The Boss has Spoken: Obama for President
UPDATE (06/06/08) Bob Dylan endorses Obama:
“Poverty is demoralising. You can’t expect people to have the virtue of purity when they are poor. But we’ve got this guy out there now who is redefining the nature of politics from the ground up…Barack Obama. He’s redefining what a politician is, so we’ll have to see how things play out. Am I hopeful? Yes, I’m hopeful that things might change. Some things are going to have to.”
UPDATE (05/25/08) The Independent interviews Gore Vidal:
“But then I am an elitist. Obama has been accused of being an elitist. And as he pointed out, how can a boy who was brought up in the jungles – the woods – of Kenya, with a mother on welfare by the time they got to America, be an elitist; which is what Hillary, to her shame, was trying to reduce him to.”
UPDATE (05/17/08) Decemberists will perform at Obama rally in Portland Oregon tomorrow (05/18/08).
UPDATE (05/13/08) Susan Sarandon talks with independent.co.uk:
“I’ve been on the road with John Edwards and now I’m supporting Obama. There’s no reason why a woman shouldn’t be in that office, but I’m not sure about this woman…”
UPDATE (05/09/08): 10 questions for Toni Morrison
Why did you endorse Barack Obama for the presidency? —Chris Francis Lightbourne, Long Island, N.Y.
Toni Morrison: I thought about voting for Hillary at the beginning. I don’t care that she is a woman. I need more than that. Neither his race, his gender, her race or her gender was enough. I needed something else, and the something else was his wisdom
UPDATE (05/04/08): Tom Hanks endorses Obama.
UPDATE (04/21/08): Michael Moore wrote on his website:
…if you live in Pennsylvania, can you do me a favor? Will you please cast my vote — and yours — on Tuesday for Senator Barack Obama?
…
This sleazy attempt to smear Obama was brilliantly explained the following night by Stephen Colbert. He pointed out that if Obama is supported by Ted Kennedy, who is Catholic, and the Catholic Church is led by a Pope who was in the Hitler Youth, that can mean only one thing: OBAMA LOVES HITLER!
…
There are those who say Obama isn’t ready, or he’s voted wrong on this or that. But that’s looking at the trees and not the forest. What we are witnessing is not just a candidate but a profound, massive public movement for change. My endorsement is more for Obama The Movement than it is for Obama the candidate.
…
Finally, I want to say a word about the basic decency I have seen in Mr. Obama. Mrs. Clinton continues to throw the Rev. Wright up in his face as part of her mission to keep stoking the fears of White America. Every time she does this I shout at the TV, “Say it, Obama! Say that when she and her husband were having marital difficulties regarding Monica Lewinsky, who did she and Bill bring to the White House for ’spiritual counseling?’ THE REVEREND JEREMIAH WRIGHT!”
But no, Obama won’t throw that at her. It wouldn’t be right. It wouldn’t be decent. She’s been through enough hurt. And so he remains silent and takes the mud she throws in his face.
…
But the question I keep hearing is… ‘can he win? Can he win in November?’ In the distance we hear the siren of the death train called the Straight Talk Express. We know it’s possible to hear the words “President McCain” on January 20th. We know there are still many Americans who will never vote for a black man. Hillary knows it, too. She’s counting on it.
Pennsylvania, the state that gave birth to this great country, has a chance to set things right. It has not had a moment to shine like this since 1787 when our Constitution was written there. In that Constitution, they wrote that a black man or woman was only “three fifths” human. On Tuesday, the good people of Pennsylvania have a chance for redemption.
——
Bruce Springsteen wrote on his website:
Dear Friends and Fans:
Like most of you, I’ve been following the campaign and I have now seen and heard enough to know where I stand. Senator Obama, in my view, is head and shoulders above the rest.
He has the depth, the reflectiveness, and the resilience to be our next President. He speaks to the America I’ve envisioned in my music for the past 35 years, a generous nation with a citizenry willing to tackle nuanced and complex problems, a country that’s interested in its collective destiny and in the potential of its gathered spirit. A place where “…nobody crowds you, and nobody goes it alone.”
At the moment, critics have tried to diminish Senator Obama through the exaggeration of certain of his comments and relationships. While these matters are worthy of some discussion, they have been ripped out of the context and fabric of the man’s life and vision, so well described in his excellent book, Dreams From My Father, often in order to distract us from discussing the real issues: war and peace, the fight for economic and racial justice, reaffirming our Constitution, and the protection and enhancement of our environment.After the terrible damage done over the past eight years, a great American reclamation project needs to be undertaken. I believe that Senator Obama is the best candidate to lead that project and to lead us into the 21st Century with a renewed sense of moral purpose and of ourselves as Americans.
Over here on E Street, we’re proud to support Obama for President.
Win Butler of Arcade Fire wrote on the band’s website:
I am watching Hillary Clinton in her victory speech in new Hampshire…they just threw a bunch of college kids behind her, and had her talk about student loans, and had her daughter come out for a long awkward hug…does anyone actually buy it? Surely young people are too media savvy to be fooled by this kind of shit. do we live in a democracy so we can just keep electing the same families?
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. man if we miss this opportunity we don’t deserve it…how bad does it have to get?
fuck!!!!!!!!!
Other celebrities that openly voice their support for Obama:
Joanna Newsom
Robert DeNiro
Bright Eyes
Dave Matthews
Edward Norton
Forest Whitaker
George Clooney
Chris Rock
Stevie Wonder
Oprah Winfrey
Will.I.Am
John Legend
Common
Herbie Hancock
Scarlett Johansson
Joan Baez
Jeff Tweedy of Wilco
Ben Stiller
Rob Reiner
Zack Braff
Tobey Maguire
Laurence Fishburne
Matt Damon
Ben Affleck
Nas
Stephen Colbert
Ariana Huffington
Wyclef Jean
The list is in no way complete; let me know if I should add anyone. Go Obama go!
Popularity: 38%