Kanye West and “Blexit”

I find it highly suspect that Kanye West was somehow fooled into being used to spread a message that he now claims he doesn’t believe in. And that he had no part nor interest in #Blexit” and that includes the supposed clothing line. And let me say that I have no ill-will or disrespect for West’s supposed change of heart.

Kanye West is a complicated individual who has a long history of changing his mind without warning and most of the time for reasons truly known only by him. So it comes as no real surprise to me that he is now singing (pun intended) a different tune about the supposed “same team, same goals” relationship he claimed with President Trump just a couple of weeks ago.

That said, I warned those who were tripping over themselves with glee because they believed West to be a “conservative.” He is not a conservative – he is an opportunist. On the balance I am ambivalent pursuant to same. My reason for being ambivalent is because I never bought the nonsense that every time a person, and specifically a black person, behaves in a way that on the surface appears to betray progressivism, it means they have suddenly become conservatives.

West is a leopard and leopards do not change their spots. They adapt to different environments. I am inclined to believe that Kanye West is simply being Kanye West. If that makes those who were doing happy dances in the street because they thought he had changed his political leanings, permit me to remind you there is no real record that West has any political leanings. I am not inclined to say West was dishonest; I do believe the hyper-zealous who are desperate to claim a “black conservative” as a trophy of validation are guilty of a Pavlovian response. With that said, if you wait long enough you can be assured West will flip in yet another direction. But I digress.

In my June 4, 2018, syndicated op-ed I wrote: “Not many weeks ago conservatives were beside themselves with glee because Kanye West had sang praises to President Trump. As West went full steam ahead on what I called his “President Trump is good tour,” the excitement of being able to label West a “black conservative” no matter how far from reality said claim was/is had people ecstatic. He was the new national hero. People wrote me saying that West should run for office. His only qualification – overnight he supposedly became a “black conservative.” (See: Are Kanye West and Roseanne Barr Really Conservatives)

I hate to be the skunk at the proverbial picnic but let me point out a few things. At least two-weeks before West began praising President Trump, his sister-in-law called for President Trump to pardon a woman who was serving life in prison for murdering a family member. The female killer had been imprisoned for most of her adult life and the Kardashian sister wanted President Trump to do something about it. Shortly after that Kanye West began his “Praise President Trump” accolades.

After West had invested an appropriate amount of time praising President Trump, his wife, the ubiquitous Kim Kardashian, begin her jeremiad for the imprisoned woman – publicly calling for President Trump to pardon the drug dealer or at least to have her sentence commuted so the woman could be freed. That was followed with a hastily arranged Oval Office meeting with President Trump and Kardashian to discuss prison reform.

Though West’s “praise President Trump” may make him a “color-coded conservative” to some, I view West’s praise as nothing more than publicly schmoozing the President to get what his wife and sister-in-law wanted. If West’s wife had not been granted the meeting she wanted, you can bet dollars to donuts that West’s tune would have changed from praise to condemnation.

Their praise for President Trump may still turn into condemnation of the President if the West and the Kardashian families do not get what they want. They want their friend out of jail and they want her out now. Yet, people are still blathering that West is a “black conservative.” Until I see much more evidence than I see now, I argue the only factful part of that narrative is the part about West being a color.

To be sure, I’m not saying President Trump doesn’t deserve the praise of Kanye West; I’m saying that West’s praise can go away as quickly as it appeared. Nor am I condemning Roseanne. I’m saying that conservatives must be alert to the machinations liberals use while pretending to be our friends when in reality they may be interested only in using us for their personal gain.