Bruce Springsteen endorses President Obama

By Randy Lewis

Oct. 18, 2012 12 AM PT

To the surprise of approximately no one, rocker Bruce Springsteen has formalized his endorsement of President Obama in the 2012 election by way of a statement posted today on his website.

Springsteen already had committed to campaigning in Ohio in support for the president, which he’ll be doing Thursday with former President Bill Clinton and on his own, so he decided to explain his thinking:

“The election is coming up on all of us and we all have strong feelings about it,” Springsteen wrote. “I’ve been getting asked a lot about where I stand, so for those who are interested, here goes.

“This presidential election is different than the last one because President Obama has a four-year record to run on,” he continued. “Last time around, he carried with him a tremendous amount of hope and expectations. Unfortunately, due to the economic chaos the previous administration left him with, and the extraordinary intensity of the opposition, it turned into a really rough ride. But through grit, determination and focus, the president has been able to do a great many things that many of us deeply support.”

Springsteen’s endorsement also included a shout-out to the voting process itself: “Right now, there is a choice going on in America, and I’m happy that we live in a country where we all participate in that process.”

The full text of Springsteen’s comments can be read here.

Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney has picked up endorsements from pop music world figures including Kid Rock, Kelly Clarkson, Lynyrd Skynyrd singer Johnny Van Zant, Charlie Daniels, Ted Nugent and, of course, Donny and Marie Osmond.

Follow Randy Lewis on Twitter: @RandyLewis2

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