Conservatives are picking a fight with Taylor Swift they have no hope of winning

[cartoon id="278574"] Taylor Swift has been making massive headlines lately (to be honest when has she not?) for her efforts in getting 35,000 new voters to register in one single day. There's also her all-but-confirmed relationship with Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce. Although her legion of fans (better known as Swifties) have taken an intense interest in the singer's newfound romantic interest, many on the right have been severely triggered by the recent machinations of the pop megastar, who has issued blistering criticisms of conservative politicians including Tennessee Sen. Marsha Blackburn and former President Donald Trump. Mark Hemingway, columnist for the right-wing website The Federalist, wrote an article claiming the singer’s popularity was “a sign of national decline” and that her music was “utterly defined by self-obsession rather than introspection.” Far right-wing writer Roger Kimball, a columnist for the passionately Trump-supporting blog American Greatness and magazine the American Spectator, echoed similar sentiments and further commented: “She is homely.” Right-wing speaker Juanita Broaddrick, a diehard Trump supporter who once accused former President Bill Clinton of rape, responded to an earlier video of Swift criticizing Trump, stating: “Who gives a F what Taylor Swift thinks?” Well, it turns out that in addition to millions of devoted fans and followers, many on the right care what Swift things, given their pathological obsession with her. The truth is she's living rent free on the sharpest tips of their lounges and residing in the darkest corners of their minds. Criticism of pop culture celebrities is hardly a new tactic among conservatives, from as far back as Elvis Presley, Little Richard, and Jerry Lee Lewis in the 1950s and onward. Athletes and celebrities have always found themselves in the crosshairs of the cultural right, a social segment that has often viewed such entities with a jaundiced eye over political, social, and religious differences. Hostilities aside, declaring war against Taylor Swift is an ill-advised tactic that could likely only further augment her already fiercely powerful brand. She has demonstrated over and over, time after time, that the degree of her cultural influence is formidable and an undeniable reality. Her mere presence at last Sunday’s Chiefs game supporting Kelce in her private sports box with Kelce’s mother and other assorted guests resulted in a 400 percent spike in sales of his jersey. His social media followership increased exponentially in a matter of days. She is a force to be reckoned with. The NFL has been a historically conservative organization with a right-leaning fan base. Taylor Swift represents assertive, powerful, independent womanhood. She is pro-choice and a staunch advocate of LGBTQIA rights, and she openly espouses and supports progressive positions on race, gender, class, and economics. Hence, she epitomizes most of the things that many conservatives despise. Nonetheless, it still seems like a foolish agenda to target someone with the profile of Swift. With her legion of diehard fans, more than a billion dollars in personal wealth, and an impeccably strategic business acumen, the right is facing an uphill effort and is alienating sizable segments of Americans. Don’t take my word for it. Check in with her former manager Scooter Braun and Kanye West, and ask them whether they suggest taking on Taylor Swift. - Copyright 2023 Elwood Watson, distributed by Cagle Cartoons newspaper syndicate Elwood Watson is a professor of history, Black studies, and gender and sexuality studies at East Tennessee State University. He is also an author and public speaker.