Quick to judge: Obama and the Soviet Union national anthem
There is a quiet hubbub brewing over a recent Barack Obama campaign rally that was held in Portland, Oregon on Friday, March 21, 2008.
The opening act was The Decemberists, a popular Portland-based rock band. It seems this band has, in the past, opened some of their performances with the Soviet Union national anthem. From Wikipedia:
“The band’s name refers to an 1825 revolt over the Imperial Russian succession (Decembrist revolt) It is not related to the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917. Their name is also a reference to the atmosphere associated with the month of December. The band has used the National Anthem of the Soviet Union as an introduction at many concerts. Several anti-Communist opinion writers have attacked the Decemberists, pointing to the band’s use of the Soviet anthem as evidence that it endorses the Soviet ideal.“
Curious about this story, I went to Google News and did a search for “obama decemberists soviet national anthem” and Google came back with four results. (Your results may vary over time.)
I couldn’t find any reports that the Soviet Union national anthem was actually played at the Obama rally. Likewise I couldn’t find any reports that the Obama campaign coordinated the band’s performance or knew in advance of their history of playing the Soviet Union national anthem.
Nevertheless, the game is now afoot. Obama critics are coming out of the woodwork with their take on this damning set of circumstances. No one seems concerned with finding out the actual facts – just let those assumptions fly. It will be interesting to watch how this plays out…
Tags: obama, portland, soviet union
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