Singer songwriter Randy Newman has chipped in his two cents on the presidential race with a new satirical ditty, thereby officially making Obama the Woody to Romney’s Stinky Pete.

The piano tune features the refrain: “I’m dreaming of a white president.” It is full of satirical, sarcastic — and signature — Newman anecdotes about someone who votes for the president because he is white.

Newman, who is white, is openly supporting President Barack Obama. He says he wants the public to find comedic relief in the song, but to also know he’s serious about his thoughts that racism is well and alive in the world — and in the current presidential race. He called racism “the great issue of this country.”

“I felt that that sentiment exists in the country,” Newman said in an interview Monday. “I don’t know how many people you can get to admit it. I think maybe zero.”

Randy Newman writes new satirical, political song (Wall Street Journal)

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The number of people at work in the April-June period fell by nearly 14,000, the biggest three-month fall in a year, according to the Central Statistics Office. The figures appear to dash hopes that employment growth is at hand.

They show there were 1,783,400 people employed on a seasonally adjusted basis in the second quarter, meaning there are 357,000 fewer people at work since employment peaked in 2007.

Minister for Jobs Richard Bruton last night acknowledged the continued fallout from the collapse of the “bubble economy”, but said “the sectors on which we will build the future economy are now showing signs of growth”.

That’s good, because, by all accounts, increasing jobless figures just dashed hopes of growth.

Previously: Messi

Increasing jobless figures dash hopes of growth (Dan O’Brien, Irish Times)

(MarkStedman/Photocall Ireland)

 

Earlier: Winning

Enda: Household Charge Letter ‘Entirely Appropriate’

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