Posted on 06/25/2008 2:36:32 PM PDT by Jean S
Do you know what a community organizer does? And if so, do you know what it is about being a community organizer that might qualify one to be president of the United States?
My guess is most people don’t know, and they’re not sure what Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) means when he frequently cites his time as an organizer in Chicago as one of his qualifications for the White House.
I didn’t know either, which is why I went to Chicago recently to learn about Obama’s organizing years, from 1985 to 1988.
And after looking at Obama’s experience there, and talking to the people who worked closely with him, and reading Obama’s own account of the period — well, I’m still not sure what being a community organizer has to do with being president.
Obama accomplished a couple of things during those years in Chicago.
He led a drive to push the city to open a job-placement center on the far South Side, where one hadn’t been before.
And he helped lead a drive to push the city to clean asbestos out of a housing project in the same area.
He took part in a number of other projects. Some big ones, like a plan to bring back jobs for steelworkers hit by plant closings, went nowhere. Others, like plans for after-school programs, were group efforts.
But most people agree his two greatest hits were the job-placement center and the asbestos cleanup.
Now, there’s nothing wrong with that, but it’s not the kind of stuff that would normally be a big part of one’s argument to become president.
On the other hand, it was in Chicago that Obama began to show what is perhaps his greatest gift: his ability to convince people to believe that it is possible to change things.
In his 1995 autobiography, Dreams From My Father, he wrote that when he went to Chicago, he couldn’t quite explain to his friends what community organizers did.
“Instead, I’d pronounce on the need for change,” Obama wrote. “Change in the White House, where Reagan and his minions were carrying on their dirty deeds. Change in the Congress, compliant and corrupt. Change in the mood of the country, manic and self-absorbed. Change won’t come from the top, I would say. Change will come from a mobilized grass roots.”
Does that sound familiar? Just substitute “Bush” for “Reagan” and you’ve got a pretty close approximation of the Obama campaign.
Obama has been a “change” candidate all his life.
And he could be very persuasive. “He didn’t have experience,” one woman who worked with Obama and had a part in his hiring told me. “But he had a sensitivity that allowed us to believe that he could do the job.”
That sounds familiar, too. Even then, Obama was change you can believe in.
But there’s a question of how much change Obama really wanted to bring about.
Working in a part of Chicago beset by a culture of dysfunction, his agenda for change was strikingly conventional.
More summer jobs. More city spending on this. More spending on that.
In Chicago, Obama learned to organize. But when you ask what he was organizing for, you come up with the same-old, same-old stuff.
And when a truly innovative proposal for change came along — the welfare reform of 1996 — Obama wanted to water it down so it didn’t “punish people.”
In Chicago, Obama’s talent was for convincing people to believe in change, not in actually changing things.
York is a White House correspondent for National Review. His column appears in The Hill each week.
E-mail: byork@nationalreview.comThis email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it
In the Soviet Union the “Organizational years” were called “Five Year Plans”.
I can’t believe this guy is going to be elected president. It would be a disaster of epic proportions not only for the US but for the entire western world.
What hath GWB wrought? Oprah’s Obama!
“Change in the White House, where Reagan and his minions were carrying on their dirty deeds. Change in the Congress, compliant and corrupt. Change in the mood of the country, manic and self-absorbed. Change won’t come from the top, I would say. Change will come from a mobilized grass roots.”
What a buttwart!
Self-absorbed? Would this be from the man who thinks he is the one we all have been waiting for?
Al Capone was also a Chicago community organizer.
A bit early to call the election, don’t you think?
Listen to Obama’s speaches. When he talks about change, he is talking to the black community. When he says “It’s our turn”, he’s talking to the black community. When in Chicago, he worked for the black community. His experience is with the black community and that is what he will do if ellected.
And he is relying on White Guilt. But white Guilt won’t get him very far.
>> Obama’s talent was for convincing people to believe in change, not in actually changing things.
I’ve gotten that feeling about Obama — and that’s why I am not quite as freaked out as some on this forum about the prospect of an Obama Presidency.
Let me preface this — I don’t think Obama would be a good President. In fact, I think he’d be a lousy President. I just don’t think he’d be a catastrophic, Republic-collapsing President ... for exactly this reason — I don’t think he’d do much except make big sweeping speeches.
His Senate record is noticeably blank. His ideas for sweeping liberal reforms are noticeably absent. He’s liberal ... but suffers from inertia of the highest sort.
In an Obama Administration, he’ll talk about change, and stay the course in Iraq. He’ll talk about change, and leave the Patriot Act and FISA protections in place. He’ll talk about change ... and change nothing.
I think he’d be a lousy President. But, I just don’t think he’s going to make the sweeping Marxist changes some of his supporters are hoping for. He’s paralyzed by fear of controversy. He won’t hike taxes (much) for fear of hurting the economy. He won’t withdraw from Iraq for fear of causing a catastrophe. He won’t limit counterterrorist activities for fear of inciting an attack. As in his entire political career ... he won’t do anything but talk.
I hope McCain wins, and I think he’s got a good shot. But, ultimately, we’ve survived liberal Presidents before, and I think we’d do so again. The best kind of liberal is the all hat/no cattle kind ... talk big, swagger a bit, and do nothing at all.
H
What the jiggins.
Why is he insulting Reagan?
Just awhile back he was comparing himself to Reagan!
What I fear most about an Obama presidency is that our real and dangerous enemies abroad will see the same jackass we do and lose the fear of retaliation our nation normally inspires. They will not expect nor receive anything resembling the overwhelming response they deserve when they are loosed.
Under this scenario, literally millions could die - some here, but most in far flung corners of the planet. The Middle East, for example will explode, and Israel will stand alone. I have faith they will do what's necessary, but the devastation will be incredible.
And that's just one hot spot that will get a whole lot hotter. He'll bring "change" alright.
Love that movie!
IMO, He’s a communicator. Bill Clinton and George Bush both have the same gift. They know how to reach out and connect with the public. Unfortunately John McCain doesn’t have it. Neither did John Kerry , Al Gore or Bob Dole.
Can you say reparations? There, I knew you could. Now bend over, this won't hurt a bit, did it?
I’m more worried about what those around him will do, or think they have license to do, or will try to do with the expected disastrous results.
That describes Jimmy Carter, too. Not evil incarnate, just a naive Marxist who doesn't see why anyone thinks Israel is morally superior to child killing terrorists and dictators are nice guys.
And, like Carter, he basically says he should get the job (in carter's case, keep the job) because he deserves it.
You captured my fears of the changeling very well.
Brooks’s best, IMO.
Change to believe in ... but never delivered.
>> That describes Jimmy Carter, too. Not evil incarnate, just a naive Marxist who doesn’t see why anyone thinks Israel is morally superior to child killing terrorists and dictators are nice guys.
Looking at the bright side, however ...
Jimmy Carter gave us a rough 4-years — followed by the best 28-year span conservatives (and the country) have seen in a century or two. After Carter ran us off the rails — we got 2 very conservative Reagan terms, one moderately conservative Bush term, two mildly liberal Clinton terms, and two very conservative Bush II terms.
In that time (from 1980 to 2008), we’ve seen the most robust economic growth in the nation’s history, cut taxes a number of times, defeated the Soviet Union, liberated Kuwait and Iraq, got Al Qaida on the run, reformed welfare, etc. We saw conservatives take over both houses of Congress for the first time in a half-century, we saw conservatives begin to retake the Supreme Court w/ Thomas, Scalia, Roberts, Alito. We’ve seen the rise of Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Mark Levin, Fox News ... and the continued fall of the mainstream liberal media.
Its been a great era to be conservative ... and I’m not sure its over. Perhaps Obama wins, and we get 4 more rough years ... perhaps not.
Bottom line — Jimmy Carter is the best thing that ever happened to conservatism and the U.S. Jimmy Carter taught us a hard lesson about liberalism ... and we learned well. Maybe we’ve forgotten ... maybe not. But, we’d survive Obama.
H
He is nothing more than a sock puppet. He has not credible experience that would qualify him for the POTUS. His handlers who are putting him there are the ones to be fearful of. They want to control the country and mold it into something that is more in keeping with their ideology.
They are Marxist socialists at heart as is Hussein Obama.They hate America, capitalism and Christian religion.
Pretty thin gruel for more than 3 years of 24/7 "work" as a community organizer. Those two accomplishments could have been achieved with two letters to the editor in a single newspaper.
And interestingly enough, that's about what he's done in his (so far) 4 years in the Senate...almost nothing.
Someone who supports murdering born children who survive an abortion is evil incarnate. That is Obama.
Bingo. You nailed it.
George (mangled syntax) Bush is a "communicator"?
That's rich! I mean, really, he is bright enough but it's almost painful to listen to him talk.
Regards,
GtG
PS GW's biggest problems resulted from lousy public relations and poor (or totally lacking) communication with the electorate.
Which also plagued his father's re-election effort.
Good grief. With those "accomplishments" he could hardly get a job as a mayor's aide. IMO a strategic blunder was made by McCain campaign in saying Obama will be formidable etc. Our side should have said all along that Obama has never done anything and expressed incredulity that the dems would pick a nobody like this for such a serious job. Like we don't meet with terrorists because we don't wish to give them such prestige our side should have never accepted Obama as a serious candidate and scoffed at his candidacy.
Obama has no business running for this office.
I didn't say he reached out to everyone but he reached out to enough. Watch some of his debates and review how he bonded with the military. The mangled syntax and sheepish grin made him seem more like the rest of us who mangle the English language on a daily basis (sometimes deliberately). Al Gore seemed to come across as speaking well but talking down to people.
Too bad about Dubya though. I don't know what Washington did to him but I hope he has one last fight in him. He (we) may need it. Prayers for him.
What you need to understand is that he is nothing but a Polished, Programmed Puppet.
It's the Puppeteers - the ones pulling the strings - that will be catastrophic for this country...
All he is is a polished figurehead...like the figurehead on a schooner - he will be in charge of nothing...
It's the Daley Machine and the Black Liberationists we'd all best be very aware of
Now we know why our enemies want Obama to win.
And you don’t think that all the huge possible consequences in the world of an obama presidency allow to speak of big danger,big evil?
What I do see he has going for him is security though. One of my biggest concerns was JM's temper and him getting mad and doing something crazy. After listening to OB though...JM is looking more and more ah...can't think of how to describe it..maybe stable? That's scary, huh?:')
Whereas your premise seems sound, the fear is him going along with anything Congress sends his way. That is where the majority of the marxism will come from.
Good article.
But breaking news?
Yeah, it’s breaking news. If you think otherwise, hit the abuse button.
agreed. ANd with a dem congress, Pelosi et al, Obama is not going to know what hit him when the power behind him takes over. Obama is very naive.
Only in the short term.
Among Presidents who served at least one full term, Carter is the only one who never made an appointment to the Supreme Court. Bomba could appoint up to three, and that, in my book, is a kiss the republic goodbye proposition. You think Earl Warren's reign of terror was fun, you ain't seen nothin. Just take a glance in there between those penumbras.
Conservatives are losing sleep over the Heller decision due out tomorrow? They'll be mainlining thorazine when the first half-white black president is finished (yes, of course, Clinton was the first white black president).
But the O man makes it necc. to vote for McC - and let's hope he has a really good running mate...
The world in the hands of the O man and his Puppeteers is too frightening to contemplate. There are too many people today who don't understand that this country can fall to the Marxists = it's already on the cusp...
Less than a "peanut farmer made governor" does however if the tread continues, we will have Jimma' Carter REDUX.
If this happens, hold on to your property, forget your wallet for comfort, for what is in it will be worth less, and train yourself for a 10 hour day at work if you commute for a part of your day will be waiting in line to fill up.
Oh, and if you aren't employed by the government, it's easier....
Just kiss your livelihood good bye.
The peanut farmer had a heck of a lot more eperience and a lot less ethical problems than this guy. We are so screwed.
I still think it will be Hillary against John McCain though. It will be ugly but I don’t think she’s done.
Like many have noted, Obama is an Angel with Lucerifian/Machiavellian staff. Worse, meaner and more focused than Ron Paul’s while the primaries were still wide open.
Why in the hell do the “Creative Arts” Lefties want a complete control freak in the White house? Have they gone nuts? The whole “change” of the mood(the same mood that the Lefties attacked in the 80s, though the funny thing is that they were inadvertently attacking their own) thing, healing the planet and Obama will “change the way we do things” sounds a lot like a dictatorial manipulator. Sounds like the kind of guy who will re-write the Patriot Act to include as terrorists, Oil Companies who “pollute the environment”(on the way of Dr. Hanssen) and people who don’t drive hybrids.
Anybody who relies on the federal government to change the way we think, is only kidding themselves or is dangerous. We are supposed to change the way the government thinks, not the opposite. And this from so-called “Hands off our bodies” Liberals. This is what happens when instead of individual freedoms there are collective freedoms rolled up in Ultra-Feminism or any kind of guise.
I think you were trying to say that I didn't think an Obama presidency would be a disaster. I thought I covered that with "millions dead."
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