The explanation did little to allay public backlash. Guthrie was called every name in the book including populist, socialist, ...

Or maybe it's more. The use of “This Land Is Your Land,” by Woody Guthrie — a song composed as a rejoinder to the saccharine patriotism of Irving Berlin’s “God Bless America” — was a curious choice.

The use of “This Land Is Your Land,” by Woody Guthrie — a song composed as a rejoinder to the saccharine patriotism of Irving Berlin’s “God Bless America” — was a curious choice.