Oliver Anthony’s ‘Rich Men North of Richmond’ resonates with angry Americans | Column
According to Oliver Anthony, Americans are serving political masters who aren’t doing us any good.
Millions of Americans seem to agree with him. Anthony’s hit “Rich Men North of Richmond” has flown to No. 1 on the iTunes Country chart, outpacing the former chart leader, Jason Aldean’s hit “Try That in a Small Town.” In a world full of poll testing, campaign strategy, and outright political manipulation, Anthony captures the spirit of the moment for the people in fly-over country.
We’ve devolved from “of the people, by the people, and for the people” into a government of the elite, by their power, and for their interests.
“Lord knows they all just wanna have total control,” crows Anthony. “Wanna know what you think, wanna know what you do.”
This isn’t a criticism of one party or another – it’s both of them
Every day there’s another poll of a thousand people, which comes out telling us what more than 330 million of us think, want and feel. Political candidates pay firms and influencers handsomely to constantly shape our cultural narrative. Government and business have more control over our lives and perceptions than they have at any point in human history.
“Rich Men North of Richmond” connects with the folks working their tails off to make ends meet, paying the tax man, and watching their government blow it out the door to make the dollars left in their pockets worth even less.
I couldn’t help but chuckle at the line, “Well, God, if you're 5-foot-3 and you're 300 pounds taxes ought not to pay for your bags of fudge rounds.”
While I can’t speak specifically to how many government dollars go to chocolate, majorities in Washington seem particularly content with absolutely reckless government spending.
The best part of Anthony’s song is that it’s not focused on Democrats or Republicans, just the people who are sick and tired of the political class.
What has your Congress member done for you lately?
I agree with Anthony. It is a “damn shame what the world’s gotten to for people like me and people like you.” The problem is that we keep sending the same folks to that city north of Richmond.
Most of the time, we elect people because they tell us what we want to hear. Our leaders stand with one shoulder next to us calling out political evils while the other shoulder is rubbing against the men who make them rich and powerful in Washington. Meanwhile, not a damn thing changes.
Don’t believe me? Tell me what the congressman you voted for has done for you or your family. How are you better off because they went to the nation’s capital on your behalf? How about either of your senators? Tell me one piece of legislation they’ve introduced in the last year. I bet you can’t.
You might be able tell me about their latest tweet or appearance on your favorite cable news show. That’s the game, right? Create a lot of sound and fury without doing the work of building the coalitions and majorities necessary to actually govern.
Maybe the truth is those folks north of Richmond are perfectly fine with us being angry, afraid, and stupid.
It’s a tall order for a song to change much of anything, but “Rich Men North of Richmond” certainly strikes a chord with a lot of Americans disaffected with the current state of politics. For those of us who agree with Anthony, what do we plan to do about it?
USA TODAY Network Tennessee Columnist Cameron Smith is a Memphis-born, Brentwood-raised recovering political attorney raising four boys in Nolensville, Tenn., with his particularly patient wife, Justine. Direct outrage or agreement to smith.david.cameron@gmail.com or @DCameronSmith on X, formerly know as Twitter. Agree or disagree? Send a letter to the editor to letters@tennessean.com.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Oliver Anthony’s ‘Rich Men North of Richmond’ resonates with Americans
