The verdict is on Kanye West, and it doesn’t look good for the left. The hip-hop artist recently released his new album Ye, and his latest offering seems to be going over well with the critics. It appears that his support of President Donald Trump has not harmed his career at all, despite the efforts of the left.

On Monday afternoon, the rapper tweeted a headline proclaiming, “The Top 7 Songs On Apple Music and Spotify Are Occupied Entirely By ‘Ye’.” In the tweet, he expressed his gratitude for the fans who did not abandon him after his remarks regarding the president last month. “I feel so blessed,” he tweeted, “For everyone that didn’t turn they [sic] back. I’m in tears right now. I love all of you.”

I feel so blessed. For everyone that didn't turn they back. I'm in tears right now. I love all of you pic.twitter.com/8jwIALBsDu

— KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) June 4, 2018

After Kanye West famously posted a tweet stating that he “likes the way Candace Owens thinks,” the left dialed their smear campaign machine to the highest setting. Unfortunately for them, their efforts fell flat.

The Leftist Campaign

As you already know, the left rages when a black man – or another member of their valued victim class – rejects their ideology. Kanye West is no exception. After his tweet about conservative personality Candace Owens, he went on to criticize the far left’s “thought police.” He stated that “self-victimization is a disease.”

In a radio interview, the rapper also committed the mortal sin of criticizing the left’s messiah, President Barack Obama. West said that he “reached out to Obama for years and couldn’t get anything done, but Trump gave me a meeting.” As I stated in a previous article, to the far left, a black man uttering negative words about Obama is “like a U.S. Marine joining ISIS.”

Left-leaning news outlets published piece after piece slamming the artist and even questioning his mental health. After all, a black man would have to be mentally ill to reject the Democrats, right? Rapper Snoop Dogg repeatedly attacked West, even tweeting out a picture of West as a white man. T.I., another hip-hop artist, handled his disagreement with West in a more classy manner; they sat down, had a civil conversation, and even recorded a track expressing their opposing views.

In the end, Kanye West stuck to his guns. “You don’t have to agree with Trump, but the mob can’t make me not love him,” he tweeted. “We are both dragon energy. He is my brother. I love everyone. I don’t agree with everything anyone does. That’s what makes us individuals. And we have the right to independent thought.”

It appears Kanye West’s refusal to bend to the left has paid off. But this story has even more significant implications.

Bully Tactics Aren’t Effective

The left has often won victories in the culture war by intimidating those with whom they disagree. When a public figure or business dares to defy them, the far left launches brutal smear campaigns designed to cow their opposition into silence.

When West took his stand, Chance the Rapper tweeted “Black people don’t have to be Democrats.” Later, he rescinded his statement, issuing an apology in which he said that he didn’t make his comment because he actually agreed with West, he was just trying to defend a friend. Apparently, the left did not take kindly to Chance’s blasphemy. Hip-hop artist Meek Mill decided to back out of the Trump administration’s summit on prison reform because Jay Z told him not to attend. These situations make it seem as if the far left can coerce individuals into following their rules. However, this is far from the truth.

You could be forgiven for believing that the left has enough power to shut down those who express opposing views. In some cases, you might be right. However, they are not as powerful as they want you to believe; the success of West’s new album shows that their attacks can and do fail. Remember when David Hogg instigated a boycott against Laura Ingraham for one of her tweets? She lost a few advertisers, but still retained the majority of companies who support her show.

The left’s ability to shame people into obeying them is quickly losing its efficacy, and it’s about time. When more prominent individuals speak out against their ideology, their influence will continue to weaken. This could be devastating to the left; for the past few decades, they have been a one-trick-pony when it comes to political discourse. If their bully tactics stop working, they will be left with the equivalent of bringing a knife to a gun fight.