Cornel West, a progressive activist and presidential candidate for the People’s Party, attacked Vice President Biden on Thursday in his first interview since announcing his unlikely third-party bid for the White House. West called Biden “mediocre” and “milquetoast” in the interview.
In an interview with KBLA’s Tavis Smiley podcast, West disputed the claim that his campaign might be “pulling votes away from Biden” and criticised the Democratic Party for its selection of candidates.
“When a voter choose you, you are not taking that vote away. Biden, you see, doesn’t control any votes. He must merit it. He must merit it, West replied.
If the Democrats are producing mediocre, milquetoast, neoliberal politicians who can’t say a serious word about militarism, can’t say a serious word about a serious solution to poverty, and can’t say a serious word about serious White supremacist practises — I mean, Biden himself said America is not a racist society. I told you, ‘Get off the crack pipe,'” he continued.
West was alluding to a 2021 speech in which Biden claimed that while he did not believe that America was a racist country, slavery and previous Jim Crow laws “had a cost” on the nation.
The president has backed a carveout of the Senate filibuster rule in order to enact legislation on abortion and voting rights, but Biden has not endorsed a full-scale end to the practise, according to West. He continued by blaming Democrats for providing the opportunity that necessitated his candidature.
President Joe Biden with Cornel West, a candidate for the People’s Party. (Getty Images))
“They wouldn’t have me if they came forward with a candidate that spoke to the concerns of the treasured working-class and impoverished people. They wouldn’t need to deal with it, according to West. “The Democratic Party has a corporate element that does not treat the progressive wing fairly. It is repeatedly broadcast.
“You know, I twice voted for Bernie [Sanders]. The previous time, I backed Biden. I fought because I believed that Trump’s fascism required that we do so. Does that imply that we must choose between a neoliberal disaster and a neofascist catastrophe? ‘I’m not all-powerful, but I’m the alternative,’ any Democratic president may assert. You guys have no choice but to cast your votes for me. When he enters, he wouldn’t be there if it weren’t for Black people, particularly Black ladies, he continued.
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West declared his candidature for president in a video aired on Twitter on Monday. He attacked both Democrats and Republicans in the ad while claiming to be running for “truth and justice.”
The presidentship, he claimed, was merely one tool in his lifelong quest for justice and the truth.
