Friday, August 6, 2010

What's a Community Organizer?

Official presidential portrait of Barack Obama...Image via Wikipedia
This past year has been quite controversial for our young President, Mr. Obama. Sure, he managed to pressure the Democratic controlled House and Senate to pass his Health Care proposal, get banking reform, take over automobile business, install two liberal Supreme Court Justices and more.

But a quick look at his daily travel illustrates that he bounces all over the country, trying to sell some Socialistic system, and then heads off to a DNC Fundraiser. Wow, pretend that you're working just to have the U.S. Taxpayers pay for your lavish travel and entertainment expenses. Wish we could enjoy some of that free flowing taxpayer cash.

On TV, radio, news, or speeches, Mr. Obama is always pointing fingers, blaming one party or another, but never shouldering the responsibilities himself.

So I we wondered: Is he still acting like a Community Organizer? 

Well, I found a terrific article by Byron York entitled: What Did Obama Do As A Community Organizer? It was published on September 8, 2008, there months before the election. In it , York tells us that:

Perhaps the simplest way to describe community organizing is to say it is the practice of identifying a specific aggrieved population, say unemployed steelworkers, or itinerant fruit-pickers, or residents of a particularly bad neighborhood, and agitating them until they become so upset about their condition that they take collective action to put pressure on local, state, or federal officials to fix the problem, often by giving the affected group money. Organizers like to call that “direct action.”


So, this sounds just like what's going on now. As President, Mr. Obama: goes to the Gulf and incites the residents to blame BP;  then flies to Michigan to incite the unemployed, saying it's all George Bush's fault; next to Congress and the people saying the Republicans are uncooperative; to the black community saying white folks are racial; and so on. Yes, this truely is Community Organizing at its best.

But how does it end? The last paragraph that York wrote predicts the Obama legacy:

And what if he gets it? (The Presidency)  He’ll be the biggest, strongest organizer in the world. He’ll dazzle the country with his message of hope and possibility. But we shouldn’t expect much to actually get done.

And so far it's true.  Lots of speeches about Hope, finger pointing, and Bills being passed. But, little substance, high unemployment, and lavish vacations + entertainment are currently Obama's most memorable achievements.
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4 comments:

  1. I still think that a lot of good will come out of his policies as change doesn't happen overnight.

    Unfortunately, people are afraid of words like "socialism", when in fact using an element of socialism doesn't make one a socialist. Most successful democracies use a mix of different ideals

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  2. Thanks for the comment, Mike.
    As a patriotic American, I too wish our President would succeed. But, I don't see anything in his policies that that indicate that our people will get back to work and can stop worrying about paying the next bill.

    As for socialism, I believe that anyone who supports those beliefs should move to one of those countries.

    If they are truly successful democracies, then you (for example) should be very happy living in a 2 class society that preys off the working and restricts freedom.

    Our country was built on the foundation of freedom, and most of our ancestors sought refuge here. Our forefathers shed their lives and blood so that our nation would thrive. We fought for freedom of: representation and taxes. We went to war to free the slaves. We cherish all Americans and its belief.

    But to those who wish to enslave it to a Muslim culture, I say leave. Yes, go in Peace and live in your own culture. I don't want to change you, and I don't want you to try to change me.

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  3. Sorry for the previous rant, Mike.

    I didn't realize that you already live in Canada and live with a socialistic health care system; and even one of your guest bloggers has complained about high taxes.

    So when you read about American politics, I guess the adage: "Misery Loves Company" applies.

    Seriously, however, thanks for your thoughts!

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  4. Yep, we do have high taxes, relative to the US. Our combined sales tax in my province (Quebec) is around 13%, and the govt takes a slice of my paycheck every two weeks.

    But the tradeoff in regards to healthcare is that the element of worry is taken out. A trip to the hospital will leave you with a bill of 0$.

    I'm not sure what the numbers are, but if you calculate what the average american pays for insurance vs what we pay in taxes, it's probably not that different.

    The main thing, and this is the most beneficial thing in this society, is that if you lose your job in Canada you remain insured.

    I truly hope it works out in the U.S. You guys are our neighbours after all, and you're having it rough for sure.

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