Like A Rolling Pol: Lawmakers And Musicians Through The Years

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1||On July 26, 2010, Patti LaBelle performed at a White House event commemorating the 20th anniversary of the enactment of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Indeed, politicians have a long history of hanging out with the musical elite. So, some of the highlights from the last few decades….

Here, First Lady Nancy Reagan and President Ronald Reagan give a White House tour to King of Pop Michael Jackson on May 14, 1984. ||Newscom/Zuma&&

2||December 13, 1974: Billy Preston, George Harrison, and President Gerald Ford in the Oval Office. ||Newscom/White House via CNP&&

3||December 21, 1970: President Richard Nixon meets with Elvis Presley at the White House.||Newscom/&&

4||March 9, 1993: Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA) and James Brown at the 90th birthday party for Sen. Strom Thurmond (R-SC). ||Newscom/RollCall&&

5||January 19, 2001: Singer Ricky Martin and President George W. Bush “live la vida loca” at Bush’s inauguration party at the Lincoln Memorial. ||Newscom/Zuma&&

6||April 4, 2001: Kevin Richardson, one of The Backstreet Boys, and Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-MA) at a press conference to raise cancer awareness. ||Newscom/RSphotos&&

7||March 9, 1975: President Gerald Ford chats with Barbra Streisand at the Kennedy Center before Streisand performed a live Special Olympics benefit concert called “Funny Girl to Funny Lady.” ||Newscom/Zuma&&

8||September 27, 2007: Former President George H. W. Bush sits with Bono of U2, before Bono is presented with the Liberty Medal at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia. ||Newscom/WENN&&

9||September 2009: Former President Bill Clinton is perhaps making some “Confessions” as he shakes hands with Usher at the Clinton Global Initiative conference at the Sheraton Hotel in New York City. ||Newscom/SPN&&

10||1960: Democratic Presidential nominee John F. Kennedy shakes hands with Frank Sinatra at the Shrine Auditorium in California. ||Newscom/Zuma&&

11||September 16, 2009: Paul Simon, who co-founded the Children’s Health Fund, walks with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) prior to an event on Capitol Hill to raise awareness for the plight of some children in the health care system. ||Newscom/Sipa&&

12||February 9, 2010: Bob Dylan shakes President Barack Obama’s hand after his performance at the “In Performance At The White House: A Celebration Of Music From The Civil Rights Movement” concert in the East Room of the White House.||Official White House Photo by Pete Souza&&

13||October 10, 2000: Former President Jimmy Carter chats with Montreal born singer and poet Leonard Cohen after the funeral of former Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau.||Newscom/showcasepix&&

14||August 2004: Democratic Presidential nominee Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) embraces Jon Bon Jovi in front of a crowd of 30,000 in Portland, Oregon as Richie Sambora and Teresa Heinz Kerry look on.||Newscom/Zuma&&

15||September 16, 2009: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Marc Anthony, Jennifer Lopez and Rep. Nydia Velazquez (D-NY) speak before a meeting with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus on Capitol Hill. ||Newscom/UPI&&

16||February 3, 2008: Michelle Obama and Stevie Wonder at a “Get Out The Vote Rally” at Pauley Pavilion in Westwood, California. ||Newscom/Zuma&&

17||June 2007: Singer Jewel shakes “Hands” with Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) before the start of a House Ways and Means Subcommittee hearing on youth homelessness. ||Newscom/RollCall&&

18||March 24, 2008: President Bush tries to avoid “Burnin’ Up” as the Jonas Brothers perform the National Anthem for the President and First Lady at the White House Easter Egg Roll. ||Newscom/SPN&&

19||September 18, 2005: Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) with Jeff Tweedy of Wilco at the 20th anniversary Farm Aid show.||Newscom/AdMedia&&

20|| December 5, 1995: Salt-N-Pepa, Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY), Singer Michael Bolton, and Elektra Entertainment Group President Seymore Stein pose as recipients of National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences Awards.||Newscom/UPI&&

21||July 26, 2010: Patti LaBelle performs for Obama at the White House, at an event commemorating the 20th anniversary of the enactment of the Americans with Disabilities Act||Newscom/Sipa&&

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