Take the recent blockbuster story that singer Taylor Swift prefers Democrats over Republicans. Yes, the 28-year-old who dropped out of high school and later earned a GED, on Sunday declared that she opposes Tennessee Republican Sen. Marsha Blackburn, a Republican.
"Her voting record in Congress appalls and terrifies me. These are not MY Tennessee values," Swift wrote on Instagram. "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," she wrote. Swift also said she would not 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."
The New York Times covered the major story with a piece headlined, "Taylor Swift, Apolitical No More, Endorses Democratic Candidates in Tennessee." "Conservatives dismissed her as a political know-nothing, and liberals celebrated ... " said the piece.
The Washington Post covered the breaking news, then the next day wrote a story headlined, "Taylor Swift's endorsement of Democrats is followed by a spike in voter registrations." (Swift had urged young people to register, but for the record, the spike had little do with her - the deadline for registering was just 48 hours after her post, and registrations always spike during that final period.)
Another piece in the Post called Swift's move "the October surprise of 2018." "Swift already stands out from her peers as having the most politically diverse fan base among young Americans, and I would not bet against her helping register, empower and activate just enough of them to make a difference in November, for them and the country," the article said.
All the morning "news" programs covered the Swift story, lauding Swift for being brave and serving as a role model for young people.
Hollywood "stars" came out, too, with praise for Swift.
And not surprisingly, all the women on "The View" swooned.
But the MSM and Hollywood have not covered another singer's political preferences in the same way - not by a long shot.
Rapper Kanye West has vocally supported President Trump, and he's having lunch with him today at the White House. West garnered headlines earlier this month when he praised Trump after a performance on "Saturday Night Live" while wearing a "Make America Great Again" hat.
"The liberals bully you and tell you what you can and cannot wear. And they look at me and say, 'It's not fair. How the hell did you get here?' " West said. On Trump, he said: "If someone inspires me and I connect with them, I don't have to believe in all their policies ... We need to have a dialogue not a diatribe, because if you want something to change, it's not going to change by saying, 'F**k that person.' Try love. Try love."
Following West's comments, Alisyn Camerota, co-host of CNN's "New Day," said his behavior is alarming and asked the audience if it's time to be concerned.
"I think [his rants are] a little bit uncomfortable, I just am wondering if it's time to start worrying about Kanye because he does go on, sometimes, nonsensical rants," she said. "He has taken a break for some stress related issues, so I'm concerned."
On Tuesday, a guest commentator on CNN went much further.
"Listen, black folks are about to trade Kanye West in the racial draft, OK?" Tara Setmayer said. "They've had it with him. And he's an attention whore like the president. He's all of a sudden now the model spokesperson; he's the token Negro of the Trump administration? This is ridiculous. And no one should be taking Kanye West seriously; he clearly has issues; he's already been hospitalized."
"Make ya music great again nigga," Broadus wrote on Instagram after West's SNL appearance. "Uncle Tom. Ass nigga."
Broadus has criticized West before, saying in a radio interview last month: "I don't give a f**k. If you like that nigga, you motherf**kin' racist, f**k you and f**k him. Now what? Draw the line, nigga," he said. "Kanye too, nigga. Don't forget about him, too, f**k you, too."
Greg Gutfeld, co-host of Fox News' "The Five," broke it all down succinctly.
"There's a big difference between these political statements by Taylor Swift and Kanye. Taylor Swift was a virtue signal to try to preserve her reputation among her peers. And I don't blame her for that because, you know, she needs to maintain her relevancy even though she's filthy rich. Kanye's the opposite of Taylor Swift in that he's stepping away to speak what he believes to be a truth. He may be right, he may be wrong, but it's the truth that his peers hate."
"And that's dangerous and it's brave. So what Taylor is doing is the opposite of bravery. It's not cowardice but it's not brave. Whereas Kanye's a symbol of a greater act of sacrifice, the willingness to expend his career and his capital to challenge, again, he is challenging the mob. And they don't call him Yeezus for nothing. So here you have exactly the response where some comic from SNL is calling him a jackass because he's willing to take the risk," Gutfeld said.
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