The Robert Johnson "Selling My Soul to the Devil" Award: John McCain

Robert Johnson was a blues-man that many characterized as being one of the most influential musicians ever, many stand behind calling him the Grandfather of Rock and Roll. Despite his legendary status as a musician, most people know him by the myth that he rose to musical prominence based on him selling his sole to the devil. Of course these claims can't be proven, for all I know this tale could be placed alongside that tale about someone blowing up from eating Pop rocks and drinking soda at the same time, but many people at the time believed it to be true based on how Robert Johnson's musical skill increased seemingly overnight. As the story goes, if someone would go to the crossroads(crossroads of U.S. Highway 61 and U.S. Highway 49 in Clarksdale, Mississippi) a few minutes before midnight and start to play the guitar, a large black man would come up to the aspiring guitarist, retune his guitar for him and then hand it back. At this point (according to the legend) the guitarist had sold his soul to become a virtuoso.

I must admit, when hearing tales of people selling their souls in search of obtaining a goal it quickly brings John McCain to mind. I have never been in lockstep with McCain's ideologies, but out of all the republicans out there who never speak from the heart and just recite the daily talking points that Karl Rove puts out there, I at least respected Mr. McCain for at least having an original thought and speaking from his heart. But like a girl who gives you mouth-hugs without you having to reciprocate, all good things come to an end eventually. It seemed that McCain tuned his political guitar at the crossroads when he campaigned with George W, Bush during Dubya's re-election campaign, giving handshakes and embracing a man who a few years earlier had a campaign that not only claimed that his wife had a drug problem, but that his adopted Bangladeshi daughter was an illegitimate child from an affair that he had with a black woman.

It seemed like this time a large white man posing as the religious right, showed up at the crossroads and tuned Mr. McCain's political guitar this time, making the selling of his soul complete by what I witnessed this passed weekend. Remember years ago when John McCain once said this? :


"I am a pro-life, pro-family fiscal conservative, an advocate of a strong defense, and yet Pat Robertson, Jerry Falwell and a few Washington leaders of the pro-life movement call me an unacceptable presidential candidate. They distort my pro- life positions and smear the reputations of my supporters. Why? Because I don't pander to them, because I don't ascribe to their failed philosophy that money is our message.
Neither party should be defined by pandering to the outer reaches of American politics and the agents of intolerance, whether they be Louis Farrakhan or Al Sharpton on the left, or Pat Robertson or Jerry Falwell on the right."

Well, this past weekend he gave a commencement speech at Liberty University, alongside a man who's very existence he despised, Jerry Falwell, just to appeal to the religious right and his future candidacy for President. Seeing someone be such a fucking hypocrite is sad, but at least he gets to listen to a legendary blues man while he is paying off his debt to the devil.