MEGHAN MCCAIN: Kanye’s a deranged bully — and now he’s an anti-Semite too. Yet desperate conservatives hero worship him because he’s a rare celebrity who’s on our side. How utterly pathetic?
Don’t throw your lot in with Kanye West – you’ll soon live to regret it.
Conservatives should have seen this coming a mile away.
After Kanye showed up at his Paris fashion show last week wearing a ‘White Lives Matter’ t-shirt in an apparent protest of ‘Black Lives Matter,’ he sparked outrage and was fawned over by many on the right.
The stunt even earned Kanye a segment on Tucker Carlson’s Fox News show, during which the rapper-turned-fashion designer ranted incoherently.
It was pathetic. But then over the weekend, it got worse.
Instagram and Twitter removed bizarrely anti-Semitic posts from Kanye’s accounts and blocked him from using their social media platforms.
I won’t go into what he said here – honestly, it is not worth my time to repeat his gibberish – but I immediately took to Instagram to hold my fellow conservatives to account for recently cheering him on.
Now, I agree that ‘Black Lives Matter’ as an organization deserves serious criticism. The faux-charity’s misuse of tens of millions of dollars in donations is an absolute scandal and demands intense scrutiny.
But is Kanye best the vehicle for this message? Are conservatives really that desperate?
As you can tell, I am not a fan of Kanye.
After Kanye showed up at his Paris fashion show last week wearing a ‘White Lives Matter’ t-shirt in an apparent protest of ‘Black Lives Matter,’ he sparked outrage and was fawned over by many on the right.
Long ago, any feelings of mine about his musical genius were undermined by his erratic public behavior, breakdowns, bullying and chaos. His harassment of his ex-wife, her former boyfriend Pete Davidson, and others is disturbing to say the least. And I have never believed that he is someone whose political opinion should be taken seriously.
I have also always been skeptical of celebrity worship by conservatives.
The Republican Party brand is supposed to be anti-celebrity and anti-elite. Yet anytime a big name shows even the slightest interest in conservative causes, they are granted prime time interviews and slobbered over by pundits and politicians.
It’s a bit embarrassing. But this Kanye incident hit home for me in a different way.
I am a deeply committed defender of Jewish people, a proud Zionist and an activist against antisemitism. And make no mistake — antisemitism is on the rise in America.
Now, conservatives must be just as vocal in condemning his outrageous antisemitic conspiracy theories, as they were applauding his BLM takedown.
It’s the least they can do.
Pathetically during times of turmoil and chaos, Jewish people are scapegoated. It has been true throughout the history of mankind. But when Jews are targeted, it is a sign of sickness in society. The hate goes together with conspiracy theories. It’s indicative of a community in collapse. One that can’t confront and solve its real problems and instead seeks someone to blame.
Antisemitism is a cancer and America needs to cut it out.
I was raised by very proud supporters of Israel. One of my dad’s closest friends and a man I consider an uncle is former Senator Joe Lieberman, an orthodox Jewish man. And I am struck by what is happening in this country.
The stunt even earned Kanye a segment on Tucker Carlson’s Fox News show (above), during which the rapper-turned-fashion designer ranted incoherently.
The Anti-Defamation League reported that anti-Semitic hate crimes and behaviors hit an all-time high in 2021, up 34% from the prior year, marking the most anti-Semitic attacks since they started tracking the data in the 1970s.
The level of vitriol directed at Jews and more subtly towards Jewish people through criticism of Israel is stunning. It seems to have infiltrated all parts of our society.
It is now normal to hear casually antisemitic comments from sitting members of Congress, media hosts, pop culture figures and beyond.
We’ve heard shocking rhetoric from the progressive founders of the Women’s March and ‘Squad’ members Ilhan Omar and Rashida Talib.
We’ve heard it from the far-right carnival barker Congresswomen Marjorie Taylor Green.
In the media and entertainment industry, Whoopi Goldberg, Nick Cannon, and Ice Cube have all had very public controversies following bizarre comments.
Chelsea Handler publicly fawned over Louis Farrakhan, an infamous antisemite, who denied the Holocaust and compared Jews to ‘termites’.
Models Bella and Gigi Hadid and Roger Waters of Pink Floyd claim to be advocates for peace, yet they rail against ‘Zionists,’ as if sincere defenders of Israel’s right to exist have no leg to stand on.
Believe me when I say, I received more hate and threats and suffered more social and career ramifications over my support for Israel than any other issues that I address.
Why is that?
One of the most grueling public appearances I have ever experienced occurred on ‘Late Night with Seth Meyers.’
He decided to take this opportunity to grill me over my criticism of Rep. Ilhan Omar after I called her out for saying, ‘Israel has hypnotized the world’ in 2012 as the Jewish state battled Hamas.
Meyers insisted that I was being unfair because Omar had apologized. She hadn’t. I wouldn’t back down and neither would he. He had so many justifications for Omar’s behavior. It was all garbage. The interview went viral. And the rest is history.
But that’s just a small glimpse of what the defenders of Israel are up against. An overwhelming left-wing culture that offers Israel no quarter.
That’s why it is so critical for conservatives to make their position clear. We do not countenance antisemitic garbage and we stand with Israel.
The left cannot be relied upon to take up this cause, so the right cannot compromise itself.
If conservatives don’t stand with our Jewish friends, who will?
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