-—Hitler was really good at it, too——
'Thank me'........
Rather awkward structure there, especially for the opening line.
Community organizer is not exactly what Obama did for a living. He was actually a teacher of Saul Alinsky organizing methods. He went into community groups and taught them how to use the Saul Alinsky techniques, while working for the Gemaliel foundation, which uses the apostle Paul as an example of great organizing technique.
So, if Obama followed all the Alinsky techniques in his convention, why was it such a flop? The answer is simple, the techniques are no longer “nuanced”, we’ve seen it all and heard it all before. It still works on the young and uninformed, but the rest of us are just bored and annoyed at the attempted manipulation.
Now about Obama’s offer to organize the hurricane relief, all I can say is good luck. The Democrats are moaners and whiners, not doers. Just look at who it was that responded to Katrina, not the Democrats.
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From the Boston Globe, August 31, 2008:
[Saul Alinsky's] Son sees father's handiwork in convention
ALL THE elements were present: the individual stories told by real people of their situations and hardships, the packed-to-the rafters crowd, the crowd's chanting of key phrases and names, the action on the spot of texting and phoning to show instant support and commitment to jump into the political battle, the rallying selections of music, the setting of the agenda by the power people.
The Democratic National Convention had all the elements of the perfectly organized event, Saul Alinsky style. Barack Obama's training in Chicago by the great community organizers is showing its effectiveness.
It is an amazingly powerful format, and the method of my late father always works to get the message out and get the supporters on board. When executed meticulously and thoughtfully, it is a powerful strategy for initiating change and making it really happen. Obama learned his lesson well.
I am proud to see that my father's model for organizing is being applied successfully beyond local community organizing to affect the Democratic campaign in 2008. It is a fine tribute to Saul Alinsky as we approach his 100th birthday.
L. DAVID ALINSKY
Medfield
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From Rules for Radicals, Alinsky outlines his strategy in organizing, writing...
"There's another reason for working inside the system. Dostoevsky said that taking a new step is what people fear most. Any revolutionary change must be preceded by a passive, affirmative, non-challenging attitude toward change among the mass of our people. They must feel so frustrated, so defeated, so lost, so futureless in the prevailing system that they are willing to let go of the past and change the future. This acceptance is the reformation essential to any revolution.
To bring on this reformation requires that the organizer work inside the system, among not only the middle class but the 40 per cent of American families - more than seventy million people - whose income range from $5,000 to $10,000 a year [in 1971]. They cannot be dismissed by labeling them blue collar or hard hat. They will not continue to be relatively passive and slightly challenging. If we fail to communicate with them, if we don't encourage them to form alliances with us, they will move to the right. Maybe they will anyway, but let's not let it happen by default.."[2]
[2] Saul Alinsky, The Latter Rain
http://latter-rain.com/ltrain/alinski.htm