You cannot help but hear the authenticity of Oliver Anthony’s “Rich Men North of Richmond” as a cry for help from average Americans. It has a Woody Guthrie tone. It speaks to the angst of Middle America and of the hardworking people who built this country, fought our wars, fix our cars, pay taxes, etc.
As if on cue, the left maligns the song as they did Jason Aldean’s “Try That in a Small Town.” The left responds, as it always does: When confronted with reality, they will probably fund a Special Counsel to go after Anthony.
The “ladies” of The View were so upset they had to take a mental health day. Their therapists handed them dolls and said, “Point to where that country song hurt you.”
Both songs, Aldean’s and Anthony’s, are protests from the proletariat against what has been done to them by the permanent elite in Washington D.C. and the lobbyist-driven business oligarchs who want control. It is why Washington was so unnerved by the Jan. 6 protests. They knew they had to protect their “honey hole.”
Anthony’s song touches on the welfare state and how the safety net of food stamps, etc. has become a safety hammock for many. Apparently, Oliver stood behind a 300-pound woman buying Fudge Swirl cookies on her EBT card. We all have.
The House debated a simple 20-hour per week work requirement for welfare recipients demanded by Republicans in the budget talks. Democrats said “no.” So, what should we do with a class of people who rely on government handouts without doing any work? Kicking them out of Congress would be a good first move.
Most Americans support helping the truly needy. They donate less now because they feel government is taking care of “the poor.” But they miss that good feeling of doing for others through charity. About once a year for the last four years in Atlanta, I donate $500, my watch, wallet and iPhone to a poor person in the street. It gives me a “good feeling” to see him put that 9-millimeter gun back in his pocket, hoist up his pants and walk off.
The answer by Democrats for their wasteful overspending is more taxes. Anthony points this out eloquently. The difference between higher taxes and welfare beneficiaries is simple. Put a gun to their heads, and welfare recipients would work.
Middle class concerns used to be the theme of “Dixiecrats” like Bill and Hillary Clinton. Now the two are the embittered and revenge-driven team of the toxic left. Bill’s mother taught him an important life lesson in Arkansas about picking a life partner: you can learn so much about a girl by the way she keys your car.
Anthony points out that the path to wealth of the ruling class slithers through D.C. and is at the expense of the working class. He hints of the dystopia predicted in the books “1984,” “Atlas Shrugged,” and “The Hunger Games.”
The Democrats hold onto power through the decrepit deceit of the Biden family … and the Clintons. For them it is all about power. And The New England Journal of Medicine concluded that those who cross the Clintons have a 1,260% higher risk of suicide.
Jeffrey Epstein’s island hosted many Rich Men North of Richmond. The Epstein jet passenger manifests and island guest logs remain the only secure documents in Washington D.C.
All the while, under Biden homelessness is up a record 11%, inflation is up 16% and wages are down. This is a recipe for upheaval by those whose voices have been muted by big tech Washington and corporate media censors.
Entrenched Democrats do not get it. They meet any challenge by attempting to personally destroy the messenger. They are doing it with Anthony, Aldean, Trump, DeSantis and RFK Jr., all men speaking truth to power.
Now the Fulton County, Georgia (Atlanta, which represents the worst of what Anthony sings about) District Attorney has manufactured 19 more indictments against Trump for questioning the election, the very same thing that Stacey Abrams and Hillary Clinton did. At this rate, Trump could win the presidency with more indictments than electoral votes.
These “made for TV” indictments were a farce, staged for the evening news complete with hair, makeup and leaks. Fani Willis, the DA, looked sternly into the cameras and said she took no pleasure in this. It took six takes.
A libertarian op-ed humorist and award-winning author, Ron does commentary on radio and TV. He can be contacted at Ron@RonaldHart.com or @RonaldHart on X.
The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not reflect the official position of the Daily Caller.