Feb 27
Punks against Bush…
How many of the bands in the Punk Against Bush thing are actually there for political reasons? It’s a clever marketing tool for unknown punk bands trying to make a name for themselves. Then there is always the fact that American punk bands get shit from so-called “proper” punks that they are not political enough. It is a great chance to suck up to the biggies of the punk scene in the US.
It will be interesting to see if this lot make one iota of difference…colour me skeptical. Of course, one wonders why they don’t just join Rock the Vote, as that is a front for the Democrats, anyway. And we all know how effective that was last time round.
Some 200 US punk bands have joined a political campaign which hopes to
persuade young American voters to vote against George Bush in the Presidential Election later this year.
As previously reported, the ‘Punk Voter coalition’ has been created by NOFX
bassist ‘Fat Mike’ Burkett. He explains that following the 2000 presidential race, in which Bush beat Al Gore because of a 537 majority in Florida, he thought to himself: “I’ve sold 50,000 records in Florida. If 500 fans had voted it could have been a different election.”
Anti-Bush Burkett, whose band’s 2003 album ‘The War on Errorism’ made a number of lyrical attacks against the US president, hopes that through the
coalition likeminded punk bands will be able to persuade their fans to go and vote on election day.
Planned activities include a website containing political commentaries by punk stars, an anti-Bush punk compilation album and the presence of anti-Bush lobbying groups at member bands’ gigs.
How successful the coalition will be remains to be seen. Some point out that, despite MTV’s high profile Rock The Vote campaign, electoral turn out among the 18-24 age group was down to 29% in 2000. Then again, those campaigns were non-partisan – a campaign more specifically targeting a candidate rather than just promoting ‘taking an interest’ may prove more effective.
Via: CMU
2 Comments so far
And whom will it help to get out more of the youth vote? From what I’ve seen in polls and what I know about my kids and their friends (who have just turned voting age and like many punk bands including NOFX), they are actually bigger Bush fans than their elders.
The times they are a-changin’.
I don’t think Punkvoter will be an issue.
First: How many NOFX type fans are even 18? Not many.
Second: Some punk fans find this behaviour off-putting and will vote for Bush and stop buying your shitty records about farting or breaking up with girls. I am in this category.
Third: If a punk fan is involved in this movement, he/she is already likely to be registered and have previously voted anyway, likely for Democrats or Green. Thus not having the desired outcome of adding NEW voters.
Fourth: Relating to the one above, perhaps some new voters will find that “they’re all the same” or “Democrats are too conservative for me, I’m voting Green/Libertarian/whatever.”
Fifth: I have been to their site. Laughable, very laughable.