Obama had some great advice for Kanye West about running for president
In a speech at a Democratic National Committee fundraiser in San Francisco on Saturday, Obama offered West, who performed at the event, several light-hearted pointers about the realities of politics and appropriate campaign rhetoric.
"I do have some advice for him. Just some stuff that I've picked up on the way. First of all, you've got to spend a lot of time dealing with some strange characters who behave like they're on a reality TV show. So you've just to be cool with that," Obama said.
"Saying that you have a 'Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy' - that's what's known as 'off-message' in politics," Obama added, referencing West's critically-acclaimed 2010 album. "You can't say something like that. There are a lot of people who have lost their congressional seats saying things like that."
Obama also used West's political aspirations as a chance to take a shot at the unfolding drama in the Republican Party over who will succeed House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio).
"A little bit later, you're going to hear from a guy who I hear has been talking about launching a potential political career. You may have heard about this: Kanye is thinking about running for speaker of the House," Obama said.
Before launching into the meat of his fundraising speech, Obama finished with some self-deprecation, noting that there was little hope for someone like West to win the presidency considering some of the superficial elements of his biography.
Said Obama: "Do you really think that this country is going to elect a black guy from the south side of Chicago with a funny name to be president of the United States? That is crazy. That's cray!"