General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Cornel West on the President [View all]brush
(53,771 posts)Both Cornell West and his sidekick Tavis Smiley seem to have staked out a vendetta against the President over a so-called personal affront.
West seems upset over not getting an invite to the 2013 Inauguration even though he'd been bashing Obama for much of his first term. Imagine that!
Smiley, a well-entrenched Clintonista, got his knickers in a bunch in '08 because the busily campaigning candidate Obama couldn't make one of his televised "State of Black America" panel discussions (he offered to send Michelle, no slouch herself, but that wasn't good enough for Smiley). Smiley soon lost his popularity in black America when the word got out of his nose being out of joint over such silliness. I personally think Smiley also was upset when Obama got the nomination over Hillary because he saw his imagined ambassadorship, cabinet post or other high position in the Hillary administration go up in smoke.
There's a method to both West's and Smiley's madness they've been nudged out of their "leading black voice in America" positions by someone who is not just the leading black voice but the leader of America, who just happens to be black.