LA Times Claims The Progressive Establishment Public Thrashing Of Cornel West Was A Battle Between Black Integrationalists vs Black Unity Advocates

......and they could not be more WRONG in their analysis.

Two Princeton scholars clash over the president's record, but the real divide is between assimilation and racial unity.

The article written in the LA Times by Erin Aubry Kaplan is grossly wrong in a number of ways.

Ms Kaplan looking in on the fight within the Black Progressive stable in which she saw hay stray flying all about and then decided to provide commentary and analysis of the events that had transpired so that the progressive views of MSNBC can better understand what they saw.

The primary flaws in Ms Kaplan's analysis stem from her own ideological proclivities.  As such she is unable to make the case that there is more commonness among Prof West and Prof Perry than there are distinctions.  They had what amounts to a TACTICAL battle on how to make use of a PROGRESSIVE measuring stick as a means of regulating a Black and Progressive and Democratic President named Barack Obama.

Prof West's main sin remains that he chose to use the stick that is typically used to indict and bash RIGHT-WING forces on a Progressive Alley.  

Notice the backdrop of the venues in which the debates have taken place within that Ms Kaplan blows right past - proving that "a fish don't know he wet".

• Initial dust up on MSNBC's "The Black Progressive Agenda" between West and Sharpton
• West used a "progressive measuring stick" and claimed that Obama came up short
• Sharpton countered that West should have gone to the Black Progressives in Congress to assist Obama in fighting against their common right-wing enemies?  
• (In short - Obama's "failure" is one of the opposition put up by the GOP - NOT any intrinsic flaws in his strategy that WOULD HAVE been more "progressive" if not for the opposition that forced him to moderate. We see again - the progresses are loathed to note any ORIGINAL injuries in their ideology)
• Progressive-Fundamentalist Chris Hedges gave audience to Prof West to fully articulate his side of the story on Obama
• The Nation Magazine and MSNBC and "Real Time With Bill Maher" and "Bill Moyers Journal" regular Prof Melissa Harris-Perry senses an attack on Obama and she quickly counters her Progressive Friend
• While Prof West's attack was noted as "personal" most Progressives who took this route never got around to discussing the SUBSTANCE of Prof West's criticism of Obama 
• Thus we don't have an "Anti-War Movement" in Black America as Imperialist/Colonial Bombs rain down on the African nation of Libya, etc

Prof Perry realized that Prof West's attacks on Obama could not go unchallenged.   The one thing that both of them have in the back of their minds is that a "weakened Obama" benefits the right-wing that Obama (and them) must run against in 2012.

The grand flaw in both of them is that they can bring themselves to consider what a WEAKENED BLACK COMMUNITY translates into.    A Black community that places all of its PERMANENT INTERESTS into forbearance as it seeks to protect Obama, the Democrats and Progressivism is one that exposes itself as a fraud when it comes to its defense of their essential interests.  The present silence against Commander In Chief Obama is merely a carrying forth of the SILENCE that is present at each run of the architecture of power at each rung in the "American Political Domain".   

The Black Community has for so long worried about how the open debate beyond "just us chickens" might negatively impact their Democratic Party joint-venture partners - that in today's "Mission Accomplished" areas - not even outright collapse of the institutions that were won will cause a revolt.   In the mind of the Progressive - such a deleterious state is proof that the STRUGGLE for "Social Justice" MUST CONTINUE ON!!!

This brings us to the second major flaw in Ms Kaplan's analysis.
At no point does she point to a time line, noting how the "UNITY" that she speaks of is actually the choice to "fuse the Black Community Consciousness" with the "American Political Domain".  Bayard Ruskin is still talking to us from his grave providing stereophonic strategic advice along with Dr Ronald Walters.  

The "Integration" that Mr Kaplan speaks of thus is a choice to integrate within the domain and then "enforce ideological unity".  Long story short Ms Kaplan noted the fights shown in the documentary "Brick City" in which the "Progressive Democratic Clique A" is seen fighting the 'Progressive Democratic Clique B".   To Ms Kaplan there is no other domain of existence that could possibly exist - than the one that she also buys into.

No - the alternate domain is not "Black Republicanism" - where we should "diversify our baskets".  The alternate existence is to NOT fuse our cause in the "American Political Domain" and instead build up our local institutions.  (This is NOT a promotion of "Black Unity"  / "Black Nationalism").

The Black community in our present state has a GOVERNANCE problem.  Those who figured that by taking political and ideological control over the key institutions in our community would prove to be the change have shown that they don't have the sufficient "Human Resource Management and Development" acumen to allow us to leverage our resources to achieve a certain end.   If Ms Kaplan had more of  a management science background she would rise above the TRANSACTIONS and look at the architectural dysfunction.

The rise of a Black Progressive Democrat named Barack Obama merely exposed the weaknesses that were incumbent to these institutions.  

It was the gravitational pull of the "Star Ship Named 'Obama'" which tore the satellites that used to orbit around the Black Old Guard axis and placed them into his orbit.   The INSTITUTIONS as they had existed proved that all the while they focused on the threat from EXTERNAL attack from Tea Party racists, they did not invest enough on INTERNAL protections.

I am forced to strip the word "Black Nationalism" from the mouth of Ms Kaplan and anyone else she choose to assign it to - presumptively Cornel West.   

I take "Black Nationalism" to be that a group of people are preparing to be "self sufficient" per the systems that they construct and the competencies that they have developed within he people.

Yet when I make reference to both West and Perry's views on "social justice" in regards to

• the expression of Quality Education
• the coordination of resources to provide improved Health and Health Care outcomes for Blacks
• the use of a Functional Culture as the most effective "policing policy" 
• the use of the aggregate talents of the people to engage in an eco-system that delivers the above - giving people purpose, a salary and consciousess

I do not see any BLACK NATIONALISM in either one of them.

Why did Ms Kaplan throw out the phrase "Nationalism" (Unity) and never bothered to QUALIFY or QUANTIFY it   

ANSWER - She knew that the bulk of her readers would accept these labels - as affixed by a fellow traveler. 

Where The Black Community Stands Going Forward

In my opinion the major task for the conscious people among the Black Community is to move beyond the question of "Will Obama Get Reelected In 2012" as some sort of sign of the state of race relations in America and instead embark on a far grander and enduring outlet.

The major task going forward is to RECONFIGURE THE INSTITUTIONS WITHIN BLACK AMERICA.  

1. Promoting a system of TRANSPARENCY so that no one person or popular ideology can be allowed to hijack the key institutions by popularity from the congregation alone
2. Defining the Architectural structure which separates and enforces the distinctions between what must be accomplished within the
1. The American Political Domain
2. versus the "Community Cultural Consciousness & Competency Development Domain"
3. leaving what is left up to Jesus, Allah or Yehwah to address that which can't be categorized from above
3. Respect the importance of "The Time Line" as a management tool
1. Your PREFERENCE for a given methodology of action can never be allowed to trump the need to MANAGE and MEASURE its EFFECTIVENESS 
1. Purging the idea and the people who brought it forth from LEADERSHIP if it shows to have failed to most effectively propel our people forward
2. We can still celebrate the birthday of the now deposed leader - but she can no longer be allowed to LEAD
4. Prevent all Negroes from either:
1. CALLING another Black man "The Least Of These"
2. Or ACCEPTING being called "The Vulnerable Masses" without punching the nationally syndicated radio host who affixed these INFERIOR labels upon Black America IN THE MOUTH so he will never transact on our inferiority again.
5. Accept that the people who can articulate the notion that "Black people today are operating in a state where our AFRICAN CULTURE was stripped from us in SLAVERY"......
1. COULD ALSO be acting in a "Slave-Like" state himself
2. Is not necessary QUALIFIED to develop an effective alternative strategy
3. If ever confronted with that AUTHENTIC AFRICAN CULTURE that was stolen from us would likely PROTEST against it as being intolerant as 85% of his PROGRESSIVE ideology has been violated by this "Mystical Magical African Culture" who so few Black American Academicians has bothered to go to Africa to do a forensic audit of its origins with the hopes of REBINDING the American Negro to this glorious system. 
1.  Instead it is used as a petrified carrot to lead us on in our struggle to impose power on those who "Did This To Us", thus making us this way.  As time rolls forward the picture of WHO THIS IS appears more like US than any other man on the planet.