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Posted on Sat, Oct. 24, 2009 10:15 PM
COMMENTARY
When it comes to bipartisanship, Springsteen is The Boss
More News
The burning political question following a dreary workweek:
How does Bruce Springsteen do it?
I’m not talking about his expansive three-hour shows. Rather, how does The Boss, an avowed liberal who has waged word wars with Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush, still appeal to fans from across the political spectrum?
Springsteen, who hits the Sprint Center on Monday night, endorsed John Kerry in 2004 and Barack Obama four years later. But Republicans, such as New Jersey gubernatorial candidate Chris Christie, have attended Springsteen concerts over and over and over again.
About 120 in all for Christie, who has been known to cloister himself in a room and crank up “Jungleland” to get psyched up for news conferences.
Leave it to academia to ponder the issue. Two scholars from Muhlenberg College in Allentown, Pa., have prepared a scholarly paper titled: “Springsteen’s Right Side: A Liberal Icon’s Conservatism.”
Political scientist Chris Borick and English prof David Rosenwasser said Springsteen’s secret is his “selection of lyrics” and his “use of individual relationships” and “dramatic monologues,” which allow him to plunge into political topics without alienating the right.
“He’s got a Democratic ideology, a Republican vocabulary and a populist delivery system,” the scholars concluded.
So there you have it. If you’re still reeling in astonishment that two professors spent time on something like this, here’s a second jolt for you: The two presented their paper this fall at a Springsteen symposium in New Jersey.
The gathering drew scholars from around the country and presentations ranged from “Springsteen and Gender” to “Springsteen and Psychology.”
Oh, attendees also could attend a night out at The Stone Pony, the haunt Springsteen made famous.
•••
The thinking in Jeff City this past week in the wake of last Sunday’s “House for Sale?” stories is that there is only one true path to ethics reform.
And that’s via a statewide referendum in which voters take matters into their own hands and bypass the General Assembly.
“If we want meaningful ethics reform, it has to come through referendum,” said Rep. Brian Yates, a Lee’s Summit Republican who has tried, and failed, to pass sweeping changes before.
“I seriously doubt the politicians will do it to themselves.”
Translation: Despite all the big talk now about big reforms next year, don’t expect miracles in the 2010 legislative session.
Citizens here, there and everywhere: This one is on you.
•••
With Missouri Sen. Victor Callahan, an Independence Democrat, there’s typically the yin … and the yang.
The yin: To show sympathy for poor Missourians booted off Medicaid, the 46-year-old Senate minority leader dropped his own health care coverage more than four years ago.
He’s not taking it back until some of the cuts have been restored, he said.
Luckily for Callahan, he hasn’t had any serious health care issues during that time. But he’s come close, narrowly avoiding a few serious traffic accidents.
“I believe when you’re in elected in office, government works best when we’re all in this together,” he said.
Then there’s the yang.
Callahan has amassed a whopping $346,155 in his personal campaign account, easily one of the largest in the state, at a time when the main Democratic state Senate political kitty has less than $20,000.
Meanwhile, his Democratic House colleagues reported just $163,451 in their joint campaign account.
Two points to draw from this:
1. Callahan had better start stockpiling the Senate account in preparation for next year’s midterm elections. In the 34-member Missouri Senate, only 10 are Democrats.
2. Just what office is Callahan aiming for next with all that loot? Because of term limits, Callahan can’t run for the Senate again when his present term expires in 2012.
The widespread speculation around here is that he’ll eventually aim for Jackson County executive, assuming that incumbent Mike Sanders one day moves on. Callahan could use his bag o’ loot to run for statewide office or a local one.
For now, Callahan isn’t saying what he’ll do: “I’m still looking at my options.”
With money like that, he will be a player for whatever office he seeks.
To reach Steve Kraske, call 816-234-4312 or send e-mail to skraske@kcstar.com.
Posted on Sat, Oct. 24, 2009 10:15 PM
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