Conservative commentator Candace Owens claims things were far better for African-Americans in the first 100 years following the abolition of slavery than after Great Society social welfare programs began in the mid-1960s, saying “socialism” did more harm than help in the Black community.
The political provocateur appeared on a Tuesday night edition of Fox News’ “The Ingraham Angle,” where she butted heads with Harvard professor of the practice of public philosophy Cornel West over the impact of social welfare programs.
Commentator Candace Owens (left) and public intellectual Dr. Cornel West (right) had vastly different views on the impact of social welfare programs on the Black community as they debated on a Fox News show hosted by Laura Ingraham (center). (Fox News / video screenshot)
“I would argue that welfare again now is not socialist,” West, who is also a Princeton professor emeritus, began, adding that, “It was an attempt to intervene given the failure of capitalism to provide jobs of a living wage for people.”
Owens, 29, disagreed, insisting the programs were indeed socialist.
“It was absolutely socialism and you know that,” the former Turning Point USA communications director argued, at one point talking over West. “You know in our community after the first 100 years — doctor, doctor, come on — 100 years after slavery, the black community was doing better.”
“We were going up, up, up,” Owens added. “And suddenly they socialized our community via welfare policies and the black community started going went down, down, down.”
The Trump-loving conservative proceeded to slam West, 66, over his support for independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, a self-described democratic socialist who announced his bid for president earlier this year.
“You know his policies do not work,” Owens shouted before arguing that “socialism has led to more deaths than anything else in the last 100 years.” The BLEXIT founder urged West to abandon the Sanders train and instead throw his support behind President Donald Trump.
“Standing next to poor people and making poor people richer are two different things,” she concluded.
This isn’t the first time that Owens and West have locked horns. Their heated exchange comes less a month after Owens echoed Trump’s claims that California Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) is less than intelligent, arguing that “If she were to take an IQ exam, you find out that Maxine Waters has a very low IQ.”
Watch more in the video below.
