Why Taylor Swift Mania Seized Capitol Hill
Hill staffers and interns filled the Capitol Rotunda hoping to see the pop star.
— -- For a few hours today, things on Capitol Hill ground to a standstill — not because of a legislative deadlock or a government shutdown — but because of international pop sensation Taylor Swift.
Blame the interns.
The Grammy-award winning artist performed at the Washington's Nationals Park Monday night to a crowd that included several senators.
Many suspected that Swift would visit Capitol Hill the next day. There was pleading by staffers and offers of a tour.
Even House members made pitches, competing to claim Swift as “mine.”
Suddenly, there were the rumors of a sighting.
It’s unclear where they started, but Don Stewart, spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, fanned the flames.
And the interns were on the hunt.
“The supervisor in our office got a text from their friend, and my friend also heard from someone who saw her in the rotunda,” said an intern in Rep. Brendan Boyle’s office (D-PA).
“This is nuts, dude. I feel dumb — but at the same time, I want to see her,” said an intern in the office of Sen. James Risch (R-ID).
The waiting crowds seemed to self-multiply, with others joining a group on the lookout — only because they saw people waiting.
“I saw a bunch of people waiting, and I thought it has to be either Taylor Swift or Roger Goodell. A buddy of mine saw him, so I had to go try to hunt him down,” said Ryan Brenner, an intern.
In fairness to interns and staffers, they weren’t the only fans excited by the prospect of a Swift visit.
“I’d love to see her,” said Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT). “I really admire her.”
A songwriter himself, Hatch said he’d even like to write a song with Swift.
“I’d like to, yeah. I doubt that she would, but I’d like to.”
One representative’s office even sent their dog to find the singer-songwriter.
Even Hillary Clinton couldn’t escape the frenzy. The Democratic presidential candidate was visiting with Democrats on the Hill, and after her brief statement on the Iran deal, one reporter shouted after her, “Are you going to the Taylor Swift concert?”
The saddest fear, however, came creeping in — that Swift hadn’t visited the Senate or the House or anyone or anything. The rumors were sweeter than fiction.
But there were no tear drops on any guitars, no one called Swift “mean” — and it certainly didn’t stop anyone from having some fun with the idea.
“Don’t worry about your silly question, I will just shake it off,” said a senior Democratic aide about whether Swift visited their office. “Silly questions will never go out of style, and you haven’t created any bad blood between us.”
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