# Should Obama use "Born in the USA" as a re-elect theme song?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-obama-use-born-in-the-usa-as-a-re-elect-theme-song/622297
**Category:** Politics & Elections
**Created:** [May 18, 2012, 8:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-obama-use-born-in-the-usa-as-a-re-elect-theme-song/622297 "2012-05-18T08:38:48Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pseudotriton_ruber_ruber)
#### Post date: [May 18, 2012, 8:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-obama-use-born-in-the-usa-as-a-re-elect-theme-song/622297/1 "2012-05-18T08:38:48Z")
I think it would be clever on several levels, but mainly on the level of “Here’s a guy with confidence to play up what only his worst idiot opponents take seriously as an issue,” and I don’t think the Boss would mind, though the song is hardly as jingoisitic as the title would lead one to believe. Reagan tried it, and got blocked, but I don’t think he ever heard it, just some staffers who didn’t get it. Obama could be saying, “Yeah, I think the USA’s got some issues, but none we can’t fix with enough hard work” at the same time he brags about being born in the US.
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### Author:  [@Desert\_Nomad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Desert_Nomad)
#### Post date: [May 18, 2012, 8:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-obama-use-born-in-the-usa-as-a-re-elect-theme-song/622297/2 "2012-05-18T08:49:58Z")
> [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](#):
>
> I think it would be clever on several levels, but mainly on the level of “Here’s a guy with confidence to play up what only his worst idiot opponents take seriously as an issue,” and I don’t think the Boss would mind, though the song is hardly as jingoisitic as the title would lead one to believe.
Maybe he should use “Back in the USSR” since those are the policies he likes.
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### Author:  [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)
#### Post date: [May 18, 2012, 9:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-obama-use-born-in-the-usa-as-a-re-elect-theme-song/622297/3 "2012-05-18T09:03:02Z")
A cute idea, but adding more fuel to the fire probably isn’t a good idea.
> [@Desert\_Nomad](#):
>
> Maybe he should use “Back in the USSR” since those are the policies he likes.
:rolleyes: Hardly. He’s about as left wing as Reagan.
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### Author:  [@Desert\_Nomad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Desert_Nomad)
#### Post date: [May 18, 2012, 9:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-obama-use-born-in-the-usa-as-a-re-elect-theme-song/622297/4 "2012-05-18T09:08:12Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#):
>
> A cute idea, but adding more fuel to the fire probably isn’t a good idea.
> :rolleyes: Hardly. He’s about as left wing as Reagan.
I can’t see Reagan signing the Patriot Act or NDAA
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### Author:  [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)
#### Post date: [May 18, 2012, 9:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-obama-use-born-in-the-usa-as-a-re-elect-theme-song/622297/5 "2012-05-18T09:19:07Z")
> [@Desert\_Nomad](#):
>
> I can’t see Reagan signing the Patriot Act or NDAA
Why not? And what makes those left wing?
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### Author:  [@Desert\_Nomad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Desert_Nomad)
#### Post date: [May 18, 2012, 9:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-obama-use-born-in-the-usa-as-a-re-elect-theme-song/622297/6 "2012-05-18T09:27:16Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#):
>
> Why not? And what makes those left wing?
They may not be left-wing socially or economically, but they are totalitarian ideas. Having lived in a Communist country, I much prefer the freedom that America was founded on… and won’t be voting for Obama or Romney… I live overseas so my vote won’t get counted anyway.
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### Author:  [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)
#### Post date: [May 18, 2012, 9:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-obama-use-born-in-the-usa-as-a-re-elect-theme-song/622297/7 "2012-05-18T09:42:06Z")
nm; too much snark
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### Author:  [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)
#### Post date: [May 18, 2012, 10:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-obama-use-born-in-the-usa-as-a-re-elect-theme-song/622297/8 "2012-05-18T10:03:15Z")
> [@Desert\_Nomad](#):
>
> They may not be left-wing socially or economically, but they are totalitarian ideas. Having lived in a Communist country, I much prefer the freedom that America was founded on… and won’t be voting for Obama or Romney… I live overseas so my vote won’t get counted anyway.
America wasn’t “founded on freedom”; it was founded by rich white men (many of whom owned slaves; some freedom) who made speeches about freedom. Not the same thing; America hasn’t been especially free for a very long time. And Reagan was _certainly_ anti-freedom.
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### Author:  [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)
#### Post date: [May 18, 2012, 10:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-obama-use-born-in-the-usa-as-a-re-elect-theme-song/622297/9 "2012-05-18T10:08:40Z")
That would be a poor choice of campaign theme song. It is a song about a divided country ignoring its Vietnam era veterans. Incidentally, Reagan’s campaign in 84 used it extensively and Springsteen objected. The Reagan people didn’t even listen to the lyrics.
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### Author:  [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)
#### Post date: [May 18, 2012, 10:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-obama-use-born-in-the-usa-as-a-re-elect-theme-song/622297/10 "2012-05-18T10:22:47Z")
Why would a candidate want to associate himself with the loss of American ideals? Would he think the bulk of his supporters, or those who could be attracted to them, can’t be bothered to learn the verses of a song, only a one-line chorus, as if they’re mostly pro wrestling fans? 😉
> [@Mijin](#):
>
> nm; too much snark
No such thing. Come on, out with it.
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### Author:  [@gamerunknown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gamerunknown)
#### Post date: [May 18, 2012, 10:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-obama-use-born-in-the-usa-as-a-re-elect-theme-song/622297/11 "2012-05-18T10:46:40Z")
> [@Desert Nomad](#):
>
> I can’t see Reagan signing the Patriot Act or NDAA
Yeah, Reagan was concerned with [undue surveillance of US citizens](http://www.nytimes.com/1988/02/04/us/reagan-backs-fbi-over-surveillance.html). On the other hand, he didn’t care particularly for South Africans, Grenadians, Iraqis, Saudi Arabians, Palestinians, Nicaraguans, Costa Ricans, Salvadorans, Hondurans or Guatemalans (unless they were subjugating the native population, of course).
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### Author:  [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pseudotriton_ruber_ruber)
#### Post date: [May 18, 2012, 11:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-obama-use-born-in-the-usa-as-a-re-elect-theme-song/622297/12 "2012-05-18T11:04:56Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#):
>
> Why would a candidate want to associate himself with the loss of American ideals? Would he think the bulk of his supporters, or those who could be attracted to them, can’t be bothered to learn the verses of a song, only a one-line chorus, as if they’re mostly pro wrestling fans? 😉
What? You think the Pubbies will look beyond the title? And point out subtleties in the lyrics? They’ll simply go nuts from the audacity of Obama’s association with the idea of “Born in the USA.”
And if they DO raise the lyrics, he can just point out that Saint Ronnie tried to use it in '84, and no one on the right argued that the song was anti-patriotic then. Win/win.
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### Author:  [@IntelliQ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IntelliQ)
#### Post date: [May 18, 2012, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-obama-use-born-in-the-usa-as-a-re-elect-theme-song/622297/13 "2012-05-18T11:55:45Z")
A Milli Vanilli song would be more appropriate…
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### Author:  [@lost4life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lost4life)
#### Post date: [May 18, 2012, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-obama-use-born-in-the-usa-as-a-re-elect-theme-song/622297/14 "2012-05-18T12:33:05Z")
I hope this doesn’t sound racist, but I think **We Want the Funk** would be a bad ass campaign song. 🆒
“Tear The Roof Off The Sucker”
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### Author:  [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)
#### Post date: [May 18, 2012, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-obama-use-born-in-the-usa-as-a-re-elect-theme-song/622297/15 "2012-05-18T13:03:16Z")
This is election related, so I am moving it to Elections, although I suspect that it would do better in IMHO or even the Pit.
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### Author:  [@Eonwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eonwe)
#### Post date: [May 18, 2012, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-obama-use-born-in-the-usa-as-a-re-elect-theme-song/622297/16 "2012-05-18T13:51:55Z")
> [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](#):
>
> And if they DO raise the lyrics, he can just point out that Saint Ronnie tried to use it in '84, and no one on the right argued that the song was anti-patriotic then. Win/win.
Yes. Intellectual ‘gotchas’ have always proven to be boons to the candidates who make them.
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### Author:  [@fumster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fumster)
#### Post date: [May 18, 2012, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-obama-use-born-in-the-usa-as-a-re-elect-theme-song/622297/17 "2012-05-18T14:53:14Z")
> [@Desert\_Nomad](#):
>
> They may not be left-wing socially or economically, but they are totalitarian ideas. Having lived in a Communist country, I much prefer the freedom that America was founded on… and won’t be voting for Obama or Romney… I live overseas so my vote won’t get counted anyway.
Well let’s see: you love this country so much that you live overseas and can’t be bothered to learn that US citizens living abroad can vote.
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### Author:  [@Jas09](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jas09)
#### Post date: [May 18, 2012, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-obama-use-born-in-the-usa-as-a-re-elect-theme-song/622297/18 "2012-05-18T15:12:56Z")
I preferred the one he played as entrance music at the Correspondent’s Dinner last year - “I Am A Real American”. Aka, Hulk Hogan’s entrance music.
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### Author:  [@mkecane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mkecane)
#### Post date: [May 18, 2012, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-obama-use-born-in-the-usa-as-a-re-elect-theme-song/622297/19 "2012-05-18T15:18:59Z")
> [@Jas09](#):
>
> I preferred the one he played as entrance music at the Correspondent’s Dinner last year - “I Am A Real American”. Aka, Hulk Hogan’s entrance music.
I want to see Obama “playing” guitar like Hogan: [http://www.mudtrap.com/images/hogan\_guitar.gif](http://www.mudtrap.com/images/hogan_guitar.gif)
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### Author:  [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)
#### Post date: [May 18, 2012, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-obama-use-born-in-the-usa-as-a-re-elect-theme-song/622297/20 "2012-05-18T15:46:49Z")
> [@lost4life](#):
>
> I hope this doesn’t sound racist, but I think **We Want the Funk** would be a bad ass campaign song. 🆒
>
> “Tear The Roof Off The Sucker”
[Chocolate City](http://www.duke.edu/~tmc/motherpage/lyrics_parliament/lyr-cc.html#lyr-s-cc).
Actually, to stay in line with the OP and turn the birthers on their head, anything from Mothership Connection to Bop Gun would work–the mythology of aliens bringing back the Funk both pokes at the birther issue and is a much more positive message than BitUSA.
Would that make Romney Sir Nose?
\*psycho-alpha-disco-beta-bio-aqua-doo-loop \*
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