Responses to Melissa Harris-Perry's personal attack on Cornel West

by: NateRoberts at 05/18/2011

Doesn't anyone notice that this contains little more than ad hominem attacks on Cornell West? I see nothing that engages with the arguments West is actually making, or that attempts to rebut the substance of his criticisms of the President.

While West's personal foibles certainly make for an easy target, I would have valued a piece that concentrates on the actual issues rather character assassination. Thus I find it highly ironic that the author of this piece concludes by assuring us that she, "can tell the difference between a substantive criticism and a personal attack."

Well, she's not the only one.

http://www.thenation.com/blog/160725/cornel-west-v-barack-obama

freedom4me at 05/18/2011

Amazing! There are still people who will vote and support Obama simply because they perceive him to be black and that therefore he must feel the pain of all black people. No analysis of who Obama serves or who serves him. No analysis of Obama's core ideas. No analysis of where he is taking the country (other than to postulate that it is better somehow than where the Republicans will take us. The "somehow" is not specified.) No analysis of the content of his character - only the color of his skin. Amazing!

http://www.thenation.com/blog/160725/cornel-west-v-barack-obama

Why? Thats basically all West is doing, character assassination with a side of subtle racism.

That Prof West had to watch the inauguration on TV? That he's still waiting for his pony?

But when its aimed at the President, then its suddenly elevated to being a "matter of issues".

Its more of the "we can say whatever the hell he want about the guy and HOW DARE anyone give us a taste of it back" mentality. Its the same ideologically sanctimonious bullshit that the President once spoke of.

Ignore the blatant hypocrisy with an added measure of projection.

Typical.

By Avram at 05/18/2011

I have a great deal of respect for you, Dr. Harris-Perry, but your critique of Cornel West is off the mark this time. It's clear from reading the Hedges interview that West is suffering from a bruised ego and one wonders whether he'd be as bold in his criticisms of Obama had he been invited to share his concerns with the Prez at White House meetings a la as Stiglitz, Krugman and other white (mostly Jewish) critics. Tavis Smiley's relationship with Wal-Mart and that notorious extortioner of Black folks in particular Wells Fargo speaks for itself, but he also has personal "respect" issue with Obama that date back to the '08 campaign.

However, your failure to address the bulk of what West said in criticizing Obama's Presidency is disconcerting to say the least. Cornel raised important objections to Obama's economic agenda and his coterie of economic advisers, many of whom helped create the mess we are in. He directly attacked the priority the Obama Administration has given to protecting Wall Street at the expense of working class homeowners and job seekers. Your list of criticisms -- the Warren selection, the drone attacks on Pakistan, the initial prosecution of DADT cases -- seems timid in comparison.

http://www.thenation.com/blog/160725/cornel-west-v-barack-obama

...if there's something going on between them - competition, hard feelings, etc.

11. posted by: Enoch Mubarak at 05/18/2011 @ 9:59am .I listened to Cornel West’s radio interview with sister Kathleen Wells and what I heard was a chitterlings circuit liberal arts rhetorical loser, coward, traitor and whiner.. Here’s why:

Cornel West is a loser for grandstanding for Tavis Smiley. He is a coward because he sat at the same table breaking bread with Minister Louis Farrakhan and never opened his mouth about what the honorable minister had to say about someone like him that chose what he chose.

He is a whiner because during his radio interview he recommended to the radio host with authority as to what President Obama “should do” and “should be” doing while Cornel West does nothing but perpetrate and grandstand.

He spoke with authority saying “What President Obama should do” in spite of the fact that Cornel West was very visible on the scene long before Obama hit the radar and even then Black America was fighting for survival, parity, justice and equality.

If Cornel West knows today what Obama should do, why didn’t Cornel West apply his Religion and African American Studies degree to correct the conditions on the ground before Obama became president of The United States of America?

It is because Cornel West and Tavis Smiley are cowards and President Obama is not a coward like them.

President Obama arrived on the front-lines, accessed the conditions on the ground, accepted the challenge, knew the risk and knew the price he would pay in any attempt to correct the...

I hope you can do better than simply join in the character assasination campaign against Cornel West.

But, that happens to all progressives and "professional leftists" who criticize any of the pro-Wall Street and corporate policies of the Obama administration.

And those who don't support the lame excuses used by political apologists in defense of administration policies that weaken our democratic rights, promote imperial wars, ignore civil rights and hurt working class people shall be thrown under the bus.

It looks like Cornel West will now be getting the Ralph Nader treatment for daring to criticize government policies that harm the American people!

The article is the first shot fired in the war against progressives who don't STFU during Obama's 2012 re-election campaign.

There will be many more.

posted by: freedom4me at 05/18/2011 @ 6:58am .First let me say that i admire Dr West for his work, but on this issue he is totally wrong and for all those who agree with West ask yourself these questions. What happen last Nov who controls the house and what shape are democrats in now? Also where was your voice during the townhall meetings leading u8p to healthcare, democracy is not a spectator sport you must stay engaged everyday and let your voices be heard. Third i would like to say this, why is it that blacks ( and i am black), must get special policies when we are all in the same boat? As for calling Obama the killing president or what ever non-sense, well i for one am dam happy we have a man who is willing to do it carefully instead of dropping bombs. So short story short, West is acting sophmoric and this kind of behavoir for is beneath this brillant man. But if you choose not to vote Obama, tell me in 4 years how did it work out with republicans in control?

Well, there are plenty of positive responses to her article from numerous other commenters there. So that = #fail.

What about Dr. West's ad hominen attacks against the president, suggesting he is most comfortable with upper-middle class white and Jewish men who consider themselves smart? West is just disappointed he doesn't hang with upper-middle class black men who consider themselves smart, such as himself.

Oh, pish-posh. Why can't people feel comfortable criticizing Cornel West? He deserves it at least as much as the president. Maybe more.

by: dqstrong at 05/18/2011

Ms. Harris-Lacewell, what's really sad to me is this conversation and fight over this issue. I'm an African American who voted for Obama, and I'm deeply disappointed in the friction created by the first black president. Let's be honest, this is about the black community protecting the first black president from harsh criticism, nothing more, nothing less.

It's as if all black people are expected to hold the line in protection of this president. Any honest objective observer of this president's governing style can find severe criticism if they are indeed true to principle, and not to a personality. For those black people attacking Tavis Smiley and Cornell West and the other black intellectuals who dare to openly question this president, I have a question for you; Do you think MLK would've been quiet while watching this president "compromise" principle, after principle, for some so-called success, or would he call this president out for failing to lead strongly in the face of opposition. No, he would csll this president out. Would you attack him as you do Smiley and West?

Now I may not agree with everything West and Smiley do or say, but in this occassion, they're right. By the way, it wasn't West who brought up the inaguration tickets, it was a family member. He simply addressed the question asked of him.

http://www.thenation.com/blog/160725/cornel-west-v-barack-obama

Why post it here, where there are plenty of (conflicting) opinions right here on DU.

He has a wack-ass theory that Obama is suffering inferiority issues as a person of mixed race.

I see no evidence of the sort.

I think West is projecting his own hurt feelings and insecurities and has manifested them in an embarrassing, condescending attack. This will do nothing but make him look bad. He'll go the way of Trump if he keeps it up.

n/t

to make that point? And then go off on that embarrassing tangent about the President's parentage and implication that his "dear brother" :puke: withers in the presence of strong black men?

BullSHIT it was about economics. That was the cover West used to get to the REAL point of his screed.

Happens here sometimes too.

We agree that his other remarks will over shadow any other concerns, legit, sincere or otherwise.

At the end of the day, there will still be a lot of Liberals who think that Obama is too conservative when it coems to economics.

Many of these people never said anything about sock puppets, race, etc.

If those voters fail to discredit themselves with such remarks, how do we plan on dealing with them and making them seem silly and outrageous?

Long after these exchanges are forgotten (which will be long before the election), those voters will still prefer economic liberalism over subsidies for off shoring corps, tax cuts for the Kochs, spending trillions on wars, etc.

I'm not sure about one being a "real" point over the other, that is your guess. We could just as easily guess that if Obama was not to the center right or outright conservative on economics, Cornell might be cutting him some more slack and maybe even laying off him all together.

He then went to to assert his associations with other Whites and Jews....when someone has to attack another person on DNA in order to argue economics the person is deranged. So there's nothing to defend here. He explains away the economic divide through some sort of biological disposition.

I can't even say "nice try" to this post. LOL

Move on and find something else. West has been dissected like an autopsy.
His screed didn't work. It just makes him look petty.

Where's the usual crowd that likes to gang in on stuff like this? LOL

Pathetic.

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

was the cause of Obama's disassociation with poor people.

People need to get reading comprehension here...The man was utterly offensive but so many people are coming to his bloody defense.

Prof West jumped the shark with his profoundly offensive language that practically slaps the reader upside the head. To ignore that specific language is indicative of the choose-up-sides political mentality that permeates the internetz in which anything goes. In particular and as you pointed out, the comment about the president's mother was beyond the pale and those that cannot acknowledge that are not to be taken seriously. Props to Melissa Harris-Perry for her response. I really like Prof West and am saddened by the division his comments have caused.

or how that translated in everyday reality to those of us jumping up and down calling the good professor out on his misuse of such an argument. They don't have any point of reference to understand how offensive such flatulence is to some of us. Nor will they set aside their perceptions long enough to listen or ask (imagine that) a question.

So ist es.

Tante K

:rofl:

West is ticked that he did not get to be an important adviser to Obama. He screams about it. And others point it out.

Oh the horror.

In West's most recent attack on Obama, he claims (a) that he was an important adviser to Obama, and (b) that Obama never returned his calls.

Both can't be true.

"Obama asked me why we're being so hard on him.." Or something of that nature... I don't think I believe that, that ever happened. Because one of the issues he takes with Obama is the fact that he's not been invited to the White House either. So how did he have an meeting with Obama at the White House? I'm not about to trust anything he says.

http://newsone.com/obama/casey-gane-mccalla/cornel-west-says-obama-treated-him-like-a-cub-scout/

In this story, West says that around the date of super Tuesday, Obama approaches him at some event and then treats him like a "cub scout". This is during the primaries.

And so again, is he an "important adviser" or a "cub scout"? It seems that he wanted to be an important adviser, but never was. And it ticks him off.

When the majority of responses here are generally positive of Melissa Harris-Perry's statement, cherry-pick negative responses from a site that generally sees things your way. Hmmm...

Unrec btw.

Saying Obama prefers the company of Jews and is not black enough is supposed to be a meaningful discussion?

There is this weird biological racism thing and then the attack towards Whites and Jews and I'm like WTF...ugh. This was ignored by so many because they love defending anyone who hates Obama---since really that's what this is about. You can tell that West's argument has little to do with policy and focuses entirely on destroying the man---going even as far as his own DNA.

One side says he's too black, the other says he's not black enough. :wtf:

They just aren't accepted in any world. And when you're of immediate mixed cultural background trying to move up the ladder people will try to shut you down no matter how hard you work.

in him than someone like cornell west or tavis smiley and most of his not black enough critics. you can just look at them and see they are products of serious mixing (forced or choice) on both sides of the family.

I thought so, anyway...

Some blogger disses Professor Harris-Perry, for whom I have enormous respect, and I'm supposed to be impressed because....?

I can't imagine the university isn't going to see some fallout from this. Just what is West teaching his students? Racism & Anti-Semitism?

If West's supporters were the least bit honest (and I have my doubts), would they be so forgiving if Newt or Sarah Palin had let loose with the same tirade, filled with racial, ethnic, and anti-semitic overtones? Some might, but I think the rest would condemn it, and rightly so.

Whatever, of import, West had to say has been completely lost in a cloud pent up of race hatred. :hi: