As a free speech near-absolutist, I unreservedly defend the right of anyone to trumpet political views. But more than ever I admire those celebrities who steadfastly resist the temptation (or the hectoring) to talk politics. There are still some of them, following the footsteps of one of the greatest entertainers in American history. At the peak of his long career, Elvis Presley's influence on popular culture was unparalleled, but about politics he would say nothing. A classic illustration occurred during a pre-concert press conference at Madison Square Garden in 1972. It was at the height of the antiwar movement, and Presley, an Army veteran, was asked for his thoughts on the Vietnam War protests. “Honey, I’d just as soon keep my own personal views about that to myself,” he answered modestly. “I’m just an entertainer and I’d rather not say.” Faced with the pressure to get political, Elvis knew how to shake it off. Would that could still be said about Taylor Swift?

What It Means

This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "As a free speech near-absolutist, I unreservedly defend the right of anyone to trumpet political views. But more than ever I admire those celebrities who steadfastly resist the temptation (or the hectoring) to talk politics. There are still some of them, following the footsteps of one of the greatest entertainers in American history. At the peak of his long career, Elvis Presley's influence on popular culture was unparalleled, but about politics he would say nothing. A classic illustration occurred during a pre-concert press conference at Madison Square Garden in 1972. It was at the height of the antiwar movement, and Presley, an Army veteran, was asked for his thoughts on the Vietnam War protests. “Honey, I’d just as soon keep my own personal views about that to myself,” he answered modestly. “I’m just an entertainer and I’d rather not say.” Faced with the pressure to get political, Elvis knew how to shake it off. Would that could still be said about Taylor Swift?" in the context of "Jeff Jacoby, discussing Country singer̪ Taylor Swift's decision to endorse the campaigns of two Democrat candidates in the 2018 Tennessee mid-term elections, as published in the Patriot Post on October 15, 2018." to mean that wisdom is timeless.