Poetry News

Poets, Who Would They Have Voted For?

By Harriet Staff

Now that the multibillion dollar decision of 2012 is behind us, the good folks at the Huffington Post are wondering who famous authors would have voted for. Let’s take a look at Langston Hughes’s candidate of choice:

Langston Hughes
Who he’d vote for: Barack Obama

Why?: “I swear to the Lord, I still can’t see, why Democracy means, everybody but me.” -Bring on the Revolution

Hughes’ association with the Communist Party (he was never actually a member) was rooted in his quest for equality, not a complete agreement with its values. Still, the language and content of his poems have a left-learning slant.

And Allen Ginsberg?

Allen Ginsberg
Who he’d vote for: Gary Johnson

Why?: “Democracy! Bah! When I hear that I reach for my feather boa!”

Ginsberg was vehemently anti-war and anti-War on Drugs, creating the “flower power” movement, so his views are most in line with the Libertarian Party.

Swell! Read the rest here.

Tags: Allen Ginsberg, Langston Hughes
Posted in Poetry News on Wednesday, November 7th, 2012 by Harriet Staff.