Cornel West is broke, despite minimum $250,000 household income

[BlueWaveNeverEnd]

Records show West owes nearly $466,000 in federal income taxes from 2013 until 2017. This came after he accrued (and later repaid) a debt of nearly $725,000 from 1998-2005, and more than $34,000 in 2008, according to tax records in Mercer County, New Jersey – where he owns a home.

Additionally, West has an outstanding $49,500 child support judgement from 2003, records show.

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"Any time you shine a flashlight under somebody's clothes, you're gonna find all kind of mess, because that's what it is to be human," West said.

Earlier on the show, West mentioned he was "broke as the Ten Commandments financially, personally, collectively."

West's debts are personal, not related to the campaign, so they may not directly bear on the finances of his candidacy. Still, personal finance issues have been known to interfere with campaigns: Florida Sen. Marco Rubio's sometimes imprudent management of his own finances were scrutinized during his 2016 campaign for president, and then-Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker's personal debt seemed to undermine his message of fiscal hawkishness.

According to West's financial disclosure filed with the Federal Election Commission in August 2023, he currently makes at least $200,000 annually. That includes his professorship at the Union Theological Seminary, where his annual income falls upward of $100,000; his speaking engagements, where he makes at least another $100,000; and his retirement fund, which earns him somewhere between $5,000 and $15,000 annually. His spouse, a professor, makes at least $50,000 per year.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/cornel-west-owes-more-than-half-a-million-dollars-in-taxes-and-child-support-records/ar-AA1fsNiV

[RandySF]

1. He's a phony.

[BlueWaveNeverEnd]

3. a broke phony. Dave Ramsay would say "at least he has a big shovel'

meaning high pay to get himself out of debt.

[betsuni]

5. +1

[Joinfortmill]

2. Sigh, no comment.

[mucifer]

4. republicans will probably pay off his debts

[RandomNumbers]

10. Campaign donors will help pay off his debts, right?

I'm pretty sure a candidate can pay themselves from campaign coffers.

I'm open to being corrected on this point. IF I am correct, it explains some of the duds that run campaigns when there is low likelihood of them actually winning.

[BlueWaveNeverEnd]

11. probably hope to make money off book, media job. Larry Elder is running for prez too

has absolutely no chance but probably wants to sell books or get faux nooze gig.

[sarcasmo]

6. That explains why he could be bought by Jill Stein and the Russians.

[mopinko]

7. this

☝🏻☝🏻☝🏻

[Gidney N Cloyd]

8. "Any time you shine a flashlight under somebody's clothes... "

"Any time you shine a flashlight under somebody's clothes, you're gonna find all kind of mess, because that's what it is to be human."

Wow. That's, like, really deep there, professor.

[Hortensis]

17. Yuck to the max. His admirers need to find someone else to

be human with, both literally and metaphorically.

[Paladin]

9. Get him out of here. (nt)

[treestar]

12. doesn't budget well

you can't let your taxes pile up like that. The IRS will not go away, even in bankruptcy. He should hire advisors.

[BlueWaveNeverEnd]

13. he's taking too much home. better to pay those taxes directly from the paycheck.

and on self employed income, pay it quarterly.

[treestar]

14. Yes, and the child support too

letting that back up can lead to denial of passport and suspension of driver's license.

[W_HAMILTON]

16. I believe tax debt can actually be discharged in bankruptcy in certain cases.

https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/declaring-bankruptcy

I wouldn't even say it's a budgeting issue, even though maybe that's semantics. He's just clearly overspending and not paying his taxes.

[Cha]

21. West Budgets Bad on Child Support

too. Not good Responsibility.

[TheBlackAdder]

15. Wait! The guy's a deadbeat dad, in arrears for two decades. Even in NJ they should lock his ass up.

[BlueWaveNeverEnd]

22. kid is long grown and he hasn't paid his child support.

[Duncan Grant]

18. The professor needs an Allen Weisselberg. All the big shots have one.

Dr. West runs a terrible political charisma game (unlike some of the other stable geniuses out there). He’d be a lot better off sticking to what he’s good at - and more effective, too.

I don’t have any bad things to say about his public life. He’s not a serious national political threat. No threat, no contempt. Given the choice of who to demonize, I know who the proper right-wing targets are. So that’s where my energies go.

But - Dr. West’s credibility suffers immensely with these financial issues. And he’s smart enough to know that.

[Maru Kitteh]

19. Ripe . . over-ripe, and perfect for Putin's picking. nt

[NowISeetheLight]

20. Investigate?

I wonder where all the RepubQcans who want Hunter Biden investigated for not paying two years of taxes are on this. I imagine they'll be calling for a special counsel and jail time?