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

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