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Sean Hannity And Cornel West Go Head To Head Over His Herman Cain ‘Crack Pipe’ Comment

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» 66 comments

Princeton professor Cornel West appeared on Fox News’ Hannity, his first time since 2006, and was grilled by host Sean Hannity over inflammatory comments he had made on CNN back in October about then-Presidential candidate Herman Cain, where he said “Get off the symbolic crack pipe and acknowledge the evidence is overwhelming”, referring to Cain’s dismissal that racism held people back in a significant way. “By symbolic crack pipe, what I meant was he’s living in Never Neverland, anybody that downplays the prison industrial complex, when it comes to the way our brown sisters and brothers are treated with immigration policy, when it comes to the glass ceiling still at work even though we have a black president, racism is still real!”

RELATED: Cornel West On CNN: Herman Cain Needs To ‘Get Off The Symbolic Crack Pipe’

“When he says ‘the reason you’re not rich you’ve got to blame yourself,’ I know this is not just conservatism, but it’s a vulgar version,” West added. “I believe a sophisticated version of conservatism even though i disagree. That’s not a sophisticated version, my brother.”

“You believe that racism is very much real in America?” West asked Hannity.

“Of course, absolutely!” Hannity exclaimed. “But Herman Cain, — he was called a bad apple, trying to curry white favor. the Tea Party, the base likes him because he’s a black man who knows his place‘, you’re talking about the proverbial or symbolic crack pipe…Racism is repugnant, we all agree, I’m a Christian, we’re brothers in Christ, the point is — why would you use such language because you disagree with him and why are African-Americans beaten up, called names, with impunity, It would never– if you’re liberal and African-American it’s fine. If you’re conservative, you can’t have your own thought process without being called these names. Don’t you find that repugnant? I bet deep down inside you do.”

“I only reacted to him saying that racism was not still operating in society to the degree to which it’s holding people back,” West clarified. “If he’s saying something I agree with, I agree with that! There’s a host of conservatives who are black, white, and red and what have you. Dr. Robbie George is my dear brother. Deeply conservative. You know, we teach together at Princeton… I can say you or him at times — out of touch with reality — on the symbolic crack pipe!”

Watch West defend his crack pipe comments with Hannity below via Fox News:

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  • Anonymous
  • 12voltman1

    Racist Bullpuckey!

  • WiddleBabyDanielson

    OMG

    Glen Beck has brought the commenters from chimpout into mainstream politics.

  • Anonymous

    Wait a minute anytime a conservative says some undeniably racist shit they’ll say something like “white people smoke crack too” but now this is racist? This is bullsh*t. Neocons can’t even keep their sh*t straight anymore.

  • Pablo

    Cornel knows his way around a crack pipe.

  • 12voltman1

    Hey, the new rules at mediaite seem to be working fairly well.Huh?

  • http://twitter.com/kabmn00 kevin

    As Chris Rock said, “N*gga Please!”

  • Anonymous

    Racism is alive and well on both sides of the isle. Who’s more racists is an arguable topic that can never be substantiated therefore never won so why waste the energy? 

  • Anonymous

    That’s logical. I’ve said the same; to attribute a common bane of humanity to one side of a political spectrum is idiotic, but many here and abroad refuse to believe that. I know this may seem critical but in my experience it does seem to come more from the right (the denial that is) maybe because I have more negative interaction with them.

  • WiddleBabyDanielson

    Yes.

    Can it last?

  • Anonymous

    Well I’m a Republican and I agree with you so add one notch to our side for being realistic. :-)

  • 12voltman1

    One can only hope.

  • http://twitter.com/fan386 John Doe

    so do mexicans.. eh Pablo?

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Bart-Morgay/100001554351938 Bart Morgay

    How can such a vile liar, smear merchant and propagandist like Hannity claim to be a christian? LOL

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_45S32GWGDRUJIL6E2U4HOZW4BM Bob

    Of course Hannity had no problem last month hosting his pal, white conservative Brent Bozell, who called President Obama “”a skinny, ghetto crackhead.” 
    And it’s always worth pointing out that Hannity pals around with racists like self-declared white nationalist and convicted felon Hal Turner, Mark Fuhrman, Donald Trump and those bigoted morons from Imus’s crew.

  • Chappel User

    I feel sorry for the real victims here… the English language and its grammar rules.

  • Gloves de la Donahue

    And Cornel West is a professor at a major university.

    Teaching.

    I did a couple of years at reform school, and think I got the better deal.

  • Anonymous

    And its worth pointing out that Obama pals around with racists like Reverend Wright.  Your point?

  • Anonymous

    Not sure about that deal – West is a professor at Princeton … which also entails research besides teaching.

    Check it out
    http://www.princeton.edu/africanamericanstudies/people/faculty/cornel-west/ 

  • Anonymous

    The specter of Raceism is most often raised by Democrates/Liberals/Progresseives They all have the same Mother. Many of the aforementioned are victims of the White Guilt mill in our Universities and Liberal MSM.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Bill-Adkins/1585417987 Bill Adkins

    Oh, c’mon!!! Herman Cain as a GOP candidate was a right wing tool, a token counterpart to President Obama’s complexion willing to parrot the latest right wing/limbaugh/notsobreitbart/teaparty talking point.  Even after he demonstrated so clearly in debates and interviews his lack of qualification or even basic knowledge of the political landscape the right wing protected him in the same way they tried to rally around Palin.  If racism is present here it’s the willingness of the right to rally around a candidate because of his color, actually in spite of his color, so as to project a false facade of diversity

  • david r

    The only time I’ll watch Fox with interest is when West or Marc Lamont Hill is on.  I love these exchanges.  These appearances do more to promote racial understanding than an entire year of “Rev.” Al Sharpton.  Not completely fair and balanced, but heading in the right direction.

  • Love of Country

    That still leaves you plenty of time for the state run media … that’s really swell!

  • Love of Country

    Tim Tebow is F’n Awesome … 3:16!

  • david r

    Try reading.

  • Love of Country

    We love Cain because of his awesome personality and he changed the dialogue in this country to flat taxes.  Only a F’n idiot would say it was racist for the GOP to like a great guy like Herman … You’re a F’n racist retard and represent a good deal with what is wrong with this country.

    Your Party has been overtly racist for 200 years … don’t even project that hatred upon us … Is Al Sharpton a racist for talking about blueberry pie????  Can Cain mention cornbread and if he does is he a racist???? Gee, did all the women vanish into thin air when he stopped his campaign??? Hmmmn.

    You F’n, racist retards!

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/David-Edwards/588445226 David Edwards

    Would love to see Cornell West debate Thomas Sowell

  • Anonymous

    Even the smartest liberal  over at The New Republic–Leon Wieseltier–after reading all of Brother West’s scholarly writings found them vacuous. I believe his phrase was “almost completely worthless.” The guy’s a fraud and most nice white liberals are too afraid to say so.

    http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/articles/Cornell%20West.htm

  • http://mediamatters.org/ Leedog

    Sean Hannity only criticizes what he perceives to be racist comments towards Conservatives… never heard him criticize racist attacks towards Liberals!!

  • Anonymous

    Professor West has many annoying and offensive habits, but the worst of them all is calling others BROTHER.

  • WiddleBabyDanielson

    Many people have family members who annoy them, My BROTHER.

  • WiddleBabyDanielson

    Will you continue to use that one after he is re-elected?

  • WiddleBabyDanielson

    I watched the segment last night and thought WOW if Hannity was like this normally I could watch him.  They were nice to each other.

    THEN

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kRa4_tuFEtg

    Oh well….

  • Anonymous

    Except for the recurring infection.

  • Anonymous

    I think donkey show is the reference you’re looking for.

  • david r

    It may be feeble, but it progress . . .

  • Anonymous

    is Sowell one of AnnCoulter’s ‘BLACKS”

  • Anonymous

    SEAN HANNITY’S BEDROOM LAST NIGHT….Wife :…’Oh SEAN,oH SEAN
                                                                         SH:….’uhh uhh Rev.Wright,Bill Ayers arrrrgh”

  • http://PalinsDirtyLittleSecret.blogspot.com/ ElectionFraudClickHere

    Looks like I’m the only one with the real story on Cain and Palin and why they’re not in the race

  • Pablo

    If you’re trying to rile me with your racism, you’re not going to do it with slurs against Mexicans. Save that for a Mexican.

  • Anonymous

    flagged for racist implications and personal attack on a media figure

  • Anonymous

    spam spam spammy spam spam

  • WiddleBabyDanielson

    Doesn’t bring the ratings.

  • http://PalinsDirtyLittleSecret.blogspot.com/ ElectionFraudClickHere

    say anything coward to cover up the truth

  • Anonymous

    The fact that hannity is still listening to the verbal strummings of cain the unable, is evident the type of show he runs. . . . does anyone remember when cain is out. . . ?  I do.

  • david r

    Pablo is a Spaniard.  He is Javier Bardem’s better-looking, younger brother.

  • Anonymous

    West reminds me of many of the juiced up race rioters of the 60′s. All mouth and hair.

  • http://newsbusters.org/ AliveStiIIKickin

    Piteous Cornell’s one and only analogy is what he does best….smoke a crack pipe.
    I can’t see WHY Hannity lowers his standards to allow this creepy dude on his show.

  • Anonymous

    That man West needs to see a dentist. Man, he has a picket fence for teeth and wears an outrageous fright-wig.

  • Anonymous

    Then why are you still here?

  • Anonymous

    You are the biggest racist here.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Bill-Adkins/1585417987 Bill Adkins

    You’re not much on vocabulary – the big words strung in sentences intimidate you?

  • William German

    Has it never occurred to you that we, the white men, actually should feel some guilt for the atrocities of the past, not to mention the present?
    Like it or not my pink brethren, we have behaved like an invading horde in every corner of the planet for a long time.  

       
     
     

  • 12voltman1

    Racist Bullpuckey!

  • 12voltman1

    Why is there air?
    -Bill Cosby

  • Anonymous

    ITS NOT the HERM CAIN crack pipe!

    ITS THE HERMAN CAIN DANCIN MACHINE http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bs7fJ6jAOVU that is what kept everyone in a trance.. THOSE DANCE MOVES!

  • http://spacegod.tumblr.com/ spacegod

    It’s the other way around.
    Hannity is a huge step down for West.

  • http://spacegod.tumblr.com/ spacegod

    And your post is F’n off topic.

  • http://spacegod.tumblr.com/ spacegod

    More rightwing anti-intellectualism.
    I guess “proud to be stupid” is one way to go.

    PS:  you’re giving Nietzsche a bad name.

  • http://newsbusters.org/ AliveStiIIKickin

    I picture West more  as a brain-dead football player in an ad selling Gillette Razor Blades.

  • Love of Country

    A state run media patsie says what?

  • Love of Country

    Calm down, you Godless, drug addicted, windbag!

    Tebow is the topic of the entire country … there’s more going on out there than your bitter, little miopic worldview would suggest.

    I hope your day gets better than your attitude … Tebow is absolutely way more awesome than anyone in the history of your family so you need to be just a little bit more humble …. a lot more, really. 

  • Love of Country

    That’s because there are none, you moron …. it’s open season for liberals (racists) to call bIack conservatives racist names as you well know … that’s just a mild variation of what you’ve been doing for over 200 years.  Stupid, F’n, racist libtards think Herman Cain is racist for saying cornbread (unbelievable) but Al Sharpton can go on and on about blueberry pie?  You racist hypocrites are cancer to this nation … race war, class war … whatever can you muster to keep the bIack man down voting straight ticket while simultaneously watching the cesspool he calls home get bigger and deeper.

    Hey kid …. I challenge you to a duel!

    Like playing ‘war’ with a deck of cards ….

    You bring your example of racism and I’ll bring a hundred of my own … don’t even have to look further than the Herman Cain campaign … but we cab go back a decade to review all the minorities Bush appointed that were blocked and filibustered strictly because they were minorities and did not fit the narrative the racist DNC was comfortable with.  They purposefullyt let white people thru while blocking minorities so they can point their uber racist fingers and say “Gee, look over across the aisle … where are the people of color?

    Nevermind Fox, while fair and balanced, is still a counterweight to the state run media and would be justified emphasizing the wrongs of the Left all day long but in this case, there are no racist Republicans to call to the carpet … it’s pretty much one sided from the Left, as has been the case for over 200 years.

    Nevermind your side has 33,000 racist gangs who murder peopole who don’t look like them … strictly a DNC phenomenom … every last one of those gangsters hate conservatism … they love Owebamao cause Owebamo caters to the dregs of society and punishes successful, people.

    Then, when those racist tards get locked up for racist murder … they voluntarily segregate into racist groups just as soon as humanly possible.  Because they know some racist libtard will kiII them asap for looking different.

    But what do I know?

  • Love of Country

    No one in the last 30 years have been the target of more racism than minority conservatives … it’s open season.  At least the Left has stopped their lynchings … well aside from the ‘high tech’ lynchings they perform daily … just ask Cornbread Cain … shucky ducky!

  • Love of Country

    A colicky three year old racist says what?

  • Love of Country

    Democrats are stuck on stupid and feeble as evidenced by their unholy DESPERATION for wealth redistribution.  Cry me a river, losers!

    Checkmate, clown boy!

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