Kelly Clarkson's Retro, Uplifting Dream of Unity

Hillary Clinton’s recent memoir What Happened opens with a quote: “That which does not kill us makes us stronger.” It’s attributed to “Friedrich Nietzsche (and Kelly Clarkson).” When she learned of this citation, Clarkson, a Clinton supporter in the 2016 election, responded online with a “Yaaaasssss!,” a string of emojis, and a new hashtag: #philosophergoals.

Clarkson is one of many pop belters in a mutual-admiration society with the first female presidential nominee for a major party. But from some angles—or perhaps from the vantage point of Clarkson’s breakout year, 2002—it’s odd that such an entertainer would be so publicly tied with a partisan figure. The first winner once represented the belief that the nation is, well, one nation: united in Tuesday night TV viewing and an appreciation for Etta James’s “At Last,” if nothing else. Listening to her new album, , raises the question of what’s