This outspoken professor has been attacked for telling the truth about President Obama, a truth that all Americans should pay attention to. by Joel S. Hirschhorn
(libertarian)
Thursday, May 19, 2011
The outspoken scholar and Princeton University professor Cornel West has been viciously attacked by many on the political left, especially supporters of President Obama. Why? Because he had the courage to call Obama "a black mascot of Wall Street oligarchs and a black puppet of corporate plutocrats." For more of West's views see this article.
Most of the attention has been on the use of the word black, as if the black Cornel West had made a racist comment. In fact, West got it right because he and some other true progressives have condemned Obama for not being an authentic progressive. Right again, Obama has never shown himself to be a true leftist progressive, even though many on the conservative right may think he is one. West thinks Obama has no backbone.
It is not that Obama is not black enough, as some think West was saying. It is about the dishonesty, deceit and corruptness of Obama.
What everyone should be praising West for is that he correctly made the point that Wall Street oligarchs and corporate plutocrats have stolen the US government by using vast sums of money to corrupt both Democrat and Republican politicians.
West just told the truth about Obama who got elected because as a candidate for president he received a huge sum from the most awful Wall Street company, Goldman Sachs.
What West has explained is that poor and working people have low priority in US government policy including the Obama Administration. No surprise because West is definitely a true liberal progressive who has been making this kind of criticism very openly for a long time. Indeed, if poor and working people, as well as all African Americans, would wake up to reality they would abandon Obama, even as the lesser evil. Obama has told too many lies and done too many wrong things to deserve their support.
Nearly all members of Congress, both Republicans and Democrats, are nothing more than mascots of Wall Street oligarchs and puppets of corporate plutocrats, something that all intelligent Americans, including those in the Tea Party movement, should totally agree with.
Here is something else West said: "The tea party folk are right when they say the government is corrupt. It is corrupt. Big business and banks have taken over government and corrupted it in deep ways....we've got to think seriously of third-party candidates, third formations, third parties."
Over at FutureofCapitalism.com this point was made: Obama "has basically enshrined the too-big-to-fail banks while also propping up GE and the firms that will benefit from ObamaCare." True enough.
We need many more people that get mass media attention to say the kind of things that West has said. Americans need to be reminded incessantly that their government has been hijacked by rich and powerful elites.
With a corrupt two-party plutocracy elections no longer offer the promise of much needed reforms. Odds are that Tea Party people will realize that their favored Republicans will also not deliver a rehabilitated, honest government serving the interests or ordinary Americans.
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Posted By: Bill Gee
Date: May 20, 2011 09:21:15 AM
Joel,
Your column hits the nail on the head, but I don't believe that Third Party candidates are the answer. Both Republicans and Democrats have their campaigns bankrolled by the Corporate Ruling Elite. This creates a crowding out effect that prevents Third Party candidates from being heard, let alone listened to. By the time Election Day comes, most Americans either don't even know whether any Third Party candidates are running, and if they do, they assume that by voting for a Third Party, they would be "throwing away" their vote.
I'm afraid that the only way we can break the Corporate Ruling Elite's hold on our Government is to organize a peaceful revolution that 1) demands the resignation of all elected and politically appointed officials in Washington and 2) organizes a ConCon so that changes can be made to the Constitution that will limit the power of the central government and limit the influence Wall Street will have on the government's decision-making process.
Posted By: Roy Ellis
Date: May 22, 2011 06:13:36 PM
Bill Gee and Joel, IMO, a 3rd party is the ONLY way we can remove the money influence from politics and gov’t. But, it can’t be just another 3rd party. A party designed for the 21st century must be founded in a few laws to prevent co-option by the money influence. The party mission would be to work toward the abolishment of corporate personhood and implementation of REAL campaign finance reform where all donations go into one account for disbursement by the FEC.
I note a new party on the scene, NAIP, New American Independent Party I believe. This party seems to be getting off to a good start, although, I believe they have to change their name as they can’t use ‘Independent’ in the name. But, again, a 21st century 3rd party must be founded in a few laws to prevent co-option.
I note with great joy that Reclaim Democracy and Motion To Amend are moving out smartly on getting the issue of Corporate Personhood before the people, congress and courts. Here is a ‘motion to amend’ that has been signed by 114k people. IMO, we should all throw our support behind such efforts to remove the money influence from politics/gov’t and restore the intended relationship between the people and their representatives.
Bill, check out the Republic Sentry Party for an exemplar party for the 21st century.
Posted By: Bill Gee
Date: May 26, 2011 02:27:09 PM
Roy,
I've checked out the Republic Sentry website and I've reviewed your extensive list of reforms. I'm not sure if I can agree with every last one of them, but I've changed my mind on other issues with a bit of discussion and education so I won't rule out anything at this point.
While I find the agenda to be heartening, it's a bit discouraging to see that the activity on the site pretty much ended in 2009 with the exception of one article. It leads one to believe that the party lacks support and web traffic.
The bottom line again is in order to enact the many reforms you suggest, the current sitting Congress needs to be voted out of office in favor of your own people. In order to do that under the current system, you would need the support of the very corporations that you wish to castigate once you get into office. (Ain't gonna happen)
In addition, many of the reforms on the agenda will require Constitutional Amendments. Without a Constitutional Convention that has a relatively "open agenda", there is no way that the establishment will allow those amendments to even get past Committee.
Therefore, I'm afraid that a Real Revolution, not just one at the ballot box, is the only way we can break the hold that BIG MONEY has on the reigns of power in this country. I wish there was another way, but I just can't see it.
I did sign the "Motion to Amend", but with over 700 petitions to amend the Constitution already ignored by Congress, I have my doubts whether this will make much difference.
Posted By: Roy Ellis
Date: June 3, 2011 10:52:23 PM
Bill Gee, thanks for looking at Republic Sentry. True, there seems to be little interest in a 3rd party with a different political attitude. The site gets 40-150 hits daily but no takers on membership. Perhaps an uptick in pain misery will generate more interest. I'll keep the light on.
I do believe that any real reform can only come through a centrist/populist 3rd party effort. And, most certainly such an effort would be fiercely opposed by the Corpocracy. The voters have choices. They can continue to vote for the duopoly/Corpocracy or they could choose to establish and support a 3rd party. If one looks at the record of the Corpocracy from the Regan era forward I think a 3rd party is the wings.
