Taylor Swift is as big and powerful as any celebrity can become. Her concerts are so popular that they make a major impact on the local economy of any city on her tour schedule.
In 2016 Taylor Swift broke her silence on politics and denounced Donald Trump. In 2018 Swift urged her fans to register to vote. Fox News obtained information from Vote.org which showed new voter registration shot up nationwide, with nearly 65,000 people registering to vote in one 24-hour period.
This year after urging her 272 million followers on social media to register to vote, Vote.org again reported that over 35,000 new people had registered to vote. CEO Andrea Hailey reported a 1,226% increase in activity on their website.
The point is, Taylor Swift is a political power and that has led to some right-wing pundits to openly bash her. Sean Davis of The Federalist went on X (formerly Twitter) to announce that "Taylor Swift is dumb and her music sucks." Davis went on to warn that Swift's popularity is "a sign of national decline" because her music is "utterly defined by self-obsession rather than introspection."
Roger Kimball is a writer for the pro-Trump publications American Greatness and the American Spectator and he criticized Swift for being "homely."
It's interesting that someone from the right would criticize an artist for being homely - would he rather Taylor Swift dress more like Miley Cyrus or Cardi B?
The political target now placed on Taylor Swift from some on the right defines the fear over her anti-Trump mentality on the 2024 presidential election.
There are those right-wing Republicans who want to push voter registration - but only if those registering are likely to vote Republican.
It is not known how many of the Swift-inspired newly registered voters have registered as Democrats, but considering her massive fan base's admiration of everything she says and does, it is probable that the majority of the new voters will follow her suggestions on who to vote for.
And considering that Taylor Swift's fan base dwarfs the audiences for cable news - there is reason for the GOP to be concerned. But what is not reasonable are the vicious attacks on Taylor Swift personally.
Some Republicans are also condemning Swift's choice in her current male companion - Kansas City Chiefs' tight end Travis Kelce, who she was in the stands cheering for this past weekend. They apparently left together after the game.
The right, led by conservative radio host Clay Travis, is bashing Kelce because he did commercials for Bud Light and the new Covid vaccine. What a threat to society he is!
All of this is part of the truly ugly nature of political discourse - and there is zero chance this will get better anytime soon. In fact - fasten up - the turbulence will increase.
