Opinion · October 25, 2026
Marsha Blackburn’s AI dance video is embarrassing. The more interesting problem is that the technology she is happy to use for campaign attention is also the technology politicians promise to restrain when artists ask who gets to exploit their work.
The record behind the cringe
WPLN’s October 21 report examined a video Blackburn posted October 13 that imitated Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl performance. Blackburn said her team reposted rather than created it and denied intending offense. WPLN also noted her support for protections associated with Tennessee’s ELVIS Act. The report did not establish that this video violated the law.
We are not declaring a copyright verdict from the snack aisle. We are judging a politician’s consistency. Reposting something is still a choice to distribute it. The “we only shared it” defense might explain production credits. It does not explain the standard the candidate applied.
Protections for thee, engagement for me
If a campaign wants applause for protecting creative work, it should be able to explain how its own promotional behavior respects that principle. Otherwise the policy becomes a flattering costume: wear it for the industry meeting, drop it for the viral clip.
There is also something profoundly tired about using a synthetic performance to advertise authenticity. Voters are being asked to evaluate an actual person’s judgment. An artificial version dancing through borrowed cultural imagery is not exactly a detailed governing plan. It is a distraction with better rendering.
Ask a question the video cannot answer
Campaigns using AI should disclose what was generated, who approved it and how they considered consent and ownership. Those are fair questions even when no court has ruled against them. Legal permission and good judgment are separate tests.
Blackburn can defend the decision in her own words. Preferably the real version, in front of actual questions. Tennessee does not need a governor who treats every uncomfortable issue as a chance to point at somebody else’s upload button. The awkward dancing may be synthetic. The responsibility is hers.
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Photo: US Senate Photography / Public domain. Resized and padded for display; photograph content unchanged.
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