8 Politics

CHAPTER 8 Politics When Bruce was a boy, his family didn't talk about politics a lot. His mother told him that since they were "working people," they were Democrats. She said that because the Democratic Party has a long history of passing laws to help the poor. But Bruce never really thought much about politics or the purpose of government. For most of his career, Bruce kept his feelings about political issues out of his music. But in 2003, the United States invaded the country of Iraq in the Middle East. As with Vietnam, Bruce didn't think the United States needed to be in this war. Bruce knew that a lot of his fans respected his opinion. It was time for him to speak his mind.

当布鲁斯还是个孩子的时候，他的家人很少谈论政治。 他的母亲告诉他，既然他们是“劳动人民”，他们就是民主党人。 她说，这是因为民主党在通过法律帮助穷人方面有着悠久的历史。 但布鲁斯从未真正思考过政治或政府的目的。 在他职业生涯的大部分时间里，布鲁斯都把自己对政治问题的感情排除在音乐之外。 但是在2003年，美国入侵了中东的伊拉克。 和越战一样，布鲁斯认为美国不需要卷入这场战争。 布鲁斯知道他的很多粉丝都尊重他的意见。 是他说出自己想法的时候了。

John Kerry In the 2004 presidential election, Bruce threw his support behind John Kerry, the Democratic candidate. John Kerry had fought in the Vietnam War. He had met Bruce twenty-three years earlier at a Vietnam veterans benefit. Now Bruce and the E Street band led a concert tour called the Vote for Change tour. During the tour, other groups like Pearl Jam and the Dixie Chicks played concerts, too. The goal was to inspire people to go out and vote for John Kerry.

在2004年的总统选举中，布鲁斯支持民主党候选人约翰·克里。 约翰·克里曾参加过越南战争。 23年前，他在一次越战老兵的福利会上认识了布鲁斯。 布鲁斯和E街乐队组织了一场名为“为改变投票”的巡回演唱会。 在巡演期间，珍珠果酱和南方小鸡等其他乐队也举行了音乐会。 他的目标是激励人们出去投票给约翰·克里。

John Kerry lost to George W. Bush in the 2004 presidential election. But Kerry's defeat did not end Bruce's commitment to politics. A few years later he read a book called Dreams from My Father. It was written by Barack Obama, who was then a US senator from Illinois. The book described Obama's life and his search to discover his roots. Bruce was inspired by Obama's words. When Obama ran for president in 2008, Bruce gave the young senator his support. Bruce posted an endorsement of Obama on his website. He wrote, "He speaks to the America I've envisioned in my music for the past 35 years." Obama was pleased to have Bruce behind him. He even joked with his wife, Michelle, that the reason he was running for president was because he couldn't be Bruce Springsteen!

约翰·克里输给了乔治·布什。 布什在2004年总统大选中获胜。 但是克里的失败并没有结束布鲁斯对政治的承诺。 几年后，他读了一本名为《我父亲的梦想》的书。 这篇文章的作者是巴拉克•奥巴马（Barack Obama），当时他是来自伊利诺伊州的美国参议员。 这本书描述了奥巴马的生活，以及他如何寻找自己的根。 布鲁斯被奥巴马的话所鼓舞。 2008年奥巴马竞选总统时，布鲁斯支持这位年轻的参议员。 布鲁斯在他的网站上发表了对奥巴马的支持。 他写道：“他道出了我过去35年来在音乐中所设想的美国。” 奥巴马很高兴有布鲁斯在他身后。 他甚至和他的妻子米歇尔开玩笑说，他竞选总统的原因是因为他不能成为布鲁斯·斯普林斯汀！

Bruce spoke at a campaign rally for Barack Obama just two days before the 2008 election. He told the crowds that he always saw America as a place where everyone had the right to a job, an education, and a home. He said, "I want my country back. I want my dream back. I want my America back! Now is the time to stand up with Barack Obama... roll up our sleeves, and come on up for the rising."

就在2008年大选前两天，布鲁斯在奥巴马的竞选集会上发表了讲话。 他告诉人群，他一直认为美国是一个每个人都有权利获得工作、教育和住房的地方。 他说：“我想要回我的国家。 我想要回我的梦想。我想要回我的美国！现在是与奥巴马站在一起的时候了…… 把袖子卷起来，起床吧。”

Barack Obama won the election two days later, becoming the first African American elected president of the United States.

奥巴马两天后赢得大选，成为美国第一位非洲裔总统。