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What Does Chuck Berry Think of Bachmann's New Campaign Song?

Bless her heart Michele Bachmann just can't win the song war. Maybe she should just give up and have someone make her own campaign song like Herman Cain did.

Tuesday, Bachmann greeted the crowd giving a nod to The King on the day of his birth after coming out on stage to "Promised Land." Only…. it wasn't his birthday. Fans of Elvis gathered in Graceland to celebrate his death instead.

As I'm sure you remember, Bachmann had some issues when she chose "American Girl" by Tom Petty to usher her out onto stages across Iowa. Petty wasn't too happy about it and asked Bachmann to stop or .. I suppose that would be the last dance with the Mary Jane of the Midwest.

But now Bachmann is using the Elvis Presley song "Promised Land." At least we say it was an Elvis song because he was the one who made it famous. And his is the version that Bachmann uses. The interesting thing is that it wasn't actually written by Elvis - it was actually written by Chuck Berry …. while he was in in a mid-western prison serving a sentence for armed robbery after hijacking a car at gunpoint, after sticking up a gas station and a convenience store.

I'm sure this has no parallel to Bachmann's mid-western tour where she's trying to hijack democracy. None at all. Nor does it have any parallels to Bachmann sticking up the middle class in favor of more billionaires subsidies. Of course not! Berry after all is reformed and a musical genius such that America is happy to look past his early days and Bachmann is… well… Bachmann.

It isn't clear who owns the copyright to Promise Land - whether it's Elvis or Berry, but if its Berry who still has the rights I wonder what his feelings are about the right-wing teabagger using it to welcome her supporters at every event.

About SarahBurris
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Sarah is a current editor for FutureMajority.com. She is a former partner in the online media firm Mixed Media that worked in Kansas and Oklahoma and manages social media and online marketing for non-profits and political candidates in two states and Washington DC. Previously, Sarah worked for Skyline Public Works where she helped state based youth organizations connect with major funders across the country. In 2008 was named one of the five Rock the Vote Rock the Trail Reporters and reported on the election from the youth perspective attending the Democratic and Republican Conventions, Ron Paul's Un-Convention, the first debate at Ole Miss and the Vice Presidential Debate in St. Louis as well as a reporter that interviewed leaders across the country including Howard Dean, Nancy Pelosi, Bob Barr, Gavin Newsome, and many more. Sarah was one of the first ever recipients of the Democracy for America Netroots Nation scholarship and in 2009 was named by the New Leader's Council as one of the 40 Emerging Leaders Under 40 in the United States. In 2010 Sarah was named by the Oklahoma Truth Council as one of the 25 young Oklahomans to watch which she jokes is because both parties prefer to "keep an eye" on her. She is a founding blogger at Everyday Citizen, and was a long time writer and researcher for Wiretap Magazine. She's excited to join the writing crew at Crooks and Liars and continue to hold our leaders accountable. Opinions written here are my own and not a reflection of my employer.
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