West has proven his dedication to and love for black people time and again, serving as an intellectual forefather and mentor for many. He has earned a measure of respect.
So when it comes time to critique him, his words, or his actions, it is done with respect to that legacy, but also a tacit recognition that his legacy does not put him beyond reproach. It is this same principle that West applies in his vigilant critique of President Barack Obama.
Though he campaigned on his behalf, West has remained a vocal critic of Obama since the days of his candidacy. When he accepted the Democratic party's nomination on the anniversary of the 1963 March on Washington, West criticized Obama for not mentioning by name the leader of that march, Martin Luther King, Jr. One of the biggest points of contention has been Obama's perceived lack of a "black agenda," an argument that was the crux of the heated debate between West and Al Sharpton last month during the MSNBC special A Stronger America: The Black Agenda.
Most recently, TruthDig columnist Chris Hedges wrote a column in which he interviewed West and the professor offered choice words for the president, referring to Obama as "a black mascot of Wall Street oligarchs and a black puppet of corporate plutocrats....he has become head of the American killing machine and is proud of it." In addition, West said he believes "Barack Obama has a certain fear of free black men" and "feels most comfortable with upper middle-class white and Jewish men who consider themselves very smart."
West has every right to criticize the president. As an academic and member of the media, it's not in his job description to be a cheerleader for Obama. He is not a campaign field organizer. He is here to ask probing questions and provide insight based on the knowledge he has and continues to accrue. I believe him when he says he has a profound love for and desire to work on behalf of working class and poor people. However, when West's rhetoric becomes mired in personal attacks on Obama instead of substantive policy critique, the message loses potency.
Also in Hedges' column, West said "I used to call my dear brother [Obama] every two weeks. I said a prayer on the phone for him, especially before a debate. And I never got a call back." It's in these moments where West's critique of Obama sounds more like the refrain from Prince's "How Come U Don't Call Me Anymore?" and the veracity of his arguments gets overshadowed by the perceived slights to his ego. Here he starts losing valuable ground.
