An Ivy League professor is running for the 2024 Green Party nomination. Credit: Mark Makela/Getty Images
He's a celebrity philosopher and self-proclaimed progressive prophet, and Cornel West thinks he might soon add another title to his name: President of the United States.
Ivy League Professor Runs for Candidate from the Green Party in 2024 following the conviction of Donald Trump. as a “neo-fascist”, and Joe Biden as a “neoliberal”.
The 70-year-old academic began his presidential bid by pledging to run “for truth and justice,” claiming he offers an attractive alternative to the leading candidates of the two major parties.
Dr. West, or Brother West as his allies call him there may be little hope of winning the White House. But Democrats are increasingly concerned that third-party candidates could deny Biden a second term.
Another threat comes from conservative Democratic Senator Joe Manchin. Mr. Manchin teased rumors of a third-party bid with the emergence of the centrist No Labels group, which ran an independent “single ticket” candidate.
I'm running for Truth and Justice as the People's Party presidential candidate to rebuild America at its best – fight to end poverty, end mass incarceration, end wars and environmental collapse, guarantee housing, health care, education and a living wage for… pic.twitter .com/u3NYGUbG1S
— Cornel West (@CornelWest) June 5, 2023
Senior Democrats are increasingly concerned that outside candidates could either stifle or poach Democratic votes and potentially cost Mr. Biden re-election.
Dr. West and Mr. Manchin, if he runs, could be more politically responsible than Biden's Democratic challenger Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
The son of a former US Attorney General and nephew of President John F. Kennedy, the 69-year-old has already gained great popularity among Democrats. voters than experts expected.
But while Mr. Kennedy is running for the Democrats and has a strong chance of defeating the incumbent and becoming the candidate of his party, both Dr. West and Mr. Manchin may continue their campaigns in the 2024 election campaign.
Democrats are understandably nervous, given that Mr. Biden's 2020 victory depended on narrow margins in a few key states.
The party fears a repeat of Hillary Clinton's 2016 defeat when Green Party nominee Jill Stein divided support for the Democratic candidate in critical condition. Some supporters of Ms. Clinton have argued that Ms. Stein's candidacy brought Trump victory.
In 2000, Green Party candidate Ralph Nader was also blamed for Al Gore's defeat by George W. Bush.
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Supporting Ralph Nader, the 2000 election is considered to have favored George W. Bush. Photo: AP
Among Democrats warning that history could repeat itself is David Axelrod, Barack Obama's chief political adviser. “In 2016, the Green Party played a huge role in tilting the election victory in favor of Donald Trump,” he said. “Now that Cornel West is their likely candidate, they could easily do it again. A risky business.”
His comments were echoed by Jamie Harrison, chairman of the Democratic National Committee. “Now is not the time to experiment. Now is not the time to play on the fringes,” he said recently.
Democratic criticism has not touched Dr. West, and in fact he is advised by Ms. Stein. He vowed to “go to battle” on a progressive platform that prioritizes affordable housing, abortion rights, health care and climate change.
A talented communicator, Professor of Philosophy has taught at Yale, Princeton and Harvard Universities. , and prides himself on being one of “America's most provocative public intellectuals.”
After supporting the campaign of Barack Obama in 2008, he became disillusioned with the policies of the former president and called him “a Rockefeller Republican with a black face.”< /p>
He campaigned for Bernie Sanders when the Vermont senator ran for the Democratic presidential nomination. And he reluctantly endorsed Biden in 2020, saying he was voting for “a mediocre, soft-bodied neoliberal centrist because he's better than fascism.”
But he's since called for an alternative to Biden-Trump revenge. stating that “no political party wants to tell the truth” about Wall Street, Ukraine or big tech.
“Do we have everything we need? We'll see,” he said in his launch video, adding that he's ready to “come down swinging – with style and a smile.”
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