Editing Arlo Guthrie (section)

===Political activism===
From the 1960s to the 1980s, Guthrie had taken what seemed a left-leaning approach to American politics, influenced by his father. In his often lengthy comments during concerts, his expressed positions were consistently anti-war, anti-[[Richard Nixon|Nixon]], pro-drugs and in favor of making nuclear power illegal. However, he apparently did not perceive himself as the major youth culture spokesperson he had been regarded as by the media, as evidenced by the lyrics in his 1979 song "Prologue": "I can remember all of your smiles during the demonstrations ... and together we sang our victory songs though we were worlds apart."<ref>{{cite web|first=Alro |last=Guthrie |url=http://www.arlo.net/resources/lyrics/prologue.shtml |title=Prologue: Words and Music by Arlo Guthrie |work=Arlo.net |publisher=Arloco Music Inc |access-date=January 1, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111106111253/http://www.arlo.net/resources/lyrics/prologue.shtml |archive-date=November 6, 2011}}</ref> A 1969 rewrite of "Alice's Restaurant" pokes fun at former President [[Lyndon Johnson]] and his staff.

In 1984, he was the featured celebrity in [[George McGovern]]'s presidential campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination in Guthrie's home state of Massachusetts, performing at rallies and receptions.<ref>{{cite book |last=Marano |first=Richard Michael |title=Vote Your Conscience: The Last Campaign of George McGovern |publisher=Praeger Publishers | publication-place=Westport, Conn | isbn=978-0-275-97189-2 |year=2003 |page=172}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.myspace.com/georgemcgovern/photos/48035887#%7B%22ImageId%22%3A48035887%7D |title=Promotional flyer for 'Rally for McGovern' on March 12, 1984, Copley Square, Boston, Massachusetts (Special guest: Arlo Guthrie) |website=Myspace.com |date=December 8, 2011 |access-date=January 1, 2012}}</ref><ref name="McGovern">{{citation | last=Butterfield | first=Fox | title=HART WINS IN MASSACHUSETTS; MCGOVERN PLANS WITHDRAWAL | newspaper=[[The New York Times]] | date=14 March 1984 | issn=0362-4331 | url=https://www.nytimes.com/1984/03/14/us/hart-wins-in-massachusetts-mcgovern-plans-withdrawal.html | language=en-US | access-date=15 July 2024 | page=}}</ref>

Guthrie identified as a registered [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] in 2008. He endorsed Texas Congressman [[Ron Paul]] for the [[Results of the 2008 Republican presidential primaries|2008 Republican Party nomination]], and said, "I love this guy. Dr. Paul is the only candidate I know of who would have signed the [[United States Constitution|Constitution]] of the United States had he been there. I'm with him, because he seems to be the only candidate who actually believes it has as much relevance today as it did a couple of hundred years ago. I look forward to the day when we can work out the differences we have with the same revolutionary vision and enthusiasm that is our American legacy."<ref>{{cite news |first=June |last=Kronholz |url=https://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2008/01/29/group-w-grad-endorses-ron-paul/ |work=The Wall Street Journal |title=Group W Grad Endorses Ron Paul |date=January 29, 2008 |access-date=October 24, 2012}}</ref> He told ''[[The New York Times Magazine]]'' that he (had become) a Republican because, "We had enough good Democrats. We needed a few more good Republicans. We needed a [[loyal opposition]]."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/26/magazine/26fob-q4-t.html |work=The New York Times |title=Questions for Arlo Guthrie: Just Folk |first=Deborah |last=Solomon |date=July 26, 2009 |access-date=October 24, 2012}}</ref>

Commenting on the [[2016 United States presidential election|2016 election]], Guthrie identified himself as an independent, and said he was "equally suspicious of Democrats as I am of Republicans". He declined to endorse a candidate, noting that he personally liked [[Bernie Sanders]] despite disagreeing with parts of Sanders' platform. While he thought it "wonderful" that [[Donald Trump]] was not relying on campaign donations, he did not believe that it necessarily meant that Trump had the best interests of the country in mind.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/11/26/arlo-guthrie-on-stupid-politicians-and-50-years-of-thanksgiving-classic-alice-s-restaurant.html?via=desktop&source=facebook|title=Arlo Guthrie on 'Stupid' Politicians and 50 Years of Thanksgiving Classic 'Alice's Restaurant'|work=The Daily Beast|date=November 26, 2015|access-date=November 26, 2015}}</ref>

In 2018, Guthrie contacted publication ''[[Urban Milwaukee]]'' to clarify his political stance. He stated "I am not a Republican", and expressed deep disagreement with the Trump administration's views, especially its policies on immigration and treatment of detained immigrants by ICE. Guthrie further clarified, "I left the party years ago and do not identify myself with either party these days. I strongly urge my fellow Americans to stop the current trend of guilt by association, and look beyond the party names and affiliations, and work for candidates whose policies are more closely aligned with their own, whatever they may be. ... I don't pretend to be right all the time, and sometimes I've gone so far as to change my mind from time to time."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://urbanmilwaukee.com/2018/07/02/im-not-republican-arlo-guthrie-says/|title="I'm Not Republican," Arlo Guthrie Says|work=Urban Milwaukee|date=July 2, 2018|access-date=July 4, 2018}}</ref>

Guthrie expressed support for the [[George Floyd protests]] in June 2020, stating that it would be good if politicians "embraced it rather than resist the evolving nature of what it means to be an American".<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.arlo.net/forums/blog/?permalink=15556|title=ArloNet News and Announcements|website=Arlo.net|access-date=September 9, 2021}}</ref>

In 2023, Guthrie stated that though he still maintained his personal convictions on particular issues, he had grown to become largely apolitical. He expressed irritation at having his past political views be brought up in later interviews and commented that the collapse of the groups and institutions that his parents' generation had embraced in favor of an overly individualist culture was "disheartening", but a natural progression of society.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Schaffer |first=Noah |date=March 29, 2023 |title=Music Interview: Arlo Guthrie on Returning to the Stage and Being Banned in Boston - The Arts Fuse |url=https://artsfuse.org/270531/music-interview-arlo-guthrie-on-returning-to-the-stage-and-being-banned-in-boston/ |access-date=2023-05-07 |website=ArtsFuse |language=en-US}}</ref>