'VOTE FOR CHANGE' Singer: Bush presidency has divided the nation

Mellencamp said he is disheartened by the division in his hometown.
KNIGHT RIDDER NEWSPAPERS
WILKES-BARRE, Pa. -- John Mellencamp is angry about all of the anger.
The heartland rock singer who gave us such songs as "Jack and Diane," "Pink Houses" and "Cherry Bomb," says he wants George W. Bush out of the White House not so much because of international affairs but because of how those affairs have torn apart his country. So he joined the "Vote for Change" tour.
"This country is so divided, and that's so wrong," says Mellencamp in an interview. "The common man is very understanding and has compassion, but for some reason today, that's evaporated. And that has to stop. If you sweep all of the other things aside -- the war, the economy, gas -- forget about all that stuff. Just this one issue alone is enough for me to say 'Wait a minute. This is not the way this country was supposed to be.' It's not supposed to be brother against brother or aunt against uncle or father against son."
Other participants
Other "Vote for Change" participants include Bruce Springsteen, Dave Matthews, Pearl Jam and Sheryl Crow. The approximately 38-show tour will cover 32 cities in 12 states over 12 days.
MoveON PAC, an online political action group, is sponsoring the tour, and proceeds will benefit America Coming Together, a voter mobilization group that pushes for progressive political candidates.
Mellencamp says he's always been socially active and has been talking politics with Dave Matthews for years. Both sit on the board of directors of the annual "Farm Aid" concert. In recent years, he says, simply walking the streets of his Indiana hometown has been disheartening.
"People are mad at each other who are friends. Some of my best friends are way on the other side of where I am. I don't like having these conversations. I don't like the way the community looks. I don't like the way the state looks. I don't like the way the country looks. This is not good for us."