Cornell West EVISCERATING Obama on AJE right now

[woolldog]

* says Obama is spineless

[CakeGrrl]

1. And...? The same can be read here on DU. n/t

[Kurmudgeon]

2. And why does this person's opinion matter? n/m

[ReggieVeggie]

18. and who's opinion does matter?

:shrug:

[Freddie Stubbs]

22. Members of Congress, voters

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

23. So you're saying he's not a voter? Also, I'd hate to tell you this but you don't get

to call who's opinion matters. Other than to yourself of course. To some people West's opinion will matter to others it won't matter one damn bit. That's how it goes.

[Freddie Stubbs]

24. He is but one voter

I'm not sure how many opinions of American voters he is going to influence on Al Jazeera English.

[Exilednight]

25. Considering it's the fastes growing news network in the US - you might be surprised. n/t

[onenote]

29. You have a link to back up the claim that AJE is the "fastest growing news network" in the US?

In terms of getting onto cable and satellite systems, it remains pretty much dead in the water with virtually no carriage. Its website saw a spike in traffic as events in the Middle East heated up, but I haven't seen anything that breaks out how much of that traffic comes from the US or what the absolute numbers are.

[Exilednight]

30. Here's their website ratings:

Al Jazeera's Website Has Seen A 2500% Increase In Traffic...60% Of That Is From The U.S.

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/al-jazeeras-television-website-traffic-2011-1#ixzz1I06N60Gj

[onenote]

35. a spike in traffic over a 24-hour period in January

around the time of the "Friday of Anger" demonstrations hardly makes AJE the fastest growing news outlet in the US.

[sabrina 1]

44. We started getting it on KCET in CA just this past month.

We are also getting RT which has some excellent programming, and their interviews, especially with Republicans show how you do not allow these people to just prattle without stopping them and questioning them thoroughly.

Time Warner is carrying RT in our area. And the difference between the news you get from them and our own MSM is very interesting.

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

26. So what? Everyone's opinion matter to someone. Michelle Bachmann's opinion's.

And that's all she has. Don't have any more validity than any sane well informed individual.

[ProudDad]

81. Everyone in this country who's paying attention

knows that Al Jazeera English is a much superior news source than ANYTHING the few USAmerican media conglomerations provide, including the execrable National Propaganda Radio...

[pscot]

47. Voters?

Surely you jest.

[ReggieVeggie]

53. Cornel West isn't a voter?

might want to tell him that

[golfguru]

107. Obama's approval hits new low

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0311/52208.html

Does this matter?

[FormerDittoHead]

28. Because he speaks for many of us INTELLIGENT and INFORMED people...

Starting with "Who is Cornel West?":

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cornel_West

But on edit, I MUST interject that he is mercurial and controversial. His approach to many things can be off-putting, esp if you're not used to him, but he is informed and informative.

[yellowcanine]

49. "us INTELLIGENT and INFORMED people" Okay then.

The unintelligent and uninformed can just suck it up then.

[FormerDittoHead]

55. It was harsh, but I have a low threshold for those who are WILLFULLY ignorant.

"I don't know who this guy was, don't want to take five fucking seconds out to google, so I'll come here and question this person's right to have an opinion".

That's pretty much what I was responding to...

[yellowcanine]

71. Ok that makes it much better.....Arrogant much?

[FormerDittoHead]

77. I didn't notice what was happening downthread - deleted.

I can see the DU is going through one of its phases, I suppose probably in the wake of Libya.

[dionysus]

40. because he's very jealous and loathes obama. this excites a segment of DU very much...

[Forkboy]

72. "because he's very jealous and loathes obama. "

I like you but I'm going to be blunt. That's fucking dumb.

[CakeGrrl]

88. No it isn't. You think only Teabaggers and Birthers are capable of that?

You don't think a prominent black man can envy another? That's naive.

[Forkboy]

100. I think they can, I just don't think this one does.

And if the complaints about him weren't coming from political supporters of his target they might carry more weight.

[CakeGrrl]

103. So people who don't share West's view on Obama lack credibility?

That's what you seem to be implying.

So if you're going to do that, allow for the inverse: Interest in what West has to say has mainly been piqued on DU precisely BECAUSE he's lambasting the President, to wit, the breathless OP who seems very excited about the concept.

[Forkboy]

106. I wouldn't say they lack it, they just have less of it.

Wait, hear me out. :)

When Hillary or DK or Pelosi or whoever get attacked, people defend them because of a sense of loyalty, which isn't a bad thing. But it's a double edged sword, and can be taken too far. There are people who do this for Obama, Hillary, DK and every other politician living and dead throughout our history. Often this loyalty is kneejerk, and that's something to be aware of. That doesn't mean I automatically feel that people who don't agree with West lack credibility, and it's sad that we expect each of us to be so binary in our thinking. I can agree with SOME of what West says, SOME of what Obama says, etc. It's not all or nothing. Some arguments have merit and some don't. I don't feel this particular criticism of West is one of them. YMMV.

I've always been a huge hockey fan, and when I was younger if you trashed my teams I got pissed. My sense of loyalty was so strong that it clouded my thinking and made me react in a kneejerk manner. This is exactly what happens in politics, music, sports...hell, look at the Apple/Windows arguments. It's human nature and happens all over life.

In my opinion, either people are open to both praise and criticism, or people only accept the one that fits their worldview. People can't have it both ways. But by only accepting the view that we agree with we get forced into a box where we never grow or change or adapt, where outside opinions become the enemy instead of intellectual food for thought, and perhaps change for something better. It's not a path I'm interested in going down for myself, but unfortunately I see it a lot here on DU, and while I expect it to apply to those on the right, it's always a little disheartening to see so many on the left adopt the same mode.

You like Obama, and may see my comments as a personal affront, but my thinking on this applies not just to every politician, but to every idea. This is my approach to novels, to movies, music, people and everything else. The thread is about Obama so I can understand why my comments seem directed at Obama supporters only, but it fits almost all of us, and each "camp" has this type of dynamic going on. I think it's a good thing to be aware of this tendency and try to self correct. I still have to keep this is mind when it comes to things I support, and I'm still not always successful at overcoming that tendency. For instance, I may be defending West out of a feeling of loyalty to him, and being aware of that will make me rethink both sides of the debate.

Ok, enough philosophy, onto your inverse. :)

Which is entirely correct. There's no doubt to me that West's popularity here has increased as new people get exposed to him and hear him go after Obama. Personally, I knew of West way before Obama was even on anyone's map, and respect him in many ways, though I don't automatically agree with him. But yes, some people are latching onto him because he's attacking Obama more than out of any personal like or respect of West. For me, I think West's attacks are respectful, the kind I have with my friends. It may sound bad to those on the outside, but underneath is respect, and I bet Obama is far less offended than some of his supporters.

This has been way longer than I intended, but I'm in that mood, so I'll leave you with an inverse of my own. Is it possible that some people in this thread think that West lacks credibility because he doesn't share Obama's view?

[dionysus]

104. perhaps... perhaps not.

:P

[Forkboy]

110. Most likely "perhaps not".

It's a kneejerk defense of Obama. One can respect both West and Obama at the same time. There's no doubt in my mind that they respect one another, so why are so many here on both sides, and you included here, trying to make it so binary? We HAVE to get past this kind of thing. It's killing us as a party and as a country.

[dionysus]

115. excellent point.

[ProudDad]

82. Hell, I don't "loath" Obama...He's even somewhat pleasant...

And occasionally, temporarily amusing...

As long as one pays more attention to the form instead of the substance...

I loath the fact that's he's a tool of the USAmerican Corporate Empire...

As would anyone be who could get selected pResident...

[CakeGrrl]

89. Aww, what a compliment.

You're just one step from patting the President's head to go along with that condescension.

:rofl:

[ProudDad]

116. YOUR racism is showing...

I meant nothing condescending in my post...

Only people who have been fully vetted by the corporate masters can become pResident -- that's a FACT...

Nothing against Obama, he is what he is...

[CakeGrrl]

118. So you equate condescension with racism, eh? Your issue. n/t

[Name removed]

90. Deleted message

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[mdmc]

66. cause cw rocks the world yo

[Arctic Dave]

3. You will never accuse Cornel West of not speaking what's on his mind.

[Harmony Blue]

4. President Obama

..clearly made a tough choice, so disagreement with his position is fair game, but to call him spineless is to revert to RW rhetoric IMVHO.

[ClarkUSA]

5. Is he getting paid for this gig? Thank goodness Cornell West has no chance of becoming president.

Ditto for Murdoch Faux News tool Kucinich. Both are media whores who love the sound of their own voices. The more they attack Pres. Obama, the more the corporate media wants to use them to attack Obama by proxy.

[Tarheel_Dem]

7. "Thank goodness Cornell West has no chance of becoming president."

And, IMHO, that's the crux of this whole Tavis/Cornell vs. Obama drama. Before Obama, they were the go to guys for intellectual matters of the black community. Since Obama, not so much. And speaking as an AA myself, Tavis & Cornell are no longer viewed the same way by my community, and you can take that to the bank. You only have to visit a black barber/beauty shop to know what the community thinks of these two.

They both come off as petty and envious that they'll never be where Obama is, and there's good reason for that. ;-)

[ClarkUSA]

8. What you said. Amen to that.

;)

[elleng]

9. Good to hear this, Tarheel.

Sorry to hear it about Tavis; haven't watched lately, but West has been something else for a long time.

[onpatrol98]

15. Actually...I still like Cornell West

Tavis Smiley, not so much...but then again...I also have moments when I think Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson, the NAACP and a long list of others who used to be very effective have essentially lost their way. I see moments of lucidity. But, there are times when I wonder, where are they when we "really" need them.

I think Cornell West is wrong. The president is not spineless. I think Cornell has the right to call him spineless if he wants. And, I have the right to ignore him, when I want. I'll be glad when America , but I'll be glad when America stops forcing a small group of African Americans out front as the "voices of black America".

We're a diverse group of opinions. No one person or organization could possibly speak well for all of us.

[ProudDad]

84. When it comes to cowering before the generals and republicans, Obama is spineless...

He said one thing while he was the fictional "Candidate Obama"...

And now he's doing the opposite...

If he had any character he'd return the Nobel Peace Prize out of shame...

[OwnedByFerrets]

27. Maybe because they are TOO GOOD at telling the truth

You cant tell the truth and be president of the us of a. And once you are elected, its seems very obvious that you cant be FOR the ppl who elected you.

[kjackson227]

34. As some might say...

Tavis and West need to stop drinking the haterade.

[politicasista]

61. +1

All this coming from the same person (West) that spoke at my Commencement a few years ago. :shrug:

Not to say he doesn't have a right to his opinion, but it sounds like he (and Tavis are) is still fussy about not being invited to the WH yet. They should walk a mile in Obama's shoes for 24 hours before talking trash.

The rest, agree with you. :)

[Nedsdag]

70. +1

[Solomon]

99. Both of them are asses.

I can't stand to watch or hear either one, and I'm African-American.

[Tarheel_Dem]

113. Thank You. I was just accused of "stereotyping" my own community.

Didn't really think that was possible, being a member of said community, but whatever. Every AA on this board can attest to the fact that there is nothing under the sun that isn't discussed in the barber/beauty shop, including the president and his critics.

:fistbump:

[uponit7771]

101. "...They both come off as petty and envious..." AMEN!!! They sound like they've drunk a gallon of..

..hateraid

[TheKentuckian]

114. What specifically is West jealous of? He has been around for much, much longer than Obama

with no indication at all that he has aspired to the office of President that I have any recollection of.

So now if a black man ain't on the President's jock then he has to be jealous, huh?

That position is petty to me and thoughtless as is the stinky little barb about a good reason why West and also Smiley (who I don't care about and am not discussing) have good reasons for not being able to be President. Since we know you aren't talking education, understanding of complex issues, constitutional eligibility, or any other apparent roadblock, I am curious what the "wink and a nod" reasons are.

All you have in this post is a bunch of innuendo and your opinions bolstered by the supposed talk at the barber.

Seems to me that you know you can't fold West into the usual "racist" camp so any exceptions are now "jealous".

Nobody is jealous of Barack playing stooge for rich, white motherfuckers that have been oppressing poor folks in general and blacks in particular for hundreds of years.
You might not be able to grasp that many people don't have the smallest bit of envy for the position of Director of Public Relations for the multi-national corporate collective.

[Name removed]

21. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[ProudDad]

83. You're just jealous 'cause West and Kucinich have principles

and your guy doesn't...

[ProSense]

6. Cornel West

is a philosopher he's not running a country. His rants don't take into consideration the real forces that complicate his theories.

Yes, every Israeli and Palestinian life is equal. Now what?

He claims Obama, like Clinton, is an opportunist, doing whatever it takes to get re-elected?

What the hell does that mean? He's not the community activist now. He's not MLK. He's the President, a politician.

West is naive if he believes that Obama can fill the dual roles of President and an activist leader like MLK.

He once said his criticisms of the President are Socratic, and that's exactly what they are.

[Hawkowl]

13. Obama was never a community activist

I was a community activist in Chicago about the same time period and his reputation was pathetic. Take THAT to the bank.

[Name removed]

16. Deleted message

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[jefferson_dem]

17. Good lord!

You should win a DUzy for that post. An instant classic!

[alcibiades_mystery]

31. Aaaaaachobullshit

Gezundheit.

[dionysus]

39. uh huh.

:rofl:

[Name removed]

41. Deleted sub-thread

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[WiffenPoof]

45. Oh My!

Do tell...

[BklnDem75]

48. OMG! That's like totally believable!

[vaberella]

51. Oh okay. You should have said that on Fox News.

You'd have been famous and destroyed his candidacy.

[AtomicKitten]

57. ... is a shit statement

[cottonseed]

58. So pathetic in fact that he's now President of the United States and you are...

:rofl: x 1000

[woolldog]

10. He said

* didn't regret working to get Obama elected because 4 years of McCain/plain would've been disastrous. Reagan era needed to end

* Obama punts on first down. Compromise is fine but he doesn't fight for anything. Cites public option/ health care as example

* not fighting for the poor. Continuation of corporatist agenda. Cites economic team coming from wall street and Clinton adminisstration

*. Notes hypocrisy of Libyan intervention. Not as much about human rights as oil. Obama more eloquent than bush but more continuities than discontinuities in mid east policy. Where was the outrage he has for Libya when the Palestinians were bring slaughtered?

I don't even agree with all of it but it was powerful stuff

[flpoljunkie]

20. I do agree with it all, but will support President Obama over any Republican as they are much worse!

Will he fight for the Consumer Protection Agency against the Republicans and the banks? I am thrilled with his putting Elizabeth Warren in charge, but will he back her up and fight for consumers against the banks, the Republicans and corporate Democrats?

We will soon see.

[vaberella]

87. False on Health care/PO---so false it's abhorrent. False on not fighting for the poor.

What hypocrisy on Libya----Obama didn't go in alone here. Which s completely different from Bush---and I don't know what West is on. Aye?! What does the Palestinians have to do with anything? They've been slaughtered since before Obama was President---actually since before Reagan. And Obama can't really do anything in regards to Israel. He threatens no funding and we lost 90% of the Jewish electorate who vote Dem. Not to mention Congress would reject that before it was even written. And he'd be branded the evil MUSLIM----even for those who were on the fence. He'd have no chance.

[CakeGrrl]

92. I'm not seeing anything that hasn't already shown up on DU.

Does West get kudos because he got an open mic? Or are people who happen to agree with his views glomming onto him for validation?

[FrenchieCat]

11. And Cornell West has done exactly what for the American people?

I like Cornell West, but I don't agree with him on his take on this President.
He is a contrarian by nature, and will always look for the negative, because
all ain't as it should be, and it never has been, and never will be.

At my hair shop, most folks only know Cornell West as the guy who taught Black studies
at Harvard and loudly moved on to Princeton. They don't see him as a community organizer,
or a politician, or a leader even.....and certainly not as one with guts or a spine....for that matter...although most will agree he has a mouth on him.

[sudopod]

33. The same things as Mark Twain and Helen Keller.

Politicians aren't the only people who change the world.

[Forkboy]

73. More than you or I.

[CakeGrrl]

93. Let's teleport him into the Oval Office and see how he handles things.

How will his theories hold up to the REALITIES of being at the helm in Washington D.C. and navigating relations throughout the world?

Can anyone honestly envision him leading outside of the safe bubble of academia?

[Keith Bee]

12. * says Obama is spineless

Exposition ain't your strong suit, is it?

[opihimoimoi]

14. I think CW was projecting....it is He who is "spineless"

[Dokkie]

19. for a sec

I thought you were referring to the freak over at the house. What the fu*k is wrong with me

[Armstead]

32. Professor West.....Meet the bus.

[phleshdef]

36. Did he awkwardly jam a bunch of big words into one sentence to make himself sound smart as per usual

I've nothing against Cornell West personally. He is a good person. But he is unbearable to listen to.

[JitterbugPerfume]

37. he is a gadfly

he would not be happy with anyone because perfection does not exist.

That said, I think he is fascinating.

[dionysus]

38. that must have made your day!!!

:eyes:

[okieinpain]

42. then he should run for office and show us the way. n/t.

[NorthCarolina]

96. He'd get my vote. nt

[okieinpain]

111. mine too and I would expect for him to make no excuses. n/t.

[jenmito]

43. YAY!

Right? :eyes:

[Peacetrain]

46. Of all the BS ops.. this has to top the list.. Dr. West and Tavis Smiley

have been on an anti Obama tear since 2008. Tavis got his shorts in a twist when Obama was on the campagin trail and did not make his symposium.. The President contacted Tavis and explained the issue and said that Michelle would love to be there. It is what candidates partners do all the time.. but Tavis got into a royal snit and so no invite to Michelle.

He and Cornell jump at every chance they get to show how mad they still are. When the President could not split himself in 18,000 pieces they ran out of the room and have not been back.

So big woop

[Name removed]

56. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[dionysus]

62. lame

[hollowdweller]

68. I call BS

They call out Obama for the same reason WE DO a lot on this forum.

Obama likely did not want to be on their symposium because he was afraid of being seen as too black. He tossed old Rev Wright under the bus for the same reason.

I totally understand why Obama did it. He's a politician and despite his doing nearly everything to not seem black the racists and peckerwoods on the right still think he's Stokley Carmichael or something.

However I think Smiley and West have every right to call him out on it and on the concessions he's made.

[Peacetrain]

69. Bull Hockey!..

Just utter bull.. The whole Obama was running away from his race meme.. is too stupid to even address.

What was with the refusal for Michelle to be there. Do you want me to turn that into a womens issue?

This is not a road to start down. Just a little advice before you take that any further.

[Tarheel_Dem]

79. And I haven't watched a SOTBU since. I don't even think Tavis can

and Cornell can get a quorum of black folks these days to participate. They screwed the pooch. Tavis' books used to fly off the shelves because of the support he got in the AA community. One of the best days in my life was when Tavis announced he was leaving the Tom Joyner Morning Show, because the listeners could no longer stand his self-righteous ass, and we weren't scared to let him know it.

[vaberella]

50. Same old, same old. Much of the same is done to all Presidents.

Just another aspect of what Obama is dealing with.

[ReggieVeggie]

54. he's a brother, vaby

is his opinion less valid?

[vaberella]

86. I don't now what you're reading from my post.

I don't get your point. My point is that, this is not the first time people will criticize the President---nor is it the last. Furthermore, most of the time I've seen Professor West talking about Obama, it's normally to criticize. And I'm not even for this situation in Libya. But when you have one clown talking about impeachment and so many lawyers are saying what Obama is doing is an impeachable offense. Even if you are critical about Obama's decision---one would think toning down the condemnation a bit. Because Obama is first of all not Bush. I don't see the US going into this because of some ulterior motive---I believe the President is very sincere here. I get annoyed when people are tearing him down where there are valid reasons to go into this situation---more so any other one we've had. Especially Iraq and Afghanistan. I think there is a far more valid reason here. And Obama followed the right procedures.

In any event...it's whatever. In the end, this is more common than not.

[ReggieVeggie]

91. West was a huge supporter of Obama in the campaign

I guess what I don't understand is why people like you can't see why he's being criticized. Your concern seems to be that anybody is speaking up. They should just keep quiet.

[vaberella]

94. "why people like you..." What is that supposed to mean?

Uh...why can't Is see Obama being criticized? Based on some of the comments I've read about Prof. West's statements...I am in complete disagreement with the man.

Obama is basically a person who doesn't fight for anything and lets the Republicans run the show. That's what he's stating. I am in 100% disagreement with the man.

You use the term "speaking up" as though his rights are being infringed in some way. Please, West is hardly being persecuted by me or anyone else.

[woolldog]

52. Video of the interview is UP!

at this link:

http://english.aljazeera.net/programmes/rizkhan/2011/03/201132863311584728.html

[NICO9000]

59. He said similar things on Amy Goodman and in his Playboy interview

I like Professor West. He's a character for sure, but his heart is in the right place and his statements seem pretty consistent to me.

[politicasista]

60. Yawn

:boring:

[RBInMaine]

63. West can go pound sand up his ass.

[ReggieVeggie]

64. competent, reasoned, accurate, passionate

no wonder people have nothing but ad hominem for Professor West

[Stuckinthebush]

65. Cornell West is a brilliant man

I find myself reading DU with disbelief a lot lately.

So, a brilliant man has some harsh things to say about Obama. He is still a brilliant man and a brilliant progressive. Perhaps instead of, "Wow, he must be jealous!", or "West sucks!" an intelligent response would be, "Well, I disagree with this part of what Dr. West says and here is why...."

I often laugh when reading DU because I think of the Monty Python Holy Grail snippet where King Arthur while riding up to Camelot says, "Oh second thought, let's not go. Tis a silly place."

[Teaser]

76. No he's not.

He's an academic joke.

What philosophically important contributions has he made?

His few publications are a bad pastiche of post-modernist psycho-babble and off-the-shelf marxism.

[Stuckinthebush]

78. Many academicians disagree with you

Some agree with you. That's the beauty of the academy.

You disagree with my position that he is a brilliant man. I think that his writings are accessible to many. I certainly don't think he is a joke.

That's not the main point of my original post, however. I should not have thrown in my thoughts of his aptitude. I should have said, "Dr. West is a respected writer and academician" and left it at that.

The bigger point is that we at DU have become very quick to attack like a Fox news morning anchor. West is a kindred spirit with progressive ideology. Many progressives debate Obama's ability to push forward a liberal agenda. So what? We don't have to act like tea baggers when we may disagree with a fellow progressive's position.

[ProudDad]

85. It's because much of DU is NOT Progressive...

I call it blue-dog-creep...

Been happening with a rush though since Obama got in...

[NorthCarolina]

97. That would not be possible since West makes cogent arguments.

The only available option for the cheerleader crowd is attempt to demean his character through ad hominem attacks.

[hollowdweller]

67. HUGE Smiley and West show fan here!!!!

I loved it on the show when they were giving Obama crap for saying he was reading Reagans biograpny on vacation.

In a just world West would have his own show and be a talking head on every news show. Instead we have these fucking blue dogs and half assed dems called out to speak for our side instead of somebody who thinks right like Brother West.

I'll tell you one thing. If he had the microphone that Rush has this country would be a hell of a lot better off. But he's a liberal and he's black.

[Tarheel_Dem]

80. Oh, you're the one who's listening.

:rofl: They better hang on to you.

[Name removed]

74. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Teaser]

75. Dear Cornel West:

come back when you publish some original work.

Waste of tenure, that one.

[creon]

95. free country

West is entitled to his opinion, as is every other mortal.

I expect West to have no use for Obama. It would be a surprise if he did have any use for him.

[Name removed]

98. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[kjackson227]

102. Look, I get that Dr. West is disappointed that the poor...

and working people in this country have been disenfranchised for so long, and I appreciate his passion. But, even though Obama is president, he is only one man. The corporate monster that has taken over our government was in place long before Obama became president, and I think even President Obama is/was surprised at how powerful the corporate lobbyist environment is in Washington. We all know how the legislature works, and we also know that our representatives including some Dems are heavily influenced by these big business lobbyists, so for West to expect Obama to repair EVERYTHING that is wrong in this country is a HUGE assignment and is an unfair expectation on West's part. I didn't like the fact that Wall Street was bailed out, but I understand why it was done, and what the president was trying to accomplish. Did it work? Yes, it did- somewhat. It didn't work as well as it should have because Wall Street decided on a different agenda. But, the best thing West can do (since he's so concerned about poor and working people) is to get involved in supporting and educating communities as to why becoming responsible citizens along with voting is important not only for presidential elections, but more importantly at the community level (personally, I've never heard of any of West's initiatives in these areas). Until poor people exercise their rights to vote and choose more progressive/honest/non-corporatist individuals to represent our needs, then things will never change in this country. Surely West knows this, so he either thinks we're too stupid to see the big picture, he's an opportunist, or both.

[CakeGrrl]

105. Good post. As the President said, it's easy enough to sit on the sidelines and be

a bomb-thrower. What are people like Mr. West doing to help the big picture other than telling everyone what they don't think the President is doing?

[ReggieVeggie]

108. excuse after excuse after excuse

I bet the poor turned out in big numbers expecting Obama to at least care about their problems. He's too busy caring about tax cuts for the wealthy and poor, unloved oil companies.

[Name removed]

109. Deleted message

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[hulka38]

112. Link here:

Cornel West/AJ video

Very good interview.

[hollowdweller]

117. Here's the issue for me

Who has the bigger microphone???

The Talking Heads like Rush, Beck, Palin et al attacking Obama and trying to push the country to the right??

Or Cornel West and the people who are trying to push Obama and the country to the left??

A lot of the Obama apologists on this forum save their worst vitrol for the people attacking Obama from the left.

Obama is a politician. He cares about being re elected and passing stuff so he looks good. He's going to try to do some liberal things around the edges but he knows that if he really does anything progressive the big money comes after him.

But one of the reasons he's in the position hes in is the right has a MUCH larger microphone.

When DU'ers personally attack commentators who are more to the left than Obama they are not helping Obama but only helping the conservatives keep the liberal ideas out of the mainstream, which actually hurts us in the long run.

[Ramulux]

119. Bingo

I no longer have the desire to bother repeating what you said in every absurd thread like this. If the fake democrats on this site want to waste their time attacking one of this countries most prominent and respected liberal academics, I dont think anything I'm gonna say is going to change their mind. Cornel West pushes Obama to be a better liberal, how some people see that as a bad thing I will never understand.