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Cornel West Holds Student Leadership Roundtable at Bernie's Coffee Shop    ...1 of 4 >
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 (+).
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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