Cornel West: Obama A 'Republican In Blackface,' Black MSNBC Hosts Are 'Selling Their Souls'

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During an interview last week with Democracy Now, author and activist Cornel West offered harsh criticism of President Barack Obama, calling him a 'Rockefeller Republican in blackface' and not someone who is actually looking out for the best interests of the impoverished. The prominent social critic also lashed out at black MSNBC personalities, accusing them of 'selling their souls' in support of a president who has been anything but progressive.

'I think that it's morally obscene and spiritually profane to spend $6 billion on an election, $2 billion on a presidential election, and not have any serious discussion,' West lamented to host Amy Goodman. 'Poverty, trade unions being pushed against the wall dealing with stagnating and declining wages when profits are still up and the 1 percent are doing very well, no talk about drones dropping bombs on innocent people,' he continued.

He explained that the election season saw a 'truncated' version of political discourse with climate change being overlooked.

West then took a stab at the president: 'It's very sad. I mean, I'm glad there was not a right-wing takeover, but we end up with a Republican, a Rockefeller Republican in blackface, with Barack Obama, so that our struggle with regard to poverty intensifies,' he said.

'That's a pretty rough assessment of President Obama,' Goodman replied.

'Oh, that's what we have. Richard Nixon is to the left of him on health care. Richard Nixon's to the left of him on guaranteed income,' West followed up.

Later on in the interview, West was asked to comment on black MSNBC hosts like Michael Eric Dyson, Melissa Harris-Perry, and Rev. Al Sharpton who regularly praise President Obama. He offered up a similarly harsh critique:

I love Brother Mike Dyson ' but we're living in a society where everybody is up for sale. Everything is up for sale. And he and Brother Sharpton and Sister Melissa and others, they have sold their souls for a mess of Obama pottage. And we invite them back to the black prophetic tradition after Obama leaves. But at the moment, they want insider access, and they want to tell those kind of lies. They want to turn their back to poor and working people.

He concluded by calling those MSNBC'ers 'apologists' for the Obama administration despite having a rigorous background in progressive critical thought.

Watch below, via Democracy Now:

[h/t Jordan Bloom]
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• Cornel West's problem is that no one wants to pay for either him or his 'boyfriend'-Tavis and/or listen to him talk trash. Also, he can count on not being invited to the inauguration this go-round for sure.

• Cornholio West is a racist, ignorant pig. His butt boy Tavis is even worse. The 'reparations' they want paid came at the expense of the lives of thousands of Union soldiers, including those of their own race.

• West speaks the truth. I wish progressives would stop pretending Obama is one of us. It's great that the right-wing assault was soundly defeated, but now we have to get to work on preventing Obama's more nuanced right-wing assaults.

• Ouch XD

• This all boils down to jealousy and it's sad.

• 'butt boy'? well, you've removed yourself entirely from the debate. thank you.

• another homophobe.

• I wish Obama was way more progressive than he is, but that said, I also live on the real world where that Obama would never, ever in a million years be elected president.

  The US is not that country yet unfortunately. But, with Obama, things are trending in that direction.

  He plays the long game. Intellectual absolutists like Mr. West just can't understand that.

• agreed

• oh please

• Poor Cornel and Travis. So hard to get attention these days.

• But but it's only republicans that hate gays. I thought democrats are the party of gays

• I agree.

  I think many of his decisions were criticized by many of us on both sides, for which he will be favorably remembered for in later years.

  American Politics will historically be 'Pre-Obama' and 'Post-Obama'.

• And yet you have no substantive rebuttal. Interesting.

• The long game? Can I hold you to that claim in, say, 10 years?

• Cornell West needs to have a seat in a convalescent home. Tavis needs to go have a seat at PBS beside Big Bird. These two blow-hards can't make up their minds about their support for the President. They were just on Morning Joe not too long ago praising BO. Now that he's elected they go full scale ape-shit on him. They have lost their way and likewise their relevance. Just pedal your damn book and STFU about BO.

• 'another Homophobe?'that would be Brother Roland!

• Hmm. The far right dislikes him and the far left dislikes him. Sounds like good news to me. Both the far left and far right have no concern for consequences and are the most dangerous of all types ' blind ideologues. Blind ideology is always bad. They are as inflexible as radical Islam. And yes, I just compared the far right and far left to Muslim jihadists.

  Tell me, what is West but a jihadist, only interested in his perspective and ruling everyone else wrong and bad. Same for Norquist and his jihad.

• Socialists eating their own, funny.

• trying to get my bearings here. is this like when Mark Levin trashes Bush admin types and republicans for being too moderate? Or is this more shocking to the average leftist?

• yeah, how can they besmirch the great prophet, God, saint, legendary hero that is Barack Obama?

• Perhaps you'd prefer Greece?

• Hahaha. I love how liberals think that Obama will have a legacy to stand on. That is too rich.

• Actually, gay is not the issue. I am gay. The issue is that Cornel felt he was 'snubbed' by the President and is angry with him. Cornel has made quite a few enemies with the stance he has held. I have no idea as to whether or not the President has snubbed Cornel and Tavis, but judging by their bratty, child-like behavior, they have been and will be ignored by both the Administration and the Black Community.

• The level of insanity in this belief is staggering to say the least. Are you sure the mother ship didn't already come and leave without you?

• Richard Nixon is also to the left of Obama on the environment. He is right about the MSNBC hosts as well. The truth hurts.

• WTH is guaranteed income ? Do we have that in the U.S. ?

• Darla below is a severe leftist and she agrees with West above. I would say it's not shocking. Keeva thinks that Obama is Clinton.

• Trying to get on FOX. I am sure Fox will be calling.

• Obama is a progressive. He just not a left-winged ideologue like 'libertarian' Cornel West.

  Smiley and West have gotten very wealthy as self-proclaimed 'black leaders' who have done nothing to aid the black community except as Smiley himself said, 'I write books'.

• So you disappeared for a week, not thinking some of the regulars would remember some of the things you said leading up to the election. We do. You understand that far right wing radicals were put out to pasture in this election, right?

• So, what part of West's argument are you challenging?

• Yes please, no one in the black community appointed these guys as 'leaders'

• All I have to say is Damn.

  Those two will not let up off Obama and it looks like they are going to be much tougher and obnoxious during his second term on their critique on him

• We don't need 10 years. Could a presidential candidate coming out for same sex marriage win 8 years ago? Or even 4 years ago?

• These guys are 100% correct. Obama is nothing more than a slightly more reasonable Republican.

  And the MSNBC hosts who root for him through thick and thin are to the Democrats as Fox News is to Republicans. Just shameful 'journalism.'

• Akin to Sharpton and Jackson who have also made millions off the Black community.

• Obama is not for same sex marriage.

• Don't need one. We just look at their so-called poverty tour where not once did they encourage people to vote to see they're not serious about this issue.

• And why the hell not? They want candidate Obama from 2007-08 ' most progressives do. They sure don't want the watered down Republican he's turned into since then.

• First Black man to be elected President.
  Re-Elected President.

  That's WITHOUT any of the things he accomplished.

• I don't know if i agree 100% but i also don't know if me not knowing is based on me not knowing history well enough.

  All these claims by republicans that Obama is a radical leftist is complete bullshi&

• You expected me to come here when I knew it would be a liberal lovefest? Look at how many liberals continue to hang out here. It's comical.

  Yes, I went and I lived my life. Sorry that you spend your time on here and don't get away that much. You should really try it. It's the best.

• I don't think that has anything to do with it They feel philosophically abandoned

• Yeah ' I don't work with identity politics unless it's a man vs. woman thing. Sorry.

  He will go down for nothing. Maybe Osama. However, he used Bush's intelligence for that so good luck on that one.

• Here is a history lesson for you. There was this guy named Thomas Jefferson, he lived a long time ago and wrote a document which is the foundation of our Republic. In it he wrote about inalienable rights to 'life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness'. You see in order to guarantee those rights, Americans need money which you can define as income. Therefore what Dr. West said is completely salient. I understand as a right wing radical you hate the writings of Thomas Jefferson, aside from the ones that can frame your radical narrative in a way that helps your side.

  But those are the facts.

• Only the people that hate Obama refer to him as God saint prophet. Most supporter see him meerly as an intelligent and competent president

• So then people should work? Awesome. Now explain why Obama is cool for having the MOST amount of people on food stamps?

• When asked recently what he has done for the black community, Tavis Smiley's response was 'I write books'

• I am not challenging any part of his, Grover Norquist's or any other blind ideologue's argument on either side. It is a wasted effort to do so. They have ' and are entitled to ' their opinions and pointless positions and have proven to be intractable and not open to any form of discussion. So I don't bother.

  I am simply putting them in the context they belong. As pointless blind ideologues who are no better than jihadists in their endless twisting of the realities and willful manipulation of facts to support a flawed belief.

  And in the process, they have scared Congress ' both parties on both houses ' into doing nothing to avoid being criticized by one or the other of these political jihads. And they are just that.

  To be clear again, I am happily and blatantly labeling the far left and the far right as political jihads.

  America would be a much better and more prosperous nation if we would learn to ignore them ' on both sides.

• Most people should work, I agree with you. Actually all people who are able to work should work. But the problem is there are not enough jobs that pay a living wage for people to work and have the rights to 'life liberty and the pursuit of happiness'. That is the issue. If you think that cutting food stamps in a depression is a great idea for the future of your party, have at it. But when a system that is under duress doesn't create enough jobs with a living wage in order to function, you must have instruments in order to feed people.

  The cutting of food stamps in a depression is genocidal and sadistic. You want to generate a lot of revenue? Cutting food stamps isn't going to do the job. But a 1% tax on all Wall St. transactions would. See I just solved the problem.

• Say what you will about Jackson and Sharpton, but both of those guys have shedded blood sweat and tears for civil rights. Sharpton was once stabbed during a protest march.

  What has Cornel and Tavis done besides write books.