Obama's Spotify playlist: 7 things it says about his campaign

The president has his re-election soundtrack all queued up. What can we learn about Obama's 2012 strategy by analyzing his 28 musical picks?

The president musically targets some key demographics with his Spotify campaign playlist, but neglects to include both rap and Latin beats.
(Image credit: CC BY: The White House)

Presidents have chosen campaign theme songs since the era of John Adams. As of Thursday, President Obama has himself a whole playlist, available via online social music service Spotify. Obama, or more likely one of his aides, chose 28 songs that any Spotify user can listen to, and that attendees of Obama campaign rallies will inevitably hear. He essentially made Americans a mix tape, says Chris Richards in The Washington Post, "a collection of songs designed to make the recipient fall in love with the sender." Except, instead of a single romantic target, the president is wooing "a vast and varied electorate." So, what does the song selection tell us about the Obama-Biden 2012 strategy? Here, seven interpretations:

1. Obama's trying to hit all key demographics

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