For his part, Walker had no comment, because what’s the point, really? Pretty much every song a conservative chooses outside of the Oak Ridge Boys or Lee Greenwood is going to get a rise out of the people who recorded it. Bruce Springsteen whined when Ronald Reagan played “Born in the U.S.A.” John Mellencamp and Sting asked George W. Bush to stop playing their songs while Tom Petty filed a cease-and-desist order. Living up to his name, Petty also freaked out when Michele Bachmann used “American Girl,” and almost every song chosen by McCain/Palin made the musicians squawk.

This reaction has always confused me. If somebody compliments my work, I don’t demand to see their voter registration before thanking them. If someone on the other side likes an article of mine, I consider it an unexpected win. No musician is actually offended by praise; he just wants to show the rest of his progressive tribe that he’s as much of a boring conformist as they are.

For Walker, et al., I recommend they just ignore the whining. Let the pampered artists kvetch while the candidates focus on the voters. And, by the way, would it kill you to play some Ramones?