Republicans need to realize the only music they can use without the artist protesting is mainstream country and Ted Nugent. Dropkick Murphy's make pro-union songs and I have no idea what Paul Ryan was thinking when he used songs from Rage Against the Machine for his campaign.

Haha I didn't know the context. Besides getting my nose nearly broken at a free show at University of Wisconsin my freshman year (I was protected by a group of skinheads from further injuries once I hit the ground) I don't really know much about the Dropkick Murphys except that they put on a fun show and made me realize the difference between "good" and "bad" skinheads. This has been happening for a while though: Bush used The Who's Won't Get Fooled Again, Reagan used Springsteen's Born in the USA, Romney and Obama both used The National's Fake Empire..

I didn't look that hard, but I couldn't find which RAtM song he used, just a few articles about how he liked the band, and after the band told him to fuck himself saying that they weren't actually his favorite band. Some RAtM songs almost work taken out of context, kind of like Born in the USA works if you ignore all the lyrics besides the chorus.

You're right. Ryan only said he liked the band and the band didn't like that. Rush Limbaugh on the other hand used some of their songs as bumper music.
DKM has a beef with walker using their music, because DKM has always been about the working class and have recorded pro-union songs. Walker is seen as an anti-union dork.

Context? Has somepony been co-opting DKM for non-DKM approved purposes?

Wisconsin anti-labor, pro-1%, pro-no-taxes-if-you're-rich, anti-union-for-everyone Scott Walker was using their music for his "I want to be President and fuck up the country even more than Bush" rallies.

I might be a wee bit biased in my attitudes to the Koch-sucker, but I calls 'em as I sees 'em.

I don't know what happened to my surrogate home state. I lived with Russ Feingold's daughter and drank and smoked with Russ himself. :(

That's too bad. The Dropkick Murphys are a complex, nuanced, and subtly layered band! Taking their music, without permission and without considering the full ramifications of the Murphy's "Applejack Democrat" brand of pro-union, pro-tradition, blue-collar-family-based punk rock politics, is both arrogant and disrespectful.

I miss Russ Feingold. He was one of my favorite senators back in the day, and it's a shame he's been more or less banished from Washington. The good ones always die young. :(

I 100% would've voted for a McCain/Feingold presidency circa 2002 strictly because of the Bipartisan Reform thingy. How exactly does the DNC and the RNC (and sometimes both) get the rights to these songs without the artists' permission? I kinda knew The National before they popped up in Obama ads, and sure, it was a huge boost for the band which is great. I was a little wrong with the Romney one though, here's an article

http://pitchfork.com/news/48386-college-republicans-apologize- not-really-for-using-the-nationals-fake-empire-in-pro-romney-video /

and it wasn't the RNC, but publicity's publicity I guess.. more of a chance to tell people to vote for Obama and stay in the public eye. But can politicians use whatever song they want? Like, if I was a celebrity and I wanted to use a Katy Perry song whenever I entered a room, I assume I'd at least have to ask Mrs. Perry beforehand. And if I was a celebrity who supported various things that Mrs. Perry opposed, well you get the idea. Join my Rage Against Katy Perry facebook page, etc.. did DM seriously not know that they were going to be used? Among other things, the band Survivor sued Gingrich for using "Eye of the Tiger." Should've been a wake-up call.

It doesn't matter what you're doing, its where you are. Both should be wearing hard hats if they're in some kind of work zone. That part of the video probably reflects Walker's dream of lessening safety regulations for workers and making hard hats optional.

Buddy, I'll have you know I wear a hard hat whenever I eat my dinner. I also have a beeper that goes off whenever I push my chair away from the table.