"A true Southern, populist kind of Democrat"

The latest issue of Time magazine features an interview with country star Tim McGraw. The interview starts with McGraw's likable guy credentials:

He's a country-music megastar whose tour with wife Faith Hill was one of 2006's biggest moneymakers. He's also a doting husband and dad who has vowed never to spend more than two nights away from Hill and their three young girls. Now, with this week's opening of his family-friendly movie Flicka, Tim McGraw can add "lead actor" to his titles.

A few questions in, the conversation turns to politics, and McGraw doesn't attempt to hide his point of view:

TIME: You've said that you might like to run for Governor of Tennessee--or maybe Senator. Is that still the plan?

MCGRAW: One of these days, if the opportunity's there, that's something I'd love to do. It's a high calling to serve the community, and if you can do it, I think you should.

TIME: The country-music world seems pretty conservative and Republican, but you've bucked that trend.

MCGRAW: It's innate in me to be a Democrat -- a true Southern populist kind of Democrat. There's not a lot of those anymore. I'm not saying I'm right or wrong. That's just the way I feel. The issues that matter to me are the social safety nets for people, health care, middle-class concerns. We need to take care of the middle
class and the poor in our country. The chasm is getting larger between haves and have-nots, and that's something we need to close down a little bit.

Spoken like a true Southern populist -- although McGraw is right that not too many identify as such anymore, even though polls show it's one of the most promising ways for Democrats to make inroads in the region.