Taylor Swift has infamously remained silent on her political stance and been widely criticised for failing to denounce Donald Trump during the 2016 election when it could have really mattered.
But now Taylor Swift has finally arrived at the party, and that party is the Democratic Party.
In a long post shared on Instagram, Swift announced that she would not vote (again) for the Tennessean Republican Marsha Blackburn in the upcoming midterm elections, instead throwing her support behind Democrat Phil Bredesen in the Senate, and fellow Democrat Jim Cooper for the House of Representatives. She also implored her fans to educate themselves on the candidates and vote.
“I always have and always will cast my vote based on which candidate will protect and fight for the human rights I believe we all deserve in this country.” She shared.
“I believe in the fight for LGBTQ rights, and that any form of discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender is WRONG. I believe that the systemic racism we still see in this country towards people of color is terrifying, sickening and prevalent. “
If you had told me two years ago Kanye would be running around in a MAGA hat while Taylor Swift was endorsing democratic candidates, I would have smacked you to the ground and stolen your wallet for wasting my time.
— KB (@KaraRBrown) October 8, 2018
While this is not quite the direct denouncement of Trump we’ve been asking for, it is an empowering call to action to stand against oppression that will hopefully resonate with Swift’s fanbase. It’s something that we’ve seen more of in Taylor Swift in recent times and hopefully there’s more to come.
Obviously it would have been great to hear her speak out sooner, but there is at least some satisfaction to be had in the timing of her sudden change of heart.
On Saturday Taylor wrapped up the US leg of her tour, which was undoubtedly filled out by a whole lot of the Republican ticket-holders that make up a chunk of her fanbase.
Only after collecting that sweet Republican ticket-sale support did she turn around and burn them with her Liberal support. Oops!
Taylor Swift said lemme get that republican tour cash then announce my support for liberal candidates I’ll donate their money to pic.twitter.com/Xwl5obZP4b
— emily???♀️ (@gaylena13) October 7, 2018
If you try not to think about Swift’s potentially selfish motivation for this timing, it is quite enjoyable to think of the betrayed Republicans who have lost an icon to the fight against oppression. Dang flabbit.
https://twitter.com/scammerswift/status/1049093236801777664
Meanwhile, Taylor Swift is literally being criticised for disabling comments on her Instagram post, because how DARE she take away this space where fruitful debate takes place!
taylor swift let 50 year old divorced guys yell at you, you coward https://t.co/0bUhpUvRdG
— raandy (@randygdub) October 8, 2018
I’m sure all comments would have been totally respectful and not at all just tiresome e-bile from middle-aged white men.
Here is Taylor Swift’s full Instagram post – the feminist statement we’ve all been hoping to hear for a while.
“I’m writing this post about the upcoming midterm elections on November 6th, in which I’ll be voting in the state of Tennessee. In the past I’ve been reluctant to publicly voice my political opinions, but due to several events in my life and in the world in the past two years, I feel very differently about that now. I always have and always will cast my vote based on which candidate will protect and fight for the human rights I believe we all deserve in this country. I believe in the fight for LGBTQ rights, and that any form of discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender is WRONG. I believe that the systemic racism we still see in this country towards people of color is terrifying, sickening and prevalent. “
“I cannot vote for someone who will not be willing to fight for dignity for ALL Americans, no matter their skin color, gender or who they love. Running for Senate in the state of Tennessee is a woman named Marsha Blackburn. As much as I have in the past and would like to continue voting for women in office, I cannot support Marsha Blackburn. Her voting record in Congress appalls and terrifies me. 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. She believes businesses have a right to refuse service to gay couples. She also believes they should not have the right to marry. These are not MY Tennessee values. I will be voting for Phil Bredesen for Senate and Jim Cooper for House of Representatives. Please, please educate yourself on the candidates running in your state and vote based on who most closely represents your values. For a lot of us, we may never find a candidate or party with whom we agree 100% on every issue, but we have to vote anyway.”
“So many intelligent, thoughtful, self-possessed people have turned 18 in the past two years and now have the right and privilege to make their vote count. But first you need to register, which is quick and easy to do. October 9th is the LAST DAY to register to vote in the state of TN. Go to vote.org and you can find all the info. Happy Voting!”
Better late than never!