country music hits 2000
Why did Barack Obama use a song from a Republican country music group Brooks & Dunn at his acceptence speach?
The song is Only In America and Bush used that song during the 2004 election.The duo’s songs have been used by President George W. Bush as his official campaign songs in both his 2000 election and 2004 re-election campaigns. In 2000 then Texas Governor Bush chose the blue-collar line-dance-friending hit of the mid-1990s, “Hard Workin’ Man,” and in 2004 the President selected the patriotic hit, “Only in America.” Brooks & Dunn both supported the President’s re-election campaign, performing at a Republican rally featuring Laura Bush on the eve of the election.
And now, for a reality check:
Brooks & Dunn, both registered Democrats, never publicly claimed they were supporters of Bush. They were paid performers. Jay Leno, a Libertarian, gets paid to perform in Vegas. Barbara Streisand, a die-hard Democrat, gets paid to perform and doesn’t ask if the people in the audience are Republican or Democrat. Brooks & Dunn are paid performers. With the exception of the Dixie Chicks, few performers let their political preferences get in the way of a paid performance.
And if Obama used the song he did so with the permission of the songwriter. They either let him use it for free or he paid royalties.
When one of my plays is performed I don’t ask if the backers are Ron Paul people or McCain people. I’m happy to have it performed and have the message be seen. When I sell a painting I don’t ask to see the voting record of the person buying it. That’s the facts of life for self-employeed creative people.
EDIT: At the time that Don Cook, the songwriter friend who wrote the song, a song also covered by many bands, like R.E.M., Brooks & Dunn were still registered Democratcs. If they changed parties afterwards then I apologize for not knowing that. I don’t follow country music enough to notice that stuff. However, this would explain why Obama was able to also use the song because the songwriter owns the rights to it.
As too Brooks & Dunn being ‘a shamelessly *Republican* band’ it seems more like they’re just another ‘shamelessly opportunistic band’, the types that jump to where they think the money is.
Doxology – The WIlsons from Songs 4 Worship Country Live!
music music hits 2000
music hits 2000
music hits 2000
