this post was submitted on 31 Jan 2024
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[–] [email protected] 165 points 10 months ago (16 children)

It's amazing how dumb this entire situation is. To my knowledge she hasn't even publicly endorsed a candidate or political party, right? Just suggested her fans register to vote?

[–] dhork 191 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Republicans understand that demographics are against them, and their only chance is to whip their base into a froth while simultaneously making it harder for Others to vote.

[–] stevedidWHAT 80 points 10 months ago (15 children)

Ding ding ding

Just like it is every election season. Republicans rely on the electoral vote, propaganda, and systematic diseducation (idk if that’s even a word, case in point?) to ensure victories over the populace

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[–] FlyingSquid 68 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Yes. That is all she did. Got them to register to vote. She didn't even hint at who they should vote for. That might change now, and not the way Republicans want.

[–] [email protected] 48 points 10 months ago

Honestly, it's such an incredible own goal. By aligning themselves in opposition to her, Republicans are begging for her fans to vote against them.

[–] [email protected] 43 points 10 months ago (3 children)

Correct. They've tacitly acknowledged for quite a while that discouraging their enemies from voting is a big part of their strategy, though, and I don't think anyone involved thinks the Taylor Swift fans are also Trump fans.

Honestly, if someone tries to tell you voting won't change anything, just point to how hard they try to rig the systems that drive it and how much they freak out about any indication that their enemies are planning to vote in large numbers.

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[–] [email protected] 33 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Registering to vote helps Democrats more than Republicans, because first time voters and younger voters are more likely to vote Democrat. Republicans do better when less people vote.

[–] Viking_Hippie 20 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 children)

Registering to vote helps Democrats more than Republicans, because ~~first time voters and younger voters are more likely to vote Democrat~~ many more people want to vote for Democrats.

Though your original version is also correct.

[–] [email protected] 19 points 10 months ago (8 children)

Yes, absolutely. If we made voting mandatory, made Election Day a national holiday, and actually managed to get our turnout over 90%, the Democrats would landslide every election and the Republicans know it.

An awful lot of Republican policy makes sense when you view them as a party with a shrinking base. They’re trying to eek out what they can before shifting over to a new base.

Rubio, Cruz, and De Santis have been trying to build Hispanic bases, though none of them are really charismatic enough to pull it off.

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[–] SacralPlexus 31 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

Here she is speaking about Republicans in a 2020 documentary. I would say it’s a bit more than asking people to register.

Edit to add: She comes across so genuinely in this clip, I really love it. Listen to her speak and then think of any time you’ve ever heard Trump speak. I can understand why they feel threatened.

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[–] Nobody 156 points 10 months ago (4 children)

"Donald Trump and his far-right 'holy war' against Taylor Swift could cost him the next presidential election."

News from a completely normal and not broken at all timeline. Imagine reading that sentence to someone 10 years ago.

[–] partial_accumen 76 points 10 months ago (1 children)

10 years ago was still 2 years left in the final Obama administration. Add on just a bit more to really drive those 2014 people crazy:

“After an unsuccessful violent insurrection to stay in the White House after being voted out, Donald Trump and his far-right ‘holy war’ against Taylor Swift could cost him the next presidential election.”

[–] zzzz 27 points 10 months ago (2 children)

We're about 80% of the way to Idiocracy.

[–] FlyingSquid 33 points 10 months ago (5 children)

We're past Idiocracy. President Camacho listened to the smartest person in the room. Trump thinks he is the smartest person in the room.

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[–] [email protected] 19 points 10 months ago (4 children)

who has 'pop star saves democracy' on their bingo card?

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[–] [email protected] 14 points 10 months ago (1 children)

I feel like that headline would be completely normal during the 80s satanic witch hunt.

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[–] FlyingSquid 130 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Watching Kimmel's monologue from yesterday-

The same people who believe Joe Biden has dementia and needs Kamala Harris to feed him butterscotch tapioca every night also believe that he has somehow planned and executed a diabolicalically brilliant scheme to fix the NFL playoffs so the biggest pop star in the world can pop up on the jumbotron during the Superbowl in between a Kia and a Tostitos commercial to hypnotize her 11-year-old fans into voting for Joe Biden.

[–] [email protected] 59 points 10 months ago (1 children)

So weak you can crush them, so strong you’re terrified.

[–] ComradePorkRoll 28 points 10 months ago

It's the Fascist™ way!

[–] ChunkMcHorkle 91 points 10 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago) (3 children)
[–] ook_the_librarian 40 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 children)

You know what? It's kinda nice that it may come down to mainstream culture to bring this poison down. It just highlights how different our culture is from our politics. I'm not sure I have point.

[–] ChunkMcHorkle 20 points 10 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago) (1 children)
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[–] first_must_burn 32 points 10 months ago (3 children)
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[–] Rootiest 30 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

And the only reason Taylor Swift got involved is because the crazies started saying she was, with no evidence, until she felt pressured to speak out

[–] [email protected] 78 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (6 children)

They're not trying to win the popularity contest. They're trying to win the "do what we say or maybe one of our violent followers will try to kill you" contest. That's what Hannity means by "think twice."

They abandoned the pretense of nonviolence and freedom of speech for their enemies quite a while ago.

[–] [email protected] 30 points 10 months ago (4 children)

do what we say or maybe one of our violent followers will try to kill you

Like this guy.

[–] [email protected] 25 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

Having watched Fox News from time to time I am amazed that this kind of thing hasn't yet started happening more often.

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[–] FlyingSquid 14 points 10 months ago (1 children)

I guarantee you Taylor Swift has some of the best security in the world, so I'm guessing that doesn't worry her much.

[–] [email protected] 27 points 10 months ago (4 children)

They could still bomb one of her concerts, or drive a car into fans waiting in line, or some other type of stochastic terrorism. Like a lot terrorism, it's not necessary to do enough to actually endanger a real high percentage of people, just enough to make anyone who won't toe the line a little fearful about their safety because of it. A little bit's enough.

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[–] Ensign_Crab 57 points 10 months ago (7 children)

After 8 years of whatever Democrats claim they're doing, Donald Trump may have finally encountered opponents who are interested in fighting back.

[–] [email protected] 61 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 children)

I really, really want the history books to say that Taylor Swift was responsible for Trump losing by a landslide.

It's oddly fitting for this cursed timeline

[–] Retrograde 14 points 10 months ago (1 children)

You're right, it fits all too well. I'm not currently really a Taylor Swift fan but I would buy every album if she did that

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[–] CIA_chatbot 55 points 10 months ago

Out of the two of these people only one is actually a billionaire :)

That’s gotta chap his orange ass

[–] [email protected] 52 points 10 months ago (1 children)

My friends dad who had spent his entire life as a staunch republican like Reagan style came to her and said "who do you want me to vote for, you are going to be here I wont".

I hope this perspective shift happens with all boomers.

[–] [email protected] 34 points 10 months ago (4 children)

spent his entire life as a staunch republican like Reagan style

TBF his perspective hasn't changed that much. It's his party that has abandoned him.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 10 months ago (2 children)

Ray-gun was a Trump precursor. It was Bush Sr. that took a step back from the brink and went back to just being an awful jackass.

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[–] [email protected] 45 points 10 months ago

Taylor Swiftboating.

[–] BustinJiber 43 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Make America Great Again (Taylor Version)

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[–] paddirn 41 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (5 children)

If Trump loses, I hope they have Taylor Swift play at Biden's Inauguration. I don't even like Taylor Swift's music, but it'd be a nice slap in the face to the GOP.

Actually, one tactic the Biden campaign could use to get out Swifties to vote for him is to pre-emptively get Taylor Swift to agree before the election to a concert at his inauguration. "Hey, if we win, guess who you can come see for free in concert?"

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[–] rustyfish 41 points 10 months ago (1 children)

After weeks of Republican media pundits and a former presidential candidate vilifying her, going as far as saying she's a Defense Department psy-op asset

Of course. Everyone is an agent of darkness. The right has this problem. They can’t say „We fight to make your lives miserable and we will fuck you and the whole nation over. It will be a complete clusterfuck”. Because that would be honest. So they have to make up enemies.

it seems all but certain Trump will jump into the fray soon after Rolling Stone reported one of his confidants predicted a "holy war" against the pop sensation.

“Holy war” sounds way cooler than what it really is. If you just could see how pathetic you really are, Donnie. And your followers are somehow even worse.

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[–] Naja_Kaouthia 38 points 10 months ago (3 children)
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[–] RedditReject 35 points 10 months ago

The difference between Swift and Trump is that Taylor understands she needs to give back to her fans, in music and performances. Trump just sees his fans as providing something for him, their money in donations and ego boosts.

[–] [email protected] 24 points 10 months ago (7 children)

I avoid pop culture wherever possible so I am almost entirely ignorant of Swift’s musical catalog. That said, the attention the republicans have been giving her lately has me interested enough to start listening to her music to see what the big deal is. I have found quite a few songs I enjoy and Apple Music has been suggesting more and more of her stuff that I find myself not skipping.

So, the GOP war on Swift has added at least one more person to her fanbase 🤣

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[–] Nightwingdragon 19 points 10 months ago (15 children)

I still fail to see anything resembling logic in the GOP's sudden war against Taylor Swift. I don't follow Taylor Swift at all, but to my knowledge has never publicly endorsed a candidate or even taken a side on a political issue. She is a pop singer currently enjoying outsized popularity, but it's mostly about catering to preteen girls, and showing up at NFL games acting as if she's just the world's richest starstruck fan.

Her base, or at least the ones old enough to vote, aren't interested in her politics. They're interested in her music. They're interested in her fashion. They're interested in watching her fawn all over Travis Kelce like she's a 12 year old girl. There was no overlap between Swifties and the political left.

But if the GOP wants to put that ball in play, there will be. They are currently trying to frame it as you can either be a Swiftie or MAGA. And if the GOP thinks that Swifties are going to abandon her for Donald fucking Trump, they're going to have a bad time. And given how tight the race is in some of the swing states Trump needs to carry if he has a shot at winning, there is a very real possibility that he could end up losing races in states he may have otherwise won because he pissed off enough Swifties to swing the election. (Remember that some of these states were decided by barely 10,000 votes. I will guarantee you there is not a state in the country that doesn't have at least that many Swifties, probably several times over.)

Taylor Swift's fan base aren't cans of Bud Light. Taylor Swift doesn't have corporate shareholders to answer to. Taylor Swift isn't going to back down out of fear of lost sales. Any Swifties that are motivated enough to go to the polls based off of this stupid culture war I will guarantee will vote in lockstep for Biden. Not even for policy reasons, but just as their way of telling the GOP to go fuck themselves.

[–] [email protected] 25 points 10 months ago (1 children)

They’re worried she will convince a fair amount of younger folks to register to vote. It will make it harder for them to cheat, so they have to invent crazy conspiracy theories about her instead of admitting their policies are just actual shit.

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[–] Gradually_Adjusting 18 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (11 children)

It's 2024 and Swifties are scarier than Anonymous; Maybe it's looking glass-ception and we need to go through more of them.

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[–] [email protected] 16 points 10 months ago (11 children)

Taylor Swift for presidentress! 😅

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