Dems Have Lost Sight of the Mellencamp / Springsteen / Bon Jovi Voters

I was thinking earlier today about the songs of John Mellencamp, Bruce Springsteen and Jon Bon Jovi – all prominent liberal Democrats themselves.  What do many of their songs have in common?  They’re about situations that average people (many from small towns and/or blue collar workers) find themselves in – ”Jack and Diane,” “Pink Houses,” “Livin’ On A Prayer,” “Never Say Goodbye,” and “Glory Days” to name a few.

What strikes me is that Gov. Sarah Palin and her family come across as being right out of these types of songs about middle America.

The Politico has an article up that plays along these lines, too.

Fishing permit violations. A blue-collar husband who racked up a DUI citation as a 22-year-old. An unmarried teenage daughter who is pregnant and a nasty child custody battle involving a family member. 

All of this, to one degree or another, has surfaced in recent days as a result of efforts to discredit or undermine Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin. But these revelations may have the opposite effect: In one sense, they could reinforce how remarkably unremarkable she is. 

So far — and it is hard to tell what the future may hold for Palin’s unexpected national candidacy — the travails of the Palin family probably seem awfully familiar to many average Americans. It is this averageness that makes her such a politically promising running mate for John McCain — and such a dangerous opponent for Democrats. Many voters will find it easy to identify with her family’s struggles — a significant advantage in an election where the voting calculus is so unusually and intensely personal.

You don’t hear Springsteen, Mellencamp or Bon Jovi singing songs about someone who went to Harvard Law and then became a “community organizer” (whatever the heck that means) in Chicago before being elected a state senator representing a limosine liberal district.  Most voters can’t related to that (especially since most of them don’t know what a “community organizer” is, either.)  But many voters can related to:

Little ditty about Jack and Diane
Two American kids growin’ up in the heartland
Jacky’s gonna be a football star
Diane debutante backseat of Jacky’s car

Suckin’ on chilli dogs outside the Tastee Freeze
Diane sittin on Jacky’s lap
He’s got his hands between her knees
Jacky say, hey Diane let’s run off
Behind a shady tree
Dribble off those bobby brooks
Let me do what I please

…or this:

Tommy used to work on the docks
Unions been on strike
He’s down on his luck…its tough, so tough
Gina works the diner all day
Working for her man, she brings home her pay
For love – for love

She says we’ve got to hold on to what we’ve got
’cause it doesn’t make a difference
If we make it or not
We’ve got each other and that’s a lot
For love – well give it a shot

Too many liberals have bought into the elitist drivel that spews out of New York and L.A. They enjoy the songs of Mellencamp, Springsteen and Bon Jovi for highlighting the plights of “the common man,” but if they ever come across such people you can bet that they’ll look down upon them.  With Sarah Palin, we’re seeing just how true that is.