One thing I have learned from my experience interning with Headcount is that it truly is a civic duty to participate in the democratic process. It is important if you care about the political system to vote. That being said, there are many people who I love who still did not vote. One of those people is Kanye West.
Last night, during a performance in San Jose, Kanye West went on a typical Kanye rant proudly shouting, “This is my platform and I'm going to talk about the paradigm shift that's happening right now. If I would’ve voted, I would’ve voted on Trump. That don’t mean that I don’t think that black lives matter. That don’t mean I don’t believe in women’s rights. There’s nonpolitical methods to speaking that I like, that I feel were very futuristic. And that style, and that method of communication, has proven that it can beat a politically correct way of communication. And I fuck with that… I actually think that his approach was absolutely genius. Because it fucking worked! Whether you voted for Hillary or Trump, this is a safe space for both of you, Stop focusing on racism, We are in a racist country - period."
This rant took about 40 minutes and immediately set off a firestorm in the blogosphere. Fans of Kanye even booed the rapper. Personally, I’m surprised folks can still be offended and surprised by Kanye statements, I mean was this worse than his proclamation of Bill Cosby’s innocence on Twitter? But, hey, people are entitled to their opinion.
Now, Kanye on many occasions has teased the possibility of a Presidential bid in the year 2020 so I have some advice for him on that. First, stop flip-flopping Yeezy. Many people will not realize this, but Kanye also attended a Clinton fundraiser that costed a whole $2700 a plate. Also, remember that this is the same guy who said in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina that George W. Bush doesn’t care about black people. Can you imagine the fact checking that would go on the debate stage. Campaign ads are going to refer to him as “Kanye Mr. Inconsistent”. My other piece of advice, VOTE. If your going to run for President, your going to be traveling the country encouraging people to vote. Doesn’t that qualify him for the worst attack a politician can receive? A hypocrite.
So, Kanye may run for President against the guy he claims to support, but he has a lot to learn in these next four years if he wants to take that next big step to The White House. Good luck Mr. West. I may not vote for you for President but damn, I still have blind love for his dope bars.