Obama, Alinsky and The People's Ball

[Coexist]

from The Nation:

In speech after speech Obama tells his audience that he became a bottom-up thinker thanks to his days as a community organizer. He seldom fails to explain how he was formed by his experience. Hence his references to governing from the bottom up are more than sloganeering. They come, as he repeatedly says, from his days walking the streets of Chicago's South Side, organizing people.

The person who invented community organizing, at least in its modern form, was Chicagoan Saul Alinsky (1909-1972). Articles about Obama often mention Alinsky and suggest that he has been influenced by him. (Google the two names together and you will get 29,000 hits.) Sometimes Obama is called a disciple, although Alinsky had no use for disciples, acolytes or slavish dedication to schools of thought.

If he were around today and Obama asked him for some ideas about how to turn that page, Alinsky would come up with a basketful. He would start with the inauguration.

<snip>
Alinsky would advise Obama to skip the balls. That in and of itself would be a new-page statement, but Alinsky would add that such a symbolic act will not mean much unless it is not backed up. He would suggest inviting all the people who worked on the campaign to Washington. Students and others who can't afford such a trip would merit some kind of stipend or scholarship, something the campaign organization with its astonishing fundraising abilities ought to be able to handle.

The writer worked for Alinsky for ten years.

I don't think this would happen, but can you imagine. The article discusses Andrew Jackson's interesting inaugural; personally, I see a Carter-type low key happening. But who knows, I'm sure Michelle has her own ideas!

[Redstone]

1. Andrew Jackson was the fucking Devil incarnate. Fuck him and his "interesting inaugural."

Redstone

[Radical Activist]

2. The article doesn't mention that Hillary turned down a job offer from Alinsky

She was dismissive of his approach in her undergrad senior thesis and chose to work in the system. There are big differences between the candidates and how they view th world.

[Radical Activist]

3. kick

Its important that people better understand what Obama's background as a community organizer means.