No one expects Cornel West to become the next president of the United States, but Anderson Cooper’s recent interview with West reveals why it is hard for a candidate of moral purity and prophetic sensibility to govern. Politics almost always requires ugly and immoral compromises.
Watch:
Here is a transcript of James Carville’s response to the Cooper-West interview:
JAMES CARVILLE, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Well, first of all, he’s obviously an accomplished scholar, academic. He seems to be a very charming man and he is also a menace, the threat of the continued constitutional order in the United States.
And if I say that because look, Ralph Nader was directly responsible for the election of George W. Bush, which brought this horrific Iraq war, this horrific economic downturn we had, among other things. Jill Stein, who is his campaign manager is almost certainly an agent of the Russian government. If you don’t believe me, somebody at home Google photo, General Flynn, Vladimir Putin, Jill Stein. She was hosted by the Russians prior to her running in 2016.
So, you know, people are going to have to decide, do we want to continue under our Constitution because Donald Trump is telling us that very clearly, is bragging about the fact that he doesn’t want to live under the Constitution anymore, and it is very clear that the only thing that Dr. West’s candidacy can do is help elect Donald Trump. It did nothing — I don’t think any of that is inarguable noise, inarguable that Jill Stein had deep relationships with the Russian government.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN: So let me ask you, because, you know, the argument that Ralph Nader put forward, you know, the argument that Jill Stein has put forward. Dr. West mentioned it again tonight that a lot of those people who voted for Jill Stein or Ralph Nader would not have voted for any of the mainstream candidates, and therefore, they did not suck away votes from Hillary Clinton or would not hurt votes from Biden here.
CARVILLE: Well, how could I argue with that? I’m sure that some of it is true, some of it is not true.
COOPER: I mean, there’s no way to know whether somebody will tell a pollster, oh no, of course, I wouldn’t vote for any other candidate, but who knows who actually people vote.
CARVILLE: I can’t disprove that nor would I want to, but what I do know, there was Russian help. They were telling Black voters in Detroit to vote at the wrong place or to vote on Wednesday and not Tuesday, that I do know.
I do know that Jill Stein was in Moscow, was sitting with General Michael Flynn with Vladimir Putin, was on Russian TV from Red Square, attacking the United States herself, and I do know, I’m told that is his campaign manager and it is the same outfit that cost us the election in 2000. It could have very well cost us the election in 2016.
And I’m just sitting here with a clear present warning, don’t fall for this. Do not fall for this. Only bad can come about this.
Watch the Carville interview here.