Cornel West

[[File:Cornel_West_(6030453132)_(cropped).jpg|thumb|right|165px|West in 2011]]{{philosophy|1}}{{Expand}}
'''Cornel Ronald West''' {{lived|1953}}, is an [[African American| African-American]] [[philosophy| philosopher]], [[author]], and [[civil rights | civil-rights]] activist. He has arguably become best known for his 1994 book ''Race Matters'', in which he analyzes the relationship between [[ethnicity | race]] and social/economic matters.<ref>https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/cornel-west-25-years-after-race-matter-less-celebrated_us_5a2cc212e4b0d7c3f2622385</ref> He also appeared in both ''The Matrix Reloaded'' and ''The Matrix Revolutions'', and provided philosophical commentary on ''[[The Matrix|The Matrix Trilogy]]'', injecting the philosophy of William James, Schopenhauer, and others.<ref>[http://articles.latimes.com/2003/may/20/entertainment/et-smith20 The intellectual and 'The Matrix'], LA Times, 20 May 2003</ref> As of 2018 he is an emeritus Professor of African-American Studies at [[New Jersey|Princeton University]];<ref>
{{cite web
 |url= https://religion.princeton.edu/people/faculty/emeriti-faculty/cornel-west/
 |title= Cornel West: Department of Religion: Class of 1943 University Professor in the Center for African American Studies 
 |year= 2016
 |website= Princeton University
 |publisher= Princeton University
 |access-date= 25 November 2018
 |quote= Cornel West is a prominent and provocative democratic intellectual. He is a Professor of Philosophy and Christian Practice at Union Theological Seminary and Professor Emeritus at Princeton University.
}}
</ref>
he is also professor emeritus in [[Philosophy]] and Christian Practice at the Union [[Theology|Theological]] Seminary in [[New York]].<ref>
[https://utsnyc.edu/academics/faculty/cornel-r-west/]
</ref>

==Views on Barack Obama==
In the [[2008 U.S. presidential election]], West supported [[Barack Obama]] as the Democratic Presidential candidate, speaking to over 1,000 of his supporters in 2007 at the Apollo Theater, Harlem.<ref>Parker Aab, Stacy (October 30, 2007). [http://www.huffingtonpost.com/stacy-parker-aab/obama-race-and-the-righ_b_74871.html "Obama, Race, and the Right Side of History"]. ''[[The Huffington Post]]''. Retrieved January 21, 2008.</ref> 

However, as a socialist, West soon turned sour on Obama's policies: he criticised when Obama won the [[Nobel Peace Prize]] as he deemed his drone bombing of civilians to be a little bit too hawkish and militarist. In his latter years, West became notorious for his criticisms of Obama. He criticizes him so much that he has been compared to a "jilted lover" by Chris Hedges from Truthdig.<ref>[http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/the_obama_deception_why_cornel_west_went_ballistic_20110516]</ref>

West retracted his support for Obama as early as 2009, saying that Obama had become "a black mascot of Wall Street oligarchs and a black puppet of corporate plutocrats. And now he has become head of the American killing machine and is proud of it."<ref>[http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/10/10/cornel-west-comments-on-o_n_316476.html "Cornel West Comments on Obama's Nobel Peace Prize: Hard to Be War President with Peace Prize"]. ''[[The Huffington Post]]''. October 10, 2009. Retrieved October 28, 2009.</ref><ref>Schneider, Matt. [http://www.mediaite.com/tv/wild-shoutfest-between-al-sharpton-and-cornel-west-on-obamas-leadership-on-racial-issues/ "Wild Shoutfest Between Al Sharpton And Cornel West On Obama And Race"]. ''Mediaite''. April 11, 2011. Retrieved April 11, 2011.</ref><ref>[http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/the_obama_deception_why_cornel_west_went_ballistic_20110516 "Chris Hedges: The Obama Deception: Why Cornel West Went Ballistic - Chris Hedges"]. Truthdig.com. Retrieved 2015-04-23.</ref> In November 2012, West said in an interview that he considered Obama a "[[Rockefeller Republican]] in [[blackface]]."<ref>Kirell, Andrew (November 12, 2012). [http://www.mediaite.com/tv/cornel-west-obama-a-republican-in-blackface-black-msnbc-hosts-are-selling-their-souls/ "Cornel West: Obama A 'Republican In Blackface,' Black MSNBC Hosts Are 'Selling Their Souls'"]. ''Mediaite''. Retrieved November 28, 2012.</ref><ref>[http://www.counterpunch.org/2012/11/30/an-interview-with-cornel-west-on-occupy-obama-and-marx/ "An Interview with Cornel West on Occupy, Obama and Marx"]. ''CounterPunch''. November 30, 2012.</ref> Despite this criticism, he chose to vote for Obama in [[2012 U.S. presidential election|2012]].<ref>[http://www.vice.com/read/cornel-west-plans-to-vote-for-obama-in-november-and-protest-his-policies-in-february Cornel West Plans to Vote for Obama in November and Protest His Policies in February] ''Vice''. Retrieved September 3, 2016.</ref> In 2014, West gave an interview slamming Obama, calling him a "counterfeit" who posed as a progressive. West defined Obama's presidency as "a Wall Street presidency, a drone presidency, a national security presidency."<ref>Thomas Frank (August 24, 2014). "Cornel West: [http://www.salon.com/2014/08/24/cornel_west_he_posed_as_a_progressive_and_turned_out_to_be_counterfeit_we_ended_up_with_a_wall_street_presidency_a_drone_presidency/ "He posed as a progressive and turned out to be counterfeit. We ended up with a Wall Street presidency, a drone presidency"]. ''Salon''. </ref>

==2016 U.S. presidential election==
{{main|2016 U.S. presidential election}}
{{cquote|Brother Bernie and Brother [[Donald Trump|Trump]] are authentic human beings in stark contrast to their donor-driven opponents.|||Cornel West's Tweet (5:04 AM - 25 Aug 2015)<ref>[https://twitter.com/CornelWest/status/635996114060050432]</ref>}}
In 2015, West expressed his support for the "[[democratic socialist]]" Democratic contender [[Bernie Sanders]] during an interview on ''[[CNN]] Tonight''. West argued that Sanders' plans to divert wealth from Wall Street elites to the poorest members of society would be beneficial for the African-American community.<ref>[http://ringoffireradio.com/2015/08/civil-rights-activist-cornel-west-throws-support-behind-bernie-sanders/ "Civil Rights Activist Cornel West Throws Support Behind Bernie Sanders"]. ''Ring of Fire''. August 19, 2015. Retrieved August 19, 2015.</ref> On August 24, 2015, West tweeted, "I endorse Brother @BernieSanders because he is a long-distance runner with integrity in the struggle for justice for over 50 years."<ref>[http://www.nytimes.com/politics/first-draft/2015/08/25/bernie-sanders-gets-stamp-of-approval-from-cornel-west/ Bernie Sanders Gets Stamp of Approval From Cornel West]. ''The New York Times.'' August 25, 2015.</ref><ref>West, Cornel (CornelWest). [https://twitter.com/cornelwest/status/635997587447742465 "I endorse Brother @BernieSanders because he is a long-distance runner with integrity in the struggle for justice for over 50 years."]. 25 Aug 2015, 02:10 UTC. Tweet.</ref> In July 2016, after Sanders exited the presidential race, West endorsed [[Green Party]] nominee [[Jill Stein]].<ref>Hensch, Mark (July 14, 2016). [http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/presidential-races/287829-sanders-ally-cornel-west-backs-green-candidate "Sanders ally Cornel West backs Green candidate"]. ''The Hill''. Retrieved July 15, 2016.</ref>

==2024 U.S. presidential election==
In 2023, West announced that he's running for president as a candidate on the left-wing People’s Party, a party that few people have heard of, indicating that he is likely to have trouble getting on the ballot in some states.<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/06/05/cornel-west-announces-president Scholar Cornel West announces a minor-party presidential bid] by John Wagner (June 5, 2023 at 1:23 p.m. EDT) ''The Washington Post''.</ref>

On June 13<sup>th</sup>, 2023, West switched his nomination to the Green Party for a more "broad United Front."<ref>[https://www.thedailybeast.com/cornel-west-wants-to-run-for-president-with-green-party-ditches-peoples-party Cornel West Wants to Run for President With Green Party, Ditches People’s Party] by Chris Hippensteel (Jun. 14, 2023) ''The Daily Beast''.</ref> In October of the same year, West left the Green Party, opting to run as an independent. He later established the "Justice For All Party" and began the process of obtaining ballot access under that line in several states.

==Bad stuff==
In December 2023, West took [[Vladimir Putin]]'s side with regard to who instigated Putin's full-scale [[Russian invasion of Ukraine|invasion of Ukraine]],<ref>[https://newrepublic.com/article/177213/cornel-west-2024-charlatan-narcissist Cornel West Is the Charlatan of the Year: The independent candidate for president doesn’t care that he might spoil Biden’s reelection—because all he cares about is himself.] by David Masciotra (December 29, 2023) ''The New Republic''.</ref> a [[war crime]] (i.e., war of aggression) in and of itself. West also has received campaign funds from [[Clarence Thomas]]' "good friend" billionaire Harlan Crow to the tune of $3,300.<ref>[https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4263230-billionaire-linked-to-clarence-thomas-donated-to-cornell-wests-campaign/ Billionaire linked to Clarence Thomas donated to Cornel West’s campaign] by Filip Timotija (10/18/23 3:59 PM ET) ''The Hill''.</ref>

==References==
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Categories: 2016 US presidential election, 2024 US Presidential candidates, Authors, Christians, Civil rights, Educators, Left-wing activists, Living people, Perennial candidates, Philosophers, Philosophy, Socialists, Vatniks