The Kanye - VSG bromance

It's certainly getting him a lot of identity-politics upbraiding, isn't it?

Donna Brazile takes the how-dare-he stance to a really strange level:

Former interim Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Donna Brazile tweeted Thursday that Kanye West has "set us back 155 years" in response to his exuberant praise of President Trump while meeting at the White House.

Brazile expressed frustration with West, who has voiced skepticism of the 13th Amendment, which outlawed slavery, as well as told reporters in the Oval Office that "Trump is on his hero's journey right now."

#KanyeWest has set us back 155 years. Wish #SojournerTruth could have met him outside the White House and #FrederickDouglasinside the Oval Office.@BarackObama never would have become President with this crap.

But, let’s meet #Kayne on #ElectionDay by voting for Democrats. https://t.co/nmapsl7pK3

— Donna Brazile (@donnabrazile) October 11, 2018

So does Don Lemon:

As Twitchy reported, CNN’s Don Lemon already did himself proud Thursday during “The Situation Room” by going on another racist rant against “token negro” Kanye West, calling his conversation with President Trump in the Oval Office a “minstrel show.”
“This has nothing to do with being liberal or a conservative,” he added. Yeah, right.
Apparently out of racist things to say about West, Lemon decided to invoke West’s mother, who died in 2007, saying she was “rolling over in her grave” today.

Don Lemon Slams Kanye's Oval Office 'Minstrel Show,' Says Rapper's Mom 'Rolling Over in Her Grave' https://t.co/dKO7WVj4ztpic.twitter.com/RjX46IVOvG

— Mediaite (@Mediaite) October 12, 2018 

But consider that outrageousness is not a newly exhibited trait for Kanye, by any means:

Kanye West wasn’t my cup of tea back in his “George Bush doesn’t care about black people” days, nor his “comparing himself to Jesus” days, nor his “Imma let you finish, but” Taylor Swift–interrupting days. I don’t really see why I should suddenly change my opinion on the guy just because he’s found a Republican president he likes. I have no doubt that the budding friendship between Donald Trump and Kanye West is genuine, though: They’re both egomaniacal narcissists with model wives who play the media like a fiddle, and as the saying goes, “game respects game.”

What is pretty revealing is how quickly West was denounced for this particular shift in his beliefs. Last night the big talking point on cable news was that West was mentally ill.

They make this accusation now? This is a man who voluntarily signed on to the constant drama circus that is life married to a Kardashian. This is a man whose surname is West — and then chose to name his daughter “North.” This is a man who recorded his debut single with his jaw wired shut after a car accident. This is a man who announced plans to run for president in 2020 back in 2015. This is a man who promoted his sneakers with nude models. This is a man who staged a “fashion show” on Roosevelt Island in New York City where most of the models were wearing translucent outfits and some fainted in the stifling heat.

This is a man who stormed out of the American Music Awards after he didn’t win in 2004; declared himself the voice of his generation in 2008; declared, “My greatest pain in life is that I will never be able to see myself perform live” in 2009; declared, “I would never want a book’s autograph, I am a proud non-reader of books” in 2009; performed for the authoritarian ruler of Kazakhistan in 2013; declared, “Black people don’t have the same level of connections as Jewish people” in 2013; declared himself “the Steve Jobs of the Internet” in 2013 (wouldn’t the Steve Jobs of the Internet be . . . Steve Jobs?); described himself, “I am Warhol! I am the number one most impactful artist of our generation. I am Shakespeare in the flesh,” in 2013; followed up on his interrupting stunt with Taylor Swift with an aborted attempt to interrupt Beck in 2015; declared, “Everyone is a fashion insider, because it’s illegal to be naked” in 2016; contended that Jay-Z was threatening to kill him in 2016; depicted naked celebrities in a 2016 video; and declared himself “50 per cent more influential than any other human being” in 2016.

And now the cable-news crowd deems Kanye crazy?

Come on. Hugging Donald Trump as he’s sitting behind the Resolute Desk doesn’t even crack the top 30 craziest things Kanye West has ever done.

What this is all about is the success the Left has had in entrenching the notion that the Very Stable Genius is a racist in the public consciousness. Look, he's a lot of things (and a post about the current state of my position on him is brewing in my overly fertile brain; for the time being, suffice it to say that I stand where I have since he got elected: I applaud the good moves (primarily judicial appointments and regulation rollback) and forthrightly point out the latest manifestations of his overall objectionableness when that's warranted.), but let's dispense with the notion that he harbors bigotry or notions of racial superiority / inferiority.

But what about the "fine people on both sides" remark after Charlottesville? 

Just emblematic of the general lack of a filter between his brain and his mouth, like calling Kim Jong-un talented and a strong leader who enjoys the love of his people.

No, this one is about the race-hustlers insisting that icons within their demographic not stray from the party line. Just like the feminists and the way they're reacting to Susan Collins.

As Jim Geraghty says in the excerpt above, this was just a couple of guys who relate to each other based on their narcissism and the aforementioned lack of a filter between the brain and the mouth.

It's perfectly natural that they'd become buds.