Last week, I had the unenviable task of explaining who the “Hawk Tuah” girl is to my curious Boomer mother.
This week, it will be Amber Rose, thanks to her primetime speech at the Republican National Convention on Monday night.
Yes, that Amber Rose.
The former stripper-turned-video vixen who truly arrived as a pop-culture figure on the arm of Kanye West, whom she dated from 2008 to 2010. The mixed-race mother of two was married to rapper Wiz Khalifa and hosts “SlutWalks,” which are feminist events to promote sex positivity and protest gender inequality.
She’s flashy and wears clothing so tight, it could be painted on. And she has “Slash & Bash” (her sons’ names) tattooed across her forehead.
On the surface, we don’t have much in common. (My large tattoo is across my backside.) Nor will she be mistaken for a homegrown product of the local Young Republicans chapter.
Yet in her nearly four-minute RNC speech, Rose made a compelling case for unlikely political conversions.
She began by describing a highly relatable experience: a political disagreement with her Trump-loving father. Rose said her Trump curiosity began when her dad challenged her belief that the former president was a racist.
“To prove my father wrong, I did my research,” she said. Spoiler alert: She has a red hat now.
But at its core, hers wasn’t really a heavily partisan speech. It was mostly about the so-called “kitchen table issues” and independent thinking.
Rose bemoaned the price of groceries and gas. “And when you turn on the news, you are just exhausted. Inflation is out of control and, you know in your heart, it wasn’t like this under Donald Trump,” the 40-year-old said.
It was not her celebrity or notoriety that made her interesting. It was her willingness to change her mind, break stereotypes — and admit it on such a big stage.
Rose is, no doubt, from a completely different world with different views on abortion and likely a host of other issues. Yet she still found common ground with a party that she previously dismissed on its face.
Staunch conservative Matt Walsh turned up his nose at the choice.
“The RNC gives a primetime speaking slot to a pro-abortion feminist and self-proclaimed slut with a face tattoo whose only claim to fame is having sex with rappers,” he wrote on X, adding, “Truly an embarrassment. Not a single voter will be mobilized by this person.”
It would seem he hasn’t yet met the Republican candidate: a thrice-married playboy who allegedly cheated on his wife with a porn star. If the right ever had a purity test, Trump ripped it up and threw it in the trash.
But the party already has the evangelical vote locked down, and no one ever grew a movement strictly by preaching to the choir. On paper, Rose might look like an imperfect messenger. But the substance of her message was perfect for undecided voters: Speak for yourself and don’t tie yourself to a narrative.
The Republican Party has inarguably morphed and shifted under Trump. Conservatives can argue the merits of those changes.
Rose shows that there is a place in the party for a wide swath of people, not just hard-right pro-lifers.
It’s actually more like the GOP I already know.
“I watched all the rallies, and I started meeting so many of you, his red hat-wearing supporters,” Rose said. “I realized Donald Trump and his supporters don’t care if you’re black, white, gay or straight. It’s all love.”
She represents the idea that we can look different, have divergent thoughts on cultural issues and still arrive at the same place — with similar ideas to fix the problems that concern regular Americans.
She also represents the possibility that on-the-fence voters have had the wrong idea about the right.
We’re in unique times, when our traditional political binaries have been scrambled by a host of issues. Classical libs have moved right because of woke-ism. Jews found themselves alienated by the Democrats after October 7. Then there’s the unraveling of the Biden campaign, as his infirmity — and his handlers’ unwillingness to acknowledge it — has taken center stage.
The right is not without its problems. There’s a reason why being “politically homeless” is a widespread phenomenon.
There are votes up for grabs. If the Republicans want to win, they need to continue to broaden the base. And Rose, believe it or not, did an effective job of moving that tent pole last night.
