Kanye West for President?

[Babbylonian]

I think so too. However, the belief might be mistaken. I doubt many people who would have otherwise voted for Biden will be fooled by this. Whether any potential Trump voters might be fooled is another question. But in the end, I imagine either group will be too small to make a significant difference either way.

I think it's absolutely mistaken. To hold such a belief is to believe that black people are beyond stupid. Not only is Kanye completely unqualified but he's a supporter of our current unqualified and racist president. He's even been open about having bipolar disorder which, judging by his frequent behavioral problems, seems to be untreated.

Voting for him doesn't even send any coherent political message apart from "**** it, burn it all down," a message communicated with equal clarity by voting for Trump.

 

[Lurch]

You know that things are seriously careening off the rails in American politics when this kind of craziness is even contemplated, much less followed through on. Blimey. Y'all already have a 3-ring circus going on. What in creation is next?

 

[Craig4]

What in creation is next?

Most of us have kind of learned not to ask that question.

 

[Norman Alexander]

Hey, it's not like the US population to elect any untreated crazy idiot spouting his mouth off as president, is it!

 

[Mumbles]

Any Republican trying to get Kanye on a ballot is doing so in the cynical belief that a significant number of black people will vote for him over any white candidate.

They should have discussed this with Al Sharpton, Alan Keyes, Herman Cain, and Ben Carson...

 

[Babbylonian]

They should have discussed this with Al Sharpton, Alan Keyes, Herman Cain, and Ben Carson...

At the risk of appearing to defend Republican racism, none of those were independent spoiler candidates.

 

[Mumbles]

At the risk of appearing to defend Republican racism, none of those were independent spoiler candidates.

True, Kanye is even weaker than Al Sharpton in this regard; I expect he'd mostly pull young black Republicans and (especially) independents that wouldn't bother voting.

Among white voters, and other groups...dunno.

 

[Delvo]

He's still at it. This would be a long time for a manic episode. From the way he's been talking it sounds more like a case of narcissism beyond even Trump's level being flavored by religious delusion/hallucination.

 

[Puppycow]

Which states will have Kanye West on the ballot now that access deadlines have passed?

11 states, but only Minnesota seems like it might be a swing state.

Of the states where West has been victorious in his long shot bid, the most keenly-watched swing states are Colorado and Minnesota, both competitive states that lean Democrat and voted for Hillary Clinton in 2016. In Colorado, Clinton won by a narrow five percentage points, and Minnesota, she only won by 1.5 percentage points.

Now, although the article describes Colorado as a swing state, I doubt it will be very close there, unless the polls are waaaay off. According to 538 Biden is up by 13.7% in the average of polls in Colorado, and they give him a 96% chance of winning. If Trump somehow manages to win there, I think it means that polling is broken. Minnesota is tighter, with Biden up by 8 points and they give him a 92% chance of winning.

West is also on the ballot in a slate of Republican states, including Kentucky, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, Utah, Idaho, Iowa and Tennessee, and the deeply blue state of Vermont. . . . In Mississippi, another Republican state, West filed to get on the ballot on Friday.

Of the states on that list, Iowa actually seems to be a close race, according to 538. They think it's a coin flip (exactly 50/50 right now). If Biden wins there, he likely has more than enough EC votes already. A month ago, Trump was favored to win Iowa, but the race has actually tightened there. The most recent polls in the average actually give a slight edge to Biden. And of course, anyone in any state can write his name in if they want to throw their vote away.

Bottom line, It's hard to imagine Kanye having any significant effect on this election as a spoiler, unless I'm vastly underestimating his support.

 

[angrysoba]

He's still at it. This would be a long time for a manic episode. From the way he's been talking it sounds more like a case of narcissism beyond even Trump's level being flavored by religious delusion/hallucination.

Of course, he is still at it. He is on the ballot papers, right? They were printed a while back so obviously there is no turning back now.

I started trying to listen to him on the Joe Rogan show, but I had to switch it off after only a few minutes. He started blathering on about God and whatever. Nope, if you believe you were chosen by God to run for president then frankly you are insane. The fact that this is a socially acceptable form of insanity (in America) is neither here nor there. It is insanity.

 

[elemental]

He was on my ballot in Utah. I hope wherever he's on a ballot he takes potential trump voters. I never understood the reasoning that he would divert votes from Biden.

 

[angrysoba]

He was on my ballot in Utah. I hope wherever he's on a ballot he takes potential trump voters. I never understood the reasoning that he would divert votes from Biden.

I think the idea is that because he is black, black people might vote for him instead of Biden.

Weirdly enough, 50 Cent also apparently had endorsed Trump, or at least had said he did not want to vote for Biden, and his ex-girlfriend said she "reminded him he was black" (Link) and said he shouldn't influence his followers to vote Trump.

Presumably something like that is being feared whereby Kanye fans who might otherwise vote for Biden will vote for him.

Then there is Ice Cube who it seems to me is letting himself be a useful idiot for Trump.

 

[Mumbles]

I think the idea is that because he is black, black people might vote for him instead of Biden.

Weirdly enough, 50 Cent also apparently had endorsed Trump, or at least had said he did not want to vote for Biden, and his ex-girlfriend said she "reminded him he was black" (Link) and said he shouldn't influence his followers to vote Trump.

Presumably something like that is being feared whereby Kanye fans who might otherwise vote for Biden will vote for him.

Then there is Ice Cube who it seems to me is letting himself be a useful idiot for Trump.

No, 50 was regarded as "voting for Dolt 45" for a minute due to his wealth, but backed out of that one.

Cube only damaged himself - he popped up very recently with a "contract with black America" that received no input from anyone but straight, cis black men and thus only reflects their (our) issues, bragged about how Dolt 45 was the only candidate that addressed his document, and then gave a series of disastrous interviews with Cuomo and Roland Martin where it became apparent that he didn't understand his own document.

Then it was learned that Kamala Harris offered to speak with him, and he rejected it.

Then people looked at Dolt 45's plan, and noticed it was nothing much - particularly compared to what Biden and Harris had on their site for months after working with a wide variety of black people from different walks of life, along with numerous experts of different races.

Oops.

(West, meanwhile, ranted on Twitter, released a vaguely dominionist ad where he didn't look at the camera, and gave an interview with Joe Rogan that was just painfully embarrassing - it began with him stating he decided to run because God inspired him while he was taking a shower, and went downhill rapidly from there)

 

[angrysoba]

No, 50 was regarded as "voting for Dolt 45" for a minute due to his wealth, but backed out of that one.

Cube only damaged himself - he popped up very recently with a "contract with black America" that received no input from anyone but straight, cis black men and thus only reflects their (our) issues, bragged about how Dolt 45 was the only candidate that addressed his document, and then gave a series of disastrous interviews with Cuomo and Roland Martin where it became apparent that he didn't understand his own document.

Then it was learned that Kamala Harris offered to speak with him, and he rejected it.

Then people looked at Dolt 45's plan, and noticed it was nothing much - particularly compared to what Biden and Harris had on their site for months after working with a wide variety of black people from different walks of life, along with numerous experts of different races.

Oops.

(West, meanwhile, ranted on Twitter, released a vaguely dominionist ad where he didn't look at the camera, and gave an interview with Joe Rogan that was just painfully embarrassing - it began with him stating he decided to run because God inspired him while he was taking a shower, and went downhill rapidly from there)

Not sure what you mean by "No". It looks like you are agreeing with what I said unless you are disputing that 50 Cent ever endorsed Trump.

He did exactly that on his Instagram:

WHAT THE ****! (VOTE ForTRUMP) IM OUT, ***** NEW YORK The KNICKS never win anyway. *I don’t care Trump doesn’t like black people 62% are you out of ya ******* mind.

Guardian story

 

[Armitage72]

I think the idea is that because he is black, black people might vote for him instead of Biden.

That was pretty much the same logic that led to Sarah Palin. All of the women disappointed that Hillary didn't get the 2008 nomination would ignore the issues and vote for the party with a woman on the ticket.

 

[Stacyhs]

That was pretty much the same logic that led to Sarah Palin. All of the women disappointed that Hillary didn't get the 2008 nomination would ignore the issues and vote for the party with a woman on the ticket.

I think McCain came to deeply regret his choice in Palin.

 

[angrysoba]

That was pretty much the same logic that led to Sarah Palin. All of the women disappointed that Hillary didn't get the 2008 nomination would ignore the issues and vote for the party with a woman on the ticket.

That's even more stupid if it was a strategy. "Make Kanye run so that black people vote for a ticket with a black person!"

 

[Babbylonian]

I think McCain came to deeply regret his choice in Palin.

She wasn't truly his choice no matter how fervently he claimed he made the decision. Palin was yet more evidence that he wasn't the maverick he made himself out to be since he would have known within ten minutes that she was a ******* dunce.

 

[Mumbles]

Not sure what you mean by "No". It looks like you are agreeing with what I said unless you are disputing that 50 Cent ever endorsed Trump.

He did exactly that on his Instagram:



Guardian story

He also said, almost immediately, that he was just reacting to something he saw on tv, and sending out a quick knee-jerk response. Honestly, this reminds me of Joe Rogan's "endorsement" of Sanders - it's not really a thoughtful endorsement at all, but campaigns will rush to tout it as such even when it's just "I dunno, I guess I'll go with Soandso."

 

[Stacyhs]

She wasn't truly his choice no matter how fervently he claimed he made the decision. Palin was yet more evidence that he wasn't the maverick he made himself out to be since he would have known within ten minutes that she was a ******* dunce.

True. Ten minutes with her would have revealed her for the idiot she is. Yet they put her on the ticket.