Cornel West: Obama is for big business not the jobless

Posted by Greg L on December 10, 2009 · 1 Comment 

Well, it looks like some prominent African-Americans are taking the gloves off and starting to go after Obama as they should.  To be fair, Obama was somewhat hemmed in by certain things put in place by his predecessor such as the  $ 700 billion  Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) to bail out Wall Street, but there really has been no movement to put much of anything in place to help the people as jobs continue hemorrhaging and home foreclosures increase.  It’s clear to most observers that Obama’s administration is being bent to the will of the monied elite just as nearly every administration before him.   

I want to comment on one thing  that West notes in the video.  He suggests that Obama’s success in getting elected was based on placating white fears while securing black solidarity behind his effort.  This is quite true, but that’s also been true of every other presidential candidate fielded by the Democratic party in recent memory.  The “black solidarity” that the democratic party has enjoyed generally has come basically with no strings or demands attached.  That needs to change.     

Filed under Economics, Race in America · Tagged with Black Unemployment, Cornel West, Financial Crisis, Obama, TARP, unemployment