General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Cornel West on the President [View all]bigtree
(85,987 posts). . . sounds like the same silly rhetoric folks are decrying in this thread.
All of those accomplishments . . .brushed aside with the back of your hand. At least he's specific in the issues he expects the man he supported twice to office to address. This DU ridicule of West seems to be all about political protection of Barack Obama, rather than an actual response to the issues he's raised.
That's a sad reflection of how fealty to politicians has been elevated by some here over support, defense, and advocacy of actual issues; concerns which West and others echoing those want the president to do more than paper over or give little more than lip service.
It's almost like being dressed down by campaign aides and public affairs officers of the president. One interesting thing is that there's an attempt to equate 'accomplishments,' that Congress have achieved through their efforts and votes, as accomplishments of the president.
Moreover, unrelated issues are being raised in the president's defense in an attempt to drown out concerns about drones, torture prosecutions, support of Israelis committing war crimes against Palestinian civilians, meaningful wall street prosecutions (as West said, "Eric Holder wont touch the Wall Street executives; theyre his friends. He might charge them some money. They want to celebrate. This money is just a tax write-off for these people. Theres no accountability."
No direct response here to his concerns about the president's failure to speak out forcefully about issues like stop and frisk in New York, arbitrary police force in Ferguson, the prison-industrial complex - about his failure to do something concrete regarding the killing of Trayvon Martin, national surveillance, corruption of our national legislature . . .
All of those concerns dismissed by pointing to unrelated and tangential, at best, 'accomplishments' which were the same product of votes like the ones which elected the president.
Most progressives want more than those moderate compromises on issues that need and deserve direct and complete action. With incremental policies and initiatives there's a natural and inherent expectation and demand for the rest of the remedy. It shouldn't be celebrated as a panacea to concerns which persist and deepen like a virus adapting to an insufficient course of treatment and growing even stronger and more resistant to change or eradication. That's what progressives like Dr. West are asking for from the President; the rest of the fight.