Tag: Obama

OCT 23, 2012 - Bruce Springsteen, and the bluegrass legend Ralph Stanley, were in Virginia today, helping to Get Out The Vote. 

Ralph Stanley is a bluegrass legend, having a career of over 60 years with songs like, "Ridin' That Midnight Train" to his work with "O' Brother Where Art Though?". He has always been involved with politics, and played at a John Edwards rally, and later endorsed Barack Obama for President. He is a TRUE, old school "Southern Democrat". Currently Mr. Stanley is helping Wayne Powell with the "O'Cantor Where Art Thou?" tour, who is challenging Eric Cantor for the 7th Congressional District seat in Virginia.

Read more on NBCWashington.com here, and here is a great video  by jbf3t of Bruce in Virginia below singing an AWESOME acoustic guitar version of "Thunder Road". Below that is a 30-second AD for Ralph Stanley's "O Cantor Where Art Thou?" tour, showing how Cantor is never in the state of Virginia helping out Virginian constituents. (photo credit: CC/Ralph Stanley)

OCT 22, 2012 - Pearl Jam's Mike McCready has made a video with filmmaker Jesse Dylan to ask voters to make a pledge on SignOn.org to support the issue of people with pre-existing medical conditions having access to affordable healthcare. On the Pearl Jam website they say:

"The truth is, everyone is better off when everyone is healthy. Especially those of us who have been dealt a rough hand – people with conditions or diseases like cancer, diabetes, Crohn’s, Alzheimer’s, HIV, asthma or arthritis.

The insurance networks that control our doctor’s offices, hospitals and emergency rooms have a more difficult time-sharing our pro-health perspective. Not because they’re bad people, but because their focus is on profitability, and they haven’t found a way to be as profitable off of the sick as they are off the healthy. Which is not to say they aren’t profitable. 

We are a musician and a filmmaker, who are also fathers and businessmen, who are living with chronic illnesses. We know firsthand of what we speak. We were also friends with the late Jennifer Jaff who, through her organization Advocacy for Patients, fought tirelessly with insurance companies on behalf of chronically ill patients who had been denied payments or coverage. Our friend Jennifer imagined a day when her services would no longer be needed, when health care for all Americans would be seen as both good business and good values.  If you share this vision and these values, watch and share this little video we created as a tribute to Jennifer, and help elect a President this November who shares these values as well.

Sincerely,

Jesse Dylan, Founder of Wondros, Filmmaker, inspired by his son’s illness to found Lybba, at lybba.org, creating compassionate communities of care to redesign healthcare for good, Mike McCready, Pearl Jam, Guitarist, living with Crohn’s disease"

Mike McCready is asking you to TAKE ACTION and sign the pledge to support the issue of people with pre-existing medical conditions having access to affordable healthcare. Also, check out this great new organization called LYBBA that is trying to "transform healthcare for good", and is creating an "open source health and learning network" to make healthcare better, more affordable, and reaching more people.   Watch the video below, and sign the pledge here."

OCT 15, 2012 - One of the longest running bands ever, The Rolling Stones, just released a studio track that dabbles into "politics" in a way, and actually sounds pretty good. Keith Richards has come out with another great riff, and the whole band seems energized and the tune really rocks. The song is called "Gloom and Doom" and I came away after listening to it that they are alluding to conservatives in Europe and America that are crying "gloom and doom" unless we eviscerate entitlements. Mick has still got it, and sings about the economic hardships everybody is facing, and seems to break it down to a common way of looking at it and singing about getting a headache over it all. 

In a pretty cool "lyric" video for "Gloom and Doom" they just released (watch below) they fight back at the conservative's claim that "entitlements are making us broke", by pointing out  that unfunded billions have been spent on unnecessary wars singing, "Lost all that treasure in an overseas war, it just goes to show you don't get what you paid for." Then Mick and the boys take a swipe at the 1% singing, "Battle to the rich and you worry about the poor." In the third verse they even sing out against FRACKING saying, "Fracking deep for, but there's nothing in the sump!" Check out the new video below.

OCT 13, 2012 - Bruce Springsteen had said earlier that he will not be playing music at any Obama rallies this year, but the Obama campaign has announced he has changed his mind and will play a Pima, Ohio event with VP Joe Biden. JTMP will post any video when it comes out, for now here is Bruce campaigning for Obama in Ohio back in 2008.

AUG 6, 2012 - James Taylor played today at the Democratic National Convention, and Talking Points Memo reported that Mr. Taylor motioned towards an empty chair waiting for him and he said, "I know it's an empty chair. Makes you nervous doesn't it?".

Viewers have reported that he also said, "I don't get it, I am an old white guy and I love Obama!" JTMP will post the video of James Taylor's performance when it comes available so check back.  (photo credit: CC/Joella Marano)