Talk show host says the 42 million living at or below poverty line have been ignored by election candidates.

Dr Cornel West, the US talk show host and former Princeton University professor, has said that both candidates in the US presidential election have paid little attention to the growing economic divide in the country.

Speaking to Al Jazeera from New York, West said despite 46 million people being classified as living at, or below, the poverty line, both Barack Obama and Mitt Romney, his Republican challenger, are “obsessed with two states: Ohio and Florida”.

“They’re obsessed with one group, white, independent moderates. Poor of all colours, especially black and brown poor, red poor, invisible. It’s a shame. It’s obscene, it’s morally profane,” he said.

On the issues of foreign policy, West echoed previous media statements that there is little difference between the proposed policies of the incumbent and Romney.

“We’ve seen both of them actually, not just highlighting, but celebrating drones dropping bombs on people. Often innocent people,” he said.

“No serious talk about Israeli occupation of Palestinians. No serious talk about the occupation of Tibet … Africa has not surfaced in one debate, or one public conversation.”