The next Democratic presidential candidate will be Barack Obama.
I know this. Not because of Obama’s endless media coverage or his 10 percent approval rating lead over Hillary Clinton.
Not because his book continues to stare me down at the LSU Bookstore, luring me to buy a copy.
And not because he plays basketball.
I know this because Obama has the support of Bruce Springsteen.
The Boss thinks Obama has a “Hungry Heart,” believes he was “Born to Run” and can lead the nation to “Thunder Road,” or maybe “Atlantic City.”
On his Web site, Springsteen says Obama “stands head and shoulders above the rest.”
To my parents’ disdain, I have become a faithful supporter of Obama too.
Since Springsteen’s return with “The Rising,” I have studied his back catalogue, snatched a poster from FYE promoting “Magic,” and snagged a vinyl edition of “Nebraska” for $1.02 at Goodwill, all with the enthusiasm of a child celebrating his birthday at Burger King.
As much as my love for The Boss has made me a disciple of Obama, I worry for the Democrat.
Springsteen’s recent track record of supporting politicians is like the Miami Dolphins’ record this past year.
As far as politics is concerned, Springsteen has been merely “Dancing in the Dark,” backing the inconvenient Al Gore and the long-faced John Kerry.
Celebrities, especially rock stars, rarely help elect the president. Certain major demographics will not be influenced by celebrities.
Do you think the 70-year-old on Medicare who supports John McCain cares that Eddie Vedder played a concert for John Kerry?
Will they care that Jack Nicholson took pictures in his general garb from “A Few Good Men” in support of Hillary Clinton?
Will they care that Springsteen thinks Obama is the best thing since the iPod?
The 70-year-old is more worried about a social security check than what Springsteen has to say about the state of the nation.
But as my hope dwindles, fearing the thought that McCain will finally prevail, I notice many other alternative rock bands are following Springsteen’s example supporting Obama’s campaign for change.
Among the indie all-stars that approve of Obama are Jeff Tweedy of Wilco, Win Butler of Arcade Fire and Conor Oberst of Bright Eyes.
Most indie elitists and I smile at Arcade Fire playing free shows in Ohio for the Democratic presidential candidate, punctuating set-list regulars with covers of David Bowie’s “Heroes” and Sam Cooke’s “A Change is Gonna Come.”
These performances are a noble effort, but I doubt Bill O’Reilly will mention that a Canadian octet supports Obama in the No Spin Zone.
But with the following of the indie rock darlings, Obama might have a shot with the young vote.
While I don’t read CNN.com each day to form theses about politics, I did catch the post on Arcade Fire’s Web site where Butler said, “Barack is the first candidate in my lifetime to strip some of this bullshit away, and I just hope we don’t blow this chance.”
It means more to the young voter when celebrities like The Boss and Butler say something like this than when Wolf Blitzer announces some bloated statistic on air.
Unlike Blitzer, Springsteen and Butler’s music has the uncanny ability to connect with young voters.
It’s the patriarchal rock power of The Boss. He made me a poster snatcher, a vinyl collector and an Obama supporter in the span of a year.
—-Contact Matthew Sigur at [email protected]