# Why no discussion about Cornel West impact? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [September 4, 2024, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-discussion-about-cornel-west-impact/1006746 "2024-09-04T12:58:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![fedman1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e495f1/32.png) [@fedman1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fedman1)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2024, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-discussion-about-cornel-west-impact/1006746/1 "2024-09-04T12:58:53Z")
There’s a whole thread about RFK Jr, but I haven’t seen anything about West selfish motives in running. He can have more impact on race than Kennedy, since most RFK supporters lean towards Trump, but West will take votes from Harris, causing swing=state losses. And for what? I don’t see endgame for West. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2024, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-discussion-about-cornel-west-impact/1006746/2 "2024-09-04T13:07:00Z")
Better to start the discussion if you care and think he’ll have an impact than ask why. I suspect no one thinks he’ll have a real impact. ---
**Author:** ![Kron](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kron/32/12444_2.png) [@Kron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kron)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2024, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-discussion-about-cornel-west-impact/1006746/3 "2024-09-04T14:16:13Z")
Who…? ---
**Author:** ![fedman1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e495f1/32.png) [@fedman1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fedman1)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2024, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-discussion-about-cornel-west-impact/1006746/4 "2024-09-04T14:23:32Z")
Cornel West is on ballot in several key states like Wisc and GA; due to being Black, name-recognition, disaffection with Dems, he can take votes away from Harris, giving states to Trump. Since he’s not a crazy like Kennedy, press doesn’t cover West as they should. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2024, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-discussion-about-cornel-west-impact/1006746/5 "2024-09-04T14:24:33Z")
> [@Kron](#): > > Who…? “Star-Lord, man. The legendary outlaw?” Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2024, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-discussion-about-cornel-west-impact/1006746/6 "2024-09-04T14:28:40Z")
> [@fedman1](#): > > Cornel West is on ballot in several key states like Wisc and GA; due to being Black, name-recognition, disaffection with Dems, he can take votes away from Harris, giving states to Trump. Since he’s not a crazy like Kennedy, press doesn’t cover West as they should. He’s not dumb so he knows he can’t hurt Trump and can only hurt Harris. Doesn’t that make him crazy? ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2024, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-discussion-about-cornel-west-impact/1006746/7 "2024-09-04T14:51:23Z")
He and Stein both poll less than 1% and those who vote for them are, IMHO, not deciding between Harris and one of them, but between not voting and one of them. The GOP thinks elevating attention to them will hurt Harris but it won’t. They are ignored because there is no reason to give them attention. Nader they are not. FWIW if voters come out to vote in order to vote for them and then also vote D down ballot then good thing. ---
**Author:** ![PhillyGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2024, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-discussion-about-cornel-west-impact/1006746/8 "2024-09-04T14:53:19Z")
Answer to thread title is that, until recently, it looked like Kennedy would get a lot more votes than Cornet West, Jill Stein, and Chase Oliver combined. And Kennedy seemed likely to be on the ballot in more states than West or Stein. Fodder for this thread can be found here: [Ballot Access News](https://ballot-access.org/) ---
**Author:** ![PhillyGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2024, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-discussion-about-cornel-west-impact/1006746/9 "2024-09-04T15:08:09Z")
Here’s something that might heat up this thread: [Republicans are central in an effort to rescue Cornel West’s ballot hopes in Arizona](https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/republicans-are-central-in-an-effort-to-rescue-cornel-wests-ballot-hopes-in-arizona) West seems to have failed to gain ballot access in Arizona. But this good recent article shows them trying elsewhere: [GOP network props up liberal third-party candidates in key states, hoping to siphon off Harris votes](https://apnews.com/article/cornel-west-jill-stein-republican-network-harris-4089fb0c9ebb16002e56a1c254a21b0e) > [@](#): > > Across the country, a network of Republican political operatives, lawyers and their allies is trying to shape November’s election in ways that favor former President Donald Trump. Their goal is to prop up third-party candidates such as West who offer liberal voters an alternative that could siphon away support from Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee. . . . > > None of these actions was funded by West’s campaign, though he and his “Justice for All” party have coordinated at times with Hamrick’s People Over Party, according to legal filings, a news release and social media posts. . . . > > Medelius, the North Carolina co-chairman of West’s “Justice for All Party,” said the partisan battles over third-party candidates amounted to a “gang war.” > > “If they want to use us for cannon fodder, there’s not much I can do about it,” he said. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2024, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-discussion-about-cornel-west-impact/1006746/10 "2024-09-04T15:51:36Z")
Well as said: > [@DSeid](#): > > The GOP thinks elevating attention to them will hurt Harris but it won’t. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2024, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-discussion-about-cornel-west-impact/1006746/11 "2024-09-04T15:57:58Z")
> [@fedman1](#): > > Cornel West is on ballot in several key states like Wisc and GA; due to being Black, name-recognition, disaffection with Dems, he can take votes away from Harris, giving states to Trump. Black voters identify with Trump because he’s been indicted, and sells sneakers. (or some such nonsense). How can West compete with that? In case anyone thinks I’m serious: > **[Trump suggests his mug shot and indictments appeal to Black voters | CNN...](https://www.cnn.com/2024/02/23/politics/trump-biden-racist/index.html)** > > Former President Donald Trump suggested Friday that his criminal indictments and mug shot appeal to Black voters and claimed that “what’s happening to (him) happens to them.” ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2024, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-discussion-about-cornel-west-impact/1006746/12 "2024-09-04T16:34:17Z")
> [@PhillyGuy](#): > > Answer to thread title is that, until recently, it looked like Kennedy would get a lot more votes than Cornet West, Jill Stein, and Chase Oliver combined. At this point Cornel West is still a statistical error. ---
**Author:** ![fedman1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e495f1/32.png) [@fedman1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fedman1)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2024, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-discussion-about-cornel-west-impact/1006746/13 "2024-09-04T17:16:21Z")
but in close election (4100 votes in 2020), how is that a "statistical error) ? ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2024, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-discussion-about-cornel-west-impact/1006746/14 "2024-09-04T17:22:43Z")
[It was a joke son, a joke](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-aWcZShT4cI). But based on the fact that the margin of error in the polls is higher than his percentage. ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2024, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-discussion-about-cornel-west-impact/1006746/15 "2024-09-04T17:25:58Z")
> [@fedman1](#): > > but in close election (4100 votes in 2020), how is that a "statistical error) ? The unspoken assumptions here in assuming they are more than a rounding error are: (1) that those voters would all or at least predominantly have voted for somebody else rather than stay at home and (2) they would all have voted the same alternate candidate and (3) that the alternate candidate would have been from one of the two major parties rather than a more different third party candidate. ETA: That’s why RFK Jr endorsing a candidate was a bigger deal - he represented more voters, enough of whom might fulfill those conditions. Many of the people who would vote for a West or a Stein are the sort not to vote at all (or who would claim to have voted for West or Stein while actually staying at home). ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2024, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-discussion-about-cornel-west-impact/1006746/16 "2024-09-04T17:26:38Z")
> [@fedman1](#): > > but in close election (4100 votes in 2020), how is that a "statistical error) ? If it’s that close, and his votes are scattered in _exactly_ the right areas to matter, his presence on the ballot might throw the election. But what is the likelihood of any of that? ---
**Author:** ![Frosted\_Glass](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frosted_glass/32/3926_2.png) [@Frosted\_Glass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frosted_Glass)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2024, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-discussion-about-cornel-west-impact/1006746/17 "2024-09-04T19:03:05Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > He and Stein both poll less than 1% and those who vote for them are, IMHO, not deciding between Harris and one of them, but between not voting and one of them. The GOP thinks elevating attention to them will hurt Harris but it won’t. They are ignored because there is no reason to give them attention. Nader they are not. This is dead on. I know a few Black people who were seriously considering voting for RFK Jr, but I can’t name a single Black person who is even toying with the idea of voting for West. > [@fedman1](#): > > Cornel West is on ballot in several key states like Wisc and GA; due to being Black, name-recognition, disaffection with Dems, he can take votes away from Harris, giving states to Trump. Since he’s not a crazy like Kennedy, press doesn’t cover West as they should. I think the press coverage of West has been appropriately proportional to his potential impact on the race. A few of the shows that I listen to regularly briefly mentioned his campaign before moving on to other topics. Those same programs discussed RFK Jr. several times since he kept popping back up in the headlines. I’m also not convinced that he can steal Harris votes just by being Black. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2024, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-discussion-about-cornel-west-impact/1006746/18 "2024-09-04T19:37:19Z")
Of course even one vote in the right state could matter if the election in that state is decided by one vote. Who knows? FWIW though third party candidates usually have significantly [fewer voting for them](https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2024/06/27/third-party-and-independent-candidates-for-president-often-fall-short-of-early-polling-numbers/) than what they poll at. And exit polling in 2016 confirmed that most of those who had voted for Stein had not voting as their preferred second choice. ---
**Author:** ![PhillyGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2024, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-discussion-about-cornel-west-impact/1006746/19 "2024-09-04T21:16:14Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > He’s not dumb so he knows he can’t hurt Trump and can only hurt Harris. Doesn’t that make him crazy? Looking at his [web site](https://www.cornelwest2024.com/platform#global-justice), he wants to close U.S. bases abroad and disband NATO. While he links this stuff to goals Trump doesn’t talk about (peace and justice), I think that when it comes to concrete actions, West is closer to Harris on domestic policy but closer to Trump on the most important foreign policy issue — isolationism, pro or con.