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What Unites Obama-Trump Swing Voters? Heavy Metal.
Trump shooting the horns with West Coast Choppers‘ Jesse James.
Researchers at The Economist wondered if musical preferences factored into political opinions, especially among the millions who voted for Obama in 2012 and Trump in 2016. They discovered that if Trump wants to win independents in 2020, he should strap on a flying-V guitar and start wearing studded leather.
Working with Vivid Seats, they compared county-level musical preferences with election results. It seems Obama-Trump voters just wanna rock. The hard rock/metal genre was the favorite of this group, defined by bands such as Metallica, Guns N’ Roses, AC/DC, Tool, and Iron Maiden, and was calculated by concert ticket sales.
Unsurprisingly, rural areas liked Country and voted GOP, while urban areas preferred Hip Hop and voted Dem. Liking New Age music or generic Rock was also found to be “red”; R&B, Alternative, and Latin music were “blue.”
According to data journalist G. Elliott Morris, “a county’s share of music sales that went to hard rock is the single best predictor of voting for Barack Obama in 2012 and then Donald Trump in 2016.” This remains true even after controlling for demographics.
So, if you think the Democrats will roll to an easy victory in the Rust Belt…
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Published in Elections, Entertainment, Politics
Very interesting. He should use this along with that photo above in a campaign ad.
Hillary will probably stick with . . .
They voted for Obama and Trump? One way or another, it seems everyone has reason to be ashamed of his fellow headbangers.
I’ve always thought ‘Eye of the Beholder’ by Metallica to be a pretty accurate portrayal of modern America; presumably, other Metal fans feel the same way:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=38OyrzMzSuY
Can we get the New York Times to fact check that photo?
I’m a Republican and can’t imagine a scenario where I would have voted for Obama. OTOH, Romney not only lost, but turned out to be a perpetual loser, backstabber, and general weak sister.
So I voted for him, but I can’t honestly say that voting for Mittens was something I strongly identify with.
I’ve been advocating here for a month or more that President Trump’s new walk out music should be Judas Priest. I lean towards “Some Heads are Gonna’ Roll.” As he walks out, he points to the audience for the chorus.
When he gets to the microphone, he growls:
“Some heads…” and the audience roars back “Are gonna roll!”
“Some heads…” “Are Gonna Roll!!”
“Some heeeeads!” “ARE GONNA ROLL!!!”
It looks and sounds like this:
And, of course Alice Cooper’s classic is right on point:
I seem to recall a Republican voter I know saying he voted for Obama’s first term because he got caught up in the “first black president” nonsense. The essence of Obama’s campaign was an empty vessel into which people projected whatever they wanted, because “Change” was about as specific as it got.
Of course, if you are going with Judas Priest there are some on the other side who would suggest this for Trump . . .
Rob Halford’s later work with Fight might better suit current politics.
“Insanity, a new beginning…”
Gene Simmons of Kiss voted for Obama the first time I think to vote for the first black president and apparently regretted it. He supported George W. Bush, Mitt Romney, Donald Trump, and has helped raise money for the Friends of the Israel Defense Forces.
I think he is also known for being a real jerk at times, but perhaps he has outgrown some of that.
Up here in the Great White North, former Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper saw his poll numbers jump a bit when he revealed that he’s an AC/DC fan.
In rock as in politics, it’s a long way to the top.