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Taylor Swift Takes a Knee on Politics (For Now)

It isn't an election year, but the pop superstar is sticking to the music

Taylor Swift is the biggest celebrity in America. Period.

What other performer could rock the zeitgeist like she did over the past six months? Her Eras Tour wasn’t just a concert event. It turned every tour stop into a once-in-a-lifetime moment for fans and curiosity seekers alike.

She all but broke Ticketmaster with pre-sales, drew throngs of screaming fans in the grand Beatlemania mold and proved few stars can dazzle a crowd like her.

The numbers tell the story, according to Time Magazine:

…the impact of the Eras Tour is starkly reflected in the numbers: a projected gross of $2.2 billion in North American ticket sales alone, and hundreds of millions of streams, reaching a nearly 80% spike in those listening to her music catalog in the weeks after the tour kicked off….Analysts estimate that the Eras Tour will likely surpass the $1 Billion mark next March, while Swift is touring internationally. If this projection holds true, she will achieve the milestone of the biggest tour in music history, surpassing Elton John’s multi-year farewell tour, which wrapped up earlier this summer and holds the current record of $939 million.

Now, she’s about to conquer Hollywood.

Her upcoming “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour” concert film could make $150 million during its opening weekend.

That’s an unprecedented amount for a concert movie and akin to a hotly anticipated MCU film or legacy sequel.

Swift did something else over the past few months that was almost as shocking. She avoided both political infighting and the culture wars.

  • Trans women competing against biological women in sports
  • So-called book bans
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  • Jason Aldean’s “Try That in a Small Town”
  • BudLightGate

Yes, this isn’t an election year, but the country’s tribal divide has some whispering about a permanent division or even a civil war-like conflict. The rancor is so heated that the far-Left press savaged an indie film because it appeared to lean Right and offers a faith-based message.

The truth?

“Sound of Freedom” is neither a religious screed nor political in any way, but the media framed it as such. The chasm extends into the political realm, naturally.

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Formerly sober pundits look at President Joe Biden, who appears to be declining in front of the country’s eyes, and suggest “he’s fine” for purely partisan reasons.

That’s how fractured the country is, and Swift’s phenomenal tour did nothing to make matters worse.

Just the opposite.

She let ticket holders forget their troubles for a few blissful hours. They weren’t Right or Left, just consumers in awe of a pop giant at her creative peak.

The temptations to get political came close to home, though.

The singer refused to reschedule her California tour stops when local Democrats begged her to do just that. They argued Swift should show solidarity with striking hotel workers and cancel her Los Angeles concerts.

The shows went on as scheduled.

The web site Impakter.com noticed Swift’s “new/old” approach and demanded the woke Swift return.

But after the ”Lover” era faded away, so did these displays of activism. Especially in the last year or so, fans have never heard silence quite this loud from Taylor Swift.

For example, in 2022, when the Roe v Wade law was about to get overturned, Swift did not attempt to use her influence with the same enthusiasm with which she had used it to endorse the Equality Act in 2019.

She only made one statement, and it was after the law had been overturned, expressing fear and sorrow at the situation. Swift did not attempt any open act of public protest, despite being a feminist who had demonstrated passion for women’s rights in the past. 

Elle Magazine said Swift “got political” in July when she used her social media clout to promote voting during a Nashville-based election. Except she didn’t tell fans HOW to vote, just prodded them to do their civic duty.

“Early voting for our city officials and some statewide seats began today. We have the opportunity to choose those who will represent us for the next four years. I voted today and I urge each and every one of you to do the same and make your voice heard.”

That’s a perfectly nonpartisan sentiment, one impossible to argue against. It’s in line with the old Taylor Swift, the pop princess who refused to take sides in elections or culture wars.

It’s what she did during the 2016 presidential election, and it enraged both the Left and the Media (but we repeat ourselves).

Reporters savaged Swift for taking a neutral approach to politics. Some crudely suggested she cozied up to White Nationalists in the process.

Vile.

Swift eventually gave in, becoming a mouth piece for progressive causes. She backed Democratic candidates, penned songs like “You Need to Calm Down” attacking anti-LGBTQ bigots and starred in a Netflix documentary capturing her political “evolution.”

Miss Americana | Official Trailer

Was her conversion heartfelt? Most likely, but she also knew the reaction she’d endure had she drifted to the Right. Just ask Elon Musk, J.K. Rowling or Joe Rogan what it’s like to square off with the media industrial complex.

A bigger question remains. Will Swift’s apolitical mien last?

We’re inching closer to a contentious election cycle, and the forces raging against Donald Trump will demand Swift use her platforms to keep him out of the White House.

Her silence will not be sufficient for them. It wasn’t in 2016, and that will prove even more powerful now.

Chances are, Swift will resume her political posturing in the months to come. The pressure to do so will be enormous.

She may be the biggest star of her generation, but she’s not big enough to stand up to a culture that demands allegiance … or else.

9 Comments

  1. Swing voters in swing states really don’t need encouragement to loathe Donald Trump. They’re pretty much already there.
    Can’t wait for another 4 years of Bidenomics, brought to you by the egomaniac who used his cult following to put his own personal desires and vendettas above the needs of the country.

    1. lol…the whole country save for a few who will never admit they were wrong HATE Bidenomics. Food is through the roof high…so is gas and everything else. The only thing creepy Joe has helped is his own bank account, Hunter’s account AND UKRAINE despot’s wallet

  2. Swift’s political candidates endorsements have failed. She doesn’t need to tarnish her image by endorsing a losing candidate.

    “Despite Taylor Swift’s Support, Democrats Have Lost A Tennessee Senate Race
    The race received national attention when Tennessee native Taylor Swift surprised her fans with an endorsement for former governor Phil Bredesen, who lost to Republican Marsha Blackburn.”

  3. Isn’t this supposed to be a somewhat conservative, Christian site? Yet “anti-LBGTQ bigot” wasn’t in scare quotes, as if all dissent is illegitimate. Why?

    1. There ARE anti LGBT bigots out there, and that’s who Swift targeted in her song. Yes, there are many Leftists who decry any comments toward the gay community as being bigoted, and that’s a legitimate issue. I didn’t think this was the appropriate space to delver into that issue.

  4. She’s not only in bed with the Left, her song lyrics are proof. They are, if you take the politics away, full of misandry.

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