Songfacts®:

• This song became an anthem of the Tea Party Movement, which was gaining support in 2010 with an agenda of lower taxes and smaller government. The song takes aim at critics who dismiss the movement:
  
  Your god is power, you have no shame
  Your only interest is political gain
  
  The Tea Party formed in the wake of the subprime crash and banking crisis of 2008, which caused severe economic hardship for many Americans that lasted well into the next decade. The song was written by Krista Branch's husband, Michael, after the couple endured years of financial struggle, including a foreclosure on their house. They were frustrated that while the banks were bailed out, ordinary people paid the price, and some were turfed out of their homes. According to Krista, Michael wrote the song in a matter of minutes.
• Krista Branch was a contestant on American Idol in 2008, making it through the preliminary round to Hollywood but eliminated a week later. "I Am America" got support from the right-wing commentator Glenn Beck, who played it on his show and had Krista sing it at rallies. She also performed it on Fox News.
• In 2011, Krista and Michael Branch got involved in Herman Cain's presidential campaign. Cain made it his theme song, and at the autumn of 2011 was polling as a top contender in the Republican primary. His campaign soon fizzled, and Mitt Romney went on to win.
• Less parochially, "I Am America" is a song which suitably adapted could be adopted by the common people anywhere, as shown by the lines:
  
  Pretend you're kings, sit on your throne
  Look down your nose at the peasants below
  
  which mirrors the utter contempt with which many of the ruling elites regard the rest of us. >>

  Suggestion credit:
  Alexander Baron - London, England