--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Barack Obama has domesticated the left in…" description: "\"Barack Obama has domesticated the left in such a way that we feel as if we have no alternative but him...I refuse to accept that.\" — Cornel West" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/144/cornel-west-708_accepting_barack-obama-has-domesticated-the-left-i_74989.jpg" --- # Barack Obama has domesticated the left in such a way that… ![“Barack Obama has domesticated the left in such a way that we feel as if we have no alternative but him...I refuse to accept that.” quote by Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/144/cornel-west-708_accepting_barack-obama-has-domesticated-the-left-i_74989.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/144/cornel-west-708_accepting_barack-obama-has-domesticated-the-left-i_74989.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/144/cornel-west-708_accepting_barack-obama-has-domesticated-the-left-i_74989.jpg) > “Barack Obama has domesticated the left in such a way that we feel as if we have no alternative but him...I refuse to accept that.” [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker argues that the political left has become overly dependent on a single figure, limiting perceived choices and stifling independent thought. **In simple terms:** Political conformity Key Takeaway Beware of single‑leader dependency Themes political conformity leadership dynamics critical thinking party politics media influence Mood critical skeptical defiant Type political commentary critical observation When to use this quote - voting decisions - activist strategy - media analysis - public debate Key Concepts political agency leadership cult alternative discourse Practical Applications - encourage diverse leadership - promote independent policy analysis Questions to Reflect On - What alternatives exist beyond dominant figures? - How can the left regain ideological autonomy? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Accepting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accepting/) [Alternatives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alternatives/) [Barack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/barack/) [Domesticated Left](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/domesticated-left-973545/) [Feel Alternative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feel-alternative-973546/) [Feels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feels/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Left](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/left/) [Obama Domesticated](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/obama-domesticated-973544/) [Refuse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/refuse/) [Refuse Accept](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/refuse-accept/) [Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trump/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) ## Related quotes > [Part of the challenge of the Barack Obama campaign was to try to neutralize that white backlash, and of course, he was masterful in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/part-of-the-challenge-of-the-barack-obama-campaign-was-to-try-to/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [It would just be nice if we had leaders in Washington who could unequivocally take a stand on behalf of democratic movements in other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/it-would-just-be-nice-if-we-had-leaders-in-washington-who-could/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [Going all the way back to Jeremiah Wright and Tavis Smiley and Van Jones and even Shirley Sherrod and maybe even Maxine Waters and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/going-all-the-way-back-to-jeremiah-wright-and-tavis-smiley-and-van/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [ I wished the president \[Barack Obama\] were more "Martin Luther King-like." ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/i-wished-the-president-barack-obama-were-more-martin-luther-king-like/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [My dear brother Barack Obama has a certain fear of free black men. As a young brother who grows up in a white context,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/my-dear-brother-barack-obama-has-a-certain-fear-of-free-black-men-as/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [ I just don't want the fear from the right to be used by the \[Barack\] Obama administration to silence critics. We have to be… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/i-just-don-t-want-the-fear-from-the-right-to-be-used-by-the-barack/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [We often refuse to accept an idea merely because the tone of voice in which it has been expressed is unsympathetic to us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/we-often-refuse-to-accept-an-idea-merely-because-the-tone-of-voice-in/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [I refuse to accept the idea that man is mere flotsam and jetsam in the river of life, unable to influence the unfolding events…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther/i-refuse-to-accept-the-idea-that-man-is-mere-flotsam-and-jetsam-in/) [Martin Luther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther/) > [If people refuse to accept you, then I'll just accept you even more! -](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/if-people-refuse-to-accept-you-then-i-ll-just-accept-you-even-more/) [Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/) > [Refuse to accept the narrative of history laid down by presidents, prime ministers, generals and journalists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-fisk/refuse-to-accept-the-narrative-of-history-laid-down-by-presidents/) [Robert Fisk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-fisk/) > [Universal Credit claimants who refuse to accept a zero hours contract job offer, without good reason, can be subject to a sanction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-mcvey/universal-credit-claimants-who-refuse-to-accept-a-zero-hours-contract/) [Esther McVey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-mcvey/) > [I refuse to accept as guilt the fact of my own existence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/i-refuse-to-accept-as-guilt-the-fact-of-my-own-existence/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [“If you refuse to accept anything but the best, you very often get it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/if-you-refuse-to-accept-anything-but-the-best-you-very-often-get-it/) [W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/) > [By what right do you refuse to accept the vote of a citizen of the United States?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-woodhull/by-what-right-do-you-refuse-to-accept-the-vote-of-a-citizen-of-the/) [Victoria Woodhull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-woodhull/) > [Happiness: there are a series of rules, and if you fail to follow them, your conscious mind will refuse to accept the idea that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/happiness-there-are-a-series-of-rules-and-if-you-fail-to-follow-them/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) ## More by Cornel West > [There has certainly been ugly, right-wing hatred targeting Barack Obama.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/there-has-certainly-been-ugly-right-wing-hatred-targeting-barack-obama/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [What is accurately portrayed is the rich humanity not just of Martin Luther King but of the movement, which was a multiracial movement. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/what-is-accurately-portrayed-is-the-rich-humanity-not-just-of-martin/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [I feel as if I have been blessed to undergo a transformation from 'gangster' to 'redeemed sinner with gangster proclivities.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/i-feel-as-if-i-have-been-blessed-to-undergo-a-transformation-from/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [“Like King, we need to put on our cemetery clothes and be coffin-ready for the next great democratic battle.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/like-king-we-need-to-put-on-our-cemetery-clothes-and-be-coffin-ready/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [ “You can't really move forward until you look back. \[From Remaking America panel discussion at George Washington University\]” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/you-can-t-really-move-forward-until-you-look-back-from-remaking/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [When we think of globalization we are thinking in part of structures and institutions that have been developed over time and that have allowed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/when-we-think-of-globalization-we-are-thinking-in-part-of-structures/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [The challenge artists face today is whether to be an underground, unheard genius, or to dilute their art for the marketplace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/the-challenge-artists-face-today-is-whether-to-be-an-underground/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [The need of black conservatives to gain the respect of their white peers deeply shapes certain elements of their conservatism. In this regard, they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/the-need-of-black-conservatives-to-gain-the-respect-of-their-white/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [For me, musicians are poets. Beethoven describes himself as a poet of tones, just like Coltrane's a poet of tempo.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/for-me-musicians-are-poets-beethoven-describes-himself-as-a-poet-of/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [I don't draw any distinctions between forms of bigotry or forms of ideology that lose sight of the humanity of people. I can't stand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/i-don-t-draw-any-distinctions-between-forms-of-bigotry-or-forms-of/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [Larry Summers, I think, he had a long history of arrogance and relative ignorance about poor people's culture and working people's culture and so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/larry-summers-i-think-he-had-a-long-history-of-arrogance-and-relative/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [The greatest gift you can give someone is the gift of inspiration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/the-greatest-gift-you-can-give-someone-is-the-gift-of-inspiration/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [You can see it in terms of the obsession on Wall Street with not just profits but greed, more profit, more profit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/you-can-see-it-in-terms-of-the-obsession-on-wall-street-with-not-just/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [Anybody who takes Martin Luther King seriously has got to go beyond the standard understanding of who he was, has to connect those dots.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/anybody-who-takes-martin-luther-king-seriously-has-got-to-go-beyond/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [Courage is the enabling virtue for any philosopher - for any human being, I think, in the end. Courage to think, courage to love,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/courage-is-the-enabling-virtue-for-any-philosopher-for-any-human/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) [Explore all 400 Cornel West quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) ## More Accepting quotes > [From Augustine down, theologians have tried to compel people to accept their special interpretation of the Scripture, and the tortures of the inquisition, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matilda-joslyn-gage/from-augustine-down-theologians-have-tried-to-compel-people-to-accept/) [Matilda Joslyn Gage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matilda-joslyn-gage/) > [Laughing, laughing, laughing, laughing! It is the jester! A voice from the Void, to cheer poor Cicero! I accept your gift, dearest Night Mother.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/laughing-laughing-laughing-laughing-it-is-the-jester-a-voice-from-the/) [Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/) > [This duo inside of me causes the perfect opportunity to live and learn twice as fast as those who choose to accept simplicity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tupac-shakur/this-duo-inside-of-me-causes-the-perfect-opportunity-to-live-and/) [Tupac Shakur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tupac-shakur/) > [There is something about the South that accepts the supernatural. If you don't accept it and you're having a conversation with someone who does,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-englert/there-is-something-about-the-south-that-accepts-the-supernatural-if/) [Alice Englert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-englert/) > [We only enter into the full life if our faith gives thanks. Because how else do we accept His free gift of salvation if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-voskamp/we-only-enter-into-the-full-life-if-our-faith-gives-thanks-because/) [Ann Voskamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-voskamp/) > [Don't be bitter. Everybody suffers. If you can accept your suffering then you will understand other people better. Be grateful for pain. Love life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-colbert/don-t-be-bitter-everybody-suffers-if-you-can-accept-your-suffering/) [Stephen Colbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-colbert/) > [It takes an unusually philosophic mind to accept that all one’s suffering might be to no end, really, in the larger scheme of things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-takes-an-unusually-philosophic-mind-to-accept-that-all-one-s/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [No nation being under another nation can accept gifts, and kick at the responsibility attached to those gifts, imposed by the conquering nation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/no-nation-being-under-another-nation-can-accept-gifts-and-kick-at-the/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [Even with clothing naked animals, there were people who wanted to send in money. A woman in Santa Barbara, California, sent a $40,000 check.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-abel/even-with-clothing-naked-animals-there-were-people-who-wanted-to-send/) [Alan Abel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-abel/) > [Society understands the architecture of academia and knows there are relevant qualifications in different fields, and the media accepts the idea of specialisations and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-griffiths/society-understands-the-architecture-of-academia-and-knows-there-are/) [Jay Griffiths](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-griffiths/) > [Whatever your conscious mind assumes and believes to be true, your subconscious mind will accept and bring to pass. Believe in good fortune, divine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-murphy/whatever-your-conscious-mind-assumes-and-believes-to-be-true-your/) [Joseph Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-murphy/) > [Losing someone is easy, but accepting it is hard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/losing-someone-is-easy-but-accepting-it-is-hard/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [… and so he tried to accept the ache in his heart as what Dr. Larch would call the common symptoms of normal life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/and-so-he-tried-to-accept-the-ache-in-his-heart-as-what-dr-larch/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [I think what was special about 'Music by Prudence' was the classic story of the title subject's life path - from being an outcast…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-think-what-was-special-about-music-by-prudence-was-the-classic/) [Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) > [As my films are born at the moment when they are reflected into another person's mind and memories, there are no misconceptions. I totally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pirjo-honkasalo/as-my-films-are-born-at-the-moment-when-they-are-reflected-into/) [Pirjo Honkasalo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pirjo-honkasalo/) [Browse all 6,788 Accepting quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accepting/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Barack Obama has domesticated the left in such a way that we feel as if we have no alternative but him...I refuse to accept that.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Cornel West" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/barack-obama-has-domesticated-the-left-in-such-a-way-that-we-feel-as/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Accepting" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/barack-obama-has-domesticated-the-left-in-such-a-way-that-we-feel-as/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/144/cornel-west-708_accepting_barack-obama-has-domesticated-the-left-i_74989.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/144/cornel-west-708_accepting_barack-obama-has-domesticated-the-left-i_74989.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/144/cornel-west-708_accepting_barack-obama-has-domesticated-the-left-i_74989.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Barack Obama has domesticated the left in such a way that we feel as if we have no alternative but him...I…” — Cornel West", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Cornel West", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Barack Obama has domesticated the left...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/barack-obama-has-domesticated-the-left-in-such-a-way-that-we-feel-as/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/barack-obama-has-domesticated-the-left-in-such-a-way-that-we-feel-as/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```