TAY'S DRIVING VOTES. WHO'LL JOIN HER?

Taylor Swift's influence over nearly every corner of our everyday lives has been evident for some time, but her extraordinary pop-cultural sway took a pointedly political turn last September when the megastar directed potential voters to Vote.org on National Voter Registration Day. Estimates are that more than 30,000 people registered, potentially affecting the outcomes not only of the fall 2023 elections but the upcoming presidential race as well.

Conservative pundits have been none too pleased with Swift's ability to inspire civic action, fueling conspiracy theories. Fox News' Jesse Waters claimed on his 1/9 broadcast, "The Pentagon psy-op unit pitched NATO on turning Taylor Swift into an asset for combating misinformation online." His guest, former FBI agent Stuart Kaplan, suggested the Republic superstar "may not know she is being used in a covert manner" to influence the left-leaning youth vote.

Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh laughed off the claims, responding with a statement quoting a bunch of Swift song titles. The hubbub is all the more noteworthy considering that Swift didn't speak openly about voting and politics until 2018, when she said Tennessee Republican senator Marsha Blackburn's voting record "appalls and terrifies" her and that she couldn't support her re-election.

The question will be whether other prominent artists will use their voices to help get the vote out this fall. Will it be worth the potential blowback from commentators just itching to pounce? Could the Swifty vote change the political center of gravity in America? Will the FBI finally start using us for psy-ops? And speaking of music and politics, will something be done about this really terrible song celebrating Nikki Haley?