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May 10, 2007

Presidential Candidates Sound Off On Their Recently Acquired Sounds

Since we've all perfected the art of judging our friends, enemies, and neighbors not by the content of their character but by the content of their iTunes, we thought this item the New York Post ran about presidential candidates and their musical tastes would help the undecided voters among you. The question was posed by the Associated Press, asking for the politicians' most recently acquired piece of music. Here's a list, organized by candidate, political affiliation (just in case you consider this site a "news source"), and the album and/or artist they last brought home.

Hillary Rodham Clinton (D) - Carly Simon's Into White
Rudy Giuliani (R) - Verdi's opera Macbeth
Barack Obama (D) - the soundtrack to Ray
John Edwards (D) - something by U2
Dennis Kucinich (D) - something by Willie Nelson
John McCain (R) - Sounds of Summer: The Very Best of the Beach Boys
As the Post pointed out and you remember from English class, Macbeth is a "cautionary tale of a leader who stopped at nothing to become top dog." Telling! And McCain's anwer brings him a half-step closer on the million mile march to explaining this. So which album would you vote for president?

Person. Sorry, we meant "person."

Posted at 11:35 AM




24 Comments

Barack Obama.

Posted by: Rygun at 05/10/07 12:14 PM | Reply
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Ray!? Obama? This'll get the swing voters for sure! I wonder what my man Nader jams to.

Posted by: xxxHaWtHorNHeIgTsxxx at 05/10/07 12:14 PM | Reply
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Rudy's my man. And that was the most dismissive reduction of Macbeth I've ever read, in terms of both play and opera. It's so much more than that.

Posted by: lex at 05/10/07 12:24 PM | Reply
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Soundtrack to Ray? "Something by U2"? Willie Nelson?

Man, I could have written this article without even asking them.

Posted by: Spencer at 05/10/07 12:28 PM | Reply
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So Kucinich actually owns Willie Nelson now?

Posted by: Adam at 05/10/07 12:32 PM | Reply
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A greatest hits collection that tells me McCain isn't a big picture guy more likely to read the summary then delve into the details. That will lose him votes.

Posted by: bjmcdani at 05/10/07 12:36 PM | Reply
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The Beach Boys released a few albums but mostly singles up until Pet Sounds...I think the greatest hits thing is acceptable (for this band at least). If it were Beatles 1 it would be a different story. As long as he owns Pet Sounds and hates Kokomo.

Posted by: Stephen at 05/10/07 1:32 PM | Reply
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"Something by U2"? So the man isn't particularly attentive to what music he buys? Promising.

"Okay, I'm closing my eyes... walking down the Pop/Rock aisle at Wal-Mart... 3, 2, 1, stop. Okay. Eenie, meenie, miney, moe. Okay, what CD did I pick up, honey?"

"Uh, looks like something with that Bono guy."

"Okay, something by U2. That'll fly. Don't tell me the album name, though. I don't want to commit to anything too early."

Posted by: Matthew at 05/10/07 1:42 PM | Reply
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did kucinich just admit to smoking pot with that choice?

Posted by: tanya at 05/10/07 1:42 PM | Reply
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i'm thinking obama's pick was carefully selected to say 'i'm black' but not endorse a misogynistic rapper. or something.

Posted by: flora at 05/10/07 1:58 PM | Reply
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What about Ron Paul????

Posted by: Porkins at 05/10/07 2:42 PM | Reply
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Is Hillary trying to reference James Taylor's "You're so vain", a song purported to be about Carlie Simon. A song detailing how we read what we want into answers we are provided, a subtle jab at writers who think the most recent cd you got is in any way indicative of how someone is going to RUN THE COUNTRY. Heck I'd vote for her if this was the case.

Or maybe she's vain.

Posted by: dannygutters at 05/10/07 2:47 PM | Reply
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Hillary's my girl. And the soundtrack to Ray or anything by U2 would make for a great running mate.

Posted by: Charlie at 05/10/07 3:05 PM | Reply
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He would choose The Beach Boys.
Bomb Bomb Bomb, Bomb Bomb Bomb Iran!

Posted by: vondruke at 05/10/07 3:10 PM | Reply
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I'd like to hear what Sen. Gravel listens to - he's the only candidate that is telling the truth these days

Posted by: dudeAsInCool at 05/10/07 4:11 PM | Reply
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Yeah, but McCain bought that on 8-track.

Posted by: J at 05/10/07 4:35 PM | Reply
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What, no Arcade Fire? C'mon guys, make an effort!

Posted by: Chris at 05/10/07 4:38 PM | Reply
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I like the "something by U2" comment. The guy's in his 50s; he's running for president; he has bigger things on his mind than what the title is of whatever music he's listening to.

Posted by: wtf at 05/10/07 8:31 PM | Reply
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Actually, Carly Simon wrote "You're So Vain" about Warren Beatty.

(Suddenly I am depressed that I know this pointless factoid when I couldn't remember the name of an All Saint's Band I really like earlier today.)

Posted by: wendy at 05/11/07 1:14 AM | Reply
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"I'd like to hear what Sen. Gravel listens to."

Tom Waits.

Posted by: nigle at 05/11/07 2:10 AM | Reply
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this looks too good to be true. Sounds to me like someone's editorializing somehow got passed off as news.

But I'd love to be proven otherwise.

Posted by: historyman68 at 05/11/07 2:16 AM | Reply
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wendy: Ah that's right, I heard it was about james taylor and got it backwards. Ah well.

Posted by: dannygutters at 05/11/07 12:24 PM | Reply
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Mitt Romney is walking around with the Asian riff from "Young Folks" in his head... His wife loves it too, but Numbers 3 and 5 can't stand it.

Posted by: Reliable Source at 05/11/07 12:42 PM | Reply
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flora, you can't be serious, can you?

Posted by: janea at 05/15/07 11:33 AM | Reply
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