(Left to Right) Peter Daou (C-Span screenshot, 2008)/Cornel West, Feb. 10, 2020, in Durham, N.H. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File)
In an unexpected move, outspoken socialist political influencer Compton Jay has taken issue with Dr. Cornel West’s choice of campaign manager for his third-party presidential bid.
Compton Jay, a prominent voice on social media platforms, is known for his strong socialist views and has recently criticized the decision made by West, who’s running for president as a Green Party candidate.
Compton Jay hosts “The Populist Voice” on YouTube. He is also a co-host of the political podcast “Fred Hampton Leftists.” Raised in Compton, California, early on, he was exposed to political discussions by his Korean War veteran father. Inspired by Sen. Bernie Sanders, Compton Jay underwent a political transformation in 2015, shifting from a Liberal Democrat to a socialist.
He had been in the West’s corner. But when the renowned left-wing scholar and third-party presidential candidate announced Peter Daou, 58, as his campaign manager, Compton Jay called out West for the selection.
Peter Daou, a Lebanese-American jazz keyboardist and former dance music producer, ventured into politics in the mid-2000s. He began as a liberal blogger and later served as a digital adviser for John Kerry’s 2004 and Hillary Clinton’s 2008 presidential campaigns.
In 2016, Daou was CEO of Shareblue, a platform that strongly supported Clinton and harshly opposed Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders. But in 2020, despite his previous support for Clinton, Daou became an outspoken advocate for Sanders during the Democratic primaries.
Compton Jay’s criticism of Daou’s involvement in West’s campaign is over Daou’s political shifts over the years.
“This piece of shit using RBN to promote his announcement. The political instincts of Dr West are highly suspect,” Compton Jay tweeted.
He added, “I’m officially out of the Cornel West camp.”
Daou’s appointment hasn’t only upset Compton Jay, but many is the progressive community.
Daou addressed this in a recent interview with The New York Times.
“My evolution, philosophically and politically, I’ve been exceptionally transparent about it,” Daou said.
(Left to Right) Peter Daou (C-Span screenshot, 2008, https://www.c-span.org/video/?206142-6/inside-presidential-campaigns)/Cornel West speaks at a campaign rally for Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., at the Whittemore Center Arena at the University of New Hampshire, Feb. 10, 2020, in Durham, N.H. West says he will run for president in 2024 as 3rd-party candidate. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File)
