Springsteen endorses Obama

I am not normally one to trumpet a celebrity's endorsement of a candidate, mostly because I don't care what Chuck Norris, Barbra Streisand, or any of the Baldwins has to think about anything other than their professional crafts. (And personally, I don't know of anybody else who really cares about celebrity political opinions, either.)


Simply being wealthy and famous enough to have a (metaphorically) bigger soapbox to spout an opinion from doesn't mean that the spouter's opinion is any more valid than yours or mine.

There are, however, a few celebrities whose opinions I *do* respect, partly because they frequently are correct (probably means that they agree with me :) ), but also partly because they don't spout off on every issue under the sun.



Bruce Springsteen is at the top of that list, and he solidified his position there with today's endorsement of Barack Obama.


The letter that was posted 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.

Bruce Springsteen

AP coverage here.

Newsday coverage here.

Washington Post coverage here.


Later!