Camden: Music, speeches add to conventions’ political theater

The chorus of the second could be an overture to all the delegates who started the campaign supporting someone else, sending a message that they didn’t get their first choice but now they have what they need to retake the White House. It does, however, have some pretty dark lyrics about drugs and death.

If they wanted dark, they might have considered “Eve of Destruction” as the follow-up to Trump’s acceptance speech.

Pop songs have been a part of presidential campaigns since at least 1800, when John Adams’ campaign put words to “Anacreon in Heaven,” a popular drinking tune. If you don’t recognize it, the song was used a decade or so later for “The Star Spangled Banner.” FDR used “Happy Days are Here Again” and Frank Sinatra reworked “High Hopes” for a campaign song for John F. Kennedy.

But using pop songs is not without controversy. Bruce Springsteen told Ronald Reagan’s re-election campaign in 1984 to quit using “Born in the U.S.A.” That was a questionable choice, anyway, because even with a rousing chorus that seems to celebrate American nativity, the lyrics are about a reluctant Vietnam vet who returns home to hard times.

The Trump campaign has been asked by Neil Young not to use “Rockin’ in the Free World,” by Steve Tyler not to use “Dream On” and by R.E.M. not to use “It’s the End of the World As We Know It.”

Can’t wait to see whom the Democrats tick off at their convention this week.

Calling the roll

The Roll Call of the States, in which each state delegation reports its votes for presidential candidates, was an item of high drama at a national convention when the nominee wasn’t known before proceedings started.

Lately, however, it is relegated to a nonprime-time slot when mostly political junkies watch the stream of people — some in silly hats or costumes — hold forth.

Usually done alphabetically, Washington often comes in after some other state has put the nominee over the top and the well-orchestrated spontaneous celebration has taken place. Some viewers might have turned the channel before seeing state GOP Chairman Susan Hutchison say:

“The Evergreen State, we are standing tall. Our beautiful state of volcanoes, the mighty Columbia River, vast wheat fields, and yes, often the national Christmas tree, also the proud home of the Boeing airplane company, celebrating its 100th anniversary this month, builders of the greatest jets in the world, we are named after the first president of the United States.”

Slate magazine rated the states for their roll calls, and Washington came in below average at 32. It was not clear if the staff knocked the delegation down for the silly hats, which looked like green foam cut in the shape of an evergreen and tied around foreheads with an elastic band, or the unnecessary explanation of the name origin. Slate gave the top spot to Connecticut, which bragged about manufacturing Pez and nuclear submarines.