Opinion
31 Oct 18

Taylor Swift: From Artful Dodger To Political Powerhouse

A lot of people had Taylor Swift down as a brattish superstar, who didn’t give a damn about the state of the world, as long as she was raking the money in. Not so. Indeed her support for Phil Bredesen – the Democratic candidate for the Senate, in Tennessee, in the mid-term elections – is powerful, articulate and entirely convincing.

Not long ago Taylor Swift was being upbraided for the fact that she hadn’t ever come out against President Donald Trump. There was an implied assumption that maybe she is a conservative little git, who loves money more than anything – and that an invitation to the White House might be exactly what she was looking for.

Turns out that this was very wrong indeed. Anyone who doubted Swift’s intelligence or capability was clearly not listening to her music. But even those who recognise the particular qualities of canniness, intelligence and empathy that she is capable of at her best may well be taken aback at just how effectively political she has become, very quickly.

An Instagram message, posted of October 8, gave a very succinct summation of her reasons for not having expressed her political views in the past – but also underlined that an artist is perfectly entitled to change his or her mind. Which Taylor clearly had done. What she had to say had a very strong anti-Trump message, even if he wasn’t named...

"In the past I've been reluctant to publicly voice my political opinions,” she explained, "but due to several events in my life and in the world in the past two years, I feel very differently about that now. I always have and always will cast my vote based on which candidate will protect and fight for the human rights I believe we all deserve in this country. I believe in the fight for LGBTQ rights, and that any form of discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender is WRONG.

"I believe that the systemic racism we still see in this country towards people of color is terrifying, sickening and prevalent. I cannot vote for someone who will not be willing to fight for dignity for ALL Americans, no matter their skin color, gender or who they love. Running for Senate in the state of Tennessee is a woman named Marsha Blackburn. As much as I have in the past and would like to continue voting for women in office, I cannot support Marsha Blackburn. Her voting record in Congress appalls and terrifies me. She voted against equal pay for women.

"She voted against the Reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act, which attempts to protect women from domestic violence, stalking, and date rape. She believes businesses have a right to refuse service to gay couples. She also believes they should not have the right to marry. These are not MY Tennessee values. I will be voting for Phil Bredesen for Senate and Jim Cooper for House of Representatives. Please, please educate yourself on the candidates running in your state and vote based on who most closely represents your values."

Over the past 24 hours, she has gone further again. She cast her vote in the US mid-term elections early. Not only that, she posted a photo of herself and her mother, both holding US flags, alongside a Phil Bredesen election poster. It was accompanied by another Instagram message – she has 112.7 million followers on the platform – which urged her fans to vote.

"These two Tennessee women voted for the candidate who has proven himself to be reasonable and trustworthy,” she explained. "We want leadership, not fear-based extremism. Early voting goes til Thursday and Election Day is November 6. Please don't sit this one out.”

It is quite a startling turnaround for the 28 year-old superstar. Not only that, it might just be that extra rocket-booster which propels Phil Bredesen to victory. And if that happens, then possibility that the balance of power might shift away from the appalling presidency of Donald Trump becomes a vital bit more real, because Tennessee has often been a Republican shoo-in. Stay tuned. The next week is going to be very interesting indeed.