Race Music

I have no idea which politician first came up with the idea of using pop music for a campaign theme, but I associate the trend with both Clintons bouncing onstage to the strains of Fleetwood Mac singing: " Don't stop/Thinking about tomorrow". At the time it seemed quaint, but I couldn't escape the thought that McVie, Buckingham and the rest were being co-opted, their lyrics misconstrued to symbolize societal change. This year's crew of office seekers just lends itself to certain songs and lyric. For example:


1. John McCain: Etta James' "At Last" maybe the best testament to the Arizona senator's quest for the nomination, but he needs to convince voters in the long run that he's not - as Chuck Berry once sang - "Too pooped to pop/ To old to stroll..."


2. Barack Obama: The Scorpions' "Like a Hurricane" pretty much describes the way Obama's campaign has swept across the country, but the candidate can legitimately agree with James Brown : "Say it loud/I'm black and I'm proud." The Illinois senator's long term viability may depend on whether he is able to deliver - as David Bowie would say - "Ch-ch-changes" in the mind of the electorate.


3. Mitt Romney: As Leslie Gore puts it: " It's my party/I'll cry if I want to/You'd do it too if it happened to you" - a natural refrain for the Republican with the deepest pockets and a disappointing return on his 20-35 million dollar investment. Based on the results so far, Romney's new campaign song may end up being (Massachusetts' own) Aerosmith's anthem "Dream On."


4. Hilary Clinton: It seems her long held lock on the nomination has become" Just My Imagination" as the Temptations might say, but Hilary's made it pretty clear that she's in it for the long haul, so the message to Obama is not to rest on his laurels, but to: "Get ready baby/Cause here I come".


5. Mike Huckabee: Although voters might have first asked themselves - in the words of Pete Townsend and crew - "Who ARE you?" , Hukabee has managed to snare those voters who agree that : "I don't care if it rains or freezes/Long as I've got my plastic Jesus".


Unfortunately, this campaign is so long and so torturous and so confusing that I hope the average voter doesn't end up disillusioned - or, as bluesman Buddy Guy puts it, losing faith in the democratic process and saying: " You're damn right I've got the blues."