35 Years with Springsteen: From Apolitical Unknown to Superstar 'Super-Delegate'

As you must have heard by now, Bruce Springsteen has endorsed Barack Obama, not exactly a shock right now but certainly an amazing step in an evolution I have watched closely since 1972, when I first met "Brucie" and co-wrote the first magazine article about him. For the first few years I knew him I swear I never heard a "political" sentiment escape his lips. Now he has become a new kind of political "Boss."

Move over, Boss Tweed and Mayor Daley.

Springsteen started his political transformation back in the "anti-nuke" days of the late-1970s. Then, when Born in th USA hit, he spoke out and donated a fortune to Vietnam veterans groups, and from there, many other causes, while refusing to endorse candidates. This "political" -- in the broadest sense -- focus continued with public statements and more donations as he recorded his Tom Joad and Seeger Sessions CDs. Now this.

It's true, he did ultimately endorse and perform for John Kerry in 2004, while denouncing tax cuts for "well-to-do guitar players." But backing Barack goes to the next level -- picking a candidate in a primary race, and at a key moment. Springsteen, of course, is a rich man now (he's come a long way since that first piece for Crawdaddy in early 1973 that I helped create) but he retains credibility with the "working-class" kids and adults that Obama is trying so hard to reach. It's clear that he offered this endorsement now at least partly in response to the current media obsession with the "bitter" controversy.

Obama, he now writes, "has the depth, the reflectiveness, and the resilience to be our next President. He speaks to the America I've envisioned in my music for the past 35 years, a generous nation with a citizenry willing to tackle nuanced and complex problems, a country that's interested in its collective destiny and in the potential of its gathered spirit. After the terrible damage done over the past eight years, a great American reclamation project needs to be undertaken. I believe that Senator Obama is the best candidate to lead that project and to lead us into the 21st Century with a renewed sense of moral purpose and of ourselves as Americans."

Bruce did me a solid recently, writing a preface for my new book on Iraq and the media, but his "solid" for Obama -- runnin' on the Barack streets? -- means much more. You might say that Obama just collected one of America's true "super-delegates."
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Greg Mitchell's new book is So Wrong for So Long: How the Press, the Pundits -- and the President -- Failed on Iraq.

Comments

[Raffi]

this endorsement might move Obama over the top in PA. latest PPD polls already show Obama up 3 points in PA. Obama is up 5 in the latest Indiana polls as well.

time for the dems to unite and leave all this intraparty bickering behind. WE DON'T WANT MCCAIN. The world outside ours doesn't want McCain. It's time to unite Hillary backers.

[GemStone1972]

Obama Foxworthy in Frisco

You might be a redneck if you are from a small town.

You might be a redneck if you don"t wanna work.

You might be a redneck if you buy my talking points hook line and sinker.

You might be a redneck if you are bitter and anti American government.

You might be a redneck if you cling to your gun only because you are full of frustration.

You might be a redneck if you cling to your religion only because you are full of frustration

You might be a redneck if you have antipathy to everyone but other rednecks.

You might be a redneck if you hate all immigrants coming to your country.

You might be a redneck if you don"t know anything about international trade.

You might be a redneck if you won"t vote for me or join my movement, sort of a race thing.

Obama got caught gossiping in private, plain and simple!

[GemStone1972]

Who I am one of the "THEY" Obama was sharing to his "WE" buddies about. What they all have wrong is that I am not bitter towards my country or my government or for that matter any other race of people, any other country or any other neighbors! Not city folk, Not Hispanic folk, Not black folk, Not foreigners! All are welcome in my small town and in my church where you will get and invite for dinner! We do have people in hard times around here and other who are not but we help each other through such times. We do want more jobs but not anymore or less then any other part of this great country. We count ourselves so very lucky to be able to live in a small town with a solid sense of community and American core values of hard work and faith. A place to live where sharing, caring and God loving abound! Where we have the freedom to work and play. Where we can hunt and fish and live as we please. We are not bitter we are BLESSED!

[GemStone1972]

Sorry people but Obama is wrong. Why can"t Obama just say sorry with out it being small town peoples fault? Also what is wrong are all these talking heads and media hounds spinning Obama's words as not being offensive but instead are right and true. Please no more spin! I also am really tired of them telling me how I feel!

[MPeter]

Yep, the Boss is a million times than corrupt, empty talking heads like Bilitzer, Russert, Hannity, Limbaugh and all the thugs that inhabit America's TVland. Thank Boss. "You are truly Born in the US of A!!!!

[Durango]

Better to be listening to Springsteen than any of the pundits on television.

[Daly]

Wow; I have go find Born in the USA in my IPOD and blast away.
I recall that Regan thought that the song had a different message but clearly the Boss had the right message back then and nothing was done. Republicans heard the song not get the message.