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African American
In reply to the discussion: (AA Group) I can't beleive Sanders supporters are defending Cornel West calling [View all]GitRDun
(1,846 posts)96. Thanks for the links, read them all..
My sense of West after reading these articles is he's a former highly acclaimed intellectual whose lost his "mojo", if you will, and seems hell bent on attacking current intellectual leaders. Their infractions in his eyes are engaging with President Obama in much the same way West engaged with Clinton.
His feud with the President seems petty and personal. From the MHP article in The Nation:
Cornel Wests dear brother Tavis Smiley threw a public tantrum because Senator Obama refused to attend Smileys annual State of Black America.
That's during the primaries. It's followed by more petty anger at not getting invited to the inauguration. The two things that really struck me were West's intellectual dishonesty about himself, contrasted by the President's reasonableness. From the Michael Eric Dyson article in The New Republic:
The irony is that, as highly charged as his criticism has become, West is, in some ways, not that different from Obama. The president has long wished to be the grand architect of bipartisanship, the conciliator of left and right, the bridge between conservatives and liberals. West used to fancy himself a similar figure; at least he did when he was riding high on best-seller lists as a progressive icon. West sought to account for the suffering of black America by steering between the arguments of conservative behaviorists and liberal structuralists.
So West uses every public forum he has to criticize the President for being exactly who West was, then vilifies every black intellectual I have ever seen publicly for the crime of what? Failing to crucify the President as a fraud, as West does? Meanwhile, the President's handling of the situation is vintage Barack Obama:
In The Center Holds, Alter described a meeting Obama held with prominent black figures in the Roosevelt Room of the White House, during which radio host Tom Joyner began to mix it up with the author Michael Eric Dyson, who wanted the administration to target its efforts more on particular black needs. Alter wrote, Obama jumped in to say he had no problem with Dyson or anyone else disagreeing with him about how to help the needy, but that he got upset with critics who question my blackness and my commitment to blacks. I said nothing to the president that day that I hadnt said many times over the years.
West seems to me to be a morally bankrupt fool. I'm not sure why Sanders would embrace him like he does. Are these views on West widely held in the black community? Or is it a situation where since most modern intellectuals tied to the community, will see the West / Sanders relationship as fraudulent opportunism by both people that will ultimately torpedo Sanders outreach efforts?
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(AA Group) I can't beleive Sanders supporters are defending Cornel West calling [View all]
lunamagica
Sep 2015
OP
Mahalo,GRD .. yes, the first link gives an account by Melissa Harris-Perry and here's another view
Cha
Sep 2015
#41
BS campaigning with CW fits perfectly with the cluelessness his campaign and supporters have
Cha
Sep 2015
#50
"The African American community continues to believe the fairy tale version of Mr Obama..."
steve2470
Sep 2015
#10
"The African American community continues to believe the fairy tale version of Mr Obama"
JI7
Sep 2015
#11
"Fairy tale version of Obama" -- yours is a viewpoint not worth considering. nt
betsuni
Sep 2015
#14
"The African American community continues to believe the fairy tale version of Mr Obama..."
zappaman
Sep 2015
#17
So we don't know what's going on in our own communities? And you know better than black folks
Number23
Sep 2015
#25
Fairy tales is believing that if Sanders wins the Presidency, all will be well...
Spazito
Sep 2015
#75
You know when Obama was first elected, West was one of his biggest cheer leaders
MrScorpio
Sep 2015
#20
The new one? Sure, but that guy is far left by UK standards so that doesnt mean much. nt
stevenleser
Sep 2015
#124
Great article. I have no doubt they will turn on Sanders as soon as he has to face realties and
lunamagica
Sep 2015
#32
Bernie stands behind Drones too.. and President Obama didn't buy GW's war.. he's right about West
Cha
Sep 2015
#44
The handful of black folk who still defend Cornel West aren't worth the time, and BS will find out..
Tarheel_Dem
Sep 2015
#70
West is a Tool. But, you're ignorant on everything else. Pres Obama did not buy GW "war".. & BS is
Cha
Sep 2015
#43
You got it. They like to think they know us. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Tarheel_Dem
Sep 2015
#40
you sound like a white guy (cuz I'm white too), and you are wrong... so... good day nt
steve2470
Sep 2015
#64
The fell in many peoples eyes cause they're petulant assholes and hateful in their critique.
uponit7771
Sep 2015
#85
They have not one clue, lunamagica.. just bc they think CW is great with his Pres Obama racist
Cha
Sep 2015
#42
".. and the President's moving eulogy to Rev. Pinkeney, are still echoing." That stays with
Cha
Sep 2015
#51
"I just tweeted out a bunch of tweets from POC folks who can't stand Bernie or Cornel West."
Number23
Sep 2015
#105
This is beyond interesting. And I am very familiar with the Obama Diary as well as the person
Number23
Sep 2015
#110
Once again, two Black posters get their posts hidden in the AA forum while racists run wild.
Starry Messenger
Sep 2015
#121
After reading this I had to track this down. I alerted and found it had been already alerted
stevenleser
Sep 2015
#126
I just saw that post. The only reason I went in that forum was because it was sent to me in a PM
Number23
Sep 2015
#133
and they are trying for more- wow. and the "hide it" peeps got nothing to say.....
bettyellen
Sep 2015
#128