1952 to 1970s? Has Much Changed?

In the concluding remarks of Professor Fink's lecture today, he explained that country music became associated with backlash politics and the silent majority. As I thought about how Merle Haggard and other "hard core" country musicians helped associate the country sound with that of the good old days before the influence of the counterculture, I was amazed by the genius of politicians like Richard Nixon. Then, I remembered that this was not the first time that promoting politics had been mixed with a form of entertainment. Basically, Merle's "Okie from Muskogee" reminded me of the 1952 political cartoon/ad for Eisenhower that we watched at the beginning of the year. It showed an elephant, donkey, other animals, and a farmer walking in a parade-like scene. The farmer was supposed to relate to everyday Americans and suggest that they were voting for Eisenhower. This ad and Eisenhower's strategy of appealing to the common folk won him the election. The way "Okie from Muskogee" and other country music was used to suggest that an easier way of life could be attained through voting for Nixon is hardly different from Eisenhower's tactic through that particular ad in 1952.

Here is the link for the 1952 Eisenhower ad: http://www.livingroomcandidate.org/commercials/1952