Rock the Vote’s nonpartisan status is as laughable as experts saying progressive protests won’t spread COVID-19.
The group’s apolitical pose hasn’t fooled anyone for some time, but this week that label peeled off and drifted to the floor.
A trio of Democrats – and no Republicans – are joining Rock the Vote for a livestream event aimed at boosting voter turnout for a certain party.
Wink-wink!
Political observers have been crying foul of the group’s claims for some time.
The Washington Examiner captured a surreal moment from a 1996 Rock the Vote event, one that should have shredded its nonpartisan banner right then and there.
As George Stephanopoulos stepped to the mike, the young crowd whistled and cheered. “Because you voted in 1992,” Stephanopoulos said, “there are more student loans for young people. Because you voted in 1992, there are fewer guns on the streets. Because you voted in 1992, we made efforts to clean up the environment and to protect a woman’s right to choose. But in 1994, a lot of young people stayed home and you saw a Republican Congress come in led by Speaker Gingrich, who tried to take away a woman’s right to choose.”
A 2014 The Washington Times editorial noted the Obama White House had plenty of Rock the Vote alums in key positions.
Here’s one example:
Mr. Obama tapped Fred Goldring, who formerly headed Rock the Vote’s board of directors, to serve on the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities.
Former Rock the Vote president Ashley Spillane served as a John F Kerry Ohio field organizer and helped Atlas Project, a database created to aid the progressive cause.
The group routinely uses far-left celebrities to promote its efforts, sending an oh, so obvious message along the way.
“Wait, Lena Dunham wants me to vote … but for which candidate? I’m so confused!”
More recently, The Daily Signal noted Rock the Vote took aim at the Electoral College, a liberal bogeyman of the first order. The group worked alongside other “neutral” groups like Common Cause, Progress America and Daily Kos.
The group’s early days found it battling music censorship while promoting young Americans to vote. It’s why this reporter reached out to Rock the Vote earlier this week with two simple questions.
- Will the group’s livestream event, which features notable Democrats, include any Republican officials? If not, did Rock the Vote attempt to invite any? Can you confirm which ones?
- We’re seeing censorship issues spike across the culture, from HBO Max temporarily taking down “Gone with the Wind” to Big Tech giants removing content they deem incorrect about COVID-19 – even though much of what we know about the virus is evolving. Does Rock the Vote have any statement on these censorship issues given how important the issue has been to the group in the past – “Censorship is Un-American?”
The group’s press offense did not respond to the time-sensitive query. Then again, how could it? Take a gander at its latest “nonpartisan” effort.
The “Democracy Summer” event on June 18 will feature Katy Perry and the Black Eyed Peas along with performances from Ne-Yo, Big Freedia, Lucy Hale, Amara La Negra, Saweetie, Leslie Grace, Dove Cameron and Sofia Carson.
Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Cory Booker, plus former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Julian Castro will share the spotlight, too.
“The young people of America are speaking loud and clear on the streets and online, and come November, it will be more important than ever to fight for justice and equality, and against systemic racism, with our ballots,” Perry said in a statement shared with Rolling Stone.
Does any of that sound remotely nonpartisan?
The group’s About Us page plays into the victimhood status of today’s Millennials, sharing liberal talking points in the process.
From the rise of voter ID laws to intensified efforts to remove polling sites from college campuses, young people must navigate obstacles designed to keep them from making their voices heard.
Rock the Vote could provide a valuable service in these turbulent times. Too many young Americans think hate speech should be illegal. College campuses are awash with students unwilling to broach debate, let alone consider, alternative views.
We’re seeing that play out across the country right now, and it should be a deeply apolitical issue.
Rock the Vote could leverage its celebrity clout to speak up for free expression.
“I’m Katy Perry, and you may not like the way I vote, but I support your right to say so. Can’t we embrace that sentiment … again? This is still America, y’all!”
Instead, the group doubles down on its progressive bona fides while clinging to an absurd apolitical pose.
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