McGraw bucks conservative country image

[thinksmart]

Country music might seem like a pretty conservative medium, but Tim McGraw is bucking the trend. "It's innate in me to be a Democrat — a true Southern populist kind of Democrat. There's not a lot of those anymore," McGraw tells Time magazine in its Oct. 23 issue.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061016/ap_en_ce/people_tim_mcgraw

[melissinha]

1. I think he and Faith talked about this a while ago

I like the use of the word populist.
Wikipedia entry:

Political aspirations
In early 2006, McGraw reaffirmed his plans for running for public office, saying that he would like to run for Governor of Tennessee about 10 years down the road. He is a member of the Democratic Party. He has said he would be open to running for the Senate, but leans toward governor saying, "It's more of a leadership role, and I think that's something that I'd do well...that doesn't rule out senator; I just think that as governor of a state, there would be a lot more opportunities to make some decisions and change some things." <3>

McGraw has been a huge supporter of President Bill Clinton, Vice President Al Gore, and other Democrats, and Time has called him "one of the few vocal Democrats in country." <4>
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In a 2004 interview, McGraw said he would like to run for public office in the future, possibly for Senate in his home state of Tennessee. In the same interview, he praised former President Bill Clinton, a somewhat unusual stance in the conservative country music industry, which used to be more Liberal with groups such as Alabama: "I love Bill Clinton. I think we should make him king. I'm talking the red robe, the turkey leg - everything."

McGraw also participated in the Live 8: The Long Walk to Justice concert series, performing along with Faith Hill at the Rome, Italy concert on July 2, 2005 as part of the effort to get G8 leaders to address the humanitarian crises in Africa. McGraw's performance of "Live Like You Were Dying" was one of the most re-played performances in Live 8 television recaps.

[featherman]

2. great screen shot!

[melissinha]

3. just came across it....

thanks, its pretty good, but there is a downside: it means i have to see his face when I look at his face.

take it if you want.

[Selatius]

4. Is he a populist as in "economic populist"?

Looking out for the working man, fighting against corruption and corporate lobbyists in Washington, helping the poor and the needy?

[Odin2005]

5. I'm thinking "populist" as in economically left-wing, socially right-wing.

What political scientists call "Communitarian."

[Selatius]

6. I'll disagree with him on the social issues if that's true, but...

if I'm a man trying to put some damn food on the table for just another night in a poor economy when they're slashing social spending and encouraging people my age to sign up and bleed in Iraq for a few rich bastards who will retire with billions in government contracts behind their high vaulted walls in their big estates and fancy security systems, I'll gladly stand with him.

[Bake]

7. He and Faith very very critical of * over Katrina response.

Faith is from Mississippi and they were horrified at the federal non-response to Katrina and the lack of progress months later, expecialy in south Mississippi. They spoke out strongly about it, as I recall.

Bake

[thinksmart]

8. I was glad to see it.

He lives in the Nashville, TN area. So its good to see a high profile Democrat like him. Democrats are not the majority in the areas surrounding Nashville, TN by any stretch. Maybe he can win some more people over to the good guys.