Just last month, CNN's Dean Obeidallah wrote that Marjorie Taylor Greene shouldn't have her free speech amplified. His reasoning? She is terrible.
Now here's the problem, MTG IS TERRIBLE! I don't even disagree with Obeidallah's interpretation. of her. But Dean Obeidallah is simply one of a growing stable of leftists who believes that Free Speech only applies to their side. He is a Partisan Hack and hardly an arbiter of free speech tenets.
At the end of the day, though, Greene is a member of Congress. A member of Congress SHOULD have their speech amplified, and if they say idiotic things, they should be voted out of office. Again, if you gave me a freebie, I would remove both Greene (R) and Ilhan Omar (D) from Congress right now. They are both equally bad in very different ways.
But I digress. What has me in a lather specifically today? Dean Obeidallah thinks that Taylor Swift should have her speech amplified.
Yes, that Taylor Swift.
"In her 2014 hit song “Shake It Off,” the megastar (Swift) sang about how, 'The haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate, hate,' and in response, 'I’m just gonna shake, shake, shake, shake, shake, I shake it off.' This time Swift wants her fans to do more than just 'shake it off.' She wants them to vote, vote, vote out the haters. And given their sheer numbers, the Swifties have the power to do just that." Obeidallah at CNN
Let me make this crystal clear. Obeidallah is quoting a pop star's lyrics.
At CNN.
I am literally looking around the room in disbelief. Obeidallah's take is because Swift is popular songwriter, we should listen to her? But not a sitting member of Congress?
Okay, who's MY favorite artist right now? Active, touring, and putting out new records? Probably King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard. Ironically, they're in the news also, (but at SPIN):
Would I say to listen to King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard instead of Marjorie Taylor Greene? Actually, I would probably say that-
But I'm a blogger. I don't work for the largest news organization in the world. I pride myself on my independence, not on my skills. My question is: Doesn't Obeidallah have any journalistic integrity? What college did he go to where quoting decade-old, irrelevant pop lyrics passed as journalism?
Back in the 80's, did I care about Michael Jackson's Politics? I did not.
I enjoyed the political music of the Dead Kennedy.
Back in the 90's, did I care about George Michael's Politics? I did not.
I enjoyed the political music of Rage Against the Machine.
Back in the 00's, did I care about Beyoncé's Politics? I did not.
I enjoyed the political music of Against Me!
And I didn't try to fit nonsensical pop lyrics into serious political discourse.
How is Obeidallah an enemy of free speech?
Go ahead and google: Trump Haters Gonna Hate.
Guess what?
Dozens of Merch items pop up...
And this article from the New York Times, which quoted the SAME EXACT LYRICS in reference to Donald Trump.
Which brings me to my point, would Dean Obeidallah quote Taylor Swift lyrics if her politics mirrored Donald Trump's? No, he would say she should stay out of politics or he wouldn't amplify her views.
Oh, and by the way, King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard released a new metal song today:
Maybe I'll write a thesis on the Russian-Ukrainian Conflict and quote some Dragon Lyrics.
A shriek from space
A mangled yell
Dragon descends
Welcome to hell....
Or not.