You know I think (likely erroneously) that I am as middle-of the-road as possible when it comes to my politics. I like to think that I am the swing voter that every politician cherishes. Because I think I am middle-of-the-road, I like it when there are viable candidates from both parties, when it seems like both parties are getting their message out there. So, the following is not my endorsement but an attempt to figure out why one side kills it in the political music department and the other is so so terrible.
Fact: Payola by the Desaparecidos is a great album.
Fact: It's also a very political album.
Possible Fact: Conor Oberst when interviewed about the album said something to the effect of "if you only have three minutes to say something, you have to be direct." (Even if this isn't a fact, pretend it is because it makes my point.)
Payola touches on a bunch of different policy areas: immigration, health care, foreign policy, Wall Street are the ones that come to mind but I am sure that there are others. And while Payola is a completely political album (Muse's Drones is another political album from 2015), a number of indie bands at least write political songs.
Fact: All of these songs are from some the same ideological perspective. (I would guess that any political hip hop songs are also going to be from a similar ideological perspective, but I do not listen to hip hop so I can't say for certain.)
Fact: Republicans are so loathed by rock bands (mainstream and indie) that not only can Republicans not get bands to play at their rallies, they can't even get approval from a band to play a recording at their rallies (unless it's Ted Nugent).
Pretty sure a fact but not wanting to look it up: Republicans have anemic support among young voters.
Why? Democrats do a great job in presenting what's wrong with the country and what needs to be fixed. You listen to any of those tracks and Payola and you say, "Yeah! That's a real problem! A guy dying from lack of health care! Immigrant families being treated inhumanely! Wall Street bros getting golden parachutes while the common man is underwater! We need to fix it!" (Note that the messaging is heavy on problems, light on solutions.)
What do mainstream conservatives give you as problems? Over-regulation of small business, activist judges, too much government spending, not enough guns. Try stoking the fires of political activism with that. Try writing a song that will change the minds of others about those issues.
Of course, then you have the Donald Trump branch of conservatism with messages of xenophobia and racism. Much pithier but deplorable messages that if you are a mainstream Republican, you really don't want to see put into a catchy three minute song.
The issue with conservative messaging is that it focuses on the wrong problems. Small business regulation is a boring issue. Declining life expectancy in the Midwest? That's an issue. Opiod addiction? Great issue. Increasing rates of nonmarital births? Oh boy. Declining labor force participation? Bingo. And those topics would be fertile territory for songwriters.
So, let's say I am a Republican candidate and I decide to shift my message to "America has problems. And the problems are with substance abuse and disability and no jobs and suicide" who is the band that I ask to play at my rally? Some country band who sings about patriotism? Not on your life.
Give me...The Offspring.
*Josh clutches his pearls and asks for his smelling salts*
Yes, because amidst the sea of vapid songs, they have a couple that nail the problems that should be the heart of conservative messaging:
(1) Hit That: It's about teen pregnancy, sexual and material irresponsibility, and a condemnation of the hook up culture.
(2) The Kids Aren't All Alright: All the kids on a street grow up and their lives are broken. Drop outs, nonmarital births, drug abuse, suicide.
So, yeah, change the messaging so that it can be articulated in a three-minute rock song. Bring in the Offspring, get them to play for the rally. Bus in some straight edgers. (If you think this is all too 1990s, uh, let me remind you that Dave Matthews just played a Bernie Sanders rally. At least the Offspring have hit singles in the last ten years.) Get other bands on board. Create a Republican music scene.
Because, only then, will we achieve what I think would be the most important step forward in American politics:
Election Eve.
Live.
Battle of the Bands: Democrats vs. Republicans.
Such is my hope, such is my prayer.
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