Fast Car: A Lyrical Blueprint For GOP Success in 2024

One of my fondest childhood memories is of listening to Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car” while riding with my mother. My father was killed by a drunk driver before I was born, so growing up, it was just she and I. Even at seven or eight, I instinctively understood what the song was about. Its emphasis on hope, striving, and ambition – a faith in what the future can hold – made sense to me. It certainly spoke to my mom, who understood that despite the hand she had been dealt through no fault of her own, our little family could end up better than where we started.

“Fast Car” now sits atop the charts again, thanks to a remake by country artist Luke Combs. His rendition is just as good as the original. I still love the song, but as we enter the 2024 election cycle, it’s on my mind for another reason.

I ran for Congress in a suburban Philadelphia seat in 2022. I lost, but I met thousands of amazing people and learned many lessons. And I gained a perspective that somehow still seems to elude many who run for or occupy high office: Americans are not that different from one another. Most of them, in fact, are just like my mom.

They don’t eat, breathe, and sleep politics or 24-hour news. Yes, they have their biases and deeply held beliefs. Yes, some are highly motivated by one or two policy issues. But most just want an affordable place to live, to be able to fill the gas tank and grocery cart, to get the schooling and healthcare they need. In short, they want a fair shot at coming out ahead when they work hard and do the right thing. 

“Fast Car” speaks directly to many of their experiences. They grow up in circumstances far from ideal. They are caretakers for suffering loved ones. They hold multiple jobs and barely scrape by. They dream of buying a house in a better neighborhood. They experience setbacks after fighting to get ahead, only to begin striving again the next day.

I heard and saw a lot on the campaign trail that confirms this

I spoke to a woman in my hometown who, because of a rising cost of living, could no longer afford the property taxes on her recently reassessed home and had to move.

I met a father whose son was killed in cold blood on the streets of West Philadelphia.

I met the homeless; many told me about long-time battles with opioid and other forms of substance abuse.

A common thread ran through all their stories: they no longer felt that essential ingredient of hope for the future. Despite their best efforts, they told me that things like affordable essentials, housing, a better job, a quality education, or a safer neighborhood were financially out of reach.

Recent polls suggest that many Americans feel the same way. One Fox poll of prospective Iowa caucus-goers found the economy, jobs, and opportunity as the top issues by a 26-point margin. In every NBC survey since October 2021, over 68% of Americans have said that the nation is on the wrong track – the longest pessimistic streak in the more than 30 years that the survey has been conducted. Americans are feeling anxious about their economic futures. We have a national malaise we can’t seem to shake.

Luckily for us, words that are sung can get through to us in ways we can’t always explain. I urge my fellow Republicans running for office in 2024 to take some campaign advice from Tracy Chapman or Luke Combs – not from DC consultants. Perhaps “Fast Car” is at the top of the charts again for a reason.

The last few years haven’t been easy for most of us – and certainly not in my neck of Pennsylvania. Inflation, three consecutive years of record-setting violent crime in Philadelphia, an opioid crisis so acute that we see it manifested openly in some of our neighborhoods, a housing market that prices regular folks out. Taken together, challenges like these are weighing on families. These are the challenges that most Americans want to hear politicians talk about.

So, Republicans, talk about them. Give Americans a fast car away from a politics most believe is not working for them. Make 2024 about restoring American hope and confidence. Remind Americans that, just like our best songs, our best politics can uplift, inspire, and enable us to become who we want to be.

This article was originally published by RealClearPennsylvania and made available via RealClearWire.