Politics rss

The Echo & Dissonance of George Bush’s 1988 Campaign Music

Although the 41st President George Bush had known and been involved in the presidential campaigns of his Republican predecessors since Dwight D. Eisenhower, his own in 1988 was singularly distinct for the echo rather than sounds of a strongly defining campaign song… Read More ›

A Reagan Country Song & California Classic by ABBA: His 1980 & 1984 Campaign Music

The presidential campaign year of 1980 marked the beginning of what might be termed “theme music” being adopted by presidential candidates, rather than the traditional campaign song. 1976, the year Ronald Reagan lost his challenge to incumbent President Gerald Ford… Read More ›

Cool but Contemplative: Jolson Jazzes with Coolidge’s 1924 Campaign Song

He came back – with another song. This time, however, when the legendary screen and stage actor, Al Jolson first performed the official campaign song of a Republican presidential campaign, he didn’t have to march the streets of small-town Oho and… Read More ›

The First President To Win With Actors: Al Jolson’s 1920 Campaign Song for Harding

George Clooney, fundraising and providing thematic strategy for President Barack Obama’s re-election campaign or Clint Eastwood speaking at the convention nominating Mitt Romney: neither story causes a blink in either Hollywood or Washington. Yet preceding even the famous efforts of… Read More ›

A First Lady’s Princess Complex: Royalty, Racism & Edith Wilson’s Pocahontas Blood

This is the second to last article in a series on First Ladies’ ancestral identities. Previous articles on Michelle Obama, Jacqueline Kennedy, Eleanor Roosevelt, Florence Harding, Pat Nixon, Hillary Clinton can be found by searching at right, in the categories… Read More ›

The First President Captured on Film: McKinley’s 1896 Campaign Song & Commercial

William McKinley is often seen as an important transitional President – at least to those interested in studying some of the real stories behind the headline version of history. It’s true he didn’t have the charisma or excitable speaking style of… Read More ›