One of the best things President Obama has going for him is vocal criticism from “noted African-American scholar” Cornel West.
But some, including Newsweek, note concern about the possible electoral impact of the 15-city “poverty” tour West concocted with the help of radio host Tavis Smiley.
It’s hard to say how much electoral impact the Princeton professor and the media personality might have. Obama retains overwhelming support among black voters. Still, the numbers have been slipping. He received a staggering 96 percent of the African-American vote in 2008. In a poll done by Black Entertainment Television in March, black approval of Obama had slid to 85 percent. According to a recent Washington Post/CBS poll, the number of African-Americans who believe Obama’s actions have helped the economy has dropped from 77 percent in October to about half that this month.
That’s not the kind of news the president’s reelection team wants to hear heading into a campaign year.
