Taylor Swift has broken her silence on politics. We’re not sure why she finally chose to speak now, but we welcome her to the debate. The target of her ire? Not Donald Trump or Roy Moore. Not U.S. withdrawal from the Paris Accords or passage of corporate tax cuts. No, Swift’s debut in political advocacy consists of an Instagram post denouncing . . . Marsha Blackburn.
The Tennessee congresswoman is running for the Senate seat occupied by retiring Bob Corker. Blackburn is solidly conservative—she is energetically pro-life and voted many times to repeal Obamacare. She is also a vocal supporter of Donald Trump. Her opponent, former Tennessee governor Phil Bredesen, is the lucky one receiving Swift’s endorsement. He holds liberal positions on most issues but, as a red-state Democrat, mostly avoids the statism, social progressivism, and virtue-signaling to which much of his party is given. Last weekend, for instance, he insisted that the accusations against Brett Kavanaugh were insufficient to merit voting against him.
There’s something endearing about a pop music idol who jumps into politics fearlessly by pronouncing on a Senate race about which most of the nation is wholly ignorant. And we admit to being a bit surprised Swift isn’t on team red. But the problem with Swift’s post isn’t so much her support for Bredesen or rejection of Blackburn as the reasons she offers for her view. “[Blackburn’s] voting record in Congress appalls and terrifies me,” writes T-Swizzle. “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.”
By “voted against equal pay for women,” we assume Swift is referring to Blackburn’s 2009 vote against the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which codified the principle that if an employer is guilty of wage discrimination against an employee, that discrimination takes place with each paycheck; hence the statute of limitations begins anew each time the employee is paid. The bill was a response to a 2009 Supreme Court decision holding that the statute of limitations for wage discrimination cases begins at the time of the original discriminatory act (when the employee’s wage was determined). Five Democrats and 172 Republicans—including Blackburn—voted against the bill on the grounds that it risked opening employers to frivolous discrimination lawsuits. Their objection, even if one disagrees with it, was entirely reasonable. For Swift, though, Blackburn just doesn’t want equal pay for women.
Her vote against reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act was similarly reasonable. Blackburn had been for reauthorization of the original bill but against the expanded Senate version because the latter gave protections to men in same-sex relationships. Swift might have wondered why a woman would vote against a bill that purported to curb violence against women, but she concluded that the Blackburn was simply for violence against women.
Swift goes on to say that Blackburn opposes same-sex marriage (which is true) and that she “believes businesses have a right to refuse service to gay couples” (we think she means Blackburn is against forcing bakers to create same-sex wedding cakes, but sure). “These are not MY Tennessee values,” Swift concludes.
It’s not yet clear whether this foray into electoral politics means everything has changed for Swift. Will she be weighing in on races forever and always? We do know that she is a gifted musician and entertainer who has a massive, loyal following. While we’re not sure of her end game, if she uses her standing to encourage younger Americans to pay attention to politics, we’re for it.
Our friendly advice: It’ll probably better for her reputation if in the future she demonstrates a deeper understanding of the issues.
