Obama Ignores Lessons of Community Organizing

[Algorem]

http://www.beyondchron.org/news/index.php?itemid=7639

by Randy Shaw‚ Dec. 14‚ 2009


When Barack Obama backed a Senate health reform plan that differed radically from prior proposals, he ignored the lessons he learned as a young organizer on Chicago’s South Side. Obama once knew that it's wrong to bypass the community’s agenda to strike a backroom deal, regardless of its superior terms. Obama also understood that failing to consult with the community disempowers the base, and discourages people from participating in future organizing campaigns.

While progressives debate the merits of the Senate plan, the tragedy of the health care debacle is that the President asked key constituency groups and activists to mobilize for months behind a plan for public option that he suddenly abandoned – without even consulting those he claims to represent. In contrast, he seeks input from Wall Street bankers before implementing fiscal policies, and spent hours meeting with military leaders in formulating strategy for Afghanistan.

Obama told labor unions, the HCAN coalition, AARP, MoveOn, Democracy for America, the progressive blogosphere, and the millions of Democrats on the Party’s email lists that meaningful health reform could not happen unless they all joined him in the fight. Obama also used his Organizing for America to raise money for health reform, and to mobilize support through house meetings, phone calls, and other grassroots actions.

And then he unilaterally made a backroom deal that entirely ignored both activists and those they mobilized...

[OneGrassRoot]

1. National referendum

Has the US never had one? In searching for that answer, I stumbled upon this website.

http://www.nationalreferendum.org/


I'd love to see a national referendum held on this issue.

[NJmaverick]

2. I think the author is taking a simplistic view. He is ignoring the Republicans hardened opposition

which negates much of the public's pressure. He also fails to take into the account the realities of getting a bill through the US Congress and in particular the Senate.

[yurbud]

3. the GOP is impotent. It is corporate turncoats in the Democratic caucus causing the problems

[Demeter]

4. While It's "it's wrong to bypass the community’s agenda to strike a backroom deal, regardless of its

While it's "it's wrong to bypass the community’s agenda to strike a backroom deal, regardless of its superior terms", it's INFINITELY WORSE to sell out your base for a BACKROOM DEAL THAT SCREWS THEM INTO THE GRAVE AND BEYOND.