The most obvious problem with contemporary American politics is the partisan warfare that has gripped the nation, which defines the dysfunctional relationship between the two parties as well as the polarization of American society in general. The spin and propaganda from the political right, replete with whataboutism, false equivalencies, and untruths, would have you believe that the two parties are equally at fault in this regrettable situation. But the truth of the matter is that the Republican Party has become more and more extreme over the past several decades, and is now a mere ideological shadow of its former self. Moderate Republicans have been disparaged as RINOs (Republicans In Name Only) and driven from the party en masse. Those that remain have become enablers and apologists for Donald Trump, who by any objective reckoning is clearly the worst and most destructive president in all of American history. In short, the Republican Party no longer stands for any of the values it once held dear, and no longer bothers to feign any interest in responsible governance, having become instead an intransigent and morally bankrupt mouthpiece of the radical right and of white grievance.
I am a center-left Independent. Throughout most of the more than five decades since I acquired the right to vote I have been receptive to moderate candidates from either party, and to reasonable policies and ideas regardless of which party advances them. But that is no longer possible in the current climate, given the near-total absence of moderate Republican candidates and reasonable Republican policies. The fact that I feel very strongly about all this, and the fact that (especially of late) I keep myself well-informed regarding political matters, were all the motivation I needed to create the four Political Rock albums, the last two fairly recently in 2019 and early 2020. My goal in doing so was to try to bring about positive change in the American political environment, beginning with the resounding defeat in November 2020 of Donald Trump and as many of his Republican enablers as possible. It is my belief that a solid trouncing of Republican candidates in November 2020 will give those Republicans who remain in office pause for thought about how best to go about getting reelected (always a big consideration for a politician). And who knows – maybe those Republicans who are still in office after a solid defeat of their party in November 2020 will begin restoring the honor and integrity of their party, and will become more cooperative and more reasonable in the matter of governance. That is my hope and wish, and that is why I decided to undertake the task of trying to create albums of politically-themed songs in the first place. I do not regret having made that decision. Just the same, neither will I have any regrets about returning to writing, performing, and recording songs with lyrics that have non-political themes.
