James Taylor doesn't hide his politics. "I'm an unapologetic liberal, a definite progressive in my politics and my beliefs," he said Friday at the National Press Club. But he doesn't yell about them either. He assails Republicans, the way he strums his guitar -- gently.

Telling the crowd that he has very few overtly political songs, Taylor played a portion of "Line 'em Up" and "Slap Leather," which discuss Nixon and Reagan, respectively, leaving their posts at the White House. Taylor described Nixon's gait as something "a couple of characters back" on an "Evolution of Man" poster, before blaming Reagan for oversimplifying political issues. "You would ask Ronald Reagan a question and he answered the question that he knew the answer to," Taylor said. He referred to the Bush 43 administration as Cheney/Bush. "I say it in that order," Taylor said.

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However he does like Lincoln. Though he noted he doesn't see a resemblance between himself and actor Daniel Day-Lewis' portrayal. "I have seen the movie," Taylor said. "He doesn't look like me to me."