Sometimes his criticism was over the top. He was right at times though, but he shouldn't have been so callous.

Even angry at Obama. I just need to reach for them pesky notebooks.

It is...complicated.

Last edited Wed Feb 17, 2016, 04:06 PM - Edit history (1)

him all of the time.

and you have an unbreakable bond.

I would never have any bond with a politician I disagreed with politically, Bravenak has explained to me why that occurs in the AA community, the need for leaders and the bond etc.

I like Obama, though he was too conservative me. I really do NOT like the Clintons. Besides thinking they are too right wing i think they are corrupt and dishonest, not good people.

I will never believe Hillary Clinton is the better candidate for any community even though i only see things from where i sit and don't know the experience of others.

... over the top its petulant at best

Then he proceeded to trash talk Mr Lyon who is a very excellent and well known person. He did engage in baseless smears and he did so without doing any sort of research or the basic due diligence any reporter should do. And he calls himself a reporter, he said this was him reporting. Those very words.

He engaged in gossip, called it journalism then attacked anyone who doubted his made up story over that of Danny Lyon and others. Clearly he had no clue who Lyon is or why the reputation of his body of work is so high.


Having been a public figure myself I promise you that I would never support any journalist who did this sort of thing to civilians like Lyon because they supported the same candidate. Never. I would condemn them. He presented as fact that which he had not verified as fact, nor even inquired of the actual source and authority on those facts. This is not acceptable, it is McCarthy type dealings and everyone should be soundly rejecting what he did, how he did it and demanding higher standards of all involved.

Had he left Danny Lyon out of it, it would have just been dirty politics. But he did not. He cast doubt on his word and reputation and Lyon is not a politician. His honesty is also not in doubt among any sane persons.

What America needs is many more journalists like Danny Lyon and less journalists like Jonathan Capehart. To me that is just a simple fact.

Hands up don't shoot.

At the time I was willing to give him a pass...after photo gate, he tells me it's sunny outside, I will kindly look out the window.

This guy has now a huge issue with credibility with large swaths. And a retraction would have saved his ass.

Oh and this is conflict of interest walking

And has zero credibility with me.

don't do what I call the WHAT?? factor to criticize Obama.

When you do that, you lose your audience before you barely get started.
I was not thrilled to see West's endorsement, you must rely on the merits
of policies, pro and con and he did not do that..he relied on hyperbolic
nasty shit.

Is that Bruce Rappaport in the photo?

I am not even going to bother to read it.

or is it ? Hillary is the real true Scotsman because no true Scotsman would vote for Sanders


This guy is a disgrace to journalism unless you like Goebbels.

Actually Jonathan is pretty bad at the propaganda business. Goebbels made it believable. Also he did not have to contend with a living photog, and a historical record. Though all we needed in that caper was literal Stalinist erasing and air brushing from history.

At least he knew how to count votes!!

How is this different? Personally, I think Capeheart made a stupid mistake and he should take some time off. But I also believe that Cornel West is no intellectual when he descends into gutter language to describe our President.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]Stop looking for heroes. BE one.[/center][/font][hr]

Read my post below and then answer this.....

"Aren't you a bit disillusioned with our POTUS?"

I mean, he had everything at his fingertips and things just didn't happen......isn't that the crux of the entire "Anti-Establishment, Bernie revolution"?

I mean, sometimes recognizing the issues is the first step in repairing the wrongs

I am more disillusioned with GOP obstructionism than I am with Obama. I don't think Clinton possesses Obama's charm or strength of intellect (who does?) but she's likely to be our next President so we need to do what we can to move her further left.

Sanders has not spent much time building bridges and coalitions so, although I'd give him more credit as an abstract intellectual, I honestly think he'd accomplish little.

So Capeheart can make what he wants of a picture and West can sling insults all he wants -I don't think either of them matter much in the long run.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]Stop looking for heroes. BE one.[/center][/font][hr]

When I hear "Coalitions" the only thing that comes to mind is a War effort

Hillary went on a rant about her ability (using Kissingers advice) to build coalitions, she put together the current war coalition (her words not mine)

So....I guess if "more of the same" is your mantra, live your dreams

When an irresistible force meets an immovable object, something has to give. Until Republicans further self-destruct and become a permanent minority party, we will be in the position of getting nothing done or getting a little done.

Some have said we have compromised too much with Republicans and that's a fair assessment. But 'no compromise' means everybody sits around and twiddles their thumbs.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]Stop looking for heroes. BE one.[/center][/font][hr]

in another universe, Shut Down Gitmo, get out of the middle East etc etc etc

Then maybe the populace that elected you will return in the midterms and not allow the Pubs to take back seats.

Apparently not, and apparently you have a lot of company, otherwise all the blame would not be falling on Obama for what didn't get done.

Stop....this isn't an isolated incident "a lot of company" you have that part correct. Where have you been the past 7.5 years?

I understand Congress very very well, don't make me post the "I'm just a Bill" video to explain congress to 'YOU'

We held the Senate, the House and the Whitehouse all at the same time and you are still defending the POTUS? C'mon mang, we had a Super-majority at one point.

I'd like to be like you and believe, but I just cannot. Not after seeing what I've seen the past 7.5 years. Cornel West' words are starting to ring true, maybe you need to look with an open mind once again.

Go Bernie, the man that has 'NEVER" swayed from his current position

under the Obama administration?

I'm not sure any minority has benefited. That was my point.

Twist the meanings a little bit more....Capehart is correct, but not for the reasons "He" thinks he is.

Last I looked, compared to the 99%, they are a minority.

But....after 7 years and how most of the DU feels about Obama and Hillary being so Moderate if not down right Republican....

Isn't Capehart correct without even knowing why he is correct?

Wasn't West correct in his assessment of the ineffectual Obama Presidency and now with the moves that Hillary has taken?

Aren't we all sort of pissed that the climate in DC hasn't moved very far Left as we wish it would?

Stating that Cornel West is going to hurt Bernie, isn't that more of the weak sauce the moderate Dem Establishment has been propagating throughout the entire primary?

The problem with Mr. Capeheart is the very real, if I want to be nice perceived, conflict of interest. So he has hurt himself badly. I also suspect he released this in an attempt to distract from the #retractcapeheart on the Twitter. This is fresh gas to the fire as it were

As I pointed out, he's correct but not for the reasons he thinks he is correct.

And yes, Capehart's pillow talk is a Yoooj red flag

So...

Marching Orders for SWAB* 2016

January ....... Clobber Cornel West connection to Civil Rights
February ..... Clobber Danny Lyon connection to Civil Rights
March ......... Clobber ???

Operation SWABS/SWarm Against Bernie Sanders

the Black community (on the whole) would have voted for Hillary.

If white people had voted that way, on superficial demographics, Obama wouldn't have been elected.

I find that interesting.

But on this issue in the OP, regardless of who the candidate is -- taking that out of consideration -- I'd rather be on the same side with Cornel West than Jonathan Capehart.

West may use colorful language but at least he says what I perceive to be the truth. Having the guts to truth-speak indicates some character and he seems very bright.

We're not scared of the right, now that we have a candidate who is willing to come out swinging with the truth.

In the past, we had candidates who cowered because of fear they'd lose their donors. This has all changed with the abandonment of establishment donations. Not only are we not afraid, but just try to cut us down, and our donations will flow like a river of cash.

The old game is worn out and tired. Rove's expiration date is long past due.

Having said that, my initial reaction to Cornell was one of mild shock. Not for me, but for those who might be afraid still. Then it donned on me that Mr. West is fighting for the people. I'll take that with all the criticism that it garners, rather than buy the hype that they've been feeding us for 40 years.

Shout it from the roof tops!!

Most excellent post, I thank you!

K&R!!

I used to love it when Jon Stewart was new. I feel that way.

Thanks.

Thanks again!

while the messenger (Capehart) is deeply flawed and untrustworthy, this message isn't new and has deep resonance in the black community.

We/Bernie Sanders ignore it at our peril. Cornel West pissed off a lot of the African American community with those comments. Criticizing Obama is deeply offensive for them as well. HRC's embrace of Obama's legacy and how she frames that matters.

I believe these are real issues for POC and I won't discount them

West is problematic at best in peeling away AA voters.

Not a single one. But he has to be careful about Obama.

I too don't know anyone angry at West but don't say that too loudly here

In fact, he still has a fair amount of support in my part of the world

That said, I tend to take people at their word and if they say their subcircle feels the same as Capehart, then ok.

Bernie Sanders has a problem with the black vote, it's indisputable. I like to examine the reasons proffered and see where that can be helped. Cornel West may be insurmountable for that group who will never be persuaded otherwise

I don't know if the problem is as great as some claim, but I do not see him getting to 90%...not going to happen. There are to many entrenched players in the Clinton machine, and even some fools voting for Trump.

thats the tipping point along with the consistent trendlines currently occurring with Latinos, millennials etc.

He's making progress with the AA community - fingers crossed he tips enough of them soon

sanders thinks all black people are poor, for example. and then there is sanders is tonedeaf on race. as i suggested in that thread, maybe the targeting is not about race, maybe it's about politics, and when your arguments are colossal FAILS, you can always write an OP about how oppresed you are cause your bs doesn't fly.

The West rally here in San Diego was at capacity. It had many, in fact most, in the audience were AA. There were also Hispanics by the way. This is an internal discussion that has taken place since at least Dubbois. The problem is that subset attacks, and that is the word,ATTACKS West as if their voice was the only one that matters in this discussion.

I have told them to stop it. I just need to reach for actual notebooks to find actual real life people I know in the flesh that hardly agree with them.

At this point many of them have become nothing more or less than empty white noise. They have failed as communicators.

(oh there's a certain poster that's going to hate that phrase lol )

It's almost bullying - those who disagree with their pronouncements (like noiretextatique) get a real drubbing.

Like I said above, Sanders has an uphill climb with POC. Cornel West is a factor in that. I think those who feel like Capehart and the group here will probably never come around.

They are conservadems, third way democrats (if I am to be kind) so they will never vote for a New Dealer.

They are seeing the end of the hold of power of the Third Way. What is happening here happened to Corbyn while running for labor's leadership in the UK Capeheart will do to Sanders what the UK press did to Corbyn. We have not even started.

But these folks are now in the list of background noise that I hardly take into account in the conversation. And what they have done to Noireitaixque they have done to me as well. When you have people discussing if your self identity and life story is an act...busted, I suppose news to me I was born and raised in Iowa, and not Mexico City, they have gone beyond bullying.

At this point I just ignore them. They have nothing to add to the conversation.

On and a few will vote for a republican, or stay home, if Sanders gets the nomination. There, I said it. For the same reason some New Labor sat at home or voted with the Tories. Ideologue is like religion...for some.

And I concur. I got a ton of shit when responding to the ridiculous claim that Bernie thinks all black people are poor because he wants to help inner-city youths find employment. I mentioned the staggering unemployed rate among black youth, and I got snarky remarks about standing on street corners. There is a class/agenda division...no doubt about it.

And they also made too much of kids standing in street corners. The sociology of kids standing in corners in poverty areas is a well known sociological phenomena, and not just limited to inner city cores in the US.

There is also a certain pride in not knowing this basic stuff.

.. willing to say to those crowds what they've said to other crowds about Obama.

That doesn't sound authentic to me, sounds like they acK funny depending on who they're in front of...

That's not authentic

on cue.

And unbiased too.

Attacking President Obama is not a great way to win the support of groups who approve of President Obama

Which could be a problem for Hillary.

Why does Capehart still have a job in journalism again?

That I have a visceral, repulsive reaction too. One that verges close to, but not quite crosses, the line of hate. Donald Trump and Dick Cheney come to mind, but not as bad as someone like Cornell West, because I expect that type of thing from them. Cornell West is opportunistic and self serving and says outrageous things to keep his name in the paper. The right wing uses him as a way to "legitimize" black criticism of the first black president and Cornell relishes this role. I have no problem with other blacks criticizing our president, I've done so myself. I do have a problem with the caustic and dog whistle way he goes about it. West has no respect for the man, his office, or the legacy he carries so I have no respect for West. Bernie really should've researched this one better because, by and large, West is absolutely toxic In the black community.

Cornel West is a progressive. Most progressives have disdain for corporatist Dems. That you don't like him is abundantly clear, but don't spread falsehoods. There are plenty authentic black tools who spread garbage for the rw. You need look no further than the Capehart. And then there is Thomas Sowell, Armstrong Williams and a few too many real black rw tools.

There should be an award, thereismore. Capehart is a sorry excuse for a man. The guy's photo smears were published earlier this month. After he was shown to be in error, he didn't even bother to explain how the archives were manipulated. Neither does he own up to his mistake. Instead, he blames the University of Chicago.

An adult human being would not trade his professional integrity to assume the propagandist's role as smear artist. He also fails as a journalist for failing to mention his partner's connection to DEMs. I'll side with one of the greatest universities in the universe on this one.

The second piece also served as a smear. The non apology excuse happens as one sentence buried two graphs from the end.

As I've used up my free access, I can't vouch but I think this is the link:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-partisan/wp/2016/02/13/bernie-sanders-and-the-clash-of-memory/

Back in the day a liar would get fired from the paper.

Unless he was lying for the publisher.

Am afraid. We are back to the future and the Hearst era.

Stick that in your pipe and smoke it.

West is correct in his own way.....whereby Bernie is correct in his way as well.

Everything that Bernie has had to say has been ultimately proven as true.

West states a lot of feelings that 'many' here in the DU and on the far left feel as well Obama has been in-effectual

Not to mention, Obama basically endorsed Trump today. I mean, in so many words.....but if you see my inferences with Obama's words today, would this not solidify what West stated?? And all of Hillary's veiled positions whereby she sides with the Pubs, wouldn't this also solidify what West stated?

I think so...

I've always liked and respected Cornel West. I also have liked Capehart.

Of course, I don't always agree with West. But I recognize him as a highly intelligent, thoughtful man.

Regarding the "photo-gate" nonsense ....it's something that I not only disagree strongly with Capehart on, but it causes me to call into question what his motivations were. When one makes an error such as that, they are responsible for owning it. Admitting they were way off base. And apologizing. I've seen nothing to date to suggest that Capehart is doing anything like that. This, too, calls into question what his motivations are.

Interesting those motivations must be, driving what Capehart writes about and how.

IMFO, the guy's a hack propagandist, obliged to those inside the Beltway. A well run content analysis, both of his articles and what Sanders' political opponents post on DU, might reveal parallels that would be very useful to know for other issues and races.

I had been aware of Capehart's non-apology. I think that this was the most offensive part of the whole episode.

Admitting you made an honest mistake should come easily. In this instance, I will speculate that it wasn't an "honest" mistake.

the time for sticking with "speculating" as to motives has now passed, me thinks. I'm trying call up a phrase the Brits use so well in these instances (in days gone by) but it escapes me at the moment.

I'm getting too old to tolerate these kinds of political tomfoolery and shenanigans anymore. LOL!

That Rahm with the showing scalp flat top is obvious from body language, ready to pounce on a dollar.

That plopped out of his 'puter in mid-January.

Wonder what's on the agenday for March?

Doesn't make him automatically right or wrong, though.

Otherwise, we wouldn't learn anything new.

Damn, capeheart really ruined his reputation for me.

That said, I'll just put his opinion this way.

Most of Bernie's supporters are new to politics, like me. I've never heard of Cornel West before he endorsed Bernie Sanders.

And I believe we live in a democracy, not a monarchy. So, criticisms of our Commander in Chief are not only perfectly fine, but I expect them.

Thank you.

Barack Obama grew up as a minority among minorities. Any rootlessness he may have felt seems to have been resolved when he married Michelle. She's solid as a rock -- and so is he.

The professor betrays his utter ignorance of any culture past the shores of California in that statement. I'm sure he knows more about Europe than he ever has about the State of Hawai'i or the country of Indonesia.

And yes, I think the revered professor is a racist.

not a help to Bernie Sanders with the AA vote or any other vote. I Bernie wants endorsements from minorities but this
is not a helpful endorsement.

This explains a lot.

A known liar.