For Swifties for Kamala, embarrassment is the goal.

You probably won’t be shocked to learn that Elizabeth Warren’s favorite Taylor Swift song is about cosmic justice.

“I love ‘Karma,’” the Massachusetts senator said last night during a Zoom event for a group called Swifties for Kamala. “And I have a thing or two to say about private equity!” The 34,000 attendees may have cheered, but as is typical for such a massive webinar, only the organizers controlled the microphone and camera. Warren was not afraid of the lack of response. “It’s going to be a tough fight ahead,” she said as she concluded her speech. “There are only 24 hours in a day — or 144 10-minute versions of ‘All Too Well.’” [Pause for no laughter.] “But the problem is that as I have done every time before, we will push this rock up the hill.”

Only a die-hard Swifty would have picked up on all the cues in Warren’s lyrics, which included a stab at Investment Group Among those comments were Swift’s hyped-up support for her arch-nemesis, Scooter Braun, and lyrics from Swift’s song that reportedly talks about Swift’s feud with Kim Kardashian. It seems safe to assume that Warren didn’t write all of these jokes herself. But she wouldn’t be the only speaker on the call whose staff crammed an absurd number of jokes into last night’s remarks.

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Calls for identity-based action have been the most prevalent this season of Democratic politics, with events like “White Men for Harris” and “Winning with Black Women” drawing tens of thousands of attendees. While the Swifts in America are not an ethnic or racial group, they are a religious group. Last night’s call was an attempt to harness their unwavering devotion to the pop star and use it politically.

The whole thing was, in some ways, more embarrassing than I expected—and as a Swift fan, I’m familiar with the sheer stupidity of Swift’s audience. The organizers seemed startlingly young and inexperienced—they introduced lawmakers with trembling voices, clearly nervous to address thousands of blind viewers. They passed the microphone around a lot, talked a lot, and misspoke. The middle-aged politicians were working hard to demonstrate their fluency in Swiftworld.

Yet confusion seemed, at least in part, the goal. And like the broader Harris campaign, these organizers leaned into embarrassment. “There was a lot of talk about how joy is not a strategy,” said Irene Kim, co-founder and CEO of Swifties for Kamala, on the call, citing newly New York Times opinion“But that was definitely not our experience!”

The project began with a post written by Emerald Medrano, 22, who runs a popular Swift fan account. He said, “I feel like we Swift fans in the US should rally and help campaign for Kamala Harris.” books In July, Swifties for Kamala was born: a partnership of fans, some of whom run social media accounts and others with experience in Democratic politics. A month later, the group had 71,000 followers on X, a newsletter on Substack, and a Discord channel.

Organizers seem to assume that Swift, who backed Joe Biden in 2020, will back the Democratic nominee. But Swift has not endorsed anyone yet, a fact that was not acknowledged on last night’s call. Her support in the race is much-needed; last week, Donald Trump was in the running. Bad AI fakes He claimed to have the support of a pop star. During the Democratic National Convention, rumors spread about a surprise musical performance: Will it be Taylor? (no.)

“We keep things political, but everything has a layer of speed “It’s a great event,” Annie Wu Henry, the campaign manager for Swifties for Kamala, who has also worked with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and other progressive lawmakers, said during a call last night, where organizers wore Swift-themed sweaters and displayed sparkly decorations. #47They encouraged viewers on the Zoom chat to donate $13 or $19.89 — both significant numbers — and, like Taylor, they often folded their hands into hearts on camera.

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The Zoom event was light on political talk, heavy on innuendo. After Warren spoke, Rep. Becca Balint of Vermont delivered a motivational speech: “MAGA will be defeated by our dominoes, cascading in a row!” she quoted from the song “Mastermind.” Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York read a few jokes. “Karma is a comforting thought, but it’s not for Donald Trump — facts!” she told the usually silent crowd. “If you’re in line to vote, stay, stay, stay!” When Sen. Ed Markey of Massachusetts appeared, he revealed that his favorite Swift song is, oddly enough, “Snow on the Beach” — because it highlights the dangers of global warming. “Climate change is threatening our favorite phenomenon,” the senator said, before adding that the water outside Swift’s beach house in Rhode Island is “some of the fastest warming … in the world!”

Just like a Taylor Swift marketing campaign, the Zoom call promised surprises and exciting guests. There will be Big announcement At 8 p.m., the organizers stirred up controversy, very special person The call was set to wrap up around 8:30 p.m. One of the featured speakers was singer-songwriter Carole King, now in her 80s, who appeared as a blond-haired fairy godmother. King, who described Swift as “the granddaughter of music and songwriting,” sang part of the chorus of “Shake It Off,” and offered advice to first-time campaign volunteers: “The key to knocking on doors is to ask a good question and then listen.” She urged Swift to ask voters what they might find in common with Harris. “I’m not going to be a big deal,” King said — seemingly aware of how important Swift is. Bridges Appreciation.

At 8 o’clock, the big event was announced: the launch of the goods! Swifty Read T-shirts and Canvas Bags In my voting age It was for sale – no affiliations, the organizers carefully reminded fans, with Swift herself.

Nearly two hours into the call, the final surprise guest—Rep. Jasmine Crockett of Texas, a rising Democratic star—still hadn’t shown up. Swifties for Kamala leaders began signing on. “I’m so blessed, so happy, so immersed in Swifties right now,” Medrano said. “We’re going to paint the city blue, and it’s going to be the coolest thing that’s ever happened to this country!”

Disappointment didn’t kill their enthusiasm—with the Swifties, that never happened. The group raised money at an unexpected rate. The icon of capitalism itself I could have been prouder: the total fundraising that night was a handsome sum. $122,000If Harris hopes that joy — yes — shyness will help her win the White House, she has the right fan base on her side.