As one commentary noted, “I have no doubt that Oliver Anthony is genuine in his rage … Oliver, my red-haired brother, I know your rage and I have felt it and while you’re getting mad about how much tax comes out of your check, have you ever thought about how much your boss takes out of your check?”īut after the GOP exploited his song as a prop in the first debate, Anthony dropped a hand grenade in the discussion that blew up the whole farce. Other commentators were more sympathetic to the strong working-class elements in the song but regretted that Oliver did not understand who his real enemies were. Business lobbyists and right-wing politicians have told versions of this distorted story for decades.” Everything about the breakout appeal of ‘rich men north of Richmond’ is steeped in an evangelical culture of bellicose ideological confrontation.” In The Washington Post, Greg Sargent opined that “the message is that the overworked and underpaid should blame their plight largely on high taxes, welfare cheats, and cultural elites monitoring their thoughts for any departure from woke orthodoxy.
” In The Nation, Chris Lehmann said, “The American right is singing a new tune lyrics chime with dominant social myths of Trumpian politics… in the wheelhouse of the Qanon movement. Rolling Stone called the song “welfare-bashing and conspiracy-tinged.
Progressives had two reactions-some fiercely condemned Anthony while others condescendingly lectured him. When Oliver Anthony’s country-folk song, Rich Men North of Richmond, became a viral sensation with millions of listeners, the mainstream press, noting that the song was being heavily endorsed by the conservative media and leading MAGA Republicans like Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene and failed gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake, quickly decided to categorize it as part of a trend that included other more clearly MAGA/GOP influenced songs and movies that have been released this summer.
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