(Newser)
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Just in time for the election, sometimes-satirical singer Randy Newman has dusted off his "Short People" chops with a political carol that includes the line, "I'm dreaming of a white president," NPR reports. He "won't be the brightest, perhaps,... More »
(Newser)
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Just in time for the election, sometimes-satirical singer Randy Newman has dusted off his "Short People" chops with a political carol that includes the line, "I'm dreaming of a white president," NPR reports. He "won't be the brightest, perhaps," Newman croons in the persona of the dreamer. "But he'll be the whitest, and I'll vote for that. ... I'm dreaming of a white president, just like the ones we've always had. A real live white man, who knows the score: How to handle money or start a war."
Newman explains in a statement that he's "proud of this country for electing Obama in 2008. But from the beginning of his term, I noticed a particular heat to conversations that wouldn't ordinarily generate that kind of passion," he adds. "I think there are a lot of people who find it jarring to have a black man in the White House, and they want him out. ... You won't get anyone, and I do mean anyone, to admit it." The singer says he "often write[s] songs in character. You can’t always trust or believe the narrators in my songs. ... Anyway, the guy in this song may exist somewhere. Let’s hope not." Newman's song is here. Less »
