Obama struggles with San Gabriel Valley grass roots
U.S. Labor Secretary Hilda Solis came to speak at East Los Angeles College Jan. 26, 2012. Solis formerly represented the San Gabriel Valley in Congress. (SGVN/Staff photo Leo Jarzomb)
By Brian Charles, Staff Writer
Posted: 01/28/2012 06:11:19 AM PST
PASADENA - Efforts by Pres. Barack Obama to capture the populist sentiments of the past two years have struggled to gain traction among grass roots leaders in the San Gabriel Valley.
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"Why does Obama have to come up with this now during an election year?" asked Manuel Maldonado, founder and chair of No Te Dejes for Education, a La Puente voter education group. "The economic crisis started three years ago. Why didn't they come up with the answer then?"
Others said Obama's rousing State of the Union speech can't wash away the memory of the Wall Street appointments to key administrative positions and his failure to prosecute those involved in the mortgage crisis.
"From the very beginning he appointed Larry Summer, Ben Bernanke and people straight from Wall Street," said Patrick Briggs, Pasadena resident and Occupy and Moveon.org demonstrator. "Liberals saw and hoped for what we wanted to see, which was a liberal, but Obama was indeed a moderate."
Read more: http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/news/ci_19842178?source=rss#ixzz1kpnWLgBl
This is my home area. I was at East Los Angeles College in 2004 to see Howard Dean and saw Hilda Solis speak too. I personally know Patrick Briggs and know him to have been a staunch anti-war protestor, Deaniac, Democrat, and Obama support in 2008. I'm really worried that the base of activists that the Obama campaign depended on to do the ground work in 2008 aren't going to show-up. Obama needs to throw the base some bones otherwise we're going to be relying on independents in November 2012 and that is a dicey proposition.
Don't underestimate the hatred for Obama in the Republican Party, it is a force to reckon with yet, and we need people like Manuel Maldonado and Patrick Briggs to deliver the vote. There are Democratic activists just like that in almost every state in the Union. I worry that the impression that's being put forth is that Team Obama is playing defense and not offense on a whole host of wedge issues where he will be attacked anyway, and so it might make sense to clearly state that he will not sell-out people like Manuel Maldonado and Patrick Briggs.
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I think your disillusionment is hardly unique. I'm beginning to feel it myself...I don't like how the insiders seem to be running the show. I'm still defending him in person, but forget trying to do it on DU - or devoting hard earned money and time to it - I don't even really have $$$ to throw him. I'm just not sure they're really asking the activist base to do it as much this time around, and that is disappointing.
...When I look at their website and read their communications I don't see a campaign that's trying to particularly build up fervor either. They're sort of relying on people to make the same sort of rational analysis that you just made that there has been good and bad. You're right to point out that they are trying to create "the illusion of popular support through smart marketing." I'm almost sort of reminded of those hokey commercial events they do at the beginning of the college semester in some places to try and get the students to Target. It might look like it's working, but it's not really genuine attraction. I really do wish they would get bold again...but I'm 
One of my old neighbors used to teach at Punahou and I know a couple people who went there. Great school if you can afford it. 
Check out the Hawaii Group sometimes, I try to keep it updated with some of the more important local stories and there's some fun stuff like a music thread: http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=forum&id=1047
Aloha.
that doesn't mean that President Obama has done everything that the folks that donated money to him wanted him to do.
We better hope that TONS of folks donate between now and election day and that TONS of folks volunteer to work to re-elect President Obama - because a republican president in the White House in 2013 would be disastrous for America!
The majority of things that President Obama HAS done in the past three years has been for the 'average everyday American'.
See here: http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022255
is always at the forefront.
As you well know, I know both of these individuals and I'm glad I didn't serve in the war w/ either. They both presented huge challenges from within during and after the Dean campaign.
It's one thing to be a strong advocate for your position, but when you cause dissention in the ranks because things are not moving fast enough to satisfy your personal passions it becomes counter productive and hurts the entire movement/operation.
With that being said, many things that have transpired in the last three years have left me wanting, but I know that turning an oceanliner around is not the same as a speedboat, and I don't think the things that we all want can be acheived by one person or one election cycle. Grassroots organizers must be able to pick winnable fights and focus their energy on specific issues while letting others lead on things they are knowledgable about and willing to stand up for.
When you're pissed about everything and unfriendly media folks know you are the one to provide red meat for the opposition, you are not being helpful to the rest of us that are trying to convince the other 80% of the voting public to see things through our eyes.
The people here in the SGV are not stupid. They see the Republican obstruction for exactly what it is and will act accordingly in November. Our area becomes bluer every cycle, and considering where we were a few years ago it's damn near a miracle. It didn't happen because people were reading the Star News to find out which Democrats were pissed off. It happened because we went directly to the people w/ our message and how certain changes would benefit them and the rest of the country.
Always remember, "loose lips, sink ships." Airing family business only creats havoc later on...
Hope all is well w/ you.
JB
...that the amount of this dissension will weaken the effort to not just re-elect the President but to take back the House and add Senate seats.
The media by nature is going to look for dissent. I think to an extent the Obama administration has done a relatively poor job of communicating with people like Patrick and Manuel (who I don't know). I think you saw some of that when instead of trying to incorporate people like that they went toward a very centrist line. I still wonder why when Tim Kaine was appointed Howard Dean was in American Samoa of all places. If you remember when Dean was appointed, Terry MacAulliffe was on stage to introduce and cheer him on. I'm really starting to think that there have been some lousy decisions made by some of the White House staff that have not just weakened, but shattered their faith. I was disappointed in the appointments of both Tim Kaine and Bill Daley. I thought neither appointment in anyway helped the effort to build a coalition. The DNC needed a full-time Chairman to keep building the party and Daley was far too much of an inside. Unsurprisingly, neither finished their expected duration as either DNC Chairman or White House Chief of Staff. 
Sometimes though not airing that family business creates hard feelings - the old "thrown under the bus" feeling and that this inhibits strength and heeling. I do not know if its happened, but I wish someone would engage these two individuals and be responsive to their concerns. I don't think we get very far when we just deny that there is some legitimate feeling of disappointment. This party and this forum needs a Doctor!
We need to be picking up the glue and building something constructive rather than just writing people off. The White House has been throwing some bones to the base the last couple months, but for most of 2010-2011 they seemed like they were off in woods wandering instead of trying to drive the point home. I don't quite trust Team Obama to remember the lessons of 2004. We can't just go hard at the swing-states, we need something close to the 50-state strategy. 
I do not share the optimism of so many about this election. I think we've taken big hits among certain demographics in swing states that we can't afford to lose. We'll just have to wait and see, but it wouldn't kill us to reach out and try to add to the team. I think I'll write to Patrick. I understand the desire for consistent messaging, but I also think the success of 2008 was in no small part to coalition building. Maybe I'll send Patrick a facebook message or something, I came across his flickr account about a month ago and have been meaning to touch base.
Things are so-so. Hope you cleaned-up from the windstorm alright!
P.S. I think the demographics of the SGV have been changing because of the economy and that's helping it go blue.