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On MoxieNews, Cornel West Explains Why He’s Bothered By Obama Taking The Oath On MLK’s Bible
I had a similar reaction to Cornel West’s when I heard it. It was but one more piece of evidence (as if I needed any more) of what a con man, what a fraud, Obama is. And that I had been right in assessing his character as shady. Whether it’s his drones and expansion of the wars and protection of torturers, or his domestic policies, I don’t think you get to claim the ground around iconic heroes of the 99% with Obama’s record that has rewarded and protected the perpetrators that caused widespread unemployment (something like 18% of the population, in real–as opposed to official–statistics) and the loss of billions of dollars in retirement savings. The crash of wiped out $11.1 trillion in household wealth, and this is not counting the several trillion lost in stock market investments.
A man with good intentions doesn’t let the oil and gas industry shut down his EPA’s damning fracking study.
A man of good character doesn’t break his pledge that Americans have a right to know whether their food is genetically modified and appoint a Monsanto vp and lobbyist to his administration as Food Czar. Or pressure the Secretary of Agriculture and the USDA to deregulate GMO crops, without regard to any scientific assessments of their danger to human health.
He also doesn’t do this. Or this. Or this. Or this. Or this. Or this. Or this. Or this. Or this.
I could go on listing what a man of character and integrity wouldn’t do (but this president did) all day and night, but that apparently still doesn’t get through to those who voted for him “in spite of his betrayals (because Romney would have been so much worse)”. To people like Michael Moore, Norman Solomon, Tom Hayden, Robert Redford, Ray McGovern, Bill Maher, Rachel Maddow, bad men don’t look as pleasant and nice as Barack Obama. And apparently their need to believe in their own lyin’ eyes, to believe only the best in Obama and Democratic politicians, outweighs all their other needs.
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I saw President Obama on TV, walking down a line of men and shaking hands with each one as he passed. The men had their backs to me, and I couldn’t see their faces, I could only see the back of their heads, and Obama’s expression as he shook hands with each one of them. He had a big smile for each one as he went down the line. When he shook hands with a man who had a big black shiny bald head, his expression changed for an instant; it was a look of fear, or astonishment, like a dear caught in bright headlights. Although it only lasted for an instant, I knew whose hand he was shaking, and why he reacted the way he did. He was shaking hands with the John Lewis, a person who fought the fight to get Barack Obama where he was, a fight that took many decades, and now Barack Obama was enjoying the fruits of Congressman Lewis’s labor, and the labor of men like him.
John Lewis was shoulder to shoulder with MLK in the civil rights struggle for African Americans. Barack Hussein Obama would not be President, if it were not for those men’s sacrifices, with MLK making the ultimate sacrifice; his life. Obama has a debt, it’s a debt to all of those who died in the struggle. Whether he pays it or not, is up to him. Young unemployed whites were aware of this debt, and surmised that he would attempt to pay it by making “jobs”, his highest priority, especially since so many African Americans were unemployed. Barack Obama acts as if he is so special, that no one noticed the fact that he was “African American”. Apparently he hasn’t realized that many whites voted for him because he was “African American”, and they expected him to take actions that would be in the vein of those MLK would take, which is “justice for all”, including the poor and powerless of all races; instead, Barack Obama has given us Bush, Cheney III wrapped in a brown package.
Thank you, marcospinelli. Agree in spades; too bad Cornell voted for him, eh?
Liberal rhetoric & symobolism followed by the cruelest of conservative policy making has served O well in the past. And the future looks dark ahead.
Agreed. Total slime for someone of Zero’s caliber to use MLK’s bible.
That probably goes as well for Lincoln’s bible, which he used in 2009, eh.
Didn’t know that. He should have been using Ivan the Terrible’s bible for both.
Yep.
Thanks marcospinell so true
Today is a federal holiday in the United States of Hypocrisy. It’s the day when we celebrate Dr Martin Luther King Jr’s birthday. And in time-honored American tradition we celebrated it by ignoring Dr King’s uncompromising anti-war advocacy, by mocking his committed stand against the use of violence, by rejecting his call to put an end to poverty and injustice, and by gathering to praise the second-term inauguration of yet another war criminal president who should be on trial in The Hague, not sitting in the Oval Office. The American left is dead, and buried with it is any claim to moral virtue this sorry excuse for a nation ever aspired to.
Once again, in the immortal words of Hunter S Thompson:
“We have become a Nazi monster in the eyes of the world; a nation of bullies and bastards who would rather kill than live peacefully. We are not just whores for power and oil, but killer whores with hate and fear in our hearts. We are human scum, and that is how history will remember us.”
Exactly Wendy! And he campaigned for him as did Bill McKibben while on his fossil fuels tour. Now the Obots express reservations about something they encouraged and were responsible for. The time to ask pointed questions was before we were guaranteed 16 years of Bush policy.
… good comment …thank you lakota … goes and gets to the middle
… X 2
… X 2 again then as well
yup.
Thank you, extremely well put. These are the worst of times for the left and for common decency in the U.S., and they will only get worse.
Bravo! Rec’d.
Today was a triumph of marketing over reality, Brand Obomber trumps product Obomber.
I found Obama’s message encouraging, but then again the president always speaks/reads well.
Question: Am I the only one that found the ceremony itself incredibly tacky? Beyoncé gargling the national anthem, accompanied by the Marine Band? Lord preserve us.
Obama always talks left while moving right. African Americans, I know, never know what Obama did, only what he said, and said he was going to do. They have no idea that as much as they love him, he cares as much about them as he does “road kill”; and his actions prove it.
In response to “Mojada”; Barack Obama is the exact opposite of what Martin Luther King was. Barack Obama’s Inauguration should be the new definition for “hypocrisy”.
David Seaton, I’ve read your diaries and posts; you have a strong desire to believe the best in everyone. Sometime our desire to “believe” can overcome our ability to reason. When that occurs, we can become guilty of very faulty reasoning, as is the case of the majority of African Americans and all of the most patriotic citizens who have such a strong desire to believe in their president, a man who has used every African American symbol of good that he can find to keep him where he is and continue to slave for the 1% in pursuit of “Barack Obama’s” only agenda, which is to join the 1% after this charade is over.
Loved the Hunter Thompson quote, how true.
A great diary, marcospinelli.
Didn’t watch any of the inaugural festivities, I’ve had a bellyfull of Obama bullshit. Did he bother to mention “the poors”?
Worse than voting for him, he said that “Obama deserved to be re-elected”. The good Doctor’s statements and judgements are usually consistent with his ideals, hence I respect Doctor West.
Unfortunately, his moral courage seemed to have uncharacteristically ebbed, when it mattered. Ah, well, Peter denied Jesus 3 times, before the cock crowed. He recovered his nerve, shortly thereafter.
West denied Obama many times, then muzzled the cock by voting for Obama. He does not get another chance. Obama won’t be running again.
West should be embarrassed to do this again after promoting Obama’s re-election.
I think people on the left may be asking more of the US presidency than it can deliver. MLK was not LBJ, King produced the pressure, Johnson — who also did Vietnam — produced the Civil Rights legislation. The job of the left is to create pressure, consciousness just as King did… and be grateful that Romney didn’t win, at least Obama talks like a liberal centrist, maybe now he’ll walk like one… at least if there is enough pressure from the left.
Lack of forgiveness is not a Christian virtue, whether or not you agree. Neither is hypocrisy.
Hence, I’d be more concerned whether or not West is being authentic, now and in the future, than whether or not he screwed up, in the past. Who, amongst us, hasn’t screwed up?
As far as I’m concerned (regardless of any Christian philosophy as may exist), practically speaking, his credibility also depends on his ‘batting average’. Just because there’s not supposed to be a limit on personal forgiveness, doesn’t mean that people’s credibility should not suffer if they keep offending against the truth.
A guy like Obama has essentially zero credibility. AFAIK, West always had high credibility, and still maintains it. Now, if it was true that West “promoted Obama’s re-election”, as you claim, then I’d be forced to re-assess that.
That would be news to me; furthermore, I just looked through the first 2 pages of google hits on ‘cornel west obama 2012′, and saw nothing to suggest that he “promoted Obama’s re-election”.
He voted for who he considered the lesser of two evils. He also made the disappointing statement that “Obama deserved re-election”. That doesn’t rise to the level of “promoting re-election”. AFAIK, his sin is that he temporarily lost some of his fire, and, in the pressure of a live interview, had a brain fart about Obama “deserving” re-election.
I guess I’ll just copy the comment I made a few minutes ago on another thread to someone blaming the left for just not working hard enough:
People here and around the country have been trying to put pressure through marches, rallies, Occupy encampments, petitions, email and phone campaigns, local organizing, voting for third party candidate, trying to primary conservative Dems, etc.
People have given time, effort, and money, and risked getting infiltrated, spied on, arrested, beaten up, their cameras smashed, etc.
Obama didn’t need to be MLK. He just needed to govern on behalf of the people of this country, not the owners. That was his choice, on nearly every issue. He’s responsible for his choices and takes pride in those choices, no matter how many people have been harmed by those choices.
The people who made it clear before the election that the only thing they required from their candidated officials was that they not be Mitt Romney, the people who spent the last four years making excuse after excuse for Obama, bear at least as much responsibility as the people who….. what would you say – didn’t get peppersprayed enough, didn’t call the WH often enough?
edit: required from their candidate
David, have I got your take right: Obama’s austerity-loving drone-bombing imperialist presidency is the left’s fault, because its pressure is minimal since it doesn’t have the campaign contributions money and ownership of the media that the economic elite does, and because its power base, the working class, has become 90% unorganized over the last forty years. Those realities are certainly not Obama’s fault, and so criticizing Obama for doing what his main contributors want is just sour grapes. We on the left should exert real pressure on the President — which doesn’t include criticizing him on tiny blogs — or really just shut the hell up.
Cornel West Plans to Vote for Obama in November and Protest His Policies in February
Then there was The Poverty (Pre-Election) Tour, where Tavis Smiley and Cornel West effectively campaigned for Obama:
Here’s an interview with West on August 12, 2012.
West was in the “Romney would be worse”-camp and dismissed Obama’s failings as “weakness”, and trying to win approval from the plutocrats. As far as I know, West still believes that, and has carefully crafted excuses for each of Obama’s betrayals. You can only be where West is if you begin your deliberations having made the decision that wherever you end up, Obama must be well-intentioned.
It’s like how the 911 Commission was set up: To get onto the Commission, you had to agree that the report generated could only contain that which each of the Commission members agreed to and no minority report. If 100% of the Commission members didn’t agree to include it, it wasn’t included in the final report.
Except for the color of their skins there is no real similarity between Obama and MLK and except for the color of their skins there are many similarities between Obama and LBJ, both being presidents of the USA and ex-senators.
Obama is a president, but there doesn’t seem to be any MLK right now to pressure him.
Nobody is asking you to shut up… Quite the contrary… Like Joe Hill said, “Organize”.
Kind of hard to do, David, with all of the secrecy.
Probing Obama’s Secrecy Games
More Troubling Secrecy From Obama
Whether it’s domestic policy like health care negotiations or extra-legal killing, Obama’s just not into what he was into before he got into the White House. Obama, in his own words (pre-1/20/2009):
“Transparency Will Be Touchstone”
“On transparency”, “About inviting the people back into their government again”, and “Part of the job of the next American president is making Americans believe that our government is working for them, because right now they don’t feel like it’s working for them. They feel like it’s working for special interests and it’s working for corporations”
“We need a president who sees the government not as a tool to enrich well connected friends and high-priced lobbyists, but as a defender of fairness and opportunity for every single American. That’s what this country’s been about and that’s the kind of president I intend to be”
“I’ll make our government open and transparent…Meetings where laws are written will be more open to the public, no more secrecy…..No more secrecy…..”
“Clintons did health care the wrong way, behind closed doors”:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CU0m6Rxm9vU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBtIKgGHYPQ
“The American people are the answer”
Obama’s Transparency Problem
I won’t listen to his words for that reason. He has lost ground as a spokesperson for the people because he betrayed them at the end. This is not just a man betraying his own beliefs but those of the people who listen to him. In that, he resembles his leader. Sorry to put it so strongly, but when people rise to positions of distinction there is more upon them than upon the ordinary citizen. It behooves a person like that to say loudly and often that they were wrong to betray their own principles, that they made a huge mistake out of whatever pressure or rationale or just dadblamed excuse – but they have to admit they were very wrong before I will listen to them again.
You don’t just pick up where you left off and go along as if nothing has happened. Something has happened. Cornel West and Matt Taibbi are the two I find
it hardest to listen to now. It would seem their intent is simply to win us over and then betray their principles at the last moment. In this season of Martin Luther King’s presence, it simply can’t be abided with. Maybe much, much later when we’ve got all this under control again. They are bright, charismatic forces, but they go with the wind.
Thank you for this, fairleft. Yes, descent. Martin Luther King would not have been there, in that church that day.
Descent into the abyss…
O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not!
On Ohio Barbarian’s diary it was noted that Obama mentioned ‘poverty’ twice – as if this proved his heart was directed thataway. I only remember the first example, which was a claim that a little girl could lift herself out of poverty in this wonderful nation of ours. I guess that one was bad enough to blacken my memory cells. The second example, however, was just as false a reference.
You are saying there wasn’t enough pressure his first term? Just how would you propose applying this pressure? Give me a break, David.
Well said.
“Tacky” is completely irrelevant to me. My problem with Obama is that he is “droney.”
Believe me, Joe Hill had it a lot worse.
He seems to have hidden his social democratic message for the past four years trying to get reelected and now freed from that he is trying to get a Democratic congress two years from now… or so let us hope.
Anyway, that is what there is on the menu. Try to get progressives elected to congress, teach, publicize, organize.
And?
Did he help run even one GOTV event for Obama? Can you supply even 1 quote where he asks other people to vote for Obama?
We already know that he voted for Obama, and made typical lesser evil arguments for why he did so. His anti-poverty tour was an attempt to pressure Obama, not GOTV for him.
You’re not making your case….
West wants a king. A perfect leftie king.
In a country with our campaign finance laws.
Good luck with that, Dumbxss.
I can’t come up with a single word that would add to the discussion. Thank you, marcospinelli, and thanks to Cornel West also.
His and Smiley’s anti-poverty tour in 2011 seemed like he was pressuring Obama from the left and for the poor, but the tour in September 2012 seemed like a very ‘pro-Obama’ tour. That’s the impression any fair reading of the interview in the Root should give.
In the end the politics of West and Smiley don’t make sense — especially the part where West says, “we’re going to put the same pressure on him in the second term that we have in the first term” (earth to Cornel: your pressure had no effect on Obama) — if their goals are really the ones they articulate. Not that they’re alone in that: even sincere advocates have a hard time staying on course in this rigged and seemingly ‘no alternative’ system. After all, Romney _would_ have been worse … who would deny that?
Cornel West is spot on. I completely understand why he is offended. Obama in reality is the anti Martin Luther King.
So because he did not go on tour for Obama he was not supporting him? From March 2012 he portrayed Obama as the lesser of two evils and cut off contacts with those who were trying to hold him accountable when it would have made a difference.
Pure nonsense! Pressure Obama? When did he make a statement that he was ever any more than disappointed in him? Like McKibben of 350 he pushed Obama as the LOTE and talked about what a disaster Romney would be. Now he and many others are trying to erase their past and claim they are against Obama’s real record. It is important we remember who was really for civil rights, the environment, and the economy. Soon we will hear, “Obama? He is ancient history. We have this new guy/gal who will answer all your wishes. Besides, you can’t afford to vote republican…”
Thanks for post…love Cornel West’s passion and intellect
I hope to get back to this thread later — meanwhile, thanks for writing it. Also, FYI I really appreciate both Glen Ford (c/o Black Agenda Report) and what I’ve seen and read thus far of Bill Fletcher, Jr (and I hope to follow up on all of this).
Congress is as Democratic as it’s going to be for the next generation. Or at least until the next census and redistricting. Everybody complains about Congress, but it’s the other guys’ elected representatives that they’re complaining about, not their own.
In 2010, when Obama and Democrats had refused to use the political capital given by them when 10 million more voters voted for them, voters used their votes to dump incumbents — On both sides of the aisle. Democratic voters dumped Blue Dog incumbents big time; liberals only lost 3 seats.
The real problem is that Big Money/Big Business controls the political process, which includes high-priced propaganda campaigns that spin policy and candidates as things they’re not. Corporations have been able to control politicians, candidates, the primary process, so that populist candidates can’t get a seat at the table. If only politicians were as zealous about campaign finance reform as they are about outlawing abortion and cutting taxes.
Obama and the DLC/Third Way/No Labels worked their butts off to prevent more progressives/liberals from getting elected. Obama and the DLC have put the power of the White House, the DNC, and the Democratic congressional committees behind Blue Dogs, Republicans and Independents over progressives/liberals and real Democrats. Some, but not all, examples:
Blue Dog Blanche Lincoln over progressive Democrat Lt. Governor Bill Halter.
Republican-turned-Independent Arlen Specter over progressive Democrat Joe Sestak.
Republican-turned-Independent Lincoln Chaffee over Democrat Frank Caprio (which, in turn, was an effective endorsement of the Republican John Loughlin over Democrat David Cicilline for the congressional seat Democrat Patrick Kennedy retired from, and all of the other seats up for grab in Rhode Island).
Republican-turned-Independent Charlie Crist over liberal Democrat Kendrick Meek.
Obama supports voting third parties, even when it risks Democratic turnout.
Republicans, with the smallest minority, have managed to thwart Democrats, who’ve had the greatest majority in decades. You would think that with Republicans controlling the House, Democrats would’ve turned the tables and thwarted Republicans’ continuing legislation like Bush’s tax cuts for the rich? Are Democrats just stupld?
Obama never pressured Ben Nelson (or Blanche Lincoln, or any Blue Dog). The Democratic leadership could’ve taken away committee chairs (Blanche Lincoln’s, too) of members in their caucus that filibustered a public option for healthcare. They didn’t.
The DNC could’ve taken away reelection funds. They didn’t.
Harry Reid could’ve actually forced Republicans and turncoat Democratic senators to filibuster. He didn’t (and doesn’t).
The Progressive Caucus could have kept their pledge about not voting for a bill that didn’t include a robust public option. They didn’t.
Obama did unleash the attack dogs to go after Howard Dean when Dean said ACA was a lousy bill. Dean was then forced to get back into line. Obama went after Kucinich, the last remaining holdout on the Progressive Caucus, for threatening to vote no on the healthcare bill, and we all know how that ended.
In both 2010 and 2012, whether Democrats gained seats or lost control of the Congress, Obama said before the election that he was going to do more caving. More “bipartisanship”, “reaching out” to the other side, and that’s exactly what he did with the ‘Fiscal Cliff’ legislation during the lame duck session of Congress after the election.
What was he hoping to achieve by doing that by announcing that before an election (along with Obama’s flip-flopping on just about every pledge and continuing Bush-Cheney policies and putting Republican-like legislation through Congress), if not to discourage and suppress Democratic voter turnout in the midterms?
“I have a dream — and this ain’t it.”
–UCT, Jan 21, 2013
Reading that OBarry the Betrayer took an oath touching MLK jr’s bible made me feel like vomiting. Reminded me of the comic of the new MLK statue taking off during the statue dedication to join Occupy Wall Street….and the opposite manchild president not even searching for his comfortable shoes. OBarry. The Betrayer.
When I organized the first Debate of the 2012 Election cycle …
(in April 2011 – Jill Stein vs Libertarian vs Pirate Party vs Yippie etc. – http://my.firedoglake.com/normanb/2011/04/04/first-debate-of-the-new-election-cycle-at-the-iglo-dissidents-convention-independents-greens-libertarians-others/)
… Cornel West encouraged our alternative parties Debate more than anyone – this Debate only accepted candidates who (1) Wanted to restore Human Rights including habeas corpus and the Geneva Conventions; and (2) Wanted to end the Wars; and (3) Wanted to Legalize Marijuana. West sent three quotes that were read at the start of the Debate.
Later, he went on tour with Tavis Smiley, attacking Obama’s policies. Then West Smiley was attacked as a “Race Traitor.” And now, after the Election, West calls Obama “A Republican in Blackface.”
I think he stopped attacking Obama before the Election because of pressure. He’s a confirmed Socialist. Based on his history, it doesn’t seem like he should vote for Obama…
…X 2 ..excellent comment
If you mean during the tour itself, I don’t know. During the tour, when did he ever ask anybody to vote for Obama? In comment 23, the claim is made that West
. How can you promote somebody’s re-election, in any significant way, without asking anybody to vote for them?
As far as criticizing Obama, he’s rather outspoken (sometimes too outspoken). E.g., calling Obama Spineless, or calling him a disastrous response to a catastrophe.
Millions of people who voted for Obama did so as a LOTE choice. It’s ridiculous to say that that, by doing so, they “promoted” Obama’s re-election.