Are Kanye West and Roseanne Barr Really Conservatives?
Not many weeks ago conservatives were beside themselves with glee because Kanye West had sang praises to President Trump. As West’s 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.”
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 if they 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.
Then there are self-professed conservatives calling Roseanne Barr a conservative, when in reality she is anything but conservative.
I haven’t seen the reboot of the Roseanne Show. I watched the original Roseanne Show twice that I can remember. I mention that for the sake of transparency. I’m not ashamed to say that I’ve retweeted some of Roseanne’s tweets and she has retweeted some of mine. I have also hash-tagged her on some tweets.
However, just because Roseanne seemed to show favor for President Trump, that in no way makes her a conservative. It may not even make her a true supporter of the President. Call me suspicious but let me explain.
Television shows do not just happen overnight. They take time. It is not inconceivable that if Roseanne had been planning her come back for the past years, it would be an excellent ploy for her to boast that the show would be favorable to President Trump. What better way to hit the ground running with huge ratings born out President Trump’s massive support base?
A conservative from Colorado wrote me the following: Mychal, “And I say that as one who has not watched even sixty-seconds of her show.” If another network does pick up the show they need to leave all the ABC hired writers back at home. The show was never conservative. Roseanne herself may or may not be conservative. ABC used the bait of Roseanne voting for Trump to reel in conservatives so they could plow them with their typical liberal, LGBT, multi-cultural propaganda. It was a shame so many conservatives fell for it. When I saw the part with the young biological male child being celebrated and encouraged to prance around in girl’s clothing followed by the show about the muslim neighbor who was supposedly just a normal American I knew the show was typical ABC liberalism at work.
I find nothing this person said with which to disagree. I think it is fair to point out the detestable, albeit fully expected, Erebusic duplicitous double standards ABC, members of the cast, the mainstream media, Hollywood, ad nauseum employed. And while I wrote that very thing – it is a far cry from calling her a conservative. (See: ABC and Wanda Sykes Find Morals; mychal-massie.com; 5/29/2018)
It should be considered however, that her plan was always to cash in on the popularity of President Trump, before her hysterical joke blew up in her face.
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.
About the Author
Mychal Massie
Mychal S. Massie is an ordained minister who spent 13 years in full-time Christian Ministry. Today he serves as founder and Chairman of the Racial Policy Center (RPC), a think tank he officially founded in September 2015. RPC advocates for a colorblind society. He was founder and president of the non-profit “In His Name Ministries.” He is the former National Chairman of a conservative Capitol Hill think tank; and a former member of the think tank National Center for Public Policy Research. Read entire bio here