As expected, Bruce Springsteen had no idea that a Democratic congressional campaign was using him as bait for big donors. I reported yesterday that Congressman Ed Towns of New York would be holding a fund-raiser on November 12th, hosted by the Entertainment Software Association, at the Verizon Center in downtown Washington. The big draw for contributors is that night’s show by Springsteen and the E Street Band.
This morning I received an email from Jon Landau, Springsteen’s manager. “Obviously we had no idea about the fund-raiser at the Verizon Center and are looking into it right now,” he said. “Bruce does not allow his name to be used to promote anything without his permission, but sometimes the truly ingenious find ways to piggyback their events on top of what we do in ways that are hard to disentangle.”