(ThyBlackMan.com) In response to Michael Eric Dyson’s scathing take-down, West issued what must have been the shortest comment of his career – probably because Dyson was so thorough in his take-down that it didn’t leave West much room for a defense. But even what he did say was so delusional, self-serving, and disingenuous that it ventured into the realm of other-worldliness. One of the things that West said was the following:
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“Character assassination is the refuge of those who hide and conceal these issues in order to rationalize their own allegiance to the status quo.”
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What!!!!!!? West either doesn’t even bother to listen to his own rhetoric, or he’s been in a somnambulistic trance for the past 6 years. He’s never seen a high-profile BLACK person who overshadows him whose character he didn’t want to assassinate – he tends to give White folks a pass. Have you ever heard West say ANYTHING, other than a casual passing remark, regarding the impact that Republican obstructionism is having on poverty? I don’t think so. And is West doing ANYTHING to inform the public that the United States Constitution gives the United States House of Representatives SOLE power over spending, so anything that President Obama wants to do for the poor and middle class he has to get the Republican controlled House to go along with him? No he is not. He’s trying to give the public the impression that President Obama is KING Obama, and why? – in an attempt to assassinate the President’s character (http://wattree.blogspot.com/2012/11/what-has-obama-done-for-poor-and-middle.html).
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And finally , West is more disingenuous than any demagogue in the public sphere. He tried to paint President Obama as an ingrate for not giving him tickets to the inaugural. If you’d like to know why he didn’t get tickets, just watch West “in concert” below, and then ask yourself, would you have given him tickets? He has to be a complete egomaniac to even EXPECT the President to give him a pass on some of the things that he said:
BEFORE THE ELECTION
[youtube HXj3_pjTTwg]
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Have you ever noticed that nearly every public pronouncement that spews from the mouth of Cornel West is literally dripping with racial innuendo? One of his latest racist slanders is that MSNBC is the ‘Rent a Negro’ network. West has said at various times the following:
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1). President Obama is “a war criminal.”
2). President Obama is “a black mascot of Wall Street oligarchs . . .”
3). President Obama is “a black puppet of corporate plutocrats.”
4). President Obama is “a Rockefeller Republican in Blackface.”
5). President Obama “has a certain rootlessness, a deracination.”
6). President Obama Is “Afraid Of Free Black Men.”
7). President Obama is “a global George Zimmerman.”
8). Dr. Harris-Perry is “a fake and a fraud”
9). Dr. Michael Eric Dyson “is a sellout.”
10). Al Sharpton “is a sellout.”
11). MSNBC is the “Rent a Negro Network.”
12). And if that’s not enough, now he’s quoted as calling the first Black President of the United States “a shell of a man.”
Yet, when comedian Steve Harvey called him an Uncle Tom, he said, “When you are trying to talk about issues that affect the people, name calling gets in the way. Name-calling is nothing but another weapon of mass distraction.”
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So name-calling is only objectionable when it’s directed at him. Such unmitigated hypocrisy is mind boggling – but for once, he’s right. Not one of the above assertions is a disciplined, constructive, or scholarly assessment of the facts. On the contrary, they’re the reckless and intellectually undisciplined rants of a bitter, self-serving, and severely discredited academic fraud.
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For Cornel West, there’s something ‘racially defective’ about every Black person who has the audacity to preempt Cornel West from the limelight. West has a propensity for trying to denigrate the character of people whose been in the trenches for years, while West, himself, has done absolutely nothing beyond running his mouth. In order to gain clear evidence of that fact one simply has to ask oneself, what efforts have Cornel West made to try to improve the plight of the Black community?
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1). Is he in the community teaching 3rd grade to help ensure a better education for our children, or teaching at an Historically Black College or University to help “enlighten” young Black students?
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No. He’s never taught at a school that more than 1% of Black students can even afford to have lunch in throughout his entire career. He’d rather gain props for teaching the children of the economic elites, who he CLAIMS, is the enemy, whenever he MANAGES to do a “Drive-by” in the hood.
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2). Is he in the community teaching our young men to cherish, honor, and respect our Black women – the very womb of our culture?
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No. He’s out trying to sell books filled with inane and misleading information, doing $30,000 an hour speeches, and trying to become a hip hop star.
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3). Is he advising his good friend and business partner, Tavis Smiley, to be consistent with his sermons by being “accountable” to the community, and returning the money that he made on the Wells Fargo “Ghetto Scam” loans that he helped to herd over 30,000 poor minorities into? Or is he out getting arrested in support of the Black Friday Demonstrations against Wal-Mart, the most prolific abuser of poor workers in the world?
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Nope, not a peep.
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What kind of true Black man is going to disrespect a sister (Melissa Harris-Perry) – IN PUBLIC – by calling her a “liar and a fraud?” That’s not a proud Black man; that’s a petulant and self-serving punk who doesn’t even have sense enough to respect the very WOMB of his own culture. He would NEVER have said that about a White woman. That poot-butt needed to be taken down – AND PUBLICLY!
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Cornel West is one of the two most hypocritical gasbags that the Black community has ever produced. He’s running neck and neck with Tavis Smiley.
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Tavis Smiley and Cornel West Ducked The Walmart Demonstrations . . . AGAIN!!!
http://wattree.blogspot.com/2014/11/tavis-smiley-and-cornel-west-ducked.html
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Terrance,
That’s what we’ve got to get across to Tavis Smiley, Cornel West, and Boyce Watkins. Boyce wrote an article saying that Black fathers had to step up to the plate. But when Barack Obama said the VERY same thing, he attacked Obama, and asked, “Why are you just singling out Black fathers?” We have far too many Willie Lynchers in the Black community. Instead of getting behind this president, many of so-called Black “intellectuals” are more interested in the fact that President Obama is overshadowing them than they are the best interest of the Black community. We’ve got to put these egomaniacs in check.
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What people like Tavis Smiley, Cornel West, Boyce Watkins, and others of their ilk actually see coming from the Black community is Black outrage over their indulging in the crabs-in-a-barrel mentality that was inbred into them as slaves. Insightful and forward-thinking Black people resent their mindset, which is identical to the mindset of White racists. It’s a mindset that says, “President Obama was uppity to even think he could become President of the United States in the first place, and after stumbling into office through some sort of circumvention of natural selection and the will of God, he’s indulging in the height of arrogance to even assume he’s actually qualified to do ‘a White man’s’ job. So by definition, he’s not one of us. He’s sold out. He’s a Black man who doesn’t know his place, so he can’t be trusted.” It’s a classic example of a Willie Lynch-inspired mentality.
Black Unity is the solution, 3ufirst.com is the plan. Now debate that.
Malcom,
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Black People Don’t Resent Criticism of Obama, But We do Resent Slander – Which is What These People Engage In, To The Direct Benefit of the GOP, The Biggest Enemy In The World To the Poor and Minority Community.
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So what West, Smiley, and their ilk actually see coming from the community regarding their criticism of President Obama is Black outrage over their indulging in the crabs-in-a-barrel tradition that was inbred in us as slaves. Black people recognize that many of President Obama’s Black critics, including Cornel West, aren’t really interested in policy; they’re just using public policy as a pretext for attacking the President himself, and they’re so steeped in their Willie Lynch mentality that they either don’t realize, or don’t care that they’re doing a grave disservice not only to the African-American community, but to Black people all over the world.
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Because the fact is, many of Obama’s White conservative critics aren’t really interested in policy either. Like Obama’s Black critics, they have an ulterior motive as well, but their motive has nothing to do with crabs-in-a-barrel. Their primary motive is defending their claim of White superiority, and President Obama, in his soft-spoken, laid-back way, is dragging that claim through the mud. That’s why racists and conservatives hate him so.
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Conservatives recognize, as we all should – and especially Black people – that President Obama is not just another president. President Obama is the most high-profile symbol of Black competence in the world. In addition, what he has accomplished is the perfect equivalent of a conquered slave rising to become the emperor of Rome – and, one of its greatest emperors. So Barack Obama is going to be remembered by posterity as one of the greatest men in ALL of human history, and his story will be inspiring Black children a thousand years from now.
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Racists and conservatives recognize that fact, so naturally, they’re desperate to tear down Barack Obama’s image, and build up the image of criminals like Ronald Wilson Reagan, and there is no excuse for Black idiots like Tavis Smiley, Cornel West, and Boyce Watkins not to recognize that fact. That’s what makes them so detestable. Instead of trying to help racists tear down this Black icon, they should be offering RESPECTFUL suggestions in an attempt to ensure that Barack Obama is remembered as one of the greatest Presidents that this nation has ever had, even if they have to drag him up Mt. Rushmore kicking and screaming. But instead, they’re allowing themselves to be pointed to by racists who are claiming, “See, even Black people know he doesn’t live up to the standard of White presidents.”
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Thus, people like Smiley and West are giving their own egos, self-service, and their Willie Lynch-inspired need to tear-down a Black historic icon priority over Black history, and the role that history is going to play in helping to raise the self-concept of the Black culture. In short, they’re trying to sabotage the self-esteem of Black children who are yet unborn. The mere thought of that kind of ignorant selfishness is absolutely disgusting – and especially when clothed in faux scholarship.
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So Cornel West and the others like him are not Black leaders, they’re clueless Black cultural afflictions, and if I wanted to take even more time (maybe I’ll do it in a book), I could methodically take apart every argument that they’ve put forward against President Obama. But the short version is, there are some things we have to do for ourselves – and with good reason.
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As alleged “educated” men, they should all realize that Obama is merely President Obama, not King Obama. The United States Constitution is very specific in giving SOLE power over spending to the House of Representatives, which is controlled by Republicans (that’s why they could refuse to pay the light bill and shutdown the government). So President Obama can’t do a damn thing for us without getting the Republicans to go along with him. That’s why he has to slip us everything on the down-low, because if the GOP know it’s for us, they’re going to dig-in, and if Obama goes to war against them over the issue, they’re not going to allow him to do anything for ANYBODY. And as President of ALL the people, he can’t allow that to happen, so he has to wrap Black interests in the interest of ALL the people.
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In addition, as a thinking man (unlike many of you), Obama realizes that he has to think about precedents. If he grandstands like many of you suggest and say, “This is what I’m going to do for Black people,” what are you going to do when the next White president says, “This is what I’m going to do for White people?” And he’ll justify it by calling it “The Obama Doctrine.”
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So Cornel West, Tavis Smiley – and also you others who share their backward-thinking proclivities – you need to use some of that alleged brain power to think, instead of burning it up trying to maintain your image, or attempting to hide your true motivations for attacking this President. I didn’t hear you saying a damn thing when Bush was in office. So you can try to clothe your true motivations in a tux, but it still has the funky smell of Willie Lynch all over it.
I was pleased that Dr. Dyson stated his approach to the personal attacks so soundly. First of all, Cornell West is a scholar who’s scholarship has wained. It’s been since Race Matters in 1993 that Mr. West wrote anything of any insightful approaches to helping to lay an academic blueprint to help move along African American culture. Secondly, I have no problem with critics sounding off about Mr. Obama’s political agenda. There are fair criticisms and I for one agree with a few of them,especially how the POTUS tried to be a compromiser, not a bull headed leader when it was obvious the Republicans would not compromise with his policies. Where Cornell fails is when someone disagrees with his approach and can provide empirical proof, he attacks their character. In the picture of Cornell West shaking the hand of The POTUS, the prez was angry and tired of being personally attacked and told West so. ” What is this shiggety?” He told West. That’s why West has that frozen look on his face. I don’t always agree with my critics, but I respect the ones who disagree without rancor, something West is too petty to learn..
really eric? you must be a republican because your deflection is akin to one…you want to talk about foreign policy as obama’s control over it as an example of his indepedence?!?! that my speciality go to center for global research on google llook up gerrymandering, the pentagon, wars, etc infowars, republicn support (rino) for obamacare in 2015…obama is a globalist puppet..he allows amnesty (illegals) but that would hurt blacks…..he said that in hi s 2012 book…its not just him, every since president nikons petrodoller system was a pawn…..still w e are upset a black man is doing this extrmely high form of shuk and jive…..maybe he should invite the baltimore cops for beer to?! obama is a traitor in so many ways…. google center for global research it covers the world but america as well….where is he as detriot crumbles? unemployment rate? militization of our cops? shutting down funding and support for hbcus? he panders to lgbt asians illegals but blacks? read an inform yourself brother eric dont take checker strategies to a chess match, ull lose every time. turn off msnbc, fox and cnn.
Marcus,
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An ad hominem is when you attack the speaker instead of the issue, but it’s NOT an ad hominem when the speaker makes HIMSELF the issue, and that’s what West has done. So it’s important to take down West, because he’s misleading many Black voters, and even implying that they might want to consider NOT voting. So again, West IS the issue.
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And regarding addressing what West is saying, I do it ALL the time. Read my response to Malcom below.
Wattree that is a cop out. In response to ad hominems you add…ad hominems into the convo. Dissect what Cornel actual said, what are his arguments. Counter those.
Malcom,
I think the biggest problem is unwarranted assumptions on the part of the people. They don’t seem to understand that NO president is going to do everything that they want him or her to do, or avoid doing everything they DON’T want him to do, and here’s a good reason for that – they’re not getting Condition Reports on their desk every morning like the president, so they don’t have enough information to know WHY he’s doing what he’s doing. For that reason, when we vote for a president we should vote for a person whose character and intelligence we trust. Here’s one example of what I’m talking about:
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Taking Apart Cornel West’s Boilerplate Mantra About President Obama Being A Baby Killer
Cornel was recently on the David Letterman show spewing what has become his boilerplate mantra about President Obama being a baby killer again. Most Americans understand why President Obama think it necessary to use drones in Afghanistan, because they’re thinkers. Cornel West is not – he’s a regurgitator. His entire reputation is built around his ability to regurgitate the words of dead White men. That’s not intellect. Intellect is having the ability to take the information being regurgitated and manipulating it in new and creative ways. Here are a few things that West is far too shallow-minded to see, but most of us clearly recognize:
About Drones
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When Tavis Smiley and Cornel West began to lose the confidence of the Black community, they tried to broaden their constituency by refocusing their criticism of President Obama from poverty to the war in Afghanistan. Time.com reported West as saying in 2012 that he didn’t vote. “I couldn’t vote for a war criminal,” he said, calling Obama’s administration a “drone presidency.”
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While I don’t like killing machines either, I’ve had to take into account the fact that Obama is charged with the responsibility of seeing to it that Al Qaeda, or any other terrorist group, don’t manage to get their hands on Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal. And let us not forget that they located Osama Bin Laden in Pakistan living comfortably, and casually, within the shadow of that arsenal. So while West would have us believe that Obama is in Afghanistan just killing people for the hell of it, or for the oil companies, that’s a myth. He’s trying to make sure that YOUR family is not blown up by angry religious fanatics who think that God will bless them if they blow up the United States.
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So while war, and killing, is an ugly business, it is very much a reality in the world we live in. So as I see it, if we have to lob missiles into an area filled with innocent people – since hiding behind human shields seems to be the terrorists’ preferred mode of defense – the drone is a far better alternative than simply firing missiles and such blindly.
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Consider this. If you were an Afghan and lived next door to a terrorist, would want to have someone blindly firing missiles in your direction, possibly taking out your home and family, or maybe even the entire town just to get one man, or would you rather they sent in drones with television cameras where they can specifically target the person they’re after? One drone pilot said that they even wait for the target’s family to leave the house before they fire a missile to take out the target. So the fact is, if you have to go to war, drones often SAVE lives.
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So what is West jumping up and down about? This is one of the reasons that I often question the popular belief that West has such a powerful intellect. It’s one thing to have the ability to remember and regurgitate the words of dead White men, and yet another to be able to think for yourself and connect the dots. So on this issue, West is either grossly uninformed, has an inability to connect the dots, or he’s purposely trying to mislead the people (http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/30/us/drone-pilots-waiting-for-a-kill-shot-7000-miles-away.html?pagewanted=all&_r=1&).
agreed but many of the things he said about obama are true and more detailed then simply an uncle tom.. one cannot call warcrimes in iraq (namecalling) you have to prove or disprove depending on your views. .also this websit needs some..sanity, are we pro obama or not? or is he just a tool used to attack and disprove certain peoples viewpoints? make up your mind how can we have unity an view obama as 2 or 3 different presidents?! madness