Should the candidate use “Born in the U.S.A.” as his campaign song?

Pros and Cons of having "Born in the U.S.A." as a campaign song:

C Catchy song title	D Old songs can mean old ways; people want new and fresh
C Most people are familiar with the song	D A rock song for a President could be deemed too aggressive
C It is a title people can relate to and rally around	D Could alienate the many Americans not born in the U.S.A.
C The title elicits emotion	D Brice Springsteen may not agree to allow its use
C American sentiment, heartland and patriotic	D In 1984 he turned down offers by the Chrysler Corporation to use the song in a car commercial
C Relates to the struggles of everyday life	D He supported John Kerry’s 2004 and Barack Obama’s 2008 presidential campaigns… he is a Democrat
C Bruce Springsteen is a cult hero representing the working-class	D Requested Reagan stop using this same song in 1984
C The title fits well with the Republican platform policy of immigration and securing the national border	D Other than the title, the lyrics do not match the candidate’s desired intent
	D Going to “kill the yellow man” is not a lyric he needs to have is his campaign song
	D It’s more of a protest song
	D The lyrics ring of the Vietnam War, coming home to disillusionment, and not having anywhere to go (no hope)
	D Does not support Republican ideals, in general

Dear Mr. Candidate,

I sincerely urge you to choose another song for your campaign slogan! Although it is a catchy title and well loved, the lyrics and what the songs represents are far removed from securing national borders, containing illegal immigration, and other Republican social policies (e.g. “Sent me off to Vietnam, to go and kill the Yellow man.” and “I had a buddy at Khe Sahn, they’re still there, he’s all gone.”). The United States desperately needs a candidate who will tackle domestic issues and problems at home that are greatly affecting each citizens and this wonderful country as a whole, and so your campaign song should reflect this. The Vietnam War is over… let it go; now is time to turn towards the financial wars that are being waged in the streets of New York, Chicago and other major urban centers, and are surely not likely to recess any time soon. Move the people to something more upbeat and hopeful like Black Eyed Peas’ “I Gotta Feeling”… God knows they need it!

Sincerely,
Brent Johnson

Born in the U.S.A.

Pros	Cons
Memorable chorus            Patriotic-sounding/Americana (chorus)            Catchy and upbeat-sounding            Potential double meaning when talking about immigration policy	Lyrics of the verses don’t really match political agenda of GOP candidate           Lyrics are actually kind of a bummer            Bruce Springsteen probably would not approve/appreciate his song being used by a GOP candidate

Dear Candidate,

I am writing to caution you on your choice of campaign song. While "Born in the U.S.A." appears to be patriotic and upbeat on the surface and especially in the chorus, the actual content of the song may put off many of your potential voters. Nearly constant reference to the the Vietnam War and the emptiness/weirdness of life after returning (for example, "they put a rifle in my hand" and "they're still there, he's all gone") make Mr. Springsteen's discontent with that conflict quite clear. Therefore, the actual content of the song is not patriotic or right-leaning. I am also concerned that you may receive backlash from Mr. Springsteen himself, as he is not exactly known for his conservative views! I hope that this note will cause you to pause and reconsider your choice. Thank you for your time and consideration.

Respectfully,
Matthew

Extra Credit
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q65KZIqay4E
http://www.scoutsongs.com/lyrics/proudtobeamerican.html

Campaign Songs

Hello class! Please respond to the prompt below for this week's assignment:

You are the campaign manager of a Republican candidate running for president in the upcoming 2012 elections. The issue that the candidate is most known for is securing the United States' borders and containing illegal immigration. He wants to use "Born in the USA" by Bruce Springsteen as his official campaign song.

Is this a good song for him to use? What kind of characteristics do we want in a good campaign song? Please make a T-chart listing the pros and cons of using "Born in the USA" based on what you believe are important characteristics of a good campiagn song.

Afterwards, on the blog, please post your T-chart in a new entry.  If you cannot replicate a t-chart on the blog, please list the pros and cons from your T-chart and have your actual chart prepared for class.  Underneath in the same blog entry, please write a quick email to your candidate (no longer than 5 sentences) explaining why "Born in the USA" should or should not be the candidate's campaign song. Please cite a specific lyrics from the song to support your answer in the email.

Please keep in mind the characteristics of a good campaign song that we discussed in class as you construct your chart and email response. For extra credit, you may suggest another song for the candidate to use. Please include a link to the song (youtube videos are fine) and lyrics. "Born in the USA" and its lyrics are below.

Lyrics: http://www.brucespringsteen.net/songs/BornInTheUSA.html

State Senate G.O.P. Near Decision on Gay-Marriage Vote by Danny Hakim (http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/06/23/state-senate-g-o-p-near-decision-on-gay-marriage-vote/?ref=deangskelos)(

This article generally talked about the movements of the NY State Senate Republicans during the moments leading up to the Senate's vote on the gay marriage bill.  By the time the article was written, the Assembly already passed it and now the bill was on the docket for the Senate.  The article identified Senator Dean Skelos, Republican Senate Majority Leader (from the 4th district, my district).  The Republican caucus was about to meet to determine if they would allow the bill onto the floor for a vote.  Skelos made comments saying that "legislative matters were 'on track,'" making it seem that the bill would be allowed time on the floor for a vote in the imminent future. Although Skelos is not directly quoted saying that the Republicans will allow the vote, the tone and syntax of the writer (see the title) leads a reader to believe that a vote is indeed imminent.