Cornel West yanks Obama’s credentials as a black man
I just finished reading Princeton academic Cornel West’s diatribe against Barack Obama, in which West complains that “my dear brother Barack Obama has a certain fear of free black men” and calls Obama “a black mascot of Wall Street oligarchs and a black puppet of corporate plutocrats.”
West frames his disenchantment in terms of class struggle, and argues that Obama has chosen the wrong side, selling out less fortunate Americans in return for the favor of the powerful.
“The escalation of the class war against the poor and the working class is intense,” West writes. “More and more working people are beaten down. They are world-weary. They are into self-medication. They are turning on each other. They are scapegoating the most vulnerable rather than confronting the most powerful.”
“When you look at a society you look at it through the lens of the least of these, the weak and the vulnerable; you are committed to loving them first, not exclusively, but first, and therefore giving them priority,” West writes.
Many on the left do criticize Obama for being too mainstream and insufficiently aggressive on behalf of those less fortunate. While that debate is legitimate, I think those who make such claims are for the most part politically naive about Obama himself and about the political environment in which he operates. But again, it is a legitimate topic of discussion. The issue of whether Obama has been too gentle with Wall Street and its supporters is particularly pertinent, given their role in creating our current predicament.
But West does not discuss it legitimately.
In West’s account, Obama has sided with the rich and powerful in part because he “feels most comfortable with upper middle-class white and Jewish men who consider themselves very smart, very savvy and very effective in getting what they want.” But as in most rants, this one includes a tell, an unwitting revelation of its deeper motivation.
“I used to call my dear brother [Obama] every two weeks. I said a prayer on the phone for him, especially before a debate. And I never got a call back. And when I ran into him in the state Capitol in South Carolina when I was down there campaigning for him he was very kind. The first thing he told me was, ‘Brother West, I feel so bad. I haven’t called you back. You been calling me so much. You been giving me so much love, so much support and what have you.’ And I said, ‘I know you’re busy.’ But then a month and half later I would run into other people on the campaign and he’s calling them all the time. I said, wow, this is kind of strange. He doesn’t have time, even two seconds, to say thank you or I’m glad you’re pulling for me and praying for me, but he’s calling these other people. I said, this is very interesting. And then as it turns out with the inauguration I couldn’t get a ticket with my mother and my brother. I said this is very strange. We drive into the hotel and the guy who picks up my bags from the hotel has a ticket to the inauguration. My mom says, ‘That’s something that this dear brother can get a ticket and you can’t get one, honey, all the work you did for him from Iowa.’ Beginning in Iowa to Ohio. We had to watch the thing in the hotel.”
When you committed to “look at a society … through the lens of the least of these, the weak and the vulnerable,” when “you are committed to loving them first … and therefore giving them priority,” you do not whine that the lowly person picking up your bags for you in your very expensive DC hotel somehow wrangled a ticket to the inauguration, while you, the very well-paid Ivy League academic and cultural star who walks among the elite, did not. You cannot attack another for seeking the trappings of power while complaining that you yourself were not supplied the trappings to which you feel yourself entitled.
Or if you do, you give the game away.
As Adam Serwer points out in The American Prospect, West also claims the self-anointed power to confirm or withdraw Obama’s standing as an authentic black man. West withdraws it on the basis of Obama’s ability to feel “at home” “with upper middle-class white and Jewish men” while allegedly harboring “fear of free black men.”
Serwer concludes:
“This remark made me wonder: Which of these men do you think is actually free, and which afraid of who he truly is?”
– Jay Bookman
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846 comments Add your comment
1811/1801 - 0311/0317
May 19th, 2011
10:20 pm
“Clinton gets grilled by Couric”
“The CBS anchor asks why unrest necessitates U.S. intervention in Libya but not in Syria.”
These are simple answers:
We get involved in places like Iraq, Libya, Afghanistan and smaller countries because “on paper” we can kick their a**,
We don’t get involved in countries like China, North Korea and Iran becasue we can’t kick their a**,
THIS IS NOT BRAIN SURGERY.
Recon (2nd.and 3rd.)
May 19th, 2011
10:21 pm
“Really? You sure about that one Recon?”
Good one…yeah, I’m afraid I am. I like your style, though we disagree LWM, you have class.
1811/1801 - 0311/0317
May 19th, 2011
10:23 pm
“FBI Agents irked by plan to keep Mueller”
“Some say the FBI director imposed term limits on hundreds but is failing to abide by his own tenure limits.”
Well no kidding ………….”don’t do as I do, do as I say”.
Themistocles (a.k.a. Left Wing Mgmt)
May 19th, 2011
10:25 pm
Recon: “f he worships anything it’s self worship and his devotion is to change America into what you, me and the majority of Americans do not want.”
In terms of turning America into something you don’t want, he’s got lots of help from me and people like me. As for what the majority wants, well, guess you can tell by the reaction to Paul Ryan’s budget how much up for grabs that one is. But I can’t say I think our side is entirely losing out in that fight.
Besides, all we have to do is hammer away at you with ads showing Newt Gingrich speaking the truth about Ryan’s radical plans for America – and I think that ought to help us out in the elections coming up. Say, just why is your side feverishly backpedaling away from the Medicare dismantling?
Was just wondering …
Themistocles (a.k.a. Left Wing Mgmt)
May 19th, 2011
10:27 pm
Recon, thanks. I try.
Jefferson
May 19th, 2011
10:28 pm
1967 has been on the table since 1968, grow up. I though you wanted transparency.
Recon (2nd.and 3rd.)
May 19th, 2011
10:34 pm
“We don’t get involved in countries like China, North Korea and Iran becasue we can’t kick their a**,”
Well actually we can but we prefer paddy cake wars, which began back in Korea and we’ve perfected the paddy cake war philosophy over the years. Vietnam was a great paddy cake war, where we actually learned how to help our adversary gain the upper hand even though they were losing the war. It appears that we will really out do ourselves in paddy cake warfare when we have to leave Iraq to the Iranians and Afghanistan to the Pakistani Taliban. The big problem with paddy cake warfare is how it kills are people for no gain and wastes our money.
md
May 19th, 2011
10:44 pm
Paddy cake wars……pretty much how I see them too……but I usually refer to them as the 20 questions wars……..we force our boys to ask 20 questions prior to using their weapons but we all know that they never get to finish the list…………
Recon (2nd.and 3rd.)
May 19th, 2011
10:57 pm
“we force our boys to ask 20 questions prior to using their weapons but we all know that they never get to finish the list…………”
Ah yes, the rules of engagement…they’re essential to paddy cake warfare, because without them we just might win and politicians would have nothing to argue about or point fingers at in order to enhance their political image.
Yippee
May 19th, 2011
11:04 pm
Well, when Herman Cain beat Newt in posts on here it was said he was legitimate, and I agree that Herman is legit, regardless of how the opposition party tries to frame things for us “cons”. We knows what we knows. But with Cornell racking up over 800 so far, well…
I guess it is about time for the Reverend Millionman March Farrakhan to step into the spotlight.
BTW-Cornell is a legend in his own mind and that is about as far as it goes for me.
On a much more important note: I sure am glad Lauren Alana made it to the American Idol finals, not because she is cute and talented, but more importantly, if she had been eliminated, my menopausal wife would have been hard to live with for the next few weeks. My goodness, my wife gets hotteranhell lately, but in a different way
Yippee
May 19th, 2011
11:06 pm
OBAMA: U.S. must ‘change approach’ to bridge division with Muslims..
I wonder if it has ever occured to Obogey that maybe, just maybe, the Muslims must change their approach to bridge the division with America?!? (note that one is a religion, the other a country)
Tommy Maddox
May 19th, 2011
11:37 pm
Amen Yippee. Let them build a bridge.
USinUK
May 20th, 2011
6:35 am
happy Friday!! hope everyone is enjoying their last day on earth!
Dave R.
May 20th, 2011
6:47 am
“hope everyone is enjoying their last day on earth!”
And to you, too, USinUK.
Be prepared to continue the Middle East discussion this thread morphed into yesterday. I think Jay has been working on some more tortured logic to try to prop up Hope & Punt’s ™ Palestinian initiative.
josef nix
May 20th, 2011
6:53 am
USinUK
Question since you deal with the time zone thingie a lot….are there TWO Armageddons? I mean, when it’s today in Atlanta, it’s tomorrow in Hong Kong, or do I have that backward? I’m so confused…
Y’all have a nice day…so, it’s off to work I go…one more week and then it’s sorry, low-down, good-for-nothing, made in the shade time…! Well, for a few days anyway…workshop here, workshop there, meeting here, meeting there…this report, that report…but I’ll think about that once we get past lights out…
stands for decibels
May 20th, 2011
6:55 am
Mornin’, Dave & UnU.
Also, philosopher kings and queens, working class heroes, progressive utopians with no sense of humor, and lurking conservatives.
Dave R.
May 20th, 2011
6:56 am
josef, I think once Armageddon starts, it’s kinda like a rolling, never ending thing. One beginning, and no end.
At least that’s what I’ve been led to believe . . .
USinUK
May 20th, 2011
6:57 am
Joltin’ Jo Nix – you know, I was wondering the same thing!
But, then again, I think the International Date Line is “hey baby, you got it going on!!”
USinUK
May 20th, 2011
6:58 am
Good morning Big Wave Dave!!
I’ll go ahead and say it now – I agree with the Palestinian initiative – 2 states. Pre-war boundaries.
(go ahead, pelt me with falafel … )
stands for decibels
May 20th, 2011
6:59 am
What does this say about us that we’re back on the blog at 6:47 and 6:55 respectively?
light traffic?
Dave R.
May 20th, 2011
6:59 am
Mornin’ stands!
What does this say about us that we’re back on the blog at 6:47 and 6:55 respectively?
Nothing good, I’m sure.
USinUK
May 20th, 2011
7:00 am
and a big howdy to my partner in crime, dB!!
I hope everyone starts hitting the birfday cake NOW to celebrate that glorious day, the day of my birth (after all, if the world ends tomorrow, might as well have cake today!!)
stands for decibels
May 20th, 2011
7:03 am
Oh dear, where are my manners. Happy 29th, UnU, you sexy thang!
USinUK
May 20th, 2011
7:03 am
dB – 7:03 – what can I say – it’s a blessing AND a curse!
but, let’s be honest – cake is something that EVERYone can agree on, no matter which side of the aisle we fall.
so in that vein, I wish everyone a VERY happy Friday and I hope everyone enjoys their weekend – particularly as the Rapture should make traffic a BREEZE!
Dave R.
May 20th, 2011
7:03 am
I’m of the opinion that if an outside force attacks you, and you happen to push them back beyond your existing borders, you get to keep what you won. The attackers chose – poorly.
Especially when you’re surrounded by people who want to exterminate you.
stands for decibels
May 20th, 2011
7:06 am
Pre-war boundaries.
Given that the Israelis never seemed/seem to know just what to *do* with the occupied territories, beyond poking the inhabitants with a stick repeatedly with this settlement or that, I’m inclined to agree, but I’m happy to hear logical arguments to the contrary.
Dave R.
May 20th, 2011
7:06 am
Happy 29th?
Really?
I only ask because my wife insisted on celebrating a significant number of anniversaries of her 39th birthday.
stands for decibels
May 20th, 2011
7:08 am
Dave @ 7.03, the question from yesterday still stands–if you are going to annex territory and claim it as your own, hey, go for it. But if you don’t make the inhabitants of those territories citizens of your nation… well, what kind of nation are you?
USinUK
May 20th, 2011
7:09 am
Dave – 7:06 – yep – this year is the 6th anniversary of my 39th birthday
(I loved my 30s – those were FAB years … 40s are okay, but have really been looking up the last 5 months)
stands for decibels
May 20th, 2011
7:11 am
Somewhat related to our Middle East discussion…
oh noes they are funding terrism with peecicles!
Dave R.
May 20th, 2011
7:16 am
“But if you don’t make the inhabitants of those territories citizens of your nation… well, what kind of nation are you?”
And my answer from yesterday still stands, stands.
Whatever nation YOU choose to be. Not what WE choose you to be. We have no right to tell, suggest or coerce any nation to live the way we think they should – not Iraq, Afghanistan, nor Israel.
And if those inhabitants wish to see the nation they now live in destroyed, well, I have little sympathy for their plight.
Dave R.
May 20th, 2011
7:18 am
USinUK, loved my 40’s!
Not so fond of my 50’s, however. Too many preventative tests, and the always lovely and far too often colonoscopy on an ongoing basis for the rest of my natural life.
stands for decibels
May 20th, 2011
7:19 am
We have no right to tell, suggest or coerce any nation to live the way we think they should – not Iraq, Afghanistan, nor Israel.
Sounds superficially reasonable, but taken to its logical end, I guess we shouldn’t bother having a State Department at all.
Dave R.
May 20th, 2011
7:23 am
“Sounds superficially reasonable, but taken to its logical end, I guess we shouldn’t bother having a State Department at all.”
Not really. It’s role could be dramatically diminished in that it is only there to intercede on our behalf when our national interests are directly threatened.
stands for decibels
May 20th, 2011
7:25 am
only there to intercede on our behalf when our national interests are directly threatened.
Depends on what the definition of “directly” is, I guess.
Headin’ upstairs…
USinUK
May 20th, 2011
7:29 am
fresh cake upstairs!!!
Yippee
May 20th, 2011
9:23 am
Digging, digging, ah yes, there is another two cents:
Why the hell do we (USA) feel it is our problem to fix in the first place? I appreciate Israel and her right to exist and keep captured turf…but other than for ongoing politcal showmanship by all current and recent past presidents, why don’t we simply let those fighting fools figure it out on their own?!?
Gosh knows, we have enough strife and major challenges here to keep us busy for a while.
Seth
May 20th, 2011
9:26 am
Obama’s refusal to equally embrace his mother’s race and ethnicity was ALWAYS offensive in the worst of ways. Instead Obama chose to self-identify purely on the basis of his looks, something that is as superficial and as racist as is comes. West is absolutely correct to call Obama on his racism, although he is doing it a few years too late.
Adam
May 20th, 2011
10:47 am
Scout: I agree. Now shouldn’t the same be said of Israel. What they have they have !!!
Yeah, pretty much. That’s my thought on the subject. Trying to adjust borders now is nonsense. Of course, both sides would have to agree not to keep pushing for their own border ideas for that to work.
Mary Elizabeth
May 20th, 2011
12:08 pm
Themistocles @ 8:55 and 9:01 p.m.
“It’s just that I believe that Obama (or more accurately, his team) seemed to be so willing to settle from the get-go for something greatly diminished from what was originally envisioned that it really made you wonder what was really motivating them.”
“My point is simply that it was his maddening tendency to accept a drastically narrowed field of possible action way too early, and then he compounded it by remaining so aloof throughout the process, thereby making even the rather modest plan it was much more difficult to get through than it should have been.
Bottom line: I disagree with you about his desire for, and commitment to, a public option.”
—————————————————–
Good morning, Themistocles, I always enjoy responding to your well thought through (and courtesously stated) questions.
First, I believe that we both wanted a public option and that we are both disappointed that there was not one in the Healthcare Law. We simply see what transpired from different perspectives.
Here is mine. We both know that Obama is a political pragmatist and a visionary. His mind is not one that is easily discernible, in full. (That is why so many were so shocked that he had the steely determination to make the call he did relative to Osama bin Laden.) He saw how Hillary Clinton’s “take charge” approach helped to defeat her national healthcare goals in the 1990s. I believe that Obama was very much involved in the process, but from a distance, as you observed. Remember how Obama took on on all of the Republicans in the forum, around a circle, in the conference he called to discuss healthcare before the cameras. He anticipated their questions, knew sharply how to respond to them in detail, and according to the press’ almost unanimous assessment, “won” that discussion single-handedly against them all. He could not have done that unless he had been up on everything in great detail, and very much involved in what was transpiring – but in his seemingly detached manner.
I believe that because of Obama’s political acuity and pragmatism, he knew from the very beginning of the national healthcare process that there was no way – at all – that present day Republicans were going to compromise for a public option. And a handful of Democrats, bought by health corporations, agreed. So, it is remarkable that Obama even pulled off achieving the national healthcare plan that he did – just as remarkable a feat as becoming America’s first black president.
Underneath his cool exterior, I believe he very much wanted a public option but he knew from the get go that was realistically not going to happen, and he got what was possible. That he has any national healthcare law on the books is, in itself, quite remarkable considering the totally unyielding climate of the present day Republican Party which is controlled for the most part – more than most realize – by big business interests.
No need to respond further. Afterall, no one knows the fullness of Obama’s mind but himself, and we have both presented our thoughts on Obama’s intent. No one ever knows another’s intent, for certain, so we simply keep observing outcomes. The political processes and outcomes of the heathcare law are still unfolding, as I think Obama could foresee would happen. Let us both hope that the present healthcare law is not repealed, and that, in the future, it will be built upon so that it will become even more advantageous to ordinary Americans.
Have a great day, Themistocles.
gregory brown
May 20th, 2011
2:20 pm
the saddest thing about all the obama poster lovers is that you havent indicated one thing that he has done for black people not one he has compromised on everything except with us oh thats right we dont need anything all we want is a handout fine if the first black president doesnt have to do anything for blacks then dismantlte the dam naacp congressional black caucus and the national action network which claim to continue the fight because of what our ancestor went through we swear we made it as blacks if we did a black president wouldnt have had to prove he was born here wake up people i know it looks good to see one of us there but it gets played out if nothing happens when he is there what does that say for african american children who are forced to learn about our past see a presidential acheivement and see the same forces eat him alive to the point of ensuring he does nothing for blacks it;s clear he is a beautfiul person just not black in the typical sense there is no typical black man that would have nothing on the table for black not even soaking in the water after all the hell we been through my email is nonpartisan.brown @gmail.com i dare someone to dispute this
I Aint No House N
May 20th, 2011
4:13 pm
This lynch mob will not stand. The GOP and the white liberal establishment will not control our destiny with chains. We have been in chains by you people for too long. And I will not be swayed by a bunch of house negros either, to put it politely. Cornel West speaks the truth, while massa’ Bookman tries to oppress my people. I aint afraid of no massa’, and ain’t afraid of you people backed by your jew cabal. Up with people, power to my brothers and sisters, real change is coming soon.
As Stokely Carmichael once said, “I maintain that every civil rights bill in this country was passed for white people, not for black people.
And when Brother Carmicheal refered to WHITE PEOPLE, he was talking about white liberal massa’s like Jay Bookman. Get ready for the change.
I Aint No House N
May 20th, 2011
4:42 pm
And don’t take comfort that your token high yellow colleague supports your opinion. She don’t know a thing about the struggle.
Greg Charles
May 22nd, 2011
1:04 pm
“The marketplace of free ideas,” used by an above commenter, is just another name for slavery. In such a system, there are many losers than winners. And it’s time for the losers to rise up and smite the winners.
Themistocles (a.k.a. Left Wing Mgmt)
May 22nd, 2011
3:08 pm
Mary Elizabeth, thanks to you, too. I hear you. But one thing stands out in your statement that indicates a feeling I don’t share. You say: “We both know that Obama is a political pragmatist and a visionary. His mind is not one that is easily discernible, in full.”
While I agree this president’s motives and strategic thinking can be hard to discern sometimes, I think we now have had enough time to to discern some basic outlines of an approach, and in general it’s an approach I find problematic.
Again, and at the risk of sounding like a broken record, I can’t recommend strongly enough Robert Kuttner’s writings (especially the above article I cited which is most up to date) for a reasonable (and sympathetic) discussion of the problem of Obama’s approach. I can’t put it any better than he does, so I’ll just cite it again here:
…despite his eloquence and capacity to motivate, [Obama] seems to believe that power should be conserved and presidential leadership reserved for emergencies. He waited long and disabling months before becoming personally engaged in the health-reform battle. This left the details obscure, voters anxious, and Democrats at the August 2009 town meetings playing the role of pinata. By the time the bill finally passed, the victory was politically Pyrrhic . An exasperated David Obey told me, “Obama sat and let Jubilation T. Cornpone tie up Max Baucus for all those months. Hell, Chuck Grassley made it clear to me that he’d never vote for the thing. ”
This expresses my misgivings about Obama perfectly. There’s not denying that he has been able to push through legislative measures that, taken in the abstract, and during normal times, would be quite admirable achievements. But the whole point is that we don’t live in normal times. There is an ideological battle going on that will – without question – shape the country for decades to come, much the way the Roosevelt years shaped the country. That’s why, perversely, even the very victories – or what appears to be victories – can work against him (e.g. the weak stimulus, the health bill, financial reform) can become Pyrrhic victories that are doomed to failure in the long run because of their utter lack of boldness, the fact that almost without exception, these measures fail to go far enough, so they leave you stranded in a no-man’s land between inaction and timid, inadequate action, which in the end only ends up playing into the hands of the enemies.
Maybe in the end, that world “enemies” points to my biggest problem with Obama. He either outright refuses to acknowledge the fact that politics, particularly during times of crisis, is all about vanquishing one’s enemies (which means, proving them beyond a doubt to be wrong), or he’s so uncomfortable with this reality that he spends much of his time avoiding facing up to it. And that leaves him greatly handicapped in the struggles that, whether he admits it or not, he’s smack in the middle of.
Gandalf the Wise
May 24th, 2011
6:36 am
This West fellow makes some good points….
just sayin’…