[RHF]

On Sep 10, 4:32*pm, wrote:
Throughout this political season, Barack Obama has touted his time as
"a community organizer" in Chicago. Doing so served two purposes.
First, it was a wonderful buzz phrase during the Democratic primary
because, to the liberal ear, “community organizer” sounds romantically
radical in a respectable sort of way. Second, once he made it to the
general election, Obama shifted focus, bragging that he had "turned
down Wall Street" to serve the community, and spinning that service
away from its radical roots (see below) in the direction of helping
laid off workers. In this way, the radical content was drained, our
economic problems were saluted, and the narrative became selflessness
on behalf of the working man.

During the Republican convention several speakers, notably Rudy
Giuliani and Sarah Palin, countered by ridiculing Obama's role as a
community organizer. Their approach was to question whether there was
any substance to the job. This approach worked because, outside of the
radical context that Obama had stripped away, a community organizer
can be almost anything (e.g., an organizer of square dances), and
because Obama had made such a big deal out this seemingly nebulous
job.

Politically, the Republicans played it right. Almost nothing in
politics beats deftly handled ridicule. And once suitably belittled,
the community organizer persona is hardly a match for shooting a moose
and being a hockey mom, never mind being tortured.

But the more intellectually legitimate (and telling) critique centers
on the radical nature of the community organizer role Obama took on.
In the neighborhoods of Chicago, there’s nothing nebulous about this
job. In that context, “community organizer” has a very specific
meaning, one set forth almost 40 years ago by the Marxist agitator
Saul Alinsky in a work called “Rules for Radicals.”

In his book about Obamahttp://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1596985666/bookstorenow56-20
David Fredosso connects the dots between Alinsky, who died in 1972,
and Obama. A friend of Alinsky’s, Jerry Kellman recruited Obama into
community organizing. Kellman spoke at the Democratic convention. As a
community organizer, Obama studied the principles set forth by Alinsky
in “Rules for Radicals.” In essence, Alinsky preached that class
hatred, which had worked so well in radicalizing the European working
class, was not well-suited for the U.S. The idea, therefore, was to
create and fuel resentment in more subtle ways based on specific local
grievances presented in less overtly ideological terms. Alinsky, who
sought to dress up the revolution in suits and ties, wanted to use the
idioms, legends, and anecdotes of the masses, rather than relying on a
foreign ideology.

Alinsky’s influence on Obama is most plainly demonstrated by a key
quotation from “Rules for Radicals,” in which the old lefty explained
why the European model for radicalization won’t work with the masses
in the U.S.:

Seeking some meaning in life, they turn to an extreme chauvinism and
become defenders of the 'American faith'....Insecure in this fast-
changing world they cling to illusory fixed points....The 'silent
majority', now, are hurt, bitter, suspicious, feeling rejected and at
bay.

Obama, of course, said virtually the same thing in his famous comment
about how bitter people in small towns "cling to their guns and
religion." I’ve also read, though I haven’t confirmed, that Michelle
Obama borrowed a quote from Alinsky in her speech to the convention.
(Hillary Clinton too was influenced by Alinsky and, in fact, wrote her
college thesis about him).

Barack Obama’s supporters have not been amused by the fun Giuliani and
Palin had with the candidate’s time as a community organizer. But in a
sense, Obama got off easy. Tuesday, September 08, 2008

By Paul Mirengoffwww.powerlineblog.com

SFS - Warning "Community Organizer" is now by-definition
a Racially Loaded 'Code Word' implying The-N-Word
http://groups.google.com/group/rec.r...25c3030419ef8a

Note - My Washing Machine has an 'Agitator'
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Im...e_agitator.JPG

maybe that 'nice' mister obama is going
to clean-up washington ~ RHF