Amy Klobuchar has been my Senator since 2007, and has been a political powerhouse in the state ever since. Nobody has come close to challenging her dominance, although it can’t really be said that is because she has a political machine. She really doesn’t.

Her power results from being, or appearing actually, to be a very nice person. People who actually worked for her begged to differ, telling tales of serial abuse and tantrums.

But that is not the Amy we see on display, and frankly is just another in a long line of examples of how many politicians are narcissistic sociopaths who use a superficial charm to get what they want. Nothing particularly special or noteworthy in itself. Sociopathy and politics go together like red wine and a good steak.

But Amy’s real superpower is a kind of policy vapidity. She isn’t a leader who takes on the big issues, and while she is personally very ambitious it is hard to see why. She doesn’t want to achieve great things; she just wants to be greatly powerful without purpose.

That’s why her latest crusade is a perfect metaphor for Klobuchar’s career, and a warning sign for Democrats who still see her as a viable candidate for president should Joe Biden and Kamala Harris implode over the next two years. And I still believe they are likely to do so, because whatever surface success they have had politically, it will be unlikely to be matched with any real world success.

What can’t go on forever, doesn’t.

Klobuchar, in the midst of multiple crises and the growing corporate and political scandal that is the FTX crypto collapse, has found an important target to go after. The perfect target for a policy midget: Ticketmaster.

Don’t get me wrong: Ticketmaster is an evil monopoly, and it deserves all the scorn we can heap on it. I’m down with that. I’m pretty sure, though, that the company screwing up the sales of Taylor Swift concert tickets doesn’t quite rise to the crisis level that requires a US Senator’s attention right now. Certainly not the attention of a former and likely future presidential candidate.

Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) sent a letter on Thursday to the head of Live Nation Entertainment, accusing the company of abusing its market positions and violating a consent decree amid widespread criticism of Ticketmaster as fans struggle to purchase tickets for an upcoming Taylor Swift tour.

Taylor Swift. A fine, talented singer. Millions want to see her sing. I get that. I loved 1989, and I am in my 50s. As you can guess, I am musically shallow.

Yet I am hardly as politically shallow as Klobuchar, who defines lightweight when it comes to dealing with important matters. She has never seen a serious problem that she didn’t want others to lead on. Leave the micro-issues to her.

Klobuchar’s political shallowness may result from her actual shallowness, but it may also result from a calculation that doing important, meaningful things is politically dangerous. You make enemies as well as friends. You expend political capital, while Klobuchar husbands it as if there will be a famine to be endured. Or a presidential campaign to survive.

It is Klobuchar’s very shallowness that keeps her in the top-tier of candidates for president, but also what prevents her from attaining the peak of power. Bernie Sanders is the most popular national Democrat figure in the country precisely because he stands for things. Stupid, harmful things, but things that others stand for. Joe Biden even takes stands on serious issues, even exceeding Sanders’ ability to be wrong at times.

Klobuchar’s career is both a testament to the power of vapidity, and hopefully to its limits. Kamala Harris, another lightweight of amusing proportions, looks like a policy giant compared to likable Amy.

Yet don’t be surprised to see Amy make it to a #2 spot on a future presidential ticket, and perhaps wind up one heartbeat away from the presidency.

Vapidity apparently has a power all its own.