Huffington Post: Holding Obama Accountable

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/randy-shaw/holding-obama-accountable_b_409910.html

Randy Shaw

Author, Beyond the Fields: Cesar Chavez, the UFW and the Struggle for Justice in the 21st Century
Posted: January 3, 2010 08:06 PM

After spending 2009 mobilizing grassroots support for progressive change, activists in 2010 face a new challenge: pressuring President Obama to fulfill a progressive agenda. A new approach is clearly needed, and three steps should be taken.

First, email campaigns, protests and media events must directly target Obama, rather than insulating him by attacking appointees like Rahm Emanuel, Tim Geithner or Lawrence Summers.

Second, activists must pressure progressive Senators to put their constituencies' interests ahead of Obama's political agenda.

Third, and most critically, activist groups that the Democratic Party is counting upon for money and volunteers in the 2010 midterm elections -- such as organized labor, MoveOn, and the Netroots -- must be willing to play hardball with Obama. The strategy of protecting Obama from criticism failed progressives in 2009, and will not lead the president to strongly back progressives on immigration reform, climate change, EFCA, and other key issues in 2010.

Activists Need New Strategy

After writing a piece in November 2006 urging Barack Obama to run for president, and then authoring dozens of pro-Obama articles through this fall, I know it's not easy to criticize a president you campaigned for and believed in. But we learned in 2009 that immunizing Barack Obama from the standard activist pressure tactics fails to bring progressive victories, as Obama is not the fighter for change that his campaign promoted.

But Obama's unwillingness to fight in 2009 does not mean that he will oppose progressive measures in 2010. Rather, it means activist must change their tactics and strategies toward the president.

FULL story at link.

[Bobbieo]

1. From now on. the petitions I sign - and there are tons of them - will target Obama!!!

He has to stand up for his campaign promises!