To me, 2020 is really just one big episode of The Simpsons. Matt Groening is chock full of wacky ideas, and at this point, we’re waiting to see if a car is going to crash through the garage for real this time.
In this week’s episode of 2020, Kanye West wrote on Twitter about doing a “live interview” with the New York Times about his discussion with Jared Kushner, who may or may not be the doll from the film The Boy. In the tweet, West says that he gave the book PowerNomics by Dr. Claud Anderson to Kushner. In a new interview with Fox News’ Special Report, Brahms Kushner confirms that his meetup with West did take place last weekend in Telluride, Colorado.
“Kanye has been a friend for 10 years,” Kushner told host Bret Baier. “He’s a very, very special person, he’s a very successful music artist, he’s a very successful designer, he’s been very successful in a lot of the things he has done.” While I still feel that items from the Yeezy clothing brand look like mental facility garb from the ‘60s, I can’t argue with the fact that ‘Ye’s musical track record ain’t nothin’ to fuck with.
Kushner, with his punchable face, further says that he read the “absolutely phenomenal” book PowerNomics per West’s recommendation and believes that it “incorporated a lot of the things that President Trump has been doing.” Let it be known that the entire title is PowerNomics: The National Plan to Empower Black America, and per the book’s website, it claims to be “the missing link between the historical analysis of problems facing Blacks and the strategies needed to correct those problems.” The book also touches upon “Black America’s inappropriate behavior patterns that are driving it into a permanent underclass status”—notions that truly align with West’s interesting brand of conservatism and respectability politics.
Kushner adds that the duo had zero conversation about West’s Birthday Party platform and presidential run (not that anyone should have conversations about it, nor should they entertain it). While he’s reportedly “read in the press” the belief that Republicans are using West to pull Black votes from Joe Biden, he has “not discussed that directly with him.”
On that note: While he was successful in getting put on the ballot in Oklahoma, West missed deadlines to get on the ballot in several states such as South Carolina, California—and his home state of Illinois. There’s also been chatter of voter fraud that could spell trouble for West’s campaign.
According to a report from Vanity Fair, petitions for West to get on the ballot in New Jersey and Illinois featured suspicious signatures from supposed supporters. Chicago’s WTTW also reports that a petition backed by GOP officials also featured several odd signatures.
“I am glad to see the Kanye campaign has realized that their petition was not going to survive here,” New Jersey-based elections attorney Scott Salmon told NJ.com. “It was so clearly deficient that it wasn’t even worth defending. I think that’s the main takeaway here. I wish it wouldn’t have gotten this far.”
Remember: Election Day is Nov. 3. Please make sure you’re registered so that The Simpsons’ car doesn’t officially crash into the garage again.
Editor’s Note: As always, it is impossible to discuss Kanye West’s political aspirations without acknowledging that there is also a mental health component to consider, as he has publicly discussed his diagnosis of bipolar disorder. If you or anyone you know are struggling, please seek help: SAMHSA’s National Helpline, 1-800-662-HELP (4357), or TTY: 1-800-487-4889 is a confidential, free, 24-hour-a-day, 365-day-a-year, information service, in English and Spanish, for individuals and family members facing mental and/or substance use disorders.
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