April 1, 2024 - Independent presidential
candidate Cornel West held a roundtable with Southern
California student leaders at Bernie's Coffee Shop in
Los Angeles. "I want to be Socratic. I want to be
interrogated. I want to be unsettled. I want to be
unnerved. I want to be unhoused. I want to be pushed
against the wall intellectually so I can show you what
my positions are, what my visions are," West said.
West, whose campaign is based on the theme of "Truth,
Justice, Love," made brief opening remarks, then fielded
questions from the student leaders as well as several
questions from the audience (+).
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Analysis: West is a very smart and
animated figure, and his remarks, replete with
references to jazz, literature and Christianity, are
challenging and uplifting. The West campaign has
put forth a strong progressive platform titled "Policy
Pillars For A Movement Rooted in Truth, Justice, &
Love." The twelve pillars run from economic
justice to global justice and encompass over one hundred
points. A key question is whether he will be able
to build an effective campaign. West announced his
candidacy in June 2023, and his campaign has undergone
some early organizational changes.
After seeking the Green Party nomination for about four
months, he switched to an Independent run on Oct. 5,
2023. The campaign is now led by a team of four
co-managers. However, the changes in campaign
leadership in 2023 have resulted in some missed
opportunities. In California, for example, the
campaign "dropped the ball" in possibly winning the
Peace & Freedom Party's March 5, 2024 primary, which
could have secured it ballot access. As a result,
it is now having to work to establish a new party to
qualify for the ballot, registering 70,000-plus voters
for the Justice for All Party. If his campaign
does show strength, West will likely face attacks from
the DNC, and in November he will be competing for a
share of the leftist vote with presumptive Green Party
nominee Jill Stein as well as candidates from smaller
socialist parties.
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