'Tailgates & Tanlines'? Luke Bryan's DeSantis stunt was more like bullfeathers & blarney

It’s a tradition that when an election season enters its final stage, opinion pages – including ours – stop running letters that openly endorse or fawn over specific candidates.

Trust me: I absolutely do not want that tradition to be changed.

Ever.

At all.

(I did say "ever," right?)

In fact, I’d actually like to propose another election-season ban – one that I think should become effective the minute the midterm elections mercifully end on Tuesday.

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I propose a total, blanket ban on celebrities of all types serving as gratuitous campaign props for political candidates of all stripes at any point ever during any election season at any level.

(I did say "ever," right?)

I’m making this proposal as a public service in the aftermath of country music star Luke Bryan openly inviting Gov. Ron DeSantis on stage during the singer’s recent concert in Jacksonville.

Yep, that’s right, the same DeSantis who daily breaks new ground in shape-shifting time travel in his quest to simultaneously run two campaigns to achieve two political goals that are two years apart: being reelected as Florida’s governor on Nov. 8 and becoming president of the United States in 2024.

In a tweet defending his decision to haul the polarizing DeSantis on stage, Bryan said it was solely about helping to raise awareness regarding relief efforts for Hurricane Ian victims in Florida – and merely a good ole fun way to add to the party atmosphere during the Jacksonville concert, which was full of fans in town for the annual Georgia-Florida college football game.

Sigh.

Let’s put aside the fact that DeSantis sharing a stage with Luke Bryan in the middle of a sold-out Luke Bryan concert ranks among the most masterful political trolling jobs in recent history, given that Bryan receives an estimated $12 million annual salary to serve as a talent show judge on a TV network operated by the Walt Disney Co.– the very same company DeSantis blatantly targeted for retribution after it raised opposition to Florida's divisive, anti-LGBTQ “Parental Rights in Education” law.

Yes, something that absurd actually did happen. And, yes, that is pretty difficult to believe.

But even that's easier to believe than believing Bryan wasn't trying to help DeSantis out politically when he gave DeSantis free rein to do some campaign-mode vamping while receiving a warm "Look, we're bros" embrace from the singer.

Come on, now. You really don't believe that, do you?

If you do, could I respectfully suggest that you’ve had “One Margarita” too many?

Now let’s stop here to get a few facts out of the way:

►At last count, I have four Luke Bryan songs on my playlist.

►Bryan's album “Tailgates & Tanlines” is one of my favorite albums by any artist, period.

►And while you can judge me all you want for it, I firmly contend that the lyric “Girl, you make my speakers go boom boom" – which is from Bryan’s hit “Drunk on You” – is among the greatest lines ever penned in a song.

So, please, spare me the “You’re just engaging in elitist bashing” blah-blah-blah on this one.

I'm a Luke Bryan fan. I like him as an artist. And he seems to be a decent enough dude overall.

But let's ponder this:

If we're to believe Bryan's tweet that DeSantis' presence had everything to do with raising awareness about storm fundraising and nothing to do with politics, shouldn't it bother the singer that most of the publicity from the governor's stage appearance has focused on the reported thunderous applause and "deafening rockstar welcome" DeSantis received from the Jacksonville crowd – and that very little of the attention has centered on hurricane relief money?

Shouldn't it bother Bryan that DeSantis has been making political hay from his stage cameo by posting photos on his campaign Twitter page gleefully boasting about how the singer let him "crash the party"?

Apparently, none of that does bother Bryan, because there's been nary a dissenting tweet from him about any of the above. And here's betting one margarita that none will be forthcoming either.

Now, sure, some of the backlash has been silly regarding Bryan's "Come on out, Gov. Ron!" stunt.

No, there is no reason to boycott Bryan's future music and work – as some disaffected fans have threatened to do. And, no, there is no reason to suddenly disavow being a fan of Bryan's music and work in the past.

I mean, I'm telling you this right now: the four Luke Bryan songs on my playlist sure aren't going to disappear.

Ever.

At all.

(I did say "ever," right?)

But if there's anything that's become even more annoying than watching celebrities shamelessly offer themselves up as political props for politicians during election campaigns, it's seeing some of them, like Bryan, go to less-than-candid lengths to try and convince us that's not what they're doing.

Sorry, Luke, but any party where disingenuousness is a prominent guest is not one that I have any interest in crashing.

At all.

And, yes, I do mean "ever." 

Opinions Editor Roger Brown can be reached at roger.brown@heraldtribune.com. Follow him on Twitter @RBrown_HTOpin.

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Luke Bryan danced to Ron DeSantis' tune by inviting governor on stage