I was bogged down with computer troubles the last two days and didn’t get to comment on an Under the Dome item that appeared in Tuesday’s News & Observer. Here it is in its entirety:
The soundtrack to John Edwards’ 2004 presidential campaign was John Mellencamp’s “Small Town.”
So it was only fitting that during a concert in Des Moines over the weekend, Mellencamp stopped during a rendition of his song to introduce Edwards, Rob Christensen reports.
“You know, I’ve got a friend that I’ve had for about the last seven or eight years. This guy’s from a small town. And he just so happens to be running for President of the United States … Ladies and gentleman John Edwards has come to see the show.”
Edwards then walked out on to the stage.
I commented on Edwards’ Des Moines appearance three days earlier, on Nov. 10, but my post included the whole story. Here’s what a person who was there reported:
After a few cheers boos overtake the hall. “I’ve been in your small towns,†Edwards said as Mellencamp stepped aside to give Edwards a place behind the microphone. “…You didn’t come here to listen to me,†Edwards continues as he winds down with a “thank you,†waves and walks to the darkened edge of the stage.
The crowd is mostly booing at this point. “I came for a concert,†one man behind me yelled. “Refund. Refund,†another chanted a few rows back.
I found the N&O‘s entry on the Under the Dome blog. It was posted by Under the Dome reporter Ryan Teague Beckwith, but the post contained no link to any source for the information. The only links were to a bio of Mellencamp, a bio of Edwards and a link to the lyrics of “Small Town.” Interestingly, two readers had already pointed out to Beckwith that his post contained only part of the story. Reliably left-wing reader Anglico, predictably, thought the crowd was boffo for Edwards.
