This article is basically about how Bruce Springsteen is
once again back to rallying support for President Obama. He will join former
President Bill Clinton in Parma, Ohio on Thursday for a rally/concert to convince
voters to actually get out and vote. Afterwards, he will go to Ames, Iowa and
do the same thing there. While this article was very short, I felt it had a lot
to do with what we talked about in class about voter participation. Can a very
well-known artist influence an election by endorsing a candidate? In 2004,
Springsteen campaigned for Senator John Kerry (who lost) and campaigned in 2008
for President Obama. I think that both political parties are very concerned
about voter turnout, and it’s cool that Springsteen going out to energize the
public directly about voting. Whether
his rallying will have an effect on this year’s presidential election is yet to
be determined, I think that it will have a positive effect on the Obama
campaign.
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
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It is interesting that Bruce Springsteen said he was going to stay out of the election, but he is now rallying for Obama. I find it funny, but I am glad he is doing it. Though the two states (Ohio and Iowa) are the major states for this presidential election, I have to agree with Chloe and say that he will probably rally enough people to have Obama win at least one of the two states. I think it will have a greater affect for Obama, not Romney as much or it will not change the elections at all.
ReplyDeleteCelebrities are always out voicing their support for certain candidates (Eva Longoria at the DNC); however, I don't feel they have that much influence on voter turnout when it comes to speaking at a rally or putting on a benefit concert. I think they have a much greater influence on younger members of society when they join get out to vote campaigns such as Rock The Vote because those are advertisements that are on all kinds of social media. Most people don't have the means to go and see these various performances, so they are more than likely to be lost on most people as opposed to messages that are across social media platforms which most everyone has access to.
ReplyDeleteI don't think they're charging for these concerts, that's the point. They are free and designed to draw thousands of people to hear the music and the message. In Ohio and Iowa, they are already voting (early voting is allowed there), so they are presumably going to get all these people to the concert and then tell them all to go vote-- right then!-- they don't have to wait until Election Day.
ReplyDeleteI think it is interesting since Springsteen said he did not want to be involved even if people did not really believe him. I have to disagree with Nora though. Bruce Springsteen is huge with the American public as a singer. I think his popularity does feasibly have a chance to get more people out. While one American may not believe if they get them together as a movement their confidence in their votes and impact should increase hypothetically. I am interested to see what happens in these states as because as Mr. Danson said, early voting is already underway.
ReplyDeleteI think that Springsteen will be a great asset to the Obama campaign. I agree with Brian in that Springsteen's support will help get more voters out. I don't think that Republicans are now going to go out and vote for Obama, just because Springsteen says to but I do thing that it is going to bring out more democrats who were thinking about not voting, and will bring out more undecided voters. When someone who is so popular and influential (as well as rich) supports Obama, voters, especially undecided voters can't help but ask why he has suck support for Obama. I also don't think it even matters if they see the concert or not. These concerts will definitely help with voter participation that will be in favor of Obama.
ReplyDeleteI'm not so sure if I believe that Springsteen endorsing the Obama campaign will have much of an effect. On one hand, I feel that voters will see a well-known celebrity supporting Obama and be encouraged to consider Obama more seriously. However, on the other hand, I think that it won't matter to a lot of people whether or not a celebrity they've never met supports Obama or not. I know that for me, I wouldn't change my opinions because all of a sudden a celebrity supports a candidate. I’d be much more likely to consider him more seriously if someone I know well and trust encouraged me to consider Obama. That being said, I definitely think that the most benefit from Springsteen’s support will be to encourage undecided and inactive voters to participate in the election by voting for Obama as opposed to changing the opinions of voters who have already decided to definitely not vote for Obama.
ReplyDeleteI most agree with what Nicolette had to say on this topic. When watching the DNC and RNC, I found it somewhat dumb to be having celebrities speak on behalf of the candidates. I of course understand the reasoning as to why the celebrities were there, but a celebrity’s opinion would in no way influence mine and would in fact make me reexamine a candidate more so then just go off and support him. The most interesting part of this I think is what Mr. Danson said. With immediately voting after the concert being available I think this will speak more to the younger, unsure voters that probably would not have voter otherwise.
ReplyDeleteTo Nicolettee and Lauren. Bruce Springsteen is not just endorsing Obama, he is trying to get people out to vote in the election, not just trying to get people to vote for Obama.
ReplyDelete*Nicolette I am sorry I spelled your name wrong!
ReplyDeleteI don't think that Springsteen is going to make people who were going to vote for Romney suddenly vote for Obama, but in a state as important as Ohio this could have a small yet powerful impact on undecided voters. If the concert is free, many people, whether they are Democrats or undecided voters, will go out and see him perform. If someone is really unsure who they'll vote for and they see Springsteen supporting Obama, that could actually change their vote. And from what we've seen in the 2000 election, a couple hundred votes can really make the difference in the right state.
ReplyDeleteBruce Springsteen will probably not change the minds of people who have though through the issues and have chosen the candidate who best reflects their beliefs, but he could convince people who do not know much about politics or care very much to vote. But in a state as important as Ohio, this could still have a big impact. It's too bad for the Obama campaign that Ohio is the crucial swing state and not New Jersey, otherwise this could actually help a lot.
ReplyDeleteI don't think that Bruce Springsteen will change voters who are already decided, but it could influence undecided voters and young voters. This could have a small impact in voter turnout in both the battleground states, but i don't think it will be a big impact to influence the turnout of the battleground states. Although it could, because of the early voting in Ohio and Iowa. I think it might influence voters, but on the other side I don't think it will.
ReplyDeleteAfter we learned that voter participation has decreased over the years, it is good to know that Bruce Springsteen is going out of his way to encourage people to vote. The article states that Clinton and Bruce will appear at Parma , Ohio to rally for President Obama. This event can potentially impact the election because Ohio is an ambigious state. I really hope that this event will increase voter turnout this election.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Sats and Dan that most voters won't think, "Oh, Bruce Springsteen is performing for Obama again! I was really thinking Romney but how can I say to Boss." There are so few undecided voters this far into the election, it is going to take a lot more than this to change a significant amount of people's minds one way or the other.
ReplyDeleteAfter we learned that voter participation has decreased over the years, it is good to know that Bruce Springsteen is going out of his way to encourage people to vote. The article states that Clinton and Bruce will appear at Parma , Ohio to rally for President Obama. This event can potentially impact the election because Ohio is an ambigious state. I really hope that this event will increase voter turnout this election.
ReplyDeleteI agree that Springsteen is positive for Obama's campaign. At this point anything helps. Celebrities have major impacts and help to influence supporters. I also think that it's nice that celebrities get involved politically because of low voter turnout. Springsteen might encourage some people to go out and vote.
ReplyDelete