West, a long-time philosophy professor who held positions at Harvard and Princeton, launched his 2024 presidential campaign on Tuesday as a candidate for the People's Party, an organization founded by a former Bernie Sanders campaign staffer. In a video clip on Twitter, West said Democrats and Republicans have failed to tell the truth to the American people about Ukraine, the Pentagon, big tech, and Wall Street.
"I don’t see this as a credible threat to the two-party duopoly... it doesn’t make sense," Black Immigration Network Steering Committee Member Aly Wane told Sputnik. "I know how serious these two-party people are... Democrats are absolutely ruthless in killing off third parties."
Wane, who also serves on the Steering Committee of the Syracuse Peace Council, said some voters will see any liberal candidate that runs against Biden as nothing more than a "spoiler."
Social commentator Alexis Morgan does not believe West can overcome structural advantages the two major parties enjoy, including a huge financial edge. Morgan also worries the right could exploit West's campaign to boost Republicans.
"I worry that conservatives could back-door money to the [People’s] Party to splinter the Left," Morgan told Sputnik. "Not to knock his agency but I could totally see him as being used as a pawn."
The situation, Morgan added, is exacerbated by the fact that more than a few Americans are not particularly intrigued by Biden.
Author and political commentator Alton Drew does not see West getting support beyond Black voters on the fringe and some academics who have an idea how West thinks.
"His presence is not gonna do Black people any good. And there will be too many liberal Blacks who would scream and tell us not to waste our vote," Drew said.
Tainted Party
The well-known socialist and civil rights activist is pushing a platform which progressives usually embrace. He wants to forgive all student debt, expand social security, and invest in clean energy. West also said, if elected, he would seek to disband NATO and halt all US foreign military aid.
West also said he cares about justice, access to a job with a living wage, decent housing, women having control over their bodies, and health care for all, and is worried about the escalating destruction of the planet, and the destruction of American democracy.
However, the reputation of the People's Party took a blow last year amid sexual harassment allegations against party founder Nick Brana, a move that made some wonder why West would choose to run on behalf of this party.
Wane said West's People's Party ticket is a "non-starter" in light of the sex abuse allegations against Brana, among other problems.
"Cornel is the most serious of the... alternatives but his party has too much baggage," Wane said. "The People’s Party is distrusted because of the leadership and its grifter mentality."
Wane said West would have been better served by running for the Green Party, which has a longer history and is better established. Even though the Green Party is disorganized, it has the structure to handle and deal with a presidential run, Wane said.
"Him choosing them [Green Party] would have given him a little more credibility," Wane said.
Morgan raised concerns that, despite West's venerable reputation as a lion of liberalism, alleged "transphobic" sentiments expressed by some members of the People's Party will alienate an important progressive voting segment.
Wane said the depth of the partisan morass, the stultifying political stagnation and the unwillingness of both Democrats and Republicans to cater to the real needs of the American people all illustrate how much a third party is needed.
However, given the obvious issues he wondered how West could not see the problems he would face running as a People's Party candidate.
"Doesn’t he have researchers to check? It took all of a half hour to see that the People’s Party is a problem," Wane concluded.