Wouldn't it have been great if Cornel West had leveled criticisms of actual policies

[ProSense]

Wouldn't it have been great if West had leveled criticisms of actual policies in place to address hunger and homelessness?

"first major federal antipoverty effort in decades"

Federal Strategic Plan to End Homelessness

HUD MAKES AVAILABLE $61 MILLION TO SIX APPLICANTS TO PROVIDE QUALITY AFFORDABLE HOUSING, REVITALIZE NEIGHBORHOODS

Govt announces plan to reduce health disparities

Second Chance Act

These are the kinds of programs West should be talking up to increase awareness and funding, and to hold the administration accountable.

He could have scrutinized them for potential inadequacies and suggest ways to strengthen them.

Instead he claims to be speaking for poor blacks, launching personal attacks, while admitting he has no contact whatsoever with the Congressional Black Caucus.

Some advocate. The goal is to help people, not grandstand.

[BernieSandersIsGod]

1. If Barack Obama was POTUS, would anyoen care what West thinks? I say no.

Cornel West is like a scorned lover running around bad mouthing his ex. It's personal for him.

[lumpy]

3. My impression of West also, like his nose is out of joint.

Obama does pretty good with the Congress he has to buck and constant negativity from his so-called Democratic supporters.

[bbinacan]

2. So true

"Some advocate. The goal is to help people, not grandstand."

And West isn't the only one.

[freshwest]

4. Academia is a rarified atmosphere. Easy to point fingers when they aren't at risk of being broken.

Although I agree with a lot of what West says, you are 100% right. I'm glad that someone pointed that out. Gloomy generalizing is delicious food for cynicism and an excuse to give up fighting instead of getting dirty. If someone hates the solutions being offered but is unwilling to meet the enemy face to face, they can quit whining.

[Thrill]

5. I don't follow them much but what I've seen from West and Tavis Smiley

There seems to be more to their beef with Obama than just policy. I've heard them both speak just as hateful as Hannity and Beck when it comes to the President. I wonder if something happened before he became President. Not sure about West but I know Tavis Smiley's attitude towards him has never been good. Its weird.

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[ProSense]

7. "nothing will if he is re-elected" Actually, something will:

The people who don't want him re-elected with be more upset than ever.

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[Vattel]

9. Your first quote is complete bullshit

"first major federal antipoverty effort in decades"
Do you really believe that? Or does it matteer to you whether it is true?

[ProSense]

10. "Do you really believe that? "

You don't have to believe it: facts.

[Vattel]

12. LOL

Well, I guess if Rachel Dodakian of City Limits Magazine believes that it is the first major federal anti-poverty program in decades, then it must be true.

[ProSense]

13. Well

the characterization being true or not isn't the point of the OP, which is about West's failure to criticize existing programs.

Debating whether the characterization of the program is true or not doesn't fall into the category of pointing out its inadequacies or suggesting ways to strengthen it.

[Vattel]

14. You have used that quote before.

It appears regularly in your lists of Obama's accomplishments. You might think it would matter to you whether it was a true characterization of the program in question, a program that received $20 million in 2010 and, last I heard anyway, was slated to get $30 million in 2011. Its merits can be debated (personally, I am very sympathetic to its goals), but to call it the first major federal anti-poverty effort in decades is extremely odd. In the 90s, Bill Clinton managed to greatly expand the EITC, which directly put money in the pockets of poor Americans. He also pushed for and got huge increases for Head Start (Clinton asked for 1 billion for Headstart for fiscal 2000 and got 933 million). These were major federal anti-poverty efforts by Clinton and Congress.

[ClarkUSA]

17. You're lauding Clinton? What for? Implementing right-wing social engineering aka. welfare "reform"?

[Vattel]

20. No, I'm not lauding Clinton. You missed the point.

[ProSense]

22. Hmmm?

"In the 90s, Bill Clinton managed to greatly expand the EITC, which directly put money in the pockets of poor Americans. He also pushed for and got huge increases for Head Start (Clinton asked for 1 billion for Headstart for fiscal 2000 and got 933 million). These were major federal anti-poverty efforts by Clinton and Congress."

President Obama's budget includes more than $8 billion for Head Start, which has nothing to do with the programs mentioned in the OP.

[Vattel]

26. Why do I bother?

[ProSense]

27. Well,

only you can answer that.

[Tarheel_Dem]

11. Wouldn't play into his agenda which is crystal clear at this point.

Which begs the question, why doesn't Dr. West primary Obama himself? He definitely loves the sound of his own voice, so I think we should start a draft petition. It will give him a chance to finally put his ass where his mouth is, or vice versa.

Running from green room to green room, and makeup chair to makeup chair is not activism. He needs to finally shit, or get off the pot, or at least off my damned teevee. Besides being a critic, I'd like to know what Dr. West has actually done, other than bloviating, for the people he claims to care so much about. :shrug:

[sudopod]

16. It isn't that hard to use google. nt

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[ClarkUSA]

18. Cornel West, like so many Obama bashers, is an axe-grinder who's not interested in the facts.

[truth2power]

19. And wouldn't it be great if someone addressed the issues in the article that started all this?..

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=103&topic_id=603175&mesg_id=603380

[stevenleser]

23. There aren't any issues there to address. It's all emoting... n/t

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[truth2power]

25. Then you haven't read it. I listed the issues. You choose

to ignore them.



edit for typo

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