‘The Boss’ blasts Bush during Obama rally
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Bruce Springsteen called the Bush presidency “a disaster” and said many Americans have “justifiably lost faith” in the American dream.
The rocker interrupted a seven-song acoustic set Saturday at a voter-registration rally in Philadelphia to praise Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama and bemoan the crises facing the next president. Springsteen said that America remains a house of dreams for some but that too many people have given up on the promise of fairness and equality.
“I’ve spent 35 years writing about America and its people and the meaning of the American promise — a promise handed down right here in this city,” said Springsteen whose songs depict down-on-their-luck, working-class dreamers. “Our everyday citizens . . . have justifiably lost faith in its meaning.”
Springsteen cited the Iraq War, the recent economic turmoil and Hurricane Katrina as examples of the Bush administration’s failures. He bookended the set with his rock classic “Promised Land” and Woody Guthrie’s folk anthem, “This Land is Your Land.”
The rally drew tens of thousands of people to the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. Springsteen approached the campaign and asked to help out, an Obama aide said. The Philadelphia event came just days before Monday’s voter registration deadline in Pennsylvania.
The Obama camp says its registration efforts have helped give Democrats a 1.2 million-voter advantage over Republicans in Pennsylvania, up from a 580,000-voter lead in 2004.
“The Boss” also plans to perform at Obama gatherings today in Ohio and Monday in Michigan. On Oct. 16, he will join Billy Joel at an Obama fundraiser in New York City.
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