Quote of the Day

"He's a very liberal person. ... He's very pro-collective bargaining and the fight for a living wage."—Publicist Bob Merlis, on his client John Mellencamp, whose song "Small Town" union-busting Republican Governor of Wisconsin Scott Walker has been using, without permission or a trace of irony, on the campaign trail.

This is, of course, not the first time Mellencamp has had to inform Republican candidates that his songs are not theirs.

Mellencamp contacted Republican presidential hopeful John McCain in 2008 when he was using "Our Country" on the campaign trail. Just as he did with Walker's campaign, Merlis wrote McCain's camp a letter explaining Mellencamp's liberal leanings and that he supported Democrat John Edwards at the time.

McCain stopped using Mellencamp's songs after the letter was sent.

"Small Town" and "Pink Houses" are two of the most frequently used Mellencamp songs by politicians, Merlis said.

"More often than not it's right wing candidates who use his songs, which is somewhat paradoxical," Merlis said.

That's polite.