Purcell: Making it through the rain

I hope Barry Manilow didn’t really change his mind. A few weeks back, the Grammy award-winning musician told The Daily Caller that he agrees with “just about everything” 2012 Republican presidential candidate Rep. Ron Paul says.

“I like him. I like what he says, I do. I like what he says. I think he’s solid,” said Manilow, who even contributed money to Paul’s 2008 campaign.

I found this piece of news refreshing, because I had been certain that Manilow, the master of touchy-feely, emotional songs, was a liberal Democrat.

I figured if a fellow like him was embracing the libertarian principles Paul espouses, then maybe there is hope that America will have the will to get our affairs in order, so we can resume prosperity.

Why would Barry Manilow cause me to think such a thing? Well, stick with me here.

See, whereas conservatives tend to be more logical and analytical about issues, our liberal friends tend to react with their hearts and emotions.

Engineers and businessmen tend to be conservatives -- fellows interested in generating real results (presidential candidate Herman Cain offers a fine example).

Actors, artists and others who hold touchy-feely professions tend to be more left-leaning. They think talking is the same thing as doing.

Famous actors lecture us about their political causes at awards ceremonies, because it makes them feel good about themselves.

Well, Barry Manilow, I had thought, has been a perfect reflection of what the left-leaning, touchy-feely side is all about.

While conservative Republicans can’t get far enough away from the gooey tunes Manilow sings, liberal Democrats tend to be on the opposite side of the planet. They’re down at the Copa, Copacabana, the hottest spot north of Havana.

Conservatives are more likely to listen to guys such as Charlie Daniels, who sing about patriotism and how we’re going to hand it to them there fellows who mean us harm.

Conservatives dislike Manilow tunes because they tug at the emotions with the deftness of a meat hook. Such tugging agitates those on the right, who are generally better able to keep their emotions and their thinking separate.

But Manilow tunes cause the left-leaning to get all misty.

They have plenty to be misty about lately, too. With President Obama floundering and the 2012 elections tilting Republican, the liberal wing of the Democratic Party can’t laugh and can’t sing and they’re finding it hard to do anything.

So I was delighted to learn that Manilow was not only publicly supporting a libertarian candidate but had donated to him — though I feared it was too good to be true.

Manilow wrote a note to The Washington Post last week to clarify his position.

“Although I agree with some of what Ron Paul says, I am not actually endorsing him in the 2012 presidential race, nor have I ever told anyone that I was,” he wrote.

Manilow’s representative said Manilow will vote for Obama next year and “he loves his president.”

Ah, well, I’ll embrace Manilow’s sugary optimism and hope he had to issue this correction so as to not alienate his fans — most of them Obama supporters.

I’ll hope he really is for a new kind of hope and change in government policy.

I’ll hope Manilow’s true feelings are a sign that America is going to be OK after all — that we’re going to make it through the rain.

Hey, with a little luck, we’ll keep our world protected — and we’ll find ourselves respected by others who got rained on too!

• Tom Purcell is a freelance writer and humor columnist. He can be reached at Purcell@caglecartoons.com