2016 Postmortem
Related: About this forumDr. Cornel West loves Bernie Sanders and hates President Obama.
This is a response to an OP currently on the Home page, an OP that highlights Dr. West's support of Bernie Sanders. That OP was posted in a closed group that not everyone can respond to and it concerns Sanders' campaign for President, so I'm posting a response here.
(Some people have already objected to my posting it under Primaries. If I had posted it in GD, they would have objected to my posting it there. The truth is, some people don't want it to be posted at all.)
Dr. West has expressed his contempt for Obama repeatedly, and in public, for years. Supposedly it all began when West didn't get the personal tickets to the inauguration that he thought he deserved.
This blowhard has called the President:
Rockefeller Republican in blackface.
brown-faced Clinton.
"Kenny G in brown skin.
"a black mascot of Wall Street oligarchs"
"a black puppet of corporate plutocrats."
"a niggerized black person."
If anyone thinks they will influence many Obama supporters to support Sanders on the basis of Cornel West's recommendation, they are deluded.
Melissa Harris-Perry and he were both on the faculty of Princeton at one time. This is what she had to say about West's campaign against the President:
What exactly is so irritating to West about inaugural ticket-gate? It cant be a claim that the black, progressive intellectual community was unrepresented. Yales Elizabeth Alexander was the poet that cold morning. It cant be that the common man was shut out because the Neighborhood Ball was reserved for the ordinary women and and men who worked to make Obama 08 possible. It must be a simple matter of jealous indignation. While I appreciate the humanness in such a reaction, it hardly counts as a prophetic critique.
Since the inaugural snub, Professor West has made his personal animosity and political criticism of the president his main public talking point. There was that hilariously bad documentary with Tavis Smiley and the rest of the Soul Patrol in 2009. There is the tiresome repetitiveness with which West invokes the name of his erstwhile Harvard nemesis Lawrence Summers as indicative of President Obamas failed economic vision. And just a few weeks ago there was the eminently watchable screaming match on MSNBC where love-the-people West called Rev. Al Sharpton a mascot for the Obama administration. Add to this three-year screed the current Hedges article and it looks more like a pissing match than prophecy.
http://www.thenation.com/blog/160725/cornel-west-v-barack-obama#
elleng
(131,355 posts)I sure don't.
Cleita
(75,480 posts)has naught to do with Bernie Sanders. Really remove his name from your title. It's misleading and frankly does nothing to advance your real agenda which is make Hillary look good.
pnwmom
(109,024 posts)It is a response to an OP on the home page that is highlighting West's endorsement of Sanders, an OP I can't respond directly to.
But thanks for your concern.
Cleita
(75,480 posts)It's just a big red herring.
arcane1
(38,613 posts)Surely an oversight.
pnwmom
(109,024 posts)I would be criticized for not posting it here.
arcane1
(38,613 posts)You're being dishonest and the entire thread is calling you on it.
Cleita
(75,480 posts)You need to remove the references to Bernie and post in GD.
pnwmom
(109,024 posts)But thanks for your concern.
arcane1
(38,613 posts)I've lost count at this point.
And all the usual crowd is here to bash...probably more but my list of Blocked is so long...
So now they step into the Bernie Group...don't like what they read (of course not) and then want to move our conversation out into non-protected ground...so they can bash.
So...sounds like Turn-About-is-Fair-Play...let's see what's posted in the "protected" HRC Group.
Nice can of worms you opened.
arcane1
(38,613 posts)pnwmom
(109,024 posts)Liberal_Stalwart71
(20,450 posts)a personal disdain for him. This is well known. Just stop!
His embrace of Bernie Sanders actually may backfire because black people--even those who may even be disappointed in President Obama--will not appreciate what they may perceive as disrespect of the president. This is especially since we all are aware that West has a personal hatred of President Obama and therefore holds no credibility.
Bernie should be offended, really.
Cleita
(75,480 posts)I find many of West's criticisms of Obama valid. As my President I respect him and don't like the disrespect he is shown by Congress and the whole racist right wing, but there's a lot of his policies I don't like, just like I didn't like a lot of Clinton's or even Kennedy's. But that's what this discussion should be about.
IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH BERNIE!!!
virtualobserver
(8,760 posts)to be an endorsement of Trump either.
Liberal_Stalwart71
(20,450 posts)supported her. He has always loved the Clintons.
Racists stick together, really.
zappaman
(20,606 posts)First Sanders and now the Clintons!
Snotcicles
(9,089 posts)DonViejo
(60,536 posts)any Presidential candidate can reject and renounce an endorsement from someone/anyone. Such actions are routinely taken...and usually it's Democrats demanding a GOP Prez candidate do it when that candidate is endorsed by racists or other haters. In 2008 John McCain returned $$ and renounced an endorsement made of him by a gay man that owns a porn site.
arcane1
(38,613 posts)Did you post this in the wrong forum?
demmiblue
(36,914 posts)Pretzel Logic 101.
pnwmom
(109,024 posts)That's okay. Lots of people haven't.
arcane1
(38,613 posts)Jeez, at least own up to it
Cosmic Kitten
(3,498 posts)GeorgeGist
(25,326 posts)Go figure.
demmiblue
(36,914 posts)Personally, I don't give a shite what he thinks. What a strange OP.
Cosmic Kitten
(3,498 posts)The intent is to delegitimize
a black professor who might
support Senator Sanders.
Because, you know,
Bernie doesn't get "it"
pnwmom
(109,024 posts)Cosmic Kitten
(3,498 posts)Why are you misrepresenting the link you posted?
pnwmom
(109,024 posts)and it contained no references to the BLM incident.
And I put no words in West's mouth. He has made all those slurs against the President.
Cosmic Kitten
(3,498 posts)Did you click the link and scroll the page?
The first story, is exclusively about
professor West and Obama!
NO MENTION OF BERNIE.
Yet, your OP mentions Bernie?!?
If you do a search for BERNIE SANDERS
on the page linked in your OP
there is an article about BLM which mentions
both O'Mally and Sanders, but NOT
professor West.
Nowhere is there ANY text which
reflects your OP title...
"Dr. Cornel West loves Bernie Sanders"
You made that up.
Disingenuous, misleading, and an intentional
attempt to discredit professor West, and smear
Bernie Sanders by association.
Delete or edit is your friend.
Otherwise it looks like you are just shit stirring
Looks A LOT like the Rev Wright smears
the right-wing used against Obama???
You're not deliberately adopting right-wing tactics, are you?
arcane1
(38,613 posts)Cosmic Kitten
(3,498 posts)Snotcicles
(9,089 posts)I hear Charles Manson loves the stuff.
demmiblue
(36,914 posts)now wtf am I supposed to do?
Response to demmiblue (Reply #30)
Snotcicles This message was self-deleted by its author.
Cosmic Kitten
(3,498 posts)Two of the mentions are in the context
of BLM heckling Omally and Sanders.
The third is an ad.
Shameless OP and you are putting
words in Professor West's mouth.
Hillary would not approve of such tactics
pnwmom
(109,024 posts)connected to the BLM fiasco.
Cosmic Kitten
(3,498 posts)pnwmom
(109,024 posts)So I still have no idea what you're talking about.
Cheese Sandwich
(9,086 posts)I like him. I don't give a fuck.
He fought mass incarceration before liberals even heard the word. He protested and got arrested for that stuff many times. He helped lead the fight against stop and frisk searches in New York, and made a real policy difference. Many other admirable deeds and achievements. I'll be the one dummy who defends him. I don't care.
SidDithers
(44,228 posts)Sid
Cosmic Kitten
(3,498 posts)Cha
(297,981 posts)arcane1
(38,613 posts)And he's always been a great, passionate guest on that show, and I never heard him say something I didn't agree with. I'm not crazy about the language in the OP but I don't doubt his principles unless something comes along to disprove that.
Cheese Sandwich
(9,086 posts)arcane1
(38,613 posts)Cheese Sandwich
(9,086 posts)He can't meetup with him, can't do events with him. Because he's politically toxic.
zappaman
(20,606 posts)840high
(17,196 posts)m-lekktor
(3,675 posts)OOOOOK !!!
MineralMan
(146,350 posts)I'll give him that.
grasswire
(50,130 posts)MineralMan
(146,350 posts)Maybe the point was not taken. West's words were vile, indeed.
beam me up scottie
(57,349 posts)Using an AA Republican's approval of Sanders to score points is beyond disgusting.
Just when I think HC supporters can't get lower you go and pull a stunt like this.
No wonder another AA DUer lost it and left DU.
If you cared at all about poc who support Sanders you'd knock it off.
But I won't hold my breath.
pnwmom
(109,024 posts)West's endorsement of Bernie Sanders?
arcane1
(38,613 posts)It's a good first step!
pnwmom
(109,024 posts)beam me up scottie
(57,349 posts)Don't point the finger at anyone else, you and you alone are responsible for your actions.
How pathetic.
pnwmom
(109,024 posts)but it isn't of mine.
beam me up scottie
(57,349 posts)The fact that other HC supporters aren't joining in is a testament to their good character.
I'll leave it to others to decide what it says about you.
tularetom
(23,664 posts)But I'm certain there are plenty of buffoons supporting any candidate you could name.
What's your point, are you just trying to get a clever little jab in against Sanders by posting this?
pnwmom
(109,024 posts)with many Obama supporters are wrong.
Snotcicles
(9,089 posts)tularetom
(23,664 posts)what West thinks about Obama has fuck all to do with Bernie Sanders.
pnwmom
(109,024 posts)arcane1
(38,613 posts)Vattel
(9,289 posts)cherokeeprogressive
(24,853 posts)SoapBox
(18,791 posts)Because it sure looks like you're trying to steer them away from Sanders.
Oh...and where exactly do you hope to steer the Obama supporters to?
...please, we all know what the goal was with this OP.
pnwmom
(109,024 posts)mmonk
(52,589 posts)I always loved to listen to him on talk shows. It's rare that you agree with anyone 100% of the time on everything. That doesn't mean I am turned off by him. If he wants onboard, that's ok with me and if I didn't, it wouldn't affect me anyhow. I also was an Obama delegate at the state level in 2008.
Response to pnwmom (Original post)
Post removed
demmiblue
(36,914 posts)Brava, pnwmom! Satisfied?
Response to demmiblue (Reply #65)
cherokeeprogressive This message was self-deleted by its author.
demmiblue
(36,914 posts)However, I do agree with you that this is ban-worthy. It has been awhile since I have seen something so vile on DU. The admins won't ban this person, though.
beam me up scottie
(57,349 posts)I believe the poster was being sarcastic.
It was a reaction to the flamebait, nothing more.
Everyone is on edge and it's not fair to ban people who go oot.
cherokeeprogressive
(24,853 posts)He even transposed Dr.West's name. Seems like more than simple sarcasm seeing as how he went the extra mile.
You know as well as I do though... I've been known to be wrong before.
beam me up scottie
(57,349 posts)cherokeeprogressive
(24,853 posts)Won't be the first time I misinterpreted someone's post.
I'll delete it.
beam me up scottie
(57,349 posts)demmiblue
(36,914 posts)It was not sarcastic at all.
You can do a search and see this poster's thoughts about Cornel West.
Edit: you may also want to look at their transperency page. It seem they have gone off the deep end.
PotatoChip
(3,186 posts)He can't control what his thousands of admirers say and do.
zappaman
(20,606 posts)ericson00
(2,707 posts)out of our party
geek tragedy
(68,868 posts)This reminds me of when Hillary hit Obama with Farrakhan in 2008.
Tommymac
(7,263 posts)Keep on alienating Bernie's supporters with attacks and some may not be around to knock on doors or contribute $$ when you really need us.
All this hate stuff is totally divisive. Never a good idea to eat your own kind. sheesh
jeff47
(26,549 posts)If Clinton wins anyway, they can shout "See! We don't need you losers!"
If Clinton loses, they can shout "You idiots cost us the election!"
Win-Win for them.
frylock
(34,825 posts)"white progressives" will be called to task for it.
jeff47
(26,549 posts)despite 2008. And every vote and statement going back to at least 1993.
Walk away
(9,494 posts)Doctor_J
(36,392 posts)Oilwellian
(12,647 posts)Raine1967
(11,589 posts)Once upon a time a I highly respected Mr. West. I read a few of his books, always took the opportunity to go listen to him speak and learned from him and then Obama got elected and his message really changed for me.
That respect has dwindled in the past few years for the comments you mentioned and for the overall feeling that Barack Obama wasn't black enough for West.
there is/has been/was much disconnect for me to try to reconcile.
So seriously, Bernie Sanders and his supporters can have him.
TheKentuckian
(25,035 posts)what is the argument with what he was quoted in saying about Sanders?
I think the real problem is what West said was the honest truth and that just won't sit with the "pragmatic progressive" neoliberals and that is also the heart of the real offense, anger, and disdain for the Sanders campaign exactly what West said that Sanders is a genuine champion for working and poor folks and all the rest is muck being raked to distract from that core essential.
phleshdef
(11,936 posts)The guy is fiercely overrated.
Cha
(297,981 posts)strong with that one.. maybe off the charts.
Mahalo for your OP, pnwmom.. really, cornelwest supports Bernie? isn't that ducky.. feel the hate.