If I Was An Elected Official: A Reevaluation

Newt Gingrich was recently sued in federal court for "illegally" using "The Eye of The Tiger" during his campaign speeches.

If I was an elected official, my first priority would be what I would play as running music during my campaign.

A while ago I had an idea had compiled a loose playlist of what I would play for the demographics I sought to have give me their delegation points in a national election.  This type of news story always seems to happen from time to time, and I could help reconsidering how I would go about it.  I attended an Obama rally in 2008 and he was playing Curtis Mayfield's "Move On Up".  Not that shitty sample from the Kanye West song, I mean the real 8:54 version. This is not only a great song and a solid social statement, but it also has a bongo solo, and everyone loves a bongo solo (which is another discussion altogether).  I always thought this was a great pull because most campaign songs, on both sides of the political compass, are fairly generic.  Although, even though The Boss got pissed that Reagan used "Born In The USA", that was a pretty smooth one too.

My thoughts rethinking this notion:

1. Lots of Beatles songs.  Everyone likes the Beatles; old people (sort of), relatively hip stoner-moms, college freshmen.

2. In the red states I would play a lot of Led Zeppelin, and in blue states I would play The Who

3. NO BOB DYLAN

4. The Big Lebowski soundtrack to prep the crowd (I now think that the cult of Lebowski is now the majority)

5. Merle. Fucking. Haggard.

6. Johnny Cash

7. Stevie Wonder, and not that late-year tchochtke.  I'm talking early 70s slow-jams.

8. My official campaign theme song: "The Union Forever" by The White Stripes.