Cornel West - The Precarious Fate of Barack Obama

[TheMrKregel]

OWS as Obama's Social movement? Stand behind the middle class? This might be the "Lincoln turn". I love Cornel West... this was great!

[wasteofspace1234]

THIS IS FUCKING BRILLIANT!

[MrWill99313]

a penis grows twice in size, when one assumes the presidency

[MrWill99313]

Sounds Revolutionary and seditious....

[MrWill99313]

Look up Marcus Garvey

[djrocko410]

i think we found that social movement for obama

OBAMA 2012!!!!

[helsquiades]

This must have been before West realized Obama is a corporate tool.

[bobshenix]

If Obama were white (fully white) Dr. West would not be so kind in his analysis. The black community generally supports Obama by why? Can you imagine if the [non-existent] "white community" were to vote based on race??

Obama duped Americans, he is a disingenuous fraud and a liar. The only good thing he has done is somehow prevented the war hawks from attacking Iran and launching a catastrophic WW3. Regardless, he's Bush Jr. and protects his Wall Street buddies just the same.

Racial hypocrisy.

[lockpride]

@bobshenix

When I read "Can you imagine if the [non-existent] "white community" were to vote based on race??"

I couldn't help but laugh, as I don't have to imagine. The "hypothetical" situation you just presented us was reality for about 200 years of our nation's history. And would you rather the people to have supported McCain? I'd imagine that the country would be in the toilet bowl, as was it's direction during the bush era.

That said, i'm not exactly on Obama's Jock.

[bobshenix]

@lockpride

Not at all, i wasn't addressing the 2008 election specifically. McCain is a senile idiot, a typical Washington insider and dangerous war hawk-- that being said i was more than happy to vote for Obama.

In hindsight, i bought into the hype that Obama was the answer to shaking up the corrupt, self-serving establishment driving our great nation into the ground. But as it turns out he is just another slick talking politician who goes back on his promises after getting elected.

[OralHerShizer]

When i get old I wanna be like CW

[Skippa1986]

Holy shit is this fella smart or what? I wonder if Occupy Wall Street can make Obama change...

[kogcc]

Cornel West pretty much nails it.

[mlcollins10]

Obama is certainly no "brother". This is what bothers the white establishment. He talks and acts like a real progressive democrat.I believe they would have rejoiced had he been a "brother" president - they would have easily dismissed him. Some good comments by Cornel, but Obama is doing what he had to do to stanch the blood flow of an economy laid open by a thoughtless, stupid administration. Obama is Lincolnesque! He was reviled right up to his victory - then lionized.

[henjokongo]

God, he is powerful.

[760odagleD]

We need to start a movement to eliminate money and instead go back to just trading goods.

[rfrantzt]

If Barack Obama really pushed progressive agendas a lot of rich people would lose money. Let's attack those unethical corporate entities using every available mean. Part of our fight comes from our vote and political involvement, but the rest is about how we spend our time and money.

The left is made of gay people, weird people, smart people, and black people. The right is rural white people, rich white people, random non-white people, armed citizens, and corporations.

[scratchineproduction]

ron paul / dr. west ,,,,america 2012!

[doobiesmoke15]

you shitters know fuck-all!!!

He looks like Grady From the Sanford and Son

[MichaelDGarrett]

@doobiesmoke15 ...He do look like Grady! lol!

[BoriHachi]

@snave799

Wow, thats some of the dumbest shit ive ever heard.

Not only does it make no sense and come off somewhat racist (re-read what you typed) but it makes absolutely NO SENSE.

Please stay in school.

[snave799]

I wished President Obama would do the right thing, but now his actions look like just another white President. How are you going to be a black President when your actions are still white.

[DG3744]

Prof. Cornell West is proof that there is a GOD!!

[dudewhyfi]

lol this sounds like completely pertinent to today's obama, same as 2009

[37Dionysos]

OCTOBER2011 dot o-r-g

[easmachine]

Cornel West is the biggest in a barrel of crabs. Its hypocritical on West's part to acknowledge that a man is a great politician and then to act surprised and disappointed when he acts like one. If Jesus were president West would say he wasn't doing enough. Obama doesn't owe Black people anything bedause he never promised US anything. He knew then and knows now that Blacks cannot be elected POTUS, But a good politician who happens to be Black can. Don't hate the player, hate the game.

[asswuppin]

@easmachine Part A I agree to a point. Too many want Obama to be a Black politician rather than a professional & consummate politician. However, if Jesus were president & he ran his campaign on the premise of change but gave us more of the same politics, West would be well within his rights to claim that Jesus wasn't doing enough. You used the example of Jesus to lend to the idea that some should be beyond reproach. When in fact it is our duty as citizens to be critical so that no one ever is.

[asswuppin]

@easmachine Part B I also agree the America would not elect a Black but would elect an excellent politician who happens to be Black. Too many wanted Obama to run the country like he was Shaft coming in to bust heads & stick it to "the man". This would have been just the ammunition needed for those opposed to having a Black president in the first place. I believe that the change that Obama will usher in will not be revolutionary, but the beginning of a movement in the right direction.

[mdna72]

@asswuppin so a black politician always has to be safe.one term and out.then america has a long way too go

[asswuppin]

@mdna72 Indeed it does. Look at David Dinkins! Being qualified & capable are not the only qualities needed to be a successful politician. You must be able to use your authority to make change for the greater good of the people.

In politics, indecisiveness is just as bad as making a bad move. People saw Dinkins & now Obama as reluctant to wield real political power. You can only walk the middle of the road but for so long.

Obama needs to stand up & step up.

[asswuppin]

@easmachine Part C Lastly, West's message is correct. Its easy to get caught up with merit badges: 1st Black to be President of Harvard Law Review, 5th Black US senator, 1st Black President, Nobel Peace Prize winner, etc. In being decorated with so many accolades, its easy for a man to forget that he has a long way to go with the people. West is challenging Obama to dare to be great. He's not demanding that Obama be unprofessional, but to take chances and not just make politically safe moves.

[easmachine]

@asswuppin You're right on all points. I believe that West thought(as many whites did and still do) that Obama was playing a role during the campaign and would unleash his inner MauMau after the election, West acts like a guy who is mad at his homie because he won't hook him up with extra fries on his new job at BK. BTW Lincoln was a caveman and white-supremacist. That is the curse of history. To pattern ones self after historical figures is Socio-cultural Devolution. Thanx for your response.

[asswuppin]

@easmachine West knew and said from the beginning that Obama was a centrist. Obama actually ran as a centrist. West simply wants Obama to usher in change by having vision versus doing what is safe and won't make waves. West says often that Lincoln and FDR made waves when it was necessary. but he doesn't see Obama taking that kind of initiative. Its one thing to perform maintenance and minor changes to a nation. Its another to take the reigns and go off the beaten path to take calculated risks.

[asswuppin]

@easmachine Part B I don't think West is advocating that Obama "be" like Lincoln or FDR. He only suggests that Obama find the same courage to make radical changes in the spirit of making this country great again. And by great, I mean great for the people, not because we are the greatest military power. Obama must be his own man, but there are historical examples of leadership from which one can learn & grow from. Lincoln & FDR represent freedoms & economy: Two obstacles Obama is actually facing.

[asswuppin]

@easmachine Part C IMO what West is saying defines the epitome of civic duty. I think you mistook his passion for anger. I defend West and men like him because the man is an authority .. an intellectual who, because he articulates history and social dynamics in a way that shines light on our duties as individuals, is dismissed by many as a "huckster". In fact, most Black intellectuals are dismissed as "hucksters" because they have not and will not assimilate. Thanx 4 your comments & god bless.

[stephenabm]

There is no difference between Obama and Bush, the programs and policies Obama complained about are now expanded. He promised to end the war, he expanded in into two more countries? Extended the Patriot Act? Expanded foreclosures and unemployment.... Hope and Change - where?

[stephenabm]

Obama has proven to be disaster and needs to be replaced. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) and is a puppet of the elite. Ron Paul in 2012

[HolyCity2012]

@stephenabm Laugh Out Loud!

[regresseur]

saying obama is a great politician etc. is like saying a clown entertaining a group of little kids is a great comedian

[brunettechocha]

Obama is a total bluff, a very socialist one at that, and the idea of waiting for such a man to be a Lincoln is of the utmost absurdity. It's simply democrat wishful thinking. If "he" even got Bin Laden it was because of Bush's intelligence tactics, the very same tactics he criticized, crapped on, and wanted to eradicate without any congressional success. If someone is to thank it's congress for stoping him. Yet, so what, he still has no true exit plan and economy wise he is totally inept bs.

[asswuppin]

@brunettechocha I was with you at first then you lost me. First two sentences were solid, then you went on a batshit rant.

Every presidency builds off the last. Bush built off of the Clinton Administration's intelligence. So what? Clinton didn't get the job done. Bush said that OBL wasn't a priority and that going after him in Pakistan was a terrible idea. Now that Obama got the job done, the other two get credit? Did Franklin Pierce get credit for ending the Civil War? Please.

[favoritefoods]

Obama is rhetoric. 

[ginJAH420]

he called it!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Best MAN ever

[dennard1985]

I wish ppl would get off obamas dick like he is the only one in the white house. A president only has but so much power. everyone in the whitehouse in my opinion is accountable for what is wrong with our country. we need to address the white house as a whole instead of just one person. one person cant just make a difference in our country. EVERYONE INCLUDING MYSELF NEED TO TAKE A STAND AND STOP WAITING ON ONE MAN.

[OKandNOWwhat]

Obama sold his soul before he even announced his candidacy. Dr. West was foolish enough to support him the first time, and now he is hoping for a turnaround. This is what happens when a man can see that Jesus is a revolutionary, but he does not have His Spirit so that he can follow Him to Golgotha.

[VRRA4]

I like what he has to say but Lincoln was not an Abolitionist, he supported slavery,

[betarey]

@VRRA4 Which is what he said, turn the volume up and watch it again.

[justgivemethetruth]

Cornell, you tell it like it is, but here's my impression ... Obama's policy team is the CIA as far as I am concerned. He used blacks and Wright to culture a leftist image in order to get the left elected, at just the right time. The power structure in the US is not going to bow to "pressure", when we have a leader who is programmed to be President by the powers that be so cleverly.

[zoticus1]

@justgivemethetruth

Thats a fact !

Its the shadow forces at play, if he deviates he will not live very long.

[derooke1976]

i would love to just have a conversation with this dude

[2left4obama]

Obama is a reichwing reaganite - and he's no more anyone's "dear brother" - Obama hates Blacks passionately. He comes out of a "black" tradition of sucking up to white racism, capitalism, imperialism... Obama is a war criminal... pure filth. We ask, "What is to be done?" - look to Venezuela, Bolivia, and Tunisia. F- the Democrats.

[DrHogfan]

Black tradition ? I thought his whitey grandpappy and grandmammy raised him. If his derelect daddy would have raised him where would he be? Probably running from cobra snakes over in Kenya.

[achilles50]

@DrHogfan u are dumb....really.

[ladbrady]

"Holds Race at ARMS LENGTH until there's a crisis..." That is our Barack. I find it distasteful.

[ladbrady]

"Holds Race at ARMS LENGTH until..." That is our Barack. I find it distasteful.

[libere]

One of the most important thinkers of our time

I feel because of his area of experties, and the proof of his love for humanity, he will offer us the best understanding of where our work lies as a nation and a planet.

[MithranArkanere]

This guy has something that makes you pay attention to him.

I think it's the beard.

[exador3]

@MithranArkanere

No, it's the tooth-gap. Hypnotizing

[356pla]

@exador3 comic relief

[livinginlux]

Bullshit that he doesn't have a movement. The gay liberation movement is the civil rights struggle of our generation. Millions of people have come out of the closet. When hundreds of thousands of us march on Washington nobody deigns to notice. We along with other progressives boycott the last election and look what happens. I'm sick and tired of people making excuses for Obama and his administration. Either you are competent and deliver on your promises, or you are not...and step down.

[2left4obama]

@livinginlux I wish there was a queer liberation movement. Sadly, today - with HRC at the helm - it's more of a fashion statement. F Obama and the Demoncraps.

[livinginlux]

@2left4obama I agree somewhat with your sentiment but let me tell you, the HRC is not at the helm of our movement. They are just paid stooges standing there like mannequins in the shopping mall of democracy. But what has happened at the grass roots level is a revolution, and it's not going to stop. Millions of people coming out, thousands of gay student organizations being established all over the country, local nondiscrimination laws being enacted...this is no fashion statement.

[b2tama]

Where are the popular movements for jobs? Against racism? To protect the environment? Wake the fuck up progressive America! You can't wait to be directed by patronizing, rich liberals. We need people powered grassroots movements!

[evillutionskate]

Question:

Where do I go to get a degree in European American studies?

[BlkLion0726]

@evillutionskate Well, if you are in the so-called United States, you are getting it, even if your degree is in African American studies.

[neomp5]

not only that, he comes out of a black tradition that is not his own, that he was adopted into as an adult.

the social movement obama needs to motivate him is the skeptic movement. he needs to lose the religion that he only joined because he needed a sense of community. he needs to learn that he can have his own community, not just whatever one he's lumped into by a narrow-minded society.

[bustaspecans]

Michelle Obama states that they were leading by example.

Why are they going to Asia and spending about $1 Billion when people are out of work, hungry, loosing homes, standing in soup lines, and there are so many problems in the nation.? This is madness, and out of control.

The President deserves a vacation, but why should it be so lavish?

[joneselius]

Well, when you have former Nazi youth vets' coming out and telling you Obama is a pure, unadulterated socialist, you have problems.

I can't see one positive thing Obama has done for any individual, I can see him being a purely Machiavellian, power mad idiot. His collectivist rhetoric and somewhat strange ability to put people in a trance with a teleprompter makes me shivver.

Obama is the new face of fascism, get used to it because it's not going away. We're owned, fact.

[joneselius]

@joneselius Don't forget folks it always starts with the media. Hitler used to write articles before his reign. Once God is taken out of society and replaced with anything even remotely political, you can be sure trouble is afoot. I'm not saying you have to be a religious nut or believe in God, but historically, when God is removed and the state given monopoly, terrible things happen. The real concern comes when they start talking about 'protective homeland measures for domestic peoples'.

[NormDePlume69]

@joneselius "or believe in God, but historically, when God is removed and the state given monopoly, terrible things happen."

Good point, theocracies have always done so much better than secular nations, historically. Saudi Arabia & Iran are two places I look forward to moving to.

[BlkLion0726]

@joneselius When God shows up, trouble is afoot. Slavery soon follows. 

[NormDePlume69]

@joneselius "Obama is the new face of fascism, get used to it because it's not going away. We're owned, fact."

He's a fascist, now??? I've been hearing since he took office that he was a socialist. Clearly he can't be both, as anybody with even a passing knowledge of the terms knows that they are diametrically opposed.

Which is he, in your humble opinion?

[joneselius]

@NormDePlume69

h t t p : / / w w w . lawrence.edu/sorg/objectivism/­socfasc.html

Really? And as for your sarcasm, please tone it down, it's not needed in any discussion. I did not say when God 'rules' a state it's any better did I? Putting words in my mouth. Sir, please have a debate before you insult passively.

Your 'passing knowledge' isn't as secure as it should be.

[nateshannon]

What a jackass.

[nevly516]

great video....speaks the truth!!

[Bloodthr0e]

Barrack Obama never accomplished anything before he became president. He is a truely unqualified politician. He was only made president because he wasn't white. I'm sure he won't accomplish anything during his career as president either. Unfortunately, he won't be anything like Clinton or Lincoln.

[edwardkarl]

Cornell West is an idiot. Affirmative action at its best.

[kingofrnb]

@edwardkarl You = Ignorance at it's best.

[gerlsus]

@kingofrnb Amen, edwardkarl=ignorance at its best. what else would you call a person who scoffs at truth and logic. Even the Bible says "out of all thy getting getteth understanding," and "seek wisdom and pursue it". That's what racism and bigotry makes you...into people like edwardkarl

[bluesboy25000]

Well as we have have seen unfortunately brother President Barack Obama has shown he is not willing to talk about race and in face played Uncle Tom to the Teahadists and fox news after firing Shirley Sherrod. He is the epitome of Machiavellian duplicity and saying one thing and doing another. There has been no significant change to speak of and that is partially our fault for not going out in the streets like the Teahadists and the Beckastanis

[Ericrestes1]

@bluesboy25000 I'm sorry you think of those people like that... I'm not a tea partier or Glenn Beck enthusiast but I have looked into what they are protesting for and I must agree with the general tone they have. That is, smaller government and greater fiscal responsibility. Our government is way too big and too deep into everyone's lives and wallets. Period.

I guess what I'm saying is.. that as a country we need to let go of our desire to put our countrymen down instead of hear them out.

[Ericrestes1]

@bluesboy25000 In re-reading your post I feel I may not have properly understood your tone.

[Thadeous6]

I learned about Cornell West in my African American Studies class, we were instructed to read his book, "Race Matters" and I have been a huge fan of Dr. West's ever since. I liked this video.

[legalassets1]

Class is in session!!

[Psqwall]

Note to all sound people who might mic Brother West. This man can not be laved up you must boom mic him! He moves around way too much for a lav

[RoachBurger]

The Universe is Bleak

[bluesboy25000]

I love Brother West. I am reading his book called Democracy Matters. He's a genius.

[drumma4lyfe06]

@bluesboy25000 Classic book.

[bluesboy25000]

@drumma4lyfe06 One of my favorites.

[timmo1963]

Barack Obama is the most divisive President ever, and in a very short time is destroying the very fabric of this nation. His economic and foreign policies are extremely dangerous. His use of race as weapon to divide the citizens of the great nation on order to further his agenda is unconscionable. To compare him to Lincoln at this point in his career is ridiculous. Barack Obama is a very clever man indeed, but he is not a wise man.

[Tougemaster06]

@timmo1963 What the hell are you talkinga bout? Obama isn't using race at all to divide anyone. White backlash is caused by white paranoia, not black people breaking glass ceilings.

[cornbreadthedog]

dr. west is amazing! he's my hero! i love him. preah on, my brother..man, i wish i had the cash to go to princeton and take his class. i could learn so much from brother west.

[themountainviewguy]

the whole aborting of social progress by replacing talking about justice with talking about racism, and alienating the majority race by allowing them to think that justice is against their best interest is the problem.

stop talking about race, and start talking about people.

[themountainviewguy]

masterful politician ... or masterful liar ?

[ZUNECARDSTV]

@themountainviewguy A politician is a masterful liar.

[MizfitBeats]

@themountainviewguy Are you saying politicians aren't liars?

[alphecca2539]

The gap teeth give him cred.

Word!

[alphecca2539]

Can't decide who is the bigger clown - this fraud or the fraud Obama.

[snoopygodog]

On the money!

[Trotsky91]

Excellent points, especially about Lincoln and how taking to the streets cannot be the only voice of new progressive social movements

[Wilbur665]

Blah Blah Blah... socialist mouth-spewing.

Seriously, go live in Russia, or Saudi Arabia, see how things actually work there. Maybe then you could appreciate the US instead of hating it.

[ScottBrown666]

You're dumber than the chair I'm sitting on. What the fuck do Russia or Saudi Arabia have to do with socialism? They're surprisingly similar to amerika. And 'we' are good supportive friends with Suadi Arabia. We give them millions of our tax dollars, and even more in petrol money. So, in conclusion, use your brain.

[ibrox72]

@Wilbur665 Wouldn't it be scary though if people did go to those places and actually earned more, were able to do more and then didn't come back? Maybe the real problem is that it isn't so easy to just randomly run off to these places and see how easy or hard it would be to live there, but it's definitely too damn easy to sit on your @ss and say people should go. Anyhow, thank you for making this country a more friendly place ot live.

[alphecca2539]

Love this gap-toothed clown's act.

He compares Obama to the commie Alinsky.

With friends like this who needs Bill O'Reilly .

[MsAndieKat]

Are we afraid to have a voice? Are we afraid to move? Are we afraid to march on Washington or better yet to march on local city halls? Why are we now acting afraid or complacent? Do we really really think we no longer have a say or any power?

[MsAndieKat]

I liked what he says about how the movements changed Abe Lincoln and not Lincoln himself. Are We failing in that department as Americans...... or are there no movements now?...What do we stand for anymore?

[placebonation]

@MsAndieKat Such a great question.Thank you.

[AlaskanWarrior]

Brilliant and always reminding to be critical and Socratic while remembering the love. A theory on power and energy to realize departures from the technocratic advisers.

Society is shaped by the conditioning of technology built around petroleum, diffusing renewable energy technologies will alter the society, to reduce social inequality. When inequality, poverty is gone from the globe it will not be challenging to for peace be to maintained when obtained through justice?

[gfish7031]

@AlaskanWarrior Socrates was sold into slavery for bringing new divinities into Athens. He wasnt a great thinker he learned his knowledge from the ancient mystery schools of Kemet.

[d00m0racl3]

oh? so iyo a great thinker must BE born as such? how else would you expla? if it wasn't but for his ABILITY to LEARN from other great thinkers? honestly quit buying into the religion rhetoric, your comment (though true) only serves to PROVE how religions (of all types), even in pagan times were used to coerce & restrain critical thinking!

[ibrox72]

@gfish7031 That's the first I've ever heard of Socrates being a slave. Imprisoned for heresy and pissing political opponents off before he died maybe. Probably your reference is Aristophanes, who was known for parody, not honest historical accounts. The evidence points to Socrates being a retired soldier who inherited his father's stonemasonry business, which explains why he could afford all that time teaching for free and mocking the populace's ignorance of not knowing everything.

[keilholtzj]

Outstanding.

[bottomsbaby]

1:19! was'nt aware of that!

[dankbot420]

the forces on wall st. are too powerful for Obama to do anything that will benefit the common folks....white and blacks

wall st is the new washington

[MaBu888]

Mastaful logix, mr West!!!

[amalgamnation]

What the hell is is he saying?

[ax1om]

really?

[ezekielthemack]

LISTEN and then you'll understand.

[creten69]

this is the coolest person ive ever seen, thank you for being born.

[fequalsma42]

I think we'd all love to see that but realistically that's not how american politics work. We do still have checks and balances. So the moment obama goes for that drastic change he'll be condemning the party. So whatever he tries to do will be stopped in its tracks by the system. No house/senate member would back a non-(devout) christian, black, revolutionary.

Conversely, he's right that it's up to us to to get the ball rolling since as the baby boomer era passes, we'll become the primary voters

[NwZ2]

deep thoughts from the brother, as always.

[jonz23m]

This "put preasure on him" rethoric just dont do it for me . I am for drastic changes in the system rather than putting preasure on Obama for  every issue that has to be decided on.

[poop121]

what are the drastic changes?

[ArgoSG]

Oh yes he does have a social movement. Make a stand on religion. Stop the act. For once, make the most inconceivable precedent in politics possible: Be honest. Set an example, like a leader. "I do not believe there is sufficient evidence to believe in God." This is all it takes as a world leader.

[gilraen789]

Masterful analysis by Cornell West As an outsider (Canadian) I watch and wonder if America will ever approach the reality of government by and especially for the people.

[blackberryjuice1]

When will Canada approach their own ideals. America's blacks are Canada's indigenous.

[gilraen789]

The problems of First Nations people continue to be a challenge and a national disgrace.  Our Prime Minister apologized to those who had been abused and alienated from their families and culture by being forced to attend residential schools, but failed to initiate programs that would help them to close the gaps in education, healthcare and employment. As so often happens, we know what needs to be done, but are stymied by governments which lack the political will to help a minority population.

[chitch1776]

No, because the idea of the state precludes it.

[turtle2hug]

gilrean, Great and interesting comment. My thoughts are not for many more decades... :(