Are you tired of surveys? Do you believe it little or not? Columnist and professor John Kenneth White of The Hill shares your weariness.
If Professor Allan Lichtman predicted Kamala Harris’ victory with his keys, White instead observes the values or trends of popular culture to determine the state of mind of his fellow citizens.
There is a fun side to the exercise, but nothing says you can’t have a little fun while covering politics.
From Woody Guthrie to Bruce Springsteen
In a very quick overview of a few elections, White goes back to 1940. That year, folk guitarist and singer Woody Guthrie offered impoverished Americans an anthem that was intended as a critical response to the God Bless America by Irving Berlin.
Guthrie criticized Berlin’s work for its blindly patriotic side and its disconnection from the daily lives of too many Americans. It was for this reason that he began writing This Land Is Your Land.
For White, the song was a vivid reminder of Franklin Roosevelt’s early terms, whose New Deals favored those who suffered most from the crisis. FDR won a third election in 1940.
The columnist also focuses on the 1984 election, a convincing victory for Ronald Reagan.
White this time notes three manifestations of popular culture which foreshadowed a re-election of the Republican. He first highlights the ambient patriotism in Bruce Springsteen’s songs. Patriotism colored all of the former actor’s speeches.
To the songs of the Boss, the columnist adds the television successes that were Family Ties And The Cosby Show. Family ties introduced a Michael J. Fox whose character, at a very young age, was an admirer of Reagan, while Bill Cosby’s show presented a classic version of the American dream, but for a black family.
Ted Lasso, a good indicator?
This election cycle, Kamala Harris has already been endorsed by two popular singers, Charli XCX and Taylor Swift.
If the first described him as a “brat” (bold), the second, through his support alone, led to 400,000 new registrations on the electoral lists.
For the columnist, the most important reveal to consider, however, is the success of the series on Apple TV+ Ted Lasso.
Followers of this series were seduced by the kindness, empathy and decency of the hero of this series. Actor Jason Sudeikis, who plays Lasso, supports the Walz-Harris duo. Can Harris be the Ted Lasso of politics?
The columnist believes that a strong majority of Americans need positivity and joy in their lives, that constant division and hatred exhaust them.
John Kenneth White’s reasoning has limits and weaknesses, but popular culture is often a reflection of who we are or what we want.
