"I've seen a lot of small towns, and now I'm seeing small towns across America dying, folks losing their jobs and their homes. Eight years of George Bush has really hurt, and John McCain is just more of the same...I'm proud to support Barack Obama, because whether you live in a small town or a big city, it's time for a change."
-John Mellencamp
I grew up in a house just up the road from John Mellencamp in Bloomington, Indiana, and graduated high-school with his daughter, Michelle. John was probably our most famous local citizen at the time (Bobby Knight notwithstanding). He was (and is) a lot of things, but he cannot be described accurately as stupid under any circumstances. He's always been someone who speaks openly for the average joe in Indiana and across America. I'm pleased to see that he has predictably made the right decision by endorsing Barack Obama for president.Mr. Mellencamp makes a lot of money - he's a Grammy-winning singer-songwriter who has released 20 albums in 32 years. 10 of those albums have been certified platinum and an additional three have been certified gold. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2008.
John will pay more taxes under Obama than under McCain, but as an ardent populist, he clearly understands that it's not unreasonable to expect those who make more money to pay more in taxes rather than the other way around. He also realizes that even under Obama's tax plan he will pay less tax as a percentage of his income than the average middle-class family.
It's wonderful to see a "heartland" singer-songwriter who understands the plight of his neighbors and many of his fans who have felt the pain of decades of failed trickle-down policy. Mellencamp hasn't let fame and fortune change who he is as his core, and that's an Indiana-born, small-town guy.
John Mellencamp is true American through and through.
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