Rock star Bruce Springsteen, also known as “the boss”, endorsed Senator Barack Obama for president Wednesday. In a letter addressed to friends and fans posted his Web site, Springsteen said he believes Senator Obama is the best candidate to undo "the terrible damage done over the past eight years. He has the depth, the reflectiveness, and the resilience to be our next president," the letter said. "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.' 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," Springsteen wrote on his web site.
Bruce Springsteen is known for his gritty lyrics about the struggles of working-class Americans, particularly in the economically ravaged factory towns of the Northeast. He is from New Jersey. Springsteen and his E Street Band were part of the Vote for Change tour, a coalition of musicians opposed to the re-election of President Bu$h in 2004. He wrote the anti-war ballad "Devils and Dust" about Iraq. President Reagan used Springsteen's then-popular song "Born in the USA" at campaign rallies in 1984 until he was asked by Springsteen, who supported Democrat Walter Mondale, to stop. The song about a Vietnam veteran's hard times was often misinterpreted as a patriotic call to arms.
Springsteen took issue with recent criticisms of comments made by Senator Obama about working-class voters in small towns in Pennsylvania and controversial statements by his pastor. "Critics have tried to diminish Senator Obama through the exaggeration of certain of his comments and relationships," Springsteen wrote. "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 ... 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." The impact of celebrity endorsements in US presidential races is debatable, but Springsteen's defense of Senator Obama may carry some importance due to the content of his songs, many of which give voice to hopes and fears of small town America.
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