Dr. West said it best

[Rebkeh]

http://www.alternet.org/election-2016/cornel-west-black-americas-neoliberal-sleepwalking-ending

Cornel West: Why the US Empire Is More Ripe for Right-Wing Revolution Than from the Left
Cornel West talks Bernie Sanders’ neopopulism and Donald Trump’s neofascism.
By George Souvlis / Open Democracy
June 13, 2016

Cornel West (CW): We are at a crossroads in American history. We must choose between a neofascism in the making (Trump), neoliberalism in the decaying (Clinton), and a neopopulism in the ascending (Sanders). The establishments in both the Democratic and Republican parties are disintegrating.

Indeed.

[NurseJackie]

1. He's nutty. After the things he's said about President Obama ...

... I'm convinced he's not all-there.

[CorkySt.Clair]

7. He's probably sane, but petty.

Michael Eric Dyson wrote a profile on him several years ago. Apparently the Obama hate started when West found out the doorman at his hotel in DC had already secured tickets to Obama's inauguration. But when West arrived in DC his ticket status was still up in the air.

Because, you know, an important intellectual elite like Dr. West can't be seen to get lesser treatment than a lowly doorman.

What a clown he is.

[MrMickeysMom]

44. Thank goodness the truth does not count on your being convinced...

There is a difference between the devotion of thought and allegiance to defeat those you don't fancy.

Candidates promising bread and circuses while they broker corporate control are little better than fascist regimes. If you even devoted so much thought to that all these years, you would likely agree with Cornell West.

He escapes you. That's not news... It's just unfortunate to see how you dress it up as if you have a mechanism of being "convinced".

[NurseJackie]

57. He's full of himself. Can't stand him.

[choie]

80. You're spot on MMM!

[CrowCityDem]

2. He only deserves two words of response: F*** him.

[bravenak]

3. We actually only have two choices now. Bernie is OUT. Lost DC badly.

[1StrongBlackMan]

77. While I don't accept Dr. West's characterization of HRC's politics/political agenda ...

Maybe he was talking about next time.

I mean, a movement, generally, takes more than one election cycle. There will be plenty of choices, votes and work to do.

[bravenak]

87. I never understand Dr West these days

Once he went on about Brother Trump and Brother Jeb, I decided he just says shit to say shit.

[CorkySt.Clair]

4. West

[guillaumeb]

8. Subtle and nuanced. eom

[CorkySt.Clair]

9. West is an insufferable birthday party clown.

[guillaumeb]

13. And I repeat,

subtle, and nuanced.

Perhaps he raises issues that make you uncomfortable in your support?

[CorkySt.Clair]

16. Pfft.

I don't give much credence to the thoughts of people who slur President Obama, whether they come from the left or the right.

But I bet you're fine with all of that. The slurs I mean.

[guillaumeb]

20. Is it a slur to point out that President Obama has deported more people than Bush?

Is it a slur to point out the various drone killings that President Obama has sanctioned, and the significant civilian casualties from those attacks?

Perhaps you should define "slur".

What you apparently call "slur" I call reality.

[Demsrule86]

32. It is a slur to call Obama a house you know what.

West is slime...and is dead to me.

[1StrongBlackMan]

78. Perhaps, not ... But there is (should be) no question ...

that calling (President) Obama America's niggerized President, is a slur. Right?

[TwilightZone]

18. He should make anyone who finds calling President Obama the n-word appalling uncomfortable.

Does it make you uncomfortable?

[guillaumeb]

23. Do you remember the context of his remarks?

While I strongly disagree with his choice of words in that situation, the fact is that President Obama has been called that by many in this country.

But West was making, however crudely, a particular point.

[bettyellen]

52. Sure many a RW night has called him the same or worse.....

Not sure if you have a point?

[Demsrule86]

33. It makes me very very angry...and dislike Bernie more for association with this Fox groupie.

[Octafish]

5. Cornel West is a man of integrity. He bothers those who go along with warmongers and banksters.

[randome]

12. No, he bothers some because he's a loud-mouth who fancies himself an intellectual.

[panader0]

38. Undergraduate degree from Harvard, PHD from Princeton, taught at Harvard.

Many more distinctions. He is an intellectual by any definition of the word.

[randome]

42. Only according to the technicalities, imo.

Anyone who falls back on vulgar language is a pseudo-intellectual, imo.

[Demsrule86]

34. Must you post this abomination? I have no interest in anything that man says. nt

[RufusTFirefly]

65. +1 for Octafish and Brother West! n/t

[swhisper1]

68. amen, fellow human

fight against the robots and pity the fools who follow their bluster. the "can't" people

[guillaumeb]

6. Neoliberalism is a worldview that Obama and Clinton share.

And their respective actions show it. That makes some of their supporters uncomfortable and so they must attack whoever mentions it.

Recommended.

[Snotcicles]

48. +1.nt

[msongs]

10. did bernie get "dr." west his own F-35, speaking of corporate war propagators nt

[azurnoir]

19. No but someone managed to sell some to Israel

they most likely paid with some of $3+billion we're giving them annually, because as the fine print says they have to spend at least 75% of it on US manufactured weapons, and the F-35 is made by Lockheed which is a US manufacturer of a number of military aircraft- or how your tax dollars make their way into the pockets of the MIC via foreign aid

[WhiteTara]

54. Go Bernie!

[azurnoir]

55. Bernie didn't sell them to Israel-why ever would you think that?

[WhiteTara]

64. No he just promotes Lockheed-Martin

and the most expensive plane ever built.

[azurnoir]

70. The first F-35's were sold to Israel while Clinton was a Senator-the second batch while she was SoS

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lockheed_Martin_F-35_Lightning_II_Israeli_procurement

[swhisper1]

60. clinton was behind that sale

[WhiteTara]

66. And he promotes that company.

[swhisper1]

69. so does the pentagon, congress,and Hillary, what is your point?

[geek tragedy]

11. the man who helped bring us the Matrix sequels nt

[Capt. Obvious]

14. AUTOMATED MESSAGE: Results of your Jury Service

AUTOMATED MESSAGE: Results of your Jury Service
Mail Message
On Wed Jun 15, 2016, 05:33 PM an alert was sent on the following post:

Dr. West said it best
http://www.democraticunderground.com/12512189721

REASON FOR ALERT

This post is disruptive, hurtful, rude, insensitive, over-the-top, or otherwise inappropriate.

ALERTER'S COMMENTS

Fringe left garbage and anti Dem and Clinton. Hide it.

You served on a randomly-selected Jury of DU members which reviewed this post. The review was completed at Wed Jun 15, 2016, 05:39 PM, and the Jury voted 1-6 to LEAVE IT.

Juror #1 voted to LEAVE IT ALONE
Explanation: Why was this alerted on?
Juror #2 voted to LEAVE IT ALONE
Explanation: West is a self-aggrandizing asshole, but this post does not violate the rules

Juror #3 voted to LEAVE IT ALONE
Explanation: Expressing an opinion.
Juror #4 voted to LEAVE IT ALONE
Explanation: Like it or not West on the Democratic Party platform committee
Juror #5 voted to HIDE IT
Explanation: Nope.
Juror #6 voted to LEAVE IT ALONE
Explanation: Nope. This is a QUOTE from a well-known American scholar, writer and critic. It's neither worthy of censorship or a Hide. Try to live up to the "democratic" part of the Democratic Underground. Challenge the ideas. Don't censor.
Juror #7 voted to LEAVE IT ALONE
Explanation: I found the argument interesting. Agree or disagree, it's just an opinion, not flattering of HRC, but not worthy of censoring.

Thank you very much for participating in our Jury system, and we hope you will be able to participate again in the future.

[arcane1]

21. Of course it was. He's the "wrong kind" of black man.

The kind that doesn't endorse Clinton.

[Capt. Obvious]

29. Hopefully someone posts the results of the alert on your post.

[PragmaticLiberal]

41. President Obama is "the wrong kind" of black man according to Dr. West.

The kind that "feels most comfortable with upper middle-class white and Jewish men"---- Dr Cornell West

[floriduck]

56. Wow, whoever alerted on this must be a ragingly unhappy individual. Did he/she forget that the

primaries are over and the July 25th formality is awaiting? A few deep breaths are in order.

[swhisper1]

61. wow is right, someone needs to step away from the alert button

[SidDithers]

15. He helped Bernie win South Carolina!...nt

Sid

[workinclasszero]

58. He sure did!

Oh...wait...

[BobbyDrake]

17. Doesn't Cornel West ever get tired of being wrong all the time?

So much bitterness over not getting inauguration tickets. Sweet jeezus...

[TwilightZone]

22. Someone should let him know that the primaries are over.

[Starry Messenger]

24. What in the name of fuck is this even?

The myopic careerism and chronic narcissism that prevented any serious critique of Obama's neoliberalism are now out in the open, owing to the courageous young people who stood in the face of military tanks in order to show their love of those shot down by unaccountable police under a Black president, Black attorney general and Black homeland security cabinet member. What an indictment of neoliberal Black power in the face of massive Black suffering, highlighted by Black Lives Matter activists. And this is just the peak of an iceberg melting for Black elites, who went silent and opted for symbolic crumbs, when precious poor Black people were being crushed. Martin King, Malcolm X, and Fannie Lou Hamer cry out from the grave—then smile at the Black Lives Matter activists.

I think I will associate myself with Melissa Harris Perry's assessment of West.

"Melissa Harris-Perry, a professor of political science at Tulane University, criticized what she described as the "utter hilarity" of West's statements, writing that his comments are a "classic projection of his own comfortably ensconced life at Harvard and Princeton Universities" "

[CorkySt.Clair]

26. Michael Eric Dyson had a good profile on him several years ago.

It sort of laid bare what a fraud West is. Or is to those who aren't completely gullible.

[bravenak]

30. He is just so...

I really have no idea wtf is wrong with him

[Starry Messenger]

37. It's like the speech in Animal House, about the Germans bombing Pearl Harbor.

[bravenak]

40. It really is. I can't say exactly when he got this way

I had assumed it was not him that had this worldview but I soon learned I was wrong. It all came from him, the top guy.

[oasis]

83. Melissa Harris-Perry got it right.

[Demsrule86]

25. Ugh...Dr. West the Fox groupie and Obama hater says nothing worthwhile..not ever! nt

[tonyt53]

27. Just because West says it is so, sure doesn't mean that it is. He is a very sad person.

[KingFlorez]

28. He's just angry because he won't get a cabinet position

You can bet that Sanders promised him some sort of high level cabinet position in exchange for being a surrogate. Thankfully that won't happen. Cornel West would be a disaster as a cabinet member.

[highprincipleswork]

31. Sounds right to me but will be discredited automatically because he called Obama some bad names.

[Demsrule86]

36. Damn right

And I would expect a Democrat to understand this.

[highprincipleswork]

39. Bullshit. I don't idolize any leader, and President Obama has done some pretty horrible

negotiating with Republicans while playing golf with John Boehner.

I would expect any Democrat to realize that.

[Demsrule86]

50. I save my attacks for the real cuprits...the evil GOP.

[highprincipleswork]

72. Those who collude with them and help pass their agenda when Congress is largely Democratic are

equally or perhaps even more to blame.

[bettyellen]

51. Playing golf, attending funerals with the enemy, omg the horrors.

It's bizarro world for sure, where only the unelectable are ever ANY good. Lol.

[highprincipleswork]

71. Bernie's not unelectable, except for swiftboating by people who should know better. Or perhaps

everyone left who is an enthused Democrat is just a Corporatist.

[bettyellen]

82. Everyone else except Bernie is a sucky corporatist- yeah we got the memo.

[highprincipleswork]

85. Not sure that you did, if you look at who gets supported. But you should get it.

[senz]

35. Thank you, Rebkeh. Dr. West is brilliant, a great analyst, which is much needed today.

I've been concerned about translating Bernie's beautiful awakening into a durable social movement. Of course what Bernie has done is a prod, a good start, but much remains to create a full-fledged social movement. So I appreciate West's analysis:

Political campaigns are not social movements. Even great campaigns like those of Jackson in the 80s, Obama in the recent past or Sanders today are not social movements. We must distinguish between social momentums, social rebellions and social movements. Given the massive national security state and the pervasive carceral state, social movements are rare—past, present and future. The American Empire is more ripe for a counter-revolution than revolution, for right-wing movements than left-wing ones. This is so primarily because of the deep xenophobic roots in the country and profound militaristic sentiments in the culture. Hence, progressive social momentums and chaotic social rebellions are more likely to reshape our priorities and gain some concessions from greedy elites and callous citizens. This is why moral and spiritual dimensions of social activism are crucial—to sustain our will to fight inside and outside the system with little chance of immediate victory!

I think Bernie has lit the moral and spiritual dimension spark, along with others who speak out.

West could also have brought in the influence of the corporate oligarchy and the media monopoly, both of which are masters of opinion making and public manipulation, powerful forces for the rightwing status quo.

[Hydra]

43. Geez, I can't believe how Team Hill swarms out

And makes the point of how correct the OPs are by being themselves.

[Snotcicles]

49. +1.nt

[swhisper1]

62. rabit alerters, I am sure Skinner will adjust their access

[Tarc]

45. Cornell West is a dangerous anti-Israeli who should not be allowed within a mile of the convention

That is all.

[grossproffit]

47. Thank you! ++++++++++

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

53. What does "anti-Israeli" mean? Is it like being anti-Bulgarian? Anti-Palistinian?

Which Israelis is "anti"? All of them? Some of them? Conservative Israelis? Progressive Israelis?

[swhisper1]

63. I'd like to know too

[Tarc]

67. It is anti-Zionism

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

73. And?

There are Israelis who are anti-Zionist.

[Tarc]

75. And?

There's also African-Americans who are anti-Obama. There are LGBT that are pro-Republican.

Every grouping has a tiny fringe that goes against it's own self-interests for a myriad of dumb reasons.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

79. How dumb is being anti-nationalist and anti-apartheid?

[Tarc]

81. Israel does not practice apartheid, that accusation is rooted in antisemitism

Try again?

[oberliner]

84. If he is arguing for boycotting the entire country completely

Then it would seem he is anti all of them.

[Juicy_Bellows]

46. I gotta kick for Brother West!

[swhisper1]

59. Oh so very true

[uponit7771]

74. West also called Obama a form of nigger last year... he's not a credible source to people who don't

... like racist epitaphs thrown at PoC

[rjsquirrel]

76. Brother Cornell is a racist clown eom

[skylucy]

86. What a whack job.

[grossproffit]

88. Indeed.

[LexVegas]

89. Who?

[LWolf]

90. I choose neopopulism. nt

[NorthCarolina]

91. Me too.

I am beyond sick of the neolibs.

[Orsino]

92. Dr. West is correct.

As for me, I'd pick the Democratic Socialist.