Cornel West To Run For President of The United States - A “Comedy” of Errors

Richard S. Dunn – June 10, 2023

On Monday June 5, 2023 renowned intellectual, activist and Professor Dr. Cornell West, announced that he will be running as a Presidential Candidate for the Peoples Party in the 2024 election. West who is currently a professor of Philosophy and Christian Practice at Union Theological Seminary, and a former professor at Harvard University; commented during his announcement that he is “running for truth and justice.” He further justified his decision with the comment that he wants to “reintroduce America to the best of itself.”  Just what Dr. West means by this obviously misguided statement has never been elaborated on by him; in any case, there is a serious historical “disconnect” with this statement, reminiscent of Barack Obama’s comment regarding the “innocence of America.”

The above two statements are false and shows historical naiveite and cognitive dissonance with the objective reality of The United States’ ideology and practice, ever since  the founding of the Republic. In the first instance, the Constitution of the United States refers to us African people within its borders as “three fifths of all other persons.” Secondly, ever since the entry of the European on the shores of this country, they carried out genocide and extermination of the indigenous population, confiscated their land and drove them on to “reservations.” To this day the indigenous and African peoples have been subjected to atrocities, discrimination, mass incarceration and have never realized the provisions of the Constitution as originally stated. In this regard, what is the “best” that America is to be reintroduced to, and when has America ever been “innocent?”

Criticism and Self-Criticism

It is an established and proven fact that no individual or organization can effectively grow and develop without the theory and practice of criticism and self-criticism. The “left” and “progressives” as a collective, suffer from a serious malady that afflicts our effectiveness; we develop a serious and debilitating “allergic” reaction to critique. Criticism and self-criticism are the motive forces that fuels growth and development, and especially for social movements, it serves to chart and inform the course of our actions, instead of the age old responding to crisis syndrome. Offering objective criticism is not an “attack” as some among us like to cry out. When those that are responsible for leadership perform actions or deliver utterances that are not in our best interests, they must be criticized and held accountable for the disruptive and confusing impact it has on the class struggle.

 The Problem of Ideology – Reformism or Class Struggle

The question now is  should Dr. Cornel West at this time run for President of these United States of America? I say no because the decision is premature and sensational. Many have also raised the question of “can he win?” To me the issue is not whether he can win but more so what does the Peoples Party have to offer the working-class and does Dr. West and the Party sees the issues surrounding the socio-economic and political crises as a class struggle;? an antagonistic struggle between labor and capital; an antagonistic struggle between social production and private accumulation. If this is not the focus of the Party or the basis of its formation, then this presidential run is nothing more than symbolism and another example of “distractive” politics and confusion; it lacks the fundamental component to challenge capitalism, a peoples Movement.

By all means there is a critical need for a third Party. The Republican and Democratic Parties are ideologically and structurally incapable of overthrowing capitalism and liberating the working-class. Both Parties are composed of and led by either capitalists themselves or those sympathetic to the rule of capital; neither Party sees the working class as the motive force for social transformation, and as such are divorced from the working class. In regard to Race, they also have racists and white supremacists in their ranks; they give “lip service” to racial issues, and only concede when forced to do so because of social activism. Both Republicans and Democrats have pursued a reactionary Foreign Policy of intervention, destabilization, overthrow  and assassination, of progressive and democratically elected Heads-of-State.  

A Party that seeks to lead or seriously challenge capitalism must be grounded in revolutionary political theory and have ideological clarity; it must be firmly rooted with and have consistent direct contact and interactions with the working class. The Party must be involved in the everyday “bread-and-butter” issues of the workers, both from the shop floor and in the communities; the Party must consistently address through organizing, agitating, and mobilizing to confront the domination of capital and social injustice, including racial discrimination, police misconduct and killings. Where is the Movement that was developed by the Peoples Party? It is not enough to speak out about the evils of Wall Street, the increasing economic disparity between the rich and the poor, including that of Whites and Blacks; the militarization of the local police forces; the “creeping” towards totalitarianism by the reactionary section of the ruling class; the continued erosion of democratic gains earned by the working class through decades of struggle; the saber rattling of successive United States Administration against countries it doesn’t like; the unilateral, immoral and inhumane sanctions against Cuba, Venezuela, Iran and Nicaragua. These are just a few of the critical national and global issues that negatively affects the growth and development of the working class.

All these are notable issues that plague society and needs to be addressed decisively; however, they cannot be resolved through petty bourgeois liberalism, or reformist policies and actions. I have yet to see or hear Cornel West or his Party speak about the destruction of capitalism, as the prerequisite for establishing an egalitarian and just society. Social transformation is an ongoing process and assumes  specific characteristics when objective and subjective conditions exist.  Any meaningful transformation must have a political vanguard disciplined, organized, committed and knowledgeable in struggle. It must have the ability to quickly analyze social development and map out appropriate tactics and strategies. It must have firm root and a principled and consistent link with the working class. In these regards, both Cornel West and his Party have failed and are not ideologically equipped to seriously challenge and defeat capitalism.

What Is The Real Deal?

The urgent task of the moment is the formation of a working-class political party that forms  the vanguard force that directs and leads the everyday struggles of working people. Such an organization provides the structural capacity to unite and develop into a fighting force, all national democratic forces, to engage in a counter-offensive against imperialism and racism.

Leadership must be unblemished, uncompromising on principle and abhor arrogance. The role of the individual in history must be examined carefully, so as not to fall prey to the “cult of the personality” syndrome. During the course of social development, conditions will produce an individual who overshadows all others. The person’s intellectual ability, personality and work are all factors that contribute to this position of notoriety. The mistake, however, is made when we idolize and fanatically worship them; respect is different from “hero worship.”

 As I said in a previous article; there is no “blueprint” for struggle or social activism against capitalism. Methods and strategies must emerge and develop from the objective social conditions that everyday life experiences produce. Too often organizational leaders lose sight of this fact, and outline and engage in courses of actions, which renders the liberation movement and class struggle politically sterile and impotent.

  Richard Dunn can be contacted at: contact@makingitplain.net