Last week, we reported that Hillary Clinton–and by that we mean an intrepid staffer–had been blasting “Small Town” and “Our Country” by Indiana native John Mellencamp after her rallies ever since Barack Obama’s controversial comments about blue-collar “bitter”-ness went public the previous Friday. In theory, it was a smart move: signal your “heartland” origins, suggest a contrast with your “arugula-eating” opponent and show Hoosier State voters, who have the potential to decide the nomination on May 6, that you understand their “culture.” By the time I arrived at Clinton’s block party last Thursday in the working-class, Irish-American Mayfair neighborhood of Philadelphia, the Mellencampmania had only grown more feverish: her campaign closed the show by spinning five straight songs from one of the former Mr. Cougar’s CDs.
Turns out the romance may not last much longer. As Clinton takes the stage tonight at the Park Hyatt Philadelphia for her primary-night celebration, Barack and Michelle Obama will already be 800 miles away in Evansville, Indiana. The reason? A rally at the Roberts Municipal Stadium–featuring a special guest performance by John Mellencamp.
What is it with these treacherous heartland rockers? Last week, Team Clinton had to strip their soundtrack of Bruce Springsteen’s “The Rising” when the Boss endorsed Obama, and now Mellencamp follows suit. (Once a Bruce imitator, always a Bruce imitator.) Something tells us that her staffers are already surfing iTunes for the perfect Bob Seger song.
May we suggest “Against the Wind”?
