• by Barbara Lippert , Columnist, January 30, 2024

That she’s beautiful? That as a powerhouse entertainer/singer/songwriter currently on her record-breaking ERAs tour, she’s worth a billion bucks, give or take a few hundred million?

While in her private life, she’s consistently gone out of her way to speak up against bullies and for social justice?

Well, here’s something new-ish: She bugs the hell out of what’s now known as Red America.

These days, trolls are coming out of the woodwork to lash out against her.

This latest outbreak seems to have started with America’s most beloved, red-blooded sport, football.

She can’t help herself. Since her romance officially began with Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce in September, her presence in the stands has reportedly already earned about $300 million apolitical dollars for the NFL.

Looking snazzy in the Chiefs team colors, red and gold,  especially with her bold red lipstick, she’s been pictured  jumping up and down, cheering for her talented squeeze.

And despite the money and power surrounding the NFL, what could be sweeter, or more down-home Friday Night Lights America, than that simple act?

Seriously, 10-year-old girls who previously had zero interest in football now want to snuggle up with their dads or other friends and family members to watch the games.

The fact that Kelce’s team is playing in the Super Bowl, and that Taylor will manage to make it to the stadium 20 hours after performing in Japan, will bring  media-rupturing interest to the football broadcast that already rocks the world.

But amid all this heightened tension, and based on the match of these lovebirds, there’s a fresh conspiracy theory circulating now that brings new meaning to politicized cuckoo.

The gist is that Swift is part of an elaborate psych-ops plot by the NFL and the Democratic Party to deliver the 2024 presidential election to Joe Biden.

And yes, Taylor did support Biden in the 2020 election at a time when she was also encouraging younger people to get out and vote. And Travis took part in Pfizer’s educational COVID vaccine campaign, an issue that also seems to ignite the Right. But the idea that she’s an “op” is as true as she’s a bot.

"I wonder who’s going to win the Super Bowl next month,” failed presidential contender Vivek Ramaswamy posted on X on Monday. With his trademark, conspiracy-minded truculence, he added: "And I wonder if there’s a major presidential endorsement coming from an artificially culturally propped-up couple this fall…”

Of course, right-wing media has been stewing in and whipping up controversy for months. Mike Crispi, a Salem Media host, recently used some familiar language in posting, “The NFL is totally RIGGED for the Kansas City Chiefs, Taylor Swift, Mr. Pfizer (Travis Kelce)

All to spread DEMOCRAT PROPAGANDA. Calling it now: KC wins, goes to Super Bowl, Swift comes out at the halftime show and 'endorses' Joe Biden with Kelce at midfield."

More violent, misogynist things have happened, including those sexually explicit and abusive AI-based naked images of Swift that began circulating widely last week on X, which platform owner Elon Musk did or did not struggle to ban. (The jury’s still out.)

One image of Swift shared on X was viewed 47 million times, according to The New York Times.

So really, can’t we all be humans, and think of our mothers, sisters, daughters, etc. before foaming at the mouth?  Certainly, millions of hard-core Swifties are not to be trifled with.

Perhaps no one has summed up the bizarre situation better than David Letterman, not known to be a feminist in his day, who told detractors to “shut up.”

The TV host posted a video clip to Instagram with the caption “Dave is Team Taylor.”

In his message, the now Santa-bearded Letterman said: “I don’t think in the history of show business or the history of popular culture we’ve ever witnessed anything like this. [Meaning Swift.]  She fills stadiums around the world and puts on a three-hour show.”

He went on, jokingly mixing up Kelce and Kelsey Grammar.

By the end, he said that the romance was “good for the footballers. It’s good for Taylor Swift and it’s something positive and happy for the world….Taylor Swift is a huge force, and I think just wants to see people do the right thing.

So God bless Taylor Swift and [Kelce].”

Amen.