Questlove speaks out on elections, Obama
Ahmir Thompson, better known as Questlove, the drummer for the hip-hop band The Roots, spoke with reporters on Friday about the importance of voter registration in the upcoming election and also threw his support behind the Democratic presidential ticke
Thompson, who is also a political activist, said Missouri is a "crucial" state that Democrats "can turn blue" in this year's election. He said he would use his celebrity to promote voter education in the race
"It's a very crucial act to get as many people registered as we can," Thompson said. "We can't have a 12-year policy of (President George) Bush's economics.
Thompson has been known for speaking on politics in the past, and has donated money to Democratic candidates. According to the Federal Election Commission, Thompson has given $1,000 to Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama
Thompson said Republicans will "play awfully dirty" in the election, and said he personally witnessed the GOP conduct "intimidation tactics" in the 2004 election, such as constructing a heavy police presence at polling places
"The presence of cops anywhere will pretty much turn anyone away from any situation," Thompson said. He witnessed this, he said, while he was managing an effort to transport voters to the polls with a fleet of rented vans
Thompson said some voters have not turned out in past elections because it "seems like a lost cause.
Thompson also lauded some of Obama's policies -- namely, his positions on law enforcement and his urban policies, which he said Republican candidates have not been discussing. He said Obama would work to keep non-violent drug offenders out of prison with an increased emphasis on rehabilitation
"I know brothers that go to prison and try more drugs than they would on the street," he said.
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