Allen West interview: "Institutional racism is gone."

Pop and Politics host Farai Chideya interviews Florida Tea Party candidate Colonel Allen West about his views on race, anger among voters, and why he believes he can win in Congressional District 22 in Florida.

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News & Politics

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• Allen
• West
• Florida
• Politics
• tea
• party

[LisaBaby67]

I wish he was our president.

[1stovetop]

A liberals worst enemy common sense .

[linearrecords12]

@rjhome1 White people still have all the power in this country even though we currently have a black president.And because of the legacy of racism in America alot of blacks, especially black males continue to be treated unequally. Allen West's views does not represent most black people in this country. The power structure in America has at its base "mostly white interests in mind", and those interests most of the time do not reflect society as a whole especially not black people

[linearrecords12]

@Hereticalable first of all I don't know what Africans you talking about I don't see them. And second of all when I say seized power I mean seized control over own destiny. The playing field isn't level for all to succeed because of the legacy of racism in our country and that is a fact. I see you like dissing public programs. Ask Allen West how he made it through college. If we didn't have public programs like Pell grants I never would've gotten my double degree in business.

[Hereticalable]

@linearrecords12 Hold on a second...are for equality of opportunity for everyone regardless of skin colour or for seizing power? I fight rfor equality oppurtunity, a removal of any program that condones quotas for different groups, white ior black. I also think if you visited many African countries you'd be grateful for living in the West...and you still haven't answered my question about why African immigrants tend to do better than blacks already in the USA.

[linearrecords12]

@Hereticalable I think you need to be more realistic. Reading about how solve the issues of a blacks is good and all, but as long as there are people in this world who prefer their own race, there will always be a racial issues. Black people are making strides everyday, but African Americans are only 13.6% of the total population of a nation 308 million. Mathematically that puts us at a disadvantage to seize power. Commentary nor books bear out to the facts of everyday reality.

[Hereticalable]

@linearrecords12 I think you should read some of Prof. Sowell's works on this subject. I also think it's a cop out to blame slavery or something that happened to our grandparents. The best way to effect change is to educate, adapt and improve...and to lobby against illegal immigration which takes jobs from all Americans, especially blue collar jobs many blacks used to do which fed their families and gave them some dignity. Welfare needs to end too - that's slavery for sure.

[linearrecords12]

@Hereticalable they would be the white establishment who owns everything in America. Who only established their power through racist laws they themselves established. As for Prof. Thomas Sowell's books on how black Americans families have become MORE broken. I have to admit I don't know who he is, but I will say this. To truly understand the economic disparate treatment of black Americans, Just look at our legacy of slavery . Were only 57 years removed from Jim Crowe laws

[Hereticalable]

@linearrecords12 Who's "they"? Britain has ghettos on ethnic lines too - it's a small country so obviously no comparison to the USA but there's plenty of non-white deprived areas, disproportionate numbers of blacks in Prison etc. What do you think of Prof. Thomas Sowell's books on how black Americans families have become MORE broken, fragmented and unemployed since Welfare and Affirmative Action? Also, why are African immigrants more successful than blacks already there?

[linearrecords12]

@Hereticalable That's cute ideology. That may be the way it is London. In America we black folks here know better. We have a whole new breed racism here that you cant even imagine. They don't call you a nigger to your face anymore , they just deny you a right to live by starving you out economically.

[Hereticalable]

@linearrecords12 Most people, black and white have to get up everyday and struggle if they want anything in life. Discrimination isn't half as bad as it used to be in my father's day (London used to have signs in stores and homes say "no blacks, no Irish". There will always be racists, even if the system is truly neutral...that's life, whites can suffer the same as blacks - and do sometimes. Race doesn't mean much to me. Culture and values is more important.

[linearrecords12]

@Hereticalable I am a educated black American beating the odds everyday. A Mongrel British I don't even know what that is. I assume its a black and white race mix. I may be wrong. Anyway its your race and that's cool. But unless you live in America and suffered racial discrimination first hand. You'll never understand.