The Pop Face of Politics

Full disclosure, this may become a book at some point. The research involved was extensive and well worth it. Also, the feud between the people involved is not going to die away like a pop song after a few weeks at the top of the charts. Cardi B broke onto the national stage last year with her hit single "Bodak Yellow" and followed it up with a string of #1 rap songs that still hasn't ended. Lady Gaga has been around for a while longer and also has a string of hits, and is currently winning awards for her first movie performance in A Star is Born. Outside of being born in New York City (The Bronx for Cardi B, Manhattan for Gaga), these ladies are feuding with high profile Conservatives and the result is an interesting mix of politics and pop culture.

While Lady Gaga has always been very in tune with politics, Cardi B has not always been quite as outspoken. There was a video of her asking where her tax dollars were going that was widely derided as being juvenile and out of touch. However, the video of her addressing the government shut down caught the attention of Tomi Lahren. For those that don't know, Tomi Lahren is one of the Fox News blondes that recites whatever the executives at the right wing channel tell her to say.

For whatever reason, Tomi took issue with Cardi B spouting her opinion. Maybe because she's a black woman or perhaps because Cardi actually made good points about the shut down in the video and the new Conservatives really hate anything that is based on fact. In any case, Tomi tweet blasted the rapper: “latest genius political mind to endorse the Democrats” this coming from the woman who got fired by Glenn Beck's The Blaze. Cardi B did not take kindly to being insulted by the likes of Tomi Lahren and responded in kind, "Leave me alone I will dog walk you" and this gave the internet all sorts of life. Cardi B was trending on Twitter and she had no idea why.

Not one to let another have the last word or stop while she's so far behind that she's being lapped by her opponent, Tomi shot off another missive, this time calling Cardi B "moronic." There was no way that Cardi was about to let that go and called out Tomi's blatant racism and called her one of Trump's sheep. After an assist from her Bronx sister, AOC, who let the world know that you do not come for Bronx Girls because they have been perfecting the clap back since before the world began, Tomi felt ganged up on and tried to come for the Freshmen Congresswoman. She alleged that AOC was endorsing violence despite saying that she was against it when Trump incited it. Only thing is, as Twitter let poor little Tomi know, AOC was endorsing the Tweet where Cardi B calls out Tomi's racism and calling her a sheep, not the one where she promised to beat her up. But that doesn't play well to the folks over at Fox News. And the soundbites are way more important than the truth to those people.

Speaking of sound bites, Mike Pence has decided that people being upset over his wife working for a school that is anti-LGBTQ must be a war on Christianity and an affront to him personally. No matter that he is supposed to be a public servant to all Americans and that the decisions he and his wife make help shape public opinion, this isn't about that in his mind. Gay people should be ok with being hated and treated as lesser beings because he and Mother need a new vacation home or yacht. Screw the fact that LGBTQ kids are beaten up, thrown out of their homes, and murdered every single day. Pence and his ilk don't care about that because their version of the Bible says it's wrong.

Which is where Lady Gaga took issue with what was being said. After lambasting Trump over his refusal to open the government because Ann Coulter said that he was being weak (Tomi was surprisingly quiet on this one. Gee wonder what the difference is?), Gaga took aim squarely at the monster known as Pence. "To Mike Pence, who thinks that it’s acceptable that his wife works at a school that bans LGBTQ, you’re wrong." That was followed up with the harshest criticism that the VP has faced yet: "You’re the worst representation of what it means to be a Christian." Where's the lie?

As Gaga also pointed out, The God that most worship is filled with love and commands us to love fellow humans. Even when they are gay or black or black gays. Something that the Pence's have yet to learn or probably care to acknowledge. For them, being a Christian is simply a way to amass power and force their views on to other people. Otherwise, why would Karen and Mike Pence be so bent out of shape that people are taking issue with the school she is working for trying to pretend as though LGBTQ youth don't exist?

While Cardi B and Lady Gaga make music to rock out to, they also use their platform to battle what they perceive to be wrongs from the government and the officials that are in charge. They should be applauded for this, yet are mocked by those who disagree with them. They are told to shut up and sing, stay out of politics, by the very people who elected a failing reality star to be President.