John Nichols does a beautiful job of capturing Bruce Springsteen's eloquent idealism, in this report on the Boss's appearance with John Kerry in Madison, Wisconsin earlier this week. I sure wish I could have seen Springsteen invoke Paul Wellstone's name, as he did that day. A few weeks ago, I did hear Springsteen perform one of his benefit concerts at the Meadowlands, and give a shorter version of the same statement of principles:
economic justice, healing the sick, health care, feeding the hungry, housing the homeless, a living wage so folks don't have to go out and break their backs and still not be able to make ends meet...[and]...the protection of the environment, a sane and responsible foreign policy, civil rights and the protection and safeguarding of our precious democracy here at home.
If Kerry wins, which I hope he does, we're going to have to break our backs to hold him to these principles. But I'll take a president who will listen to those social movements that Springsteen speaks for, over one who thinks he's infallible and who is cahoots with the greediest and most dangerous bunch of rascals ever to run Congress.
As Springsteen says, "the country we carry in our hearts is waiting, and together we can move America towards her deepest ideals."
Posted by msifry at October 30, 2004 01:01 AM