Bill O'Reilly has finally gone too far.

Bill O'Reilly has a plan for the Republican Party to get its mojo back: Go after Bruce Springsteen!

...O'Reilly last night, in his Talking Points Memo segment, cites a remark Springsteen made at the Pete Seeger tribute concert the other night:

At 90, he [Seeger] remains a stealth dagger through the heart of our country's illusions about itself. ... He sings all the verses, all the time. Especially the ones that we'd like to leave out of our history as a people.

This incensed O'Reilly -- who nonetheless spotted an opportunity therein:

Now, Bruce Springsteen is not a PhD in political science, obviously. But his snide reference to America defines how the far left sees this country. And you know what? Most liberal and conservative Americans disagree with him.

So let me spell this out to that even the Republican leadership can understand it. Get solutions to problems. Explain your Culture War positions clearly and without spite. And most important, stick up for America! Because the Democrats are certainly not doing that. Use that strategy, GOP, and you'll get back in the game.

Video at the link. Here's "American Land" from the Greensboro show last week.



The McNicholas, the Posalski's, the Smiths, Zerillis, too
The Blacks, the Irish, Italians, the Germans and the Jews
Come across the water a thousand miles from home
With nothin in their bellies but the fire down below

They died building the railroads worked to bones and skin
They died in the fields and factories names scattered in the wind
They died to get here a hundred years ago they're still dyin now
The hands that built the country were always trying to keep down...

Needless to say I don't think "snide" is quite the word. All the verses, without illusions.

YouTube user ekimp252 already has clips from last night's Springsteen show. So does blueboyb.

Amazing concert, best of the three Springsteen shows I've been to. The whole band was in a good mood and for whatever reason they've decided that Greensboro is a great venue for them (probably has something to do with all the transplanted Jerseyans). Everything rocked.

We were close, too; deep in the Pit, just a row or two back from the stage. Enjoy a few pictures at Flickr from my very bad camera phone.

Here's the setlist, courtesy of Backstreets.com:

Badlands
Radio Nowhere
Outlaw Pete
No Surrender
Working on a Dream
Seeds
Johnny 99
The Ghost of Tom Joad
Raise Your Hand
Seventh Son
Hang on Sloopy
Growin' Up
I'm on Fire
Waitin' on a Sunny Day
The Promised Land
Human Touch
Kingdom of Days
Lonesome Day
The Rising
Born to Run
Cadillac Ranch

ENCORE
Hard Times
Thunder Road
Tenth Avenue Freeze-out
Land of Hope and Dreams
American Land
Glory Days

Then, at the end, Dave Michaels caught Bruce's sponge.

Every year the Greensboro MFA program has a "Will Read for Food" event raising money for local charities. This year's program is now online at the News & Record's site.

North Carolina in the news!

* News & Observer reporter assaulted at McCain-Palin rally.

* Obama supporters' tires slashed at Fayetteville rally.

* Mostly African-American early voters heckled and mocked by mostly white crowds.

* And craziest of all: Dead bear found dumped on Western Carolina University's campus, draped by a pair of Obama campaign signs.

North Carolina's id has been unleashed. Stay safe, fellow carpetbaggers!

Evening links.

* McCain is still hinting that he won't show up at the debate tomorrow. (This campaign has become so insane, I can hardly stand it. What the hell is this? Are they really serious?) What we're seeing now is exactly the consequence of Obama's warning not to inject presidential politics into delicate legislative negotiations—McCain's fake campaign suspension has done nothing but derail the process.

* He's not too busy to be on the teevee, of course.

* And of course this is all Obama's fault for not agreeing to the town halls. John, I'm begging you, just shut up.

* Barbara Boxer doesn't hold back in her anger over what's happening.

* Sarah Silverman makes her bid to save America with the Great Schelp.

* Al Gore blows my mind with a call for civil disobedience against the building of additional coal plants.

“If you’re a young person looking at the future of this planet and looking at what is being done right now, and not done, I believe we have reached the stage where it is time for civil disobedience to prevent the construction of new coal plants that do not have carbon capture and sequestration,” he said at the third annual meeting of former President Bill Clinton’s initiative, which arranges partnerships between the very rich and the very needy.

* And here's why: Global carbon emissions jumped 3% in 2007.

* On a more optimistic note, Obama supports NASA.

* Obama and Biden will be coming to Greensboro on the *only day for the next month I'll be out of North Carolina*. Damn you, Obama! There's a reason for this visit: North Carolina looks to be right on the brink of flipping. More at Facing South in two parts.

Greensboro's Fox 8 has excerpts from the first few songs Bruce played last night. Via Shankar.

Clips from last night's Springsteen show are starting to show up on YouTube.

American Land / Finale

Saint in the City/Trapped



Both these songs were unexpected highlights, though unfortunately the sound quality on the clip isn't all that fantastic. There's also a nice story about Danny Federici before the music starts.

My media empire continues its slow takeover of the Research Triangle with an unprecedented two articles in this week's Independent, one reviewing a recent book on civil rights landmarks in the South and the other taking a look inside the Ron Paul Revolution.

Amazing new Web site ZIPskinny (via Matt Yglesias) gives detailed demographic information about all the places you've ever lived.

Where I grew up
Where I grew up in the other universe
Where I went to college
Where I went to grad school (part 1)
Where I live now (grad school parts 2 through 2012)

Beyond the obvious income and poverty line disparities, the thing that leaps out most when you use the comparison function is the marriage disparity—Randolph's 67.8% marriage rate dwarfs all the other locations. The continual proximity of colleges in my life must play a big role in this, but I doubt that's the full explanation.

Also of note is the final demographic showdown between Randolph and Jaimee's beloved Scotch Plains. Scotch Plains, with its biologically unstable surplus of females, proves no match for Randolph's frightening racial purity.

Endangered Durham takes the trip over to my old stomping grounds and concludes that Durham could stand to learn from what Greensboro has done downtown.