The Hammer Invokes The Boss

ABC News’ Z. Byron Wolf Reports: It’s almost time for the release of a new political memoir – this one on March 20th from Tom DeLay, the former Congressman who kept his party colleagues in check (and helped keep them in the majority) in the House of Representatives from his election as Majority Whip in 1995 to his premature retirement under an ethical cloud in 2006.

DeLay is a divisive political figure, so it’s a little intriguing that the title of his memoir No Retreat, No Surrender: One American’s Fight link  is the same as the refrain for the song Sen. John Kerry used in his 2004 Presidential bid: "No Surrender" by Bruce Springsteen.

The refrain of the song is, according to Springsteen’s website, "No retreat No surrender," just like DeLay’s book. It should be noted, however that there is some debate on the Internet over whether Springsteen utters a "believe me" or a "baby" between the phrases "no retreat" and "no surrender." Link

Regardless, the song comes from Springsteen’s blockbuster 7th album, 1984′s Born in the USA, the title of which, in itself, is a bipartisan enough sentiment. But Springsteen was an avowed Kerry supporter, who even "toured" with Kerry in 2004, drawing huge crowds to the Democratic hopeful’s rallies. DeLay, on the other hand, was known to start speeches in the leadup to the 2004 election by saying, "Good afternoon, or as John Kerry would say, ‘bonjour.’ The implication, of course, was that Kerry was unamerican and a francophile.

That was, after all, the era of "freedom fries." Speaking of fries, many (like for instance the government of Belgium)think fries are not French at all, but Belgian. And speaking of Belgian exports to the United States, Jean-Claude van Damme starred in a little-known 1986 action flick called, "No Retreat, No Surrender." 

“It’s Tom DeLay, you think it would be called something passive, like “My Life”?” asked Delay spokesman Shannon Flaherty rhetorically in answer to The Boss v. The Hammer coincidence. “Wait a second…didn’t Bill Clinton steal that from Billy Joel?”

Flaherty said DeLay didn’t find inspiration from Springsteen for the title of his book, but instead points readers in the direction of the new movie “300” about ancient Sparta. “No retreat, No surrender” is dialogue in an inspirational speech in that movie, adapted from Frank Miller’s graphic graphic novel, but based on the histories of Herodotus.

“No offense,” said Flaherty, “but the Spartans were a little more inspirational than The Boss.”

Of the book title, Kerry’s spokesman Vince Morris said, "We’re always happy to share our ideas with less fortunate Republicans but the real issue here is how does Bruce Springsteen feel?"

No comment yet from Springsteen, but this is the not the first time Born in the USA has figured into politics. Ronald Reagan invoked the album in some campaign speeches during the 1984 Presidential election, pointing to the "message of hope in the songs of a man so many young Americans admire: New Jersey’s own Bruce Springsteen."

Springsteen back then was nonplussed. "I think people have a need to feel good about the country they live in," he told Rolling Stone. "But what’s happening, I think, is that that need — which is a good thing — is getting manipulated and exploited. You see in the Reagan election ads on TV, you know, ‘It’s morning in America,’ and you say, ‘Well, it’s not morning in Pittsburgh.’ "