Republican Refusal to Honor Bruce Springsteen a Complete Mystery

Earnest rocker may be hapless victim of mean-spirited Republican squares who don't like rock music or dancing.



AP writer Donna De La Cruz is mystified in her piece yesterday why some Republicans may not support "an effort by New Jersey's two Democratic senators to honor the veteran rocker."

This editorial version of the movie Footloose piece of investigative journalism doesn't mention what the Democratic effort is exactly or offer any quotes from Republicans explaining their position on it.

Ms. De La Cruz concludes Republicans "are apparently still miffed a year after the Boss lent his voice to the campaign of Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry."

Democratic sponsors John Corzine and Frank Lautenberg express their befuddlement too stating simply, "even if the Republicans don't like (Springsteen's) tunes, I would hope they appreciated his contributions to American culture."

Please accept my apology, Bruce. It is a shame that some on the political Right may still be sore at you for simply lending your voice (and 44 million) to the Kerry campaign. After all, courageous celebrities like yourself should never have to suffer the indignity of paying a price for your convictions.

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Footnote - A Very Incomplete Summary of the Boss' record on Republicans:

The night after Ronald Reagan was first elected President in 1980, Springsteen told an audience in Arizona, "I don't know what you guys think about what happened last night, but I think it's pretty frightening."

During a concert in 1988, The Boss pledged support for Michael Dukakis and told audience members, "Don't vote for that f*cking Bush."

Springsteen started his Sept. 15, 2003 concert at Shea Stadium with a recorded audio loop of President Bush repeating the words "mass destruction, war and peace."

Bruce Springsteen told a crowd of 50,000 New Yorkers on October 4th, 2003 to "shout a little louder if you want the President impeached," and "Let's get a man in the White House who knows how to handle this mess!"

August 2004, Springsteen explained he was joining the Vote for Change music tour because "we dived headlong into an unnecessary war in Iraq, offering up the lives of our young men and women under circumstances that are now discredited."

From 2004, Springsteen cited the widely discredited notion President Bush "will not honor our fallen dead by attending any funerals or even by permitting photos of their flag-draped coffins."

Springsteen from a September 2004 Rolling Stone interview, "I felt we had been misled. I felt [the Bush Administration] had been fundamentally dishonest and had frightened and manipulated the American people into war."

From October 2004, "We're here to raise our voices loud and clear," said Springsteen. "We want to change our government."

A public service announcement in 2004 featured Springsteen telling viewers that all are welcome at the shows, "except for Dick Cheney. I think that's where I draw the line."