Watch Beto O’Rourke Reference the Clash During Ted Cruz Debate
Beto O’Rourke—the Democratic Senate candidate who is running against incumbent Ted Cruz in the state of Texas—made reference to the Clash last night during a debate with Senator Cruz at Southern Methodist University. “We’re not giving away to corporations and special interests. That’s what Senator Cruz would do, thanks to contributions he’s received from those political action committees,” he said. “He’s working for the clampdown, and the corporations, and the special interests. He’s not working for the people of Texas.”
“Working for the clampdown” is the main lyric in the Clash’s single“Clampdown,” found on their seminal album London Calling. The song decries the failings of modern capitalism, with the “clampdown” being a term used to describe that status quo. O’Rourke has revealed his love of the Clash before, calling London Calling “a revelation” during an interview with Rolling Stone.
A musician himself (who used to be in a band with the Mars Volta’s Cedric Bixler-Zavala, the Democratic candidate also recently joined Willie Nelson for a performance in Austin this summer.
Read “A Brief History of Conservatives Rejected by Musicians They Love” over on the Pitch.
