Hiram College professor Jason Johnson was quoted by the Christian Science Monitor in the story “Liberal musicians to GOP: Hands off our songs!”
Jason Johnson, author of “Political Consultants and Campaigns,” believes the riff rifts emanate as much from artists hoping to remain apolitical, or true to their audience, as they do ideology.
“Anything contemporary a politician can glom onto, they’re going to,” Mr. Johnson says. “The difference is … how organic the relationship is. That’s where we get to why people are saying no. No one has any doubt that Barack Obama probably does listen to Jay Z…. Would people have believed … George Bush was listening to Kanye [West]? No.”