Who would Frank Zappa be supporting for the Democratic candidate?

[zulchzulu]

Who would Frank Zappa be supporting for the Democratic candidate? It was FZ's birthday yesterday, so what the hay...

[kixot]

1. Kucinich.

It's all about the war against unjust prohibition, baby.

[mikehiggins]

2. Easiest poll yet. A real no-brainer. eom

[Myra]

11. Yup! Kucinich. Done.

I miss Zappa's intense sanity and integrity...

[DBoon]

3. Any vegetable

Any vegetable at all - they all call to you!

God bless america
Land that I love
Call any vegetable
Call it by name

Any vegetable would be better than what we have!

[Xandor]

12. Ruta-bay-ee-ay-ga,

Ruta-bay-ee-ay-ga, Ruta-bay-ee-ay-ga, Ruta-bay-ee-ay-ga, Ruta-bay...

[helleborient]

4. No contest...

He would be supporting Dennis.

[mmm]

5. Dennis for sure

[AntiCoup2K4]

6. Frank would probably be running himself by now.

And why hasn't Joe Walsh ran for President lately?

[rucky]

7. WWZD?

[CaptainClark23]

8. so when the phone rang....

why, the one mortal man who might be able to stop all of this senseless destruction and save America herself.

And I'm sorry to disappoint some of you, it was not Chief Redden.

This one man was Studebacher Hawk, fantastic new super hero of the current economic slump.

[Kolesar]

9. Did Frank Zappa hate homosexuals?

I am referring to the song Bobbie Brown.

[zulchzulu]

18. Wuh?

Bobby Brown was about some disco twit with some...problems.

[Zomby Woof]

21. satire satire satire satire

He hated record company executives, his real target in that song. For humorous/shock effect, he used the stereotypes common in the vernacular of American cultural life, and turned them on themselves.

Zappa's targets of ire included TV evangelists, Republicans, drugs, plastic people, poodles, and record company pinheads. But as with any great satirist, there was nothing sacred, and he never chose the safe or easy path with his real targets, even while making other subjects of ridicule just means to an end.

[stickdog]

10. Is that a real poncho or is that a Clark poncho?

[PurityOfEssence]

13. I say Clark

He was a real no-nonsense practical kind of guy. He might have gone for Edwards or Kerry, but I'll bet his first choice would be Clark.

I only met him once, so I can't pretend to have the cipher, but I'd just betcha...

[lurk_no_more]

14. Tommy Chong

Food for thought from….“JAFO”

[Monte Carlo]

15. That's a tough one...

I'd like to say Kerry, but as you may see below, I am completely biased.

Zappa was, as far as I can tell, a definite civil libertarian. He was also quite informed about America, it's government, and especially the senile actions of St. Reagan and his church. He was a businessman, to be sure; he started his own label and self-financed everything he did.

Most people have said Kucinich, but I think he's just a little off. Zappa was liberal, but is also an ex-Catholic, whereas Dennis is super-Catholic. I know from experience, that has an effect on the matter.

At this point, if Zappa were still here, he'd have run for President by know. He'd win, too.

[zulchzulu]

19. I know Frank would have a song about Dean by now

...and I'm guessing he would not support him.

He'd have started the Barking Pumpkin Party by now. Shades of Green with some Libertarian on the side...

[bigtree]

16. discography

The Man From Utopia
http://www.zappa.com/fz/content/discography/album-detail2.php?album_id=37


Ship Arriving Too Late To Save A Drowning Witch
http://www.zappa.com/fz/content/discography/album-detail2.php?album_id=35


The Perfect Stranger
http://www.zappa.com/fz/content/discography/album-detail2.php?album_id=40

[Spirochete]

17. He'd have been running himself

And I'd vote for him again. (I wrote him in twice)
He referred to himself as a practical conservative, though. So I don't think he would have run as a Dem. And absolutely not as a Repub. He would have run under the Chunga's Revenge party or something.

[Zomby Woof]

20. he was a registered Dem in California

Because of environmental and reproductive choice issues, and because the primary system there required a party preference, he declared himself a Democrat.

The Libertarians asked him to run, but he refused, saying that they had things in their platform even too extreme for him, and of course, he loathed the Republicans.

So he was a Democrat by default, and being a practical man, would have run for office as one had he lived.

I could see him writing satirical pieces on Dean and his supporters though - he despised groupthink conformism on every level. I have that same bent myself.

That being said, I refuse to guess who he would have voted for - I prefer honoring his memory by keeping his music alive. Like he said, "music is the best."

[Piperay]

22. Dennis

no doubt about it! :-)

[PissedOffPollyana]

23. I'd still say Kucinich for a few reasons.

1- He is seemingly the most independently minded and non-conformist of all the canididates.

2- He is the most firm in ending the bogus war on drugs and all the abuses that go with it.

3- He is the least corporatist and most likely to be supportive of artists' intellectual copyrights against the recording industry machine.

4- He has the strongest civil rights and most specific environmental platforms.

***5- He has no visible connections to Tipper Gore.

I had the pleasure of seeing Zappa tear a PMRC talking head a new one with his wit at Cal State Fullerton quite a few years ago. It is one of the prize jewels in my memory-bank collection!