# Arlo Guthrie is a Republican??? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 17, 2009, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arlo-guthrie-is-a-republican/506755 "2009-08-17T17:53:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2009, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arlo-guthrie-is-a-republican/506755/1 "2009-08-17T17:53:33Z")
I would have never in a million years guessed that one. I have not really been paying attention, but I guess it just goes to show, never assume. ---
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2009, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arlo-guthrie-is-a-republican/506755/2 "2009-08-17T17:58:00Z")
Whoops, meant to put this in Cafe Society. Mod notified. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2009, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arlo-guthrie-is-a-republican/506755/3 "2009-08-17T18:13:49Z")
Seems he’s been rehabilitated. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2009, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arlo-guthrie-is-a-republican/506755/4 "2009-08-17T18:24:06Z")
Per the [Wiki article](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arlo_guthrie#Politics), he said that “We had enough good Democrats. We needed a few more good Republicans. We needed a loyal opposition.” ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2009, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arlo-guthrie-is-a-republican/506755/5 "2009-08-17T23:27:15Z")
To be fair, he’s a Ron Paul Republican, not a George Bush Republican. Still, his father’s rolling over in his grave. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2009, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arlo-guthrie-is-a-republican/506755/6 "2009-08-18T00:13:05Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > To be fair, he’s a Ron Paul Republican, not a George Bush Republican. Still, his father’s rolling over in his grave. Fast enough that he can be profitably harnessed for the generation of electricity? ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2009, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arlo-guthrie-is-a-republican/506755/7 "2009-08-18T00:47:58Z")
> [@Chimera](#): > > Fast enough that he can be profitably harnessed for the generation of electricity? “Your power is turning our darkness to dawn, roll on Columbia, roll on…” ---
**Author:** ![WarmNPrickly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d78d45/32.png) [@WarmNPrickly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WarmNPrickly)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2009, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arlo-guthrie-is-a-republican/506755/8 "2009-08-18T00:56:56Z")
It’s not really terribly surprising that a guy who’s entire career is based on his fathers success would endorse the “everybody should make it on their own merits” candidate. **City of New Orleans** is a great song though. Motorcycle does not rhyme with pickle. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2009, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arlo-guthrie-is-a-republican/506755/9 "2009-08-18T01:37:15Z")
> [@WarmNPrickly](#): > > **City of New Orleans** is a great song though. Motorcycle does not rhyme with pickle. Why is “bicycle” pronounced as “Bye-sickle” and "motorcycle as "Motor-sigh-kal?: ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2009, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arlo-guthrie-is-a-republican/506755/10 "2009-08-18T01:42:49Z")
> [@samclem](#): > > Why is “bicycle” pronounced as “Bye-sickle” and "motorcycle as "Motor-sigh-kal?: A bicycle is equipped with a bell, and is therefore closer to “musical.” ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2009, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arlo-guthrie-is-a-republican/506755/11 "2009-08-18T01:47:37Z")
> [@WarmNPrickly](#): > > **City of New Orleans** is a great song though. [He didn’t write it](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Goodman), though, and he changed the lyrics. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2009, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arlo-guthrie-is-a-republican/506755/12 "2009-08-18T01:59:46Z")
I will not believe this until I see the requisite 27 eight by ten colored glossy pictures, with circles and arrows and a paragraph on the back of each one explaining how it was evidence to be used against us. ---
**Author:** ![Dallas\_Jones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dallas_jones/32/3277_2.png) [@Dallas\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dallas_Jones)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2009, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arlo-guthrie-is-a-republican/506755/13 "2009-08-18T02:26:58Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > I will not believe this until I see the requisite 27 eight by ten colored glossy pictures, with circles and arrows and a paragraph on the back of each one explaining how it was evidence to be used against us. And proof that he picked up the damn garbage. ---
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2009, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arlo-guthrie-is-a-republican/506755/14 "2009-08-18T02:30:22Z")
> [@WarmNPrickly](#): > > It’s not really terribly surprising that a guy who’s entire career is based on his fathers success would endorse the “everybody should make it on their own merits” candidate. > > **City of New Orleans** is a great song though. Motorcycle does not rhyme with pickle. He’s great without his father. As a matter of fact, I’ve heard Alice’s restaurant, coming into los angeles, and City of NO more times in my life than I have “this land is your land”. If the father wrote that one, it’s the only one of his that I have heard. His father was little better than an idiot, a non-violent Charles Manson, who was so much smarter than everybody else, according to him, and pretty boring. He wasn’t famous big time in his life, because he wasn’t good. People now like him because they are looking for something different, but with ‘roots’ , something to help define our current national/financial situation, and they’re projecting their spectre’s image onto his. He’s hip among birkenstockers and their kids, but his music was for a niche market, and Arlo himself certainly was and is a better quality musician. hh ---
**Author:** ![WarmNPrickly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d78d45/32.png) [@WarmNPrickly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WarmNPrickly)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2009, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arlo-guthrie-is-a-republican/506755/15 "2009-08-18T02:37:19Z")
He didn’t write **City of New Orleans**. He never would have made it into the public eye without his father. He certainly wouldn’t have been so close with Pete Seeger. Sorry, his merits simply don’t stand up on their own. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2009, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arlo-guthrie-is-a-republican/506755/16 "2009-08-18T02:40:55Z")
> [@handsomeharry](#): > > He’s great without his father. As a matter of fact, I’ve heard Alice’s restaurant, coming into los angeles, and City of NO more times in my life than I have “this land is your land”. Probably your young age. Not everyone was born as late as you. > [@](#): > > If the father wrote that one, it’s the only one of his that I have heard. His father was little better than an idiot, a non-violent Charles Manson, who was so much smarter than everybody else, according to him, and pretty boring. He wasn’t famous big time in his life, because he wasn’t good. People now like him because they are looking for something different, but with ‘roots’ , something to help define our current national/financial situation, and they’re projecting their spectre’s image onto his. He’s hip among birkenstockers and their kids, but his music was for a niche market, and Arlo himself certainly was and is a better quality musician. > > hh KNow what? Arlo’s music is for a “niche” market. Big whoop. Guess Bob Dylan and Peter, Paul, and Mary and a host of others were just being fooled by some “idiot,” “a non-violent Charles Manson.” ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2009, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arlo-guthrie-is-a-republican/506755/17 "2009-08-18T02:58:13Z")
> [@ghardester](#): > > And proof that he picked up the damn garbage. Fuckin’ A. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2009, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arlo-guthrie-is-a-republican/506755/18 "2009-08-18T03:07:02Z")
> [@handsomeharry](#): > > His father was little better than an idiot, a non-violent Charles Manson, who was so much smarter than everybody else, according to him, and pretty boring. “This Machine Kills Fascists” We sang, “This Land is Your Land” in school, and I am really, really, old. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![koeeoaddi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/koeeoaddi/32/408_2.png) [@koeeoaddi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/koeeoaddi)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2009, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arlo-guthrie-is-a-republican/506755/19 "2009-08-18T03:20:19Z")
…and they all moved away from him on the bench. So, how many more Alice’s Restaurant references can we shoehorn into this thread? ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2009, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arlo-guthrie-is-a-republican/506755/20 "2009-08-18T03:28:31Z")
Ted Nugent and Dennis Hopper are two other Republicans whose political status always surprises people. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arlo-guthrie-is-a-republican/506755.md?page=2)