U2 Fans For Obama Stump For Bono! (almost…)

Paint the White House green... Irish green... green beer...

By Fred Mills

Only partially deterred by that that little technicality of U.S. law that requires all presidential candidates to be native-born Americans, a group of U2 fans who would otherwise be pumping cash into Bono's run for the White House have been funneling their funds and their energies in the direction of Barack Obama.

U2 Fans for Obama, which boasts 126 core members, has organized some 654 fundraisers during the campaign season thus far, resulting in nearly $18,000 for Obama. They also list as having attended 3,016 events, made 6,865 phone calls, knocked on 37 doors, and made10,268 blog posts. (Wait - only 37 doors?)

In a report about the campaign and various candidates' musical connections and preferences filed by Britain's Times Online, the group of fans have stated on their website and blog that "since Bono can't run for US president, Obama is the next best thing... [We] see in Obama a progressive Christian who embodies the ideas and sentiments . . . so compelling in U2's music."

On the group's blog, a general mission-statement post from early 2007 reads thusly:

I just wanted to say thank you for joining U2 fans for Obama 08.  And, while I'm thrilled that each of you has joined, I'm a bit disappointed that there aren't more of us.  Yes, I know the campaign has just begun, and I know this is what one might call a "niche group" (thank you, James), but I also know that we can't be the only ones who see the Obama/U2 connection!  So tell your friends and get them to join us. 

And if you've got any ideas about how to drum up more members, please let me know, or go ahead and try them.  I've posted an invitation on the forums at interference.com (the U2 fan club site), for example. Finally, if you can think of other ways we can make U2 fans for Obama 08 one of the most active, innovative, and impressive groups on mybarackobama.com, please share them.  Feel free to add to the blog or email me.In the meantime, take care and keep the hope alive.

Obama, of course, hasn't shied away thus far from co-opting U2 music during his campaign (and no one from the band's camp has complained yet, either): at the DNC last week he used both "City Of Blinding Lights" and "Beautiful Day" during his acceptance speech. Which, I might add, is a good bit cooler than using some cracker anthem that the country-ass likes of, I dunno, Brooks & Dunn might offer up....