There is no debate that would not benefit from the participation of Cornel West, on whom see here, here and here. He would make a better President than any Democrat or Republican in the field. But of course he is not going to win.
Meanwhile, there is to be no debate with Marianne Williamson or with Robert F. Kennedy Jr., even though whatever may be said of either of then, they have not gone third party as West has. They are Democrats seeking the Democratic nomination, and each of them is more popular than Ron DeSantis. Yet there are to be Republican debates, but not Democratic ones. Perhaps Williamson and Kennedy should arrange to debate each other? Over to Elon Musk?
After four years of Joe Biden, then Donald Trump would beat him even, and perhaps especially, from a prison cell, and would in fact make a better President either than the ailing Biden or than Kamala Harris. Mike Pence could well beat Biden. Even DeSantis would stand a good chance of doing so. Kennedy, or Williamson, or West is not the Republican decoy candidate. That is Biden.
As one of your links puts it, West "is also right that one's attitude to the treatment of the Palestinians is one's attitude to the specific phenomenon of white violence anywhere in the world against People of Colour, BAME people, BIPOC people, politically black people, call us what you will. Seen through the lens of the theological critique of capitalism and of its imperialism, of course." Black America noticed that a long time ago and at last it has a voice.
ReplyDeleteAnd what a voice. This is also one of many reasons why black Britain despised Keir Starmer even before he withdrew the whip from Diane Abbott, who remains without it even though she has apologised.
Delete84 BAME organisations, as was the term all the way back in 2018, opposed the adoption of the IHRA Definition: https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/letters/letters-ihra-definition-palestine-israel-bame-sexism-labour-denmark-a8496251.html. Yes, I do know who was Leader then. I was never uncritical of him, and I stood as an Independent in 2019 for a number of reasons that I do not recant. But on him even in December 2019, see https://www.redpepper.org.uk/bame-activists-for-corbyn/.
Among numerous other examples, West also has a suitably critical level of engagement with the emerging Foundational Black Americans movement. I mean, he is wrong about some very important matters. But he is right about a lot more. He is not going to win. But it is good that he is there.