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Politics & Media
Aug 05, 2008, 05:26AM

Presidential Taste

Judging the candidates by their musical tastes isn't fair, but the differences are too telling to ignore.

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Photo by Jaycoxfilm

Buried in a BBC article about Obamamania sweeping British newspapers several days ago was the “news” that conservative leader David Cameron gave the Illinois Senator a handful of CD’s including The Smiths, Radiohead and Gorillaz during his U.K. visit. Given how little I care about Obama’s music taste and how much it really matters, I was elated. Obama is already on the record as being a huge fan of Stevie Wonder, as well as Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Earth Wind & Fire, John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Charlie Parker and last, but not least, Jay-Z and Ludacris. If he manages to work in some indie rock after his trip to Europe, then my god, that’s starting to resemble my iPod.

Meanwhile, all we know about John McCain’s musical taste is his strange obsession with ABBA. So far, I’ve yet to figure out a way that that’s not completely terrifying.

But alas, Obama’s critically sanctioned, middle of the road tastes have not come without controversy. It turns out that not only does he like good music, but good musicians like him too, and Ludacris, already on Obama’s approval list, recently released “Obama is Here.” Needless to say, the song has incensed Bill O’Reilly by referring to Hillary as a bitch, calling out Jesse Jackson, saying Bush is retarded and suggesting the only chair McCain is qualified for is a wheelchair. For a Ludacris song, it’s remarkably tame, and really the song is more about him than Obama anyway, so why such a big fuss?

Obama shouldn’t have to answer to this, but instead he has to go through the motions and say that oh, Ludacris is talented, but I don’t agree with the message. Of course he doesn’t agree with the message! Newsflash to conservatives: not only can Obama enjoy hip hop without condoning the lyrics, but I can listen to hip hop without wanting to be a drug dealer or a murderer.

But instead of heeding common sense we have Big Boi on CNN defending his own song about Obama to a woman that wouldn’t know what hip-hop was if an 808 smacked her in the face. This whole ordeal might actually help Obama in the long run with the demographic I like to call the “secret racists.” For these people, it has to be comforting to see Obama up there echoing the sentiment that hip-hop is too materialistic, vulgar and misogynistic. Because, hey, that’s how they feel too, or at least that’s what Rush Limbaugh says. In fact, I’m proud that Obama feels the need to defend hip hop at all, and I’d love to see him try and spit a verse.

Since that’s probably not going to happen, he ought to bring Talib Kweli and Mos Def to a couple of his huge rallies. It’d be a risky proposition image-wise to knee jerk reactionaries, but it would reinforce his message, and maybe even gain the former Black Star MCs some much-needed publicity.

Not that there aren’t enough positive musical tributes to Obama already out there. Surfing YouTube for Obama songs can suck hours from your life, trust me, and end with dozens of videos of small children struggling to pronounce his name in the cutest way possible—while searching for songs about McCain is like fishing in the Hudson River. The closest thing to an earnest McCain anthem was “McCain” set to the music of Eric Clapton’s hit “Cocaine” (which was written by J.J. Cale). Who is the ad wizard that came up with that one?

It’s no secret that celebrities and musicians and pretty much anyone involved with art of any kind are infatuated with Obama to a startling degree. This has already been used against the Senator, like pointing out that this famous dude is going to sway the heartland. Aren’t these the same people that buy those supermarket tabloids? Is associating Obama with Paris Hilton and Ludacris really going to hurt him?

I think I know the answer to that, or at least I hope I do, but I’ll get back to my area of expertise and ask you a simple question: If all you knew about the two candidates was that one had impeccable taste in jazz, liked Bob Dylan and Jay-Z and the other one was obsessed with ABBA, who would you vote for?

Discussion
  • Of course Obama has better taste in music, he's younger than McCain. I'm surprised the latter doesn't talk up Lawrence Welk (although it'd be cool if he talk about Buddy Holly, the Everly Bros. and Little Richard). But this, obviously, is so trivial. Who cares about what music they listen to?

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  • I care. George W. Bush ran this country into the ground, and he was elected because people thought he'd be fun to have a beer with. It's stupid and irrational, but we want to feel like we can hang out with our Presidents, and Barack Obama seems like a whole lot more fun at a barbeque than John McCain. I'd iPod battle him.

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  • It is stupid. Obama's the better candidate not because of his taste in music (which is really just a "boxer vs. briefs" canard), but because of his policy proposals. I don't think that Bush beat Kerry because he was perceived as more fun to hang out with; that was in 2000, when he was a blank slate.

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  • My vote doesn't hinge on Obama's good taste in music. But I am voting for the man (among other reasons) because he's smart enough to have good musical taste in public. I want my leaders to at least be aware enough of social trends that they don't pledge undying fealty to a catchy Swedish pop group from 30 years ago.

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  • Greenlight, you're glossing over the impact of self-identification here. When voters are considering candidates' policy proposals, there is an ample amount of self projection involved. Relatability doesn't only rspeak to mundane activities like picnics and bbqs, it also plays a part in political decisions. Denying the surge is like giving up on your car that's stuck in the mud. What are you gonna call a tow truck? As much as this sounds like trivializing greater issues, many people connect to these issues on an extremely shallow level, pretending that an individual person's reaction is the same as the entire nation reacting. Also, Bush in 2000 was Bush, the baseball-loving, prosperity broadening, seniors loving southern gentleman. He was kind of a momma's boy, but he wasn't a blank slate.

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  • Also, McCain is still learning how to access "online newspapers." There is a thin line between generational taste and what you have to be able to comprehend as a president. The internet is kind of one of those things. Musical competency, not as much.

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  • gbaker is right on target with McCain's lack of rudimentary Internet knowledge, which is far more important than ABBA (and who knows if he really likes that shit?). It shows that his campaign is so dysfunctional and out of touch that they didn't prepare McCain two years ago for the first 21st century campaign. It's astonishing to me that McCain is even close in the polls right now, given Obama's superior candidacy, although I suspect that'll change by Election Day.

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  • I doubt Obama listens to half of what he says he does. Also, who knows if McCain is really obsessed with ABBA, it could just be the media blowing it up. Barack Obama may listen to a wider variety of music, but it's not like checking Pitch Fork every day or going to local shows. He most likely has a very normal, bland taste in music, but to win younger voters he's mixed up his Ipod. That said, I'm still voting for him, not for his Itunes library, but for his policies and promise of change.

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  • what can i say, obama's a rockstar.

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  • oh, and didnt he bust a move on a daytime talk show? if mccain bused a move, well, i wont finish that one.

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  • i just like thinking about obama groovin' & makin' some moves on michelle to some stevie, cookin' up some pancakes for his kids with extra golden beats in the background, & jogging to jay-z. knowing his musical taste helps us petty public folk see that he's a real human.. that music makes him feel things. & thank god he's listening to some good music so he can be feelin' good when he's making decisions & shit.

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  • that was me. sam. lloyd's girlfriend. okay.

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  • this just proves that obama is rad. why the fuck wouldn't we want a president who listens to good tunes, is a funky dancer, could shoot the shit with some stellar african djembe players, make little grandmas so excited they cry WHILE in the meantime making crazyass important world changing policies & jazz.

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  • I hope Obama gets reelected, so that his daughter will be old enough to date Soulja Boy.

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  • Far better Obama than Clinton, but aren't most of the above commenters assuming Obama's already been elected?

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  • but will he be able to hear the 3 am phone call if he's blasting "Songs in the Key of Life" while he, you know, unwinds?

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  • we all know about obama's solid taste, but I heard from some friends that went to a rally of his a few months ago and they said the music they were playing over the PA was really shitty.

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  • I disagree. I was at the Obama rally in Baltimore earlier this year and there certainly wasn't any ABBA being played.

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  • Like ABBA's the only shitty music? But Eureka, what was the shitty music that was playing? Barry Manilow? Fleetwood Mac? Neil Diamond? Blur? Decembrists?

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  • I'm pretty sure I heard some beyonce, and decemberists couldn't have been that far down on the playlist. yuck.

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  • Hmm. After hearing Heart after McCain's soporific speech, maybe you guys have a point about a candidate's taste in music.

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