SWIFTLY: Taylor Swift Political Songs Are No Coincidence

From a singer/songwriter who went from country-western stardom to pop icon, her transition from completely non-political to someone vitally aware of politics must have been easy. Still, she hadn’t let anything political enter her songs until the 2018 teary eyed discussion with dad and team, (posted below) so it went a bit slow until she really let it out. And the effect is dramatic.

“Swifties,” and I am among them, have heard her siren call a lot lately regarding registering to vote. Given that she is inescapably turning to the left, it looks like she has immense power. Note that Donald Trump has been preoccupied with throwing insults at her because it’s not a coincidence. Hollywood is nearly unanimous in being Democratic and yet their endorsements mean almost nothing nothing, indeed they’re a punchline for Trump supporters. But Swift is from Tennessee (though lives in Pennsylvania now), and yet she is getting into Trump and his supporter’s heads.

Her endorsement means that much. She is not just pulling people to the left, thus perhaps putting votes that weren’t there in the 2020 election. But the actual effect looks weirder than one might have thought. In a poll, 6% of voters said that her endorsement will move them toward Harris, while 13% said they are more likely to vote for Trump. That is less punchline and more a picture of the Trump-voters’s cynicism. Now that’s a bit weird until one considers the “new” votes, which the poll didn’t address. If she is getting people to actually vote, and it appears so, that’s an important factor when looking at the poll.

Her songs are definitely getting more political and always toward the left. From CNN:

Swift has also used her platform to advocate for women’s rights, reproductive health care and LGBTQ+ rights, vocalizing her support for the causes through songs such as the LGBTQ+ Pride anthem “You Need to Calm Down” or “The Man,” both from her 2019 album “Lover.”

There you go, those are all topics which veer to the Left. So the power is there and it’s real. From a report and so now it’s serious enough to be considered From The Hill:

“Trump has always sought out public feuds with celebrities … encouraging his culture war-loving supporters and offending his detractors who find it beneath the dignity of the office and reflective of a divisive, unserious leader,” said GOP strategist Bruce Mehlman, a former official under President George W. Bush.

And then came Taylor Swift and now the dignity of the endorsement is not only not beneath the office, it’s very close to one that must now be explored by anyone serious about forecasting the election. It matters, especially when it comes from people who couldn’t or didn’t vote in 2020. Moreover, the Harris campaign seems well aware of the power of the new voters. Sure one can mark the below up to coincidence or linked to Kamala Harris being a woman, but there are no coincidences in a presidential campaign. This isn’t one either, from CNN:

Vice President Kamala Harris made a splash earlier this month when her campaign played Swift’s 2019 track “The Man” at a post-debate party. The song and its accompanying music video, directed by Swift, sparked headlines at the time of its release with its references to stark cultural double standards between men and women.

Yes, except Harris needed no explanation because the song itself is so powerful and just flat good. But it was played at perhaps the most visible party in any election. This was no coincidence.

So the next time you hear a joke about Swifties like me going to the polls, perhaps you will take note that it actually does matter, good or bad, it matters. You already know because you can’t speak about the campaign without Taylor Swift.

And America is a better place for it, that shouldn’t be debated. It’s also no coincidence.

God Bless: I can be reached at [email protected]

Support the site with a subscription today and see no more ads!

Go Ad-free Now!