Cornel West says to put pressure on Obama, dances too-3/3

Cornel West on the Election of Barack Obama: "I Hope He Is a Progressive Lincoln, I Aspire to Be the Frederick Douglass to Put Pressure on Him"

Princeton University professor of religion and African American studies, Cornel West, speaks about the election of Barack Obama, his selection of Eric Holder to be Attorney General, the possible selection of Lawrence Summers to be Treasury Secretary and the role of the progressive left to push Obama.
West is the author of the new book Hope on a Tightrope: Words and Wisdom. [includes rush transcript]

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• cornel
• west
• obama
• lincoln
• democrat
• change
• democracy
• now

[quicksite]

What I find interesting about Cornel West, whether interviewed by Amy, or Bill maher, or whoever:

If I don't listen closely, I'll hear the cadence & general tonality of a generic "praise the Lord" cheerleader of the rise and advancement of Black Americans. But I *do* listen closely, & to me, somewhat unexpectedly, he always speaks on-point, gives multi-faceted answers, and remains, as he himself says, a critic -- someone not hoodwinked into simplistic cheerleading. I always learn. Thumbs up.

[ngodupsangpo]

Very true. I'd love to sit in on some of his classes.

[ScottBrown666]

@BadHabit202 But a world without utopias is utopic itself. I think the real problem is people expect utopias to be expansive and all-inclusive and neverending like our little 2nd Coming fairy tales lead us to believe. I've been to places I would consider utopias, but they're always relatively small and often ephemeral. They are what I would wish on all societies, but that's not my call.

[BadHabit202]

@ScottBrown666 There is nothing you said I disagree with. Except the fact of a 'realized utopia'; it is my opinion that the world would be better off without utopias. Live today, not in the future, or in the past, judge people as they are in the present. Utopia's are dangerous, they point to a not to distant future--which never manifests itself. It is delusional and psychologically unhealthy to put so much hope on something that doesn't exit.

[ScottBrown666]

A political theory can't bring about a utopia. An internal revelation in the populace is necessary. And it takes a fair amount of intelligence combined with a good education and mounds of tolerance for that to come about. People have always pretended that change can come from the top down, but only shit flows downhill, not gold. Anyone looking for the Rosetta Stone of political theory works against the realization of their desired utopia. All hail Discordia!

[BadHabit202]

ohhhh "Secret behind the Sanctions" let me guess kid, you read a lot of Noam Chomsky.....well so did I, and I still do because he offers a good insight, but you need to expand your mind, read more about American history, and then compare that to World History. Read about Political Theory and go through all the thoughts and ideas that were supposed to lead to a utopia.....but never did. You will come full circle.

[akvalues]

bush signed off on everything.

[Simm977]

Really, for children to believe is one thing. 4 full grown humans 2 believe is another. Even if Obama wasn't a fake ask yourself this. Do you believe George Bush ran this country all by his self? If you look around you'll see that everything is about money. If you look at tv (which I don't.) All you see is advertising (among other things.) ages 16 and up. Not the time to be naive people.

[tom500k]

Cornel West should be appointed Secretary of State NOT complicit in mass murder Hillary Clinton.

See "Secret behind the Sanctions".

[porkchopexpress07]

"Symbols do matter." His comments on black leadership need to be heard by a wider audience.Ditto the Wright comments.

[senateb]

@arbide2: Most of the third party candidates had much preferable positions to Barack's, I think Dr. West implied, they weren't part of our choice: those choices were stripped from us.

[arbide2]

Voting for third party candidates is a show of true democracy. Voting for the Democrats or the Republicans is voting for the lesser of two evils. One more evil than the other depending on perspective. George Bush won the election through corruption and fraud. Watch American Blackout, it had nothing to to with Ralph Nader.

Durng the second term of Bush´s presidency congress gave the thumbs up to an enormous increase in the military budget towards the war yet there was a Democratic majority.