Keller @ Large: Taylor Swift For President!
BOSTON (CBS) - Is there a more impressive celebrity in America right now than Taylor Swift?
A jury in Denver ruled in her favor Monday in a legal battle with a sleazebag local DJ who groped Swift during a photo op at one of her concerts.
She complained, sleazebag was fired, and of course he sued her for $3 million. That garbage got tossed, but Swift prevailed in her assault-and-battery countersuit and was awarded the monetary damages she asked for – one dollar.
Her action wasn't about money, she says, but about asserting a woman's right to "determine what is tolerable to their body."
In fact, she's going to give money to groups that help sexual assault victims.
This is not a publicity stunt. Swift has plowed huge chunks of her fortune into philanthropy, stepping in to help flood, fire and hurricane victims, supporting the arts and education, and numerous other causes.
And while avoiding partisan politics, she has been a voice against racism and LGBT discrimination.
But along with good values, Taylor Swift shows more understanding of her power and how to use it than most alleged political leaders.
A few years back when Apple wanted to roll out a new music-streaming service with a three-month free trial, Swift demanded – and got – compensation for the artists whose work was being used.
"We don't ask you for free iPhones," she wrote. "Please don't ask" for "our music with no compensation."
Tough but fair, rich but compassionate, unwilling to be manipulated by jerks – Taylor Swift for president!
