Bruce Springsteen endorses Obama for president

Damn, you beat me to it

Yes. God Damn You Brooks Travis!

Have always loved 'The Boss'. Great to see he has impeccable tastes too! :o)

ONE!..............

Like Elton John......Bruce is entertaining.....thank God they don't run anything but their show.
And I'm not so sure they run that either.

Yeah gpnavonod Sir Elton and Bruce have no longevity.

have no longevity

?.....Which means?

Yeah gpnavonod Sir Elton and Bruce have no longevity.

I think it means that neither will go into the records as one of the greatest performers of popular music in history, because their material is shortlived, and time will prove that they sucked as song-writers, as musicians and as artists.

Which is an absurd notion.

As absurd as comparing the "working class hero" Bruce Springsteen to the British sir peacock.

And as futile as attempting to sabotage a voter shift from the use of celebrity power in a crucial stage of the election campaign, when it is done by Bruce Springsteen. He has come to symbolize all that is best about America. He is a genuinely likeable guy. I'd say he is good for more than a handful of votes.

Regardless of whether or not a few nay-sayers declare his artistic contribution to contemporary culture a banality.

In short: It is a definite touch-down.

I think it means that neither will go into the records as one of the greatest performers of popular music in history, because their material is shortlived, and time will prove that they sucked as song-writers, as musicians and as artists.

No it was just sarcasm. They've been around for decades.

jfrank, I actually realized it was sarcasm from your side.

I took the liberty to interpret it, and in doing so I responded to different comments at one time. Hence the confusion :)

He's an entertainer, a peddler of CDs.

That seems a bit dismissive.

I think it is significant if for no other reason than it comes from a man who has devoted his career to telling the stories of small town America.

a man who has devoted his career to telling the stories of small town America.

... and making a quick buck from it.

Sorry, Bruce isn't any more "the American Boy" performer than is John Mellencamp, or Tom Petty, or any other host of great American artists that speak to the message of growing up in the US.

Yes, but he IS a good singer and therefore you should follow his vote regardless of your own intelligence.

This is why I've taught myself to separate politics from entertainers.

This might qualify YOU to lead our country versus anyone else I'm seeing or hearing from. Do you meet the basic qualifications? Can I be your campaign manager?

I was trying to decide who to vote for. Now I know. Thanks Bruce!

:)

and making a quick buck from it.

same could be said about Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity etc. etc. I hope you're equally as dismissive of their endorsements.

This is why I've taught myself to separate politics from entertainers.

Yeah, damn those B rated actors turned politicians.

Sorry, Bruce isn't any more "the American Boy" performer than is John Mellencamp, or Tom Petty, or any other host of great American artists that speak to the message of growing up in the US.

Then who is?

Musicians are often the best voice of whole groups of people. Woody Guthrie connected the Okies with the rest of the US, Loretta Lynn southern Appalachian folks, Britney Spears...no, wait..but you get the idea.

Personally, I don't like "the Boss," but I think he did vocalize for workers in the rust belt in the 70's and 80's and maybe still.

You said it ! GPP I am thinking myself of playing eeny- meany-miney- mo! :-)

It would have been more interesting, more convincing, if he had endorsed Obama (or someone) back when the Democratic field was like 8 or 9 candidates. That's when it would have counted...more. Today it is not so much an endorsement of Obama or his policies in and of themselves as it is:

a) a vote against Hillary, and
b) a statement of the obvious - like, hey, whatcha gonna do?!

I love and respect Bruce. But this rotten electoral system (getting rottener) has got us all down like a dog that's been beat too much.

well, watcha gonna do, Gas Pants; you lay down your money and you play your part...

Yeah. And I tell ya, God have mercy on the man who doubts what he's sure of.

Yeah, I'm just one celebrity endorsement away from changing my vote.

Streisand is still for Hillary!

(Yawn)

a stimulation conversationalist

This was phone sex? ;-)

I think you'd find that true of many artists - if they could communicate that way they wouldn't be driven to do the other. Try talking to Robert de Niro sometime.

Heh......figures. I of course meant stimulating.

They need scripts to follow.

Heh......figures. I of course meant stimulating.

Maybe you didn't notice but I responded to what you meant as well as to your Freudian slip.

Try talking to Robert de Niro sometime.

I did. It was an odd experience. He kept tilting his head, staring at me if I was an ugly stain on his shirt, saying: "You talking to me? You must be talking to me, 'cause there's nobody else in this room".

I admitted I was trying to conduct an interview with him, and he went:

"This is this. This ain't something else. This is this."

I finally gave up and began to pack my gear, my recorder and my notepad. I thanked him for his time. Then he nodded, as if he had just grasped some important insight, and said:

"There is a flip side to that coin. What if you do got me boxed in and I gotta put you down? Cause no matter what, you will not get in my way. We've been face to face, yeah. But I will not hesitate. Not for a second. "

I think method acting has done something to his mind.

Are you talking to me?

I tried to talk to Samuel L. Jackson, he just kept saying

"SAY WHAT AGAIN, I DARE YOU. I DOUBLE DOG DARE YOU . . "

I know 48 different guitar chords

I would say no. Any musician able to reach a large audience is not likely to count the number of chords he knows.

Guessing, I would say you consider yourself a conservative. I say this because your remark "he erases all BO's elitist remarks" is indicative of typical Republican conservative thinking. You seem to be saying that there must a balance sheet for every individual and we must constantly judge worth on that basis.

I thought that was God's job.

Reducing the life of someone "who could look back on a career that had produced one of the best-selling albums of all time, sold-out stadium shows, Grammy awards and an Oscar, and a group of imitators who constituted their own subgenre of popular music"[Billboard.com] to singing, knowing chords, wearing jeans, and not combing hair...well, let's get real.

Singing and songwriting is a powerful synthesis of thought and emotion. To make a career of it requires great effort and dedication. Someone who devotes song after song to the life and trials of a particular class of people will have thought and felt about them a great deal.

When such a person makes a statement about who they think is best for the people they have devoted so much energy to, it means a lot.

Does that qualify me to sway the presidential election?/?????

I think every person in the United States has the right to endorse someone. But hey that's just me.

Funny stuff, these celebrities. "Well, he wrote songs about small towns, so he erases all BO's elitist remarks with his endorsement."

I had a comment about a b movie actor up there. Silly celebrities in politics.

Well, he wrote songs about small towns,

it means he knows how to speak to the small town experience in a meaningful way, FWIW.

But you have to know that if he was a republican, they'd have elected him at least to the Senate by now (see also: Sunny Bono). I personally am not swayed by celebrities' endorsements, I just think they're a neat feather in one's cap; but then again, I'm a democrat, we're used to celebrity endorsements, we view them as like any other celebrity news.

Think about it this way: What a celeb wore to the People's Choice Awards is much higher on the priority list in terms of what I might emulate than whom they support for political office.

but then again, I'm a democrat.

I don't denounce Bruce, just his politics. "You guys" really need to find a way to separate the 2.

I first heard Bruce after disco reared its head. Talk about a breath of fresh rock with all those great R&B and Soul music influences. I rarely 'boycott' an artist just because he/she may be bonkers, in music or film.

Again, because Libs have been in the habit of condemning the person whos politics rankle them, they "see" it in others where it's non-existent. You'll never see me pushing a "big-rock" tax, where overpaid rock stars are forced to give back most of the excess profits.

"Born in the U.S.A." and "Born to Run"

Yeah, great. A song about a Vietnam vet getting a raw deal and one about disaffected youth with no future seeking to escape.

Yeah, great. A song about a Vietnam vet getting a raw deal and one about disaffected youth with no future seeking to escape.

But ain't that America, to borrow from another song.

My favorite is "Meeting Across the River." I used to hang out sometimes on the docks of Hoboken - it says it all in terms of the bittersweet hopes from small, snatched dreams that so many people have.

My favourite is 'Philadelphia'. So beautiful and haunting.

Yeah, great. A song about a Vietnam vet getting a raw deal and one about disaffected youth with no future seeking to escape.

I don't know what kind of america hating idiot would try and use that song in their campaign!

The Ghost of Tom Joad.

I don't know what kind of america hating idiot would try and use that song in their campaign!

I guess that's why the "Born in the USA" album produced seven top ten songs - tied with Thriller and Rhythm Nation for the most in history.

Just noting in passing that this makes him the only white artist to do so.

So un-American.

"Born in the U.S.A." and "Born to Run" for campaign theme songs...

Yeah, ask Ronald Reagan about that.

Have you even heard the entire song?

That's the problem. Too many people not willing to listen to the entire song. The "bitter controversy" being a case in point.

That's the problem. Too many people not willing to listen to the entire song.

That's the problem with people & music in general. People are always willing to trash what they don't listen to. Hip hop = honest.

After all, to me, The Boss himself is somewhat guilty of racial insensitivity with statements like

"Put a rifle in my hand, to go and kill the yellow man."

Are you kidding me, Darro? I am an Asian, if not a Vietnamese. I appreciate The Boss writing and performing exactly those lines. I'd have a beer with him any day. In fact, Bruce Springsteen may be the last white male on Earth I would suspect of wanting to shoot me.

I have to say that you all missed my point. I was addressing the the specificity of a sentence, not the entire song or life of an individual.

This could have been used for ammo in defending Jeremiah Wright.
This could have been used for ammo in defending SENATOR Obama.
This could have been used for ammo in defending any small segment of anyone's speech or life. You see, my point was, we are ALL guilty of insensitivity if you only hear a portion of what we say or if you know only a portion of who we are.

I would venture to guess that I know more about music than 95% of viners and can recite darn near every song The Boss sang. Love his music, love his views, however, he did not grow up with SENATOR Obama and he did not review every word of his future policy, he has not read every vote SENATOR has made, nor its consequences.

He is a musician who likes SENATOR Obama.

I am a painter who likes NONE OF THE ABOVE but thinks (Don't kick me please) SENATOR Clinton is pretty sharp and has more poise than SENATOR Obama. If she divorces FORMER PRESIDENT Clinton I will vote for her.

Now, because you may or may not have seen my paintings, my endorsement doesn't weigh and I'm sad.

Now, because you may or may not have seen my paintings, my endorsement doesn't weigh and I'm sad

Is your work largely about and identifiable with ordinary, working people Americans and specifically their feelings of disenchantment and loss? Because that's where the weight of Springsteen's endorsement lies - not his wealth or celebrity.

Is your work largely about and identifiable with ordinary, working people Americans and specifically their feelings of disenchantment and loss? Because that's where the weight of Springsteen's endorsement lies - not his wealth or celebrity.

Hear, hear Glinda. Perfectly put.

Sadly more are impressed with Sprinsteen's than with Richardson.

You can't really know that to be true. If so, why is that sad?

Seems they are both decent men using whatever temporary power and influence they may have to say something positive about that in which they believe.

Bob Marley would be hated today by a lot of people. Speaking of love, peace. And me oh my, he smoked marijuana.

One Love.

Bob Marley would be hated today by a lot of people. Speaking of love, peace. And me oh my, he smoked marijuana.

You can say that, again, Jfrank. :o(

You can't really know that to be true. If so, why is that sad?

True - I can't really know that but honestly - lets say Bill Richardson was coming to your town and Springsteen was coming to your town on the same day, who do you think will have the larger audience.

The reason it is sad because we are way to obsessed with celebrities and give them way to much credit. Basically it is the difference between listening to a quarterback when calling a football play and listening to an armchair quarterback.

You're right, Kai, but people can tack some importance on because Springsteen sings songs about working-class Americans.

You're right, Kai, but people can tack some importance on because Springsteen sings songs about working-class Americans.

Which baffles me. How gullible are people these days???

Multi-millionaires singing about the small life... working class... the little people. I'm sure he enjoys apple pie and baseball from his mansion just like the rest of us, right?

Please see comment #1

This has nothing to do with celebrity obsession or arrogance. It has everything to do with using your voice in a way you think is responsible and proactive if people will listen to you.

Like majority of my comments involving politics & celebrities.

[1] President RR
[2] Celebrities can vote, actually are people. Just because they are known, doesn't mean they don't care.

[2] Celebrities can vote, actually are people. Just because they are known, doesn't mean they don't care.

Hear, hear. Or they don't have a brain to decide for themselves.

This speaks to the sad state of our country. Mindless (and by and large uneducated) entertainers dabbling in swaying the also mindless sheep of this land towards a political decision that has absolutely nothing to do with the entertainer's job (entertaining).

hey, you sound like an elitist,

I've got just the candidate for you!

Please see comment #1

BEEEEEEEEEP Wrooooong. I hate em both.

hey, you sound like an elitist,

I've got just the candidate for you!

If by elitist you mean a high IQ, and as such can use logical thinking to come to the conclusion that both the dem candidates are dangerous for our country and that I don't like how the mindless sheep in the US are walking off a cliff in a cloud of bong resin... then yes, I'd say you're correct.

cloud of bong resin...

Why would someone burn their bong? Bong resin is typically wet and hard to reach on the inside of a bong. Resin can be found in the bowl, stem, and bong chamber. It only smokes when you burn it.

Maybe you meant 'cloud of resin smoke' or 'cloud of bong smoke.'

"Which baffles me. How gullible are people these days???

Multi-millionaires singing about the small life... working class... the little people. I'm sure he enjoys apple pie and baseball from his mansion just like the rest of us, right? "

You obviously know nothing about Bruce Springstein

If by elitist you mean a high IQ, and as such can use logical thinking to come to the conclusion that both the dem candidates are dangerous for our country and that I don't like how the mindless sheep in the US are walking off a cliff in a cloud of bong resin...

said the guy supporting the party that elects "C" students and actors

Power and influence are not mutually exclusive, but they ARE different.

The thing is,

right wingers just can't stand anybody who's self made.

Oh, they'll wax all kinds of romantic about people who work hard currently and who have no hope of getting rich (see also: cheap labor) but let someone improve their lot in life and jump up a couple of economic classes? That nail sticking up gets pounded back down in short order.

The thing is,

right wingers just can't stand anybody who's self made.

Actually, we're all for self-made success... its the entitlement mentality and welfare handouts that make us see red. (The government-made types).

Actually, we're all for self-made success... its the entitlement mentality and welfare handouts that make us see red. (The government-made types).

frame it however you want,
the fact is, The Obamas are self made, John Edwards is self made, Bill Clinton....

George Bush? Not so much, John McCain? Nah

the former three actually know what it takes for a working class person to better their circumstances exponentially, having done it themselves. Maybe, just maybe they know a little more about it than most people, huh?

easy there with the automatic victim stance, nobody says you're supposed to care, it's just news because you might.

(I wonder why it is only Democrats who get tagged as "elitist" , no matter how lowly their origins, just because they "Made It", while Republicans who grow up in well-heeled, well connected families are spun as "down to earth" if they clear some brush on their multi-acre ranches....)

Too funny.

As far as the "hardworking" aspect of musicians, it's interesting to note that Springsteen probably goes a lot farther than most. I've only been to two of his shows, but both of them were close to 3 hours long. I'm told this is quite normal. At a time in his career when he could probably get away with following up an opening act with a 90-minute show, he's still out there touring and putting in his work.