WHAT IF KANYE IS SERIOUS?

Imagining Kanye and Kim Kardashian West waving hands in front of White House would be quite a shock if this was year 2015. But we already have our crazy millionaire as president and a super model as first lady right now, so nothing is too shocking.

Real question is, can Kanye actually do it? If he can, why? What does he think he can achieve? Let’s see it together.

DESPITE BEING LATE…

As 2020 presidential elections looms close, declaration of West about his candidacy caused a shock in the public. In the end, he did not participate in any of the registiration process. There is still no indication that he has taken any actions required for candidacy up to this day.

The thing is, in many states the deadlines have already passed. Legally he still can collect signatures (amount varies between states) and finish the expected process to make it in the ballots. Obviously, money is not an issue, but there are loads of work he is required to pursue and nobody really believes he is that serious to achieve that. But what if he is that serious?

IF HE IS SERIOUS, WHY?

There could be a couple reasons behind such actions for Kanye. Firstly, he might be interested in a marketing scheme for his upcoming album. If that is really the case, I can say that he already made enough publicity with a week of circulating news about his candidacy.

Secondly, existence of Kanye West in the ballots, can tip the already fragile balance in favour of one of the candidates. More specificly Donald Trump. To understand Kanye’s motives, we need to think of U.S election system and political parties first. Let’s get one thing straight, most majority of Americans will not vote for an independent candidate. In two party system, an independent contender has no chance of winning the election and this causes voters to think its a lost cause no matter how great candidate he might be. Therefore, if you are not part of politics for a while in an established party like Democrats or Republicans, there is no chance you will end up on the seat.

Mostly likely, Kanye West is aware of that as well. If he is not racing to win, then he is interested in making sure one of the candidates will lose with him too.

KANYE’S FRIENDS IN HIGH PLACES

Kanye West is not an artist that entered the world of politics today. He actually visited President Trump back in 2018 in White House. During this visit, he made it clear that he was supporting Trump. He even wore the “MAGA” hat as well. On his announcement of candidacy, businessman Elon Musk declared his support to him as well. Unlike most Afro-American artists, West has closer opinions towards Republican Party. He opposes abortion and believes vaccines are evil. You would imagine a figure like this would not pick much attention on Democrat voters and that would be partially true. Yes, only partially.

HOW TO STEAL VOTES

Thinking about an independent candidate with conservative opinions, you would imagine he would damage a Republican campaign. But when the said candidate is black, things change a lot.

Kanye West and his wife Kim Kardashian are not just ultra popular celebrities, they also have a base in the youth. Young people who are not interested in politics might go for names they recognize from their lives rather than old politicians they do not care about.

Not just young people, but also black communities might come up with a suprise. Both parties candidates are not the best when it comes to identity politics. Joe Biden made a statement in 1977 that desegregation in U.S would cause his children to grow up in a “racial jungle”. Let’s say Trump is not really popular on black voters as well, obviously. In such an environment, it should not be shocking to see black communities would go for an alternative, especially one that they might see as their own.

Finally, I can say that West’s announcement of candidacy will make Trump happy. He might steal votes from Biden in crucial, cutting edge states which might give the required push to defend his seat. Despite its impossible, seeing West and Kardashian in the White House would not be a shock to many. Not after post 2016 America. See you next Monday!