Washington Free Beacon senior writer Elizabeth Harrington said Monday that the media will jump at the chance to praise pop singer Taylor Swift for endorsing Democratic politicians.
On Sunday, Swift came out in support of Tennessee’s Democratic Senate candidate Phil Bredesen and the congressman representing her district, Rep. Jim Cooper (D., Tenn.). The endorsements were a deviation from her famous commitment to political neutrality. Harrington said celebrities are expected to conform to norms in the entertainment industry, and the media would surely endorse Swift’s decision to support Democrats.
"She will be lauded in the media for it because they all think the same too, but you don't see the same fairness for someone that comes out with an original thought like Kanye West and goes against the grain," Harrington said.
She added that the double standard toward celebrities based on how liberal their views are can be seen in treatment of West, who was praised for criticizing President George W. Bush’s response to Hurricane Katrina but criticized for his support of President Donald Trump.
"Everyone in the media loves Kanye West when he went after George W. Bush over Katrina," Harrington said.
She went on to argue that Swift isn’t serving American culture in general by inserting her political opinions into the mix.
"It is just unfortunate; we reached a point in our culture where everything is politicized, where everyone has to have opinion. It turns a lot of people off," Harrington said.
Entertainment figures should not be "lecturing us on how to vote," Harrington added. She said it was perfectly fine for Swift to express her views, but it isn’t a good sign that pressure on her to get political appears to have worked. The media has in the past questioned why the star didn't use her platform to speak out on politics.
"You had people on the left for a long time saying, ‘why hasn't she weighed in on this?’ She finally has," Harrington said. "I guess you have to give into the pressure of everyone constantly saying you have to come out because they tell her you have millions and millions of followers, millions and millions of fans, and they want her to influence elections."
Bredesen is more moderate than most Democrats, however, since he even said he would vote to confirm Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. Sen. Joe Manchin (D., W.Va.) was the only Democrat to vote yes on Kavanaugh, who was confirmed to the court on Saturday.
"We also should keep in mind, she endorsed a very moderate Democrat who said he would have voted for Brett Kavanaugh," she said.