The Blooming of Amber Rose

Don't look down your nose at the significance of Rose's RNC speech

The assassination attempt against Donald Trump is still ringing in the ears of the nation. What looked to be a pretty boring, straight-forward national convention for the Republican Party has now turned into a next-level, three-ring circus with something extraordinary to watch in every tent and on every stage. I heard a media analyst say last week, “The only thing the GOP needs to do right now is have the most boring convention ever.”

Mission NOT accomplished.

The tone and tenor of the Republican National Convention (RNC) shifted significantly after the murderous events of the weekend, naturally. But as I watched the first day of speakers and media coverage I realized the shift was already on in the bowels of the RNC planning committee. It was tragic fortune that joined the Trump momentum to the tonal shift at the RNC.

In a move I didn’t see coming, former Kanye West girlfriend and founder of the Sandra Fluke-inspired “SLUT WALK” Amber Rose was invited to address the conference on its opening day. I won’t rehash her claims to fame here, but if you look her up you’ll find she’s perhaps not most people’s idea of a modest woman. In fact, over the years I’ve had many criticisms for Amber, from her pro-abortion activism to her promiscuous lifestyle that put her at the beck-and-call of many famous male artists, a couple of whom she has children with.

She’s not someone you would imagine speaking up on behalf of a Republican nominee, but after watching her brief address I see now that is precisely the point.

Many Christian and conservative Republicans were distressed to see Rose appear on the RNC stage on Day 1, suggesting she represents a weakening of Republican morals. As a Christian, I understand this sentiment. She certainly hasn’t lived a life of good repute. But as a Christian I also understand that people change their minds about big ideas as they mature. Smart people see and admit when they’ve been wrong.

What I heard from Rose is a message every Republican should embrace…every American, in fact. I have to believe the people criticizing her inclusion did not watch her speech, because what I saw was a woman sharing the same paradigm shift we are hoping all progressives will eventually have.

In her address, Rose talked about the political stance of her youth and how she despised Trump as a racist and bigot, just like the mainstream media taught her to. But Rose, as it turns out, was raised by a military man, a patriot. Her father challenged her views one day, and because she seems to be an intelligent woman, she decided to “do the research” to prove him wrong.

Now, you may be wondering why I’m up here telling you this. I’m no politician and I don’t want to be, but I do care about the truth. And the truth is that the media has lied to us about Donald Trump. I know this because for a long time I believed those lies. So I’m here to set the record straight. The first person I knew who supported Donald Trump was my father. I was shocked. My entire family is racially diverse, and I believe the left-wing propaganda that Donald Trump was a racist. My father said, “No, he’s not Amber. What are you talking about?” And when I insisted, he said, “Prove it.” So to prove my father wrong, I did my research and looked into all things Donald Trump.

The research took her where all good research on this topic should…the truth.

People have to do their research. I watched all the rallies and I started meeting so many of you, his red hat wearing supporters. I realized Donald Trump and his supporters don’t care if you’re Black, white, gay, or straight. It’s all love. And that’s when it hit me. These are my people. This is where I belong. So I let go of my fear of judgment, of being misunderstood, of getting attacked by the left, and I put the red hat on too.

If you’ve been a supporter of my podcast you know I’ve been begging the Republican party to start being aggressive about capturing disillusioned voters, and to start being deliberate about wooing voters from traditionally anti-GOP sectors. Rose’s invitation to the RNC was exactly that. She wasn’t there to convince people who are already Trump fans to vote for Trump. She was there to speak to apprehensive voters who want a new path for the nation but are still feeling nervous about what they think they know about Trump and Republicans. She was there to pave a way for those curious enough to at least listen. Her five-minute speech was most likely seen by more non-Republicans than any speech in the entire week. Even CNN’s Van Jones recognized the significance of Rose’s inclusion in the event.

That was probably the most dangerous speech for the Democratic coalition. That is a young woman of color.

She's describing the experience a lot of people have, feeling that maybe if you're around too many liberals you might get criticized too much, or you might not be able to speak your mind. And she spoke to it really well. And she's way more famous than any of us up here. I'm going to tell you that. Way more famous. And so to the extent that these guys are trying to bust up our coalition, that was a bunker buster right there.

By the way, and it's one of the things we've been talking about, but there are speakers who speak to the room, and there are speakers who speak through the television screen. She speaks through the camera to the audience at home, not— I mean, she's effective in the room, but when you're yelling into the room, that is not communicating directly through the lens.

It’s important for religious Republicans to understand the difference between a church and a political party. Our faith expressions must be preserved, which is why we have doctrine and protocol to keep out false prophets and ideas. A political party, especially one in America, is a much wider tent. The Gospel is exclusive.

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” 1John 14:6

Political parties must be inclusive, because they are not selling the Gospel of faith, they are selling the gospel of freedom and the protection of freedom requires a wide base of soldiers. If we don’t welcome the changing landscape of American citizenry, we will lose the future of electoral politics. Our ideals are core and foundational. Those stay the same. The people who share those ideals will and should be diverse and eclectic. The Republican message needs to make it to every kind of voter, not just the ones who share our Christian values.

And by the way, I’m not even suggesting Amber Rose doesn’t share those values. I had a lot of negative things to say about her during her SLUT WALK/Kanye’s girlfriend days, but she’s been rather quiet on the progressive celebrity activist front lately. Now I see why.

Her past matters, of course, just like all of our pasts matter to who we are today. But let’s not forget another very important aspect of Rose’s life…she’s a mother of young children. A lot changes when you bring children into the world, including your politics. The world looks a lot different when you’re tasked with keeping the most important person on earth alive and thriving. The Amber Rose I saw on that stage was not some fake celebrity looking for easy attention. I saw a woman who became a mother and started growing up.

That’s a story as old as time. I don’t know why so many Republicans seem to have a hard time believing it.

The GOP has ignored atypical voters for far too long, and it has cost us dearly. It may well cost us our country. They absolutely should be making concerted efforts to reach those voters. We need them more than ever.

Our values and ideas don’t change, but our strategies can.