Dr. Cornel West Takes Issue With President Barack Obama Taking Oath With Martin Luther King Jr.'s Bi

[Beringia]

Dr. Cornel West, Union Theological Seminary Professor, was recently on C-Span for a discussion on Poverty in America where he addressed an interesting aspect of President Barack Obama’s oath that made his "blood boil."

West spoke out against the idea of President Obama sworn in to office with his hands on Martin Luther King Jr.’s bible.

In the video clip below you can hear West explain it as, “When I got the news that my dear brother Barack Obama, President Obama, was going to put his precious hand on Martin Luther King Jr.’s bible I got upset. And I got upset because, you don’t play with Martin Luther King Jr. and you don’t play with his people. By his people what I mean is people in good conscience, fundamentally committed to piece and truth and justice.”

West goes on to explain how this situation offended him.

“…All the blood sweat, and tears that went into producing a Martin Luther King Jr. generated a brother of such high decency and dignity that you don’t use his prophetic fire as just a moment in presidential pageantry without understanding the challenge that he presents to all of those in power no matter what color they are, no matter what color they are. So the righteous indignation of a Martin Luther King Jr. becomes a moment in political calculation and that makes my blood boil.”

West proceeds to highlight the three crimes against humanity to which Martin Luther King Jr. died fighting against – Jim Crow, carpet-bombing in Vietnam, and poverty of all colors including “Indian reservations, in brown boroughs, and yellow slices, and black ghettos.”

“So I say to myself, brother Martin Luther King Jr. what would you say about the new Jim Crow? What would you say about the prison industrial complex? What would you say about the invisibility of so many of our prisoners, so many of our incarcerated, especially when 62 percent of them are there for soft drugs, but not one executive of a Wall Street bank gone to jail? …. Martin what would you say about the poverty in America now?”

http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2013/01/22/dr-cornel-west-takes-issue-president-barack-obama-taking-oath-martin-luther-king-jrs

I don't really have an opinion on whether President Obama should have used Martin Luther King's bible or not, but I was interested in what DU thinks. I think Cornel West makes some strong points.

[blogslut]

1. sigh

Cornel West sure can hold a grudge.

[elleng]

7. Really.

Getting tired of him. Too bad, 'cause I used to admire him.

[Number23]

75. +1 "Too bad, 'cause I used to admire him."

I used to do more than admire the man. I had a crush on him like a teenaged girl. Love him for years. Even endured after that bizarre cameo of him in The Matrix.

But his comments about President Obama have disgusted me to the core and have exposed him as a shallow, petty man who obviously believes that his feelings are more important than anything else. You should see what we say about him in the AA Group here. It ain't pretty. And the sentiment is shared among many black journalists, academics and pundits.

[elleng]

79. Thanks, and glad to hear my thoughts are shared.

Has appeared that he's been a shallow, petty man for some time. And he WAS handsome, so don't blame you for the crush!

[Number23]

85. My crush was actually based on his words, not looks. He's a weird looking chap

But for years, I was enthralled by his brain and the way he saw the world which very much mirrored how I did. I took every opportunity to see him in person, even gave money to Grifter of the Century Tavis Smiley to see Cornel.

And then Obama happened. And the thing that made him so beautiful to me (his thoughts and words) suddenly made him the ugliest damn thing I've ever seen. It is so true when they say that jealousy and hatred make you ugly body and soul.

[elleng]

86. Yes, it is true

and sad.

[Leopolds Ghost]

109. I'm sad to hear you feel that way

How can anyone put Obama on such a pedestal that it is wrong to say the things that Cornel West says?

I'm not surprised that this would turn into a hatefest on Cornel West though.

If MLK were alive he would be a staunch critic of most of Obama's policies.

We know this for a fact based on MLK's approach to LBJ, a president much more liberal than many Democrats we have today.

The fact that Obama is so willing to play off MLK's legacy and explicitly cast himself as the culmination of the Dream, that he took the oath twice in order to land the inauguration on MLK day (and preempt the observation of a memorial holiday) is what saddens me.

[Number23]

112. The same people that supported MLK before it was cool (black folks)

Support this president.

You may not see this president as a culmination of Dr. King's dream, but I and a boatload of other black people see it as a very big landmark on the way to the culmination. And you be as "sad" as you want. We aren't sad at all.

[Leopolds Ghost]

115. I have many black friends. They are actual liberals

Although proud that he was elected, They are incredibly disappointed in the man's policies. And so should you be. As a LIBERAL.

[Number23]

116. Don't you dare tell me what I as a black person should or should not be disappointed of

Your "black friends" need to school you a bit better.

[Leopolds Ghost]

120. I only dare to suggest what you as a LIBERAL should be disappointed in

I'd offer to put a black friend on the line so you can argue with them, but I won't because they are no different than my white friends.

I don't hang with people who engage in supercilious condescenscion and all-or-nothing hero worship. The world is a complicated, difficult place, full of uncertainty and injustice.

The amount of hate towards Cornel West here is truly impressive... It seems any criticism of Obama has been banished from GD.

[union_maid]

136. I have black friends, too

I have black friends who are absolutely lifelong liberals, civil rights activists and intellectuals. Dr. West has nothing on some of them beyond a higher profile. And they support President Obama and do see his presidency as a huge and transformative landmark. It's not the culmination of Dr. King's dream, because there are still many challenges, and there always will be.

This conversation puts me in mind of something that one of my less liberal black friends spoke about several years ago. She has a brilliant son. He was in junior high at the time. He announced that he was planning to be the first black president. He was a very intense and serious kid, so I guess she took this seriously and it concerned her. She thinks of herself as a very tough minded and pragmatic person and she told him that he could be a lot of things, but white America wasn't going to let him be president, so don't even think that way. This was, of course, before. Now all she can say to him is that he can't be the FIRST black president. That's transformative. We'll never be a perfect country, but Barack Obama has made us a better one than we were before and only partly because of his ethnicity.

[Leopolds Ghost]

173. I'm happy that Obama became President

Given the options,

And I think he was the right person to be the first black President

But I agree with the person who said that his policies are not those of King.

And there doesn't seem to be much aspiration to Cornel West's ideas of liberalism,

in the young people of tomorrow (black or white).

[Surya Gayatri]

230. Always love your straight talk, N°23! Tell it sistah!

The arrogance of people telling other people how they should feel, really burns my butt.

Same arrogance as Dr. West pronouncing on who is and who isn't entitled to revel in MLK's legacy.

[DevonRex]

141. Hahahaha!!!! Oh, you have black friends, doooo yoôuuuuuu???

OMFG. And they're ALL disappointed in Obama, too!!!! Every dang one of them. Um hmm. Where have we heard THAT one before? Well, I have a 12-foot-tall mouse.

[Leopolds Ghost]

171. I live in a very liberal town.

I don't live in some segregated shithole like many people seem to.

[DevonRex]

178. Oh, rly? You think the rest of us live in segregated shitholes, do you?

Please proceed. Really.

[Leopolds Ghost]

184. Gladly

The vast majority of Americans live in segregated communities.

The vast majority of new construction is in gated or pedestrian unfriendly shitholes

Even liberal towns are segregated by class thanks to gentrification.

80% of all new construction is built for the top 5% income earners

The vast majority of new construction is rigidly segregated by class due to "consumer preference"

The vast majority of new construction is controlled by 5 firms, two of which are privately owned.

90% of the wasteland around most American cities is horrid suburban tract homes, segregated by race and class.

Inner city communities are sadly left to rot until they are "fully depreciated" whereupon new construction and services are introduced (as a basic financial requirement) that poor folks must be moved out, ensuring they do not benefit from gentrification.

Like other traditionally liberal groups that moved up from the working class, black people in many urban areas are abandoning the inner city to flee to the suburbs rather than attempt to combat relentless gentrification. The theory is, communities change and in the eyes of many, inner city ethnic neighborhoods (of all stripes) are unsalvageable and doomed to be replaced by affluent, young urban professionals with no kids and little dependence on public services. Who have the time and money to get the city to come in and "fix" those areas. So best move to the (largely and increasingly segregated) suburbs and thereby complete King's Dream.

Integration is mostly taking place due to the burgeoning immigrant population in older residential neighborhoods. But when you look at race, segregation is increasing there, too.

[treestar]

172. Why is it that a white person's black friends

tend to be so conservative or anti-Obama? Very confusing.

I have many black friends too and they support the President. I have even more white friends who do. Liberals. Realistic people, since reality has a liberal bias.

[Leopolds Ghost]

177. You don't understand. My friends (black and white) tend to agree with West

Because they are LIBERALS.

The definition of liberal got twisted somewhere.

To quote an African American blogger who was harshly critical of Cornel West for attacking Obama,

(one must) Judge West’s attack as the poorly timed critique of a left-wing elite still frustrated that Obama — love child of a Midwestern hippie mom and a bespectacled, Kenyan exchange-student dad — isn’t the up-with-people movement leader they thought he’d turn out to be, despite all signs to the contrary. [font size="1"]^^ n.b. author clearly not a fan of the left[/font]

While rank-and-file liberals and moderates continue to hold Obama in high regard, chunks of the “professional left” still bristle at Obama’s centrism. They feel sold out by his compromises on Guantánamo, banks and health care — and flatly reject his pursuit of the Afghanistan War.

West decries Obama’s leadership of “the American killing machine” but can’t say why, then, he supported Obama — who couldn’t have made his position any clearer than he did in his second debate with McCain, saying: “Part of the reason I think it’s so important for us to end the war in Iraq is to be able to get more troops into Afghanistan.”

On health care, West might be holding out for a bolder legislative solution, but even after Obama and Democrats put forth a recycled Republican plan from the 1990s — the individual mandate that Obama opposed in 2008 — it still took everything they had to get it passed in Congress.

Still, if there’s one place where West can feel justifiably aggrieved, it’s the president’s broken campaign promise to shut down military detention at Guantánamo Bay. But if there’s one thing that’s been established during his tenure, it’s that on any deal, Obama will take half a loaf over none at all. When it came to terror suspects, he declared an end to torture but couldn’t find a way to close the dungeon.

No one on the left — including West — has to be satisfied with the president’s performance. For starters, Obama’s not even really on the left. But to perpetuate the notion — shared, not coincidentally, by Obama’s most fervent right-wing detractors — that he’s a closet socialist who’s only toeing the Middle American line because he “lacks backbone” doesn’t make sense. It’s also not befitting West — a thinker whose life’s work contributed to making Obama’s presidency possible.

If there’s one thing West stands for, it’s the proposition that people from all walks of life have a stake in the American endeavor. So he should be the first one to recognize the first black president’s defining trait: Obama is no revolutionary — and he never was.

As you can see, the mainstream thinking in both African American and white urbanite circles is that Obama should not pander to "leftists" like Cornel West because liberalism -- and the left -- is no longer popular amongst urban Dems.

[DevonRex]

179. Not mine. All mine are Pro with a capital P.

Because mine aren't imaginary friends.

[Ecumenist]

214. WOW, been black most of my life and I wasn't aware that I missed out on "the colored folks oath" of

shame against a president who has been blockaded and stopped from implementing the most basic things he wanted to by a GOP who met on the day he was inaugurated to do everything in it's power to oppose E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G he was for. Hmmm, must have been the day I was in surgery or maybe it was during my infusion days.. Whaddyaknow? Having "black friends" is NOT the same as knowing what we think if you take that stance because WE ARE NOT HOMOGENOUS anymore than any group here in the US on on PLANET EARTH is.

[Leopolds Ghost]

117. Also this talk of "culmination" disturbs me

What counts as culmination? How many people have to "get theirs?"

King's dream was a speech, a vision of a just world. If you think we are living in a just society today then you are far to the right of King.

But that's OK. The African American community, outside of a few major cities, has always been far to the right of King. As has the white community.

[Number23]

118. You be as "saddened" and "disturbed" as you want

I could give a fuck.

[dlwickham]

128. best response EVER

[Leopolds Ghost]

132. Ouch! Such witticisms

And clever appeals to pride and common identity instead of common cause with liberal policies.

I've clearly no response to such indifference... You may fire when ready.

[DevonRex]

147. I am right there with you. The man actually tried to tell me Obama had taken the oath on the wrong

day. I guess his insinuation was both that he violated the Constitution AND that he did it to grandstand on MLK Day. What a sick thing to imply. I set him straight about the Constitution and the oath and that Obama did 2, according to tradition in these situations. I didn't bother with the other insinuation. Too disgusting to wallow in.

[Number23]

154. When somebody who isn't black tries to tell me what I should like/hate/be disappointed by

as a black person (because you know, we all fucking think/feel the same) then it is truly better for everyone involved for me to not say exactly what I am so clearly thinking.

The thing is, somebody who was actually smart enough to be QUALIFIED to tell me what I should think about something as a black person is probably too damn smart to say something so stupid and offensive in the first place. Their myriad "black friends" notwithstanding.

[Leopolds Ghost]

186. I told you what I think a LIBERAL, not as a black person (which was central to my point)

But you can go on ignoring that key distinction.

[DevonRex]

192. You may not know this but black people are LIBERALS TOO. Real ones. nt

[Number23]

197. I don't need you to tell me what or how to think as anything. Period.

[MADem]

203. +1,000 nt

[rocktivity]

2. Rocktivity Takes Issue With Cornell West Trolling For A Network Job.

Last edited Wed Jan 20, 2021, 05:50 PM - Edit history (1)

It was both King's bible AND his birthday. And unless King's family didn't give Obama consent, or if he obtained the bible via a search warrant, whose business is it anyway?


rocktivity

[monmouth3]

3. Cornel West is an idiot. President Obama does not invite him to the WH for any events and I don't

think particularly cares for him. These guys with the last name of West...Are they related 'cause they are definitely talking to listen to themselves. Of course the President should have used Dr. King's bible. Silly question but West has nothing else to complain about.

[cali]

4. whatthefuckever.

[Taverner]

5. I usually agree with the good Professor - but I think he's incorrect here

[Dreamer Tatum]

6. "...and I'm not combing my hair until he apologizes." nt

[JaneyVee]

8. King's family asked Pres.Obama to sign MLK's bible.

Cornel West is sometimes extremely offensive.

[Indykatie]

56. As The Kids Say - Haters Gonna Hate

West's and Smiley's criticism of the president is often off base and I have never heard either of them have any good things to say about the president since he was elected. It has negatively affected their credibility in many minds both in and outside the African American community.

[goclark]

153. Just saw your post " I totally agree"

See my post in this thread and if you would like, go to my Journal at DU and
you'll see how proud I was to meet Dr. King!

[arely staircase]

69. lol, i wonder if west knows this

so he not only "put his little hand" or whatever insulting moronic term west used, the president wrote his name in it?


bwhahaha!

[Number23]

78. Thanks for raising that point. I wasn't sure if everyone here knew that

There is in fact, an absolutely tear-jerkingly gorgeous photo of MLK's sister sitting at the inauguration beaming at the president.


http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-01-22/barack-obama-delivers-inaugural-address/4477182

Cornel needs to take his unhinged and bitter hatred and go sit his ass down somewhere.

[KittyWampus]

92. Thanks so much for posting this pix. I'd love for someone to post this as its own thread.

[Politicub]

105. I hate to say this since I have always liked Dr. West, but he's stuck in the past

IMHO.

On edit: But that doesn't mean he isn't a national treasure. I have the utmost respect.

[Number23]

106. I agree. And I also think that his ego and not being given the deference that he believes

he should be given by this president has made him incredibly bitter and angry.

[union_maid]

137. Oh, smackdown

Dr. Cornell West hasn't got a leg to stand on.

[The Wielding Truth]

88. It was MLK day. It was an honor for both men. Our President is not MLK but he is a good president.

The use of the MLK bible is and will always be a representation of the push for human rights. Barack Obama also strives to improve them.

Cornell has his point of view and I see his sentiments.But when the family of MLK has requested the presidential signature it can not be a unwanted slight to the movement of civil and human rights unless you say that the MLK family has an unethical motive for the signature. I don't think they do.

[bemildred]

9. Dr. West occasionally goes off the deep end.

Not the first time. But I don't want to shut him up. He can say what he likes. That's what I think.

[BainsBane]

10. Someone posted that on my Facebook

I don't agree at all. MLK was among those who made it possible for Barack Obama to be President. Additionally, the President is working toward many of Dr. King's goals. No, he is not perfect. Yes, he is too concerned about the banks. But he is much better than other options available. He's doing what he can, and just the ACA law alone is an enormous step toward lessening the most brutal effects of poverty in this country.

[kelliekat44]

11. Did not the King family ask the President to use and sign MLK's Bible? nt

[GoCubsGo]

61. Not sure about that, but...

...they did ask him and John Roberts to sign that Bible. And, that says way more to me about what MLK might think than anything Cornell West says.

[Leopolds Ghost]

111. King's family is much more conservative than the man himself.

Would YOU ask John Roberts to sign a family heirloom that belonged to your father, a civil rights activist?

Ik'm sure MLK would have some strong words about the memorial his kids built for him, too (although I do not)

[hopemountain]

224. oh, so now you're channeling dr. martin luther king

along with every liberal african american in the us of a? ha!

[bluestateguy]

12. West is a self-promoting jerk.

That's what I think.

[SidDithers]

13. Cornel West. The Donald Trump of the intellectual libertarian "elite"...nt

[Cha]

65. If by that you mean..

Top Attentionwhore of the ILE.. he wins hands down.

[Surya Gayatri]

232. Including the "BAD HAIR" ! LOL! (Albeit of different color and texture...)

[riderinthestorm]

14. I'm beginning to wonder if Dr. West is suffering some early onset dementia. Really.

Some of his comments, especially about the President, are sounding increasingly unhinged.

Really a shame.

[Cha]

66. Jealous hate renders people stupid.

[goclark]

159. Tavis must have some Social Adjustment

issues as well ----

West and Tavis want Center Stage but it ain't gonna happen.
Not when Obama is around and not including them in his inner circle.

Go President OBAMA, don't waste your time with "Donald Trump Like Attention

Grabbing " By Any Means Necessary" Clowns

[Zen Democrat]

15. Brother West should get his head out of his ass on this one.

He's embarrassing himself. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a MAN, not a saint or a god. Cornell West and Tavis Smiley should get a grip on reality.

[ecstatic]

16. West (and Smiley) jumped the shark a few years ago

Every now and then they admit that it's because they weren't consulted with more when Obama was running for president, they didn't get inauguration tickets, and they weren't consulted with after he was elected.

Regarding MLK's bible, I think I'll side with MLK's family and not Cuckoo West.

http://blacksnob.com/snob_blog/2011/5/17/cornel-wests-legitimate-obama-gripe-comes-with-an-unfortunat.html

[Agnosticsherbet]

17. A bible is just a book made of paper, bound in leather or some durable substance.

I saw its use in the inauguration as a salute ot the man who owned it, not some attempt to take his mantle.

President Obama did not claim that King approved of the NRA and guns.
He did not claim that King believed in Africans just had guns slavery would not have been an issue.

It was a salute to a man without whom, President Obama would never have even been elected a state Senator.

But I am not a sentimental person who sees objects as endowed by some enduring aspect of their owners.

[G_j]

18. so which is it?

"I have a dream" or "I have a drone"?

http://www.commondreams.org/views04/0115-13.htm

Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence
Declaration of Independence from the War in Vietnam

Delivered by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr
April 1967
At Manhattan's Riverside Church

[JaneyVee]

19. How is it that Cornel West doesn't get that BECAUSE of MLK's legacy, Pres. Barack Obama is possible.

There is a DIRECT correlation between MLK's legacy & the success of Barack Obama becoming President of the United States.

[Renew Deal]

20. I don't know why anyone cares about anything he says.

[Mr Dixon]

29. Agreed

[CherokeeDem]

22. I'm beginning to take issue with Dr. West...

Dr. King's family thought highly of President Obama using the bible, even requesting the President and the Chief Justice sign the bible.

I don't believe that Dr. King's struggles and dreams are lost on President Obama...no doubt Dr. King would not like some of the issues West singles out, but I think he would have been very proud of Barak Obama.

[hfojvt]

23. this thread shows the true ending

to the story of the emperor who had no clothes.

[ProSense]

34. Haters are going to hate.

[hfojvt]

37. and sell outs are gonna sell out

but I don't find this stuff amusing

the beat goes on

[ProSense]

39. Are haters are going to scream sell outs?

I find it hilarious watching the desperation of haters, losing credibility with every slimy criticism dragged-from-the-gutter of small- mindedness.

[hfojvt]

43. who is a hater?

Read this thread and you will see a lot of hatred.

Hatred directed at Cornel West.

Has he lost credibility?

Well, back in the day, there were many who did not give any credibility to "Bush haters".

But it is always nice to see people who are against bigotry, against poverty and against violence lose credibility in favor of people who are paid big money to enrich the already rich.

The beat goes on.

[ProSense]

44. No,

"Read this thread and you will see a lot of hatred. "

...I see a lot of people calling out a hater for being an ass.

Some people let the fact that they dislike the President cloud their thinking. Good thing the President knows how to focus.

President of the Whole Country
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022237431

[hfojvt]

46. yeah and Pierce looks so cute

in his cheerleader uniform.

I suspect many on this thread did not even watch the video. Dr. West is hardly being an a$$ in it.

[ProSense]

47. "in his cheerleader uniform"

It burns some people up when anyone says anything positive about the President.

Krugman: http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022224304

[hfojvt]

183. no, I just love it when well paid pundits

lie their little pampered a$$es right off.

Makes my day.

But no doubt you can join Krugman, and Romney and Obama, laughing all the way to the bank.

The beat goes on.

[ProSense]

187. Wait

"no, I just love it when well paid pundits"

...you think West is not "well paid"? Or do you think the President is a "pundit"?

You seem to want to attack everyone else's credibility, and are offended that anyone would call out West for the petty bullshit in the OP.

"But no doubt you can join Krugman, and Romney and Obama, laughing all the way to the bank."

Keep demonstrating that you don't have a clue.

[hfojvt]

223. offended?

"call out West"

I have no problem if somebody wants to try, even a little bit to refudiate what West actually said. But what do we get instead of reasoned argument

reply #1 "Cornel West sure can hold a grudge."

reply #2 "Rocktivity takes issue with Cornell West trolling for a network job"

then something about the King family which isn't all that relevant to the King message.

reply #3 "Cornell West is an idiot. President Obama does not invite him to the White House for any events, and I dont think particularly cares for him. These guys with the last name West ... are they related.

reply #4 "whatthefuckever"

reply #5 "I usually agree with the good Professor, but think he is incorrect here."

reply #6 "and I am not combing my hair until he apologizes"

reply #7 (to reply #1) "really, getting tired of him. Too bad, 'cause I used to admire him."

reply #8 "King's family asked President Obama to sign MLK's Bible. Cornell West is sometimes extremely offensive."

reply #9 "Dr. West occasionally goes off the deep end. Not the first time ..."

reply #10 "I don't agree at all. MLK was among those who made it possible for Barack Obama to be President. Additionally, the President is working towards many of Dr. King's goals. No he is not perfect. Yes, he is too concerned about the banks. But he is much better than other options available. (uhm, yeah, West said that too) He's doing what he can, and just the ACA law alone is an enormous step toward lessening the most brutal effects of poverty in this country."

Okay, I don't really want to parse #10. It is at least the first response with some substance, the first nine being essentially "fuck Cornell West". Not any sort of fact-based rebuttal - just hate.

oh, and it continues beyond that.

West has his head in his a$$. He might have dementia. He's Donald Trump, and so on. Why does anybody care what he says?

Yeah, sure it is WEST who is the hater.

As for "attacking everyone else's credibility". I attacked Krugman's credibility because I showed how what he said was bullshit. I did not just write "Krugman is such a tool" and then "n/t". I took great pains to show WHY Krugman was full of shit. And then I gave a Marxist explanation for WHY Krugman believes what he believes. As Marx would say "people believe what it is in their self interest to believe".

And as for you. Well you do seem to think that tax cuts favoring the rich are just a big fucking joke and anybody who is upset about it is just a big fucking joke too. Not to be listened to or taken seriously.

Not that I can be heard over the RWNM anyway. And who cares? I am just another member of the canaille.

[woo me with science]

233. Excellent summary of this thread,

and, really, any thread at DU that makes a substantive and politically threatening exposure of the corporatist and neocon direction of this administration.

The message control on a post like this is always immediate, predictable, and unrelenting...and, as you point out, it is never based on actual policy. It's important for people to see the pattern.

[DevonRex]

129. And there it is. Hahaha.

[stevenleser]

163. You realize you are defending someone miffed about not getting White House invites, right? Thats all

this is. His ego was bruised, and ever since, he and Tavis have been out to get revenge.

[hfojvt]

182. so you think that

Dr. West does not care any more about ending poverty, racism or war than Obama does?

I seem to remember West being an a$$ about something or other a few months ago, but just based on what he said in the video in the OP that it would be nice if Obama was inviting people like Dr. West to the White House and listening to people like that instead of listening to people like Larry Summers, Rahm Emmanuel and Timothy Geithner.

Or Pierce on the other hand who thinks that maybe Obama will save America by angering his liberal base.

Whatever his motivations, I don't see why progressives would not cheer what he said, unless they are so enamored of Dear Leader to call sacrilege at anybody who dares criticize his awesome greatness.

[stevenleser]

185. I think the motivations of everything he says where Prez Obama are concerned are suspect. nt

[Sekhmets Daughter]

24. I think Dr. West

has fallen in love with the sound of his own voice. He would have us believe MLK, Jr. was the messiah returned. I think Dr. King would object to that deification. No one can, or should, deny that Dr. King was taken from us way too soon or that he remains an iconic figure
in the pantheon of great Americans. However, I think Dr. King would have been very pleased to see his bible put to such good use and if he were alive today he would understand the constraints under which the first African American president has had to operate. Every time I hear Dr. West go off on this particular criticism of Obama I wonder just what he would have him do...it's not like he has had cooperative congress with which to work. It was much more important that Obama win a second term, for the betterment of all Americans and perhaps during this second term he can do something...but it is highly unlikely. What is more realistic is that he will make it possible for a Democratic successor to address these very real and tragic issues.

[hfojvt]

40. well listening to this video

I gotta say, that I love the sound of West's voice, and the things he says here, and it fits right in to what Martin said here http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022244131

As for Martin being the Messiah, it seems like most people on this thread are prepared to declare Obama as the messiah and woe to anybody who does not bend their knee to the great one.

[Sekhmets Daughter]

42. Not me...

I recognize both as men with limitations.

[Leopolds Ghost]

122. That is a fair assessment

Too bad there's so much hate on the forum towards critics of the Administration...

It's no longer a welcoming place for social justice liberals and lefties.

Say what you want about West, he is a staunch liberal.

[Sekhmets Daughter]

234. People are strange creatures and Democrats are amongst the strangest.

We laugh at the problems the Tea Party has created for the GOP yet way too many of us fail to recognize ourselves in those on the right, we call extremists. The infighting among Democrats is legendary, while for 40 years the GOP had a solidarity that was incredible and terrible in its power.

Dr. West makes good points, but he seems to exist outside of political history. He tends to ignore the fact that it was the civil rights legislation and Affirmative Action that drove so many people, north and south, into the GOP fold. During the 40 years between 1968 and 2008 republicans held the WH 28 years and enjoyed majorities in the congress for a good part of that time. Social Justice was driven into a dark corner while the conservatives on the Supreme Court chipped away at many of the programs that help minorities. Heck, one of the 2 Dems to hold the WH during that time frame made drastic changes to welfare. Throughout the history of mankind, social justice has always followed prosperity. When people are worried about paying their bills, they are not terribly concerned with issues that don't touch their own lives.

Too many Americans are not prosperous, even if they are employed. Democrats have done nothing about the stagnant wages which are responsible for the American love affair with tax cuts. I'm old enough to remember when no self-respecting Democrat would have anything good to say about the Obama Tax Cuts...and make no mistake about it, what we now have, in regard to taxes, can be laid at Obama's door, not Bush's. Yet, there were very few DUers calling for an end to all of the Bush Tax Cuts...we even had some complaining about the expiration of the Payroll Tax Holiday.

[Liberal Veteran]

25. It bothers me that he used a Bible..

Because Obama is obviously not exactly like Jesus Christ, so I am offended.

[woodsprite]

26. Apparently the King family approved of it and even asked for him to write an inscription.

Monday was the nationwide celebration of MLKs birth, and he is someone whose words and actions inspire Pres. Obama. I think the use of both Lincoln's and King's Bibles eloquently speaks to everything that America has come through from the days of slaves through the civil rights movement through him being elected President and serving a second term.

[mfcorey1]

27. The family of Dr. King are the people with the last word. They not only made the bible

available, but they were proud to have the President honor their father in that manner. I am sure that Dr. KING would not approve of the pomposity that is Cornell West, who talks a good game but seldom gets in to the fray. How much has he made prostituting himself as a paid speaker for his pseudo crusade for poverty? When he comes correct, he will find support but that blatant fronting won't get him anything. He has turned into a huge competitor for Ann Coulter's title of 'IDIOT'.

[freshwest]

131. I'm glad he didn't get to ooze his hatred and contempt in the face of King's sister, shown here.

She seemed to have felt pride and perhaps vindicated, watching Obama being sworn in. West and others consider her and the King family too conservative. I believe King would have been glad to see this event unfold, which disappoints so many.

[Tarheel_Dem]

28. Yup. When I think of the last guardian of Dr. King's legacy, I automatically think...

of Cornell West, not his family.

[OldDem2012]

30. Does West have any remaining credibility when it comes to his comments about the President? nt.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

31. Cornell West is a pompous ass, is what I think.

And evidently Dr. King's family was happy enough that Pres. Obama used the Bible that they asked him to write an inscription in it. What they think of the situation matters a lot; what Cornell West thinks matters not at all. Using MLK's Bible was obviously a gesture of deep respect for MLK, not an attempt by Obama to "be" him on some way.

West is really getting on my nerves these days.

[malaise]

32. Obama didn't need Cornel's permission

STFU Cornel - you are your own worst enemy

[hfojvt]

41. did you even listen to the video?

[BeyondGeography]

33. Cornel is so bored

[ProSense]

35. West gives true meaning to the word "haters"

His comments about Newtown were despicable, nothing about his words reflect King's vision.

[Cha]

73. I thought West's comments on Newtown were heinously dispicable,

too, Pro Sense.

I couldn't even comment on that thread because I was so pissed at his divisive insensitive shite.

[freshwest]

123. I'm glad I missed that garbage, whatever it was. The ever pious full of contempt for everyone else.

Sounds like a typical repuke to me, with all that dripping, insincere familiarity with great personages, of whom West will never be, except in his own mind.

Same energy, same clawing at the sacred to use it to shred someone who has been humble and never made any claims of perfection. Would MLK talk that way about Obama, when he didn't talk that way about his enemies?

Which verse was that in the Bible, since I've read the whole thing many times. Let me know which version of the Bible King believed in and which one sustains West.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

36. I wonder what Martin Luther King would have to say about Cornel West?

Which isn't an answer to your question, I just find myself wondering that.

In my eyes since Martin Luther King's surviving family approved, and since it was a National day of tribute to Rev. King's contributions to our society, I can't say I agree with Dr. West. However, he has every right to express his opinion.

[MineralMan]

38. He would say, "Some men, my brothers and sisters,

come to you and represent themselves as one thing, but are another thing altogether. Be wary of such men."

Or, that's my guess at what he would say.

[RudynJack]

45. I'll reserve judgment

Until Spike Lee weighs in.

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

48. Translation: Pay Attention To Me! PAY ATTENTION TO ME!!!

Sure thing, Dr. West.

[deutsey]

49. I'm ok with Obama using King's bible (powerful symbolism), but I agree with West

that based on what King believed about race, class, and war (especially toward the end of his life), he'd be profoundly critical of the current American Empire no matter who was president.

The last sermon he was working on before he was assassinated, "Why America May Go to Hell," seems particularly prophetic.

[Leopolds Ghost]

135. Why America May Go To Hell

Link please?

Look how critical MLK was of LBJ, a true-blue liberal on domestic issues...

America may go to the Nursing Home due to its short attention span, not hell.

[deutsey]

231. There's no text of the sermon that I've seen but it's mentioned here

in the first paragraph this article:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/national/longterm/mlk/legacy/legacy.htm

There are many references to it out there in the Intertubes.

Here's a link to a speech Coretta Scott King gave three weeks after MLK's assassination. In it, she quotes notes found on her husband's body ("10 Commandments on Vietnam&quot . Not sure this would've been in his sermon about America and hell, but it was obviously on his mind as he was working on that last sermon.

http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/corettascottkingvietnamcommandments.htm

Here's an excerpt of her remarks from April 1968:

My husband always saw the problem of racism and poverty here at home and militarism abroad as two sides of the same coin. In fact, it is even very clear that our policy at home is to try to solve social problems through military means just as we have done abroad.

The interrelatedness of domestic and foreign affairs is no longer questioned. The bombs we drop on the people of Vietnam continue to explode at home with all of their devastating potential. And so I would invite you to join us in Washington in our effort to enable the poor people of this nation to enjoy a fair share of America's blessing.

There is no reason why a nation as rich as ours should be blighted by poverty, disease, and illiteracy. It is plain that we don't care about our poor people except to exploit them as cheap labor and victimize them through excessive rents and consumer prices.

Our Congress passes laws which subsidize corporation farms, oil companies, airlines, and houses for suburbia. But when they turn their attention to the poor, they suddenly become concerned about balancing the budget and cut back on the funds for Head Start, Medicare, and mental health appropriations.

The most tragic of these cuts is the welfare section to the Social Security amendment, which freezes federal funds for millions of needy children, who are desperately poor but who do not receive public assistance. It forces mothers to leave their children and accept work or training, leaving their children to grow up in the streets as tomorrow's social problems. This law must be repealed, and I encourage you to join welfare mothers on May 12th, Mother's Day and call upon Congress to establish a guaranteed annual income, instead of these racist and archaic measures, these measures which dehumanize God's children and create more social problems than they solve.

[Ikonoklast]

50. ...and nary a fuck was given by anyone.

[Rowdyboy]

51. +1

Cogently articulated.....

[uponit7771]

54. +1

[still_one]

52. West and Nader should run together on a presidential ticket

As republicans!!!

[msanthrope]

53. Is West still unhappy about his lack of special Inauguration tickets?

Melissa Harris-Perry was sooooooooo right.....

http://www.thenation.com/blog/160725/cornel-west-v-barack-obama#

[ellisonz]

168. I wish to associate myself with the comments of Mrs. Harris-Perry on this topic.

Professor Cornel West is President Obama’s silenced, disregarded, disrespected moral conscience, according to Chris Hedges’s recent Truthdig column, “The Obama Deception: Why Cornel West went Ballistic.” In a self-aggrandizing, victimology sermon deceptively wrapped in the discourse of prophetic witness, Professor West offers thin criticism of President Obama and stunning insight into the delicate ego of the self-appointed black leadership class that has been largely supplanted in recent years.

[Jamaal510]

55. Excuse me, but when is this man going to get another haircut again?

[MurrayDelph]

57. In ten days it will be Groundhog Day

and Doctor West can pull his head out of his ass and see if he still has a shadow of relevance.

[Comrade_McKenzie]

58. His family didn't seem to mind. They got Obama to sign his name...

So, as usual, fuck off Corny West.

[just1voice]

59. West speaks the truth and shortly thereafter his character assassins begin

with post after post of ad-hom attacks on a supposed democratic site. It's too bad, this used to be a great site with great minds capable of reason. In fact, these types of ad-hominem attacks used to be a signaling characteristic of repug websites.

Cornell West is simply telling the truth, I saw him on PBS last night and I suggest anyone with an open mind and a willingness to learn about poverty watch Tavis Smiley's "Vision For a New America".

[ProSense]

62. Um,

"West speaks the truth and shortly thereafter his character assassins begin with post after post of ad-hom attacks on a supposed democratic site."

...West isn't a Democrat. The President is. You're right this is a Democratic site.



http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022236245

[hopemountain]

226. beautiful, proSense

thank you for sharing it.

[NOVA_Dem]

70. Why don't we see anyone taking apart West's argument???

These responses are something we would see on freerepublic. They are making fun of his hair but not taking a part his argument.

[ProSense]

71. Argument? He's pissed that Obama used King's Bible

to take the oath of office for the Presidency.

How fucking petty! RW assholish petty.

He's probably pissed at the King family for asking the President to sign it.

[NOVA_Dem]

155. He's pissed about Signature Strikes

No one in this thread will make a point-by-point counter argument to address West's main premise "What would Dr. King think of Obama's policies on:
-Drug War
-Afghanistan Escalation
-Lack of Prosecution of Wall Street
-Execution of Americans Overseas without Due Process
-Drone Strikes (with "Double Taps" to hit those responding to the initial blast)

I haven't seen one poster address the SUBSTANCE of his argument....because they can't.

[Cha]

77. No, there's not that many posts on the "hair"... there are many more

on the jealous pettiness of his "blood boiling" about the President using MLK's Bible for his Inaugual Swearing In Ceremony.. that the King Family Approved, BTW.

[NOVA_Dem]

157. Yet where are the posts refuting his argument? n/t

[Cha]

162. He has no argrument.. just petty foolishness. Damn fool.

[NOVA_Dem]

167. Understood...You can't refute his argument so you call him " A Damn Fool."

[Cha]

176. West is Damn Fool. Too bad really.

[NOVA_Dem]

188. You can't undercut his argument. n/t

[Cha]

195. West undercuts his own argument. Shame that.

[Cha]

74. West is a jealous jackass who negates his message about

poverty with stupid jealous hate.

[NOVA_Dem]

207. You're just embarrassing yourself now.

Would Dr. King support President Barack Obama's handling of:
-Drug War
-Afghanistan Escalation
-Lack of Prosecution of Wall Street
-Execution of Americans Overseas without Due Process
-Drone Strikes (with "Double Taps" to hit those responding to the initial blast)?

[Cha]

209. It's Cornel West who's embarrassed himself.

[NOVA_Dem]

211. I ask one one question of you:

Would Dr. King support President Barack Obama's handling of:
-Drug War
-Afghanistan Escalation
-Lack of Prosecution of Wall Street
-Execution of Americans Overseas without Due Process
-Drone Strikes (with "Double Taps" to hit those responding to the initial blast)?

[liberal_at_heart]

113. how dare we ever say anything critical of Obama

I have never been quiet. I will never be quiet especially considering Obama won't properly fund education and is complicit in the privatization of our public school system.

[Zoeisright]

60. Fuck off, West.

You irrelevant blowhard.

[virgogal]

63. + 1,and then some.

[Pisces]

64. West continues his descent to irrelevancy. He is a bitter fool.

[kjackson227]

67. West and his side-kick, Smiley, never miss an opportunity to...

bad-mouth President Obama. I'm sure if Dr. King were alive today, they'd make derogatory and nasty comments about him also. Jerks!

[arely staircase]

68. well, bless his heart

eom

[vaberella]

72. Cornell West is a buffoon. n/t

[Mdterp01]

76. What the f*ck happened to this guy

I used to love Cornel West. When did he go bat shit?

[Fantastic Anarchist]

80. Sorry to say, but Dr. West makes great points.

[Cha]

81. Pic of Christine King Faris as PBO is sworn in on her brother's Bible..

Christine King Farris, sister of Martin Luther King, Jr, smiles as President Barack Obama is sworn in on her brother’s bible as she watches from Ebenezer Baptist Church following the 45th Martin Luther King, Jr. Annual Commemorative Service in Atlanta, Georgia, January 21

http://theobamadiary.com/2013/01/21/inauguration-day-part-9/

[Number23]

83. I just posted that same pic upthread!

[Cha]

84. Cool, 23! I'm

about to make a thread of it!

[graham4anything]

82. West is a Naderite. Naderites have no place on democratic boards, as Nader threw 2000 to repubs.

[bluestate10]

93. If Nader hadn't elected Bush in 2000, our discussions today would be vastly different.

Without Bush, more than 10,000 americans would have had a chance to live full lifetimes. Without Bush, tens of thousands of americans would have healthy bodies and limbs. Without Bush, our nation wouldn't have come within mere hours of complete ruin in the late summer of 2008. Fuck Nader and fuck every single one of the 97,000 people that voted for him in Florida. The nation would have been better off without them.

[Beringia]

87. After thinking about it

and reading the comments, I think that MLK was an activist and Pres Obama is a politician. Activists pressure politicians.

I don't know about Cornel West being petty. But if MLK were alive, it may be he would be trying to pressure Pres Obama to do more about poverty and war, which I think is part of Cornel West's point about being offended at Pres Obama connecting himself so closely in symbol with MLK.

[DevonRex]

119. MLK's family knows a lot better about what MLK would think than you do. He had a dream.

That dream is closer to coming true now than it ever was and President Obama's SECOND inauguration, even after the last vestiges of racism have been thrown at him, is the symbol of that. This was done to HONOR that dream and to show that we still have work to do - as President Obama himself said in his address.

[Leopolds Ghost]

125. MLK's family should not be put on any sort of pedestal either

How many times have they been arrested in defense of striking janitors.

Cornel has the right to his opinion but I guess we're all supposed to think alike.

One thing MLK might not note, but I will, is that an oath is a solemn vow. Restating it simply so you can swear on a stack of bibles seems to cheapen it. The Inauguration should have been on Sunday, as prescribed by the Constitution; not MLK's birthday -- a day when we should focus on memorializing the man and what he fought for. The fact thast we have a black president does not change that

[DevonRex]

138. First, the Constitution does not say the oath has to be on the 20th. Only that the

term ends on the 20th of January. In this case, President Obama did indeed take his official oath of office on the 20th, but did the ceremonial one on Monday. That is tradition. President Obama could have done his official oath at any time prior to his first term expiring.

Constitutional Law is a picky and tricky subject.

[vaberella]

201. Actually Obama being sworn in could be seen as a symbol of that fight.

I think it gives even more credence to MLK's legacy. If the bible is the issue..in my perspective it's a piece of paper with words...it's like swearing on a flat screen manual. It's irrelevant and actually makes most arguments weak when it's pushing this inconsequential issue.

[Beringia]

166. What do you mean the dream is closer

We are still deep in wars and poverty is getting worse with loss of unions and jobs overseas.

And as for MLK's family knowing more about MLK's wishes, no one can know that for sure. I don't think MLK would have cared about Pres Obama using the bible or his family offering it, but I think he also would support Dr. West expressing his opinion.

[DevonRex]

170. Do you have ANY clue at all about MLK other than what that fucked piece said? LOL.

Really, just LOL!!!! I CANNOT believe you asked that. You run along now and Google...



ETA a copy of the above post just in case he self deletes:

Beringia (291 posts)
166. What do you mean the dream is closer

We are still deep in wars and poverty is getting worse with loss of unions and jobs overseas.

And as for MLK's family knowing more about MLK's wishes, no one can know that for sure. I don't think MLK would have cared about Pres Obama using the bible or his family offering it, but I think he also would support Dr. West expressing his opinion.

[liberal_at_heart]

89. he fights for poor African Americans

I admire that. Democrats never say how they are going to increase wages, keep the poor out of jail and off the streets, properly fund education. In order to help end poverty you have to help the poor with financial programs such as Medicaid and food stamps but you also must fund education, increase wages, provide housing, and address the prision industrial complex so that those in poverty can move out of poverty. No one not even democrats truly and properly addresses the poverty issue in this country. The poorest in this country still have no voice. No one speaks for them.

[bluestate10]

96. Cornell West speaks for no one but his prima donna ass.

If he was so concerned about poor African Americans, he could get his ass on the street working with at risk African American youth like many people that we never hear a fucking peep from do every single day. Cornell West is a buffoon and an asshole.

[liberal_at_heart]

97. that's your opinion. You're entitled to it. I disagree.

[bluestate10]

100. Tell me one thing that Cornell West has done to

Bring grocery stores to the inner cities

Stop youth from using knives guns to resolve conflict

Funded scholarships for exceptional African American students

Help build playgrounds in the inner city

Help start urban farms in inner cities so that residents can relax and grow vegetables

I could be wrong, but I have never heard of Cornell West being measurably involved with any of the causes above.

I haven't seen Cornell West do anything other than self-promote, sell books and run his mouth.

[liberal_at_heart]

104. I have already told you, you are entitled to your opinion

I am entitled to mine. He brings attention to issues that politicians ignore. I admire that. If you continue to insist on persisting you will go on ignore. I don't intend to get in an argument with someone that cannot allow others to have a different opinion than they do.

[bluestate10]

108. Curt dismissals don't count as responses. Cornell West is a loudmouth that has done

1/ten-billionth of the good that Barack Obama did in an inner city setting, even when the President was a mere community organizer in south Chicago. More African American young people have been inspired by President Obama than Cornell West will inspire in ten million lifetimes.

[liberal_at_heart]

110. buh-bye

[catbyte]

90. Blah blah blah. As if President Obama doesn't have enough on his plate,

now he has to be MLK too? Unfair.

[phleshdef]

91. Fuck Cornel West and fuck his incessant speechifying and nonsensical blathering.

The guy is a legend in his own mind.

[Leopolds Ghost]

130. Do folks here routinely disagree with Cornell West?

Or only when he criticises President Obama?

Do criticism of Administration allies count? Michelle Rhee for example? Hillary Clinton?

What about Oliver Stone?

[phleshdef]

134. I don't always disagree with Cornell West. But even when I agree with him, I find him obnoxious.

[Leopolds Ghost]

164. See

I don't always disagree with President Obama, either.

[phleshdef]

193. Please, lets not pretend this MLK Bible nonsense is legitimate criticism.

Its not. And you know it.

[undeterred]

94. Dr. Cornel West should learn to STFU once in a while.

MLK was made of flesh and blood, and he wasn't perfect either.

[johnp3907]

95. West is becoming a clown.

And he DOESN'T have the deed to MLK in his wallet.

[Cali_Democrat]

98. Damn...what the hell happened to West?

He's gone insane.

[onenote]

99. Cornel West was 14 when King was assassinated

What gives him the right to speak for Dr. King?

[Hoyt]

101. West could probably get some GOPers' to impeachment Obama for that.

I do think it was a very high honor, but I'm glad it was used. Heck, maybe MLK's Bible could be used at every Presidential oath for centuries.

[ShadesOfBlue]

102. I take issue...

with this jive-talking midget representing black intellectuals on high profile platforms. And I say that as an African American who never cared for him. I can't recall any other Ivy League professor who resorts to unhinged personal attacks nor one who resorts to making childish faces to get his point across. My theory is West is that he is all about glorifying Cornel West. As a result even his legitimate critiques regarding Obama fall on deaf ears of people who otherwise may give him the time of day.

By the way considering the King family was more than happy to have Obama use the MLK's bible and asked him to sign it as well, suggests to me that West should take up his rant with MLK's children. And good luck to him on that.

[Number23]

107. King's sister too. I posted a pic of her upthread

She was absolutely delighted with the president's use of her brother's bible.

[Leopolds Ghost]

114. Are King's family royalty?

No? Are they civil rights activists? How so? What strikes have they called? What protests have they organized?

It is well known that King's family is more conservative than the man himself.

While we're at it, why don't we have Obama cloak himself in the mantle of Jesus or Ghandhi or another sainted figure?

[hopemountain]

227. the family of Dr. King suffered loss of a beloved member of their family

they deserve your respect, sir.

[Politicub]

103. West's comment makes Obama's inaugural speech even more prescient

As someone said in another thread MLK was one of the genius leaders in history, but he wasn't a saint just as the founding fathers were not gods, as they seem to be revered, and the constitution isn't an inerrant document from on high.

Others have been unhappy with linking Seneca Falls, Selma and Stonewall in the same breath, but it only means that the pursuit of civil rights is an unending struggle. Maybe it won't always be thus, but it seems like a permanent part of the human condition.

And I also firmly believe that Obama has the best interests at heart for all Americans. But he himself isn't a deity who can wave his hand and alleviate all suffering in society.

Obama stands on the shoulders of giants. A bible is just a bound sheaf of papers. It's MLK Jr.'s spirit that endures.

I enjoyed the video, though. It has always been a pleasure watching Dr. West speak. He a very intelligent and influential person who I agree with on most points.

[Leopolds Ghost]

127. Thanks for the well-reasoned response.

[ProSense]

146. Too bad West's statement wasn't "well-reasoned"

Being pissed that the President used King's Bible is beyond idiotic.

[liberal_at_heart]

133. +1

[REP]

121. Dr West takes issue with not hearing his own voice often enough

He has his opinions and points, but to dress it up with this mock outrage over the first Black president using MLK's bible to take the oath of the presidency is a bit strained.

[Purveyor]

126. Indeed. eom

[Owl]

124. He's looney tunes.

[stevenleser]

139. Everyone should remember this is all about not getting a White House invite. It's B.S. nt

[DevonRex]

143. I wouldn't invite him either. No way. nt

[Historic NY]

140. Sheesh too bad it wasn't his decision to make...

it had nothing to do with him...period!

[ProSense]

148. It's hilarious.

Maybe he thinks MLK belongs to him.

[bigtree]

142. Apparently Cornel doesn't have a problem 'playing' with King himself

. . . like he personally owns the man's legacy.

[Number23]

150. Neither do some in this thread. At the apparent request of their "black friends"

[ProSense]

151. Seriously,

In the video clip below you can hear West explain it as, “When I got the news that my dear brother Barack Obama, President Obama, was going to put his precious hand on Martin Luther King Jr.’s bible I got upset. And I got upset because, you don’t play with Martin Luther King Jr. and you don’t play with his people. By his people what I mean is people in good conscience, fundamentally committed to piece and truth and justice.”

...WTF is dude tripping on?

[Walk away]

144. I really can't stand this guy. The only way he ever makes a point....

is by tearing down the President. He loves to give him a public flogging because it's the only way he can get an audience. I'm sure he would follow Dennis over to Fox if they would take him. He can always go on Tavis' show and they can bash Obama together.

[just1voice]

152. I guess you didn't actually watch the video

He's talking about war criminals, poverty and racism but don't let that stop you from whatever you're pretending to care about.

[Walk away]

160. And according to him President Obama invented all of it.

You just keep on thinking that West isn't using the President to get attention for his complaints. They may be legitimate positions to take but he hurts his own cause in his obnoxious attention getting ploys.

[ProSense]

161. "He's talking..."

That's all he ever does...talk.

What does using King's Bible have to do with "talking about war criminals, poverty"?

West has become a petty man.

[goclark]

145. I am African American and I once admired West

He is a FOOL!

West and his friend Tavis Smiley don't like President Obama all of a sudden.

Think it must have been that the President did not give them much time .

I don't blame the President --- The West/ Tavis Duo want to be Pampered.
I certainly can't speak for ALL African Americans but the ones that I know that are extremely involved in Politics have put them at the bottom of the list for those we admire.

Just my thoughts

PS/ I have not heard ONE person upset about the use of the KING Bible.

Everyone that I talked to was so PROUD that President Obama honored Dr. King.

[just1voice]

149. What's with the ad-hom attacks?

So many people like you are just calling West names instead of addressing war crimes, poverty and racism.

Don't you have anything real to say?

[ProSense]

156. West

"So many people like you are just calling West names instead of addressing war crimes, poverty and racism."

...isn't addressing shit. He's just hating. If Obama says "A" he says "B"

What the hell is he doing to address poverty?

Did he expand Medicaid for the poor?

The health care law is still the biggest expansion of the safety net since Medicare
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022159929

Did he expand aid programs for low-income Americans?

If he's so damned interested in helping the poor, why isn't working with the President instead of constantly biting at his ankles?

[goclark]

175. You don't know me

I have been a Civil Rights Activists for all of my Adult live.

I know exactly who I am and what I support!

[Cha]

180. Thanks goclark.. you were keeping real. Obviously

stating the facts about Cornel West is too much for some to take. It's too bad really that West has to bring his jealous hate into everything he has to say about the President.

[vaberella]

198. Actually Cornel West has used the fact that Obama as biracial as a weakness.

And blamed his "white" side as the cause. West isn't has progressive as some would think.

[Hippo_Tron]

158. I think West has some good points...

I won't get into the issues of the new Jim Crow and poverty because people can argue in circles about how much control the President has or doesn't have over that.

I will say that I think it's hard to argue with him that Dr. King wouldn't much care for the continued war in Afghanistan and the drone program.

I will also say that Barack Obama isn't an activist as Dr. King was. He's the elected leader of the American people, and using unmanned drones to kill suspected terrorists is very much the will of the American people.

Additionally, I think that those who say that there's very good reasons for the first black President to have used Dr. King's bible for an inauguration held on Dr. King's holiday.

I think West's comments are good food for thought. Doesn't mean you have to agree with them.

[1StrongBlackMan]

165. Posted to cuz I really don't want to read stuff like this before bed. n/t

[treestar]

169. If it's true, someone gave him that Bible

And if that someone is the one who got that Bible from Dr. King, then too damn bad. That person wanted President Obama to use it.

[ProSense]

174. Dr Martin Luther King at the White House

Dr Martin Luther King at the White House
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022249753

That's what a leader does. West can't hold a candle to King's legacy, and he damn sure has no business condemning anyone, especially President Obama, for standing on King's shoulders, something he earned the right to do long before he became President.

[Pretzel_Warrior]

181. Cornell is a purist. No surprise.

BTW. LBJ actually accomplished civil rights act--not MLK. You may judge Obama, but political leaders get things done. Activists must raise issues and move the political will, but ultimately elected leaders actualize our political will.

People who become political leaders are not purists. They have to compromise. They have to be pragmatic.

Cornell and Nader and Kucinich would never be elected president. Obama did so twice.

The victories accomplished should be cherished. Presidential affirmation of gay people's fight for equal rights including pushing congress to repeal DADT. Health care for all citizens.

[NOVA_Dem]

190. That argument didn't work out to well for Hillary in the Democratic primary:

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2008/01/was-hillary-dis/
http://sweetness-light.com/archive/hillary-lbj-not-mlk-passed-civil-rights-act-2#.UQDO6SfAdIE

What would MLK think of BO's policies on:
-Drug War
-Afghanistan Escalation
-Lack of Prosecution of Wall Street
-Execution of Americans Overseas without Due Process
-Drone Strikes (with "Double Taps" to hit those responding to the initial blast)

[ProSense]

199. Here's your answer:

What would MLK think of BO's policies on:
-Drug War
-Afghanistan Escalation
-Lack of Prosecution of Wall Street
-Execution of Americans Overseas without Due Process
-Drone Strikes (with "Double Taps" to hit those responding to the initial blast)

He'd meet with him and discuss the issues.

Dr Martin Luther King at the White House
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022249753

He wouldn't spend every moment biting the President's ankles from a distance. He wouldn't concern himself with petty bullshit.

[NOVA_Dem]

205. You mean he PUSHED LBJ et. al. to do the RIGHT THING???

substitute Vietnam with the "War on Terror"

Imagine that?

You still haven't espoused on Dr. King's likely opinion of BO's handling of:
-Drug War
-Afghanistan Escalation
-Lack of Prosecution of Wall Street
-Execution of Americans Overseas without Due Process
-Drone Strikes (with "Double Taps" to hit those responding to the initial blast)

[ProSense]

210. Do you think whining about an oath taken on King's bible rises to the level of King's actions?

West isn't doing anything constructive. He's simply pissing in the wind.

[NOVA_Dem]

217. I'm not trying to equate West and MLK, I'm asking for a specific counter-argument...

to West's assertions that MLK would not be supportive of BO's policies on:
-Drug War
-Afghanistan Escalation
-Lack of Prosecution of Wall Street
-Execution of Americans Overseas without Due Process
-Drone Strikes (with "Double Taps" to hit those responding to the initial blast)?

[ProSense]

218. What does any of that have to do with using King's Bible?

"I'm not trying to equate West and MLK, I'm asking for a specific counter-argument...to West's assertions that MLK would not be supportive of BO's policies on"

West has no clue how King would approach the issues, and MLK's would not resort to personal attacks on the President's character or race.

[NOVA_Dem]

222. West's is arguing that MLK wouldn't support BO on Multiple Important Policy Positions...

so why would you swear on his bible when you know he would criticize your policies on:

-Drug War
-Afghanistan Escalation
-Lack of Prosecution of Wall Street
-Execution of Americans Overseas without Due Process
-Drone Strikes (with "Double Taps" to hit those responding to the initial blast)

[Cha]

206. Right! Dr King wouldn't be engaged in petty jealousy..

attentionwhoring his way through the years. He'd go right to the source instead of backstabbing through the cameras.

[NOVA_Dem]

208. You still haven't espoused on Dr. King's likely opinion of BO's handling of:

-Drug War
-Afghanistan Escalation
-Lack of Prosecution of Wall Street
-Execution of Americans Overseas without Due Process
-Drone Strikes (with "Double Taps" to hit those responding to the initial blast)

[ProSense]

212. You have no idea how those discussions would go, but

what they wouldn't entail is King sitting on the sidelines taking cheap potshots at the President, and harping on his race.

[NOVA_Dem]

215. ProSense, I'm asking what YOU think Dr. King's stance would be on:

Barack Obama's handling of:
-Drug War
-Afghanistan Escalation
-Lack of Prosecution of Wall Street
-Execution of Americans Overseas without Due Process
-Drone Strikes (with "Double Taps" to hit those responding to the initial blast)?

[ProSense]

216. You're ignoring my response to push your red herring

and take the focus off the fact that West's rant is beyond silly.

[NOVA_Dem]

219. You have no response besides name calling...

that's why you can't put forward a specific argument how MLK would support BO on:

-Drug War
-Afghanistan Escalation
-Lack of Prosecution of Wall Street
-Execution of Americans Overseas without Due Process
-Drone Strikes (with "Double Taps" to hit those responding to the initial blast)

[ProSense]

220. "name calling" WTF?

Where the hell did I call anyone a name in that response?

[NOVA_Dem]

221. You called West a "hater" "small minded" "ass" "petty RW asshole" and "idiotic" in this thread.

Yet you've done nothing to refute his argument b/c you can't.

[Cha]

213. Cornel West does not speak for Dr King.

[DevonRex]

194. He is batshit and whiny since he wasn't invited to the Inauguration. LOL. nt

[quinnox]

189. Now this is the kind of guy who should be advising Obama

A person steeped in the liberal tradition, who thinks about poverty, is against war, and is basically a fire breathing progressive.

I can only imagine how different Obama's disappointing first term would have been, with a guy like this advising him. Instead, we got the compromiser and reaching out to the GOP scumbag party only to have, predictably, the hand extended slapped away time and time again, and whoever was advising Obama seems to have come from the wishy-washy third way mold.

[ProSense]

196. He's upset about Obama using King's Bible.

"A person steeped in the liberal tradition, who thinks about poverty, is against war, and is basically a fire breathing progressive. "

He's green with envy.

[TexasBushwhacker]

191. If King's family was okay with it that's good enough for me n/t

[spanone]

200. i believe Dr. King would be honored that President Obama.......

[struggle4progress]

202. Translation: "Me! Me! Look at me!"

[Deep13]

204. .

[NOVA_Dem]

225. Great Analysis of Dr. West's Statement on BO's Use of King's Bible

[Deep13]

235. A reaction, not an analysis...

...because not everything has to be an historical precis.

[NOVA_Dem]

236. What points made in the video do you disagree with?

[hopemountain]

228. dr. west has some good points

but i prefer the rev. al's style.

"find the good, and praise it." - alex haley

president obama has heard dr. west and tavis smiley.

and lest we forget, the president was a community organizer in his younger days. he does care. instead of going around and talking about what needs to be done better or bringing your "brother down" ALL of the damn time, get on the ground and do some of it. it's hard. oh, yeah. it is hard. and it takes time. no one is perfect. but hey, if we all just put our energy into getting it done rather than intellectualizing & grandstanding and picking what good there is into smithereens and gnawing at it from every angle... well, then, it 's just going to take that much longer for the rest of us to get it done.

i'm sure dr. west remembers the old saying from the 70's - "giving the dog a bone".

[Sunlei]

229. I think the family of MLK offered use of the family bible, they also asked Obama to sign their bible