An outsider tosses hat in ring for White House
By Dr. David L. Horne | OW Contributor
Dr. Cornel West, formerly a professor of Religion and Philosophy at Harvard University, and currently a tenured professor at Union Theological Seminary in New York, is actively running for the post of President of the United States in the 2024 election. Dr. West, as a well-known activist and American intellectual, does not have any administrative credentials in his public portfolio, but does possess a long-held reputation as a public intellectual and raconteur.
Dr. West was, until recently, running unattached to any of the current American political parties, including the Green Party (former member), the Libertarian Party (which recently held its national public convention), and even the Progressive Party (also a former member).
In order to be an effective, rather than just a luminous candidate for POTUS in this country, however, one must be able to get onto the ballot in individual states, and as many as possible. In order to do that, membership in a registered political party is a virtual requirement.
A proven tactic connected to that political fact is that many states allow the immediate formation of minor political parties, which virtually guarantees access to those states' ballots Thus, Dr. West has recently formed his own political party, the Justice For All Party. This tactic—forming one's own political party—is an effective tactic for very quickly qualifying for many state ballots, without the necessity of having a national convention. Examples of such states are Arizona, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Mississippi, North Carolina and Texas. This availability makes it significantly easier to get on the ballot as a minor-party candidate At present, Dr. West is on the ballot in seven states--Alaska, South Carolina, North Carolina, Oregon, Utah, Vermont and Colorado. However, he needs to be on the ballot for at least 35-40 states to be competitive and to be taken seriously as more than simply a spoiler candidate. A candidate cannot obtain electoral ballot votes which count for the POTUS without obtaining state-level votes.
What is Dr. West's political platform for the 2024 presidential race? He says, “I’m running as an Independent candidate for President of the United States to end the iron grip of the ruling class and (to) ensure true democracy!” He has defined himself as a candidate who seeks to bring a stronger morality and sense of justice to the leadership of the U.S. “The U.S. presidency must project a moral compass. It must demonstrate that it can provide the level of spiritual, religious, and moral leadership needed to help solve the dilemmas of the current world, including homelessness.”
“People are hungry for change,” he added. “They want good policies over partisan politics. We need to break the grip of the duopoly and give power back to the people.” Dr. West discounts the critics who say he lacks any real administrative experience by adding that he has a lifetime of community activism and decision-making ability forged through struggles to raise the level of people's participation in the affairs of government and progress.
He has also recently chosen a Vice Presidential running mate: Dr. Melina Abdullah, a tenured faculty member and former chair of the Department of Pan-African Studies at California State University, Los Angeles. She is also the founder and current chair of the Los Angeles branch of the Black Lives Matter Movement organization. Dr. Abdullah brings plenty of administrative and negotiating skills to Dr. West's ticket. Together, the two are a formidable pair of negotiators, community organizers, academicians, and conscientious policy makers.
The issue, however, is whether together they will be able to overcome their combined lack of basic political organizing experience that rises above mere seminar-level influence. To win elections in the U.S. one must have, or be able to attract, a political grouping willing to do serious community organizing and fundraising. One must have an efficient ground game. This is a mandatory aspect of successful political campaigns at every level. Without such an effective ground game, those with the best ideas generally do not win.
Dr. West and Dr. Abdullah are excellent university talents. An effective run for the presidency of the U.S., or for any other down ballot office, really, requires much more. Time will tell whether they can make a dent in the edifice.
To Contact the West Campaign: Cornel West for President press@cornelwest2024.com
