Ronald Reagan actually wanted to use “Pink Houses” too, back in his 1984 campaign. Guess Republicans don’t read the lyrics… Needless to say, Mellencamp wouldn’t let Reagan use it either.

funny the ardent democrat wants to
stop free speech isn’t it?

I could never understand why Chrissie Hynde doesn’t appeal to Rush Limbaugh to stop using “My City Was Gone” as his theme song.

I refused to consider buying a Chevy truck because the commercials with “Our Country” seemed so flag waving, conservative and well, redneck, but it turns out I missed some lyrics. Sorry Johnny Cougar.
“Crumblin down’s” still the best anyway.

Unauthorized use of a song, and free speech are two different things.

Why would McCain want to use a Chevy jingle at his rallies anyway? Doesn’t he know how much of a punchline that song has become?

Using someone else’s material for campaigning isn’t “free speech”, Johnny Ringo. It’s copyright infringement.

This isn’t an issue of free speech but of an artist having control over his or her artistry. The song is his intellectual property and if he doesn’t want it to be associated with a particular candidate then he is well within his right to do so. Ain’t nothing free about that Mr. Ringo…as American as M-16s. lol

How many layers of contradiction can be rolled onto this ball of shit song?! Do you love it for its progressive lyrics, or for its instrumental role in GM’s ham handed marketing campaign exploiting 9/11 & Katrina to sell gas-guzzling trucks to rural Americans who don’t need and can’t afford them? God forbid some a Republican should confused about who or what it was for…

You’d think these guys would listen to the words BEFORE using a song. Reminds me of when Reagan used Born in the USA for his 1984 campain, until someone told the president that the words were anything but patriotic…

Yeah, Mellencamp’s become a caricature of Springsteen recently, and doesn’t really know how to be himself anymore. He was good, in the 80s, at creating a different facade than Springsteen that in turn created quite a distinction between their musics, but now, because the Boss is so everpresent, Mellencamp’s sort of faded into obscurity and has to rely on shitty corporate shills to attempt to make himself relevant again. Fitting then that this so directly mirrors the Reagan/Sprinsteen shenanigans of the 80s.

All you idiotic fools kill me! Go kill yourself instead please! No one will miss you!

“Not to mention that the far-right types whose votes McCain is seeking won’t love the mildly progressive lyrics to “Our Country,” which call on the government to “help the poor and common man” and suggest that “there’s room enough here for science to live/ And there’s room enough here for religion to forgive.”

Oh, give me a break. That’s irrational and simply not true.
So people who vote Republican basically don’t give a shit about others? You’re far more intolerant and closed-minded than the people whom you are accusing of doing the same.

Chrissie Hynde gets a nice little royalty check from Rush every month and doesn’t mind a bit.

Gotta say I strongly agree w/ RS, that Republicans won’t like or be able to associate w/ Mellencamp’s lyrics. Harvard-attending, Republican-supporting, BMW-driving people don’t give a shit about the “common man”.
“The poor are always getting fucked over by the rich. ALways have been, always will” (Platoon)

I love it. For the wingnuts, “free speech” means “free to use whatever I want without regard for the owner”. Fits right in with their general actions.

Pink Houses seems like a bad choice to play but Our Country wasn’t a half bad choice for a more centrist republican like McCain. McCain doesn’t get far right votes that’s why Limbaugh and Coulter hate his guts and Lieberman loves him.

re: beemer | 2/5/2008, 5:59 am EST

“I love it. For the wingnuts, “free speech” means “free to use whatever I want without regard for the owner”. Fits right in with their general actions.”

My name’s Beemer. I guess you feel that it’s okay to use my name without regard for me, the owner.

Practice what you preach!

OMG!11!!1! I read rolling stone too!!!111!

shut up and sing, johnny cougar; we only wanna hear your music, not your politics!

Liberal facism strikes again!

LEt’s now see Brooks & Dunn request to the Obama camp to stop using “Only in America.”

Won’t happen because conservatives believe in FREE SPEECH.

Jon Cougar? Is he still around? Who listens to this crap?

Mellencrumps music is and always has been LAME and PUNCHY just like the singer..Truth be told, MCcain has NO idea that all this is going on FOR GODS SAKE this guy is busy running a campaign..AND WINNING>>>Who the hell thinks he sits around wondering what stupid music should be played..That is for the underlings to do..GET OVER YOURSELVES..This is so non-existant on the candidate radar screen that a bird crapping at 40,000 feet looks bigger than this..PLUS there are plenty of MUCH BETTER songs than this crap puking schmuk could ever make..Mellencamp could start playing the skin-flute for the DEMS and they would be happy!

Mellencamp is a day late and a dollar short on the Celebrity/Democrat freight train. Mellencamp is Rich because republicans buy his music.

hey johnny cougar no one likes your grocery store songs anyway

To Andrew the English Bloke:

Take a look at the net worth of John Cougar, Bruce the (Billionaire) Boss and all the other left-wing rock stars that “support” left-wing candidates and causes, and then talk to me about BMW (or Ferrari/Lamborghini/Bentl ey)-d riving people that don’t care about the “common man”.
These are the guys who will threaten some single mom with a million dollar lawsuit because her kid downloads a few tunes. But I guess its hard when there’s always another horse farm, penthouse, Gulfstream or Beverly Hills mansion to pay for.

Shouldn’t he just be happy ANYBODY is sill listening?

Define “unauthorized use.” Is he playing a cd he, or someone else purchased? Is it a copy? Is he using it for monetary gain? By your reasoning NYC Nate, if I am a republican and Johnny Boy doesn’t like the fact hat I am listening to this music with my friends he can tell me to stop. That’s absurd. If there is a true case of Copyright infringement then your point is valid. But at this point you lack the most basic of fact to level that kind of accusation.

I love all of you Dems. Who the hell are you to decide for me if I NEED, or CAN AFFORD a truck or SUV. Go drink your Starbucks and stick your head back in your backsides. I hope your candidate does decide to negotiate with the terrorists – might be an interesting outcome.

Just waiting for Mc Cain to use his version of “Board Walk!” That will send JCM in to outerspace. See JCM has one little favor to ask… He wants a boat dock next to his lake house, but none of his Democrat friends have been able to get the strings pulled…

I agree that Mellencamp has a right to pimp or not pimp his songs, but come on, denying them to McCain is as bad as denying them to a democrat! Am I right?!

The Left are the new fascists of our time. They want to tell everyone how to live, think, what to eat, where to smoke, etc.

If Hillary or Obama win, freedom dies. Big Brother will be watching and telling you how to live.

It’s frightening.

I thought Mellencamp was as dead as his music…what gives?

Thanks for broad-brushing the “far right” types. Maybe some day you’ll recognize us as individual people, rather than lumping us into a group and placing your own label on us and walking away feeling satisfied with yourself. You’ll find we are charitable, caring people who think throwing money at a problem is not exactly “the best solution”.

Shouldn’t McCain be using Streisand music?

I guess this attention helps to elevate his name a little, after all the man is playing for bookstores these day.

Through his classic songs he encourages our children to dribble of their bobbybrooks in the back seat of a car and risk getting pregnant before finishing high school. Fine example John, of course you are a democrat, you didn’t have to tell us.

It just becomes difficult to associate freedom of speech, protection from censorship and mantras such as live and let live with the libs when they whine about someone with different beliefs than theirs playing a song in the background. Ha ha, how ironic, don’t ya think?

I don’t know what the big deal is for Cougar. McCain is a Democrat in sheeps clothing anyway. He should welcome the air time. Maybe Bill Clinton should have chosen “I want candy” by Bow wow wow. Hillary might get some mileage out of “Your So Vain”.

English Bloke: Since when is Harvard a Republican stronghold? Apparently you’ve never been there.

Ronald Reagan used Springsteen’s Born in the USA, which was really bizarre given its lyrics. My own take is that right-wingers really don’t pay attention to the words so much as the tune. If it makes them feel good, that’s enough.

Who?

I didn’t realize Johnny Cougar was still alive

This is how it works. An artist (if they still own the rights) or a publishing company who owns the rights or acting as an agent for the artist makes available the rights to the song. As long as the licensing fee has been paid the artists have no say in how the song is used for a legal commercial use and all song command a different price. Example, A Beatles song would cost you somewhere around two million dollars, a Superchunk song would cost you a hundred dollars. Many Music artists who believe their music is actually “Art” don’t make their music available for commercial use. That’s the double edged sword especially for hypocrites like Mellencamp, you can’t be a “man of the people” and cash the check.

McCain’s audio guy should’ve done his homework. JCM is not a Republican and would likely get angry over his song being used (I always wondered about how Hynde and Limbaugh worked that out, too). Also, the lyrics don’t fit. JCM has a right to pull it for the reason of property rights.

The class warfare stuff is getting old. We have so many people who can’t see a fat man standing beside a thin one without coming to the conclusion that the fat man got that way by taking advantage of the thin one. I’m sure he has a lot more on his mind to worry about than what music is playing.

Gotta love Jonny Cougar supporting free speech

“Our Country” is far better suited to a multi-millionaire, gigantic mansion dweller, dead-child channeling shyster lawyer who’s main goal is to steal hardworking taxpayer money to hand out like candy to his base of pigs at the public trough.

“My own take is that right-wingers really don’t pay attention to the words so much as the tune.”

Isn’t everyone like that? Anybody who searches for intelligent and profound thoughts from rock songs is frankly delusional.

I find it hilarious that most of the dem rock stars & celebrites keep calling for something to unite the country, yet McCain is the closest candidate to match the requirements to do it. Hillary is already a polarizing figure, and Obama has the senate’s most liberal voting record. Mellencamp seems out of touch with America while at the same time he sings about it.

Mellencamp. Politics. Music.

When these performers decide that they will declare their political beliefs to the world, they make it very hard to continue to enjoy their music or movies. If Republicans can see good things in the lyrics of “Pink Houses” or “Our Country,” that is a good thing. Music should be universal, not political. As long as JCM gets paid for the performance, he should just enjoy the fact that he is still relevant.

Maybe Mellencamp shouldn’t have written songs that would appeal to all political persuasions.

Its posts like this that pushed me to cancel my RS subscription. Republicans don’t care about the common man or the poor, blah, blah, blah. Just because we don’t think inefficient, top heavy, revenue slurping government agencies are the answer to our social ills, doesn’t mean that we don’t care. Social Security is rolling towards bankruptcy, Medicare is paid for with borrowed money, etc, etc, etc.
Dems controlled Congress for 40 years and guess what, the poor still remained poor and the common man remained the common man. Education breeds financial and social success, but its the Dems that want to force the kids in poor, failing schools to stay in those schools, not Republicans. Lip service about helping the poor is getting old and with few results, voters are on to the game.

Typical liberal nonsense. Get over it, Johnny. The music is public-domain and can be used by whoever as long as copyrights are not infringed. Rush’s bumper music has an interested history which he has mentioned on his show. It so happens Hynde’s parents are Rush fans and they are thrilled their daughter’s music is played daily to 20 million listeners. Therefore, Chrissie does not mind its use on Rush’s show. It makes her parents happy. Besides her permission is not required. ‘Let freedom ring’.

Wow, Rolling Stone does not seem to know their history. They say, “Not to mention that the far-right types whose votes McCain is seeking won’t love the mildly progressive lyrics to “Our Country,” which call on the government to “help the poor and common man””.

Wasn’t it the Democrats who came up with a plan to “help the poor” which said we will give you check if you have a kid out of wedlock, but we will stop giving you checks if you get married, get a job, or save money? And if you want bigger checks, just have more kids. But if you stop voting for us, those evil Republicans will take those checks away. It was never about helping the poor, it was about buying votes.

Frank Zappa does a song entitled “Willie the Pimp”

@ Sick Of Left Wing Loons:
“If Hillary or Obama win, freedom dies. Big Brother will be watching and telling you how to live.”
That’s probably the funniest thing I’ve read yet today. Warrantless wire-tapping, anyone? Who did that? Oh. The right-wing terror-mongers.

To “Me”:
Well, he is using them in a public performance. If I go buy a CD, I have not purchased the rights to use them in a public performance. I have purchased the right to listen to it personally. You can read all about PRO’s and what they do on Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P erformance_rights_organisation

What it boils down to is that Mellencamp *CAN* tell McCain that he can’t play his music, simply by telling him that he doesn’t have the right to publicly perform it.

It’s funny all of this fuss over liberal John McCain using a song by liberal John Cougar Mellencamp.

For those calling all Rs loony and greedy, where did that image come from? It has to come from somewhere. It doesn’t fit my world — me and my friends make less than $70K/year; we donate a hefty portion to nonpolitical, nonprofits; we don’t hate homosexuals or those who have had abortions (another stereotype); we volunteer to teach ESL (yes, we like foreigners). I just don’t understand …

Oh, a rich, hypocritical Democrat does not want a rich, hypocritical RINO using his anti-American, anti-capitalist songs (that he used to get Americans to buy his stuff through the capitalist system).

So sad. Sorry to hear that. But hey, Johnny Cougar, why not do what you Libs tell the members of the “Vast right wing conspiracy” to do when we see something we don’t like? Change the channel, turn the other cheek, look away…

Hypocrisy, thy name is Liberalism!

Republicans want to feel like real Americans so they try to listen to music about and for the common man. It’s just a game they play with themselves.

A Republican doesn’t want anything to do with us other than to make us poor day laborer subjects. When we push back against their agenda, they accuse us of being un-American, dumb, lazy, or any other thing that their talking points suggest.

They accuse us of playing class warfare but they wage it against us daily in every way possible.

I’m tired of the personal attacks that they insist is public discourse. I have seen enough of “conservatives” the last several years to be convinced they have no idea of how to govern, only how to attack. Just sit back folks and watch them go to work on this post. Get out your talking points boys, your masters want you to respond.

I guess the arden democrat has a problem with McCain using his songs at small political rallies but doesn’t have a problem selling his “progressive” song to a multinational car company to hock their cars and trucks to Americans. Real progressive there, John….hypocrite.

It is ironic that Mellancamp has asked for something to stop because I have asked Rolling Stone to stop sending their stupid rag to me in the mail for over a year. I think this magazine used to be about Rock & Roll, but it seems to have been taken over by angry liberals that have run it into the ground. For over a year now I have gotten the magazine in my mailbox for free and every month they try to trick me by saying that my “subscription” is about to expire; here’s how to renew! NEVER PAYED FOR IT -DON’T WANT IT. I actually read the first one and it was just a bunch of Bush bashing, America hating garbage. It’s really sad that they have to give it away to make it look like the magazine has actual readers. BEWARE ADVERTISERS!! Just because it left their warehouse doesn’t mean that people read it. It goes straight in the trash. Also, anyone that agrees with their twisted point of view probably can’t afford to buy your products anyway.

He plays shows at bookstores now? LMFAO! What a washed up has-been.

I just remember how the Clinton campaign runied years of listen pleasure by pimping the Fleetwwod Mac song …. over and over again…. just another album I can’t stand to listen to now. Choose a name Jon and stick with it MR John Couger Mellencamp, nope, just Jogn Couger, nope, just Mellencamp, nope, now its John Mellencamp, who cares John, shut-up and sing, you big whinner

I resent the fact that JIM refers to McCain as a republican. At the very best McCain is a RHINO. At worst he is another tax and spend democrat. That’s why he actually considered being running mate to the Swift Boat Liar, John Kerry.

Monster By Steppenwolf -
(I think of this song every year when the elections are in bloom…)

The spirit was freedom and justice
And it’s keepers seem generous and kind
It’s leaders were supposed to serve the country
But now they won’t pay it no mind
‘Cause the people grew fat and got lazy
And now their vote is a meaningless joke
They babble about law and order
But it’s all just an echo of what they’ve been told
Yeah, there’s a monster on the loose
It’s got our heads into a noose
And it just sits there watchin’

Our cities have turned into jungles
And corruption is stranglin’ the land
The police force is watching the people
And the people just can’t understand
We don’t know how to mind our own business
‘Cause the whole worlds got to be just like us
Now we are fighting a war over there
No matter who’s the winner
We can’t pay the cost
‘Cause there’s a monster on the loose
It’s got our heads into a noose
And it just sits there watching

(America)
America where are you now?
Don’t you care about your sons and daughters?
Don’t you know we need you now
We can’t fight alone against the monster

Republicans probably shouldnt use “ardent Democrat” songs for their campains. Are there any republican musicians besides Ted Nugent?

Someone needs to remind Mellencamp that Senator McCain spend 5 years in North Vietnamese prison camps. He has earned the right to use any tune he wants. If Mellencamp was not a damn partisan dunderhead he might have the sense to show a little grace in this situation.

Mellencamp is known as kind of an elitist around here, kind of ironic about his politics…

Not JOHN Mellencamp or McCain. McCain should run democrat & then the boys will be all set. Shut up & sing!

“fair use laws” say he can use johnnys songs since they have been released to the public…All party’s pay ASCAP FOR THE RIGHT to do so..
McCain can do as he pleases

Perhaps Sen. McCain could use Steve Earle’s “Rich Man’s War” instead of the Melloncamp song. CCR did one, “Fortunate Son” that also gets crowds moving.

Oh, wait a minute, that’s why the “conservatives” hate McCain. He served in spite of his family connections and barely lived to tell about it. He’d better not remind them of that until after the primary.

Not JOHN Mellencamp or McCain. McCain should run democrat & then the boys will be all set. Shut up & sing! wHO will be left listening????

Why doesn’t every rich celebrity adopt about a thousand poor families and support them for the rest of their lives? This would prove their support for the common man. Won’t happen, they have too many fancy homes to decorate and SUV smog belchers to buy with the common mans money.

Mellencamp has never been anything other than a Springsteen pretender. He ought to be thrilled that anyone cares to hear that tripe he calls music.

If royalties are paid for this music, he is free to use it. If not, he needs to get permission to use, or stop using all together. Mellencamp is an artist of the past. His music plays in the grocery store now. There are so many real musicians with GREAT music, I would personally find something else anyway! There is no fact evidence of infringement or otherwise, so everyone can just relax. This is nothing more than a PR thing anyhow. My younger nieces wanted to know “who is he?” See….just a way to try and get another generation to know his name….make a stink about one of his songs. Your old news Mr. Mellencamp. OUCH.

Small Town is about our home town, Seymour, Indiana. I’m Republican, John McCain can play that song all he wants.

In selecting your Presidential candidate, please reflect on the dire consequences of a docile retreat before a relatively small band of Islamic extremists; and, attempt to formulate your own opinion as to the most prudent course of action in the defense of our Nation. It might assist to consider the following scenario: the infiltration of a group of terrorists similar to the Atta cabal with a quantity of weaponized anthrax procured from a rogue state; the acquisition of a single crop-duster aircraft fitted with a dry-agent disseminator; and, the dispersal of that dangerous toxin over an American population center. The loss of American life would be catastrophic. -Or-, is it preferable to pre-empt such fanatics by destroying them on their home turf, such as Afghanistan and Iraq, before they secure the capacity to threaten our homeland? The latter is in fact a key element in current American strategy. Is it advisable to support any candidate who would reverse course and sacrifice the impressive gains against Islamofacists that young Americans have shed their precious blood to achieve? The fact that we have not experienced another 9/11 is not a by-chance occurrence. Further, it’s critical to appreciate the pivotal role that our own border security plays in our “war against terrorism”, keeping in mind that “Amnesty” is anathema to border security. A Nation without enforceable borders will not long survive as a Nation. Mitt Romney is exceedingly strong on each of these principles; while his opponent, John McCain, ( who conducted himself like a petulant child in the recent Republican debate ) has proven that illegal immigration is an issue on which he can NOT be trusted. Don’t be misled by McCain’s “Clintonian-Lies” concerning Romney’s record. Greg Neubeck

Mellenhead is a 4′11″ Timberwolf wearing dork and a sellout! If it weren’t for TV commercials, no one would be subjected to his lame rhyming songs. They all sound the same. He should be thankful that anybody hears is “musak” at all.

why is ANYONE using the lyrics from any washed-up, has-been, aging R&R’r? Why?

This is exactly why Chevrolet F’up using the likes of John Mellencamp in their Ads, he’s too divisive and negative, just be glad people listen to your stuff, Lord knows they won’t buy it!

I was a huge fan of Johnny Cougar. Seriously, does he actually believe that Edwards is for the “little guy”. Or Hillary, or Osama Obama? please, get real. He’s so far from reality.

Democrats= free ride. Stay poor, stay on the bottom so you’ll need them.

Republican= no conservative= You can do better, you can move up, you don’t need government to do it, it’s within you. Get up and stand on your own two feet. Be a man. Yes there are always those who need help. But the Bible teaches that a man who will not work, does not deserve to eat. There are a lot of lazy bums on public assistance.

WAKE UP JOHNNY!

> The music is public-domain and
> can be used by whoever as long
> as copyrights are not infringed.

Public performances are clearly defined in copyright law. In order to use a piece of work *Publicly*, permission is required.
Think movies… one cannot just setup a projector and start publicly showing a movie as they see fit… the same laws apply to music.

Now, as BobbyBear points out a very key issue here;

> All party’s pay ASCAP FOR
> THE RIGHT

While it’s not a “fair use” issue, the parties do indeed have the necessary licenses to publicly play this music, which is why Mellencamp’s reps are quietly asking, and not demanding.

> Therefore, Chrissie does not mind
> its use on Rush’s show. Besides
> her permission is not required.

Yes, permission most absolutely is required.
Rush didn’t have it and actually had to pull the song in 1999. A deal was then stuck, that allowed for it’s use that resulted in the fees/royalties going to PETA.

If you are further confused, follow the link in Kingsters post.

I never understood why he changed his name from John Cougar to John Mellencamp. Yeah, I know Mellencamp’s his real name, but his real name sucks. John Cougar was such a rock and roll name.

But, when I think about his career, and his musical output . . . He’s definitely a Mellencamp!!!

And just maybe if he kept the name Cougar he could’ve made 3 or 4 killer albums and then died in a fiery auto crash, and he would now be remembered as a rock god!

But he changed his name to Mellencamp, has had a so so music career, had a heart attack, and from the looks of him, he looks he’s working on another one.

Old washed-up rockers who die of heart attacks are remembered as old washed up rockers who die of heart attacks!!!

Mellencamp’s just another democrat who wants to control but can’t
poor Johnny Cougar… go smoke another cigarette won’t ya.

HUH?

Using someone else’s material for campaigning isn’t “free speech”, Johnny Ringo. It’s copyright infringement.

IF they pay the riaa fees to play the song, jonny or chrissy have no say WHO plays their music.

Anyway, I thought they made music for ALL of us?!?!

Guess I should check more closely, the politics before I buy music OR movies… Yes?

Mellongrump and McScream are more alike than different…

Go Obama, Go Romney. Let us not vote for the choice the MSM wants us to…

HUH?

Using someone else’s material for campaigning isn’t “free speech”, Johnny Ringo. It’s copyright infringement.

IF they pay the riaa fees to play the song, jonny or chrissy have no say WHO plays their music.

Anyway, I thought they made music for ALL of us?!?!

Guess I should check more closely, the politics before I buy music OR movies… Yes?

Mellongrump and McScream are more alike than different…

Go Obama, Go Romney. Let us not vote for the choice the MSM wants us to…

Good for you John Mellencamp, for telling him to stop. Anyway, McCain is a whacko and unfit for public office, he shouldn’t have made the Senate, God forbid that he should ever become president.

Hey John M!

Shatup!!!! Nobody cares what you think. Shat up and sing, maybe someone will listen.

All you partisan loyalists are just dumb sheep! I am blown away your ignorance.

McCain supports democrats more than republicans anyway. John (cool daddy) COUGAR should be happy someone who thinks like he does is using his crapola music. McCain’s views fall more in line with COUGAR’s than Edward’s anyway. This coming from a guy who was too embarrassed to use his real name for the first 2 albums he made. McCain has just as much conptempt for Christians and conservatives as COUGAR does. Kiss and make up you two. You’re two peas in a communist pod. PINK houses? McCain Feingold? Yep, they’re sympatico alright.

What a big deal. McCain is far from “far-right,” and if Rolling Stones has been paying any attention to the news lately, McCain is getting lambasted for “not being conservative enough.”

Ignorance is bliss, amiright?

Let me get this straight. JC Melon-head says a RINO (Republican In Name Only) can’t take his ‘intellectual property’ (’intellectual’ is quite a stretch in this case). But he supports Democrat politicians who want to increase taxes on citizens who work the hardest, and give some of that money to many people who don’t work at all. Is that about right? If so, …hypocrite!

re: gneubeck | 2/5/2008, 11:37 am EST

“In selecting your Presidential candidate, please reflect on the dire consequences of a docile retreat before a relatively small band of Islamic extremists; and, attempt to formulate your own opinion as to the most prudent course of action in the defense of our Nation.”

Man, you’ve really taken a good pull off the Bush Jr. cool aid!!! I’m all for fighting terrorism. But this war is nothing more than Bush creating streams of revenue for his billionare family by controlling oil wells and giving contracts for building military hardware for his corporate criminal buddies!!!

I’m all for fighting terrorists, so let’s start going after some!!!

Rock The Vote . . . Vote Hillary.
And that’s coming from a independent who usually votes conservative.

But Rudy’s gone. So she’s by far the best one left for the job!!!

Mellencamp is what I call a “phoney patriot”. He comes out with all these patriotic-sounding songs off which he makes millions but it’s all a lie. In reality he’s a liberal who won’t even back his country’s war on Terror. Either be a patriot or be a liberal. You can’t be both!

GO RON PAUL !!!!!!!!!! Media Bias is alive and controlling the sheeple !

What a freakin’ fraud Mellencamp is. This guy talks about the common man and the little man and yet he let’s Chevy use his music. Chevy, a General Motors company that has shut down factories all over this country and sent jobs to Mexico putting tens of thousand of Americans out of work. All done with the help of his good friends in the Democratic party when they supported and passed NAFTA backed in the 90’s. Hey Johnnie!. You hypocrit.

just pay him off for use of the song. that’s all entertainers want anyway. screw their morals…they all have a price.

Wayne- mellencamp donated a huge amount of money to Indiana University and he didn’t even go to school there. I’m a Republican and disagrree with his politics too, but if he doesn’t want McCain using his songs at political rallies I’m ok with that. Doesn’t have anything at all to do with his patriotism or lack of it.

To Andrew the English bloke. . . Harvard and BMW driving are more often associated with rich New England liberals. Harvard goers and BMW drivers wouldn’t get caught dead supporting republicans.

BTW, the democrats in Congress are far more wealthy than their republican counterparts. If you hate the rich, hate the democrats – or remain ingorant.

John Mellencamp? Wow, what is this? Eighties night? Where does Boy George weigh in on the presiential race? Has anyone at RS contacted Loverboy? What a laugh. And what is this “far-right types whose votes McCain is seeking won’t love the mildly progressive lyrics”… WTF? Democrats are still the “compasionate ones” to you RS writers lost in the 60s? Compassion? Locking up generations of poor blacks in welfare prisons and lousy public schools doomed to failure? This is compassion? Go get your bong. This INDEPENDENT is voting McCain.

“I could never understand why Chrissie Hynde doesn’t appeal to Rush Limbaugh to stop using “My City Was Gone” as his theme song.”

If Hynde never hits another lick, she will be rich forever from the royalties she earns from Rush every time Rush plays that song.

Mellencamp, like most entertainers, is a liberal with no morals. He can be bought. McCain should just pay him royalties for the songs. That will shut him up.

Get with it. Conservatives ARE the common man of America. Have been for decades now. I live and work in Hollywood and have to suffer through the Limousine Liberals who care just so darn much about me, a lowly technician. Sure.

Rock The Vote . . . Vote Hillary.
And that’s coming from a independent who usually votes conservative.

stfu idiot… you are not a conservative but nice try.. oh.. and “Bush making his buddies billions”… who exactly are these buddies?? Can you name even 1 name?? Nope.. you can’t because you made that up. Haliburton has actually lost money on the war in Iraq for your FYI.

john mellencamp is a stupid hypocrite… why doesn’t he just give all HIS money to the “poor”? Well.. cuz he wants me to give mine first… no thanks johnny i’ll pass .. I think i’ll keep my hard earned money for myself, my family, and the charities which i chose to support.

People… relax. Blood pressure meds. are expensive, and our health care system won’t cover them.

Everyone knows the “far-right types” aren’t voting for McCain because….HE’S A LIBERAL.

Everyone knows the “far-right types” aren’t voting for McCain because….HE’S A LIBERAL.

Typical of spoiled “it’s all about me” rock stars..I thought Democrats were for free speech. Every time I turn around they want to stop somebody from saying something!!

One strategy for a musical artist like John Mellancamp would be to let only one person in a party use the songs at a time. That way, you can influence all the parties at once. John McCain is probably the best candidate we had in 2001. But the stingy oil companies had to have their man first.

I used to be a Republican but I couldn’t take selling out to the foreign slave holders in China and Saudi Arabia any longer.

It wouldn’t be so bad to “sell out” to the corporations but there is nothing for the working American to “buy into”. On every turn the Republicans hurt the working people trying to climb the ladder. And when I simply acknowledged this with my Republican friends they went into serious hissy fits. They accused me of “class warfare”. Well if there ever was class warfare, the Republicans started it.

I tried to hate poor people on welfare. I tried to keep a grudge of working people who kept a union job with health insurance for their children. Honestly I tried. But I just couldn’t keep it up anymore.

If you take the policy initiatives of the Republicans as a whole, their thesis is that we can’t compete against slaves if we don’t become slaves ourselves. Well I’m sorry but I can’t buy into that garbage.

Maybe if they stood up for the freedom of our republic, as the name Republican implies, instead of turning over for the foreign slave holders they could win me over again. But not until then.

No small wonder RS has become completely irrelavant; it is read by morons on both sides of the paradigm.

Put down your partisan crayons and raise the level of discourse.

It would be great if a write-in campaign could compete with these political machines of destruction…a vote of protest… Maybe 42,000,000 votes for Jerry Garcia would open their eyes.

All Mellenhead’s houses are pink. That’s where he has his best communist thoughts. I can’t believe anybody actually paid attention to the lyrics of these burned out idiots. It’s all the same hate and blame America first ramblings.

Sorry John (Mellencamp)
You can’t have your cake and eat it too. Once the plane I make is sold to the airline I can not choose who gets to travel in it.
If you want your songs (those few that do not suck) NOT be played keep them private.

what a bunch of ignorant sheep populate this board.

free speech? why should john mellencamp let mccain use his song? since when does an artist have to let his material be used for someone elses gain? you are all a bunch of hypocrites.

all the fools here that are bad mouthing mellencamp and spouting “watch out for liberals” obviously haven’t been paying attention to the republican modus operandi for the past several years and probably enjoy having their country stolen by jack booted thugs.

republicans hate facts and will twist reality to suit their value du-jour.

this board sucks and 99% of the posters here are idiots.

WILL SOMEBODY PLEASE TELL ME WHAT TO THINK!? AND DON’T FORGET TO GIVE ME A SNARKY NAME TO CALL THE GUY WHO DOESN’T THINK JUST LIKE YOU TOLD ME HOW TO…

Hey Johnny,go away,just like the clintons nobody wants to hear you,go hang with that douche Edwards,LOSER!

John Mellancamp needs food because no one is buying his records anymore. Won’t you sponsor him?

The only people left that are Republicans ARE the working classes of America, who don’t want illegals taking their jobs. Celebs and the ultra rich, like Soros, Gates, etc, don’t give a crap about the American working class.

That’s why I’m voting for Romney, who is against the illegal alien invasion of America.

No surprise an old guy like McCain would play old sounding music.

thank u john mellencamp for doing that

I can spot a Drudge Report link a mile away. Yahoo! Rush Clones of the world unite!

Mellenhead’s america is DUMB. He was once a guest on real time w/ maher. Maher was disgusted with the naivete’ of voters and mellenhead quipped “whats wrong with being naive?”
Shut up and DONT sing!I have just removed you from my library, john!

Mellencamp (didn’t he used to be John Cougar?) has the right to ask, and McCain has the right to tell him to go pound sand. He bought the CD, he gets to play it, as long as he’s not using it to make money or raise campaign funds, or put it in a commercial.

Most of you losers came here from Drudge report huh?

One more thing.
I am the biggest idiot of them all. Sorry I lost my temper. I hate being me and I know it shows.
Sorry again, you folks are fine.

He is quite the shallow has-been isn’t he? Only a loser lets politics control your life, even if your a has-been, over-hyped liberal…Sad

Mellencamp and record company should sue McCain campaign for playing song in public and over the air waves without permission.

I’ve read McCain was a party animal at Naval Academy and finished 5th from the bottom in his class. I hope he isn’t a dumb drunk should he get elected.

So would Edwards really want to use the lyrics: “Pink Houses” lines about the “simple man” paying for the “the thrills, the bills and the pills that kill”?

Oh, that’s right RS only plays that card on a Republican.

I don’t plan of voting for McCain under any circumstance. It’s still a mystery to me how a so-called “conservative” can object to him.

Oh, I get it, he’s not some kind of Chicken Hawk Republican that sends others to do the dying and bleeding. He knows the price we are paying in blood and treasure for Mr. Bush’s little adventure in Iraq. Who is benefiting from that war?

If Melloncamp, the artist, objects to the use of his work in a political campaign he should raise his concerns. It’s still a free country. That’s a wonder considering what the current ruling junta has done to make it otherwise.

It just warms my heart that entertainers and the Hollywood Crowd are just so much brighter than the rest of us. We regular folk would just be nowhere if it wasn’t for these intellectual giants. Everytime one of these dolts opens their mouth I cross out another entertainer whose misic I won’t buy or a movie I won’t see. And being a greedy conservative think of all the money I save.

Memo to John Mellencamp: Just sit back and collect all those wonderful performance royalties. In this great capitalist nation of ours, we get to play it if we pay. Don’t you think Chrissie Hynde would have stopped Rush Limbaugh from using “My City Was Gone” as theme music if she could have done so? Or, in other words, “Shut up and sing.”

Memo to John Mellencamp: Just sit back and collect all those wonderful performance royalties. In this great capitalist nation of ours, we get to play it if we pay. Don’t you think Chrissie Hynde would have stopped Rush Limbaugh from using “My City Was Gone” as theme music if she could have done so? Or, in other words, “Shut up and sing.”

wherever maffew ddrudge tells me to go, i go, and i spout all the tings i tink are truuu.. duuuuhhh

This Mellencamp fool has every right to ask someone not to play his music. And McCain has every right to keep playing it if he wants.

God bless America! Where else could there be such a public conversation (some intelligent, most ridiculous) without fear for being persecuted for what you said.

Who cares? Mellencamp sucks. I don’t understand why either party would use his horrible tripe in the first place. His crap is better played at bingo night for the old folks.

Whoever wrote this article, you’re a buffoon. John McCain is not courting far right wing voters. I’m actually surprised that Mellencamp doesn’t approve of McCain using his music. McCain is more of a democrat than most democrats.

“”funny the ardent democrat wants to
stop free speech isn’t it?”"

Yeah. Usually it’s the republicans that stifle our civil freedoms. Funny.

Funny how the lyrics are deemed “progressive” because they advocate government intervention to help the poor. Yea, we can see what a trillion dollars over the last 40 years have done to reduce poverty. That’s not progress, that’s statism. A more progressive idea would be for the poor to help themselves or for fellow citizens to help out. And for Pete’s sake McCain is NOT a conservative.

In other breaking news: RS has asked Drudge Report to stop linking to its websites. The far-right types who inhabit DR have a habit of rushing into the discussion board on every article Matt links to and using it as a sounding board to talk about how THE ILLEGALS ARE INVADING OUR COUNTRY and how we need to kick out everyone who speaks Spanish, or how THOSE DAMN HIPPIES NEED TO TAKE A BATH AND SHUT UP and how we need to kick out everyone who doesn’t listen to Toby Keith. Since all the comments are pretty much the same thing, maybe you guys could have this ban reversed by pooling your colective brainpower and posting one really good comment. I’m sure between Drudge’s millions of viewers you can come up with the equivalent of ONE normal human being’s intelligence…and it’s much better than flooding every message board he links to with hundreds of posts all filled with the same illiterate, nativist, ignorant, and reflexively reactionary (i.e. conservative) drivel.

Ah, look at all the angry people. America is looking pretty sad on this board. No wonder why we can’t fix our problems.

who cares? i’d like to thank all the walking social viruses (a.k.a. hippies) here for contributing absolutely nothing positive to this world. tell mellencamp to go play an elevator somewhere.

Two-bit singers and actors that aren’t very bright, should not get any more say in politics than anyone else. Now, there are laws and rules for using published music in the public domain.

If the Gvt. is looking for a place to spread the grant around — let them spread some for the “Notch Babies” After all we saved the world. ha!

“jimbo | 2/5/2008, 12:38 pm EST

Most of you losers came here from Drudge report huh?”
———————— ——-
The only reason this blog is interesting is because of the Drudge link. Otherwise, it’d just be a bunch of liberals agreeing how evil anyone who thinks different then them is.

It’s fun to debate, but it’s lame to just name call.

Everyone needs to get off Mellencamp’s butt. First of all, if he has rights to his music he most CERTAINLY can say who can use it. If he doesnt, the least he can do is ask. I love how some of you are the same people that get ticked off that people download music for free, but God forbid Mellencamp asks McCain to not use his music unauthorized!!!
And where are any of you when it comes to fighting for the rights of farmers and the working class? You sure arent with Mellencamp, who has been fighting for as long as he’s been a celeb to shed a light on middle America’s important problems. Just go sit in your mansion and count your money and leave the hard stuff to people who know how to do more than selfishly complain.

John Cougar should be greatful that anyone is still playing his crap.

Not that it really matters, but just in case anyone wants to know how royalty payments actually work, here goes.

Radio stations and live venues pay a fee to a licensing agency that distributes money to artists based on what is played during a random test week. Music is not played on a pay per use basis.

If I am a radio host, and want to use a specific song for a theme, I do not necessarily need to pay the artist specifically for that song, the artist will get compensated by virtue of the fact that the song will be played during the sample week.

Don’t assume the artist is getting paid every time you hear the work.

Things work differently for actual appearances in commercials.

If the “progressive” johnny cougar wishes to give 50%, 60%, 90% of his income to the government, the irs will be more than happy to accept. If he does not, maybe he (and his ilk) should stfu.

Hey, I’m about as conservative as they come. I can usually overlook the singer’s politics and just enjoy the song. Hell, I HAVE to since 99% of the music industry is to the left of Stalin. What I don’t understand is why the leftist singers can’t overlook the people listening to their music and just enjoy the paycheck?

I went to a Decemberists concert (one of my favorite bands) where I was the only clean cut, well dressed, conservative type in attendance. The rest of the hairy, unshaven, unwashed masses were decidely on the other side of the political spectrum, I assure you. And do you know what happened? We ALL enjoyed a great concert. It’s a shame Mellencamp and his addle-brained drones on RS can’t do likewise.

Just enjoy the music. Whether it’s at home, on the radio, or gasp! At a McCain campaign stop.

This guy’s a big money phony, selling out to 8 mpg Chevy trucks, and tooting a liberal horn all the way to the bank.

No surprise he likes Edwards, huh?

A day spent at a Mellencamp show with tickets provided by the show producers. Libations comp’d, seats in the front row. And then getting to watch John Edwards get bood off the stage, red faced, in very short order.

PRICELESS!!!!!!

I can’t believe that people are bashing Drudge and people who got here from there (I did) as if there is some kind of club for people who are TRUE Rolling Stone bloggers. This story is a shame but JM is handling well by doing it on the quiet but people here who don’t like Drudge (who only links to stories) need to get a life and stop acting like they already have one – hopefully you aren’t deluding yourselves with that nonsense.

They will remind everyone what a liberal he really is!

drudge sent me….can someone direct me to the party, please…i will keep it brief and sensor my own freedom of speech so as to not offend demoncrats: mccain is a staunch liberal, not a conservative republican.

Jesus Christ is the way, the truth, and the life! See where our country is going, we must turn back to God, living our lives for Him!

Gotta love the Hollywood libs. Forget the fact we liberated hundreds of thousands of people in Iraq, including all women who were considered “possessions”, the lib’s see things through skewed glasses.

Well, instead of John McCain using an ardent Democrat,like Mellencamp, he should have chose a real conservitive, like Ted Nugent. That wayhe could have played “strangelhold” at his campain stops.

Good thing I’m not a lawyer. Anyone with an IQ above room temperature (which effectively eliminates any Drudge trollers) would know that a recording artist owns their work, and has the right to approve or disapprove of its usage any which way they please. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need lunch. MOM! HOT POCKETS…..NOW!!!

SHUT UP AND SING!

This discussion thread certainly subtracts from the sum of all human knowledge.

My lord… what rampant douchebaggery in these comments.

1. JCM is ASKING McCain to stop using his songs. He’s not TELLING him to, he’s not using lawyers, he’s not filing a lawsuit. (not saying it won’t happen, and if it did, then JCM would be WRONG).

2. Chrissie Hynde didn’t complain about Limbaugh using her song for 12 YEARS. She got angry when he said in an interview: “it was icing on the cake that it was [written by] an environmentalist, animal rights wacko and was an anti-conservative song. It is anti-development, anti-capitalist, and here I am going to take a liberal song and make fun of [liberals] at the same time.”(source:wikipedia.org) They eventually patched it up, and he now pays royalties… which she donates to animal rights causes.

3. You righties out there that are claiming the left is the source of censorship and authoritarian governance are sorely mistaken. (they have their own problems, but that isn’t one of them). This administration has created the “Free Speech Zone”, sublimated the constitutional rights to free speech, freedom from illegal search and seizure, habeas corpus, right to trial by jury, right to representation, the fact that declaration of war is supposed to rest solely in Congress, not in the Executive branch… pretty much sh!t on the document that myself and other vets fought to keep sacred. Not to mention the 1100+ ’signing statements’, where he signs a bill into law, then proceeds to explain how he and his branch of government don’t have to FOLLOW THAT LAW. Now, if any party has subverted the constitution and democratic process, it’s certainly not the Dems this time. (Though they are just as capable of it, for sure! Nobody has attempted it on this scale before).

Now all of you… stop spouting your broad-brush-isms – the talking points that sound good on the surface but are lacking substance, learn what is ACTUALLY going on, and vote accordingly. Or you’re all grounded.

Peas out.

I live in the same small town as Mellencamp, Bloomington, IN, and he a first class jerk.

When I’m dressed-to-kill in black thigh-high leather boots, a pink thong and assless chaps, nothing says “shake your money maker” than a little John Cougar. I think people should lay off him.

Ringo, does a performer not release his right to direct the personal use of a cd/dvd when he accepts cash for its transfer to consumers? Does chevrolet own the car sitting in my driveway? will they tell romney what he can drive to a political rally? Now GO GET YOUR SHINE BOX!

JCM lives just a few miles from me-his multi million dollar huge mansion is spread out on the shore of Lake Monroe in Monroe County, Indiana, just a few short feet from the water’s edge and that must explain his “concern” for the common man-oh please-perhaps his proximity to the water’s edge explains why he is all wet.

Mellencamp take himself a bit too seriously. He needs to remember, he’s just an entertainer.

Hey now, I read Drudge and I’m a democrat, liberal, whatever you want to call me. Y’all should ease up on Drudge, that site isn’t the problem. Mellencamp actually has a legal leg to stand on, since McCain solicits contributions at every gathering where he plays music.
To the finger-pointers here, get a life, ok? We’re all Americans, hippie and yuppie; we’re all taking care of our families and we all could use a little patience and understanding from the world. Put your feet into the shoes of another and look at the world with a different perspective – then you have room to bitch about what you think people are or aren’t doing right. Nobody _wants_ to be poor, homeless, or in need, so get off their backs for a minute and realize that we’re all part of the problem. At least that’s what Mellencamp is trying to show in his music. Let’s put ScottK up there on a farm for a year, or “whatever” into a coal mine for $12 an hour and see how they fare…

The Right stifles speech? That’s a funny one. The Left on college campuses, government, cinema, news, newspapers squelch free speech through political correctness and thought crime legislation such as “Hate Crime”. The right doesn’t yell down and protest people they don’t agree with, or very rarely. Like on college campuses. So you lefties that think the right has a stranglehold on shutting people up, look again at yourselves. Conservatives can’t speak on campuses for fear of having their grades reduced by old, throwbacks to the 60’s. Conservatives in Hollyweird can’t “Come Out” for fear of retribution. The left, since the days of Lenin (not John) have always shut down opposing viewpoints. Either by yelling or calling it hate speech. Who are you kidding. Mellencamp is a has been, as is Eddie Vedder, Babs, etc. The Republican party is FOR free speech (at least more than the Dems) except John McCain who authored CFR. As for other lefty icons, FDR put Japanese in jail for being…Japanese. JFK got us into an ENDLESS war with Vietnam and a Republican, Nixon, got us out. Clinton got us into Bosnia for a year, in 1993, and we’re still there. Liberal idiots, selective memories.

A few things the author left out:
- McCain is not a conservative. He’s as liberal as JCM.

- The far-right won’t be voting for McCain.

- Most Republicans don’t look to singers for their political direction. I am a conservative and both of those are great tunes.

You know, like I’m totally in agreement with you like, uh drudge haters. We should like, um totally shut these uh, what’s the word? dummie dumb dumbs up. We should like give some of our checks to the, um what do you call people who grow things? Yeah right! Like farmer guys should get money for not growing crops. They should totally grow like um more corn stuff so I can drive my chevy pick em up truck. They should like grow more pot too. I love that stuff! It helps me feel better for like uh voting for commie hippies like the ones who sound out these forum dealy doos. I should like um…write a song about that. I’ll just use the…what’s the word? Riff! That’s it. The same riff I use in every song I have totally written in my like uh um smoke filled life. Rock on fellow amerika hating commies!!! Yeah, you drudgers totally like um…let me get my diktionary…..reek! Yeah that’s like totally the word. zzzzzzzzz

Mellonhead is as phoney, arrogant and liberal as they come. I had the misfortune of seeing him a couple years ago. We sat in the rain as he preened and finally came on stage 45 minutes late. He then went into a 30 hour mindless and terrible rendition of the Stone’s “Gimme Shelter” followed by some gospel singing. He couldn’t give a damn. He was up there for himself as “an artist”. He played a few lifeless hits and left. Thanks John, the common man. I will make it a point to vote McCain today just because of you.

I would not use that Liberal creeps songs anyway. What are you thinking John?

If this clown thinks he can dictate who can play his music after buying it may be we all should stop buying his and others crap period. Once you buy anything its YOURS to do as you please.

I enjoyed JCM’s “Hurts So Good” He must have had “tough love” and dug it.
“Sink your teeth right thru my bones…” I know a few women capable of that and more.
He tried to be diplomatic with his request. Diplomacy just doesn’t work with some people.
That’s why God invented guns.

An artist has “rights” to his music. I don’t think so.
Just ask John Fogerty who owns his music or Brian Wilson ( the Beach Boy who wrote all their songs for you stoners) who owns his music or for that matter Paul McCartney who owns his music. Writing and “owning” are 2 different things.
Conventions, trade shows, etc pay MONEY to companies that ALLOW them to play music they have UNDER THEIR CONTROL.
While the little yoyo may still own the rights to his music, he sold the rights to use them. ie TOUGH SHIT

Shaggy

McCain is a liberal himeself. Just having an (R) beside your name doesn’t make you a conservative. See GW Bush, perfect example of a Liberal Republican.

Hey Johnny Ringo (Feb 5, 1:32pm),

I stop reading posts when I find the first stupid one, and then I comment. To refute your idiotic assertion about control of artists’ music, the vast majority of artists and/or copyright holders has almost no power whatsoever to cherrypick the PA (public address) broadcast of his music once he turns over distribution and royalty maintenance over to the likes of a BMI or ASCAP. If the re-broadcasters or venues pay the license fees, they can play whatever they want whenever they want. TV commercials are not covered in standard BMI contracts, but McCain isn’t running crappy Mellencamp songs in commercials to my knowledge. Incidentally, Reagan did use “Pink Houses” in commercials when he ran for office, and Mellencamp apparently was happy to collect bookoo bucks for the royalties on those commercials. He must have grown as a person since then. But regarding venue broadcast of music, the only way Mellencamp could restrict usage is if he were independent of BMI or ASCAP or Harry Fox or the like. That’s what sports associations do, which is why legally a bar owner can’t broadcast the Superbowl without paying the NFL their blood money. But we musicians are lazy potheads, and we don’t have time or resources (from spending so much cash on drugs) to be arrogant mobsters like the NFL. We leave that to the Guido’s at BMI.

Did anyone ask what Jack and Diane think? They were ‘2 American kids growin up, in the heartland’ and all.

Hey Ringo – politicians and journalists practically live on Drudge. Even the ones who hate his guts know he has sources they can only dream of. So it really speaks to your ignorance to slam Drudge readers. As for JCM…who cares? This is a rather petty move on his part, but in the end it doesn’t matter. McCain will simply pick new songs and gain a few spite votes.

Great! Another one of my favorite singers is now trying to alienate half of his fan base by mixing politics with music. My favorite actor (Sean Penn) did the same thing, and I have not watched a single movie sense.

Someone correct me if I am wrong but the “simple man” lyric below seems to be more close alligned to the entertainment industry where the purchase of movie tickets and songs subsidizes the worthless lifestyles of the “creative class” like Heath Ledger, Britney, et al. How does a particular political party equate to that lyric? I don’t see either party in that role. It is possible that Mr. Mellencamp is unintentionally raising a mirror and seeing himself, or was it intentional and some of you here just do not see it?

“simple man” paying for the “the thrills, the bills and the pills that kill”

I was born with a small mind …

John Cougar Melonhead is still alive?

Zod bless the U. S. of A! A place where ALL of us can spout our ignorant comments for the world to see!

Don’t forget to vote today folks!

Quote: “Not to mention that the far-right types whose votes McCain is seeking won’t love the mildly progressive lyrics to “Our Country,” which call on the government to “help the poor and common man” and suggest that “there’s room enough here for science to live/ And there’s room enough here for religion to forgive”.

I almost peed my pants laughing. If they think McCain is a far right wing conservative no wonder we as a country are so screwed. Dear lazy fellow Americans – do your homework! McCain is as conservative as his best friend, Teddy Kennedy. I’m sorry, I mean “Juan McAmnesty”. I think even Hillary is more conservative than Juan.

He could get ASCAP to force McCain to pay licensing fees. Megalomaniacs never think copyrights apply to them.

Hey wooferboomus, walt etc..

Ronald Reagan was quite aware of the lyrics to ‘Born in the USA’. Indeed, his campaign manager, the late great Lee Atwater was a huge libertarian, rock and roll fan and musician (and best friend with the editor of the National Lampoon). Reagan operated on several levels himself .. that’s why both his detractors and the Reagan-wannabees do not quite get him.

Robert Allen
Arlington, Virginia

p.s. back in ‘80 I was quite active in the Republican party and we often had a good laugh at the Democrats assumption that Reagan (and by extension, we his campaigners) did not know what we were doing, or that we were somehow for the powerful. The blue-collar Democrats at the time got it .. which is why, from that point on, they were referred to as “Republicans”. (Of course W, one of those Reagan-wannabees who didn’t get it, may have ruined all that).

I just love it when these mindless LIB entertainers think the world owes them everything. Hey mellonhead: the song was licensed and paid for. Can’t deal with it? Well boo-hoo, you washed up has-been. Thank the Lord for P2P – now we won’t have to spend another cent on your music ever again.

Want fries with that…eh?

Johnny Ringo. You shouldn’t be speaking about people’s IQs when you are making an incorrect (that means “wrong”) statement. McCain can play any album he wants to legally (as long as he bought it) and if there is a license issue (public performance, etc.) he need only pay the license fee. He cannot be told by ANY artist that he is not allowed to use the music in a public place unless it is a commercial (recorded). So I think you should stick to what you know, whatever that is.

Make that “ZOG bless the USA” as we’re already screwed. We’ve been sold down the river a long time back and it will take everyone to make a real change. Expecting the useful idiots to do it is expressing apathy at its worst.

JCM is no longer relevant in the music industry unless it involves getting paid to do Chevy commercials. I guess he’s for big business when it comes to his own wallet. Not very liberal Johnny. His Donkey-bias comes from his love for overpriced government programs like farm subsidies. As a fellow Hoosier, I saw it’s nice that he still chooses to live in the heartland but it seems he’d be truly at home on the LEFT coast.

JCM is no longer relevant in the music industry unless it involves getting paid to do Chevy commercials. I guess he’s for big business when it comes to his own wallet. Not very liberal Johnny. His Donkey-bias comes from his love for overpriced government programs like farm subsidies. As a fellow Hoosier, I saw it’s nice that he still chooses to live in the heartland but it seems he’d be truly at home on the LEFT coast.

McCain should use Ted Nugent’s “Stormtroopin’” to whip those campaign crowds into a brown-shirted frenzy of Fuhrer-venerating adoration. Ted is a Republican and he won’t mind. Nugent’s “Wang Dang Sweet Poontang” would be a good second choice to appeal to the female voters in the crowd too. Alice Cooper says he leans Republican, and he does have a decent back catalog of catchy shock lyrics to still spin Reverend Falwell in his grave (For you younger cats, Cooper’s “Cold Ethel” is about necrophilia…).

By the way, Mellencamp shows why entertainers’ political opinions are wothless: McCain is a progressive Republican (Meaning he is essentially a goose-stepping, big government Democrat and is far removed from the Libertarian or Conservative wings of the Republican party). McCain is a close friend of both Joe Lieberman AND Hilliary Clinton (Bill Clinton even admitted that). Shouldn’t Johnny Cougar look at his demographics and figure out how that 76 year old man he references in his own “Minutes to Memories” might vote? Unless Mellencamp is about to transform himself into a steroid-abusing criminal with a double digit I.Q. wearing Liberace’s old wardrobe while he spews out illiterate lyrics over the same repititious riff over and over and over, poverty-ridden, inner city urban dwellers ain’t exactly Mellencamp’s target demographic audience. Those white, Asian, and Jewish middle class working Americans with nuclear families that make up the bulk of the Republican party do, however, strongly resemble the type of folks that probably buy Mellencamp’s CD’s.

We know where you stand, great journalism skills.

Mellencamp doesn’t need to ask me to stop using his Tunes, that’s already handled

Hey liberal idiots! McCain’s usage of the songs are NOT copyright infringement, nor is it unauthorized usage of a song. Unless McCain is using the songs for commercial usage, or infringement of copyright by making and distributing copies, he’s free to use the music all he wants!

Do you really think it matters? Only a few people even know who Mellencamp is let alone know his music. Come on, who really cares?
Rob

Wow, what hate. So what if ur not a Mellencamp fan, a piece of music he created is being used and he’s not happy. All legal rights and b.s. aside, he doesnt want it, respect the wishes. Heartland isnt all that hearty when taken out of context.

Wow, what hate. So what if ur not a Mellencamp fan, a piece of music he created is being used and he’s not happy. All legal rights and b.s. aside, he doesnt want it, respect the wishes. Heartland isnt all that hearty when taken out of context.

+1

nothingshocking | 2/5/2008, 12:01 pm EST

What a freakin’ fraud Mellencamp is. This guy talks about the common man and the little man and yet he let’s Chevy use his music. Chevy, a General Motors company that has shut down factories all over this country and sent jobs to Mexico putting tens of thousand of Americans out of work. All done with the help of his good friends in the Democratic party when they supported and passed NAFTA backed in the 90’s. Hey Johnnie!. You hypocrit.

John who?

Who the heck would want to play Mellencamp’s music in the first place?

Mellencamp should sue the pants off McCain and the McCain campain. McCain is short on money and might have to drop out. Then my hero Ron Paul will win

I find it very interesting that the conservatives on here who say that the progressives just want to attack everyone are the ones that are resorting to name calling while it seems that all the progressives are debating the points, not resorting to name calling.

I will also leave you with my fave quote “When I fed the poor they called me a saint. When I asked why the poor had no food, they called me a Communist”

ur_name_here,

If you have legally purchased a copy of his music for your own legal usage, Mellencamp has no rights to dictate how you choose to use it. All he can do is ask, and McCain is within his rights to say NO!

At least McCain uses an American’s music. Hillary went with a CANADIAN! What an idiot she is. Celine Dion. What was she thinking? Obviously a few americans corrected Hillary on her obvious error. Heck, I’m Baracking my vote but McCain beats Hillary any day (should Barack not be a choice – which is not gonna happen.

I find it very interesting that the conservatives on here who say that the progressives just want to attack everyone are the ones that are resorting to name calling while it seems that all the progressives are debating the points, not making flippant remarks that give no benefit to the conversation.

I will also leave you with my fave quote “When I fed the poor they called me a saint. When I asked why the poor had no food, they called me a Communist”

…and my perspective, although is strong is not based on hatred, but based on a lack of patience for so much uninformed statements by the so-called free speech crowd.

While I disagree with Mellencamp’s views on lots of issues I have no issue with him not wanting someone else to use his song.

Oh and for the uneducated in this forum:

1) I came in here through Drudge because long ago I got tired of the editorial board of this magazine masquerading as some sort of authority over topics it knows nothing about. Drudge is little more than article splicing. he also has links for anything you can think of. If that makes him part of the “right winged conspiracy” then so be it.

Finally, the author of the above article plays the same old tired class warfare nonsense insinuating that any Republican doesn’t want to help the poor etc… Seems to me in today’s society a true Republican (and not the imitators left running for President)solution for one struggling is to offer a hand and help him out of the hole free to pursuit his own successes. A modern Democratic solution seems to be keeping that individual in the hole and just bring his meals to him.

so fuc==ing what. and how did yr day go.yawn

so fuc==ing what. and how did yr day go.yawn

also, from my perspective, is strong is not based on hatred, but based on a lack of patience for so much uninformed statements by the so-called free speech crowd. .

John CM is still around? Use the tunes, Mac! Hope it becomes as identified with McCain as Chrissy Hynde’s is with Rush da man Limbaugh.

“Our Country” – it’s fine when pitching cars, but not when pitching politics.

Anything for the almighty $.

Meow there Cougarites!

“Republicans want to feel like real Americans so they try to listen to music about and for the common man. It’s just a game they play with themselves.

A Republican doesn’t want anything to do with us other than to make us poor day laborer subjects. When we push back against their agenda, they accuse us of being un-American, dumb, lazy, or any other thing that their talking points suggest.

They accuse us of playing class warfare but they wage it against us daily in every way possible.

I’m tired of the personal attacks that they insist is public discourse. I have seen enough of “conservatives” the last several years to be convinced they have no idea of how to govern, only how to attack. Just sit back folks and watch them go to work on this post. Get out your talking points boys, your masters want you to respond.”

Well!

I’m a Republican labor guy and I certainly don’t! The Left continues to portray Republicans as little “Monopoly Money” men in tophats. Sheesh. Get with it.

I live and work in Hollywood and I have to watch the biggest hypocrites in history money grab then push for lefty candidates. Why don’t they simply pay us crew people more money? We;re the ones who make them look good, after all!

Oh yeah. I forgot. They;re too busy in their limos, 36′ diesel burning trailers doing PSAs for Al Gore to think about us.

You think they don’t have the BEST tax attorneys in the country saving them every single penny (rather than simply taking their income AFTER taxes)? Dont be naive.

But McCain is a liberal!

I sure hope John McCain loses super tuesday! I do not care for anything that guy does.

Stop the press! Another whining liberal, what a shock. Mellencamp should pipedown and sing.

Former Republican | 2/5/2008, 12:20 pm EST

Beautifully said, my man. I’ve not crossed over only because I don’t know where to cross over to. Dems don’t cut it, Libertarians scare me a bit … I just don’t think there’s a place for me. But I’m with you on all your points. Dead on.

I didn’t realize that John C. Mellencamp’s songs were just for Democrats. I mistakenly thought they were for all Americans.

John COUGAR lost relevance after Scarecrow

Just how irrelevant does the media want to be?

“It’s copyright infringement.”

No…If McCain’s people bought the music legally and are paying ASCAP and BMI fees it isn’t copyright infringement. If it was infringement, then the lawyers would be sending cease and desist orders.

Besides, John COUGAR lost relevance after Scarecrow

I remember when Springsteen had to ask Reagan to stop using “Born In The USA” during his campaign..the funny thing is, that is not even a patriotic song! It makes me think that a lot of campaign aides don’t pay very close attention to things when they are trying to come up with something gimmicky.

Mellencamp is in the right..noone can legally play his music for public consumption unless they get his express written permission from him and/or the publishing company.

What an idiot…”right wingers” don’t care about the poor, just because we want people to work for a living doesn’t mean we don’t care. By the way, a LOT more than just “right wingers” are going to vote McCain (who is basically a liberal)…independents and Democrats will too. You’ll see, there is no way the libs will grab the white house…there are more of us than there are of you (case in point: GWB in 04). Nuff said.

What an idiot…”right wingers” don’t care about the poor, just because we want people to work for a living doesn’t mean we don’t care. By the way, a LOT more than just “right wingers” are going to vote McCain (who is basically a liberal)…independents and Democrats will too. You’ll see, there is no way the libs will grab the white house…there are more of us than there are of you (case in point: GWB in 04). Nuff said.

Ali, you’re wrong, there are alot of people who have no intention of being productive, self-sufficient or reliable. They play the system!

Hey Cougar! Your music at McCain Rallies is being used to promote great American Rock Roll. Dahhaa!!Senator please accept and switch to the Stones. Its better music anyway!!

But Real American | 2/5/2008, 3:56 pm EST:

What if Republicans like me are so discouraged that we just don’t vote? I know I should anwya, but I don’t see a candidate that I can get behind. And, no, I don’t listen to Rush — dropped that nasty midday habit over 15 years ago.

So, does this entitle McCain to ask JCM never to drive through or stop off in the state of Arizona?

If the “progressive” Johnny Cougar wishes to have 50%, 60%, 90% of his earnings go to the government, he is welcome to do so now; the IRS will gladly accept them! If he (and others of his ilk) are not willing to put their $$$ where their mouths are they should stfu when it comes to their “man of the people” BS.

Wow. What hate here. Simply amazing the amount of hate Mellencamp gets. There are some very disturbed, angry, self-called conservatives here. We got a Hall of Fame musician who doesn’t want a republican to use his work because it doesn’t embody what McCain stands for. That’s his right.

It’s ultimately uncool to play somebody’s music when they’re against your candidacy.

The world’s stocked with music, man. McCain should play something that fits his world view, like “America, Fuck Yeah!”

dog named boo: actually the IRS will not glady take your extra cash so telling people to go ahead and give it to them does not work. I have tried it they will send it back they only will take what is taxed.

how about mellencamp asking Republicans not to buy his silly music anymore. People like the beat of songs and maybe a phrase or two, but for Mellencamp to act as if his songs are so politically meaningful is ridiculous. If they had a clear message that was explicitly pro-democrat McCain wouldn’t have used it in the first place. Mellencamp should check out the amount of money that’s been spent and will continue to be spent on the poor and common folk.

Mellencamp’s latest musical drivel “Jena” is based on lies and misinformation. I wonder if he would have a different opinion if those 6 black boys would have beaten his head in. Indiana no longer claims you.

Part of the de-liberalizing process is realizing that rock n roll is made possible by that ‘white collar conservative flashing down the street’.

John Mellen…who? LMAO You can tell who rode the short bus to school cause they still have that whiney liberal attitude. No, Stop! you can’t play my music! You liberals need to grow a pair and grow more grey matter between your ears. Your nothing but a bunch of intellectual zygotes whove never had a real job! Ha ha ha, LOL.

McCain is a dirtbag, there is no doubt about that. What’s funny is that Mellenhead doesn’t even realize how closely alligned McCain’s ideas are with the Democrat party.

LOL. Typical hate filled, moronic liberal wrote the piece. How do I know? He/she writes, “Not to mention that the far-right types whose votes McCain is seeking won’t love the mildly progressive lyrics to “Our Country,” which call on the government to “help the poor and common man”. Umm, bonehead, conservatives aren’t against helping out the poor and common man. We’re just against forever enslaving them by making them dependent on the government. Unlike liberals, who could obviously care less about the people they claim to want to “help” (i.e., enslave).

LOL. Typical hate filled, moronic liberal wrote the piece. How do I know? He/she writes, “Not to mention that the far-right types whose votes McCain is seeking won’t love the mildly progressive lyrics to “Our Country,” which call on the government to “help the poor and common man”. Umm, bonehead, conservatives aren’t against helping out the poor and common man. We’re just against forever enslaving them by making them dependent on the government. Unlike liberals, who could obviously care less about the people they claim to want to “help” (i.e., enslave).

Looks like the right wing nuthouse Drudge Report linked here.

Hence, the mindless, drivelling hate being spewed forth by the reich wing sheeple.

Listen to Melonballs, McCain! He doesn’t want you to play his ho-hum mediocre rock songs. I would also appreciate not having to hear Pink Houses for the next 9 months.

Another lefty-lib “celebrity.” How original. Not.

When will John Cougar be inviting the “just folks” to his little pink house? (BTW- does Cougar’s pal John Edwards’ mansion qualify as a little pink house?)

JMC should call montgomery Gentry for some tunes•

i do hope that everyone realizes that it says Mellencamp’s reps, not Mellencamp himself. are asking McCain to stop using them. the reps are people whose opinions may or may not reflect Mellencamp’s. also, McCain is just being a moron using a song about how to fix the country through liberal policies when trying to win over the conservative Republican Party, all the while, Mitt Romney is winning more and more votes, and Romney will destroy the USA quicker than GW Bush ever took.

Pretty sure anyone who pays the rights can use the music.

Certainly no one else is listening to it.

Snore…Big freakin deal…Mellencamp hasn’t been a force in popular culture since…well, since…ever.

He’s an ASS…so is McCain but he is a politician, he’s supposed to be.

Maybe he should just use music created by that great conservative musician…oh, that’s right conservatives have no imagination, empathy or artistic ability whatsoever. They just suck the life out of everyone that does and appropriate the works for their own twisted agendas.

Screw Mellencamp; go find a new line of work.

When you control the mail, you control information

I like Hogan’s Heroes too

To someone else:
spoken like a true liberal. His “reps” said it. Next you’ll be asking what the definition of “is” is. Also, in typical liberal fashion you refer to our country as destroyed. Last time I checked we live in the greatest nation in the world.

Johnny Z – go do another bong hit.

Mary Jo – you’re exactly right!

hey man, us musicians are all about the music, man. it’s for everybody, man. it makes us all more aware, man. it’s the language of the soul, man.

(unless you dont pay us or we dont like your political stance.)

He was GREAT at the Super Bowl halftime!

Oh, wait- that was Tom Petty.

Nevermind.

Progressive? That is an oxymoron.

Saying that they actually debate points and not name call made me laugh.

Melloncamp reminds me of a carny… who can disagree with that?

I thought John Mellencamp died years ago. I definately know his music died years ago anyway.

Stan…

Well said, Mellencamp’s songs speak to all Americans, or so it seems anyway.

We should all be thankful, that we can even debate such a trivial topic.

Yes, that great “progressive” John Mellencamp. Nevermind that he relies on plaing shows for private corporate audiences to support himself. Or, that he sold out to that eeevvviillll corporation General Motors. I’m sure he passes most of that money that he is getting from corporate America to the “common man” though . Who would pay money to see him live now anyway? His guitar isn’t plugged in and he has to read the lyrics to his “classic” progressive jams from a teleprompter.

All those politicians are rich, and none of them are for the poor or the working class. 8 of top 10 wealthiest politicians in washington democrats. And just so the rest of you know, mccain doesn’t need permission to do squat!! As long as they pay the copyright fees, they can play any music they want.

hey Doc Rock and all of you libs put down the crack pipe.

Its funny how all these VERY rich celebs think we aren’t doing enough for the common man, and they tell us how bad we are for not sharing. Before I listen to Mellencamp or any other rich lib, why don’t they or we back up a Brinks truck to their palaces and load their wealth it to it, give it to the poor and they live the common man’s life?

Mellencamp has always been wealthy. His family was wealthy. Mellencamp is “lashing out” at all the injustice and inequity. Poor little rich boy…

Who is John Mellencamp? It seems I heard of that name a long, long time ago. Recently I heard of an alledged entertainer by the name of John Mellencamp. Maybe they are one in the same.

He looks like the guy who changed the oil in my car last week.
oh, wait, that was Tom Petty, never mind

Johnny friggin’ Couger….who new he was still alive??

I mean, aside from teenage girls back in the ’80’s…who listens to that pablem?

What a pathetic attempt to regain some sort of relevance.

Go back to shilling Chevy’s, Little Johnny, thank your lucky stars that anyone besides the “oldies station” is actually playing your pre-teen tripe and grow the hell up!

The author of this article does not have a clue. The Conservatives he derides as not caring about others are in fact the people who are most likely to help you out when you need a hand.
Conservatives however dont believe in government taking from those who work to hand to those who wont. The author clearly did not grow up in the Midwest.

He should be happy that anyone anywhere are still playing his cornball hayride soundtracks.

Remember the incident at a Farm Aid concert when someone in the audience dared to disagree with Mellencamp’s blowhard, leftist comments, and how the singer when bezerk because not everyone in the audience was to the Left of Fidel? Oh, you didn’t hear about it? Isn’t the Left wing media (Rolling Stone included) wonderful when it comes to not reporting news that makes Leftists like Mellencamp look like the scumbag morons they are?

Mellencamp who? Is this an effort to have him on American Idol?

Never heard of him!!!

Mellencamp who? Is this an effort to have him on American Idol?

Never heard of him!!!

come on .. John Mellencamp
is a great folk singer and song writer..He has every right to
ask them to stop. He owns the music. Just because some of you
dont know that he is still out
there rockin and rolling.
Is only because if its not happening in your world its
not happening…
If Mc Cain sought out publishing
and asked permission we all wouldnt need to waste our time.

You guys obviously don’t know anything about John Mellencamp. Yes he maybe rich…but he earned it. He wrote songs about the common man. Simple Living and Blue collar workers. He helped start Farm Aid that brings in millions of dollars each year. His songs typify what John and America stands for. He will go down in history as a true patriot. His songs may not be radio worthy these days, but he ain’t trying to get a hit…he is trying to get you to understand what’s going on in the world today. To me that’s a true artist.

Mellenecamp (Mellonhead) is just another dopehead..

Mellenecamp (Mellonhead) is just another dopehead..

A McCain rally would have about the same demographics as an “oldie station” considering he’s ancient. Seriously, McCrazy is a bloodthirsty warmonger who likes to sing “Bomb, bomb Iran”. He ought to make that his campaign rally song. The modern day repugs in office do not reflect any of the values that Mellencamp sings about. I can see why he doesn’t want McCrazy using his songs.

Why can’t we all get along.
Share a song share a smile!

I think John MelonCAmp has a kerry sticker on his Melon CAmper

At least they’re not playing that ear-piercing rendition of Bruce Springsteen’s “Born in the USA” anymore.

If John Mellencamp doesn’t want people to listen to, or play his music, then he should stop making it.

Scarecrow was pretty much the peak of his career. Everything after was pretty much…. “Meh”.

I’m still trying to figure out why Rolling Stone featured a picture of Shooter McGavin (Christopher McDonald) from Happy Gilmore. Oh wait….

What would be better if McCain used “Walk” from Pantera…LOL

HAHAHA…good for him. Republicans dont like to read…thus they pick songs that contradict their ideology and political platform. Go get Charlie Daniels to sing “bomb Iran”

Wow… maybe you should consider the possibility that Republicans aren’t the cartoony Disney villains that you like to image them to be?

You Republicans are really sad sacks of shit. Most of you are really too poor to be Republicans but you vote against your own economic interests because you are bigoted against the Blacks or Mexicans or Gays or most likely all three. What a crazy bunch of tools you are. You celebrate your lack of human empathy like its a positive value instead of the hallmarks of a Sociopath. I wish a big hole would open up in the middle of the country and suck you down to hell where you could finally join your real God Mammon.

You don’t see “McCain” and “far-right” in the same sentence to often. The writer does not have a clue!

That’s true. It takes a lot of imagination to be a ‘progressive’. It took a lot of imagination to come up with a Jimmy Carter presidency. You couldn’t make up a failure of presidency that bad. And it takes a whole lot of imagination to think of ways to take votes away from the one segment of the population that deserves it more than anyone, active duty military. Kudos for stating it takes a WHOLE lot of imagination to be ‘progressive’. You have to use that word because liberal is a dirty word nowadays. It took imagination to come up with a new term to fool younger people.

Considering it took a Democratic congress 5 minutes to raise the minimum wage after 10 years of Republican stonewalling, I’d say the RNC is hostile to the working man and Mellencamp is right on the money. There’s nothing phonier than right wing Bible thumpers who hate the poor. Now go back to Drudge, you’ve been dismissed!

Mike Redyns wins!! “…a kerry sticker on his Melon Camper” – still laughing at that (well done)!!

I love it when the lib media bashes one of their own. McCain is on your side. He is a wolf in sheeps clothing and opitimizes everything you dems are all about. And yet you lambaste him for playing a song from a left wing hick like JCM. WOW, this race could not get any stanger.

Johnny who?? Johnny (yellow teeth )Cougar,Now I remember him,,,,hahahahahaha. Loserrrrr !!!

“Progressive” is another word for communist, fellow travellers.

Juan McAmnesty, the false (neocon) conservative, would really be proud to be pink.

Mellencamp is washed up and has become just a blind sheeple to the left fringe of the democrat party. When did such a maverick rocker become Nancy Pelosi’s bitch? Anyone who marries themselves to either party, like Mellencamp, is part of the problem with this country.

Good for JCM!

BUT, McCain and “far right” voters? Gimme a break! He’s just barely right of Hillary if you look at his record. And would Kerry ever have considered running with anyone who would have “far right” support?

McCain is on the left side of the middle of the road, a bit to the left of the rest of the Republicrats running this year.

Far right supporters seem to like like Ron Paul (of those left running).

Can’t imagine why anybody would want to use mellens bad music. Did he have even one good song? Don’t think so!

I am a conservative and have difficulty with some people suggesting that we do not care about the common-man. The facts are clear that conservatives tend to be more generous with charitable contributions and are more likely to be involved with a faith-based organization that provides support and assistance to those who are in need.

We conservatives care deeply about our fellow man (and we are not all rich). We just believe that individuals, families and volunteer organizations will do a better job than some government agencies.

I am pretty sure that if you use music in a public forum – from campaign rally to elevator ride – you have to pay ASCAP a fee for the royalties. As long as they pay for it, they can use it.

Who is Mellencamp, and what gives him a right to “let” somebody use the product he already sold. See that’s the problem with you libs, you do not have a clue about how economy works. No wander you are so obsessed with minimum wage. You got to be a loser to be earning minimum wage this day and age. (BTW I forbid Mellenboy from using this rime, it’s mine, mine, mine.)

McCain should stop playing the song. I stopped playing it long ago – which was still after radio forgot he existed.

I am from Indiana, and grew up listening to and playing his songs in bands. To the person that said he didn’t have any good songs evidently never heard “I Need A Lover”. That’s about the only one worth listening to. Why Jihad John M. wouldn’t want anyone playing his worthless crap songs is beyond me….

McCain is just an old short dude that will go down the drain like all the rest of the bottom dwellers. John Mellencamp rules with his music, it doesn’t matter if it is dated or not…The lyrics run as much true today as they did when that other plastic fake regan ran…Down with tyranny, enough of the republican war…

Another multimillionaire, uneducated rock star injecting themselves into American politics. Green Day, Mellencamp, Dixie Chicks….what a intellectual bunch you democrats are! I’d bet combined they might approach an IQ of 50. What part of being an uneducated high school dropout who happens to get a record deal makes them think that the informed among us care what they think about anything? Must be the years of drug abuse gives them a false sense of intelligence. Shut up and sing indeed. John McCain should ignore him, as the rest of the country has.

…oh yeah, another has-been rocker still trying to get publicity. Besides the fact that he hasn’t had a decent hit in years, the Cougster really can’t do much about this one. Not that anyone really cares anyway. Mr. Free Speech, huh? Talk about hypocrisy. What next?—Calvin Klein having a cow when he spots McCain wearing his jeans? C’mon ding dong give it a rest and get a life.

So, I’ll just change the station anytime his songs come on.

Keep separating music fans because of politics, that’s so cool, I wanna be like him.

Funny to say Republicans don’t care to help the poor or common man when it’s been published that Republicans give more to charity than Dems. And yes, McCain is definitely more Left than he is Right.

He ought to just be glad that anyone still recognizes his old music. Yes republicans do read the lyrics we just happen to believe that “we give” not that the government makes us give everything over to them to redistribute.

He ought to just be glad that anyone still recognizes his old music. Yes republicans do read the lyrics we just happen to believe that “we give” not that the government makes us give everything over to them to redistribute.

BTW, Chrissie Hynde isn’t a liberal democrat.

After reading this article on Drudge this morning I decided to play Mellenamps music in my restaurant’s lavatory for a week, maybe longer…should he ask me to stop I would respectfully escort him from the premises and keep playing it, for it belongs to me now, I downloaded it from Napster.

It would have helped John McCain’s campaign to at least obtain written permission from John Mellencamp to use those songs. Come to think of it, it could still help. Though he may still be able to use those songs anyway, it would benefit to at least ask an artist before using his or her — or their — music; making arrangements for royalties, as Rush Limbaugh did with The Pretenders for the use of the track, My city was gone, would help even further.
As for talk radio hosts using artists’ music, there is a standard that limits the amount of time used to play that song, royalty-free to the host; that has been in place for a number of years. It is not uncommon for hosts to acknowledge the music they use in their shows, as Michael Savage and Mark Levin have also done.
Frankly, I think that this is a matter to be sorted between Mellencamp representatives and the McCain campaign.

Uh, Who are we talkin about?

Gotta love it. Nothing like a bunch of throw back dorks at Rolling Stone repeating bullshit stereotypes about conservatives not caring about the poor and being heartless SOB’s.

I wonder how much money Mellencamp gave away to the “common man” from the jack he collected from GM for using ‘This Is Our Country’ in all of those stupid commercials.

And I get a big laugh out of people who supported John Edwards. A multi-millionaire ambulance chasing lawyer that’s building himself a 30,000 square foot mansion really knows a LOT about the “common man.”

Idiots.

I am on the board of a few non-profits that work with at-risk and disadvantged youth. We depend entirely on donations from individuals and businesses to continue our work. Guess what? Most of our donations come from businesses and business leaders who are, I would say, at least 80% conservative and pro-business. The far left seems to want to give government hand-outs without teaching anything or requiring any initiative from the recipients. Conservatives want to teach them job skills, values, and help them get an education.

John Cougar Mellancamp, if you believe in “small town America”, which I grew up in, please help us preserve it, not encourage it to change into the crystal-meth consuming, morality evolving, gender-changing, Godless generation that you seem to support.

Once you BUY the CD, use it the way you want. There is no implication of your support to a particular party because someone uses your song, which they “legally” purchased in their forum. One on the perks for the benefactor is that they can choose their own platform using your music. They paid for it. If you don’t like it…stop singing. Sorry! It’s their right. No infringement as I see it. Nor is there a party affiliation for the artist. That would be like comparing a Wedding Song condoning permission to marry a specific person. It’s part of the industry.

Mellencamp, Sarandon, Springteen. They’re entertainers. Their opinions don’t mean anything. If they want us to buy their crap then they should try not to piss half of us off every four years. Sing your little songs and shut the hell up!

mellencamp is terrible and completely contrived. mccain should benefit from scrapping his awful and mundane music.

Mellencamp should just be happy that someone is playing his music … what a has-been….

I don’t understand why anybody cares? With all that is going on today, how does another musician who has annointed himself as an influential poitician matter in the least. It does not for me. I will continue to listen to him sing and ignore when he speaks.

FYI – He has zero say so anyway. They can play anything they wish as long as they are paid up with ascap or bmi, which by the way most hotels and public arenas are. I love the guys music, this however reminds me why I hate left winged artist who think they actually matter beyond their art.

Mellencamp should be shaking John McCain’s hand. The Senator got people talking about John Cougar and his crap music.

GUys, has anyone ever thought of this: If you are an artist or entertainer of some sort, don;t you think that if you you will be less successful if you politicize yourself? No matter which side you are on, if you say something, you are going to anger half your fan base.

Oh yea, Rolling Stone, just an FYI, even those “far-right” people (no, I am not one) likes music as well. Don’t you think subscriptions and ad revenue would go UP if you didn’t use such language?

I wouldn’t want any politician using one of my songs either; no matter their party or ideology/platform. That’s because it’s not the reason I would have written the songs and I wouldn’t want people thinking that I actually even /cared/ that much about politics. It’s all a racket and sucker game.

He’s damned if he does and damned if he doesn’t. Most of you would be bitching, anyway, that he has squirmed his way into politics if he allowed the song to be used without a protest.

And, no, ‘Crumblin Down’ isn’t the best song he had. ‘Hurts So Good’ was.

Uh, Mellencamp, just play your cool songs and shut your pie-hole…that’s what we pay you for dumbarse.

Hey Phil 2/5/2008, 7:07 pm EST. Do you really think Mellonhead really cares about the work’m man? He suuports that group so they can raise the wage closer to buying his stupid CD’s. You don’t have dipstick EDWARDS buying them anymore so now your hoping to get JMcCain to make a deal. A drop out that has done nothing to serve his country except to exploit it by getting people to think he cares about the poor. Everyone should boycott your bad CD’s. You and all the others that complain about the Republicans all the while making movies, CD’s and MONEY from the POOOOR work’n man. YOU Mellon, Penn, Cruise. You should be lucky for those bad rich tax cuts those REPUBLICANS have voted for. Do You Want To Do Something? Shut UP…….

Johnny and McCain, both blow-hards with an inflated view of themselves.

Uh…why all of the bashing? Maybe you guys missed the words ‘hasn’t’ and ‘quietly’ in the story which I highlighted in the quote from the story below. It seems that John is acting with class.

===============

M ellencamp HASN’T yet made a public response, but his reps are QUIETLY reaching out to McCain…

mcain and rove can dance to it together as they win the election and within a year you will be sorry for voting for him just like everyone woke up with bush but a bit to late

I love it when left-wing liberals make fools of themselves.
Hey Johnny boy, I promise to buy one of your cd’s if you can make a fool out of yourself again in the next couple of days. The I get to trah it where it belongs.
Moron!

I love it when left-wing liberals make fools of themselves.
Hey Johnny boy, I promise to buy one of your cd’s if you can make a fool out of yourself again in the next couple of days. Then I get to trah it where it belongs.
Moron!

I love it when left-wing liberals make fools of themselves.
Hey Johnny boy, I promise to buy one of your cd’s if you can make a fool out of yourself again in the next couple of days. Then I get to trash it where it belongs.
Moron!

lot of folks cared what he thinks when he helped the farmers when our own gov would not ,and now with all the forclosures get 600 bucks and go shopping ,what a group !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mellencamp just needs to sing his songs and shut up. Be thankful anyone wants to play them at all!

I’m pretty much a right wing conservative but I’m perplexed by the implication that we don’t care about “the poor and the common man”. Most of us are common men/woman. As far as conservatives helping the poor, go to church my friend. Those religious fanatic conservatives are always taking up collections for the poor here and abroad. For example: Catholic Relief Service (Who’s more conservative than the Catholic Church?) does more in Africa (food & medicine) than most all countries combined. Man do you have it wrong.

This is ourrrrrr… Chevy paycheck. Hypocritical windbag.

Man, who calls John Mellencamp Johnny Cougar anymore? I stopped calling him John Cougar when I was 2. I am a 22 year old liberal democrat. I have seen John in concert 4 times. It is refreshing to hear him talk about politics. For a long time he did not say anything. Like when Bush used “R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A.” I liked “Our Country” way before it was in the chevy commercial and I grew up with “Pink Houses”. He has the right to have some control over his material, especially after the chevy mess. I love John Mellencamp and so do all of my friends. Mellencamp is still very relevant in the world today. I was very happy to be able to meet the man back in October.

It’s no surprise muck-cane is too dumb too realise what the lyrics are saying. As for “Tom B’s” delusional rant, thanks for the belly laughs, pal. And please, do yourself a favor and get the hell out of “church” and step into the real world if you really want to help

i used like mellencamp, not anymore, what sick #itch!

Ahh, conservatives. If you geniuses believed half the garbage that comes out of scummy mouths, you would have enlisted to fight for your country a long time ago. But you’re too busy trolling for man sex in public restrooms and jerking off to ‘24′ re-runs. Scum.

This discussion is in sore need of some facts:

1. “Nothing like a bunch of throw back dorks at Rolling Stone repeating bullshit stereotypes about conservatives not caring about the poor.”

-Nowhere in the article does the author deride conservatives. He or she only asserts that “far-right types” won’t love lyrics “which call on the government to “help the poor and common man.” Even acknowledging the limitations of generalizations, it’s a valid point. As another poster noted, conservatives “believe that individuals, families and volunteer organizations will do a better job than some government agencies.”

2. ” McCain is far from “far-right,” and if Rolling Stones has been paying any attention…”

The author never said McCain is far-right. The author pointed out McCain is courting far-right voters.

3. “John McCain is not courting far right wing voters.”

Really?

In 2000, McCain called Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson “agents of intolernance.” In 2006, he delivered the commencement address at Falwell’s Liberty University, and hired Brett O’Donnell from Liberty as a communications advisor.

McCain is speaking at this year’s Conservative Political Action Conference, an event he skipped last year, much to the vocal consternation of conservatives.

In 1999, McCain said that overturning Roe v. Wade would be “dangerous”; now he supports a constitutional ban on abortions.

In 2007, McCain held private meetings with far-right activists at the National Religious Broadcasters convention. Said
Rev. Patrick Mahoney of the Christian Defense Coalition, McCain “helped himself in that room tremendously today.”

4. McCain is a liberal/McCain is a conservative.

His bona fides on either side are mixed, but he’s much more conservative than liberal. He opposes abortion, gun control, gay marriage, federal hate-crime legislation, and the International Criminal Court. He supports the death penalty, school vouchers, private social security accounts, and teaching “intelligent design” in public schools.

But he also favours citizenship for illegal immigrants, climate-change action, and federal funding for stem-cell research.

He’s no purebred conservative, but consider this: In 2004 he earned a perfect 100% rating from Phyllis Schlafly’s Eagle Forum, 22% from the ACLU, and 0% from NARAL. The National Journal ranked him solidly center-right in 2006. Even the John Birch Society gives him passing grades.

God bless John Mellencamp. This son of southern Indiana should be commended for standing up for the common folk. He’s never forgotten where he comes from and has been generous to his home community surrounding Indiana University. Some of the comments here show serious ignorance and lack the class Mr Mellencamp has displayed throughout his successful career.

So he doesn’t want particular politician to use his songs. At the very least, candidates should ask permission from the artist beforehand.

Typical far right republicant, trying to take something honest and twist it to their own meaning. “Our Country” to republicants probably means shooting illegal immigrants in the back. READ THE LYRICS, republicants. Well, first things first: learn to read.

Wow! what a heated little debate we’re having. Just remember everyone’s entitled to their own opinion.
To Jumbo Elliot: i thoroughly agree w/ you. From an international perspective, the worst thing that could happen for the US right now is to get another Republican president. I love America, but as a foreigner living overseas i hear negative things about the US everyday – and that can’t be right.
Good Luck & Good Night

It’s funny to hear complaints about Mellencamp being partisan when we’re talking about politics here.

I see alot of rightwing morons crying because Melloncamp told McCrazy not to use his songs. Ask yourselves this question. If Mellencamp is so irrelevant how many of you simple minded douchebags does it take to say the same thing? That’s pretty much what 90% of you’ve been doing. Mellencamp is an American and his opinion matters as much as mine or for that matter as much as any of you braindead, inbred, hateful, rightwingers. Also, Pazuzus Petals is spot on. McCrazy has been pandering to the right since 2000.

Repulicans SUCK a double..lol. I hope Chuck Berry does the same!

“funny the ardent democrat wants to
stop free speech isn’t it?”

God, you’re an idiot. You people are so dumb it’s simply baffling. How does NOT wanting someone to play HIS SONG, about free speech? God damned buffoons. Look up what free speech means, ya tools. You just throw those words around without knowing what they even mean!

JUST NEVER UNDERSTAND ABOUT BIG MOUTH LIBERAL ENTERTAINERS WHO NEVER HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT THEIR NEXT PAYCHECK AND WHO CLAIM TO BE PRO AMERICANS ARE THE FIRST TO ALWAYS BASH OTHER AMERICANS

Mellencamp is the typical anti-american bedbug ala hollywood. self absorbed red creeps who don’t appreciate america, and the differences a free society affords its’ citizens, thanks to heroes like mccain that asshole can make music!

McCain and Bush are the embodiment of the very thing that Republican President Eisenhower warned the country about. That would be the dangers of the military industrial complex. McCain is nothing but an all too willing tool of this complex. His positions and voting record are completely antithetical to the things that Mellencamp sings about. So much anger from you cave dwelling hatemongers on the right. Get over yourselves.

Isaac Hayes asked that Bob Dole stop using a version of “Soul Man” called “Dole Man” in the 1996 election. John Mellencamp’s decision is based on property rights, he owns those songs, property rights are supposed to be important to Rebublicans.He doesn’t want his intellectual property being used in a way that he disagrees with. Mellencamp is no bomb throwing lefty pinko, he’s a very patriotic American who cares about his country. There is more than one way to be patriotic.

How divisive can you get? I am for Obama, but how wonderful of McCain not to care, and to be willing to play music just because he likes it, not because it is red or blue. That divisive thinking is so antiquated. I think it shows more tolerance in McCain and more divisiveness in Mellencamp. Interesting. As long as Mellencamp is focusing on the faults/differences around him, he can write all he wants about , helping, but he is only adding to the sad separation so prevalent in our country. Time to know we are all One and embrace floks who are different from us.

Good to see Jumbo is still active. If it is the same Jumbo I went to High School with. In either case JCM has strong Democratic ties and also has the creative rights to his songs. However, I have to say take a look at McCain’s background and it is quite impressive this is not to say he has a right to the song or made me a Republican it is more like he made me more open to hear the opposition without interuption. He still needs to win me over because I am an AZ resident relocated from Holbrook, NY GO GIANTS! jdehler@cox.net

Why is it unauthorized use? Isn’t music for anyone? Oh wait, everyone except politicians.
Hasn’t anyone seen Sister Act?

Goodness, people. Thanks to the majority of you for confirming my staunch MODERATE, ANTI-PARTISAN tendencies. We are all now dumber (righties and lefties alike) for having read your rants. What happened to open-minded civil debate?

On a serious note, thanks to many of you who address the issue for what it is… where do we draw the line with art? And when does art cease being art and start becoming something it’s not– namely, a politic? And who has the “right” to enjoy, share, and resonate with the Truth we find in any art? In my opinion, if JCM doesn’t want people liking his art and proclaiming it (legally) to the masses… STOP PRODUCING RECORDS. And props, in this case, to “McCrazy” for politely pulling the songs from the campaign. It’s time we put the class back in politics. O’Bama or McCain for president!

Yeah, John Mellencamp lyrics are SOOOOO deep and SOOOOO profound. Rolling Stone magazine is a publication so asscrack stupid it actually thinks John Lennon brought peace to the world by singing songs. Mellencamp’s observations are worthless, except to brain-dead, Chomskyite Leftists.

If Mellancamp is so irrelevant and a has been, why are the pro-war, anti-poor republicans so upset by this article? Perhaps it’s because Mellencamp’s complaint and personal request strikes a nerve. Empathy is something the right lacks but try this: imagine something that is very personal to you that you respect and how you would feel if it were desecrated.

Mellonhead’s last hit was about a decade and a half ago. He should be happy that Anyone wants to play his drivel in public.

Which candidate most exemplifies this song ….or which candidate does this song most exemplify? If you know the difference…GREAT. LOL

soldiers anthem–going home

How about the “Who listens to his crap anywayz!!” stuff. Uh, the same people who care enough to first read the article and then take the time to comment. It’s a scientific fact that Red states by 99% of Melloncamp’s albums.

Republicans suck.

Mr. Mellencamp very quietly and respectfully expressed his discomfort and asked that his songs not be played. Mr. McCain very respectfully honored his request. End of story.

lol Mellencamp music sucks. I hate hearing his stupid “our country” in every commercial. And im a frikin democrat lol

John McCain-Kennedy is a liberal. What is Melloncramp worried about?

Ironically, the rest of America has asked John Melloncamp to stop using “Our Country.” Turns out, an entire generation of Americans hate Melloncamp AND Chevy trucks as a result of that song.

McCain was using that song… ENOUGH SAID.

Obama 08.

The funniest thing about all these posts is how hypocritical they are. Each side, no matter their slant, derides the other side with mind-boggling inane comments, that mostly take the form of insults with no justification or proof. A few of the posts are informative, the remainder are by and large pure drivel.

I will finish with saying this: Conservatives are largely concerned with their own well-being and are completely rigid in their views (mostly to a fault). Liberals say that they are out for the common man and support all walks of life, but a majority of the time are the most hateful people you will ever come into contact with. Luckily, liberals don’t believe in guns, otherwise we would have countless bodies on our hands.

Everyone needs to just calm down and accept the fact that in the grand scheme of things, we mean very, very little. Live your life, and don’t bother anyone else’s!

Cheese, just as an impartial observer, I couldn’t help but note that you say “Conservatives are largely concerned with their own well-being” and then later say “Live your life, and don’t bother anyone else’s!”

These seem to be rather well aligned. I know you neither claim to be a Conservative nor claim to NOT be one. Just thought I’d point that out.

Libertarian, but thanks for asking.

As long as McCain pays ASCAP fees John Mellencamp can’t complain plus I alway love a millionaire democrat promoting censorship…what an asshole

Mellencamp needs to shut his pie hole. I’m a Democrat too, but I’m a Democrat who hasn’t liked Mellencamp since he dropped “Cougar” from his name. Hey wake up John..1986 called, they want you back !

I guess its not enough that entertainers feel they need to use their stardom to endorse candidates. Now they want to limit a persons ability to play their songs (if the person doesn’t agree with their political views). I wonder how that would play out with the public in general? Maybe we should stop seeing their movies (Brad Pitt et al), if we disagree with their political views? why enrich those that will just use that enrichment to oppose our political views? It seems these entertainers don’t understand they need us; we don’t need them. They are puppets on a string, and maybe its time to retire a few puppets.

wow– so much hatred in these post!
I can see that the media has everyone convinced that the liberals are commies and the republicans are right wing wierdos.
Truth be known, some staffer was probably playing the song and McCain could give a shit.. Same with any other candidate’s songs.. so who cares??? Get over it. Lighten the F**K up! huh?

Funny part is, Pink Houses and Springsteen’s Born in the USA are actually very biting negative social commentary, yet politicians utilize them as positive uplifting messages and the masses eat it up and get pumped up. Doesn’t anybody actually listen to any lyrics other than the catching sarcastic hook?

Drafting my Letter to Mellencamp now. Please STOP trying to represent the great state of Indiana, with everything you do. YOU do us a disservice.

I guess when these music writers..such as JCM and the boston more than a feeling guy write their music they should say only buy and use the music if your with a certain party…picky picky picky..I guess they are a very sensitive group..

Could it be possible these cool candidates are against DRM and any form of copyright.

Mellencamp is certainly entitled to compensation in the same amount he’d get if anyone played his song on a juke box in any public place. That is 25 or 50 cents. Everybody send a quarter when they here a McCain commercial, and maybe Mellencamp will shut up.

Right on!, to John mellencamp, and Tom Sholtz of Boston, these right wing candidate’s don’t even listen to the lyrics, remember Regan and the Boss, they just think it has a nice beat and we can campaign to it.

I don’t blame John Mellencamp or Boston …I wouldn’t want John McCain or Huckabee associated with my name at all …. If Hillery wins the nomination people …we will have another republican President …and that means John McCain most likely and we will be in war forever … you think the economy is bad now …wait until he gets a hold of the White House …. You have to question anyone that Bush endorses …..American People are idiots ….they have no clue to what is really going on ….Ron Paul was th only choice …he was very aware of whats really going on with our goverment ….I hope he left some kind of an impact with his words anyway.

Funny, the ass-hat republican wants to play songs about helping the poor and progressive science… yikes!

aw, cold_zero, you silly, pointless person.

With all due respect to either side, and without aligning myself to any party, the completely neutral fact is these songwriters do in fact get to approve or disapprove of the use of their work as advertisement, which this is. This is beyond buying permission to play the song, this is playing the song to endorse an idea. Whatever one thinks of any candidate or songwriter, you can surely see how someone might not be comfortable with a part of their life’s work being used to sell an idea they might not agree with. Like ‘em or not, you gotta side with the songwriters on this, and I believe it is irresponsible for any candidate to use a piece of music without contacting the artist. Do they think they’re NOT going to get called on it? Seems like the smart person would want to cover their hide in the beginning and make sure this sort of press doesn’t happen.

Hey John,

Five years ago I was hit by a car at 40 MPH walking in Florida and just got out of hospital on Monday this week ( 2/27/08 ) .

Will you play me a song that will help me smile again ?

I have not seen you since breakfast Hilton Head.

Thank You
Gary

To the republicans who don’t think that the government should interfere in helping the poor, they already do an aweful lot to disrupt our chances at making it. You are right, why offset that progress of eliminating the middle class. As for Mellancamp, stupid him for singing about democratic beliefs and then not wanting a Republican to take credit. As for McCain, he is obviously completely aware of his surroundings and should definitely be our next president. He should be allowd to use this song like George Bush should have used Fogerty’s “Fortunate Son” in his campaign.

So judge-mental. I think it’s jealousy. John Mellencamp is unique, a unique talent. He voices his opinions…so? Does not matter who is in office at this point..I don’t believe it’s going to make much of a difference. It’s up to us individuals to make a difference in our everyday lives. Try giving a little, it actually feels good and you could make someone’s day. How about that?

I love you John!! Keep writing music! I for one agree with many of your views. Your still hot too! Here’s more for you wackos out there…
Hillary for President!! Bush is the worst President we ever had. Oh and one more thing..nah…forget it! Love and peace to all.

Why would ANYONE want to play this guy’s music? I heard him play the other night during the induction ceremony for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Talk about an untter lack of musical quality! He seriously needs to learn how to compose a melody if he wants to inflict his dumb lyrics upon everyone like that.

Come on people, can’t we all just get along. Where is name calling on a rolling stone article really going to get us. Let’s just leave it at people will believe what they believe.

pyez wmkbzds qrwstxmo wjiosk jgqhixl efpzg svomg

let’s take mccain and mellencamp out of the equation and replace them with things you might understand.
—— let’s say that a company, any company want to use your 2nd grade science project of the solar system in a commercial way. put it in an ad, take photos of it and use it to promote themselves. regardless of the fact if you like or don’t like the company that wants to use your 2nd grade science project, the issue remains the same. you must ask permission first, negotiate a payment and then license the work for the commercial use. failure of said company to follow these simple rules means they are “stealing”. i am sure that all republicans agree that patents and ownership laws are meant to be upheld.
otherwise the copyright holder could make nothing for the creations the create. mellencamp’s property is his and his alone to decide. this is not a free speech issue at all. this issue is about asking permission before acting in a way that might be construed as theft.—funny thing is, i don’t recall a democratic candidate being asked to stop using a song or lyric line. maybe i am wrong but i would like to know if it’s ever happened.

Democrats are not the only ones who put John Mellencamp where he is today. Plenty of Republicans have purchased his music and attended his concerts. I will be destroying all of my Mellencamp CDs. If he is so against me as a Republican then he needs to reimburse me the thousands of dollars that I have put in his pocket over the years.

John Mellencamp is one of the great American song writers. Anyone who is actually a fan of his writing can not help but be aware of what he political beliefs are (um….remember Farm Aid in the 80’s…..) How ignorant of McCain’s peeps to play his music….they shouldn’t have even gone there. Ofcourse an artist as outspoken as Mellencamp would ask them not to use it after the fact! His songs make me think of people red state Indiana who vote against their own economic interests because having a president who loves Jesus, hates fags, and wants to save the unborn is more important. Mellencamp represents Midwesterners who will not be stand for being screwed by the government over a bunch of “morality issues” that are people’s own private business.

Wow!! Who would have ever known that Mellencamp was against democracy?

John, Stop being a “C.O.C.K. in the U.S.A.” Your liberal ranting are getting old. — former democrat

EJ,
You are an immoral, uneducated Jack Ass….

John Mellencamp is an American treasure much more important than the political tit for tat stuff that serves america nothing more than a trashy distraction from the real issues which have been on the American back burner for eight years .

John Mellencamp is an American treasure much more important than the political tit for tat stuff that serves america nothing more than a trashy distraction from the real issues which have been on the American back burner for eight years .

see how people are they buy your record and then they think they own your whole political body

Mellencamp wrote the music. He presumably owns the rights. Intellecutal property is just that – property. Owning property gives one the right to exclude others from using it. In simplest terms, the holder of an intellectual property right has the right to exclude others from using it.

John Mellencamp has the right to tell people NOT to use his music, its his!!

i always thought you were a jerk now i know for sure

This is a free country so far…(who knows after election). Didn’t know John had only selective people to listen to his music…he needs to take his music off the market that sells to everyone and put him up a lemonade stand and sell to the only ones he wants to listen to it…

Any artist has th right o say who uses their music in a way to “sell” something, in this case, it was Mcain trying to sell himslef and that waste of space Palin. My hero is Jackson Browne, who took a legal suit against McCain, probaly to win it, then dionate the money to a true worthy cause. Kudos to all you artists who spoke up who demanded those who do not speak of your beliefs, stop using your music to futher themselves. Jackson is my one true God.

People have a right to play whatever they want. Or This Country is not Free!

I didn’t know John Cougar and his boyfriend Bruce were such low lifes. Artists should keep their noses out of politics. They offend the very same people that bought their silly music.

Losers, using their popularity to offend the very same fans that bought their music.

I dislike John a little more each day! I went to one of his concerts and he started some political babble…Stick to music John…No one cares what you think politically.

If I were a songwriter I wouldn’t want someone to use my songs publicly for a purpose for which I didn’t agree. That doesn’t mean I agree with left-wing politics, though.