From a Friend of McHenry County Blog:
Darren Bailey had his formal kickoff for Governor yesterday in Oak Brook, Illinois. He was introduced by his running mate Aaron Del Mar and walked on stage to a familiar Kid Rock song.
It was not “Bawitdaba” or “Cowboy” but rather “American Badass.”
Here is some footage from the event. h/t to Thomas Devore.
https://www.facebook.com/reel/1461921405141101
The lyrics mention acquiring “30 packs of Strohs. 30 pack of hoes.” It’s a bit different than Bailey’s image as a Christian family man. Kid Rock was a staple in what has been called ‘vulgarwave’ which is defined as the cultural milieu in 90’s and early 00’s entertainment that used vulgarity, offensiveness, sex, and violence and was largely targeted at young males.
Vulgarwave stands in contrast to both socially conservative ‘family values’ or ‘Christian values’ entertainment as well as the more modern left-leaning ‘politically correct’ or even ‘woke’ content. Much of Donald Trump’s political success can be understood better by studying these concepts in entertainment. Was Trump crass? Was he revered by young males? Yes, and yes. Trump also was a cultural staple during this vulgarwave time. Eventually, the woke replaced the vulgar, but the vulgar was to have its comeback — this time being manifested in the political sphere.
From 2015-2016, Trump had to fight both the country clubs and churches on his right as well as Hollywood and academia on his left. It was determined by Republican voters that although Trump did not lead the most exemplary life in terms of Christian morality, those flaws actually made him the best fighter to take on the left. Plenty of articles have been written comparing Trump to Jehu in the Bible. Jehu was not a righteous man, but he had respect because he destroyed the wicked. He was sinful himself, yet he was also ruthless towards the ultra-sinful.
AI summary of Jehu
The Kid Rock song choice “American Badass” is interesting. Darren Bailey, who is often called a Bible thumper, has previously said that his favorite song is the more wholesome country music hit by Brooks & Dunn called “Hard Workin’ Man” so the Kid Rock song choice may have been Aaron Del Mar’s. It’s certainly in line with the fighter image. Del Mar practiced Judo and MMA. So, he is literally a fighter. Del Mar, like Trump, is not only not politically correct but deliberately offensive. When people tell Del Mar to stop calling JB Pritzker fat because it is mean and unprofessional, he mentions Pritzker’s rotund appearance even more frequently. He doubles down on bullying insults. He body shames his opponent and never apologizes. Some people love that about him and others despise it.
Something else stood out to me. When the wrestler the Undertaker went through his American Badass/Biker phase he used this same Kid Rock song as his entrance music. (He also used Rollin by Limp Bizkit for a while, another 90s band that was part of vulgarwave.) Trump is not only a fan of professional wrestling but has been an active participant. Look up the Vince McMahon vs Donald Trump storyline. Linda McMahon now serves as the Secretary of Education by the way. This is a good time to mention that the Undertaker endorsed Trump for president last year.
Several weeks ago, McHenry County Blog published an op-ed with the line that said “I happen to think a Del Mar Bailey ticket is stronger than a Bailey Del Mar ticket” although I did not elaborate. To me, Del Mar is exactly in line with the fighting spirit of Trump, Jehu, and vulgarwave. The fact that Bailey ended up leading the ticket instead of Del Mar was, in my opinion, a huge mistake because Bailey does not represent what Del Mar represents. Bailey is in the church; Del Mar is in the octagon. Do people who want Pritzker replaced expect a hypothetical victor to come from the confession booth or the ring?
Now we see Bailey being influenced, nay, transformed by Del Mar — whether that be Bailey shifting his focus north towards the suburbs where Del Mar lives or shifting his music playlists to be more vulgar. I have never seen a campaign where the Number 2 guy was calling the shots. It looks like we are seeing that now, but it begs the question: If Del Mar is the leader in this operation, why isn’t he at the top of the ticket? Del Mar is clearly itching for a fight. It’s who he is. Unfortunately, Lt. Governor candidates just don’t get much attention. Now I suppose we are all going to see Bailey acting more like Del Mar for the next year (I expect them to win the primary). Why couldn’t we just have had Del Mar being Del Mar? If Bailey is trying to be Del Mar, why is Bailey at the top of the ticket instead of Del Mar?
Well, I suppose there is nothing that can be done about this. We will have to deal with Darren Bailey walking out to Kid Rock and quoting the Bible for the foreseeable future. This is what both Bailey and Del Mar agreed to, and I think it will be what Republican voters agree to, although probably not what general election voters finally agree to in November 2026
