype he sought to create. Bruce begins speaking out on social issues that keep him going to all the "right parties and dinners." Yet, sex drugs/booze, busy schedule of touring, and a failed marriage of his own making sends him falling from the pinnacle of success.

In the end, he is a shadow of his former glory. His recent success is based more on nostalgia rather than talent. He is back to square one--a no-talent rip off of Dylan, Guthrie, Coasters, and Miami Steve who now acts in a little known TV series called The Sopranos.

That's a story you'll never read in People, Time, NewsWeek, and Rolling Stone true that it may be.

[TN4Liberty]

Interestingly, at the Democrat Presidential debate last week, (sponsored by the Congressional Black Caucus), The candidates were asked their favorite song. Dick Gephardt named "Born in the USA" as his favorite. One wonders if that is because he didn't understand the words, or because he did...

[NEW YORKCITYGOPMAN]

There is NOTHING you can say to convince people that this is NOT a patriotic song. It is called Born In The USA, it is sung by Mr. All-America himself, The Boss, so it MUST be a patriotic song. Period! End of Conversation!

It was played at Yankee Stadium on 9/25/01, the first game played at Yankee Stadium after 9/11/01. The Yankees had a wonderful pre-game ceremony that night, and playing Born In The USA was part of it.

I wrote the Yankees to praise them for the ceremony but also suggesting they NOT play BITUSA again at Yankees Stadium because it is really an anti-war, mainly anti-American song, NOT a patriotic song. The Yankees never answered my letter, so I don't know one way or the other if the song is still ever played at Yankee Stadium.

That both Ronald Reagan liked the song in 1984 and Dick Gephardt likes the song today how shows you how easy getting on a bandwagon can be.

People are such sheep, at times!

[freekitty]

What Bruce Springstein says doesn't matter.

[Montfort]

Hey! Ignorance about baseball is not Un-American in the sense that we usually use "Un-American."

Let's not start insulting our fellow freepers who might not all share the same tastes and backgrounds and life experiences.

[LurkedLongEnough]

Bruce Springsteen = Potemkin American.

Potemkin village - NOUN: Something that appears elaborate and impressive but in actual fact lacks substance: “the Potemkin village of this country's borrowed prosperity” (Lewis H. Lapham).
ETYMOLOGY: After Grigori Aleksandrovich Potemkin, who had elaborate fake villages constructed for Catherine the Great's tours of the Ukraine and the Crimea.

[Publius6961]

Having the shallow end of the gene pool impeach the president would be the best thing they could do now.
It might accomplish two things:

Push their credibility into negative figures, including all the morons that were elected to Congress.
And revive, once and for all, the concept of "treason".

[Scott from the Left Coast]

Bruce Springsteen has been a wildly over-rated, very low-talent, buffoon for his entire career.

A friggin' two chord hack with no ability to write real music.

So we care what a "D" rate talent has to say about anything?

[Texican]

Angelwood:
I thank you for "pinging" your D.C. Chapter for the Congressman "Billy Bob". I fully support him even though I am in So. California. I think that he would make a wonderful addition to our Congress.

The very best to you and yours.

Semper Fi
Tommie

[Paul Atreides]

At the time I bought it, I was a teen. I mainly liked it for the songs "Dancing in The Dark," "Glory Days," and "Darlington County."

BTW, to which Dune soundtrack are you referring? I have the soundtracks to Lynch's Dune, the miniseries Dune, and the Children of Dune miniseries soundtrack. :-)

[CGVet58]

Bruce can eat me