Rick Ungar

The Policy Page

Feb. 18 2010

John Mellencamp for Senator!

No, this is not a joke – not in the slightest.

A grassroots movement is taking hold in the State of Indiana urging recording artist and community activist, John Mellencamp, to seek the Democratic nomination to replace Evan Bayh in the United States Senate.

Let me be one of the first to wholeheartedly endorse the idea.

Mellencamp has more than proven his willingness and capability to be of service to the small towns and people that make up his home state of Indiana along with the rest of the Midwestern United States.

As a co-founder of Farm Aid, Mellencamp has, for 25 years, played a crucial role in raising money and awareness in the battle to help family farmers avoid the loss of their land and livelihood. His advocacy on behalf of these farmers, along with his testimony before Congress on the topic, directly led to the Agricultural Credit Act of 1987, a law that has helped family farmers avoid foreclosure during the tough years.

One would strain to think of any candidate who has better proof of his understanding of those who would form the base of his constituency. Mellencamp has been writing and singing about small town America – and Americans- for years in songs like "Our Country", "Pink Houses" and "Jack and Diane". Not only does Mellencamp 'get' the people of Indiana- along with the millions of Middle-Americans who form the heart of this country – he has helped us all to better understand and appreciate the challenges of small town life through his songs.

In a year where non-politician candidates promise to have a distinct electoral advantage, Mellencamp seems to me to be a perfect choice – and one that would bring honestly, integrity and a decidedly non-B.S. perspective to a senate badly in need of all of the above.

Mellencamp is no stranger to politics. He actively campaigned for Barack Obama and counts Bill Clinton among his personal friends.

He is also not shy when it comes to laying out his political opinions. In 2003, Mellencamp, along with his wife, Elaine, posted a letter to CommonDreams.org, which called the invasion of Iraq "a political hijacking." The letter further stated-

Before a single bomb was ever dropped, some of us, formerly called the 'anti-American and unpatriotic,' have questioned or opposed this war. Now, each day, as the dust settles and the truth slowly surfaces, more and more people come to the inevitable conclusion of what a debacle this whole war was."
Via Christian Science Monitor

If this isn't the kind of individual we want in the U.S. Senate, I have absolutely no idea who it is we would want. Would it not be refreshing, not to mention incredibly useful, to have someone in the Senate more interested in telling us what is happening rather than running for his second term the day after he begins his first?

If you wish to lend your support – and I hope you will – visit the "Draft John Mellencamp" page on Facebook and let him know.