Obama wants you to pledge loyalty to him tomorrow

American Thinker ^ | March 20, 2009 | Lona Manning

[neverdem]

They have taken a pledge of loyalty to Obama, and they say they are coming your way tomorrow for yours. Organizing for America, the Obama-for-President campaign morphed into Obama-for-Maximum-Leader army, will hit the streets for their "Pledge Project Canvass," knocking on doors and accosting folks in parking lots and sidewalks to ask them to sign a pledge to support Obama's policies for health care, energy and education reform.

Organizing for America, a project of the Democratic National Committee, is variously described in the media as [President Obama's] "own version of a lobbying firm", "a parallel organization to the Democratic National Committee" and "an independent force to lobby for Obama's goals" (Houston Chronicle); "an independent group" (Dayton Daily News); Obama's "citizen army," and a way of building public opinion" (The Bergen County Record); "a grass-roots lobbying group," (Roll Call), "Obama 2.0" (Newark Star-Ledger), "a joint partnership," (DNC press release), and as a "political bully," (AP).

According to Mitch Stewart, Director of OFA, the organization will be "getting out in front of Washington and asking our elected officials to lead the charge on energy, education and health care this year."

So one might suppose that all the names and emails collected this weekend will be sent to our lawmakers in Washington in the form of a petition. Except that David Plouffe, Obama's former campaign director and an "advisor" to OFA, has emphatically stated that they will do no such thing.

Plouffe "stressed that Organizing for America is not aimed at twisting the arms of members of Congress but meant to keep activists engaged on issues such as health care, energy and the economy."

Syndicated columnist Dick Polman reported on January 29 that:

"Mr. Obama's aides emphasized that the effort was not created to lobby directly or pressure members of Congress to support Mr. Obama's programs... ‘This is not a political campaign,'' Mr. Plouffe said. ''This is not a 'call or e-mail your member of Congress' organization.''"

Whoops! Looks like Plouffe is out of the loop on that one. The OFA website prominently asks people to call Congress and helps them look up their representative's name and number. It even provides a script.

Now, it is confusing to see the Democratic National Committee asking for help to persuade the Democrat-led Congress and the Democrat-led Senate.

But according to OFA Director Stewart, ordinary folks like you are needed to combat "a Washington establishment that doesn't welcome change.... It's up to you to show Washington that Americans are demanding this new direction."

Okay, so who in Washington, exactly? Is the DNC going to give the names and emails to lobbyists? To Washington bureaucrats? That's doubtful. The sign-up sheet to be used for the pledge drive does not mention any privacy policy.

It does reveal (at the very bottom) that OFA is a project of the DNC. This might come as a surprise to dedicated Obama supporter Janine Poppa, who told the Dayton Daily News, "It is a nonpartisan effort, and I hope people believe it's nonpartisan, because we truly do need each other to move it forward."

Poor Ms. Poppa might be disillusioned to learn that the Florida Democratic State machine unabashedly bragged to the St. Petersburg Times that they were "preparing to tap into Barack Obama's grass roots machine to build the biggest political operation ever seen from the state party."

"The million-dollar question is how to translate the activism and enthusiasm that Barack Obama was able to create and translate it down the line,'' said Steve Schale, a Democratic consultant who managed Obama's Florida campaign. "That's the challenge, but fundamentally the state is better for Democrats than ever before because of what Barack Obama was able to do. It's still up to candidates to have compelling messages and drive up enthusiasm."

No doubt the Florida Dems will be getting another memo from Plouffe to remind them that OFA a movement "not to win an election, but to change this country."

Phillip Elliott reported in January that the extensive OFA email list is not even being shared with the DNC: "Party officials had hoped Obama would transfer his list of supporters to the party, a move that would put them in control of one of the most extensive campaign organizations in politics. Instead, Obama decided to keep ownership of that enormous campaign and install his own loyalists to run it."  This was done, Obama's aides insisted, in the name of being "post-partisan."

And Stewart and Plouffe, those idealistic grass-roots campaigners, stress that OFA is all about getting feedback from the Obama followers: "Mitch... believes so strongly in feedback, so we want to hear from you!"

The website is all about making "sure your voice is heard."

So tut-tut to Macon Phillips, the 30-year-old White House director of New Media, who told the New York Times that the OFA website "would give the White House another way to reach the public without having to rely on the mainstream news media." Doesn't he know that OFA is for people to communicate with their Leader, not for the Leader to send messages to his people?

Turns out even commenters at the Daily Kos are skeptical of the post-campaign uses of a campaign database.

"A small concern... again, small, but I need to voice it. I'd love to work like this to push for certain issues and policies I want to see enacted......however...I don't want to see this turn into some type of "permanent campaign". If anyone knows how the Obama administration is drawing that line I'd like to hear about it."

"There's no more campaigning to do.We won. Now it's up to us to usher in Obama's Age of Responsibility by working together to help fix America. The new goal is in service projects, not electioneering."

"I think it would be nice to include a smidge of something somewhere about the difference between governing and campaigning - it'd not only help answer any critics, but it would again draw another difference between the Obama administration and 8 years of Bush."

Whatever OFA is, David Plouffe at least thinks ''[t]his has obviously never been undertaken before. So it's going to be a little trial and error.'' As we noted on Wednesday, it seems as though OFA's organizers are ignorant of the lessons of history and of the sinister ambitions of leaders who created their own private organizations, loyal only to them.

[meyer]

Don't sign anything - the commie is looking for quantity, not quality. All he cares about is a number of signatures so he can bandy about the amount of "support" he has.

Anybody accosts me on the sidewalk or in a parking lot is looking to get hurt real bad. If they are working as a gang, I won't hesitate to draw on them.

[Caipirabob]

[Cyberrat]

[browniexyz]

Yesterday in Arlington, VA, they were swarming Clarendon Metro and knocking on doors in surrounding neighborhoods with their little clipboards, Obama 2.0, as it is called...

[NoControllingLegalAuthority]

This is the scene in the Wizard of Oz when the dog pulls back the curtain to reveal an old fool pulling levers and trying to scare people with an amplified voice.

He's suddenly NOT the Wizard!

Obama is suddenly not THE ONE!

"Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain!"

[R. Scott]

"I think it would be nice to include a smidge of something somewhere about the difference between governing and campaigning - it'd not only help answer any critics, but it would again draw another difference between the Obama administration and 8 years of Bush."

I don't recall President Bush doing much campaigning after election. President Obama has been doing nothing but campaigning - and leaving governing to Pelosi, Frank et al.
As far as gathering signatures goes, I doubt they'd have much luck in my neighborhood. If any show up at my door or accost me in a parking lot I hope I can maintain and stay polite.

[Mrs. B.S. Roberts]

ping! (our conversation in car yesterday)

[livius]

am truly freaked out by this and I hope they don’t come to my door tomorrow. I am trying to decide how I will answer, and I think I will simply say that I am loyal to God alone and my only allegiance is to Our Lord Jesus Christ.

I can’t be trusted to keep my temper and say anything more, but if enough of us say that (and Jewish Freepers can simply say that they are loyal to God alone), I think it will give them something to think about and may make them back off a bit. For now.

[jws3sticks]

Don't bite me, Mama!

[SAMWolf]

I wonder if any of them will show up at the gun show this weekend? Should be a big crowd there again. < /sarcasm>

[NoControllingLegalAuthority]

The last thing any of us need is to be involved in an altercation at this point.

You're wrong. The problem with this country has been the reluctance of patriots to be involved in an altercation with the communists who are destroying it.

While the "good, hardworking people" have been struggling to pay their bills, the communist zealots have been engaged in a relentless quest to steal our country out from under us.

We should angrily confront these people from one end of America to another if we don't want to lose the Republic.

How has using restraint and logic worked for us so far?

We are dealing with brainwashed leftists who cannot be dealt with using rational argument.

The Brownshirts Hitler whipped into a frenzy were not the kind of people who wanted to debate logically.

We have the same mentality lose in our land right now.

Look at the lunatics in Washington DC. Does that look like a rational debate?

I personally witnessed how the politicians' fear of a popular uprising stopped the imposition of an income tax in the state of Tennessee.

These cretins laugh and sneer at "talkers." You have to take to the streets and angrily get in their faces to get their attention.

[MissDairyGoodnessVT]

you see FACEBOOK is the root source for the college kids to be pestered. My assumption is just as you say about Arlington, VA.(i know Arlington,VA. well having been a resident of Maryland for a time ) these people will be going door to door in the heavy populated areas where there are lots & lots of apts, undocumented workers (which there are many in Arlington) and the big box store parking lots, can’t ya’ just see it? I’ll bet you a dime to dollar they won’t be going ‘round to Foxhall Road in D.C. though or even going White Flint Mall in Rockville, MD> too upscale.

[FastCoyote]

I think Obama should dust off the term “brown shirts” so he doesn’t have to do any brain strain. Or is that already taken by the new GIVE program?

[TYVets]

....they might hear some things they dont agree with.

In addition Missouri has a castle law.

[SatinDoll]

“...in Arlington, VA, they were swarming...”

Haven’t see any of them out here in rural SW Washington State, in the Great Northwest. Probably swarming in the People’s Republic of Portland, Oregon, though; or in the People’s Republic of Seattle, Washington.

Must be all the guns we have here, way out in the boonies!

[Rebelbase]

Years ago I used to have a small sign beside my front door that read, “No sales, no religion, uninvited persons leave now”. Only had a few people still ring the doorbell trying to sell something. I’d just point to the sign and shut the door.

[TYVets]

I wonder if any of them will show up at the gun show this weekend? Should be a big crowd there again. < /sarcasm>

Same for the gun show in Springfield, Missouri this weekend.

[Canedawg]

Some years ago, we took a trip to Conn., and it so happened that the Special Olympics were holding events there.

So i bought a tax deductible T-shirt designed by Jerry garcia with the SO logo on the back.

I will be wearing that shirt tomorrow, and will be prepared if one of the Acorn knuckleheads knocks on my door.

[dljordan]

The mother of one of my wife’s good friends was a Hitler Youth. I met her in the early 80’s and spent some time talking to her. She was STILL a Hitler Youth in her mind.

[OpusatFR]

Consensus building. Right from the book.

However, Americans are a funny bunch. This is going to backfire huge.