DON DOKKEN spoke with Canada’s Border City Rock Talk about his opinion on the current political situation in America, especially with the upcoming presidential election. The 70-year-old singer, who moved to New Mexico a few years ago after living most of his life in Los Angeles, said the following, among other things:
“I watch our local TV station a lot. And, of course, there’s always been a struggle between Fox News and CNN. Fox News is, like, ‘Trump, Trump, Trump, Trump, Trump, Trump, Trump, Trump, Trump, Trump.’ And CNN was more liberal. And now I can’t turn it on. Every five minutes, “Trump, Trump, Trump, Trump, Trump, Trump, Trump.” Trump must be laughing heartily because he’s getting millions and millions of dollars for free. This guy has about 29 felony convictions and he’s running for president. But if he gets convicted of one of them, you can’t be president with a felony. He’s trying to postpone all of this until after the election. But then I look, and it turns out there are eight people running [for president] in America. [They’re supported by] 2 percent, 3 percent, 4 percent, 5 percent, Trump is 49 [percent], Biden is 50 [percent]. So it looks like it’s going to come down to whether our decrepit president or Trump wins. And if Trump wins, I’m moving. I’m moving to France … And I’m serious. I’m already looking into it. I’m going to buy a house in France and I’m going to leave here.”
Don also addressed the fact that Congress is steadily aging, with the average age of lawmakers steadily increasing, particularly over the past four decades.
“Our laws need to be changed. When you see Congress, senators and congressmen, they’re all in their 80s. No – there should be a term limit – four years or something like that.
We have a channel in America, and you can watch Congressional sessions, and you can see all these people. And you see the camera rolling around. They all seem to be ready to drop dead at any minute, and they can’t talk without a teleprompter.
We have to amend our Constitution and change the laws. I don’t think someone in their 80’s should pass abortion laws – pro-life, anti-life, it’s wrong. Everyone should make their own decision, not some old man suffering from Alzheimer’s.”
He went on to further elaborate on the issue of access to the procedure after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade:
“What happens if a woman is raped by five guys and she’s 18 years old? She’s forced to give birth to that child and raise that child for the rest of her life … Her life is ruined – ruined. She’s raped. She doesn’t know who her father is. And now we’ve banned all of that in America, and over 40 states no longer perform abortions. And I ask you, who would have predicted that this would happen? And they have to go to another state where it’s still legal, or find an underground doctor in the nooks and crannies. That’s wrong… But then there are the Bible supporters and the far-right and Christians who say, “God decides. You can’t terminate a pregnancy.” And I say, “She was raped. And she’s 16 years old. Her life is ruined. She has a right to an abortion.”
These are the moments that upset me. But I realize that it’s probably somewhat my own fault because I just dropped everything and moved out of Los Angeles. I live in the mountains, in the middle of nowhere, and I have no neighbors. I’m just watching the world fall apart.”
Dokken also noted that in a polarized society where a political stance can alienate half of the fanbase, he needs to use his voice to speak out on political issues.
“I have half a million followers on Facebook. So what I say, some people take to heart. But I’m not trying to change the world. Everyone has to make their own decision. And when I say something about politics, I get attacked because half of the United States loves Donald Trump. And if I say something negative about him, half a million people tell me, “Fuck you.” I don’t know what to choose.
We’ve talked about this on the road. I’ve come to the conclusion that sometimes I think I’m too educated because I understand what’s going on.”
