Who's afraid of Taylor Swift and Joni Mitchell?
On culture and MAGA Bad Blood.
Hello!
Why are Republican leaders so afraid of Taylor Swift?
That’s my new piece for you… plus on a personal note, I’m sharing some pics of me and my brother at The Grammy’s last night…
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Bad Blood
Many MAGA Republicans are scared of Taylor Swift.
How else can you interpret the sheer panic at Fox News -- which has stumbled in recent attempts to mar this powerful woman’s civic advocacy -- and the Trump Campaign, which dispatched an official to float the sexist canard that any Swift support for Biden is hobbled by her dating history, and taste in “men.”
Sometimes politics is complicated. This is not.
Trump strategists understand Swift’s power.
They know she has previously mobilized new voters. They know she embraced Biden in 2020 -- and far more than most top artists (who may seem liberal, but are reticent to do electoral or ‘partisan’ campaigning for many reasons). They know her huge fan base includes people who might not otherwise vote, or vote for Biden -- and whom she might impact this November.
So lately, prominent conservatives are adopting a two-part strategy: Publicly plead with Swift to sit out this election, and try to ‘show the risk’ of getting involved, by piling on attacks and conspiracy theories.
The idea is to “preview” the pain or punishment that a 2024 campaign would uncork.
In the last few weeks, Trump’s campaign and his allies have specifically gone after her. Vivek Ramaswamy claimed she will help rig the Super Bowl. Fox’s top evening hosts have used their sizeable platform to impugn, cajole or attack Swift. Some have been plaintive (Laura Ingraham, the only woman in Fox prime time, arguing Swift’s values should make her “a total conservative”); others faux-courteous (Hannity offering his “advice” that she’d be best off staying out of politics); and others embarrassingly unhinged (Jesse Watters darkly floating a conspiracy theory that if she backs Biden again, it is because the Pentagon once explored trying to make her a government “asset.”)
Laughable Attacks
These strong reactions illustrate Swift’s power more than they blunt it. Some of the attacks are laughable - literally.
At Sunday’s Grammy awards -- which largely avoided any mention of Biden, Trump or other ‘political’ matters -- host Trevor Noah mocked the Fox conspiracy theory about Taylor to wide (probably bipartisan) laughter. Being a national punchline is not good politics. And while Fox can reach about 3 million people per night, the Grammys reached 17 million people -- a reminder of how culture can dwarf politics.
Swift, for her part, reaches billions who listen to her songs. Specifically, her music drew over 20 billion streams last year alone -- making her the most popular artist in the world, again. (Thanks to technology, her reach is wider than The Beatles. That is not a quality or “apples to apples” comparison; if The Beatles launched today, they might very well exceed that. But it adds some context to the sheer reach here.)
Now is this just about digital, “virtual” fans at a distance? No. She has inspired a global fan base that will go anywhere, wait in line, and fork over a month’s salary to see her if need be. Her recent ‘Eras’ tour is the first tour to ever to gross over $1 billion. Her annual ‘work’ exceeds the economic value of many major companies. TIME made her the first singer ever named ‘Person of the Year.’ She is the biggest entertainer right now; her young fan base will be influential for years to come; and she constitutes a union of the ‘truth telling artist’ and ‘boss entrepreneur’ for many, many fans -- with a streak of unapologetic feminism.
Those fans are not people you want to antagonize.
They are diverse, but they do trend younger, a demographic that is least favorable to the GOP. And GOP leaders are clearly worried that if more young people vote at all -- let alone spurred to vote for Biden by Swift -- it could tip the electorate towards a coalition that favors Biden.
Swift is also hard to caricature as some “coastal liberal.”
She is a pop star now, yet her musical roots are in Nashville country; her albums have become synonymous with an emergent Americana; her collaborations range from country and rock to Ice Spice; and her recent links to the NFL reinforce how for many, she is on par with that American pastime. Plus, Swift is the tip of the spear for a larger culture shift that rattles aging male republican politicians more than others with less to ‘lose’ - excitement about women rising in power and prestige in industries long dominated by men (from culture to politics).
That brings us back to The Grammys…
Music is a space where the contributions of women and minorities are undeniable -- few honest people would seriously question the incredible role of, say, women in pop and folk, or Black Americans in jazz, blues and hip hop (which remains the most popular, most streamed genre to this day). Yet the “industry,” many record labels and awards shows have chronically undervalued those contributions.
Now, in 2024, that is starting to change.
This year, women dominated key categories like “Record of the Year” and “Album of the Year” (For both categories, 7 of 8 nominees were women; Miley Cyrus won her first Grammy for Record, Swift won for Album). This goes beyond “age” and younger pop stars. Joni Mitchell has been a music star for a long time, but last night marked her first Grammy performance.
Many people - and many music fans - view that as an overdue correction. And not, by the way, as some “set aside” or PC “quota” - more like true value being valued, when discrimination is more limited. (Imagine a game where Jackie Robinson is “allowed” to be on the field, if you will.)
This dynamic does not seem to ‘scare’ music fans, or many young people, from what we can tell. So like so many issues -- abortion rights, democracy, gun safety - the MAGA “take” here is out of step with most people.
Whether they vote… and how much culture shapes that choice… remains to be seen.
Do you think Swift could impact young voters? What was your favorite part of The Grammys? Let me know in the comments..
The Republicans see politics as a cult of personality, hence their devotion to Trump. So naturally they fear a bigger star that may have a much bigger impact. While I hope all of the voters will choose democracy over fascism, education over ignorance, humanity over cruelty, prosperity over grievances, but if they choose to follow a bigger star, and vote Democratic because of Taylor Swift, I’m down with that.
I loved the article. My favorite part of the Grammys was Tracy Chapman and Luke Coombs singing “Fast Cars!” Joni Mitchell showed all of the musicians that resilience is a great life goal.