The star of the primary jiffy of the Republican debate on Wednesday was not a candidate, not a moderator and never a notable second from the gang.
It was a track.
To body their first few questions, the Fox News moderators performed a couple of lyrics from “Rich Men North of Richmond,” a folksy ballad a couple of narrator who’s “working all day” whereas wealthy elites in Washington — an hour north of Richmond — preserve him caught in place.
“It is by a singer from Farmville, Va., named Oliver Anthony — his lyrics speak of alienation, of deep frustration with the state of government and of this country,” Martha MacCallum, one of many moderators, stated earlier than asking, “So, Governor DeSantis, why is this song striking such a nerve in this country right now?”
Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida seized on the comparatively benign query with what amounted to a gap assertion contrasting his financial file with President Biden’s.
“We also cannot succeed when the Congress spends trillions and trillions of dollars,” Mr. DeSantis stated. “Those rich men north of Richmond have put us in this situation.”
The track made an uncommon and sudden leap straight to No. 1 on the Billboard singles chart this week, fueled partly by influential conservative pundits and media figures.
It rapidly struck a chord with Republicans. Its comparatively unpolished music video, with Mr. Anthony singing right into a lone microphone with a resonator acoustic guitar, racked up 36 million views.
While it’s not overtly political, the track’s lyrics attraction to conservatives in language and theme, and it’s rapidly changing into an anthem for Republicans because it takes intention at insurance policies associated to local weather change and the social security internet.
“I wish politicians would look out for miners,” Mr. Anthony sings, “and not just minors on an island somewhere. Lord, we got folks in the street, ain’t got nothin’ to eat, and the obese milkin’ welfare.”
Mr. Anthony has tried to remain out of the political fray surrounding his track.
“I sit pretty dead center down the aisle on politics and always have,” he stated in an introductory video posted to YouTube this month.
Source: www.nytimes.com