Cornel West: Please Don't Uplift Movement for a People's Party (see post for update)
This is bad. MPP is bad.
Update: Dr. West has apparently listened! While I don’t have a link to a formal announcement right now, he has stated he will run Green with no MPP involvement. I’m waiting for a more formal announcement from him – and an explanation for this complete lack of vetting and thought in running MPP in the first place.
Original piece below.
The Movement for a People’s Party doesn’t have the ballot access or infrastructure needed to get a President (or really anyone else – let’s be honest) elected, and that’s just the first problem. There are also allegations of sexual assault by its leader, Nick Brana, questions about the org’s funding and spending, questions about the integrity of the leader’s stated history, and allegations surrounding the unethical (illegal?) forcing out of board members.
Let’s get it straight: I love Dr. Cornel West, a renowned philosopher and activist who heavily supported Senator Bernie Sanders’ presidential bids. I’ve had the chance to interview and meet West several times throughout my time reporting on politics nationwide, and he’s a true progressive force.
Dr. West is a man of the people.
But, the Movement for a People’s Party (MPP) is in no way a party for the people. It’s in no way progressive. It’s a dangerous mess.
So, given the above, why has Dr. West hitched his wagon to a “party” that:
1) Can’t get him elected
2) Consistently puts out messaging that is decidedly NOT progressive (check their Twitter … )
3) Is run by someone who has been caught in lies and scandals and is allegedly a sexual assaulter (Nick Brana denies these claims)
4) Doesn’t have the support of some of their own state organizers and organizations (some disbanded entirely due to corruption at the top)
5) Has zero ground game or infrastructure
I’ll tell you now; I don’t know why he’s running under MPP. My best guess (and maybe hope) is that Dr. West didn’t do the sort of vetting he should have done and took Nick Brana and friends at their word.
Either way, by now, he’s undoubtedly heard the pleas from true progressives to please, please not run under MPP.
Will he listen? I don’t know. I’ve sort of given up hope that people will do the right thing. But he’s … Cornel West. So, I hope so.
Given his run under the MPP umbrella, I also think that there’s no way he plans to win, regardless of his knowledge of various scandals and concerns. He and his team have to know that MPP doesn’t have ballot access or anything else needed.
Please read this piece I wrote last year if you weren’t aware of what’s gone on with MPP:
Seriously … it’s not good.
Why? Just…Why? I’m frustrated
Even if MPP were perfect (I cannot emphasize enough that it’s not – there’s a reason I’ve investigated them for years and have tons and tons of “evidence” saved. TONS), how on earth do you get around the ballot access argument?
They would need to gather all the necessary signatures to get on the ballot for each state, which they have only accomplished for three states. Also, certain state-specific requirements can get quite complex, which might mean mounting legal challenges.
And yes, these barriers are designed by the powers that be to prevent third parties.
This is also reality.
For many years, I’ve beat the drum about the need for a third party. I don’t think you can have a true democracy under a duopoly. But you can’t just jump into Presidential races and largely ignore midterms and getting everyday people on board who believe in your policies and objectives.
We simply (and unfortunately) don’t have a viable third-party option for 2024, and no amount of people trying to get YouTube views telling you otherwise will fix that.
Our choices for President aren’t great and we have a lot of work to do, but it’s not even a choice for a true progressive who cares about other people.
I’m not going to make the case that Dr. West’s MPP run could be a “spoiler” – because MPP can’t achieve that.
Clearly, harm reduction matters in people’s lives right now, and Trump, DeSantis, Pence, and Pals are dramatically worse for The People than Biden. Again, no amount of alt-media trying to get clicks saying otherwise matters.
I hate it, but it’s just true.
What we can do: focus on local races, get more progressives into spots that matter, and build our way up.
Am I saying we need to “vote Blue no matter who” for the rest of eternity? Of course not, and that’s not what I want. Biden is better, not “good.”
It’s unfortunate that there are no viable third-party options for President. It’s not my fault or your fault, but if we want that going forward, it has to start NOW.
Planning for local races, ballot access, and building enormous support and grassroots funding for a third party has to start now.
The MPP clown show isn’t it.
More to come … a lot more.
…
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Update: Dr. West has apparently listened! While I don’t have a link to a formal announcement right now, he has stated he will run Green with no MPP involvement. I’m waiting for a more formal announcement from him – and an explanation for this complete lack of vetting and thought in running MPP in the first place.
This has been so bizarre and frustrating to watch. Hopefully he is listening to everyone raising concerns about MPP. And thank you for talking sense about the reality of third parties in our current electoral system. It sucks but it's what we have to work with unfortunately, and Trump or DeSantis are nightmare scenarios. Looking forward to more from you on this :-)